"Oh, my dear Jane, how well you look!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed as she stepped into the vestibule of Netherfield, her husband and younger daughters in her wake. "Mr. Bingley, is your wife not particularly beautiful?"
"She is always beautiful, Mrs. Bennet," Bingley answered with an easy smile. "I hope you and the rest of the family are well today?"
"We are very well!" Mrs. Bennet fluted and then turned toward Darcy, Georgiana, and Richard, who were standing a few feet away. "Jane, will you not introduce us to your guests?"
"Miss Darcy, Mr. Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam," Jane said, "may I please introduce you to my mother, Mrs. Bennet, my sisters, Miss Mary, Miss Kitty, and Miss Lydia, and my father, Mr. Bennet. Mama, Papa, Miss Darcy, Mr. Darcy, and Colonel Fitzwilliam."
The various ladies and gentlemen curtsied and bowed as appropriate, and Mrs. Bennet, her eyes bright with hopeful curiosity, said, "I have, of course, heard much about Mr. and Miss Darcy, but I do not believe my daughters have mentioned you at all, Colonel Fitzwilliam? Are you a member of the militia?"
"The Regulars, Madam," Colonel Fitzwilliam said with a bow, and Lydia, who had been twitching impatiently throughout the introductions, immediately cried out, "The Regulars, Colonel? How wonderful! We had a militia regiment here in Meryton all last winter, and we had such wonderful times with the officers. Have you ever been to Brighton? The regiment moved there recently, which was terribly disappointing!"
The colonel glanced at Mrs. Bingley, and observing the discomfort on her face, said quickly, "I have been to Brighton, Miss Lydia, though only for a few weeks before my regiment and I were shipped to the Continent."
"We are most grateful to you for your service to the Crown," Mary said seriously.
Bingley interjected, "Shall we all go into the drawing room? Dinner will be ready shortly."
/
"Tomorrow?" Mr. Bennet repeated, lowering himself onto a divan in the corner of the drawing room. "I understood Mr. and Miss Darcy would be staying here a few days before driving on to London with you."
"Yes, Father," Elizabeth agreed, taking a seat next to him, "but unfortunately, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who is aunt to the Darcys and Colonel Fitzwilliam, learned of our plans and is most displeased that I have been invited. There is a good chance that she will descend either on the Darcys' London House, or here at Netherfield, in the next few days. Jane does not need a family argument in her drawing room, and Mr. Darcy does not wish for me to be exposed to Lady Catherine's vituperation."
Bennet's usual sardonic expression shifted to one of genuine anger. "Was Lady Catherine insulting to you when you were visiting Charlotte Collins in Kent, Lizzy? You did not tell me that."
"No, not at all," his daughter assured him. "She was haughty, demanding, and domineering, but she did not single me out for any particular abuse, nor am I in the least afraid of her. But according to Mr. Darcy, Lady Catherine has taken exception to my being invited to accompany Georgiana to Brighton. She thinks that I might put on airs and become overly proud, which is an obvious case of the pot calling the kettle black. In any case, I do not wish for Jane, in her delicate condition, to be present for a shouting match here at Netherfield."
Bennet sighed and said, "Yes, Jane has more sensibility than you and would not enjoy such a quarrel in the least. Indeed, ever since we first met Mr. Collins, I have known that his patroness was a fool, but it seems she is even more foolish than I imagined. Yes, of course you can go tomorrow, my dear. I will miss you, but Mary and Kitty have grown far more sensible of late. Mary even beat me at chess this morning, which was both remarkable and enjoyable!"
"She beats me most of the time now," Elizabeth admitted. "Mary has a wonderful ability to think through future moves, which I find astonishing."
"It is both surprising and satisfying," Bennet agreed as he considered his third daughter, whom he had long disdained for her addiction to Fordyce's sermons and moral treatises. The last few months, Mary had displayed additional talents which had flowered under instruction and encouragement. For all his pride in his own intellect, it was clear that where his family was concerned, he had been both lazy and foolish.
/
"Of course, London is very quiet in summer compared to during the Season," Caroline Bingley declared, "but the little Theater is open, and there will be some good families in town. I do hope that my friend, Miss Amelia Fawnthorpe, and I will have the opportunity to call on you in London next week, Miss Darcy."
Georgiana cast a confused look at her brother, who came to the rescue, "Regrettably, Miss Bingley, our plans changed only today due to some family business. While we had intended to spend a few days in London before proceeding on to Ramsgate, we now will leave tomorrow directly for the sea."
Caroline's mouth gaped open with astonishment at these words, and Louisa, eager to head off any incivility, said, "I am certain you will have a delightful time there. I have heard that the beach is captivating."
"The birds are even more so," Georgiana said, shifting a little closer to her brother on the couch. "There are such lovely warblers, plovers, falcons, loons, and nightingales on the beaches and in the nearby marshes, though it is rather late in the year for us to hear nightingales."
"Dinner is served," Jane said to the assemblage, and all rose to enter the great dining room.
/
"Why did you not tell me that the Darcys are going to Ramsgate in August?" Caroline hissed to her brother. The meal was underway and conversation flourished, which made it easy for her to speak quietly so that only Charles could hear her.
Charles, who was congratulating himself for his forethought in having his irritating sister placed at his left, murmured back, "Their plans are of no concern to you, Sister; you have no right at all to be informed of Darcy's travels."
