Uncommonly Intelligent Chapter 27: There's Something About Mary, a pride and prejudice fanfic

Author's Note:

Special thanks to Leafhuntress, who explained and even gave a link that affirmed what I had thought, namely that while you would never catch Caroline Bingley riding astride, or even Lizzy doing it in Hyde Park, she would still be allowed to do it when visiting tenants and the like. It was simply too dangerous to gallop or jump with the side saddles of the time (i.e., before safety saddles were invented in the 1830s), and also too dangerous to tell Lizzy she couldn't gallop.

Also thanks to sysa22, who pointed out a stupid mistake early enough that most of you didn't see it.

I said a while back that sometimes I change a chapter based on the feedback I get in reviews or PMs, and that I would tell you when the change was more than a trivial correction. So I'm doing that now - even though most reviewers were happy with Mary and Georgiana's bonding, I was persuaded by faithful reader Drealara that Mary should not have revealed Lizzy's potential future of joining her Uncle Gardiner in trade, so I took that out. There was another review from "guest" who seemed to feel that Mary should be drawn and quartered for most of what she revealed, but as this chapter will show, nothing else she said was much of a secret.

I feel bad when someone feels that strongly about a story detail, but doesn't sign in, as I cannot conduct a dialog on the review page. I again encourage anyone who wants to do more than leave a comment to register on the site so that we can exchange PMs. It's free, you can use a one-time email to register, and you will not receive spam or anything else you don't explicitly ask for. In fact, you can delete the email account right after you register, and conduct all further business using PMs on the website.

Speaking of spam, the website adopted a policy sometime last year that even if you do ask for email notifications of site-related stuff, your request will expire in six months and you have to opt in again. I've read many reviews that I would like to respond to by PM, but although they have a username, their account does not accept PMs, and I wonder if they realize that their permission to receive PMs has expired, and that they need to opt in again under their account settings.

Chapter 27 - There's Something About Mary

Longbourn, Hertfordshire, October 21, 1811

As their carriage left Longbourn's driveway, Darcy said, "Well, that was a most pleasant evening, was it not?"

He had meant his question for Georgiana, but as he had not stated so explicitly, it was Richard who answered, "Indeed. Most pleasant, and most intriguing."

Darcy heard something odd in Richard's voice, but he would save that for later. Right now, he wanted to explore Georgiana's astonishing behavior, so he said, "Georgiana, I was very proud to see you play before recent acquaintances."

There was no response from his sister, so he prompted, "Did you enjoy yourself this evening?" expecting her to gush.

Instead, she simply replied, "Yes," in a low voice, and said nothing more.

Darcy thought she must be tired, or perhaps suffering from the drained feeling people sometimes get in the aftermath of an act of courage, so he decided to let her doze if she wished. He was getting a bit woozy himself, for it had been a long day, and Mr. Bennet had been liberal with his wine.

Arriving at Netherfield, he turned to Georgiana as they stepped inside the front door and began, "Georgiana, let me say again…"

"Please excuse me, brother," she cut him off. "I am tired. I shall retire now." And with that, she hurried up the main staircase without bidding any of the others in the party a good night.

Darcy and Richard looked at each other in surprise, then at Mrs. Annesley, who also looked rather shocked. "Does anyone know what that was about?" asked Darcy.

Richard and Mrs. Annesley both shook their heads. Darcy was about to say more, but he heard the Bingleys and Hursts coming up the front steps, and said quickly, "Let us say good night to our hosts, and then meet in the music room in a quarter hour to discuss this further."

Netherfield Park, Hertfordshire, October 21, 1811

Fifteen minutes later, Darcy asked, "Do either of you know what has upset Georgiana?"

When he was greeted with silence, he added, "She seemed happy when we were all singing. Did anyone observe her after that?"

Mrs. Annesley offered, "I saw her talking with the three youngest Bennet sisters just before we left. I believe that she and Miss Mary became friends today. Miss Catherine and Miss Lydia were absent most of the day, but they seemed to be smiling when they were talking with her. Miss Georgiana had her back to me, though, so I could not see her face."

"Perhaps you should tell us what transpired while we were absent," said Darcy.

"Very well, sir. After you gentlemen and Miss Elizabeth left this afternoon, Miss Mary and Miss Georgiana spent the day in the music room. Miss Georgiana is very enamored of that pianoforte."

"And what of the other Bennet sisters?" Darcy interrupted.

"Miss Jane and Mr. Bingley were about to go for a stroll in the garden when Miss Georgiana and I joined Miss Mary in the music room," said Mrs. Annesley, "and I do not know when they returned. All I know is that they were in the parlor with Mrs. Bennet when we left the music room some hours later. Miss Kitty and Miss Lydia left very shortly after you did, sirs, and I did not see them again until just before dinner was served."

