GREEN
"Mrs. Darcy, you are looking exceedingly handsome this morning."
"This new habit of yours is one I must approve of, Mr. Darcy – Oh, and you are looking slightly less wretched than usual yourself," she replied with a smile.
Darcy chuckled, which turned into a cough, but this time he did not seem in any danger of losing a lung, as he had when he woke up in the middle of the night.
His wife braved a comforting kiss, and he seemed to perk up. The evening's discussions with Lydia had not produced the most restful sleep either had ever encountered, but between speaking back and forth of possibilities, while Darcy kept alternately falling asleep in exhaustion and then waking up an hour later in distress took their toll. Both woke up feeling tired and grumpy, but such a disagreeable feeling could not survive a comfort kiss.
Elizabeth wondered at what point their kisses would revert towards the passionate side. On the one hand, she was anxiously waiting the magic that the marriage act was supposed to produce. On the other hand, there was a lot to be said for comfort – temporarily. She was not overly concerned that she would find that part of her marriage inadequate in any way. She had no doubt her husband and her could muddle along acceptably. She just wanted to get on to the next phase and find out what all the fuss was about.
Darcy said, "Could you please ring the mule caller, Elizabeth. I would like to make my way to the chamber pot, but the ideal scenario would have me returned to the bed without any of its present contents, or any of its new contents, attached to my own person."
Elizabeth laughed. "Are you to assert that the ever staid, ever reliable, ever taciturn Fitzwilliam Darcy is capable of a joke?"
Her husband got her comeuppance by giving her a kiss that was not comforting in the least. It was fast, hard and passionate enough that Mrs. Darcy wondered if she needed to worry about the flammability of her bedclothes."
When he finally was done, he very sternly said, "Do not ever accuse me of that again. I am a very serious –"
He probably would have managed to carry that diatribe on for some time if his wife had not cheated by tickling him until he laughed almost hard enough to render the chamber pot superfluous.
As instructed, Elizabeth kissed him one last time on the nose like you would a small child, climbed out of bed into the cold room, rang the mule bell and quickly put on her maid's dress. She was already thinking how she would miss the simplicity of just slipping into and out of the simple dress without help, and gave serious consideration to trying to promote maid's dresses as the fashion item of the year among the ton, but reluctantly decided it was time to start playing the part. They would soon be entertaining callers, and the Darcy reputation still had to be maintained, especially with the rumors that must have been flying about town due to their fast nuptials and subsequent illness. Gossip could enhance or savage their family reputation quickly, and Elizabeth wanted to make certain it was the former and not the latter. That would require careful cultivation of the right people, and careful disbursement of the right story.
Bates entered, saying, "Good morning, Mrs. Darcy."
"Good morning, Mr. Bates. My husband needs the usual, and I think a bath, while not all that healthful for the myriad small creatures that have attached themselves to him, would make him smell so much better."
"I pity the small creatures, ma'am, but I see no alternative. We received a note from Miss Darcy. She would like to attend you."
Elizabeth smiled. "I have no objection. I shall send a note for her to arrive an hour after luncheon. For the moment, I will leave my husband in your care while I take care of my own bath," then turning her attention, she asked, "Will you share breakfast with me in our sitting room in an hour Fitzwilliam?"
Darcy thought he liked his wife ordering him around, so he smiled and nodded before gripping Bates' hand to lever himself out of his bed. He was hoping for one last kiss before Elizabeth departed, but she went out, obviously already thinking about all she needed to accomplish in the next five minutes, five hours, and five days – or more likely thinking that she might rather kiss him after he was bathed and shaved.
By luncheon, cleaned and resting in their shared sitting room, the couple had discussed all that needed to be discussed, both among themselves and with Lydia. They had decided on a divide and conquer approach to the day's tasks. Darcy would speak to his attorney and man of business with a few ideas Elizabeth had put forward, to verify the legality of every option they were considering. Darcy had explained that a large estate always had various people trying to extract money from it using means fair and foul, and no sensible estate owner ever gave an enemy the gun to shoot them with.
