Page 16 of I Thee Wed (Pride And Prejudice Variation #2)

Georgiana sat at the breakfast table, her eyes bright with anticipation. She longed to hear all that had transpired at the ball, the music, the food, the gowns, and above all, Elizabeth. When Richard entered the breakfast parlor, she all but pounced upon him.

“Richard, tell me everything. How many sets did you dance? I heard the music, it was lovely. What dishes were served? And what did Miss Elizabeth’s gown look like? Did she have many dance partners? I imagine she must have danced every set. And what of my brother, did he dance too?”

Georgiana’s high spirits made Richard laugh. “Slow down, little cousin, so that I may begin to answer your many questions. I will answer them all, but you must give them to me one at a time.”

The colonel began to describe the evening. He spoke of the women in their beautiful gowns, the floral arrangements, the perfumed air, and then of Elizabeth’s many partners and her pretty gown. “It was a simple muslin, Georgie, but most charming on Miss Elizabeth.”

Bingley joined them at this point, and he could speak only of Jane Bennet and her beauty, her sweetness, and her modest, unaffected air. Richard and Georgiana exchanged amused glances, and they settled down to eat while they listened to his raptures.

Darcy entered last, his hair windblown from his morning ride, and Richard noted at once that his cousin was brooding.

Darcy served his plate, sat down to eat, and spoke not a word to the others.

Richard, still angry with him, did not spare him a glance, but he encouraged Bingley by asking questions and offering timely remarks.

When breakfast was almost over, Caroline swept into the room and served herself some raspberries. She greeted them all and seated herself, giving Mr. Darcy a sly smile which he didn’t see. Georgiana, still animated, was speaking of a visit to Longbourn.

“I want to hear all about the ball from Miss Elizabeth herself,” she said. “And I wish to see her new gown.”

Caroline could not resist. She leaned forward and purred, “My dear Georgiana, I very much doubt Miss Eliza will wish to discuss the ball this morning. I heard she left early on foot, mind you, because of an insult she overheard.” Her eyes flicked toward Darcy with a look of conspiratorial approval.

Georgiana’s face fell. “An insult? To Elizabeth? Who would dare such a thing?” She looked at her brother, then Richard. “Did neither of you defend her? How could anyone insult her? She is so very sweet and good.”

Caroline spread her hands, feigning sympathy. “It is always the way, my dear. A young woman of lively manners will attract envy, and tongues will wag. I should not wonder if she feels mortified.”

“Mortified?” Georgiana’s voice trembled with indignation. “Elizabeth does not deserve such cruelty. Who could say a word against her?”

Richard said gently, “My dear, you must not distress yourself. Miss Elizabeth’s comportment last night was all that it ought to be, polite, lively, and perfectly decorous.

The insult of which Miss Bingley speaks had nothing to do with her conduct.

I heard enough to know it concerned her mother, and not Miss Elizabeth herself.

She bore herself with dignity, as she always does.

You may be assured, Georgiana, she has nothing to answer for. ”

He gave her a reassuring smile. “If others choose to be unkind, that is no reflection on her. Indeed, I believe her spirit is strong enough to weather such nonsense, though it is natural she should feel the sting of it in the moment.”

Caroline’s eyes gleamed, but she remained silent, savoring Georgiana’s distress. Darcy did not look up. He took a sip from his coffee and remained mute.

Richard rose. “We have finished our breakfast, little cousin. Come, I am sure I do not wish to dwell on idle gossip. I will ride with you to Longbourn, and we shall hear Miss Elizabeth’s own account of the ball.

I am certain one poor insult was not enough to send her to her bed or rob her of her lively spirits. ”

Georgiana sprang to her feet, her eyes full of anticipation. “Yes, Richard, let us go at once. I shall change into my riding habit.”

She left the room quickly, her step full of purpose. Richard cast a sharp look at Caroline, then followed his cousin, leaving Caroline with her half-smile and Darcy brooding in silence.

Richard and Georgiana rode at a leisurely pace toward Longbourn. The summer air was soft, the fields fresh with morning light. Georgiana, sitting very straight in her saddle, chattered of the ball she had longed to attend, of the gowns she imagined, and of Elizabeth, whom she hoped to see.

Richard and Georgiana rode their horses hard, and before long, they drew near the rise of Oakham Mount. The young girl pointed ahead, her voice eager.

“There, upon the crest! I see a yellow gown. I think that is Elizabeth out walking.”

Richard slowed his mount. “So it is. We shall go to her, admire the view for ourselves, and speak with her about the pleasures of the ball.”

They turned their horses up the incline, and at the summit they found Elizabeth at the far side, gazing out over the valley that stretched before her. She started slightly at their approach, but Richard was grateful to see that she was composed and elegant as ever.

He swung down and held his hands up to his cousin. Georgiana accepted his help with graceful eagerness and, the moment her feet touched the ground, she ran to Elizabeth, catching her hands with rapturous affection.

“We were on our way to visit you,” she cried. “I want to hear everything about the ball, and I long to see your gown!”

Elizabeth could not help but smile. The girl’s enthusiasm was infectious, and her spirits, weighed down all the morning, began to lift.

“Well then,” she said, her eyes brightening, “picture it: the house ablaze with candlelight as our carriage rolled up, the fragrance of perfumes drifting through the rooms, the music as sweet as any I have heard. The ladies wore gowns of every color, blues, greens, silks of rose and ivory, and the whole scene seemed enchanted.”

