Page 82 of The Cheapside Runners
“I suppose you had to come clean with Lizzy, and maybe her guardian since you were skipping several steps?” she speculated.
“Yes, but nobody else. Why, Georgiana?”
“Because you are of the first circles, and she is not well known. When it becomes public, society will treat both of you worse than Mrs Bennet, at least until you become engaged. If it goes off, then Miss Elizabeth would suffersociety’s derision for disappointed hopes.”
Elizabeth gently said, “What core principle would be relevant?”
They thought a bit, until Maria suggested, “Unbalanced risks?”
“Mostly. There is also the chance we would just not get on well. If that be the case, it is best to learn quietly and slink off to our corners to lick our wounds.”
They all thought about that a bit.
Lydia finally asked, “You can trust us, Lizzy, but why did you tell us?”
“The same reason Fitzwilliam had to ask my permission to court me without the usual subtle buildup: basic honesty. When I made the offer for you to live with me, you had to know I might not be here. Of course, you will have companions and the like, but it would be dishonest to withhold that.”
Lydia said, “To be honest, I would rather live in the barn with the ogres and eat chalk dust than return to Longbourn.”
The group burst into raucous laughter and became a lot more relaxed. Eventually, they settled down and Elizabeth rang for tea.
Darcy said, “I would like to point out a subtlety of Elizabeth’soffer of a place to live. She said it two ways, with the latter being more correct.”
Everyone, including Elizabeth, looked confused.
“She first offered for you to live in this house, and later said she offered to live with her.”
“What is the difference?” Mary asked.
Darcy chuckled. “If she marries me, as mistress of my homes, she decides who is welcome. This is a very nice house, but mine is adequate enough, despite my decided lack of ogres. You would all be welcome, should my wife invite you. The place has been far too quiet with just Georgiana and me since our parents died, and it will be some years before our children are old enough to liven it up. If the problem is too much quiet, it is hard to beat a gaggle of girls as a remedy.”
Everyone sat stunned while Darcy wondered if he had just scored a goal or dug his own grave.
The question was soon resolved when Elizabeth smiled brightly, leaned across, and kissed him on the cheek—which really set the cat among the pigeons.
Lydia asked rather impertinently, “Is this one of those cases where you can disregard a rule of propriety?”
Elizabeth laughed. “Yes, but remember what I said.Onlydo it very carefully, andonlydo it in company you know well, and I suppose we should add one more useful guideline.”
“Which is?”
“Only do it if your beau is devilishly handsome!”
28.Slow, Steady, and Quiet
“Aside from being a propriety violation, was that kiss a sign or a portent,” Mary asked impertinently.
“Either one, I suppose,” Elizabeth replied with a smile. “I think it is a sign that my class schedule needs to be torn up.”
“What are you thinking?” Darcy asked curiously.
“We have told a dozen people of our courtship, but they are all trustworthy, so it is still quiet to the world at large. We need to work out how to get my father to allow my sisters to reside here a while longer.”
“I would just mention the wealth of suitors available to Mrs Bennet and let her carry the torch,” Darcy suggested.
Lydia found that idea hilarious, and the rest joined in her laughter.
“That has one problem… she would want to join us.”
