Mr. Darcy's Little Sister (10 page)

***

The next morning Elizabeth was alone at the breakfast table when Georgiana came down. After greeting her, Elizabeth delicately cleared her throat and said, “Georgiana, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Yes?” she said absently as she sat down with her plate.

“I have noticed you looking rather shocked when I tease your brother.”

“Yes, I was rather surprised, at first,” she said indistinctly, looking down at her hands.

Elizabeth gently continued, “I do not want you to be uncomfortable, but I want you to realise that it is much different being married to a man than it is being his much younger sister. A wife may tease her husband though he might not tolerate such freedom from someone to whom he stands as a father.”

Georgiana looked up briefly and said slowly, “Yes, I did realise that after I thought about it for a while. I suppose that it had never occurred to me before. My mother died when I was so young that I have no recollection of my parents together, and I have no young relatives who are married. My brother, for all his affection for me, has always been rather serious and dignified. I believe it is because our father’s untimely death put him in a position where he was required to take up all of the family responsibilities at an early age, including the responsibility for an eleven-year-old sister.” She glanced at Elizabeth with a shy smile. “I am happy that he has married someone who is able to help him take off the yoke of duty for a while. He has changed a great deal since he met you, Elizabeth; his heart seems much lighter.” She took Elizabeth’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze. “So, do not worry about me, my dear sister. I am pleased and delighted to see the two of you together.”

Elizabeth grinned and said, “You are a very wise young woman, Miss Georgiana,” just as the footman came in to check the serving dishes, and they continued their breakfast.

***

That afternoon, they called on the squire of Lambton, who was an elderly gentleman named William Walker. He was rather portly in appearance but had an open countenance and blunt, friendly, but unrefined manners. His manor, The Yews, was located at the edge of the village and was of a moderate size: a brick, half-timbered manor house of Tudor ancestry which almost disappeared behind mounds of musty, ancient yews. Squire Walker welcomed them heartily to his parlour and introduced Elizabeth to his wife Beatrice, a little, cheerful woman some years younger than her husband who reminded Georgiana of a wren as she tilted her head alertly while she followed the conversation.

While they drank tea, Mrs. Walker told Elizabeth about their two daughters and their families, who lived near Derby, and about their son, who ran the estate while his father devoted himself to his duties as justice of the peace.

The son, Jonathan Walker, entered the parlour while they were visiting and he greeted them courteously, seating himself between Georgiana and Elizabeth and making himself agreeable during the proffered tea. Georgiana glanced at him surreptitiously as he talked, viewing him with new eyes since her argument with the colonel. He was slightly built and dark complexioned, almost swarthy, with dark hair and hazel eyes and attractive features, although with a mouth and chin somewhat softer than could be considered the ideal of masculine beauty.

During the visit he asked Georgiana questions about her recent activities and she willingly told him about her stay in London, although she felt very conspicuous with her brother watching them and, for the most part, kept her eyes on her hands folded in her lap as she spoke.

When she glanced up, he gave her an intimate smile and she reddened and immediately turned her gaze back down at her hands. It was mortifying to have their conversation overheard; she could not be herself with an audience.

Elizabeth diverted Jonathan with a few comments about the opera night they had attended, and Georgiana was relieved. They did not stay long and left with protestations of friendship and invitations to return from Squire Walker. As they drove home, Darcy said to his sister, “Mr. Walker seems to like you very much, Georgiana.”

Her face flamed and she compressed her lips and silently glared at him, half afraid that he would be angry at what she knew was gross insolence.

He raised his brows at her response and then held up his hands and said, “All right. If you do not wish to talk about him we will not.”

Biting off her words, she answered, “I am tired of everyone analysing every word that I say to any single young man I meet! I just wish the entire next year was over.”

They lapsed into a silence, and Georgiana slumped miserably into the corner of the carriage. What possessed her to behave so churlishly towards both of her guardians when they were only concerned for her future welfare? She just could not seem to help herself.

When they pulled up in front of Pemberley, she went directly upstairs to her room and threw herself on her bed.

***

Downstairs, Darcy stared up at Georgiana’s fleeing back. Elizabeth slipped her arm through his and led him to the drawing-room, where they could shut the door on the servants.

