Page 13 of Miss Gardiner
Darcy stood up and walked to the window before he turned around and asked, “Georgie, would you ever mimic Miss Bingley’s fashions?”
His sister immediately replied, “No. She dresses in the mornings almost as if she expected to be taken before the King at luncheon. And her choices in colours do not compliment her skin or hair.”
Darcy smiled and nodded agreement before his sister continued saying, “Brother, I truly thought you admired Miss Bingley.”
The man shook his head and explained, “I am friends with her brother, and I tolerate Miss Bingley for his sake.”
Now Georgiana stood and approached Darcy saying, “But she is here so often, and she always tells me how much you admire her!”
“Truly? I do not understand how she…” Darcy sputtered. “Georgie, do you know she invites herself along with Charles to family dinner? I have never issued an invitation to her, but she arrives with him, and I do not want to turn him away.”
“I remember the first time she came–Mr Banks having to send for more plates and cutlery when we were ready to sit down to eat,” Georgiana admitted.
“It is my fault for not asking Charles to stop her,” Darcy concluded. “But I wanted my friend to have some exposure to our rituals.”
Georgiana thought for a moment and then said, “Brother, let us change our ritual. We shall have family dinner at luncheon once during week and on Saturday night. This will give the two of us time together without any friends. You can inform Mr Bingley of the change and then you can meet with him at your club.”
Fitzwilliam considered his sister for a moment and nodded. “I believe you have formed a good plan. But then what do I say when Charles invites me to family dinner?”
Glancing down at the floor, Georgiana replied, “You should inform Mr Bingley that your sister requires your presence to review her lessons. Or tell him that you have an inventory to complete.”
“I am always happy to spend time with my sister, but we must not say anything to anyone about the inventory,” Darcy confided with his sister. “Now, I hope to continue seeing more of this mature reasoning in the future.”
Nodding, Georgiana added, “Mrs Banks tells me that I must listen more than I speak.”
“And about…”
“I shall apologize to Miss Gardiner immediately,” Georgiana said, rising from her chair and moving toward the door.
As they climbed the stairs once again, Mr Darcy asked, “And Miss Bingley and Mrs Young taught you it was appropriate to speak in that manner to shop workers?”
“They merely mirrored Aunt Catherine. She is horrible to the servants when she visits here and at Matlock,” Georgiana explained.
Fitzwilliam was unsurprised to hear his sister say these things, but he was not pleased to hear his aunt had acted thus with his servants.
“Do not take Lady Catherine’s behaviour as the model of what to do. In fact, do the opposite. Remember, she benefits from the work of many servants each day and being polite is such a small thing to do. And Georgie, consider the good service we receive from every staff member here at the house and in Pemberley,” he added. “Lady Catherine cannot say the same.”
++++
Among the crates and wooden boxes in the ballroom, there were several that were nailed shut. After discussion with her uncle and a trip to an art gallery, it was determined that there were several paintings or tapestries storedin the ballroom.
The next morning, Uncle Edward joined his niece when she departed for Mayfair to discuss the possibility with Mr Darcy. Upon arrival at the house, Mr Banks directed them into Mr Darcy’s office. As they waited for Mr Darcy to appear, Edward watched his niece looking at the paintings and furnishings in the gentleman’s office.
“I did not pay attention to the room in detail the first time I was here,” she explained to her uncle as Elizabeth examined the upholstered chairs, polished tables and crystal decanters filled with spirits of different varieties. “This is a room for conducting business.”
“Indeed, it is, Miss Gardiner,” said Mr Darcy, entering his office though the door in the far wall. He approached Uncle Edward to shake the man’s hand though he gave the niece a simple nod of the head to acknowledge her presence.
“Banks informed me that you wished to speak with me,” Darcy said to bring the unscheduled meeting back to the purpose for interrupting his day.
Uncle Edward motioned to his niece who explained, “Mr Darcy, I have found four crates of a shape to be paintings. They are nailed shut and I needed workmen who are trained to open them carefully and not damage the contents.”
Darcy frowned and approached the door to summon Mr Banks. While waiting on the butler to appear, the gentleman spoke to his secretary working at a desk across the room from Darcy’s desk.
“Clemmons, were there any bills for artwork left in my father’s papers that we never reconciled?”
“I believe there are sir,” the man replied as he rose from his desk and exited the room for another room where records were stored. He returned quickly and explained, “The bills may be at Pemberley, and it will be many months before I can retrieve them.”
Mr Banks appeared at that moment with a younger man holding several iron tools that could be used to pry up nails and boards.
