Chapter 32

They decide to ride out after all, in the afternoon, including Mr Bennet in their ride, to show him the city from horseback and to keep his horse active in the confinement of a London stables. Darcy's father-in-law also needs the exercise, he is used to riding every day and needs to stay in shape for their return journey. The snow keeps coming and gives the city a fairytale look, especially in the parks they visit regularly.

It is no hardship at all to have Mr Bennet along on their outings, he is a true kindred spirit, talking about books, politics and the news with great interest. He really must be starved for a sensible conversation at home, for there hasn't been a single sign of sarcasm in him during his stay in London, Georgiana loves him, Simon treats him with more respect than he treats anyone, Mr Bennet in his turn treats Mrs Annesley with more respect than Darcy has ever seen him show any other person.

After seeing them in conversation in the hall one time, Darcy decided to invite Mrs Annesley to lunch and to dine with them during Mr Bennet's stay, on her working days of course, and fortunately she told him she didn't have the slightest objection against joining them in the dining-room once more.

From the moment she was no longer Georgie's companion she stopped taking her meals with the family, sitting with the rest of the staff instead.

'I'm no longer required to sit in on your family moments, Mr Darcy, and I prefer to give you your time together. Also, mealtimes are perfect for getting to know one another, and your entire staff needs to get connected, myself included.'

Darcy could not but agree with her then, but he truly thinks Mr Bennet enjoyed her presence at lunch, and will enjoy it even more at their dining-table. Like Darcy himself, his father-in-law greatly appreciates an intelligent woman, and Mrs Annesley is near his own age. Besides, Darcy knows little of Mrs Annesley's situation at home, but it cannot be easy, he does know her husband is not able to work for a living, which suggests most domestic tasks must also fall on her shoulders. In short, she may enjoy a bit of entertainment now and again, and she clearly enjoys Mr Bennet's society as much as he enjoys hers.

Darcy supposes they will see Mr Bennet more often from now on, even at Pemberley. To be in the company of people of superior understanding must be very tempting, and worth a long ride. He will be glad for Elizabeth if her father will take the trouble to visit, he knows she feels bad about leaving him behind with just his wife and her silly sisters as company.

And for himself, he doesn't mind at all, he likes his father-in-law, who treats the servants friendly enough, and who entertains himself most of the time. Once at Pemberley, Darcy won't mind hunting and fishing with him, they can even make it a party this spring if they include Mr Gardiner.

Lost in contemplations for a few moments, Darcy is brought back to the now by their arrival at the edge of a rather large field where they usually gallop. As he looks up, Elizabeth is just urging Daisy into a slow canter to test the footing. After a few jumps the mare slips, and slips again, fortunately regaining her footing almost instantly. Elizabeth sits as firmly as a rock despite the sidesaddle, slows down back to a walk and turns to face them.

'I suppose it's a bit slippery today, Fitzwilliam, it may be better if we don't gallop. Too bad, Daisy was looking forward to a good run.'

Darcy is very proud of her, to recover so matter-of-factly from a scary situation, she really is an excellent horse-woman by now, he can hardly wait to ride to Netherfield together, but he looks forward even more to the summer on their estate, where she can ride astride once more and really test her mettle on a few mounted hunts.

But as much as Darcy admires her, her father's reaction is one of utter amazement.

'My dearest Lizzy, where did you learn to ride like that?'

Elizabeth replies airily, having Daisy walk on beside her father's sturdy horse, 'One of Fitzwilliam's stable-hands has a real talent for instructing, papa. He taught me a lot, starting out riding astride.'

'You always refused to ride, and I never understood why, you loved nature and being outdoors so much, and you were so much more athletic and quite a lot braver than Jane, who did ride.'

'I didn't like being dependent on the horse, papa. I never felt I could control such a large, strong animal. But astride I gained the confidence that I could, and I got to know Daisy as the sweetest-natured, most stable horse ever, and I realised I wouldn't want to stop riding in London so I decided to try a sidesaddle. I'd still rather ride astride, though.'

Mr Bennet's face is a study in admiration and amazement, and he doesn't have anything to say for a good few moments.

'So that was the whole trouble, being in control. I might have guessed, knowing you as well as I do. So you ride astride at Pemberley, I cannot wait to see that, though I admit I find it disconcerting to picture my daughter in trousers. I suppose that explains why your husband is so extraordinarily fond of you.'

Darcy cannot help smiling at this observation, it's not entirely true, but he remembers how the very idea of Elizabeth in trousers turned him on instantly.

'I don't ride in trousers like yours, papa, they're more like a split skirt. Very elegant and quite decent, if I say so myself.'

'Well my dear Lizzy, I'm just glad you got to know the pleasure of riding a horse, and I'm sure you'll show me some real feats in summer, astride and on safer turf than trampled snow.