After a long silence, Darcy finally spoke, his voice harsh with concern, “What is wrong with Georgiana? I have never seen her like this. Fitzwilliam told me that Walker was showing an interest in her, and when he tried to talk to her to find out her feelings towards him she snapped at him, too.”

Elizabeth gave him a crooked smile. “This is not at all surprising, my dear. Georgiana is under a great deal of strain and will be dealing with many changes in her life over the next year. Sometimes young women do not want to talk about their feelings, particularly when they do not yet know what those feelings are. Also, it is my experience that it is often the girls who have been the most proper and restrained who have the most difficulties expressing their innermost feelings about the young men they meet. I will try to give her an opportunity to speak tomorrow, when she has calmed down, but we cannot force her to speak if she does not wish to. If we push her too hard she may not tell us anything, even if there is something worrisome which we should know. We must wait until she is ready.”

Darcy covered her hands with his. “God help us.”

“Amen.”

***

In the middle of the night, after lying awake for several hours, Georgiana got up and lit a candle. Elizabeth had come to her door when they were ready to sit down to dinner and Georgiana had managed to tell her she was not hungry without biting her head off. She could not face the looks from her family and did not want the servants discussing her below stairs. She pulled her diary from her bedside table and took it to her desk. She calmly took out a pen and dipped it in the inkwell.

21 November: What is it about Mr. Walker that makes me turn into a raving lunatic whenever any of my family mentions his name? Sometimes I think I am going mad with frustration. I constantly feel the weight of their expectations on my shoulders, crushing me. I like Mr. Walker well enough, but I hardly know him and my overreaction to their every question or comment is going to make them think I care more for him than I do. I must try to behave properly and answer their questions calmly if I am to deflect their interest. After my behaviour with Wickham I cannot blame my brother and the colonel for being suspicious of any interest shown me by any young man. Tomorrow I resolve to begin again and try to behave like the lady my mother would have wanted me to be. Pax.

***

The next morning, Georgiana forced herself to glide smoothly down the stairs and into the breakfast-parlour. She filled her plate from the sideboard and accepted a cup of coffee from one of the footmen. When the servants left, she lifted her eyes to her brother and sister and said calmly, “I apologise for my behaviour yesterday. It was uncalled for and I am sorry. It will not happen again.”

In the thundering silence which greeted this proclamation she began eating her breakfast. Darcy cleared his throat and looked at Elizabeth beseechingly. She spoke up and said, “Thank you, my dear. We are happy that you are feeling better today.”

“I thank you, I am. Do you think the weather will be mild enough for a walk today?”

“I do not know.”

Darcy ventured tentatively, “Lester came in earlier with a question about the dogs, and he said it was not too bad.”

“Perhaps we could walk in the afternoon, then, if the weather is suitable.”

“An excellent idea.”

They all went back to their breakfast with relief.

***

After Georgiana had retired to the music-room and they could hear a molto vivace rendition of “Le Coucou” pouring from the pianoforte, Darcy spoke softly to Elizabeth:

“I know that we must tread carefully with Georgiana’s feelings, but I felt that I must make some effort to know Mr. Walker’s character, since he is so clearly interested in her. So, after we came home yesterday I had a confidential talk with Johnston, my steward. He says that the local gossip is that Mr. Walker is a gambler and is rapidly going through the assets of his father’s estate.”

Elizabeth was shocked. “His father and mother are so pleasant. Do you think that they know what he is doing?”

“It would seem not. The squire seems to be interested only in his public duties and trusts his son completely.”

Elizabeth thought about his words. “I do not think we should tell Georgiana about this when she is already so annoyed with any questioning or interference.”

“I agree, but I wanted you to know my suspicions so that you may discourage the connection if the opportunity comes up. I think we must handle this very delicately, especially since they are old family connections and we can only exclude young Walker from Pemberley by breaking with his parents, and I do not have anything but rumour upon which to base my reservations about him.”

“It is worrisome that he seems so interested in Georgiana, however, when he is known to be in need of money.”