"You know perfectly well that I accepted Miss Amelia's invitation to London in the hopes that I would see more of the Darcys!" Caroline seethed, tapping her soup spoon on her empty bowl in agitation.
"That was a mistake on your part," Bingley returned blandly. "Now, dear sister, do calm yourself. Would you care for a drink of madeira?"
"I want claret," Caroline said sullenly.
"As you wish. Jane, what would you like?"
"May I please have lemonade, my dear?"
Charles bestowed a loving smile on his wife. She was feeling much better these days, but still found most alcoholic beverages to be entirely unpalatable. "Of course, my love."
/
"My music master wishes for me to practice simpler scores for now while I learn to imbue my playing with more character," Mary explained, her eyes downcast. "I know that you are a truly excellent player, Miss Darcy, and would no doubt laugh at my dabbling on the pianoforte."
"I would never laugh at someone in such a way," Georgiana said seriously. "I am an excellent performer at the pianoforte, it is true, but I perform poorly on the harp. No one is good at everything."
"That is true enough," Mary said in obvious relief. "Please do tell me, which composer do you like the best?"
/
"I am thankful that your father is willing to allow you to leave on such short notice, Miss Bennet," Darcy said.
"I am too," Elizabeth replied, putting a bite of fish into her mouth. When she had chewed and swallowed, she said, "I would have been most disappointed to miss out on this trip to the sea with Georgiana. She has grown to be a very dear friend."
"I am aware," Darcy said and then added hesitantly, "I hope it is not too bold to say that we both count you a friend, Miss Bennet."
Elizabeth, startled by his words blushed pink and found her eyes lowering in her confusion. After a long moment, she managed to look into the gentleman's concerned face and said, "Indeed, Mr. Darcy, I am honored to be counted a friend of both you and your sister."
"I expect that during our time at Ramsgate, we will be able to spend more time together," Darcy said, smiling openly now.
"I am certain we will," Elizabeth said, struggling to regain her composure. "How far is it to Ramsgate?"
"It is about one hundred miles from here, and during our journey, we will be obliged to stop for the night, but there is an excellent inn in Kent which caters to the gentry."
"Yes, but are there any birds at the inn in question?" Elizabeth inquired archly.
Darcy laughed. "I am not certain that there are, but the hostelry is called The Eagle's Nest, which will, I hope, propitiate my dear sister."
/
"I do not think I would care to live in a tent," Lydia declared, wrinkling her nose. "Is it not rather small?"
"Oh yes, Miss Lydia," Colonel Fitzwilliam declared. "It is small, and in spite of the noble efforts of my batman, it is often dirty due to men coming in and out."
"How do you manage to dine in such conditions?" Kitty asked, her blue eyes wide in her heart shaped face.
"Well, we rarely enjoyed such wonderful food as this, Miss Kitty, though we used to eat paella, which was a sort of stew made of this and that. The commissary provided for our basic needs, but some of the officers would hunt as well. I was present at the city of Badajoz earlier this year, and the hares ran thickly in the warrens. Many an officer's pot was filled with rabbits during the siege."
"It sounds marvelously exciting," Lydia cooed. "I was hoping to go to Brighton this summer with the militia regiment, but my father refused. It must be heaven there, with rows upon rows of tents, all filled with dashing officers in their red coats."
Colonel Fitzwilliam looked down on the girl's pretty, vacuous face and sighed inwardly. He still woke with nightmares of the storming of Badajoz, when nearly five thousand Allied soldiers were killed or wounded during the taking of the city. He himself had taken a ball in his side. Thankfully it had not lodged deeply, and the surgeons removed it with relative ease. However, it still ached at night sometimes. But naturally Miss Lydia knew nothing of the fighting in the muddy breaches, of the frantic whinnying of injured horses, of the men falling and dying as their companions climbed over them in an effort to take the town. It had been a victory, but an incredibly costly one, and the day after the city was taken, the Earl of Wellington had cried openly at the sight of the mounds of dead.
And yet it was for pretty, ignorant girls like Lydia Bennet that he and his fellow men suffered and died, so that they could live in an England free of the Corsican tyrant and free to remain naïve of such horrors.
"I suppose it was really quite dreadful," Kitty Bennet said solemnly from his left, and Richard turned to regard the girl gazing at him sympathetically.
"It was, rather," he agreed, and shook his head a little. A glance to his right showed that Lydia was now speaking with her father, so he felt free to focus his attention on his more agreeable partner. "Please do tell me about yourself, Miss Kitty. Are you fond of music?"
"I enjoy listening to music, but am not a performer like Elizabeth and Mary. I like to draw and paint, however," Kitty said. "I rather think I would enjoy sculpture as well, but that is not really practical at the moment."
"Have you had the opportunity to visit the British Museum? They have some remarkable artifacts from Egypt. Oh, and the Elgin Marbles in Piccadilly are also incredible."
"I have not, though I would enjoy seeing the Marbles very much," Kitty said, her face growing animated.
Richard responded cheerfully, and the conversation proceeded smoothly through the next course.
In the midst of good food and an enjoyable exchange, Colonel Fitzwilliam found himself glancing frequently at Darcy, who was seated between Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bennet. His cousin was far too much a gentleman to entirely ignore Mrs. Hurst, but it was obvious from Darcy's cheerful countenance that he was far more interested in Miss Bennet. Richard had never seen Darcy so comfortable in the presence of a young lady outside of his own family. It was interesting. It was very, very interesting.