Page 31 of Mission to Meryton (Pride and Prejudice Variation #25)

Elizabeth Bennet looked up with surprise, and a moment later, had jumped to her feet in delight. “Georgiana! Mr. Darcy! How wonderful to see you both!”

Not for the first time, Darcy was struck dumb with wonder. He had not seen Elizabeth since December, and had wondered if his memory of her countenance matched reality. The truth was that it did not. She was even more beautiful, more exquisite, more alive than he remembered.

Not for the first time, Georgiana spoke when her brother was incapable of articulation. “Elizabeth, we are delighted to see you as well. Good morning, Miss Mary, Miss Lydia. Good morning, Mr. Wickham.”

There were murmurs of greeting from the two other Bennet girls and Mr. Wickham, who had risen to his feet when the Darcys entered the sitting room.

The man was dressed immaculately in morning dress, and he smiled genially at his oldest friend.

“Good morning, Darcy! I am pleased that you arrived in London safely.”

“Yes, we arrived yesterday,” Darcy managed to reply through stiff lips. What was Wickham doing here? He was a fine figure of a man, charming, affable, and attractive to women. Was he in pursuit of Elizabeth himself?

“Miss Darcy, Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth said, breaking into his anxious thoughts, “may I please introduce my aunt, Mrs. Gardiner? Aunt, Mr. Darcy and Miss Darcy.”

Darcy forced himself to turn his attention on Mrs. Gardiner, who was smiling at Georgiana. “Miss Darcy, what an honor to meet you at last! I hope that your journey to London was an agreeable one; the trip from Derbyshire to London can be quite trying, I know.”

“It was long but we had no difficulties,” Georgiana replied with a startling lack of her usual shyness. Being near Elizabeth made Georgiana feel safe.

“Mrs. Gardiner grew up in the village of Lambton near Pemberley,” Wickham explained, “though she has not returned in many years.”

“Have you ever been to Pemberley?” Georgiana inquired eagerly as she took a seat next to her hostess.

“I toured Pemberley several times,” Mrs. Gardiner declared, “and I also had the honor of meeting your mother, Lady Anne, twice. My father was rector in Lambton, you see, and your mother was a compassionate and generous patron of the church. I remember that she and your father were kind enough to donate substantial sums one year when the harvests were exceptionally bad.”

“You met my mother? Oh, would you tell me about her?”

Darcy watched with a mixture of disbelief and pleasure as Miss Bennet’s aunt proceeded to tell his young sister about Lady Anne Darcy. He knew, because he had been told, that Mr. Gardiner was in trade, but his wife, at least, was refined, gentle in speech, and entirely charming.

He tore his attention away and discovered that Miss Bennet was regarding him with her usual enchanting smile. “My aunt very much enjoys speaking with those who grew up in Derbyshire, Mr. Darcy. Thank you for bringing your sister to meet her.”

Wickham was now speaking with Lydia, and there was a chair near Elizabeth, so Darcy sat down, which was a relief as he felt oddly unsteady. Her eyes, her hair, her features, her form – he was intoxicated by her.

“It is my honor and pleasure,” he managed to say without a stutter. “I think it is obvious that Georgiana is generally very shy when meeting new acquaintances, but she is chatting with your aunt like they are old friends.”

“My aunt is one of the most comfortable people I know,” Elizabeth agreed with a fond glance at the lady.

“My sisters and I rejoice that we were privileged to spend significant time here in London with the Gardiners as we grew up, and we are grateful that my aunt and uncle are willing to host three of us while Mary and I are launched into society.”

“May I inquire as to whether Mr. and Mrs. Bennet are in residence? I would like to pay my respects to them both.”

“Thank you, Mr. Darcy, but at the moment both of my parents are at Longbourn. Father dislikes London, and Mother is busy with the tulips, especially since Mary is here and thus unavailable to assist her. Kitty is a willing assistant, but Mary is the one who inherited my mother’s astonishing gifting to make the tulips break advantageously. ”

“It is a remarkable ability,” Darcy agreed genuinely.

Silence fell for a full minute as Darcy struggled to think of something to say. How could he be so tongue tied in the presence of his love?

“May I inquire, Miss Bennet, whether you have heard anything from your friend, Mrs. Collins? I hope she is enjoying Kent.”

“Yes, Charlotte and I correspond diligently, and she is very pleased with Kent, Rosings, and her marriage. I confess that I was not sure whether Mr. Collins would be a good match given her own practical disposition, but he is a devoted husband, and she is very happy.”

“That is wonderful news,” Darcy returned and then lowered his voice slightly. “It is always a great blessing for a parson to have a godly and sensible wife. I have no doubt that Mr. and Mrs. Collins will deal well with my cousin Anne’s fiancé, Mr. Fitzroy, as he himself is a clergyman.”

Elizabeth froze briefly in astonishment before answering, “Miss de Bourgh is engaged? I had not heard!”

“Well, it is a very recent event, and I beg you not to mention it openly, but yes, Miss de Bourgh met Mr. Fitzroy when the latter was serving as curate while Lady Catherine sought a permanent clergyman for the Hunsford living. He is, apparently, an intelligent man with a great heart for the poor.”

Elizabeth stared into Mr. Darcy’s face, her mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. Darcy was no longer promised in any way to Anne de Bourgh. Could it be ... was it in any way possible ...?

Darcy took a deep breath as he screwed up his courage to speak again. “Miss Bennet?”

“Yes?”

