One Thread Pulled: The Dance With Mr. Darcy (80 page)

By the time the Darcys were bound to return to London, Georgiana had elicited a sworn promise from Lydia that she would join them there for a visit at a time yet to be determined by Darcy and Elizabeth. Until that time, the two promised to correspond faithfully by post.

The two girls dared not yet reveal their plot that in a years' time, when both were seventeen, they would persuade Elizabeth, who would then be Mrs. Darcy, to coordinate their coming out season together in London.

Aunt and Uncle Gardiner had come to Longbourn to attend the wedding of their eldest niece, Jane, with a planned stay of one week with the Bennets before returning to Gracechurch Street with their niece Elizabeth, who was to be their guest for the upcoming London season. During this time, the friendship between Mr. Darcy and Edward Gardiner flourished, and to his great pleasure, Darcy discovered that Mr. Gardiner was both a sportsman and excellent company—a connection he not only could tolerate but would greatly enjoy.

The day finally came when Aunt and Uncle Gardiner, their four children, Elizabeth, Darcy and Georgiana set out at sunrise for London in a small convoy of carriages, with Darcy on horseback. They had not gone far before Georgiana dozed, laying her head on the shoulder of the woman who would be her sister. Elizabeth gazed out the window of the finely appointed Darcy carriage. The countryside was grey and dreary, with a light skiff of frost and snow trimming the earth and bare trees with a delicate white lace. She sighed at the thought of leaving her beloved home for so many months, although anticipating the upcoming season filled her with a deep longing for the time when she and Darcy would together call Pemberley home.

Pemberley. A shiver of anticipation shook her as she contemplated the upcoming sojourn to that place at Easter. Her pleasure, although grounded in thoughts of finally seeing the place where Darcy had been raised, and where her future as his wife would be spent, was not limited to this alone. No, she took guilty pleasure in knowing that she had diverted both Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam from their traditional Easter visit to Rosings Park. Darcy knew nothing of the confrontation his aunt had initiated, but Elizabeth sensed that Lady Catherine was not yet finished with what would be a concerted effort to undermine her place in Darcy's life, with her ultimate goal remaining to prevent their marriage from ever taking place.

As the hours of the journey passed, Elizabeth pondered upon the upcoming months and was filled with thoughts of initiative. She was freshly resolved to emerge from the season triumphant in every way. She would not only find acceptance among those of Mr. Darcy's sphere, but she would win their respect on her own terms. She would use whatever natural aptitudes she possessed and add to them through the cultivation of additional talents she deemed useful and advantageous in her quest. The plan pleased her, for she detested days spent in forced idleness. With no countryside to explore, she was certain to find great diversion in these pursuits. By the time they arrived at the outskirts of London, Elizabeth had devised the structure of her plan and formulated the design whereby she would be able to execute it without early detection, for she dearly hoped to please and surprise Darcy over the course of the upcoming months with ongoing discoveries of intellect and ability on her part. She was determined that he would not only be perceived as having made a wise choice for a bride, but that she might even inspire some envy among his peers on his great fortune in that regard.

Upon arrival at the Gardiner home on Gracechurch Street, Darcy stepped forward to assist his betrothed from the carriage. He expected to find her weary from the long ride but found, instead, the sparkling, intelligent eyes that had first intrigued him so many months ago, dancing with anticipation and excitement.

“Welcome to London, dearest,” was all he could think to say as he was once again caught in the spell of her eyes. “Did you have a pleasant trip?”

Finis

ABO
UT THE AUTHOR

Diana Oaks is a married mother and grandmother.
 
She resides in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she ‘tsks about the yard, putters about the house, and spends far too much time wishing she had a cook, a housekeeper and a maid.
 
Born in the wrong era, the wrong class and the wrong country for such fantasies, she writes about them instead.

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Email: [email protected]

Blog:
SunriseAtPemberley.blogspot.com