Page 42 of The Fire at Longbourn (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

Gardiners’ Home

Cheapside

Georgiana Darcy stepped into the sitting room, staying close to her tall brother, while her companion Mrs. Annesley followed behind them.

There were three ladies sitting within, all of whom immediately rose to their feet.

The eldest one, a handsome matron of some five and thirty summers, stepped forward with a smile of welcome.

“Georgiana, Mrs. Annesley, may I introduce you to Mrs. Gardiner, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and Miss Lydia Bennet,” Darcy said, “Mrs. Gardiner, Elizabeth, Lydia, may I introduce you to my sister, Miss Georgiana Darcy, and her companion Mrs. Annesley”

The ladies curtsied to one another and Mrs. Gardiner said, “Miss Darcy, Mrs. Annesley, it is such a pleasure to meet you both. Please sit down, and I will call for tea.”

Georgiana followed Darcy to a couch next to the fire and took her seat next to him, while Elizabeth took a chair near them. Mrs. Gardiner, Lydia, and Mrs. Annesley arranged themselves in other seats, with the latter sitting as close as possible to her charge.

“Miss Darcy,” Elizabeth said, “it is a pleasure to meet you at last. Your brother has told me so many wonderful things about you.”

“Please, do call me Georgiana,” the girl replied softly, her gaze on the floor instead of on the woman who would soon be her sister.

Elizabeth, who had been warned by Darcy that Georgiana was shy, said, “Then you must call me Elizabeth, please. I understand that you enjoy playing music, Georgiana?”

Georgiana managed to peek briefly at her before lowering her eyes again. “Yes, very much.”

“Miss Darcy is a most accomplished player,” Mrs. Annesley said, “and I understand that you, too, play the pianoforte, Miss Bennet?”

“Aye, but not terribly well,” Elizabeth said with a chuckle. “As Fitzwilliam can tell you, I have been far too fond of wandering the woods and trails around my father’s estate to spend enough time practicing on the instrument.”

“You will enjoy Pemberley, then,” Mrs. Annesley said. “It is truly one of the loveliest estates I have ever had the privilege of seeing.”

“Indeed it is,” Mrs. Gardiner said, “Miss Darcy, Mrs. Annesley, I am not sure if you are aware that I grew up in Lambton, which is very near Pemberley. It is a beautiful county.”

“I had not heard that!” Mrs. Annesley said. “Lambton is such a lovely little village, is it not, Miss Darcy?”

Georgiana mumbled a few words in agreement, and Mrs. Gardiner and Mrs. Annesley continued their conversation, which allowed Elizabeth and Darcy to speak softly with one another.

Lydia, who was quietly working on a piece of needlework, observed Miss Darcy with interest. The girl was tall and pretty, though not as handsome as Elizabeth, but her clothes were the very best that money could buy, and her figure was elegant.

Nonetheless, Lydia could tell that Miss Darcy was indeed shy and uncertain.

It was strange, she mused. Miss Darcy, niece of an earl, only sister of Mr. Darcy, who was himself the very epitome of a leader, was diffident and bashful whereas she, nearly the same age, was bold to the point of idiocy.

And she had been an idiot, Lydia knew that now. She had been an utter fool to confront Wickham and Miss King on her own, and only Lizzy’s timely interference had saved her from being murdered at Wickham’s cruel hands.

Perhaps, Lydia Bennet thought, she should aim to be a little bit more like Georgiana Darcy, and Miss Darcy should aim to be a little more like her.

/

Darcy House

That Evening

Dust motes caught in sun beams danced to the sonata permeating the air.

Georgiana’s fingers traipsed lightly across the ivory keys of the pianoforte, the instrument’s polished mahogany wood gleaming in the light.

The room glowed in the sun, dark amber woods and gentle orange and yellow tones cheerfully absorbing and mimicking the rays.

Darcy sat and listened with pleasure to his sister’s expertise.

Her continued practice was patently paying off; she was even more skilled than the last time he had heard her play.