“Would you and your family honor me with your presence at Darcy House for a dinner party this week? I have ... longed to spend time with you again.”

Elizabeth stared at him in astonishment and then her cheeks suffused pink. She smiled brilliantly. “I would be delighted, Mr. Darcy.”

/

“Thank you for giving me a ride to Army headquarters,” Wickham said genially as the carriage rolled through London’s streets.

“Of course,” Darcy replied rather stiffly. On the one hand, Wickham was the oldest of friends, and he wished to be of service. On the other hand, he feared that in a rivalry between himself and the courageous military agent, he would be the loser.

“And you need not worry, Darcy, I am not pursuing Miss Bennet.”

Darcy choked aloud in astonishment, provoking a gurgle of amusement from his sister.

“How did you know that ...?” Pemberley’s master began.

“That you are drawn to Miss Bennet? It was only with my considerable powers of observation, honed in the trials of clandestine labor,” Wickham responded seriously before letting out a hearty laugh.

With a grin, he continued, “My old friend, I knew it back in Hertfordshire. You conversed with Miss Bennet with great enthusiasm and sat around gazing at her with fascination. It was entirely obvious to anyone who knows you well.”

Darcy looked at his young sister, who smiled impishly. “I too observed your interest in Miss Bennet, but I feared that your feelings of consequence and responsibility toward Cousin Anne would keep you from pursuing her.”

Wickham suddenly looked concerned. “I confess I had forgotten about Miss de Bourgh and her mother’s belief that you are to marry her.”

Darcy felt his face split wide with a joyful smile. “My aunt no longer has any such expectation, because our cousin eloped recently with an impoverished clergyman.”

“Based on your expression, you are not concerned about Miss de Bourgh’s well-being?”

“I have not met Mr. Fitzroy,” Darcy admitted, “but based on Lady Catherine’s not-so-flattering description, I gather that he is intelligent, courageous, diligent, and has a great heart for the poor. As the fourth son of a local knight, he is also eligible.”

“I am happy for you, then, and Miss de Bourgh as well. In truth, I never believed you would suit well.”

“I quite agree. We are both of us quiet, taciturn individuals. I, at least, realize that I need a lively wife to offset my own somewhat grim demeanor. I must also confess to great relief, Wickham. Your work is quite demanding in terms of time and energy, and your presence at the Gardiner home had me thinking you were pursuing Miss Bennet.”

“I am not,” Wickham promised, “but I am, to some degree, pursuing Miss Lydia.”

The Darcys exchanged startled glances before chorusing together, “What?!”

“Is not Miss Lydia my own age?” Georgiana continued in astonishment.

“She is,” Wickham agreed, and added hastily.

“I would not offer for her now, of course. She is far too young. Indeed, given her beauty and dowry and position as a gentleman’s daughter, I am quite certain that I would be rejected out of hand.

I have no real hopes, I suppose, but I find her company exceptionally comforting. ”

In spite of himself, Darcy found himself blurting out in surprise, “You find Miss Lydia comforting?”

Fortunately, his old friend did not take offense, but then Wickham rarely did.

“I realize that does sound quite unlikely,” the former steward’s son said ruefully.

“All the Bennet ladies are charming in their own way, of course, but to me Mrs. Bingley is too serene, Miss Bennet too intelligent, Miss Mary too serious, and Miss Kitty too timid. My … position with the army involves focusing on the seedier and darker aspects of life. Miss Lydia is vibrant and joyful and yes, even boisterous at times, but it all soothes my soul. Again, I am merely speaking of feelings, not intended actions.”

“I am not certain it would be fair to any lady to ask her hand in marriage at the moment,” Darcy said delicately.

“You are entirely correct; my position is too uncertain. But I cannot do this kind of work forever, you know. Indeed, I have hopes that the Great War with the French will end in the next few years; you heard, no doubt, that Napoleon ordered the invasion of Swedish Pomerania, and the Swedes are infuriated. If the former Marshall Bernadotte, currently the Crown Prince of Sweden, takes up arms against Napoleon, we may win this war once and for all.”

“Is he so great a general?” Darcy asked in surprise.

“Bernadotte won many a battle in the past, and he knows Napoleon’s methods intimately.

I believe that with him on the side of the Allies, the Emperor will fall.

But regardless of what happens, I cannot do this work forever, nor do I wish to.

By the time Miss Lydia is nineteen years of age, if she is not already married or engaged, I may speak.

But that is three long years and the future is far from certain; for now, I will enjoy morning calls to the ladies on occasion. ”

/

“You did not tell me how very handsome Mr. Darcy is,” Mrs. Gardiner pointed out, her eyes focused on her second eldest niece.

Elizabeth found herself blushing furiously. “Yes, he is very handsome.”

“Mr. Wickham is far more handsome,” Lydia declared indignantly.

Mary, who had been at a lesson with her music master when the Darcys and Mr. Wickham had called, chuckled and said, “They are both handsome. It is hardly worth a duel at fifty paces to decide who is correct.”

“Both the Darcys seemed most pleased to see you,” Mrs. Gardiner suggested innocently.

Elizabeth could not repress a smile. “It was wonderful seeing them both. Georgiana is such a sweet girl and Mr. Darcy is ... is …”

“Is …?” her aunt prompted.

Elizabeth ducked her head in unaccustomed embarrassment and studied the floor. “He plans to invite us all to dinner at Darcy House.”

Mrs. Gardiner and Mary exchanged triumphant glances.

“It appears that our Lizzy has made a conquest!” Mary said happily.