Page 77 of I Thee Wed (Pride And Prejudice Variation #2)
The next morning, Elizabeth waited expectantly in the drawing room until the sound of a gig was heard at the door. In a few minutes, Charlotte entered, and Elizabeth, eager to read her countenance, asked softly, “How did it go? Was Dr. Rutledge there?”
Charlotte shook her head. “No. The housekeeper escorted me to the drawing room and provided me with instructions for each tincture, salve, and infusion. I sat at a writing desk and took my time making the copies, but they never returned. I was told that both he and his brother had been called away; there was an accident at one of the estates. A farmer had been thrown from his horse, and his leg was broken.”
Elizabeth could not disguise her disappointment. “That is unfortunate, my dear. Yet at least you have learned one thing. Unless you are prepared to act as his nurse as well as his wife, you will see very little of him should you make a match there. He is handsome and personable, though.”
Charlotte smiled faintly. “Elizabeth, I would be pleased with the rector.”
No sooner were the words spoken than her smile faded. She drew closer to her friend and sat down beside her, her expression grave. “Elizabeth, you have been so good to me. At the risk of losing your goodwill and your friendship, I must confess something of which I am deeply ashamed.”
Elizabeth laid her hand gently upon her arm. “Never mind, Charlotte. I already know. You speak of the incident with Mr. Collins, I presume?”
Charlotte looked up in astonishment. “You know of it?”
“Yes,” Elizabeth said quietly. “Kitty and father told me of it. I never heard a word of it from my mother or from Mary. I believe they wish to keep it to themselves, the better to put it behind them. Charlotte, my dear, never think of it again. Mary is quite happy, so no harm was done. Indeed, it was because of that very incident that I resolved to invite you here. Once I learned of three eligible gentlemen living in the neighborhood, I could not resist. I know how much you long to be married and to have children, and if there is anything I may do to further that hope, I will. Who is to say I should not have been driven to something as desperate under similar circumstances? If the doctor is too busy for courtship, then you had best turn your attention to the rector or perhaps the landowner.”
Charlotte laughed despite herself, reached over to clasp Elizabeth’s hand, and then brushed away a tear.
That evening, following dinner, Elizabeth, Charlotte, and Georgiana gathered in the drawing room around a spacious round table, well-situated before the tall windows that overlooked the western lawn.
The table was soon covered with a variety of tools and materials for tying trout flies.
There were feathers of every sort, mallard, plover, snipe, and woodcock, as well as bright herls from the peacock and hackles from starling and hen.
A selection of furs had been prepared as well, including hare’s ear and mole.
Spools of dyed silk thread in yellow and green were laid out beside fine cobbler’s wax, needles, and a pair of slender, sharp scissors.
Hooks of various sizes, all hand-forged and barbless, were arranged neatly in a small wooden tray.
Elizabeth and Charlotte, who had both been taught the art by their fathers and Charlotte’s brothers as well, handled the materials with practiced ease. Charlotte, with the quiet patience she had always possessed, was showing Georgiana how to construct her first fly.
The girl worked with great concentration, her brows drawn and her fingers steady as she wrapped thread around the hook, attempting to bind a small starling feather and a bit of hare’s ear to form the body.
When it was complete, she held the small, imperfect creation in her palm. Though it would never be of use on the water, Georgiana regarded it with no small measure of pride.
“It is not very good,” she admitted shyly.
Elizabeth leaned closer to inspect it. “Do not throw it away, Georgie,” she said gently.
“You must keep it as a token. One day, when you are skilled at the craft, you will look back and smile at your very first effort. It shall remind you of this summer and how much fun we had making our creations.”
Just then, Mr. Darcy entered the room, having lingered at the dining table to enjoy his port. He walked toward the ladies, observing the array of supplies spread before them.
“These materials,” he remarked with a knowing smile, “appear to be the very ones I keep for when I sit to dress flies.”
Elizabeth let out a soft laugh. “That would be because they are, Fitzwilliam. I asked the butler to bring them out for us after dinner. You were out riding when he gathered them, so he had no opportunity to ask your permission. I told him not to concern himself. If you took issue with it, I assured him you would know precisely at whose door to lay the blame.”
Darcy grinned. “Yes, I would come directly to your door, Elizabeth.”
He leaned over the table and asked, “And how are the fine ladies of Pemberley entertaining themselves this evening?”
Georgiana lifted her hand to him. “Look, brother, I tied my first fly.”
