Page 14 of An Offer of Marriage (Engaged to Mr Darcy #7)

TO DINE TOGETHER IN COMPANY

T o view one’s own house through the eyes of another was a strange thing.

Darcy walked through the halls as if he had never seen them before, imagining what Elizabeth might think of this wallpaper or how she might like that paint colour.

He was not overly partial to any of it; in fact, many of the rooms had not been redone since his mother died and were likely sorely in need of refurbishment.

That gave him a pulse of panic. Would she think it all hideously passé and shabby?

Most of the walls had been painted a cream colour, very dull in fact, and only now did he see the little scuff marks and discolorations upon them.

Mrs Hobbs came to him at once, concerned that some oversight in housekeeping had been discovered, but he waved her away, assuring that things were as well-kept as ever.

Merely old , he thought. Then again, does not every bride wish to put her own stamp on her new home?

He was bent over examining a particularly egregious mark, and on the verge of going for a bucket of paint himself, when Saye entered the hall. “What on earth are you doing?”

“This paint.” Darcy straightened, brushing his hands against each other. “It seems suddenly…quite…ugly. I cannot comprehend how I have not ever realised how much I hate it. It seems the more I look at it, the uglier it is.”

Saye laughed. “Yes, well, you are a bachelor. Miss Bennet is fortunate there is not a suit of armour here in the hall, with a large Tudorish painting of an execution or a mythological beast besides.”

“When she arrives, I will be sure to inform her how lucky she is at that,” Darcy replied. “We are hosting a small?—”

“Dinner, yes, I know. ’Tis why I am here, and looking so splendid. Quite hungry too, I must say, what may I expect?”

“You may expect to be shown to the door. It means to be a quiet dinner, just six of…” He trailed off as Saye began shaking his head.

“Not so. Georgiana was at Matlock House earlier this morning and did not protest when we told her we four should like to attend.”

Darcy extended his arm, indicating that Saye should precede him down the hall. “Someone not protesting is not the same as being invited.”

“The lady ought to meet the rest of your Fitzwilliam relations. The sane ones, for I daresay she has already met the lady lunatics of Rosings Park, and of course my brother. She might think him mad too, as do I half the time.”

“I agree, I would like her to meet all of you, only I had not thought the best time for it being tonight.” Darcy followed Saye into the drawing room. “Elizabeth’s aunt and uncle are coming. ”

Saye turned round and stared at him blankly. Darcy thus added, “Elizabeth’s uncle is in trade.”

A beat later, Saye raised one brow. “And?”

“And nothing. He is in trade.”

Saye moved towards the nearest chair and sat.

“My mother and father have grown quite liberal in that regard. They have dined in the company of tradespeople before, several times in fact. And they like your friend Bingley well enough. Far more than I do. Are you going to sit, or tower over me all evening?”

Darcy dropped into the chair next to his cousin. “You may be the chief source of my concern. I have seen you storm out of a place because someone from trade was there.”

“Only the once!” Saye protested. “And in truth the tedium of that party had me half out of my mind already. I was wanting an excuse to leave.”

“Very well, but no such mischief this evening! You must be nice to them, else I shall toss you out onto the street myself.”

“I should like to see you try, although I daresay you are looking less battered than you did before,” Saye informed him. “In any case, you need not fear, for we are all quite eager to know this lady who has enthralled you.”

The door opened and Georgiana hastened into the room. Her eyes were bright and her gown was new; she was as eager for the evening as Darcy was. Both men rose.

“The carriage has just pulled up,” she told them excitedly. “Do I look well? That is to say, I do not mean to seek a compliment on my beauty, only I was wondering whether Miss Elizabeth Bennet might think…I wished to make a special effort and to look perhaps older or more elegant than?—”

“Georgiana.” Darcy waited for her to calm. “You look quite lovely, my dear. Very elegant. ”

Saye echoed him, and Georgiana took a deep breath and smiled.