But please let me tell you how wonderful you look riding like this. Your dark hair against the snow, that lovely dress, and your mare the colour of a horse-chestnut just burst out of its prickly shell. You've truly grown from a pretty girl to a beautiful young woman. I'm looking forward to seeing you in the gown you chose for the wedding, as much as I'm looking forward to seeing Jane in her wedding-gown. I'll have the two most beautiful women as my daughters, I'm going to burst with pride.'

Why, Mr Bennet seems altogether quite affected by the picture his daughter presents, which is indeed quite stunning. Looking at his beloved, Darcy realises his father-in-law is actually right, Elizabeth has changed. She is no longer merely a pretty girl, their months together have matured her into a woman, strong and self-assured, and indeed truly beautiful. Darcy can hardly wait for their wash-up after the ride, when she will undoubtedly allow him their usual intimacies.

A bit shyly, Elizabeth says to her father, 'Thank you, papa. I'm glad you approve.'

Then as her cheeky self, 'Though I'd ride astride anyway if you didn't. But only on our own grounds.

Let's turn back, I promised Georgiana we'd try for at least two more octaves before Mr Fielding arrives. Did you invite Mrs Annesley to the concert? She'd love it, though she's says she's not a connoisseur she has a real appreciation for good music.'

So she noticed, too. 'I did invite her, it would be a bit rude to have her leave after dinner, of course, and she was pleased to accept. Said she spent most evenings at home nowadays and would be forgiven spending an evening of pleasure.'

Turning the black horse, he adds, 'If we can't gallop, we may as well turn back, maybe the snow will stick less tomorrow. Georgie will be so disappointed if you aren't there to help with the tuning.'

When they get to their room, Fanny is waiting to help Elizabeth dress, but even Darcy cannot accept that. They really need those moments together, they cannot have servants keeping them from being intimate.

Fortunately, Elizabeth seems to have found some inner calm to deal with the situation and she says, 'Fanny, can you please come back say, at six? I'm going to help Miss Darcy tune the old piano so I'll be hanging over a dusty instrument for at least an hour, dressing up is entirely useless.

Did my new dress arrive?'

Fanny replies, 'It did, ma'am, I put it in your closet to keep it in perfect shape for the wedding.'

'Very good, I'm glad it's already here. What would you say to us meeting here around six, and you dressing me up as if we had the wedding tonight? We can test the look, and after that you can tone it down for a simple night's entertainment at home. I can get familiar with the dress, and we get to know how long it takes to gild me. We can have Miss Darcy over and dress her up, too, I think she needs to practise looking stunning even more than I. Is that a good idea?'

That clearly makes up for being sent away now, for Fanny looks overjoyed. 'Thank you so much ma'am, I was a bit nervous to not practise your look before such an important happening as a wedding. I'll be here at six.'

And instead of an unhappy girl feeling rejected, a very relieved girl leaves their bedroom, in happy anticipation of making up the mistress and Miss Darcy that very night.

And a very happy Elizabeth remains with him, very eager to remove his riding clothes, and have him remove hers, and with great determination they manage to stay awake this time, though sorely tempted to stay in their lovely warm bed, snuggling and kissing after some heated loving.

But tuning the piano with Georgiana is great fun as well, and Elizabeth gives her handsome husband one more hug and a loving kiss, then rolls out of the bed into the cold and washes herself thoroughly. She dries off quickly and puts on an older dress, tuning a piano can be a messy job if the piano in question is situated in a dusty room that they have not asked the staff to clean, both preferring the authentic atmosphere of the cluttered place as it is.

A woollen shawl ensures she feels warm again within minutes, and she bends over her beloved and kisses him goodbye, for at least an hour. 'I'll tell Simon he can wake you however it pleases him,' she says cheekily, and gets an adoring smile in return.

'Your father was right this afternoon, Elizabeth. You are grown into a beautiful woman, you are no longer a girl, nor merely pretty. And I hadn't even noticed until he mentioned it.'

What can a woman do but be flattered when her husband praises her like that?

'Thank you love, I'm very happy to hear you still admire me. I'm very curious what you'll think of my city-dress tonight, I hope you won't find me too much of a woman in it. But I had to do something to match my handsome husband with his exquisite coats.'

'And you haven't seen my new shoes, yet. I'll wear them, too, tonight, I need to get used to the feel of them or I'll keep tripping you as we dance. Or your sisters. Or Miss Bingley. I suppose I'll have to dance with her at least once.'

He is indeed giving as good as he gets these days, and she whispers in his ear, 'Thank you so much, love, for praising my looks.'

Then, as she leaves, 'Why not come and see us work for ten minutes or so, it will make the contrast with tonight that much more profound.'

'I will.'

And then she has to go, or Georgiana will be disappointed.