He picked it up between his thumb and forefinger and examined it with tenderness in his expression. “You have done very well, my dear. We must keep this one. It is your first, after all.”
Elizabeth added, “We are working on hackle flies for the remainder of the week. Next week, we shall attempt wet flies.”
Darcy chuckled. “Are we to fish the pond, then?”
“Or the stream, or the lake, Fitzwilliam,” Elizabeth replied.
“Charlotte and I both grew up fishing with our fathers and her brothers. We would very much like to try our hand at it again while she is staying with us. Perhaps, once we have prepared a small stock of flies, we might invite a few friends to join us for a picnic and an afternoon’s fishing. ”
Darcy paused in thought. “I have not fished in over two years, and it is a pastime I greatly enjoy. Whom shall we invite?”
“I hardly know anyone beyond yourself, the rector, and the physician,” Elizabeth said with a smile. “So I must leave the choice to you.”
“The rector and the physician are a good beginning,” Darcy replied.
“And the physician’s brother,” Georgiana added quickly.
“Very well,” Darcy said. “The rector, the doctor, and his brother. We may also invite Mr. Gareth Seton, if you will, who has only lately inherited his brother’s estate.
I may have mentioned him to you, Elizabeth.
His elder brother passed nearly a year ago, and Mr. Seton has come into the property only now.
He is a solicitor by profession and has spent the last six or seven years in London.
I should like to see him, to learn how he is managing and whether he might require any guidance. ”
Elizabeth spoke with some hesitation. “A smaller party would be more comfortable for me, Fitzwilliam, as I have not yet made the acquaintance of the other ladies in the neighborhood. This way, we may enjoy our fishing without fear of judgment. You know very well how some women can be; fishing is not regarded as a proper feminine pursuit.”
Darcy gave a nod of understanding. “Of course, darling. Shall I refrain from inviting Mr. Seton as well? Would you feel uneasy?”
“Not at all,” Elizabeth said. “Since he was once a working man, I think it is unlikely he will judge us harshly.”
Then she wrinkled her nose slightly and added, “That did not sound quite right. I do not mean to say that gentlemen are all judgmental, only that I have found, through my time with my uncle and his friends, that working men and professionals are often more accepting and less bound by rigid expectations. They are generally more flexible than those born and bred to gentility.”
Darcy took no offense; he merely nodded in quiet agreement. “There is something in what you say, Elizabeth. Now that you mention it, I believe it to be true. With these guests, I think we may all be at ease, and you ladies may enjoy the day as much as we men.”
He turned to his sister. “And you, Georgiana? Will you try your hand at fly fishing?”
Georgiana’s eyes widened. “May I, Fitzwilliam? I did not think I would be allowed. I imagined I should be left behind to practice the pianoforte or attend to my history books.”
“You may certainly join us,” he said with a smile. “You shall have a holiday from your usual pursuits to learn a refined and useful skill. Fishing requires great patience, and though it may test you at times, it can be most satisfying. And addictive, I might add.”
Elizabeth glanced at Charlotte and raised her brow with a smile. Charlotte returned the grin. The ease with which the fishing party had been arranged was surprising to them both, and for all Fitzwilliam knew, it had been entirely his idea.
Elizabeth wasted no time in drafting and sending out invitations the following morning. The picnic was scheduled for the following Wednesday, to begin in the late morning and extend into the early afternoon, when the trout were known to feed near the surface.
That night, Darcy joined the ladies at the table and tied a few flies himself, demonstrating the sure hands of one long acquainted with the craft. The four occupants of Pemberley passed a most pleasant evening in one another’s company.
Later, as Darcy and Elizabeth lay in bed, he turned to her in the quiet darkness.
“I confess,” he said softly, “I am surprised that you and Miss Lucas remain close, considering that her brother ended his courtship with you in favor of the heiress.”
Elizabeth shifted, turning to face him. Though the room was dim, she could discern the outline of his profile.
“How did you know Charlotte’s brother had courted me?” she asked.
Darcy replied, “Richard and I witnessed his indecision, how he wavered between you and the little heiress for several weeks. He is still a very young man, likely to experience many flirtations before finding lasting affection. Still, I cannot understand how he allowed you to slip away. It speaks to his immaturity.”
Elizabeth looked amused. “You are very observant, sir.”
“I can be,” he said, “when the object I am observing is of interest to me.”
He bent to kiss her then, and soon all thought of past disappointments was lost in the warmth of their embrace.