The Darcys of Pemberley Page 13

  “I see that young Mr. Heywood continues his attentions to Georgiana. Persistent, is he not?” said Elizabeth to her husband as they observed the two together, dancing.

  “Aye, his devotion is commendable. Were constancy and determination the only criteria, I feel certain that he would carry the day.”

  “You still doubt his chances, then. Do you not think he is making some headway with her?”

  “She seems content enough in his company, but I see no symptoms of peculiar regard or attachment. Of course, this is pure speculation since she will not confide in us. How am I to know what she is really thinking?”

  “Ah yes, the female mind is utterly inscrutable, Mr. Darcy.”

  Had he been at home the next afternoon, Mr. Darcy would have been immediately relieved of all his questions concerning Georgiana’s feelings for Mr. Heywood. Unfortunately, he was out on an unspecified errand of business when the young man came to call. Mr. Heywood was shown up to the drawing room where Mrs. Darcy and Miss Georgiana received him.

  “Why Mr. Heywood, what a pleasant surprise,” said Elizabeth.

  “Good afternoon, Mrs. Darcy. Good afternoon, Miss Darcy,” he said with a good deal more formality and nervous anxiety than normally attends a greeting of long-standing acquaintances.

  “Please, sir, do sit down and tell us to what we owe the honor of your visit,” invited Elizabeth. “Do you bring a message from your mother?”

  Still on his feet, he answered with a noticeable tremor in his voice. “No, ma’am. I come on my own account. I wonder if you would be so kind, Mrs. Darcy, as to grant me the honor of a private audience with your sister?”

  This official application left no doubt as to the young man’s intentions or the reason for his apparent anxiety. At finding herself the very particular object of his call, Georgiana’s composure began to crumble as well. The tension in her countenance was unmistakable, yet Elizabeth could not judge with any certainty whether it stemmed from dread or excitement. In any case, Mr. Heywood stood before them clearly determined to carry his chosen course of action through. Elizabeth saw no gracious alternative to allowing him to have his try, regardless of her sister’s sentiments.

  “Of course, Mr. Heywood,” she said. “Georgiana, you may stay and hear what the gentleman has to say.”

  The girl was either too stunned or too accommodating to object, so Elizabeth moved to exit the room. As she turned to close the double doors behind her, however, the look she saw on the Georgiana’s face was no longer the least bit ambiguous. Elizabeth thought to herself, “I am afraid that Mr. Heywood is going to have a very rough time of it.”

  The interview was brief. Elizabeth did not hear exactly what passed between the two, but the outcome was no longer in doubt. Mr. Heywood’s pained expression told all; his suit had been summarily rejected. With barely a nod to the lady of the house, the unhappy young man made a hasty departure, hat in hand.

  As much as she pitied Mr. Heywood’s plight, Elizabeth’s loyalty and chief concern were with Georgiana, who she imagined could not have come through the encounter in perfect tranquility either. Indeed, she found the girl pacing the room in a state of great agitation, muttering and gesturing her obvious dissatisfaction. Tears stained her cheeks, but her manner bespoke more consternation than sorrow. When Elizabeth approached with the intention of comforting her sister, Georgiana was not yet ready to be consoled. She continued to march up and down, accompanied by her own soliloquy.

  “We were having a perfectly delightful time, were we not? Why must he spoil everything by asking me to marry him when he knew perfectly well that I must reject him? I was always extremely careful; he could not have misunderstood me. Yet it seems he prefers to deceive himself. He forces me to say things that will hurt him, and then he resents me for it. Is that fair? I like him very much, to be sure. I like his whole family! We have been such good friends, but now all that is ruined forever! Now, there will be nothing but awkwardness and irritation between us. Oh, why must men always make such a muddle of things? Why cannot they leave well enough alone?”

  Elizabeth was surprised by the vehemence of Georgiana’s protestations, considering that she was ordinarily so gentle and sweet-tempered. Emotions must have been building over the last few months, she surmised, and could no longer be contained.