They adjust the first octave the tiniest of bits, it has slipped very slightly, but it's still a lot of work. Then they take on the higher octave, it is actually not that difficult, just a matter of finishing a tedious job. Of course having Georgiana around with her perfect hearing and confidence in finding the right pitch makes it easier, but Elizabeth does feel her sister is happy to have assistance.

After the higher octave, they tune the octave below the middle one, compensating for the inharmonics just the tiniest bit.

'Do you want to do another one?' Georgiana asks, obviously eager to go on herself, but realising not everybody can spend half their day on an instrument.

'Sure, you're doing the hard work, I'm not tired yet, and I have until six. I promised Fanny she could gild me as a trial for the wedding. Oh, and I promised her she could gild you, too. We both need to get used to having finery applied to us, and to wear it with dignity. What better time to start than immediately?'

'If you don't feel it's making things harder for Eric..'

Elizabeth hasn't thought of that. With Georgiana dressed as a woman, he may feel justified in loving her.

'You look very upper-class in those dresses, Georgiana. It will probably make him feel inferior, not the most sympathetic way to get him to conquer his love for you, but nonetheless an incentive to do so. But he'll be crushed, I didn't think of that, it may very well be downright cruel.'

Georgiana, bent over a dusty old piano dressed in her least flattering dress, a skimpy one that is at least three inches too short for her, heartlessly observes, 'It will give him inspiration for his new composition at the very least. I guess he will just have to suffer it, I want to know what I'll look like at the wedding. He'll probably expect us to dress up, won't he?'

Elizabeth dares not answer that question, but she actually wants Georgiana to dress up, very much so, to practise, but also so she doesn't feel very much overdressed herself.

Just before they call it quits, another octave nearly finished, Fitzwilliam comes in, curious how they are getting on.

'That is certainly a very charming sight, two ladies hugging a piano.'

He sounds amused, fortunately, for to be very frank it is pretty difficult to look like a lady when tuning a piano, and they are planning to tackle the instrument at Netherfield.

'Better choose a moment that Miss Bingley is out for tuning Bingley's instrument, or you'll never hear the last of it.' He is right, but Bingley's piano will not take hours to tune, it just needs adjusting to get rid of the inharmonics.

'If you're not doing anything useful, Fitzwilliam, can you please hit this key for me when I say so?'

'Yes, Georgie, I can and I will. This key?'

'Yes, dear brother, once more. And once more. Great, thank you. You've been of great help. We're done here, you can help me up, my back is locked in this position.'

'It's nearly six, Elizabeth, Fanny will be waiting for you in the bedroom, and I expect Mr Fielding at seven.'

As Georgiana plays the octaves they've tuned, she remarks, 'I think he will be proud of us, four octaves tuned perfectly, as far as I can tell. I'll join you in twenty minutes, Elizabeth.'

It is actually quite a lot of fun to get dressed for a party. Elizabeth still doesn't feel quite comfortable being treated as a child or someone infirm, nevertheless it is very convenient to have someone close the buttons on her back, and tie her sash perfectly.

The shoes are very fine and surprisingly comfortable, and sitting in front of a mirror having one's hair done is just amazing, Elizabeth can see it transformed to an artistic coiffure with the little hat on top. The feathers wave proudly, as Fanny makes up Elizabeth's face very subtly with a few touches of powder that she expertly blends to just the right shade of dark pink.

By now, Georgiana has arrived, and she watches in admiration.

'You're just four years older than I am, Elizabeth, but you look like a queen. You truly do, I am almost afraid to talk to you like this. It's a good thing your sister is so very beautiful, or you'd outshine her on her wedding day. But I suppose she'll be wearing a grand dress and Bingley's family jewels, so I guess you're safe. What jewellery will you be wearing?'

'I don't know, yet, Georgiana, it's a surprise from Simon and Mrs Annesley. Or did you help with the big search, Fanny?'

'I did, ma'am, I found a necklace that looked like it had belonged to the ancient Greeks, and Simon just loved it. Though it was ordinary copper, with a few beautiful stones, so maybe you will not like it.'

The maid's voice betrays she will be very disappointed if Elizabeth doesn't, but Elizabeth has no craving for gold or silver or diamonds, and endless faith in Simon's taste and Mrs Annesley's sense of decorum. If they think she can wear copper, copper she'll wear. The colour will match her dress perfectly.

'I'm looking forward to seeing it, Fanny, I'm sure it will match my dress perfectly.'

Then Fanny is done with her hair, and she helps Elizabeth in the exquisite coat she chose to wear with the dress.

Turning towards the large mirror Elizabeth hears Georgiana gasp, and when she sees herself in it she can understand perfectly. Is that fashionable, stunningly beautiful lady with the beplumed little hat herself? She cannot believe it, and touches her nose to prove it. The lady in the mirror also touches her, powdered, nose. It is her.