They awaited in an anxious silence, Darcy wishing he had poured himself a drink or something, anything to occupy his hands while he awaited this, her first view of what would become their home.

It seemed to take an age until the drawing room doors opened and Elizabeth and her family were announced.

Darcy felt his breath catch as he beheld her, wearing a pale ivory gown with one long curl dangling over her shoulder.

She smiled at him almost shyly, and he felt his cheeks heat, and his heart pound, then cursed himself for acting so green.

Then again, I have never been in love before. In that regard, I am green.

He recovered himself well enough to make the needed introductions.

Mr and Mrs Gardiner were a delight; respectful without being overly deferential or too much awed by their surroundings.

They complimented him on the house, which led to Mrs Gardiner telling him she had spent some of her girlhood in Lambton and to some conversation about Derbyshire that he much enjoyed.

It was all far easier than he had imagined it being.

True, the earl and countess were not yet present, but they would never be rude. Reserved perhaps, but never rude.

Darcy was well-pleased to see his sister, Elizabeth, and Miss Bennet had formed a sweet little cluster by the fireplace.

As he observed them, Georgiana giggled at something Elizabeth said, and he smiled along with them though he knew not what they spoke of.

How good it was to see Georgiana overcoming her shyness!

His eye then moved to Miss Bennet. Jane. He supposed he ought to begin thinking of her as Jane, for she would be his sister, would she not ?

He had never before noticed—and wondered that he had not—how very like Georgiana was Jane. One presumed a great beauty was always easy in Society. If she was not, it was attributed to uppishness or aloofness, but could not a beauty be as shy as a plainer woman?

Jane was shy; it was clear from the way that she kept half a step behind Elizabeth.

Her eyes always showed how engaged she was in the conversation, but her lips often remained silent.

Whenever Elizabeth teased her, she would laugh and blush, but it was clear that she preferred the attention be kept on others.

It made him recognise the truth in Elizabeth’s assertions, that her sister’s attachment to Bingley had been firm. Not that he had doubted her, but this certainly underscored how badly he had misread the situation. I will go to him tomorrow , he offered silently.

Saye had joined the ladies which was always some cause of concern for Darcy.

He hoped that his cousin would content himself in flirting with Jane, but it seemed it was Elizabeth who had his attention.

When Georgiana crossed the room to speak to the Gardiners, he thought it an excellent time to join them.

Saye was speaking as Darcy approached the group. “There is, as you know, far more to a man’s worth than a title. For example, these tall fellows like Darcy carry their greatest assets?—”

Darcy came abreast of his cousin just in time to give him a sharp nudge with his elbow and hiss, “You are in the company of a lady.”

“I know that.” Saye moved to return his own elbow nudge but shockingly, Elizabeth’s hand shot between them .

“Pray do not,” she said with a conciliatory smile towards Saye. “He is yet injured, are you not, sir?”

“I am much improved but not wholly healed. Thank you,” Darcy replied to her. The warmth that had spread through his chest was not sufficient to stop him from shooting his cousin a smug look, but Saye did not even notice it. Saye was regarding Elizabeth with a faint smile.

“Good lo-o-ord,” he drawled. “So it’s like that, is it? I suppose if you are going to marry him, affection for him is not entirely unseemly. Just nothing to excess, if you please.”

“What would your lordship consider excessive?” Elizabeth asked with a twinkle in her eye.

“Preserve me from witnessing any tonsil-jousting, I beg you,” he replied.

Elizabeth’s brow wrinkled. “Tonsil-what?”

“Never mind him,” Darcy said hastily. “Elizabeth, perhaps I might show you the house? Jane—shall you join us?”

“I would like that,” Elizabeth said with a smile, but her smile turned to a shocked look as the door opened…and Bingley was announced.

There were a select few friends who never needed to present their cards at Darcy’s door; Bingley was one of them.