  Georgiana then turned and addressed the remainder of her diatribe directly to her sister. “What a disaster this is, Elizabeth. I did try to stop him, to prevent the embarrassment of a declaration and refusal, but he would do it anyway. Can men never be satisfied with friendship? Why must they demand more than it is in my power to give?”

  “Do try to calm yourself, dear,” urged Elizabeth. “I know you are upset, and I understand your frustration, believe me. But pray, have a little compassion for poor Mr. Heywood. I am quite certain he did not fall in love merely for the purpose of vexing you. In any case, you must not condemn all men for the actions of one.”

  “But it is not just one man; now there are two!”

  Chapter 17

  Discretion

  “Now there are two!”

  The impassioned statement echoed in the room.

  Georgiana undoubtedly wished it back again. Indeed, her hand flew to cover her lips, as if to prevent anything else incriminating escaping. The two women stood frozen in their tracks, gaping at each other, whilst Elizabeth’s mind quickly followed the implication of the words to the logical conclusion. She was prevented from saying anything about it, however, by the abrupt arrival of Mr. Darcy, who was likewise arrested by the odd display before him.

  As soon as she recovered herself, Elizabeth said, “My dear, I did not know that you were returned already.”

  “What on earth is going on here, Elizabeth?” he demanded. “Georgiana?”

  Elizabeth waited for her sister to answer howsoever she thought best, since it was her feelings that were at stake. Averting her face, Georgiana quickly blotted her tears. She shot a desperate look at Elizabeth, as if pleading for her discretion, and then turned to answer the question.

  “You have missed all the excitement, brother. As you see, Elizabeth and I are still not recovered from the shock,” she said in a quavering voice. “We have had an unexpected visitor this afternoon.”

  “Good heavens! Not Wi … I say, is everything all right?”

  “Be not alarmed. It was only Henry Heywood, and what do you think? He has made me an offer of marriage.”

  It was Mr. Darcy’s turn to be stunned speechless. Elizabeth felt only profound relief that she would not be asked to keep this as yet another secret from her husband. The rest, which she did not know in full herself, would likely be a different matter.

  “Of course I have had to refuse him,” Georgiana continued. “I do not love him, and I could never resign myself to live all the rest of my life in London in any case. Still, I am sorry to have hurt him. And I would have kept the incident completely to myself, out of respect for Mr. Heywood’s honor, except that Elizabeth was here when it happened, and so you must know it as well, brother.”

  Seeing tears welling up in her eyes, Darcy gathered his young sister into his embrace. Georgiana made no objection to resting in that comfortable and familiar refuge. At length, however, she excused herself and went upstairs. Elizabeth longed to follow her and demand a full explanation of her cryptic remark, but that would have to wait.

  “Well, this was not wholly unexpected, I suppose,” Darcy began, “although I am surprised that Mr. Heywood made his declaration so soon. It was imprudent of him to commit himself without being secure of Georgiana’s affection.”

  “Indeed, but perhaps his vanity deceived him into believing that she would be willing to accept him and even wanting to be asked. I think such a thing has happened before,” Elizabeth said mischievously.

  Darcy understood immediately to what she alluded. “Yes, I know of just such a case,” he said, pulling Elizabeth into his arms. “Let us hope that poor Mr. Heywood will be more successful on his nex
t time out, just as I was.”

  After a quick glance to be sure they were alone, Darcy gave his wife a deep, lingering kiss, holding her body firmly against his own. In the midst of their enjoyment, a flutter of movement between them startled Mr. Darcy, and he stopped still.

  “So, you felt it too,” said Elizabeth in a whisper.

  “I most certainly did!” he answered with hushed excitement.

  He slipped his hand between them, and they both held their breath as the small bulge of Elizabeth’s belly shifted perceptibly again. She had become more and more aware of their child’s stirrings in the last few weeks, but Darcy had never before been able to share the experience. Now, they were caught up together in the wonder of it. They remained in that same attitude several minutes, until finally the spell was broken by the sound of the butler’s approaching footsteps. Darcy hastily released his wife, stepped back, and struggled to resume his usual air of dignity. Yet Elizabeth could see he was profoundly moved. She took it as a proof that he could never behave toward his infant son or daughter in the detached manner he had previously predicted.

