Page 26 of Brighton Rescue (Pride and Prejudice Variation #23)
Lady Amelia led the ladies into the drawing room after dinner with a sense of satisfaction.
Mr. Bingley’s arrival and subsequent departure had been startling, but to her relief Miss Bennet seemed entirely calm enough after meeting her erstwhile suitor again.
Dinner had been rather humorous because Gabriel, caught up in all the excitement in Brighton, had failed to send word to his cook that a large party was arriving and would need food.
When they had arrived at Beehaven, the cook was away helping her married daughter, who had just had her first child.
Faced with genuine hunger, Lady Amelia had instructed her servants to kill two chickens and rolled up her sleeves.
She had always enjoyed cooking and had often assisted with meals.
Dinner had been simple, but all present had enjoyed baked chicken, a cucumber salad, and a quantity of bread, butter, and fresh honey.
Lady Amelia could only be pleased with the responses of those who fell heartily to eating, and when the ladies rose from the table, both Miss Bennets waxed eloquent over the luscious flavor of the honey.
“I have a suggestion,” Lady Amelia said when the party had gathered in the drawing room an hour later.
The others looked at her curiously, and she in turn looked at Jane and Gabriel.
“Given Darcy and Miss Elizabeth’s new engagement, you two young people have limited time to learn more about one another.
May I suggest you speak of matters of importance to you, instead of wasting your time talking of the weather and the roads? ”
Gabriel Hartford chuckled and said, “Mama, do you not know it is incumbent on a gentleman to confine himself to discussions of the weather and the beauty of his companion for at least two weeks before moving onto more serious topics?”
“If that is so, Mr. Hartford, you have already gone astray,” Elizabeth pointed out with mock severity. “You have already spoken extensively of bees, and I believe there cannot be a more important topic in all of creation.”
The gentleman grinned at the youngest lady in the room and nodded meekly. “You are entirely correct, Miss Elizabeth. I hope you can forgive me, Miss Bennet.”
“With all my heart,” Jane said, smiling at Lady Amelia, “for I believe your mother is entirely right in the matter. Ladies and gentlemen often spend too many precious hours discussing matters of no real importance.”
“I am very willing to speak of serious matters,” Gabriel said.
She nodded and settled into a chair across from her suitor. Elizabeth and Darcy, by silent consent, shifted to the other end of the room, and Lady Amelia and Colonel Fitzwilliam took their places in the middle, the better to provide oversight to the two couples.
“I believe that in this unusual situation, the lady should go first,” Gabriel invited.
Jane took a deep breath and, with rare courage, leaned forward and asked, “Would you be willing to speak to me more about the war and your experiences in Europe, Mr. Hartford, and how they have affected your life?”
Gabriel stared at her in wonder and respect.
The memories of the war were difficult, as were the events surrounding the loss of his arm, but those events had indeed shaped him into the man he was today.
Most ladies had no desire to hear of battles and pain, the loss of dear comrades, the fear that struck the heart of the bravest man when the cannons began firing.
“I would be glad to,” he said, his eyes suddenly faraway. “I was meant for the diplomatic service, you know, but I longed to join the army and my father was kind enough to buy me a commission...”
/
“Elizabeth?”
“Yes, Fitzwilliam? ”
“It was I who wrote to Bingley telling him that Miss Bennet truly cared for him last autumn. It was, it seems, too little and too late. I apologize.”
“Pray do not. Mr. Bingley made his choice back in December when he chose not to return to Netherfield. I can only trust that the Lord will guide Jane and Mr. Hartford; I would like to see my beloved elder sister well settled with an honorable man, but thanks to the extensive Darcy coffers, I at least have no fear of seeing my family starve.”
“Ah yes, I knew it; you are marrying me for my money!”
Elizabeth laughed and teased, “Indeed I am, sir. Well, that, and your connections. You are the nephew of an earl, after all!”
“But Richard is the son of an earl, not a mere nephew.”
“But he did not ask me to marry him!” Elizabeth responded demurely and then reached out to take Darcy’s gloved hands in her own.
“In truth, my dear love, I cannot think of another man in all of England who could capture my heart as you have. I hope you know how very fortunate I know myself to be.”
