Page 27

Georgiana was to go with him to Pemberley and then return to town when he was going to Hertfordshire.

She was still trying to persuade him that she should go with him into Hertfordshire, he was firm.

He would not place her within the same county as Wickham if he could help it, and there was his promise to the Earl.

Georgiana would come into Hertfordshire when matters were settled there.

Darcy’s valet had barely finished helping him dress when Colonel Fitzwilliam was announced.

His cousin’s early visit could only mean one thing - more discussions.

Colonel Fitzwilliam strode into the room with his usual military bearing, but there was a glint of mischief in his eyes that Darcy knew all too well.

“So Darcy, when are we going into Kent this year? Or has the brief visit our aunt made enough to satisfy our yearly obligation?”

Darcy laughed, with a wry smile, “I wish it were so, but sadly it will not satisfy Lady Catherine.”

“Ah, I feared as much. And how do you think she’ll react to your… plans regarding Miss Elizabeth?”

Darcy sighed, “That, cousin, is a bridge I’ve yet to figure out how to cross.”

He was in no hurry to go into Kent. If he went before the engagement was dissolved, he would have to stand Mr Collins’ speeches regarding Elizabeth and tolerate his aunt’s suspicions.

However, if he waited until after the engagement had been dissolved, he would have an equally difficult situation on his hands.

As Lady Catherine would not be at all happy.

And, if things worked out as he hoped, he would be himself engaged to her.

He could not see himself leaving her side if they were not yet engaged.

No, he would not fall into that trap again.

If he was lucky, the engagement would be dissolved, but he would make sure that no other man came anywhere near her until they were married.

But he could not tell his cousin this. Perhaps it would be best to wait to visit Kent until after they were married.

Yes, that would be the best way. Pushing these thoughts aside, Darcy turned his attention back to his cousin.

“If you are at a loose end you could always join me in Hertfordshire rather than in Kent. I am sure Bingley would be more than happy to extend the invitation to include you.” Darcy offered.

The Colonel laughed, “Lady Catherine will not be pleased, but yes, I think I will join you later on. I will be able to take a fair amount of leave over Easter.”

“Excellent.” Darcy smiled, “Your company would be most welcome, especially given the… delicate nature of the situation.”

“And how is our dear Georgiana? Will she be joining you in Hertfordshire?”

“No, not initially. I think it best that she remains at Pemberley for now. I don’t want to risk her crossing paths with Wickham.”

“A wise decision. Though I daresay she’ll be disappointed to miss the excitement.” The Colonel said, “I hear Bingley is quite taken with Miss Bennet. Any truth to the rumours?”

Darcy paused considering, “I believe there is, but I do not know why Bingley is taking so long to get to the point. His lady is not engaged to another.”

“Well, well. It seems the Bennet sisters have thoroughly enchanted you both.” The Colonel grinned. “Are there more of these Bennet sisters? Maybe I will fall head-over-heels for one!”

“I think you’ll find your hands full enough just observing, Richard,” Darcy said with a wry smile, while privately thinking how ill-equipped his cousin would be to handle the likes of Kitty or Lydia. “And perhaps you should meet them first before making such declarations,”

The journey to Pemberley from London was always a long one and this one was no different. Georgiana was silent for most of the way and Darcy was lost in his thoughts, which kept returning to one fine-eyed young lady whom he had no right to be thinking of.

As they approached the house, Darcy was reminded of his childhood.

He had not seen the house during winter for many years now.

There was not as much snow on the ground as there had been even three days ago, but a frost had settled over the house and the ground and everything seemed to gleam slightly in the pale winter sun.

Georgiana let out a slight gasp, she too had not seen the house like this since she was very young.

Since his mother’s death they had spent most of their time in London and even more so since his father’s death.

When he had been a child he had spent every winter in Derbyshire, they had skated on the lake and played in the snow.

His father had not been able to face a winter there without Lady Anne.

Georgiana had spent maybe two months a year here since she was born and only one winter when she was about five years old.

Darcy could see large patches of snow that had not yet been touched.

He could just imagine Elizabeth running through the field, leaving a path of footprints behind her, not caring how dirty her dress got.

He shook his head slightly - he needed to stop thinking about her like this.

At least until after the engagement with Mr Collins was broken off.

“I think we should try and spend some of the winter here,” he said to his sister .

She smiled at him, “I would like that very much.” She said quietly, and then more excitedly, “is the lake frozen?”

He looked over at it, “I believe it is.”

“Can you teach me to skate? You said once that you can skate.”

“An excellent idea.”

* * *

Thursday 23rd of January 1812

Longbourn - Elizabeth

The next few days passed quietly for Elizabeth, she did receive a letter from Miss Darcy one morning, which was thicker than she had been expecting.

She decided to wait to read it until she was alone in her room that evening.

The last thing she needed was her mother to know she was corresponding with Mr Darcy’s sister.

But she needn’t have worried, as Mr Bingley had arrived in the morning and came to call on them that afternoon and her mother was so distracted by him that she would not have noticed her second daughter’s letter.

“Ah, Mr Bingley, we are very pleased to see you. I hope you had a pleasant journey?” Mrs Bennet greeted him.