  ~*~

  The topic of the ill-fated marriage proposal did not dominate the conversation at the Darcys’ dinner table later that day. Extraordinary as the event had been, it was over and done with. There was little more to be said about it, other than to wish Henry a speedy recovery from his disappointment, and to hope that the incident would not permanently damage the cordial friendship that had so long persisted between the two families.

  Instead they discussed upcoming social engagements, including the wedding of Anne de Bourgh and Colonel Fitzwilliam in two weeks. Georgiana could not enter in on the subject with any enthusiasm, but she had by then learnt to hear it mentioned with tolerable composure. It had been arranged that Charlotte Collins would come to London and drive down with them to Hunsford for the wedding.

  “It did occur to me, Georgiana, that we might ask Charlotte to stay on with you afterward, as chaperone, if your brother and I have had our fill of London by then and you have not,” said Elizabeth. “She would make you a pleasant and suitable companion, and she might benefit as well by exposure to better society than is ordinarily within her reach. What do you think of the idea?”

  “I am sure I should find Mrs. Collins’s company very agreeable.”

  “Of course, there is no need to decide anything now,” said Darcy. “We will all stay until the wedding, and after that we can make our arrangements. Although if business does not detain me, I am certain I shall be ready by then to be gone.”

  “As you speak of business, Darcy, it puts me in mind to ask why you returned so soon this afternoon,” said Elizabeth. “You did say that you had something pressing that demanded your immediate attention, and yet you could not have been gone much above an hour, I am sure.”

  He frowned. “Yes, I had an appointment with someone, but the gentleman failed to keep it. I waited half an hour, and he never came. So it was a wasted trip.”

  “How provoking! I hope you will not consent to meet that unreliable fellow again. What good can come of doing business with someone who cannot be trusted to keep his commitments?”

  “Unfortunately, Elizabeth, I may have to in defense of my own interests. We cannot always choose with whom we must associate.”

  So superficial was Elizabeth’s knowledge of her husband’s affairs, that any further inquiry seemed pointless. However, as it continued to disturb her peace of mind, she raised the issue again that night in the privacy of their bedchamber.

  “I do wish that I understood your business dealings better, Darcy. At times they seem to weigh so heavy upon you, and in my ignorance, I am of no assistance whatsoever. Do you suppose you could teach me, at least in a general way, about the work that often keeps you so seriously occupied?”

  “It is precisely because these matters can weigh heavy on a person that I shield you from them, Lizzy.”

  “Still, if you could tell me your problems, would not your own burden be lightened? Could I not at least be of use to you as someone you might speak to in freedom and confidence about whatever you have in contemplation? I wish to share all your concerns, but as it stands now, I am excluded from this important aspect of your life.”

  Darcy was taken aback. “It was never my object to maliciously deny you admittance to my affairs. You should know that.”

  “I do! You meant it for my good, and I thank you. Yet you needn’t feel obligated to protect me from all of life’s unpleasantness. I am stronger than you know, and I wish to be allowed to share your troubles as you share mine. Do you see?”

  “I suppose I can appreciate your point. If you truly wish to know more about the business of Pemberley, I can certainly teach you. I had no idea you had an interest in that sort of thing. But you must trust my discretion if I judge that certain things are still best kept to myself.”

  Mr. Darcy exercised some of that discretion the very next morning when he again went out on business without any explanation to his wife. Elizabeth might have been inclined to take umbrage at this setback to their new understanding but for the fact that it offered her the opportunity to speak to Georgiana at last. After seeing her husband safely out the door, she went up to the girl’s room at once.