Yet for all his appreciation, he found he could not focus solely on the music.

His mind drifted continually to a pair of fine brown eyes, a vibrant wit and an arch cleverness.

He dragged his wandering attention back once more as Georgiana finished the last stanza, applauding with restrained enthusiasm. “Wonderful, my dear,” he began, but was cut off by the door opening.

“Colonel Fitzwilliam,” Darcy’s butler announced, stepping within with a red coated gentleman at his heels.

Georgiana squealed in excitement, lurched to her feet, and hurried forward to embrace her favorite cousin.

“Richard!” she exclaimed. “Oh, I had no idea you were in London!”

“I returned from Brighton this morning, my dear,” the colonel explained, releasing her in order to shake hands with her brother. “Darcy, how are you?”

“I am very well indeed,” Darcy said with a grin, and then turned to his sister. “Georgiana, my dear, I need to speak in private with Richard, but we will join you soon in the drawing room.”

Georgiana pouted adorably but obediently departed, and Darcy said, “Come to my office, Richard, where we can be assured of privacy.”

“That sounds rather serious,” the colonel commented, obediently falling in step with his taller cousin.

“It is,” Darcy replied, and lapsed into silence until the two gentlemen had entered the office and closed the door. Darcy strode over to a silver platter holding a decanter of brandy and poured a finger of spirits into each of two glasses.

“So, Darcy, I received your letter two days ago, and I immediately asked for leave,” the colonel said, accepting the glass from his cousin’s hand. “What is the big emergency?”

Darcy took a sip of brandy and said, “There is surprising news, and good news, Richard. First, Wickham is dead.”

Richard had lifted his glass to his lips, but at these words, his hand dropped and a little brandy sloshed over the side and onto his red coat.

“Dead?” he demanded incredulously, hastily wiping off his uniform with his handkerchief.

“Very dead, yes,” Darcy said grimly.

“Tell me about it,” Richard ordered.

Darcy did so, and at the end of his recitation, the militia officer was shaking his head in amazement.

“Wickham must have been desperate to attack a lady,” Richard said. “As far as I know, he has never been violent in the past.”

Darcy nodded and said, “I think he was entirely desperate. Thanks to the actions of some of the local landowners, he was cut off from his usual source of income, which is to say, running up debts with the merchants and tradesmen of Meryton. He needed Miss King’s inheritance to live in the style to which he had become accustomed.

I doubt that he had any initial intention of harming Miss Lydia, but when the girl shouted for help, and he was faced with losing another heiress, he reacted in rage and .

.. well, it could have gone very badly for the young lady if her elder sister had not followed her and appeared in the nick of time. ”

“I hope you were able to hush the matter up for the ... what are they called, the Bennets and Kings?” Richard mused, lifting his glass again.

Darcy, who had been holding himself back with difficulty, now produced the most enthusiastic smile Richard had ever seen on his cousin’s face.

“Yes, we were able to hush it all up very nicely by giving the people of Meryton something else to gossip about, namely my engagement to Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”

This time, Richard actually choked on his brandy and found himself coughing repeatedly as he cleared the liquid out of his lungs. When he recovered enough to stand straight, he wiped his streaming eyes and bent a look of disbelief on his cousin. “You are engaged to Miss Bennet?”

“To Elizabeth,” Darcy corrected. “My friend Bingley is engaged to Elizabeth’s older sister, Miss Jane Bennet.”

“Why on earth, man?” Richard demanded. “I understand your gratitude for removing that excrescence from the face of the earth, but marriage seems rather too great a sacrifice on your part.”

Darcy’s expression shifted from joy to glowering disapproval in a moment. “I assure you it is no sacrifice,” he said sternly, “and I beg you never to say such a thing again. I love Elizabeth like I never imagined I could love a woman.”

“Is she a beauty?” his cousin asked, eyeing the master of Pemberley in wonder. He had not seen Darcy so excited, so fervent, in more than a decade. Indeed, for many years, any cheer had been driven away by duty and yes, a certain degree of arrogance.

