"Be slow to fall into friendship; but when thou art in, continue firm and constant." – Socrates

Chapter 5

The day of the museum outing finally arrived. A rather large party assembled comprised of the Darcy siblings, Mr. and Mrs. Bingley, Caroline and Elizabeth along with Charles and Caroline's sister, Louisa and her husband, Mr. Hurst.

Upon entering the first room of the exhibits, Elizabeth looked around herself in wonder. Never before had she seen such exotic works of art, even among her uncle's merchandise from India. It appeared as if the golden artifacts from Egypt were sent by the very gods the ancient civilization worshiped rather than being manmade objects. Lost in her thoughts, Elizabeth suddenly became aware of another speaking to her.

"I believe you are speechless, Miss Bennet."

A small smile graced her lips as she replied, "As you can imagine, sir, that is a very rare occurrence for one such as myself."

The gentleman smiled in return before replying.

"Well, I would not presume to know such an attribute at such an early stage in our acquaintance. However, I am glad to see that your first visit to the museum is to your liking."

"Oh, yes, Mr. Darcy. I have never seen such wonders in all of my life."

At this point, Georgiana appeared at Elizabeth's side.

"Is this not enchanting, Miss Bennet?" the young girl sighed as she gazed upon yet another bejeweled, head adornment.

"Indeed, it is Miss Darcy. Shall we not continue on together? I believe that our level of interest quite exceeds the rest of our party and I do not wish to hinder them." Elizabeth said as she noticed her sister and Charles were already entering the next viewing area.

Darcy was about to offer his arm to escort the young ladies; however, Caroline Bingley quickly stepped up to take his arm instead.

"Come, Mr. Darcy. Louisa and I are in need of your insight. Mr. Hurst is proving ignorant of all things Egyptian. It is your duty to share your knowledge with us."

"Very well, Miss Bingley." Darcy replied with a tight smile once he saw that his sister was enjoying time with her new friend.

As they progressed through the museum, Darcy was in company with Caroline, Louisa and Mr. Hurst while Georgiana and Elizabeth seemed to gravitate to one another and Charles and Jane noticed naught but each other.

Listening to Caroline and Louisa constantly exclaim at each turn about how shocking Egyptian culture must have been in order to create such sacrilegious items was enough to force Darcy to disengage from conversation. Several times, he was pleasantly surprised to hear quiet laughter coming from his own sister and Miss Bennet. The young women seemed to be enjoying both the tour as well as the company.

As their visit ended, the party assembled again before they would depart for a luncheon at the Hurst's townhouse. While waiting for their carriages, Bingley called out to a young gentleman who was entering the museum.

"Say there, John!"

The young man smiled at Bingley and approached the gathering.

"Hello, Charles. It is good to see you again."

"Mrs. Bingley, may I introduce Colonel Waldegrave. John, I am very pleased to introduce you to my wife, Mrs. Bingley."

Jane curtsied while Colonel Waldegrave cut a perfect bow.

"Yes, I had heard that you were swept away by an angel. And now I see that it is confirmed. It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Bingley."

"None of that, now John! I'll not have you dazzling my bride." Bingley said with a smile. He then realized that he overlooked another introduction.

"I believe you are acquainted with the rest of our party save one. This is one of my new sisters, Miss Bennet."

As the Colonel bowed to Elizabeth, he said, "I now see that Bingley stumbled upon a family of angels."

The attention brought a blush to Elizabeth's face before she responded, "It is a pleasure to meet you, sir."

As Darcy and Bingley conversed with their friend, Elizabeth could not help but feel the young Colonel's eye stray in her direction several times.

"Well, it was wonderful seeing you again, Darcy, Bingley. However, I must meet my own party for our tour. I am sure that I will be seeing you soon."

He then turned toward Jane and Elizabeth and said, "It was a pleasure to meet you both." Then Colonel Waldegrave turned to enter the building.

Louisa Hurst, while somewhat dull, was an excellent hostess. The luncheon was perfect following the museum tour. During the meal, there was much discussion of their outing and the various exhibits. The party adjourned to the sitting room after they completed their meal.

Darcy was sitting with Bingley and Mr. Hurst when he overheard a conversation between the ladies.

"I believe you obtained an admirer today, Elizabeth."

"I don't believe I understand you Mrs. Hurst." Elizabeth replied before taking a sip of her tea.

"Come now, my dear, the good Colonel could not keep his eyes from you."

Before Elizabeth could stop the direction of this conversation, Caroline decided to add to it.

"Well, Eliza, a second son of an Earl would be a fine catch indeed for you. It is too bad that the Waldegrave's are notorious for their greed. I doubt the old Earl or his heir have been generous with the Colonel."

Caroline seemed thoughtful for a moment and then said, "You may not have riches but you could do worse than marry into such an old family."

Louisa then dropped her voice and leaned toward Caroline, "How unfortunate that the Colonel does not offer a fine countenance as well! Nothing to entice but a name."

The two sisters laughed when Elizabeth could take no more.

"Fortunately, I do not plan to marry for riches or only a pretty face! Regardless, I do not believe this to be an appropriate topic."

With that, Elizabeth turned to Miss Darcy, who appeared quite scandalized over the discussion.

"Oh, Eliza! You know that Louisa and I mean no harm. It is my hope to see you well settled after this season. We only wanted to inform you of the background and eligibility of your most recent acquaintance." Caroline said in a patronizing tone.

Elizabeth only gave a slight nod before addressing Georgiana.

"Miss Darcy, could I persuade you to join me tomorrow? I hoped to go to purchase music from the seller that you told me about today. I am afraid that I have been remiss in practicing since my arrival in London. I believe that some new music would be just the incentive I need to renew my efforts."

Georgiana smiled widely in response, "I would be glad to join you if my brother is agreeable."

When Darcy realized that he was being discussed, he hoped that it was acceptable to enter into the conversation.

"What is it that you wish I will agree with, Georgie?" He said as he walked towards his sister.

"Miss Bennet has just asked if I might join her tomorrow to purchase new music."

"That sounds like an excellent plan, Georgie. Perhaps you can find something that might challenge you as well?" He said with a smirk.

Georgiana laughed and then said to Elizabeth, "William is forever teasing me for my propensity to purchase any new music that arrives in Town. Although, I cannot claim to be the only one who frequents the seller. I have often been gifted with new music by my dear brother."

"Well, what purpose does an older brother have than to spoil his young sister?" Elizabeth said when catching the gentleman's eye.

Soon, the party dispersed, as everyone was tired from the day's activities. Mrs. Hurst was beaming with pride as all thanked her for the hospitality. Georgiana bid farewell to her new friend gladly with the knowledge that they would see each other again soon.

A/N: My apologies for the delay in posting. Thank you so much for all of your reviews and following this story. I love to hear what you think so far. : )