  “My dear Georgiana,” Elizabeth began, approaching the subject as gently as she could, “I hope you are aware that your brother and I have tried to respect your privacy, even though it has often been difficult. It has distressed us both to see you suffering under such an obvious strain for these several weeks past without knowing how to help you. Now that I finally have a clue to the cause of your distress, I cannot in good conscience turn a blind eye to it any longer. I must speak to you, dearest, about what you said yesterday, that ‘now there are two.’”

  Georgiana objected, once again claiming there was nothing to tell. Although she went to great lengths to dismiss the remark, she could provide no credible explanation for it.

  “There is no use denying it,” Elizabeth concluded. “The truth is that Mr. Heywood is not the only one, or even the first, to propose to you. Is that not so, Georgiana? There can be no other interpretation. I know you did not mean to say it, but since you did say it, you must tell me the rest. Have I not proved myself a trustworthy confidant?”

  “Yes, but … Oh Lizzy, it is so embarrassing and perplexing.”

  “I have some experience in these matters. Let me help you along a bit. I believe I can guess the identity of your other admirer. It is Mr. Sanditon, is it not?”

  Georgiana’s expression of surprise at Elizabeth’s penetration was quickly supplanted by one of relief. “How did you know?”

  “When I understood your meaning, there clearly was no one else it could be, although I was too blind to see it before.”

  Once released from the weight of secrecy that had so long oppressed her, Georgiana spoke freely, unburdening herself to Elizabeth about the courtship that had passed so unnoticed, yet in plain sight. She disclosed that the attraction had been growing for months, with its inception at or about the time of the dinner party at Reddclift. The interest between them was mutual, although not of equal force, the gentleman having already proclaimed his steadfast affection; the lady not yet able to do so.

  “And to all this I was completely insensible!” confessed Elizabeth. “The two of you were rarely alone together. When did he find the opportunity to actually propose?”

  “The day Jane delivered. Do you remember? Mr. Sanditon remained a while after you and my brother left for Heatheridge. That is when he declared his love, and I have been in turmoil ever since.”

  “What answer did you give him?”

  “I said that I was very fond of him – which is quite true – but that I needed time to think. The day we left Pemberley, he pressed for my answer, and I told him I would give it when I returned. What shall I do, Lizzie?”

  “I cannot be the judge. You have had more time to consider. What is your own opinion?”

  “W
ell, there are certainly strong points in favor of the match. Surely even my brother would admit its aptness and desirability. Mr. Sanditon is a respectable gentleman and very nearly part of the family already. As for myself, I would dearly love to be settled so close to Pemberley, and I adore the little girls. I could never hope to find a better man as to character. And there is no one else that interests me in the slightest.”

  “Except Colonel Fitzwilliam,” said Elizabeth gravely. “Forgive me, Georgiana, but I must ask. How do your feelings for Mr. Sanditon compare with what you felt, or possibly still feel, for the colonel?”

  “That is not fair, Lizzy!”

  “I know it is a difficult question, but I think your answer would be quite germane. If you are still in love with Fitzwilliam, or if your feelings for Mr. Sanditon are feeble by comparison to what you once felt for the colonel, that must guide your decision. My dear Georgiana, please remember that you lack neither position nor financial security, and you will have a home at Pemberley as long as you wish. In your situation, there is absolutely nothing that should tempt you into matrimony – early, or indeed, ever – except love. Would it not be preferable to remain unmarried all of your life rather than compromise on that principle of singular importance?”

  Chapter 18

  A State Visit

  Not surprisingly, Georgiana insisted upon complete secrecy concerning Mr. Sanditon’s proposal. Elizabeth was once again sworn to tell no one, not even Darcy, her silence being the requisite condition for maintaining her sister’s confidence. She judged it, therefore, the lesser of two evils. Leaving Georgiana without a trustworthy friend to advise her at this critical juncture was not an option. Should Georgiana ultimately accept Mr. Sanditon, nothing could go forward without Mr. Darcy’s knowledge or consent, so Elizabeth saw no serious harm in withholding the information for a short while, much as she disliked the idea. Her irritated conscience she soothed with the balm of pure motives; it was out of a sincere desire to help Georgiana that she must keep these things from her husband.