Page 14 of Superior Connections

D arcy finished his drink, listening to his cousins Colonel Fitzwilliam and the viscount. They were at their club while Georgiana was taking tea with Mrs Annesley and Lady Matlock. He had been in town for more than a month, and the distress he had experienced during his stay at Netherfield had only heightened since. He tried to conceal his anxiety, to avoid worrying Georgiana, but he did not always succeed. He had dined with Bingley several times, and his friend had spoken mostly of Hertfordshire and the Bennets — which was not helpful for his peace of mind at all.

Surprisingly, even Lord and Lady Matlock had mentioned that a certain Lady Rosseford — whom nobody had heard from in twenty years — had returned to London and purchased the house of the late Lord Lincroft. When Darcy confessed that he had met Lady Rosseford, he was asked countless questions by his relatives, once again bringing up the subject he wished to avoid.

At Netherfield, he had slept badly, tormented by Elizabeth’s presence and his attraction to her. In London, the attraction remained — it had even grown stronger — and her absence continued to disturb his rest.

He was uncertain of all his actions regarding her, including his confession of the story about her fine eyes. At that moment, he had wished for her to know about his admiration but had not considered carefully enough how it might affect her. She had been kind enough to take his side and agree with him during his confrontation with Lady Rosseford; her friendship and gratitude to him were obvious, but as to whether there was more than that or might be one day, he had not the smallest hint to feed his lost confidence.

He planned to call on Lady Rosseford when she arrived in town and to introduce Georgiana to her and her nieces. The lady’s connection with their family was as enchanting to Georgiana as it had been to him, but he needed to compose himself and regain control over his mind and his body and to avoid suffocating Elizabeth with his presence. She had already declared she was eager to meet new people — new gentlemen — and he would not impose himself on her. After the first visit, he would return only when and if he was invited.

“I saw Bingley last night — did I mention it?” the colonel said. “He was at Lord Ashford’s party. I dare say Hertfordshire did not suit him — he looked quite ill.”

“More likely he looked ill because he is not in Hertfordshire any longer,” Darcy said. And so do I , he added to himself.

“You do not look particularly well either,” the colonel replied as if guessing his thoughts. “Bingley has at least been seen in society, but you have been more reclusive than ever. It is rude to refuse every invitation you receive and stay at home every day and every evening.”

“I have some business to finish. I do not intend to stay in the house all the time.”

“I hope not. Mother believes you have lost weight and look pale, so she assumes you are sleeping poorly or have some illness that requires treatment.”

“I am sorry my aunt worries for me — it is certainly not necessary. I am perfectly well.”

“You may say that, but she will not believe it. And I must agree with her,” the colonel said.

“Then I shall repeat it until you both believe me, Cousin.”

“Prove it by attending the Twelfth Night party at Lady Jersey’s next week. You cannot refuse. Georgiana might wish to go to Almack’s one day, and Lady Jersey has a good memory.”

“Very well — I shall.” Darcy decided to indulge his cousin and end the annoying speculations.

∞∞∞

After a long day on the road with four impatient children and frequent stops on the way, it was nearly dark when the Gardiner and Rosseford carriages finally arrived in London. As they drove along Park Lane, Elizabeth and Jane looked through the window of their great-aunt’s coach, in which they were travelling with Lady Rosseford and Mr and Mrs Gardiner, the children and their governess following in the equipage behind. Neither of them admitted it, but both hoped to catch a glimpse of something or someone of interest.

“Is Grosvenor Street far away?” Jane eventually enquired timidly.

“Not far — just a few minutes away by carriage. This is Mayfair — the most fashionable area of London. And there is Hyde Park, Elizabeth’s favourite place for walking,” Mr Gardiner explained as Elizabeth and Jane gazed about in awe. It was dusk, and all along the road and in front of each house were torches, creating a beautiful display of light.

“And there, across from one of the park’s entrances, is Lady Rosseford’s house.”

Elizabeth and Jane gasped in surprise and admiration. Mrs Gardiner smiled. “I understand you, girls. I had precisely the same response when I saw it for the first time. And the second time, and the third.”

“Edward did a wonderful job of finding this jewel,” Lady Rosseford said. “Now let us enter. I look forward to seeing it cleaned and properly arranged. And to taste the food — it is the first formal dinner cooked by Benson.”

“I hope you will approve of her, your ladyship,” Mrs Gardiner said. “I sampled a few of her dishes before I recommended her.”

Before they had left Longbourn, Lady Rosseford had insisted that, upon their arrival, they would all stay at her house, have dinner together, and the Gardiners would go home the next day.

The carriages pulled up in front of the house, and the children spilled out of their equipage, their governess following them. The youngest two ran to their mother, complaining of tiredness and hunger. Then the door opened, and footmen hurried out to help them. The housekeeper, a lady of around fifty years, welcomed them formally. Behind her, perfectly lined up, stood the rest of the servants.

“How lovely to see you all, Mrs Birks,” Lady Rosseford addressed the housekeeper with a friendly smile. “These are my nieces, Miss Jane Bennet and Miss Elizabeth Bennet. You certainly know Mr and Mrs Gardiner, and these are their children. We are all very tired and hungry now, but tomorrow I shall be happy to talk to each of you. Please know that I expect honesty, loyalty, and hard work. Other than that, any problem any of you have, we shall find a solution to it.”

Deep bows and whispers of thanks were given in response, then Mrs Birks called several maids, assigning one to each of them, and the rest returned to their work.