"So Georgiana spent the entire afternoon with Miss Mary in the music room?" asked Richard.

"Yes, sir, and they seemed to be getting on very well. They even agreed to address each other by their Christian names." This caused Darcy and Richard to exchange surprised glances. "And, of course," Mrs. Annesley continued, "you saw that Miss Mary managed to persuade Miss Georgiana to play before company."

"Indeed, I was quite astonished," said Darcy. He frowned. "So nothing unusual or unpleasant occurred?"

"In fact," said Mrs. Annesley, "there was one thing that bothered me at first - less so now, but I still wanted to talk to you two about it."

"Please go on."

"You will recall, sir, that when we first discussed your expectations of me, you told me to be wary of people who tried to ingratiate themselves with Miss Georgiana in order to get close to you, and to report anything someone said to her that rang false."

Darcy's eyes widened. "You believe that Miss Mary is trying to get close to me?"

Richard also looked skeptical. "Has she said even two words to you, Darcy?"

"Other than 'hello' and 'goodbye', I do not believe so."

"Please, sir, let me tell the whole tale," said Mrs. Annesley. "As I said, I am less suspicious now, but for a time it seemed that Miss Mary was telling falsehoods to promote a match between you and Miss Elizabeth."

"Miss Eliz – " Darcy cut himself off, but he knew his face was turning red, and he knew that Richard would notice it. He gathered himself and said, "Forgive me, Mrs. Annesley, it is hardly possible for you to tell us what happened when I keep interrupting you. Please continue, and I shall try to let you finish a thought this time."

Mrs. Annesley smiled and said, "Thank you, sir. Miss Georgiana was having trouble with a passage in a score that was new to her, and Miss Mary told her that Miss Elizabeth would be able to tell her how it should be played, even though she had not seen it before. She added that Maestro Mondello had said that he had never seen Miss Elizabeth's equal in understanding a score." She had been looking down in concentration, but now she looked up at Darcy, who had stood and started pacing while listening to her, and asked, "Do you recall Maestro Lorenzo Mondello?"

Darcy stopped pacing and said, "Is he not the master we took Georgiana to several weeks ago?"

Mrs. Annesley nodded. "Indeed. You know how talented Miss Georgiana is, and she has only recently managed to get on his waiting list. He has the most exclusive clientele in London. And he is very expensive."

Darcy nodded, for he remembered the exorbitant fee mentioned at Georgiana's audition, but he would pay anything to make her happy. "So you are saying that Miss Elizabeth lived in Town for a time, and was his pupil?"

"No, sir. Miss Mary said that Maestro Mondello traveled to Hertfordshire to tutor her."

"Preposterous!" Richard snorted. "I doubt very much he would do that at all, but if he did, he would charge Bennet for the entire day, given the travel time. The fee would be enormous!"

"Yes, sir, that is what I thought. Hence, my suspicion that Miss Mary was lying, and that her motive was to induce Miss Georgiana to sing Miss Elizabeth's praises to Mr. Darcy."

Darcy had to agree this looked bad. "And yet you say your worries eased? How did that come about?"

"It happened in stages. Miss Georgiana was as surprised as you to learn that Maestro Mondello would have tutored Miss Elizabeth, and Miss Mary explained that it was not Mr. Bennet who paid Maestro Mondello, but a wealthy woman, whom she later called 'Lady Rutherford', who was the previous occupant of this very house. Evidently, she hired Maestro Mondello as her own tutor, but she had a young son who was friends with Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth when they were quite young, and when Miss Elizabeth showed great talent, he was persuaded to tutor her as well."

"I still do not believe it," said Richard. "This is a grander house than Longbourn, but not that grand."

"Richard," said Darcy, "your interruptions are no more helpful than mine. Let her finish."

Richard grumbled, but assented. With a nod from Darcy, Mrs. Annesley continued, "Miss Mary said that Miss Elizabeth was tutored by the maestro from the time she was a child until this Lady Rutherford moved away, some two years ago. Miss Mary said that she, too, had lessons from him, but only for a few months before they ceased when the lady moved away."

She looked at Richard, and said, "I agree that having someone else pay the maestro does not add much to the credibility of the story, but," she looked at Darcy, "then Miss Georgiana said some things that were just as astonishing. For example, she said that you thought that Miss Elizabeth was the most intelligent person of your acquaintance."

Darcy, reddening again and hating himself for it, avoided looking at Richard as he said, "That is true. I could wish that Georgiana had not repeated that to Miss Mary, but it did not take me very long to form that opinion. She is quite remarkable."

Richard weighed in. "While I have not been in her company long enough to say she is the most intelligent woman I know, it did not take me five minutes to decide that she was extraordinary."

