An atmosphere of surprise and elation filled the halls of their London home as Miss Darcy greeted her brother, hours before she expected his return. So little had she anticipated his arrival that she was only just starting her day and sitting to breakfast when first notified of his arrival. Clearly he had ridden fast and hard, and while she was accustomed to such behavior were he exploring the woods and valleys of Pemberley, it was very unlike him to behave with such abandon in any other surrounding.
Unable to conceal her delight she rushed to him, stopping herself just as he entered the doorway and remembering that she was growing up and must now greet her brother civilly and with dignity. She struggled to regain her composure and lean into a ladylike curtsy. Darcy grinned widely and reached out to pull her into a warm embrace, sighing deeply in relief and contentment at being home with the person whom he loved most in the world. She leaned her head against her brother's shoulder, basking in the comfort that his most affectionate welcome brought.
The happy pair took breakfast in the library and talked and visited until late in the morning, at which point it could safely be said that Miss Darcy talked and visited while Darcy listened quietly with amusement and pleasure. Eventually, she was interrupted by the low cough of her companion, reminding her that there were still duties for her to perform. Darcy, too, was brought back to the present and considered that if he took the next two hours full with his steward he would have the evening to be again entertained by dear Georgiana. And while they each set to their own private work for the rest of the day they remained quietly and comfortably at home enjoying the presence, if not the company, of one another.
In the early evening, Darcy joined his sister in the music room and listened as she practiced a beautiful piece she had only recently acquired. The long, sorrowful notes soothed his weary spirit; the emotion and passion that his sister poured into each chord struck at his heart. The sleepless nights and the endless days of late had taken their toll, and his exhaustion could no longer be denied or defended against. Soon his eyelids drifted to a close and his breathing slowed into a deep, steady pattern.
Georgiana gently softened her playing until she was at a complete stop and quietly folded the cover over the keys of the instrument. She smiled as she watched her brother resting peacefully in his armchair. As she leaned over to retrieve a book from his loosening grasp he shifted slightly and for a brief moment was pulled out of his dreams. As he settled back into the deepness of sleep she just barely made out a whisper that escaped him. She blushed at the intrusion of her brother's revelry, escaping quickly to avoid hearing more. As she turned the corner towards the main hall her head was consumed with only one thought, "Elizabeth?"
The ease and comfort of his first day's return faded with the sun, and by the next morning Darcy found himself pulled into the habits and requirements of town. Shortly upon his return, a stream of cards and invitations began to appear at his door. He maintained his usual schedule, making visits and accepting the same from his neighbors and acquaintances. He frequented his preferred shops, making those little purchases that one can only make in town. He stopped into his regular clubs for a friendly game of cards or to practice his lunges and parries.
Nobody who was witness to these activities could claim that he was anything but the same serious, cautious gentleman who had left for a visit in the country a few short months ago. It seemed that regardless of how successfully he performed to the inhabitants of the boisterous, energetic town, he could not keep himself from realizing how frequently his thoughts drifted back to a quaint, quiet, country estate.
He would formerly have been content to spend his mornings addressing his business affairs and afternoons engaged in forced attempts at friendly conversation. Filling his days with activity and enterprise while anxiously waiting for evenings spent in the comfort of his home surrounded only by those families and friends whom he chose. He found he preferred now to remain at all times entrenched in the diversions of the day in order that his mind did not turn with longing to those comforts which he knew he would not find at home. He deeply felt the absence of warm, rich laughter echoing through the vast rooms and halls of his quiet home, and hints of mischief and teasing when his pride escaped regulation. Not infrequently did he slip into brooding over the mystery and puzzle trapped behind a pair of beautiful, haunting eyes.
Georgiana became concerned by the enthusiastic commitment which her brother was applying to his ledgers. She could only indistinctly recall a time after the death of their father when he spent such long hours behind the desk in his study. Working up her courage one afternoon she approached the man whom she looked up to as almost a father. "My dear Brother, you are a man of sense and understanding, and there is little in this world that I would dare to argue is beyond your comprehension." Pausing to catch her brother's glance and assure herself that he was listening, she hesitantly continued, "but I am certain you are not going to find anything amiss in those books this afternoon that went unnoticed in your thorough examination this morning. Nor will you find that the status has changed by returning this evening to review them yet again."
Mr. Darcy felt the sting of his sister's assessment. For a moment, he fought the urge to tease or - even worse - scold her. He was accustomed to receiving her praise and adoration and it pained him to see the look of concern and doubt in her eyes. He could see her apprehension and took the time to recognize that her words were rooted in worry. He could not lightly dismiss them as those from a naive little sister; Georgina was growing up and was developing a keen perception. This was due in part, he surmised, from recent experiences and not merely the passing of time. "Dearest, I am finding that I cannot be too careful at present, my judgment has failed me on more occasions recently than I care to dwell on," Darcy confessed, regret lacing his words.