“Indeed. Her fortune enables her to marry without regard to the fortunes of her husband, but it does make me turn a jaundiced eye upon any man who begins courting my sister while in acute financial distress.”

She nodded grimly and they went upstairs to dress.

Heap on more wood!—the wind is chill;

But let it whistle as it will,

We’ll keep our Christmas merry still.

—Sir Walter Scott,
Marmion

Within a fortnight, the Gardiners arrived for the Christmas holiday. They came on a cloudy, gusty day just before the Darcys were to sit down for a cup of tea, and Elizabeth greeted them with embraces and kisses, Darcy with smiles and handshakes. Georgiana curtseyed and smiled silently during the confusion of the unloading of the children and luggage. Since her emotional outburst a fortnight before, she had been uniformly thoughtful and demure, but Elizabeth, in her heart, felt that her sister was fighting to keep her spirits up for their sakes. She did not tell Darcy of her concern over Georgiana’s forced placidity because she was not sure if she understood her sister’s feelings and did not want to worry him when he was so relieved about her improved spirits. Now, Georgiana turned to the little ones with a kind smile and spoke to them for several minutes, learning their names and ages again and laughing when one of the younger boys did a little caper of excitement. While Georgiana was thus occupied, Mrs. Gardiner, her eyes twinkling, whispered to Elizabeth and Darcy that she had brought the package that they had requested.

“Where is he?” Elizabeth asked quietly.

“In a basket on the floor of the carriage,” she replied. “The children will be wild to see him. We thought it best that they not play with him during the journey, as I feared the enthusiastic attentions of four children would be overwhelming for the poor little creature.”

“You are probably right about that,” Elizabeth returned with a conspiratorial smile.

Mrs. Reynolds arrived at that moment to take the Gardiners upstairs to change out of their travel clothes and to refresh themselves before rejoining the Darcys in the drawing-room for tea. Georgiana went upstairs with them, holding the hands of the two youngest children, who were boys aged four and five years, respectively. When they were gone, Elizabeth and Darcy went to the footmen who were unloading the carriage and had them bring in the basket. They opened the lid and peeked in. Curled up on a scrap of blanket was a tiny white puppy, small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. He opened his eyes sleepily and wagged his whiplike little tail, which curled in a near circle over his back.

“He is adorable—Georgiana will love him!” Elizabeth said excitedly. “When shall we give him to her?

“We won’t be able to hide him, so I would suggest that we do it immediately when she comes downstairs,” Darcy said.

At that moment Georgiana came down the sweeping staircase, pausing in the middle of the flight and looking perplexed when she saw them bending over the basket.

“Come down, Georgiana, dear, we need to give you your Christmas present a little early!” Elizabeth exclaimed.

Georgiana tripped lightly down the remaining stairs and hurried over. When she saw the puppy, she exclaimed, “A puppy! He is just adorable! Is he really for me?”

“Of course he is, my dear,” Darcy said fondly.

She reached gently into the basket and picked him up, cradled him against her and stroked him, and then burst into tears.

“I am sorry,” she said thickly, wiping her eyes. “I have wanted a puppy since I was a little girl. You are so good to me.” Her eyes welled up again.

The puppy wagged his tail and licked the tears from her face then started whimpering. Darcy gently took him from her with a smile and gave him to one of the footmen, saying, “He probably needs to go outside for a moment; he has had rather a long ride today.”

While this was taking place Georgiana embraced her brother tightly and laid her head on his shoulder, the tears still sparkling in her lashes.

“Thank you, my dear brother. You are too, too good to me.”

“You should thank Elizabeth,” Darcy said, kissing her affectionately on the forehead. “It was her idea and she arranged it with the Gardiners.”

She embraced Elizabeth and whispered, “Thank you, my dear, dear sister. I do not deserve either of you.”

She released them and took out her handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes.

“What kind of dog is he?” she asked, trying to make her voice sound matter-of-fact.

Elizabeth answered, “He is a Maltese. I knew someone once who had one and he was very sweet—the dog, I mean.” They all laughed and then she added, “Do you know what you want to name him?”

“I must think about it—this is such a surprise that I am quite overwhelmed.”

