Page 48 of Sketching Mr. Darcy
Darcy brushed his fingers over the spot where her lips rested.
Elizabeth’s smiles, her glances, her teasing, and her serious admission of his carefulness—and the small kiss of gratitude—were proofs that she had moved past the unpleasant incident in the park and that she took her duties seriously.
He felt proud of her involvement and her generous willingness to give up a significant amount of pin money to help a servant in need.
And he felt equally satisfied with her wisdom in coming to discuss it with him and in accepting his suggestions.
He knew her to have a sharp mind and to be as proud as she was smart, yet her fairness and good judgment exceeded other emotions.
He poured himself a glass of brandy and laughed to himself.
She was so serious when she declared that he seemed to always think before making a decision.
He recalled a time that he did not think of the consequences of his actions—not for an instant—and it had changed his life forever.
Yes, the effort in dealing with the outcome was greater than it would have been to prevent it—but what a worthy, rewarding effort it was!
***
Janey trembled, her eyes down and her hands clasped in front of her, listening to Elizabeth.
“Janey, I know you are worried, so I shall not prolong this conversation unnecessarily. Mrs Thomason and Molly told me of your problems. I have discussed with Mr Darcy what is best to be done under these circumstances, and—”
“Oh, I am so sorry.” Janey spoke in a barely audible tone, and completely white faced.
“What would you say to moving into the staff wing of the house with your children? There are two adjoining rooms with two beds each that I believe would suit you all. And you will spend less time walking to and from work. Your children will be safer here and…”
Janey blinked repeatedly as tears fell down her cheeks. She shook her head in disbelief. Mrs Thomason and Molly hurried to put her in a chair, but she only stayed a moment before quickly rising.
“Mrs Darcy…Move here? But I thought…Will you not fire me? Oh, and what the master said—is he angry with me? I will work hard to pay for the vase and… How can I possibly move here? Oh, I cannot occupy two rooms. One would be more than enough, and—”
“Janey, please calm down or else we will never be able to understand each other. If my proposal is acceptable, Mrs Thomason will send two men with you to pack your things and move here tonight—no need for further delay. Dr. Taylor will examine your daughter later. As for the vase—we will talk again in a few days about the best way to compensate for it.”
The maid’s emotion was so intense that Elizabeth felt overwhelmed herself.
She could not imagine what was in the young woman’s heart and found little strength to oppose her when Janey knelt before her and kissed her hand.
Shocked, fighting her own tears, Elizabeth leant down and forced Janey to rise while the maid continued to thank her.
“Janey—make haste. It will be dark soon. And wipe your tears. Your children will be frightened to see you so troubled. I shall come and visit you once you are settled.”
A few minutes later, Elizabeth was alone in her room, looking at her hands still wet with the woman’s tears. She lay on the bed and closed her eyes, defeated by emotion, slowly realising the power and the burden of their “ten thousand a year.”
She did not hear the door open or her husband enter the chamber.
She felt a gentle touch on her shoulder and turned to face him.
They looked at each other a long moment, then he carefully pulled her to his chest. His arms around her took her breath away, and his warm lips, tenderly kissing her temples, washed away the weight from her shoulders and from her heart.
“William, please forgive me for being so emotional. This situation has affected me greatly, and I somehow feel a little sad though I should be happy for Janey.”
“Please do not apologise for being kind and compassionate. I am glad that we could solve this matter and that we managed to work on it together.” He paused a moment then smiled, looking at her intently.
“You know, last night at the ball, my cousin was surprised that we looked like a ‘real, normal newlywed couple’ in his words.”
Her face and neck coloured slightly. “I believe we are…almost…” she attempted to joke.
“Robert does not know all the details of our marriage, so I told him that we are a real, normal, newlywed couple,” he replied, and she blushed even more but kept her smile.
“I feel that today I learnt a valuable lesson, and I have you to thank for that, William. In truth, every day since I came to London, I have learnt a valuable lesson.”
“We have each learnt something daily in this last week. We learn from each other to the benefit of both.”