Georgiana took one of her friend’s hands in her own. “Tell me all about your partners. Did Sir Lawrence ask you to dance? He is very handsome, is he not?”

Elizabeth laughed softly at her young friend.

“I danced every set. Sir Lawrence secured my first, and so I escaped the mortification of standing idle with the usual wallflowers. Your brother danced the second with me. Then I had some punch, and it was the most delicious drink I have ever tasted. It had fresh fruit and a light ratafia, and it was not too sweet. I was tempted to drink a second cup, but I resisted.”

Richard observed that Miss Elizabeth seemed happy this morning, and her memories of the ball were as lively as he could hope for.

“And supper? Who was your partner then?”

Elizabeth’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and her gaze flicked toward Colonel Fitzwilliam.

Then, forcing herself to speak in a bright voice, she answered, “Why, your own dear cousin danced the supper set with me. And afterward, he served me a plate of crab cakes, tiny cucumber sandwiches, and raspberries. As we ate those delectable morsels, he filled my head with equally delicious nonsense and flirtations.”

Georgiana giggled. “Richard is charming, and I hope someday to marry a man just like him.” She leaned her head affectionately against her cousin’s shoulder, then, in a voice of complaint, she added, “Aunt Helen says I must wait until my seventeenth birthday for my first ball!”

She pressed Elizabeth with another question. “Who did you dance with after supper?”

Elizabeth looked down at her feet, and her smile faded. “Ah, after supper I developed a headache, my dear, and returned home before it grew worse.”

Georgiana’s face fell. “Was it the insult? Miss Bingley said someone insulted you, and that you went home on foot.”

Elizabeth’s cheeks flushed pink. “Ah, Miss Bingley mentioned it, did she? I did not realize she was aware. As it happened, I was not insulted directly. I overheard something said about my mother, and it saddened me. I will admit that it brought on the headache, and I wished for some fresh air. I often walk the Gladstone path between Netherfield and Longbourn. Two of my dearest friends once lived at Netherfield, and we visited each other daily; sometimes I would walk to them, and sometimes they would come to me. So I set out home, and the fresh air, together with the bright stars, soon relieved my aching head.”

Georgiana looked appalled. “You walked home all alone in the dark? It is at least three miles from Netherfield to Longbourn!”

Elizabeth clarified. “No, I did not walk those three miles alone. Your brother kindly offered his escort. So you see, I was perfectly safe, and my head was well by the time I reached home.”

Georgiana searched Elizabeth’s face with concern and took up her friend’s hand, pressing it gently. Elizabeth smiled at the cousins, who regarded her with compassion, yet her heart still recoiled from the words that had fallen from Mr. Darcy’s lips, words she wished she had never heard.

As they walked, Georgiana pressed Elizabeth’s hand with shy earnestness.

“I am grateful, at least, that my brother was able to offer you his escort last night. For me, it is a fearful thing to think of walking alone in the dark. I could not bring myself to do it when I was evading Mr. Wickham at Ramsgate. I still dream of it sometimes, of running in the dark, unable to find my way home, with him pursuing me. Then I wake up and realize I am in my own bed, and all is well. I always light my candle to chase the terrors away, because they linger in the room.”

The confession saddened Elizabeth, and she drew Georgiana into an embrace.

Resting her head against the child’s curly golden one, she said softly, “You have been very brave, my dear. I think if you speak of these fears and let them out into the open, it will help you. For once spoken, they lose their power, especially when you share them with your family, who loves you.”

Georgiana’s eyes filled with unshed tears, and she clung to Elizabeth, holding her tightly for a long while.

Richard broke in with good humor. “Shall we walk back with you to Longbourn? My little cousin has an ardent desire to see your gown.”

Elizabeth laughed softly. “Of course. And you must stay for tea, where you may also hear all of Kitty’s adventures at the ball.

Mary will say nothing, yet she, too, enjoyed herself.

Mr. Nicholas Goulding, newly returned from university and but two-and-twenty, was quite taken with her.

That nice young man asked her to dance twice, though you will never hear a word of it from her lips, for she is very shy. ”

Georgiana took Elizabeth’s hand in hers and turned to walk down the hill. “Let us go at once. I am dying to hear all about it from your two sisters!”

Richard followed behind with the horses, grateful that both his little cousin and Miss Elizabeth were laughing and had moved past their sorrows.

He held his tongue, but his thoughts were far from idle. He was thankful that Elizabeth had made light of the insult, almost as if it had been nothing at all, and had turned it toward her mother rather than naming the true culprit.

Richard knew well that she had overheard Darcy. Yet she would not injure Georgiana with that knowledge. She had chosen to bear the sting herself rather than let the young girl suffer pain in discovering her brother’s fault.

What a gracious creature she was. What charity, to cover another’s failing so generously. She had been wounded, Richard knew it. He had seen the color leave her face, the bright spirit dimmed, yet here she was, smiling again, making light talk to lift Georgiana’s spirits.

He stole a glance at her as she walked beside them, the morning sun glinting on the copper that streaked through her dark hair, and those lovely dark eyes, fringed with long, dark, curling lashes.

He wished, not for the first time, that he could make her his own.

What a wife she would be, cheerful, charitable, brave. A woman to adorn any man’s life.

Richard sighed inwardly. His heart craved her loveliness, yet his fortune did not entitle him to hope. She deserved all that was best in life, and he knew he was not in a position to give it.