Smiling from ear to ear at their exclamations, Fanny walks up to Elizabeth and stands behind her, draping an elaborate necklace of copper links and beautiful blood red stones around her neck. It is decidedly classical in style, but very English in theme, scenes of the forest and the wild, horses and hounds chasing stags and hares, but stylised in the way of the people of the ancient world. It must have taken weeks to make, and if the stones are real rubies, it is worth a fortune despite being copper.

'Did you find that lying in some drawer of a dusty cupboard at the end of the hall, Fanny?' Georgiana wants to know.

'I did, Miss Darcy,' the maid acknowledges, 'I couldn't believe it was just lying there, forgotten for goodness knows how many years. There was gold, too, ma'am. Mrs Annesley and Simon studied all of it and they said it was worth a fortune and very wearable again. They chose a few pieces for Miss Darcy as well.'

'Did you get any of it for yourself, Fanny?' Elizabeth now asks, knowing full well Simon and Mrs Annesley would not give away their master's property without permission.

The maid reddens and admits, 'Since Bob has spoken and we're getting married in six months, they offered to ask the master to let me have two gold rings I found, for our marriage. But the master doesn't know, yet, I'm sure, for that was just this afternoon.'

They both congratulate the little maid, of course, it's so romantic, this beautiful girl marrying a homely youngster from the country because he is sweet and a good provider. Somehow Elizabeth doesn't compare Fanny to Charlotte at all, though in fact Fanny has made a similar choice, marrying a plain man to secure a comfortable home. But Bob's not a Mr Collins, Bob is very capable and a quicker thinker than any of them realised. And he's very cute when he smiles, which Mr Collins certainly isn't.

Elizabeth can imagine Bob playing with his children, teaching them everything he knows about horses, and giving an excellent example in dignity though he works in a stables. And love, plenty of love will surround his children and his wife.

Mr Collins will try to bring his children down to his own habits of grovelling and worshipping before the nobility, and looking down upon and lecturing those below him. Charlotte will have her work cut out for herself to raise her children to responsible, dignified adults. Though Elizabeth has to admit her cousin will probably love his children a lot, and learn how show it to them from his sensible wife. And one day, a day that Elizabeth hopes will not come for a long, long time yet, because it will signify her beloved father's passing, they will live at Longbourn, and Charlotte will be a lady herself.

'You've done a great job gilding me, Fanny, thank you very much. I'm sure Mr Darcy will agree to let you have the rings, I'll do my best for you in any case.

I think I can show myself like this on an evening party at home, no need to tone it down very much. It will give Mr Fielding the feeling he is truly appreciated.

Now it's your turn, Georgiana.'

And within half an hour Georgiana is also looking stunningly beautiful. She has chosen to wear the blue dress with the white accessories and the turban-style hat with the short feathers, and with a triumphant smile Fanny produces a heavy silver necklace with blue stones for her to wear. It is outlandish, ancient Egyptian in style, but very beautiful and so well-suited to the dress.

'I'm stunned, Fanny.' That is all Georgiana can say, she looks so incredibly womanly that Elizabeth hopes Mr Fielding will not get a heart-attack when he sees her. That composition of his will soon have an addition, she fears.

'Georgiana, you will be the belle of the ball on my sister's wedding.' Elizabeth means it, her sister's shy demeanour doesn't even detract from her charm anymore, it just adds to her inaccessible beauty.

And then it is time to make their appearance downstairs, just before Mr Fielding arrives, they thank Fanny heartily and descend the stairs to the drawing-room. Of course Elizabeth's eyes are mainly on Fitzwilliam as she enters, and he is obviously almost shaken by her looks. His usual loving reception of her is now decidedly shy, he hardly dares to touch her.

'Is it really you, Elizabeth? You look more like a queen than like my beloved wife.'

He bows before her, and she can see he is wearing shoes instead of boots!

'You're wearing shoes, Fitzwilliam, and they look so good on you!'

He smiles, still a bit overcome by her stateliness, but that is totally undeserved, for he looks so smart himself, besides those elegant shoes in unadorned black he also wears long tight trousers instead of the more common breeches, and though that is very newfangled she thinks it suits him much better than breeches and stockings, much more dignified.

'You look like a king yourself in those elegant shoes, Fitzwilliam!'

Well, no reverent mood can stand such an exclamation, and he gets up, lifts her against him, and kisses her full on her lips.

'And we'll try them later, dancing, if Mr Fielding allows it.'

Then he spies his sister, talking with Mrs Annesley and Elizabeth's father.

'Correction. We'll try them when Mr Fielding has recovered from his fainting-spell, by which he will certainly be overcome when he sees Georgiana.

Did I ever worry about meeting Wickham on Bingley's wedding? If I am to enter any room between the two of you, I will feel like the king himself, and I will not even notice him for pride.'