He entered the room with all the air of a beloved friend, smiling and bringing the feel of a sunny spring day along with him.

“Good lord!” he exclaimed. “Forgive me, I had no notion that you?—”

His voice died as his gaze fell on Jane.

Darcy’s eye moved to her as well and, though he often had difficulty comprehending what people were thinking and feeling, in that quarter he had no doubt.

Jane looked as if she had been struck by lightning.

Her face was pale and her eyes were wide and unmoving from Bingley.

Elizabeth put her hand clandestinely on her sister’s back, a seeming wish to give her strength.

Bingley gave no heed to Georgiana or even to Darcy himself, striding through the room to join their small group. “Miss Bennet! How do you do? I confess I had not expected to see you here!”

Jane was blushing furiously by then, and her chin was nearly pressed to her chest. Her words were unintelligible but somehow made Bingley beam even more.

“How are your family?” Bingley enquired. “They are all well I hope.”

“Some of them you may see for yourself,” Darcy answered, and the ladies and Bingley turned to look at him, almost immediately somewhat abashed.

“Forgive me. Miss Elizabeth! How do you do?” He bowed to Elizabeth, and she curtseyed in reply, telling him how good it was to see him.

“The ladies’ aunt and uncle are over there.

Come and I shall introduce you to Mr and Mrs Gardiner.

” He laid one hand lightly on Bingley’s shoulder and with the faintest pressure moved him towards the ladies’ relations.

Mr and Mrs Gardiner had been seated with Georgiana and were lately joined by Saye; all four smiled pleasantly as the two gentlemen approached.

He made the introductions, then beckoned Georgiana aside, wishing her to ask Bingley to join them. They had just walked a few steps off when he heard Mrs Gardiner say, “I had the pleasure of meeting your sister this winter. I hope she is well?”

Darcy froze in his steps then turned back to the sure disaster about to unfold .

“You met Caroline?” Bingley asked, surprise in his tone. “Where?”

Very genially, Mrs Gardiner replied, “She called on us in Gracechurch Street, at our home. To see Jane, of course.”

Darcy had heard it said before that the colour ‘drained from his face’, but he had never seen it happen quite so vividly. Bingley was plainly stupefied, staring at Mrs Gardiner in utter shock.

Mr Gardiner was quick into the breach. “Perhaps you were mistaken, my dear?”

“Yes,” she agreed quickly. “It may have been that?—”

“I doubt you were,” Saye informed her. “Miss Bingley has a unique quality, in comportment if not looks.”

The rest of the room had fallen silent; at Elizabeth, Darcy dared not look. With his own mind whirling with notions of how to right the course, Darcy said, “Bingley, will you be so good?—”

He was interrupted by Jane who had hurried across the room.

“It is true, sir,” she said, no doubt imagining that she was being helpful.

“I had called upon both your sisters in Grosvenor Street, and Miss Bingley was so kind as to return the call at my aunt’s home.

She did mention that you were very busy, else you would have accompanied her. ”

Bingley’s pallor had been marred by two bright red spots on both cheeks.

His curls, never much contained anyhow, fairly quivered with his fury.

“I would never have been too busy,” he said in terse accents.

Then he demanded, “How long have you been in town? When was it you saw Caroline? Your aunt said winter? It is nearly May now!”

“Oh! I-I have been in my uncle’s house since after Christmas.”

“Christmas!” Bingley nearly shrieked .

Jane’s eyes flew wide and she took a step backwards.

“Bingley,” said Darcy. “You are frightening the lady. Come, let us go into my study and discuss the matter.”

“Forgive me, Miss Bennet,” said Bingley and allowed himself to be led into Darcy’s study.

They passed Georgiana on the way and Darcy murmured, “One more for dinner?” Georgiana nodded, also looking somewhat astounded, and Darcy thought it was surely going to be the worst dinner party in the history of London Society unless he was able to somehow manage to mollify his friend’s rightful fury.