Mrs. Annesley said, "Indeed, and Miss Georgiana even made the point that you, sir," she looked at Mr. Darcy, "belong to clubs with many distinguished men, so a statement like that from you must be taken seriously." She looked back at Richard. "So that was when I started thinking that perhaps the Bennets were more than they seemed. And the largest clue - literally the largest - was that wonderful pianoforte. I have never seen anything like it."

Darcy said, "Nor have I, and I have spent quite a lot of time looking at pianofortes over the past few months, for I plan to buy a new one for Georgiana." He smiled ruefully. "Now I fear that she will be disappointed with whatever I buy, for I do not know how I could surpass that behemoth."

Richard asked, "I saw that it was large, but is it really that fine?"

"Oh yes," Darcy and Mrs. Annesley said in unison. Both chuckled, then Mrs. Annesley said, "It must have cost a fortune. In fact, I would say that it is as unlikely that the Bennets would have a pianoforte like that as it is that Maestro Mondello would travel to Hertfordshire to tutor a young girl."

That struck home with Darcy. "What else, Mrs. Annesley?"

"When you gentlemen and Miss Elizabeth returned from your errand, Miss Mary brought Miss Elizabeth into the music room and showed her the passage that they were having difficulty with. Miss Elizabeth looked at the score, page by page, from beginning to end. She then put it down and began playing, without looking at it, and played right through the part they could not master, with ease. Just as Miss Mary said she would be able to do."

"Perhaps she already knew that piece?" asked Richard.

"Miss Georgiana bought it the day after it was published, just before we left Town. I leave it to you to determine the chances that Miss Elizabeth somehow happened to obtain and practice the very score that Miss Georgiana bought a week ago, without leaving Meryton."

Richard just shook his head.

"And finally," Mrs. Annesley said, "there was this 'Music Night'." She looked at both men. "I know something of the harp, for I have been a young lady's companion for over a decade, and taught the harp to them. I have never heard anything like Miss Elizabeth's performance this evening. She is truly a virtuoso. If she has not been tutored by the likes of Maestro Mondello, then she is a young Mozart herself."

All three were silent for a moment, then Richard opined, "That is indeed high praise, Mrs. Annesley, but I still cannot get past the matter of the money it would take to get Mondello to come out here."

Darcy said, "I believe I can help with that. Shortly after we arrived here, Miss Bennet was taken ill after being caught in a rainstorm, and was forced to stay here for a few days. Miss Elizabeth, who among her many talents is a skilled healer, stayed here to attend her, and it became obvious that she was very familiar with the house and its servants, so I asked Billingsley to look into it. His findings confirm that the older Bennet sisters were great friends with Lady Rutherford and her son. When I learned this, I had my agent in Town look into the ownership of Netherfield. The owner's name is not on Bingley's lease, but it is in the shire records."

He looked at Richard. "You are correct; Netherfield is not the grandest estate in England. It is one of several minor estates of the Duke of Mayfield. His eldest son, the late Marquess of Rutherford, was Lady Rutherford's husband. Her son, whose name is Clarence, is now the current Marquess. He was the playmate of the Bennet sisters, and is the heir apparent to the dukedom, which earns over 100,000 pounds per year." He smiled wryly. "Maestro Mondello's fee for a full day was probably less than Lady Rutherford's pin money for that day."

Richard whistled. "So, the Bennets have much better connections than we thought."

Darcy frowned. "That is a bit murky. While there is no doubt that Lady Rutherford was a friend to the Bennets, her husband apparently never set foot in Hertfordshire, and her father-in-law the duke reportedly makes Aunt Catherine look like a screaming radical when it comes to preserving the distinction of rank."

He shook his head, as if to reset his brain, and said, "Is there anything else we should know, Mrs. Annesley? And by the way, I am very grateful for your excellent report, and your obvious attention to my instructions and to Georgiana."

Mrs. Annesley smiled and said, "You are most welcome, sir, and it is my pleasure to be Miss Georgiana's companion. I do not think there is anything else of significance to report, though I could possibly go into more detail on what I have already mentioned."

Darcy looked at Richard, who shook his head. Turning back to Mrs. Annesley, he said, "No, thank you, while I do wish to know of anything that may threaten Georgiana, I also want to preserve her privacy as best I can. I believe that you did an excellent job of telling us what we needed to know, and no more. Thank you again, and that will be all."

Mrs. Annesley curtsied to the gentlemen and left for her chambers. Darcy closed the door behind her and turned back to Richard.

"Do you agree with me that Miss Mary was telling the truth?"

Richard smiled mischievously. "Oh, aye, I can believe that Miss Elizabeth took lessons from Mondello. But that has nothing to do with Mrs. Annesley's other suspicion - that Miss Mary is promoting a match between you and Miss Elizabeth."

Author's Note: No, you didn't miss what made Georgiana upset. It will be revealed in the next chapter, which should be up in a few days.

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