“It is I who am the blessed one,” Darcy responded, his voice choked with emotion. “Yesterday was one of the two happiest days of my life. ”
“And what was the other?”
“The day Georgiana was born. My mother had miscarried at least three children before Georgie, and I was old enough to be very worried; my sister was born full term, and her indignant cries could be heard outside the birthing suite, where my father and I were pacing up and down in the corridor. It was one of the few times that I saw my father cry, and they were tears of joy.”
“Do tell me of Miss Darcy, please.”
“You wish to speak of Georgiana?”
“Yes, for we will soon be sisters, and I want to be the best possible sister I can be.”
“I have no doubt you will be, Elizabeth, and certainly you have much experience being a good sister. Georgiana is a gentle, sweet, shy girl who is still recovering from her near disaster last year at Ramsgate. Your enthusiasm for life, your wit and intelligence, and your good nature will lift her spirits. I suppose it would be a good time to discuss her living arrangements. I hope that you are willing to have her live with us the majority of the time?”
“Oh, of course! I cannot imagine having her dwelling apart from us! Does she truly enjoy music?”
Darcy tilted his head in confusion at this. “She practices the pianoforte very diligently. ”
“Yes, I remember that you said so when we were enjoying one another’s company at Rosings; I wondered if she truly relishes playing the instrument, or whether she practices so hard because it is expected of young ladies of refinement.”
This rather set Darcy back on his metaphorical heels.
Did Georgiana truly enjoy playing music?
It was true that young ladies were encouraged to be greatly accomplished through playing music, singing, drawing, and designing tables.
Was there any chance that his sweet sister felt chained to the pianoforte by societal expectations?
“I believe she does,” he said honestly, “but in truth I am not entirely confident. She is such a quiet young lady, you see. I hope she actually enjoys her music and is not merely toiling away to please me.”
“Do not worry, Mr. Darcy of Pemberley, I will plumb the depths of your sweet sister’s heart and discover if she really cares about her music or not. And if she does not, I will steal her pianoforte for myself.”
He smiled at this. “You need not steal Georgiana’s instrument, my love. I will buy you your own if you like.”
“How delightfully extravagant!”
/
“I hope you approve of your cousin’s engagement, Colonel Fitzwilliam?” Lady Amelia asked, pouring tea for the man and handing it over.
“I feel an odd mixture of approval and envy, Lady Amelia. I met Miss Elizabeth in Kent when I was visiting Lady Catherine de Bourgh, and if she had been an heiress, I would have offered for her myself.”
Lady Amelia took a sip of her own tea and lifted a curious eyebrow. “You require an heiress, then?”
“I do, madam. I was born into a house and family of privilege and wealth, and while I do not believe myself to be particularly extravagant, I would not be comfortable living on only a few hundred pounds a year.”
“Am I to understand that your father made no provision for you?”
Colonel Fitzwilliam sighed and leaned back in his chair. “I do receive a yearly allowance, yes, but sadly my elder brother was a gamester in his younger years, and the family coffers suffered accordingly. He has settled down now, but there is not as much money as there might be.”
He shook himself suddenly and grimaced ruefully. “I really ought not to be saying such things to you, Lady Amelia. The atmosphere in this room bears some similarity to a Catholic confessional, it seems. ”
“It is quite all right,” the older lady assured him.
“I was very close friends to your aunt, Lady Anne Darcy, and have followed your generation’s exploits and lives with interest for many years.
I am sorry about your brother, though not surprised; a great many fortunes have been lost on the gaming tables. ”
“They have, and I truly do not blame Gervase. I daresay this sounds peculiar, but I rather pity him in some ways. I was raised with the expectation that I would enter the army, and thus I had a plan for my life from an early age. Gervase was sent to Eton and then Cambridge and was caught up in gambling and other less than noble pursuits, and since my father still lives, he had no direction and no impetus to turn his mind to serious matters. It is a regrettable reality that he is marking time until my father passes on – not that he wishes for my father to die, but until he does, Gervase is left kicking his heels. When the earl does die, my brother will suddenly be required to take on all the responsibilities and burdens of the Matlock estate. I hope for all our sakes that he is able to make the transition.”