July – November 1812
At the end of June Darcy returned to Pemberley alone. Georgiana stayed a few more months in London as London's leading master was teaching her to play the harp. Darcy was well aware of the importance of his sister having access to the best masters before she entered society at the end of that year. He hoped his sister would make a good marriage.
A few days later, he was working in his office when Mrs. Reynolds gave him a letter from his aunt, Lady Catherine, that left him disturbed...
"… Mr. Collins told me that he will continue his duties as vicar at least until the end of the year since he has no money to do the repairs on his estate. I feel sorry for Miss Elizabeth Bennet as she was left homeless and only her older sister survived the fire and she is ill. It is a pity their prospects of receiving another marriage proposal as advantageous as Mr. Collins' are now non-existent…"
For several days he hesitated whether or not to go to Hertfordshire to see Elizabeth or at least find out if she was alright but finally discarded the idea. They had parted on bad terms and she had been very clear when she told him that he was the last man in the world she could ever be prevailed upon to marry. He shouldn't think about her anymore...
December 1812 – March 1813
In December 1812, Lady Matlock organized a grand ball to celebrate Georgiana's coming out and invited the leading families of London, especially those with children of marriageable age.
Georgiana was beautiful that night, dressed in a pearl-colored gown with silver embroidery and delicate lace. Her hair was pinned up with pearls and diamonds, and the outfit was complemented by a diamond necklace and matching bracelet.
As was his duty, Darcy opened the ball with his sister, and subsequently danced with Lady Matlock. Although he still thought of Elizabeth frequently and even dreamed of her, he had resigned himself to the fact that he would have to marry another woman in order to produce an heir. Therefore, he decided to choose a young lady who met all the requirements to be Mrs. Darcy; she had to have an excellent dowry and connections to the nobility.
During the season, he danced with several young ladies, but none particularly interested him. Of all the young ladies who showed an interest in being Mrs. Darcy, the one who met all the requirements was Lady Maria. She was the daughter of an earl, she was pretty, blonde, and above all very different from Elizabeth. He didn't want to keep thinking about her. He wasn't particularly attracted to her, but he knew that wasn't important.
Lady Maria was the typical lady of the Ton. She had been raised to marry a rich man, attend parties and not contradict a gentleman. Unfortunately, for a few years, her father had financial problems and it was imperative she marries a wealthy man as soon as possible. Lady Matlock had been friends with her mother for many years, and she helped her prepare the topics of conversation that knew would interest her nephew.
She knew that a woman after she got married did not have to pretend interests she did not have, and even her mother told her that after having an heir and a spare the couple could lead separate lives. Most of the marriages she knew were like this…
On the other hand, three gentlemen showed interest in Georgiana, but only one of them, Mr. Stevens, seemed to be more interested in her than in her dowry. Mr. Stevens was the eldest son of a gentleman who had property about 50 miles from Pemberley which brought in about £8,000 a year. He was twenty-seven years old; he was tall, handsome, intelligent, and nice.
Bingley met a new angel - similar to the previous seven - but in this case, to Caroline's frustration, she was the daughter of a wealthy merchant. Despite Caroline's request, on this occasion, Darcy decided against advising his friend...