Darcy grinned and said, “She is very beautiful, yes, though from a conventional perspective, her elder sister is even more handsome. But I have not fallen in love with a pretty face, Richard; Elizabeth is brave, intelligent, vibrant, and witty. She is also hard working and a devoted daughter and sister. When I heard that she had been harmed by Wickham, I realized I could not live without her.”

Richard wandered over to a leather chair next to the fireplace and collapsed gracelessly, poured down the rest of his brandy, and finally said, “I confess to being entirely stupefied, Darcy, but please accept my congratulations. The lady must be remarkable indeed for you to break free from the expectations of society.”

“I can heartily confirm that she is exceptional,” Darcy said softly, his face reflecting the light of the flames gyrating in the fireplace, his mind visualizing his beloved’s bright face and tossing curls.

“How is Georgiana doing with the news?” Fitzwilliam inquired.

Darcy shook himself a little and asked, “About Wickham or about Elizabeth?”

“You told her of Wickham’s death?” his cousin demanded in surprise.

“I did, though not in any kind of detail. She knows that he is dead, and while she is far too tenderhearted a lady to rejoice in his demise, I am quite certain she is relieved that she will never need to worry again about what the man might do or say. As for Elizabeth, Georgiana met her only yesterday for the first time, and my sister found her most agreeable, though of course they do not yet know one another well. Elizabeth knows about Wickham’s attempt to run away with Georgiana – I told her several days ago in private – and I am certain that when Georgiana is ready to speak of the matter, Elizabeth will be a great comfort to her. ”

“You seem certain they will get on,” Richard mused.

“They will,” Darcy said with quiet confidence.

“Elizabeth is very lively, but she is also comfortable. She is not haughty or disagreeable. She is kind to those who are shy and uncertain, like Georgiana, but she is bold and charmingly impertinent when dealing with those who attempt to lord over her.”

Colonel Fitzwilliam lifted one dark eyebrow and said, “That latter attribute will undoubtedly be useful; you know neither my parents nor Lady Catherine will be pleased with your bride, and the latter will be enraged since she has always held that you will marry Cousin Anne.”

Darcy shrugged impatiently and began walking restlessly around the room, “I care not, and I promise you that while I respect our elders, I will not permit them to dictate my choice of a wife. As for Anne, there were no marriage papers signed, and truly, Richard, we are not well suited. Anne is quiet to the point of taciturnity, and so am I. I require a livelier lady, and Anne would benefit from a more outgoing husband.”

“If she even wishes to marry,” the colonel said. “She has always been sickly; I fear that she might well not be able to carry a child safely.”

“That is true enough,” Darcy agreed. “In any case, the marriage settlements will be completed within the week, and we are planning a double wedding with Bingley and Jane in Meryton a few days after Christmas. After we are married, our irritable relations can do nothing.”

“You are not even intending to tell them ahead of time?” Richard demanded in astonishment.

“I am not,” his cousin said coolly. “Lord and Lady Matlock are settled in Lincolnshire until spring, and Lady Catherine rarely leaves Kent. I am my own man, and I will inform them of our marriage after the new year.”

His cousin stared at him, then laughed aloud and rose to his feet. “Kindly pour me another brandy, Darcy, and then I wish to propose a toast.”

Darcy obediently refilled both glasses, whereupon Richard Fitzwilliam lifted his cup and proclaimed, “To Miss Elizabeth Bennet, who has succeeded in enchanting my dull and staid cousin, Fitzwilliam Darcy.”

“To Elizabeth!” Darcy said fervently, and both men laughed and drank.

“So when can I meet this paragon of virtue?” Richard said a moment later.

Darcy wrinkled his brow at these words and said, “A paragon sounds dull, and Elizabeth is not in the least dull. I would very much like you to meet her, however. Are you available to come here for dinner two nights hence?”

“I would not miss it for the world!”