While Elizabeth would have been content to sit in on those meetings, and would have found the information useful, she judged that those men would be less forthcoming with a woman in the room. Her husband had decided in a moment, on her wedding day, to treat her as an equal, and he had never deviated for even a minute. Other men, however, had to have the habits of a lifetime shifted slowly and carefully, if she even bothered now that she had a healthy husband. The mistress of Pemberley did not feel up to training her men of business that day. She thought it just was not worth the trouble to make them comfortable when Fitzwilliam could perfectly well tell her the results in half the time when he was done. If worst came to worst, her husband could ask her to join them if they needed her thinking.
She spent the intervening time working on their return to Hertfordshire, which both judged to be essential, preferably sooner than later. She had taken the responsibility for arranging everything, and had a surprise planned for her husband.
She also decided to meet with Georgiana alone, at least in the beginning, with the intention of trying to forward their relationship somewhat before she saw her brother. She was not quite certain why she thought that the best idea, but she thought following her instincts were right at least some of the time.
Elizabeth's discussion with Miss Darcy was frustrating, but all in all, it proceeded about as expected. She was never quite certain if she was being uncharitable with the girl or not, but she found that Miss Darcy lived up admirably to her low expectations. The girl was both slightly haughty over her perceived superior status, (though careful not to show it), but also so shy it became Elizabeth's responsibility to pull out just about every sentence she wanted to hear. The young lady was nowhere near as cruel as Lydia, but there was something missing that Elizabeth could not quite put her finger on.
After a frustrating half-hour of trying to bring her new sister out of her shell, Elizabeth rang for a servant, and asked for her sister to attend her. It only took about five minutes before Lydia entered, mainly because she had been anxiously waiting in another sitting room for something to happen. The young girl had not yet mastered the art of patience, although Elizabeth in her place thought she would have been just as anxious.
Elizabeth thought briefly that she should have given her sister more attention earlier in the day, but that she would likely survive her remorse. Instead, she performed the introductions.
"Miss Lydia Bennet, may I make you known to Miss Georgiana Darcy, your new sister. Georgiana, this is Lydia," she said, watching their reactions.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Darcy."
"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Bennet."
Mrs. Darcy was slightly surprised that both girls were speaking with a skittish manner and tone of voice, as if Elizabeth was the meanest governess they had ever heard of, standing behind them with a ruler. She really did not consider herself the least bit formidable, or at least you could conclude that based on her previous success rate at modulating either of her two youngest sisters' behavior. She was slightly disappointed but thought that was probably about as good as it would be for a first introduction.
Elizabeth had expected Georgiana to be shy, but seeing Lydia exhibiting the same malady was surprising. She would not have been the least bit surprised to see Lydia rattle on for a half‑hour about some bonnet or other, but her youngest sister appeared to be trying to practice gentility without knowing how it was done. Of course, it was equally probable that she was awed by the presence of a reputedly accomplished lady, as there had been considerable discussion about Miss Darcy in the Bennet household when the two eldest sisters returned from Jane's illness at Netherfield. The last possibility was that Lydia was trying her best to ensure that her sister did not just ship her back to her father, as the law and custom demanded.
Trying to find some common ground, she said, "Lydia, perhaps you can tell Georgiana what you would normally be doing now, if you were back in Longbourn."
Lydia looked unsure of herself, but eventually said, "Kitty and I – that is my sister, Catherine – would probably be remaking a bonnet, or walking into Meryton to meet with my aunt, or working with Jane in the stillroom. We always –"
Elizabeth gently touched her hand, hoping she would realize that discussion of 'traveling in packs' could wait for another day.
Georgiana looked confused, and asked, "When do you do your lessons?"
Lydia, looking equally confused said, "We do not have lessons, unless we want them of course. Lizzy, Jane and Mary have had many, but Kitty and I finished some time ago."
