Page 21 of Saving Jane
Elizabeth looked out the window. “I have sisters and a mother who often speak inappropriately and leave me shamefaced Miss Darcy. I feel for Mr Bingley, and I have not met him.”
“May I tell you a tale Miss Bennet?” asked Georgiana.
“Certainly,” Elizabeth replied.
“But I have a condition.”
Surprised and pleased, Elizabeth smiled. “Please reveal your condition.”
“Since I have named you as my friend, I should very much like to call you ‘Elizabeth’ and for you to call me ‘Georgiana’.”
“I should be very pleased–Georgiana.”
“Very good then,” Miss Darcy said. “Now, my tale is this–in summer, my brother invited Mr Bingley to visit us at Pemberley for the harvest. Mr Bingley has some interest in becoming a gentleman with an estate, but my brother insisted that his friend learn what is involved before making the purchase.”
“That is a wise direction,” Elizabeth agreed.
“On the afternoon of the third day of Mr Bingley’s visit, a carriage arrived at Pemberley with Miss Bingley, her sister and brother-in-law. Miss Bingley had convinced Mr Hurst to bring them to Pemberley without an invitation.”
“Without an invitation? But why?” inquired Elizabeth. “During harvest the gentlemen must be in the fields from dawn to dusk with the steward and farmers... Gentlemen certainly do not dine at normal hours at that time of year–they retire early each evening to rise before dawn to be out when sun rises.”
Georgiana rolled her eyes. “Miss Bingley was disappointed that my brother had no time to act as host and she voiced her opinion. I fear she hoped to arrange a marriage with my brother, but William suggested that she look elsewhere for a husband. In any case, Mr Bingley left with his family only two days later, well before the harvest was complete.”
Teasing, Elizabeth asked, “Is Miss Bingley not rich enough to tempt your brother?”
Georgiana shook her head vehemently. “My brother does not need to marry for riches. According to my aunt, the Countess of Matlock, my brother needs a wife with good sense and a gentle smile. I am certain Miss Bingley does not have any sense, and her smile never reaches her eyes. She merely displays her fangs.”
Elizabeth laughed at Georgiana’s characterization of the visitor as the door opened and Mr Darcy entered, smiling to hear the laughter.
“Good afternoon, Georgiana, Miss Bennet. May I be so bold as to ask whathas made you laugh?”
“Allow me to send for a fresh pot of tea, William. Elizabeth can explain,” Georgiana said before she moved to ring the bell to summon a maid.
Fighting to regain the proper face for a young lady visiting acquaintances, Elizabeth finally explained. “Miss Darcy’s caller–a Miss Bingley–left us with a quandary and our laughter appeared to be the only exit.”
His face a mask for a moment, Mr Darcy asked, “Did Miss Bingley have any invitations or invite herself to supper?”
“No, she was not here that long.” Georgiana explained as she returned to the sofa. “She attempted to engage in a verbal battle with Elizabeth but retreated from the battlefield after the first barrage.”
Darcy smirked. “My sister has warned me to mind my opinions in your presence Miss Bennet; perhaps Miss Bingley will learn from you. My friend Charles Bingley has urged his sister to allow him to arrange a match for her, but she resists any suggestions.
“According to what Mr Bingley says, she resists most strenuously,” Georgiana said as she poured her brother a cup of tea, Elizabeth handed him a plate to hold biscuits, and they settled into a pleasant conversation of their progress with reading and understanding Shakespeare.
~~}{~~
Chapter 9.Mrs Annesley’s Interview
One day shortly thereafter, when the music master arrived, Elizabeth took her leave of Georgiana and made her way to the front of the large house, admiring the furnishings and decorations. When she reached the front door, Jones bowed and said, “Miss Bennet, the master asked that you attend him in his study for a few minutes before you depart.”
Surprised, Elizabeth thanked the butler and turned about for a moment before she asked, “Would you be so kind as to direct me Mr Jones? I have no notion of the location of Mr Darcy’s study.”
The butler smiled kindly, something she had not seen before, “If you will follow me, Miss Bennet.”
They returned down the hall she had just traversed, entered a gaming room and then through a parlour decorated in masculine colours and furnishings before reaching a door leading to a room that Elizabeth was certain was very near the front door.
Jones knocked on the door and Elizabeth heard Mr Darcy’s voice call, “Come.”
The butler opened the door and allowed Elizabeth to enter but he closed it behind her without entering the room. Looking around the room quickly, Elizabeth knew she was back at the front of the house–a door on the right side of the room would open into a small hallway leading to the foyer and the front door.