“Miss Bennet, this is Janey, your maid, and this is Sarah, Miss Elizabeth’s. I assigned them to you and trained them in their main tasks, but if you are displeased with their service, we can replace them.”

“I am sure we shall be exceedingly pleased,” Elizabeth said, and Jane nodded. Both girls were young, probably not even twenty, and they looked very nervous.

“Take my nieces to their chambers and the Gardiners to the guest rooms assigned to them,” Lady Rosseford ordered.

“Your chambers are all prepared, your ladyship.”

“Excellent. Now let us all refresh ourselves, rest a little, and meet again for dinner in an hour.”

Two maids and Mrs Birks accompanied Lady Rosseford, while Elizabeth and Jane followed their maids, still in awe of the magnificent house.

Entering ‘her room’, Elizabeth gasped in admiration again. It was very spacious — at least twice as big as her chamber at Longbourn — with elegant furniture and carpets and an adjoining room where she spotted a large bathtub. But none of those things impressed her nearly as much as the large windows that provided a magnificent view of Hyde Park — a flawless picture that took her breath away.

Sarah was unpacking her gowns, and she offered her some information that Elizabeth did not hear, standing as she was in front of the window with the curtains wide open, watching the people, riders, and carriages below, all mingling under the light of the torches.

“This is so beautiful!” she whispered. “Sarah, is my sister’s room close to this one?”

“Yes, miss. It is next door. May I fetch you anything?”

“No, no, all is well. I shall just admire the town a little more, then I shall need a little help to prepare for dinner.”

“Yes, miss. We should pull some of the curtains closed when you wish to change,” the maid said shyly, and Elizabeth laughed.

“You are right. Thank you for reminding me.”

She gazed out for a moment longer, and her heart skipped a beat, then began to race wildly. In front of the house, among other passersby, was a man standing, looking at the house. She thought she recognised Mr Darcy; moreover, she felt it was him, even though such an assumption was ridiculous. The man lifted his head and looked up for only a moment, but the street was darker than her room, and she could not distinguish his face. And then he walked away, and Elizabeth followed him with her eyes until she lost sight of him.

It took a while for Elizabeth to wash, change, and for the maid to arrange her hair, but her heart still had not settled by the time she was ready. The mere thought that the man she had seen could have been Mr Darcy — as improbable and silly as the idea was — and he could have been waiting for her arrival was thrilling and distressing. His neckcloth was still in her reticule, and she blushed only thinking of it.

“Should I put a few more pins in your hair, miss?” Sarah asked, and only then did Elizabeth glance in the mirror.

“No, Sarah. It looks perfect, thank you.”

“You are most welcome, miss.”

Elizabeth hurried to knock on Jane’s door, and together they went downstairs.

“I did not imagine such a house, Lizzy!”

“Neither did I. But the view! Did you see the view? I look forward to seeing it tomorrow in the daylight. I think I might walk in Hyde Park before breakfast.”

“Lizzy, you would not dare,” Jane said reproachfully. “This is not Longbourn. You cannot go by yourself, in a strange place, where there might be danger around every corner! London parks are not safe for young women alone. Aunt Gardiner has told us so many times!”

“Do not worry, Jane, I was joking. I shall certainly not go alone, but I will have my stroll tomorrow, as long as my ankle allows me to.”

The dining room, formally and elegantly decorated, was larger than that at Netherfield. The children were allowed to join them, and even with nine people, not even half the table was occupied.

“Aunt, my room is beautiful,” Elizabeth said. “The view is magnificent. I cannot thank you enough for it.”

“I am glad you like it, my dear,” Lady Rosseford replied, and everyone — including the children — praised something about the house.

As soon as the meal was served, Lady Rosseford, and everyone else, approved of the cook.

Immediately after dinner, the children were taken to their room for the night.

Afterwards, the lady turned the conversation towards serious issues.

“Tomorrow we shall take a tour of the house and see what the improvements look like. Then we must begin sending out cards. After an absence of twenty years, I do not have many acquaintances left in London. We shall attend a few charity events — Edward made several donations in my name prior to Christmas. Charity is the first step into society. Then we must procure seats in a box at the theatre and opera. Edward, please be so kind as to find someone who can arrange that with as little trouble as possible. We need seats for all of us — including you.”

“We go to the theatre or the opera every time we are in town,” Elizabeth said. “Uncle always manages to purchase tickets.”

“Yes, Lizzy, but Lady Rosseford expects better seats, not the ones we are used to,” Mr Gardiner replied. “Most of the boxes are already taken for the Season, your ladyship, but I am sure we shall find something to please you.”

“I depend on you, as always,” the lady said. “The next step for you girls is parties — both to host them and attend them — and then entertaining the connections resulting from them. And we must go shopping. Madeleine, would you be so kind as to join us? We all need new gowns. We must find a good dressmaker. Everything must be carefully planned. In February, hopefully, we shall have a party here.”

“It all sounds so complicated,” Jane whispered.

“Actually, it is,” Mrs Gardiner agreed. “As strange as it may sound, it is more difficult to enjoy London from Mayfair than from Gracechurch Street. Expectations are higher, as well as criticism. Nobody cares about me and your uncle, but all eyes will be on you as Lady Rosseford’s nieces.”

“But is this necessary?” Jane continued. “Dear aunt, I am deeply grateful for everything you wish to do and have already done for us, but can we not just stay with you, help you with what you need, and enjoy our time together? All these plans, all these purchases…”

“My dear, I know it might be a little overwhelming, but you will get used to it,” Lady Rosseford said.