Days passed and Darcy grew weary of the facade he was forced to put up for the world, and now for his sister. He sighed in exhaustion one morning as he picked through his latest correspondence, despairing that removal from Netherfield had done little to clear his head from the foolish ideas he had begun to entertain while there. No sooner had the image of the quiet country estate entered his thoughts did his fingers brush over a letter addressed from the very same.
He quickly read through the note from his friend, frowning as he laid it back down. Standing abruptly, he paced the room trying to free himself of the wretched visions that were running through his mind. While he might deny it to any that asked he could not deceive himself and acknowledged that while these visions were uninvited they were not unpleasant. Even as his sense of duty and honor battled against his base desires his thoughts strayed back to a delicate, teasing smile.
When he joined his sister later that afternoon she was struck by the change in his manner. Where he had been sullen and withdrawn, he now was open and attentive. "Georgina, did I tell you that Mr. Bingley has decided to throw a ball for his new neighbors?"
"You did not, that must mean a great deal of work for his sisters." She thought with dread towards the day when she might be asked to fill the role of hostess for her brother. "I imagine his new neighbors and friends are very pleased with the decision, though."
"I believe they are. Of course, I cannot say how Miss Bingley feels about the work required to put on such an event, but I do expect that she will find great enjoyment in hosting alongside her brother."
"Oh, I am certain you are right." Darcy watched his sister as she replied, noting a slight turn of her chin and catching - if he was not mistaken - a hint of disdain in her voice. Georgina was thinking that Miss Bingley would surely never shrink at the chance to be the center of attention. "It is clear from your description that Mr. Bingley is very fond of his new neighborhood, how do his sisters enjoy Hertfordshire?"
"I could not say with conviction that Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst are as enthusiastic towards the country as their brother is. But he did just write to me that they have continued to advance a friendship that he hopes will greatly add to their pleasure of the neighborhood. I'm sure I mentioned that Mr. Bingley's nearest neighbors are a family of five daughters?"
Georgina looked up in interest, finally, she thought with a great deal of anticipation. "I'm sure I would have remembered if you had," she dissented. "And have you become acquainted with any of these ladies? Are they of similar age to Miss Bingley?"
"I have, and they are, the eldest is, I daresay, a few years younger than Miss Bingley. The youngest is about your age."
Not all that Georgina could ask on the subject was sufficient to draw from her brother any satisfactory description of these neighbors. She attacked and interrogated in every variety of ways, but he eluded her with skill and no small degree of satisfaction. She learned only that they were generally thought to be quite pretty, were fond of walking, and that more than one played the piano.
Later that evening Mr. Darcy sat down to the table in his library to re-read the letter that had occupied his mind throughout the day.
Dear Darcy,
It is intolerable for me to think or your being buried in London, a place of which I know you receive little pleasure. The object of this letter is to beg of you to return within the week, for there are two important events that I insist upon you being here for.
Firstly, I have named the date for the ball (Tuesday next), I cannot tell you the excitement the entire neighborhood is caught up in, but it confirms my belief that a small country life such as this is all that I need to complete my happiness, or nearly all. Which of course brings me to the second, and most delightful, cause for celebration. I need not say more, except that I insist you be here to wish me joy when the time comes. I hope that such a conversation will be soon required.
My sisters beg that you bring Miss Darcy to visit, for their happiness will not be complete until she is at their side, or so I am told. More to the point, I do believe there are other ladies in the neighborhood whose company your sister would greatly enjoy and from whose acquaintance she might benefit. Say what you will about younger sisters; but the two eldest ladies of one particular family have greatly impressed me and I do hope that my own sisters might acquire something of their modest confidence and generous, affectionate natures, even if by accident only.
What must I say to entice you? We shall have a piano, and some books, and many evenings spent in good company. But what will be most inviting to you, you will give much, though you may receive but little, pleasure. Do not waste your time in a reply, spend it more wisely in preparations for your return.
Your ever loyal friend,
Charles
The parting line, "your ever loyal friend," was felt with great effect. If any friend could be said to be loyal, generous and willing to cede to his frequently unyielding demands, it had been Bingley. Could I deny him such a request, made out of the truest and most natural feelings of friendship, for the contemptible excuse that I am afraid of my own desires and longings? Darcy sat in silence, contemplating his turmoil. Was he really considering a return to Hertfordshire with only the motive of duty and deference to his friend? Or was he ready to admit his defeat and surrender to those feelings which had driven him to London in the first place?
Georgiana interrupted his reflection to shyly bid her brother goodnight. Darcy looked up at her, and in yet another uncharacteristic display of spontaneity made his fateful decision. "Sweet sister, how would you feel about a visit to the country?"
A flush quickly spread across her cheeks and a deep smile radiated her astonishment and wonder. 'Oh, my dear Brother, I would like that!" Her head began to spin with the possibilities of exploring the woods and wilderness of an unfamiliar countryside, seeing the pretty new estate of her brother's friends that he had written so fondly of, and meeting the mysterious neighbors of which she had heard so little but imagined so much. "Oh, yes, I would like it very much. Whenever can we leave? Tomorrow?"