Georgiana looked either confused or scandalized. Elizabeth was having trouble interpreting the young lady's reaction, especially since only half of her mind was on the task while the other half alternated between her plans for her upcoming return to the lion's den, and sneakily thinking about her husband and their future.
While her attention had been wandering, Georgiana asked, "Has your governess left you?"
"We never had any governess."
Georgiana looked thoroughly confused by the assertion and asked "No governess! How was that possible? Five daughters brought up at home without a governess! I never heard of such a thing. Your mother must have been quite a slave to your education."
Elizabeth couldn't quite help to smile briefly. It was the longest stretch of words yet out of her new sister, and the strongest statement to date. She wondered if that was what Lady Catherine would sound like, although, if reports were to be believed, she though Lady Catherine would sound like she was carving the words into the wall with a chisel. The sentiments did not sound very much like what a fifteen-year-old girl should think, but since Georgiana had been raised by nursemaids and governesses, it was probably just how she saw the natural order of the world.
Elizabeth tried to head off any upcoming confrontation by assuring Georgiana that had not been the case, and their mother was not in fact an exhausted, worn out woman.
Georgiana asked somewhat confusedly. "Then, who taught you? Who attended to you? Without a governess, you must have been neglected."
Elizabeth said, "Compared with some families, I believe we were; but such of us as wished to learn never wanted the means. We were always encouraged to read, and had all the masters that were necessary. Those who chose to be idle, certainly might."
She did her best not to look too pointedly at Lydia with that last assertion, but she could see that she felt the sting anyway. Elizabeth was not unhappy about that. Lydia had a lot to learn, and the sooner she accepted that fact, the better. Mrs. Bennet might not be very choosy about husbands, but Mrs. Darcy certainly would be.
Georgiana sill looked skeptical, so Elizabeth said, "Perhaps, I should explain it Georgiana – oh, and by the way, I never asked for permission to use your given name, so my apologies."
Somewhat shaken, Georgiana said, "It would be my pleasure. We are sisters after all and …"
She looked somewhat timid, so Elizabeth gently prompted. "I would ask you to speak freely."
Georgiana shyly continued, "… I have never used given names with anybody."
Shocked, Elizabeth asked, "Not even at school?"
Georgiana just shook her head, and Elizabeth did not know if she felt sorry for the girl, or she was frustrated that she did not have such a basic ability to make friends. Elizabeth thought she had a lot of teaching to do.
Elizabeth nodded again and said, "We shall correct that," then turned pointedly to Lydia, and waited, giving her a look that she hoped her sister interpreted as either encouraging or threatening.
After a short delay, Lydia said, "Oh, yes, we are sisters in law as well, so I would be ever so pleased if you called me Lydia. By the by, I believe we could call Mrs. Darcy 'Lizzy', at least until she has children and becomes more formidable."
Georgiana looked skeptical, not even quite ready to call her sister in law 'Elizabeth', while Elizabeth was pleased that Lydia was at least trying to ease the young heiress' nerves.
Georgiana looked to Mrs. Darcy for clarification, so Elizabeth said, "We are going to be family for a very long time. Let us just make it simple. My sisters shall be known as Jane, Lizzy, Mary, Kitty and Lydia when it is just family, but we will all use the proper names in company. You shall be Georgiana or would you like a diminutive."
Somewhat timidly, Georgiana said, "My brother occasionally called me Georgie when I was small, but he is trying to mold me into a proper lady now."
Elizabeth snapped, "Bah! There is plenty of time to be grown up later. You shall be Georgie among family."
Thinking she had done all she needed to, she sat back to let the two new siblings who were much closer in age talk, but, much to her surprise, neither seemed inclined to do so. She tried a few gentle nudges, trying to point them at this topic or that topic which she knew they enjoyed, with not very much to show for it. The girls would answer her questions, but the conversation never really caught fire without her constantly blowing the embers.