The Gardiners came down the stairs and Georgiana ran to them, embracing them and sweetly thanking them for their part in bringing her gift. The children, meanwhile, were crowding around the footman who had returned with the puppy. Georgiana took the little dog and held out her hand to the smallest of the children, saying,

“Let us take him into the drawing-room, shall we?”

They trailed after her happily, and they all sat on the floor in a circle while the now wide-awake puppy gambolled around them. The older adults sat outside the circle and had their tea, amused by the antics of the puppy and the children. The elder of the two boys said suddenly, “You are so lucky to have a puppy!”

Georgiana’s eyes widened, and she said, “That is a perfect name for him! I shall call him Lucky!”

That night she recorded in her diary,

15 December: My wonderful brother and sister gave me a puppy for Christmas! I am going to call him Lucky, and he is an adorable little ball of white fluff. Elizabeth says that he will only weigh about seven pounds when he is full grown, and he will have long, silky hair. I insisted that he stay in my room tonight, and he has a neat little basket made up for his bed. I have wanted a puppy for years, but their kindness makes me feel even worse about my disgusting behaviour of the past months. I am even more determined to keep my spirits calm and cheerful to repay their patience.

***

The next day, Georgiana appeared a little wan in her glass as her maid, Durand, dressed her hair; she had been kept awake much of the night by Lucky’s whimpering, but she tenderly held him and petted him in spite of her fatigue.

“I’m sure he will be better soon,” Elizabeth reassured her when they met in the parlour after breakfast. “After all, this is the first time he has been away from his mamma.”

The children all looked very sad at that idea but started laughing when Lucky stuck his head over Georgiana’s arm, where he was nestled comfortably, and looked at them with his black button eyes. The tiny tip of his tail was visible, curled over his back and vibrating furiously in excitement.

That afternoon Georgiana introduced Lucky to Pilot, who generally spent his day sleeping in the library near his master’s desk. They all watched Pilot warily as Lucky waddled up to him, alert for any signs of aggression towards the tiny dog who was invading his territory. Pilot, however, waved his tail majestically while he sniffed the newcomer thoroughly, his muzzle as large as the entire puppy. When he was done with his examination he licked him with his huge tongue, knocking him off his unsteady little paws. Lucky returned the compliment, giving the great nose in front of him two quick licks and then rolling over on his back with his tail wagging.

“It seems that Pilot is going to accept him,” Darcy said with relief, and Georgiana picked up Lucky and went back into the parlour, patting Pilot affectionately as she went by.

The day passed quickly, but by dinnertime Georgiana was exhausted, tired out by the incessant motion of a house full of children and by her lack of sleep the night before. Bessie, one of the younger housemaids, had been given the task of entertaining the children while they had their dinners upstairs in the nursery and the adults ate theirs in the quiet of the dining-room. Georgiana was too tired to be self-conscious and she was able to converse with Mrs. Gardiner without hesitation during dinner and afterwards in the drawing-room while they had tea and coffee, but it was a struggle to stay awake and she went upstairs early.

***

The next morning, Elizabeth received a letter from Jane, which she read upstairs before she and Darcy went down for breakfast.

“Oh, dear. Jane wishes us a Happy Christmas and then she continues,

…I must tell you, dearest Lizzy, that Caroline has joined us unexpectedly for Christmas. She was to spend it with the Hursts, but she and Louisa had a disagreement (which Bingley attributes to bad temper resulting from Darcy’s marrying you, but which I would not like to think of my sister-in-law) and she left town and came to Netherfield. If it is not convenient for you to have an additional and unexpected guest, I fear that we must stay here, for I do not feel that it would be correct to leave her. I will say that she has been very courteous to me since our marriage and has been a charming guest since her arrival. Please write to me as soon as possible and let me know what you wish me to do.—With our dearest love, etc…”

Darcy agreed with Elizabeth that they were obligated to invite Miss Bingley, and she wrote back immediately to invite her cordially to come with Charles and Jane to Pemberley, but she commented as she finished the letter, “I can think of few people whom I would not prefer to Miss Bingley as a guest, knowing that she tried so hard to capture your heart, and her jealousy added to our mutual dislike to make her insufferable to be around in all of our previous encounters. She is the epitome, in my view, of the worst of society—snobbish, disdainful, and deeply engrossed in her own importance.” She sighed and, with a chagrined smile, added, “I suppose that I should try to repress my feelings about her. I have erred in the past in my evaluation of character. Perhaps I will be proven wrong in her case as well.”