“Thank you Mrs Bennet, I did indeed. Town was not nearly as pleasant after you and your daughters had left,” he said, glancing at Jane, who coloured.

“Oh, Mr Bingley. You are too kind,” Mrs Bennet said with a smile.

“So, Mr Darcy is to join you in a week or two, does he bring Miss Darcy with him?” Mrs Bennet asked, with a sideways glance at her second daughter .

“Mr Darcy will be here soon, but Miss Darcy will only be joining us much later. My sisters and Mr Hurst are to be joining us in the spring.”

As Mr Bingley spoke of Mr Darcy’s plans, Elizabeth found herself both longing for and dreading his arrival.

The complexity of her emotions towards him seemed to grow with each passing day.

She chided herself for the reaction, unsure whether it stemmed from excitement or dread.

She focused instead on maintaining a neutral expression, lest her mother notice her discomfort.

Mrs Bennet and Mr Bingley continued on for a few minutes, until Mrs Bennet suddenly stood. “Come Kitty, Lydia, there is something I would speak to you two about.”

Kitty looked confused, Lydia giggled, but they both followed their mother from the room.

Elizabeth sighed at her mother’s antics.

Not long after, Mary and Elizabeth were called from the room by Hill.

They went to sit with their father, who was sitting by the fire in his book room.

A little while later, Elizabeth went back into the sitting room.

Mr Bingley and Jane were speaking quietly and both smiled at her as she entered.

Mr Bingley stood as she took her seat next to Jane.

“We were just speaking of the ball,” Jane told her, “and what a pity it is there is not going to be another one for a few months.”

“It is a great pity, but I am sure there will be dancing at some evening gathering or other.” Elizabeth said with a smile. “Lydia could not go a month without dancing.”

“Well in that case we will have to arrange something,” Mr Bingley declared. “When Darcy is back, not a large party, yourselves, your sisters of course and a few others. Yes it is the very thing for a winter evening in the country. Dinner and dancing afterwards.”

The excitement of Mr Bingley’s visit had pushed thoughts of Miss Darcy’s letter from Elizabeth’s mind for most of the day. As night fell and the house quieted, she finally found the privacy to open the unexpected missive.

When she opened the letter she saw that Miss Darcy had included several pages of sheet music as well.

Dear Miss Elizabeth Bennet

I hope my letter finds you well and that your journey home was pleasant?

We are to leave London tomorrow morning for Derbyshire, my brother has decided to let me go with him to Pemberley.

However, he still will not let me come into Hertfordshire with him until much later in the year.

I am glad to be leaving town, I believe I have spent too much of my time in town.

I enjoy the country, but am not often in it.

It is much pleasanter in the country than it is in town.

But I am sure I do not need to tell you that, my brother mentioned that you love walking and did not seem yourself in town.

Although I am sad to be leaving my dear cousins, I enjoy their society greatly.

I have spent most of day trying to gather up all of my music and get it into order, I do not want to lose any of it of the trip.

I did enjoying hearing you play and I hope that I will soon have the chance to hear you play again.

There is one piece in particular that I would like to hear you play, it is one of my brother’s favourites.

I have enclosed some sheet music that I think you will enjoy. The composer is Muzio Clementi…

Miss Darcy continued to write about music for quite some time. Elizabeth was rather surprised by the music, they had spoken of music more than any other subject but she had not been expecting this.

Elizabeth stared at the sheet music in surprise. Miss Darcy’s thoughtfulness touched her deeply, yet it also served as a bittersweet reminder of the connection she was forming with a family she could never truly be a part of .

Elizabeth’s fingers traced the notes on the page, her mind already trying to imagine the melody. Miss Darcy’s gift was unexpected but not unwelcome. It occurred to Elizabeth that this might be the young girl’s way of maintaining a connection, perhaps even seeking a friend.

The next morning she took the sheets downstairs with her and tried to play it. As Elizabeth struggled with the unfamiliar piece, Mary’s curiosity got the better of her. For once, her usual air of superiority was replaced by genuine interest.

“That’s not from our collection, is it?” she asked, peering over Elizabeth’s shoulder. Mary’s eyes widened as she recognised the composer’s name. “Muzio Clementi? How did you come by this?” she asked, her tone a mixture of awe and envy.

Elizabeth hesitated, then decided on honesty. “It was a gift from Miss Darcy.”

To her surprise, instead of a lecture on the impropriety of such a gift, Mary simply nodded and said, “May I?”, gesturing to the sheet music.

Elizabeth nodded, expecting criticism. Instead, Mary began to play, her fingers stumbling over the unfamiliar notes.

“It’s quite challenging,” she admitted.

Elizabeth smiled, “Shall we tackle it together?”

As they worked through the piece, Elizabeth realised this was the first time in years she and Mary had truly collaborated on anything.

For the next hour, the sisters found a rare moment of harmony, both in music and in spirit.

Elizabeth welcomed her sister’s unexpected engagement, and soon they were working through the challenging passages together, their shared love of music bridging their usual distance.

For once, Elizabeth found herself grateful for her sister’s musical knowledge and persistence.