After a quarter-hour or more of trying to get the two girls to engage, she finally decided that she, being an ancient married woman, might be the impediment, so she said, "Georgie – Lydia – you two need to get to know each other, and work out whether you will converse politely or yank each other's hair out. I recommend you lean more towards the former."
She thought she might need to teach the two to tease, because she was not even certain they understood the slight misdirection, and neither of them gave any sign of laughing.
Sighing in frustration, she finally said, "You two need to get to know each other, so I will leave you together. Georgie, do you understand Fitzwilliam's intent is for you to return to Darcy House starting today?"
"Yes"
"Are you looking forward to it?"
Georgiana just shrugged, as if she was either unaccustomed to anybody asking her anything, she was indifferent, or she (probably correctly) assumed that her opinion on the subject would change nothing.
Elizabeth said, "I put Lydia next to you. As of this moment …"
With that preamble she looked carefully at her sister in law until she was certain she had her undivided attention. "… you are responsible for her entertainment. Your brother and I will be taking a trip to Meryton tomorrow, but Lydia will remain with as your guest."
She saw what looked like panic in her sister, so tamping down her frustration, while simultaneously thinking she needed to take charge of the young lady's education before they threw her to the sharks of the ton, she relented a bit.
"Do not look so panic stricken, Georgie. Lydia will be on her very best behavior," she said while giving Lydia a ferocious stare until she nodded, apparently cowed, and then continued, "and you will have Mrs. Annesley, Mrs. Radcliff and all the household staff. You can do it."
Georgiana and Lydia both looked frightened and skeptical. Elizabeth wondered if her fifteen-year-old self had ever been so timid. She really wondered what had happened at Longbourn since her departure. Elizabeth Bennet had left her sister Lydia, the most outgoing and fearless girl she knew, and Elizabeth Darcy found this timid church mouse standing on her door a few months later. Perhaps fear was the great equalizer. It had certainly worked wonders for her with her husband.
Elizabeth gently said, "You two need to get to know each other, and you cannot do it with me watching over you like a hawk. Go to the music room, or the study, or the library, or the garden, or the park, or any combination of those. Learn how to be sisters. Try not to break anything, cause any of the staff to quit, or set any fires bigger than a single room."
She tried to laugh with the tease but did not get much in the way of response.
Both sisters looked subdued, but they got up to go off and do something. Elizabeth was under no illusion that Lydia's exuberance would not return eventually. A dog did not quite barking because you frightened it one night. She was under no illusions that Georgiana's reticence and shyness would be cured with a few weeks' exposure to her more outgoing sister. She just hoped that between Georgiana's shyness and Lydia's exuberance they could make one good sort of lady.
The rest of the day was spent more pleasantly as she arranged all the particulars of their trip to Hertfordshire. She had taken the slight subterfuge of asking her Uncle Gardiner to write to Mr. Bennet telling him that Lydia was in London, implying without saying directly that she was on Gracechurch Street. The letter indicated she would be returned in due time, while being terribly non‑specific about the definition of 'due time'.
There was a particular surprise she was planning for her husband that required the combined efforts of Noah and Longman for several hours.
By the time she was to meet her husband for supper, she forwent the usual formal dinner, but instead had the staff lay it out more akin to a breakfast. The food was laid out on a sideboard, and she ate with her husband and sisters. The conversation was somewhat desultory, mainly since it was all Darcy could do to sit up for the half-hour the dinner took, but both members of the new couple enjoyed the feeling of semi-normalcy they were enjoying, only a few weeks after they were not entirely certain he would even survive, or be the same man he had been before his illness.
Dr. Warren had promised to do a thorough examination in the morning before authorizing any trip to Hertfordshire or anywhere else, and the grateful couple retired as soon as Mr. Darcy had shoveled half a plate of food into his mouth.
Finally, back in bed, this time wearing a proper night rail, Elizabeth once again kissed him on the forehead. "Good night, my love," before joining him in slumber almost instantly.