Darcy gave her a sly smile and returned, “You must take consolation, at least, in the fact that you were the victor in the contest for my heart—even though you did not know at the time that you were competing for it—and realise that it must be even more trying for her to be your guest than for you to be her hostess.”

Elizabeth agreed but warned Georgiana that Miss Bingley was coming, much to Georgiana’s dismay.

“Oh dear,” she exclaimed, “I hope her manners have improved since the last time I saw her! I was quite disgusted with her nasty comments about you after your visit here last summer, and it gave me great pleasure when my brother was finally driven to set her down about it.”

“Was he now?” Elizabeth commented, surprised by Georgiana’s vehemence after her fortnight of almost unnatural calm. “Well, we must try to forgive her for her past jealousy. She will probably be more amiable now, since she will want to continue to visit Pemberley.”

“No doubt,” she replied tartly.

***

The rest of the week before Christmas passed quickly away, and Christmas Day arrived with just a dusting of snow to make everything sparkle in the pale sunlight. When Georgiana entered the breakfast-parlour, she found her sister-in-law sitting flushed-faced at her usual place. When Elizabeth saw her she jumped up and ran to her and kissed her on the cheek.

“I understand that you are partially to thank for my lovely gift, my dear girl!”

“Only partially,” said Georgiana with a grin. “So… I am guessing that you liked it.”

“It it lovely! I never thought to own a Shakespeare first edition, and I adore his sonnets! I will treasure it. However did the two of you manage in the short time we were in London?”

“Perseverance and an exceptional bookseller,” Georgiana said laughingly. “And, you forget that I was in London without you for two short periods of time!”

Elizabeth gave her a final squeeze, and they turned to smile at the Gardiners as they arrived en masse to breakfast. The children could hardly eat between their excitement over the presents and the unusual treat of joining the adults at the table. When they had finally finished their breakfasts, they were allowed to open their packages and then Bessie took them off to the schoolroom to play with their toys and the adults finished eating in peace. Afterwards, they opened their presents and Georgiana’s eyes widened when she opened her pearl necklace.

“This must surely be the most beautiful present I have ever received,” she said then looked down at her lap where Lucky was sitting. “Other than you, Lucky!”

She once again hugged and kissed her brother and sister for their kindness, as well as the Gardiners for the beautiful embroidered Indian shawl they had given her.

***

The cook outdid herself and Christmas dinner was a sumptuous feast of roast goose and venison, Yorkshire pudding and buttery roast potatoes, with plum pudding at the end. The children were again allowed to join the adults in the dining-parlour for this special occasion, seated at a small table just for them with Bessie supervising and helping the littlest ones cut their food. They were overawed by the sparkling chandeliers and the footmen silently attending the table but managed to eat some of their meal. Georgiana sat at the main table with the adults, and her eyes sparkled in the candlelight as she ate and talked and watched the children solemnly doing their best to behave correctly. By the time dinner was over, the littlest ones were drooping from exhaustion and Bessie took them up to bed, their feet dragging even as they protested that they were not at all tired.

The rest of the family retired early, worn out from the excitement of Christmas Day. Georgiana dragged herself upstairs and took out her diary before she flopped on the bed, unheeding of her silk gown. She opened to where the ribbon marked her place and read through the previous fortnight’s entries. Those bitter thoughts seemed so long ago that they hardly seemed written by the same person. She had kept her word to herself and kept her temper under control; it had been easier with the children and the puppy to entertain and keep her occupied. There had not been time for more than token visits by neighbours to wish them Happy Christmas, so there had not been any discussions of young men or her feelings. However, the colonel would be arriving on the morrow after spending the holiday with his family at Whitwell Abbey, and his visit would be the true test of her resolve. At least Lucky gave her a distraction if she was tempted to needle her flippant cousin Fitzwilliam.