“Very true… But William, we forgot to talk to Georgiana before deciding to allow Janey to move into the house with her children. After all, this is Georgiana’s home, too.”
“You are right, of course. I shall speak to her immediately although I am sure she will be very pleased. In fact, I am certain she would have made the same decision if she knew about the situation. It is just that, since she is so young, we have not directly involved her in household concerns yet, even more so as she had a quite difficult time this last year…”
Elizabeth did not miss the last part of his statement, but he changed the subject before she had time to inquire further.
They all reunited later for dinner and Georgiana, together with Mrs Annesley and Dr. Taylor, congratulated Elizabeth for what they called “an extraordinary proof of mastering the household.” Elizabeth received their words reluctantly and pointed out her husband’s merits, but he refused to accept any recognition of his involvement and stated that, if not for Elizabeth’s kindness, no one would have dared to bring the story to his knowledge.
Around eight in the evening, Janey and her children were settled in their rooms.
Dr. Taylor interrupted his meal to examine the little patient and returned rather soon with the report that the child suffered from a very bad cold and a dangerous weakness that could have put her life in danger.
He wrote a long note to one of his younger partners and sent a servant to deliver it at once and to return with the medicines he requested.
Elizabeth and Georgiana met the children and spent a few minutes with them.
The elder ones—Peter and Libby—thanked them for being allowed to move into the house.
They seemed quite intimidated, and the ladies’ kind smiles were not enough to put them at ease.
Cathy—the youngest—was already asleep, so she was not disturbed.
The ladies wished them all good night and returned to the dinner table where they were delighted to find Colonel Fitzwilliam, who had come to see Darcy.
The colonel’s curiosity in being told the latest news was scarcely satisfied, and he decided to join them for the evening, even more so as he had something to discuss with Darcy.
Half an hour later, one of Dr. Taylor’s partners, Dr. Philips, arrived with the required medicines and herbs.
The day’s disruption finally came to an end, and the family enjoyed their meal in harmony. The colonel was in his usual good spirits. He complimented the ladies and teased Darcy about the previous night’s party, where his dancing skills were much admired.
“Elizabeth, it is hardly necessary to say that every gentleman at the ball admired you.”
“Thank you for the praise, Colonel, but I doubt you have canvassed every gentleman at the party.” She laughed. “However exaggerated your compliment might be, I confess I enjoy it, and I am glad you did not mention the ladies’ opinion on the matter.”
“Well, it would be an extraordinary event for the ladies to approve of another woman’s beauty. I dare say ladies treat their own kind with much more severity than men do.”
Immediately, all three ladies at once contradicted the colonel’s harsh comment, but he refused to change his opinion and asked for the other gentlemen’s support.
“I second my cousin’s statement that everybody admired Elizabeth last night. As for the second one, I cannot pretend to be as knowledgeable as he is in such matters.”
Elizabeth blushed at her husband’s compliment, wondering why she was more sensitive to what he said than to the colonel’s words. She then spoke in jest:
“Well, we have few chances to contradict a gentleman who seems to be a true connoisseur of ladies’ characters. But I insist that I always recognise and admire a beautiful lady—even if I happen not to like her or I consider her a rival.”
“Yes, so do I,” replied Georgiana, supporting Elizabeth, and the colonel laughed again.
“Dearest, this is certainly true in your case because you never see a woman as your rival, nor do you ever dislike anyone, but you are an exception. I am willing to believe Elizabeth, too, since I have no proof with which to contradict her—yet. But I shall remind you of this conversation when you face another lady who competes with you in something.”
“Well, enough of this. I believe we should find another topic, less heated,” Darcy said, glancing at Elizabeth. He recollected the meeting with Annabelle and James earlier that day in the park and Elizabeth’s sudden change of spirit and sharp conversation with them.
Dinner continued with dessert, a discussion of future events in town, and the arrival of Elizabeth’s relatives. Later, Elizabeth and Georgiana played for the gentlemen for more than half an hour before the ladies retired, while the gentlemen remained in the library to continue their conversation.