Georgiana had traveled in haste to London, arriving two days after her birthday. In a dramatic gesture she had her carriage driven to the warehouses of Gardiner and Peake, and then while the coachman protected its position on a crowded London street from the screaming cab drivers and cartmen, she entered the offices. She found Mr. Peake with Mr. Gardiner in the middle of an interview with a crusty East Indiaman ship captain with a pegleg and a pirate’s earring.
The natural result was that Peake and Georgiana were to be married as soon as the papers were signed and Peake’s business settled — money was no object, so a special license had been procured — both Peake and Georgiana had particular ideas on how to protect Anne and Georgiana in the marriage settlement, and it took several days for the lawyers to legalize the documents. Also Peake needed a period of time to set his affairs in order such that he could have a holiday of two weeks from his business. He and Georgiana would honeymoon along the seashore —notin Ramsgate.
When Mr. Gardiner told the story, the crusty sea captain leered at Georgiana as she and Peake kissed upon seeing each other, until he was charmed by Anne asking about his earring, and the carriage in the street caused a traffic snarl at least a mile and a half long — Elizabeth suspected her uncle to exaggerate, but the ward of Cheap was a prosperous and busy section of London — and his warehousemen stopped dragging carpets and bolts of fabric from one side of the building to another to stare. Which meant the entire business of the day was set back by several hours, and they missed a delivery to an important customer, who forgave them upon being invited to the impromptu engagement celebration at the Gardiner’s fine establishment on Gracechurch Street a few blocks away from the warehouse.
A very romantic story.
Georgiana would be resident in the Gardiners’ spare guest room for the time before the papers were written and signed, and the business was settled, and she was married to Mr. Peake at the nearby parish church at Gracechurch. The church was a big pretty building with the look of a Romanesque steepled church in the middle of crowded London.
An express had been sent that evening to Mr. Bingley and Jane to inform Georgiana’s friends in Hertfordshire of her marriage, and to beg Jane and Elizabeth to attend the wedding.
The trip took two days to arrange, as Elizabeth was to go with Mr. Bingley in his carriage, and Jane of course needed a period of time to have everything placed in preparation to take Bennet to the big city. London always was cloudy, drizzly, and a thick quilt of smoky fog from the hundreds of thousands of chimneys suffocated the city during the winter. At least there was less pestilence during the course of the winter.
Two hours past noon Bingley’s carriage entered the city. London. A million people — an entire million — rushing about. Tall buildings crowded and smashed together. Manicured lawns and well-watered trees. Poorly cleaned plaster blackened by soot. The crowded center, with handsome façades of marble and red brick, and crazily angled streets. Statues of men on horses, and men with guns. Parks with tall wrought iron fences to prevent the entry of those without permission. They entered the city from the east and drove along the Thames, past the white Tower of London, with the flag of Britain flapping proudly in the wind.
Then along Lower Thames Street. They passed the massive column of the two-hundred-foot-tall monument to the Great Fire of London, white and gleaming, with inscriptions in Latin around one side and bas relief scenes carved into another. One clear summer day when visiting, Elizabeth had paid the few pence to climb the stairs all the way to the top and been rewarded with the most astonishing view, which still did not allow her to see the entirety of London.
The carriage turned onto Gracechurch Street, and bankers in fancy suits ran in front of carriages as though they had no fear of being run over; aristocrats with long leggings calmly walked the streets, entering establishments they had business with; and tourists stood, gazing each way in anxiety, before cautiously crossing the roads and being nearly run over by screaming drivers for their slowness.
They trundled halfway down the street and pulled up to the handsome home Mr. Gardiner owned, and Elizabeth allowed her brother-in-law to help her down, while the footman knocked upon the door. He’d barely touched the knocker before it was opened, and Mrs. Gardiner and Georgiana spilled out of the house, and encouraged their servants to have the trunks quickly carried in.
Anne enthusiastically joined them, with several of Mrs. Gardiner’s children, all of whom jumped around happily, clinging to Aunt Lizzy and Aunt Jane and Uncle Bingley and then eagerly incorporating Bennet into their games. The young boy was quite social and happily followed along in their play. They were all pushed into the house by Mrs. Gardiner, to keep the young from catching their death of cold in the grey weather — not that Mrs. Gardiner worried; it would only be a frustration to nurse the children through a harmless illness when everyoneoughtto be full of celebration.
Jane and Bingley planned to go on to the fashionable outer borough two miles away where they had rented a house for the month, but the two were persuaded to send their carriage round to a nearby stables and yard to wait for them. They entered the house with Bennet. Everyone sat in the drawing room, and crackers and tea were provided. Georgiana glowed. Elizabeth wanted to talk to her in private, to ask about Mr. Darcy — she cared even though she had given up the right to concern herself with his well-being. But in this crowd it was only a chance for everyone to speak at once about joint topics.
Georgiana was made to repeat the story Mrs. Gardiner had given in her letter of how she had found Mr. Peake and told him she still wished to marry him, and Jane begged every detail, and they spent an hour in rapid conversation, by which time Mr. Gardiner was to arrive in just another hour or two from the offices with Mr. Peake — one of the servants had been sent to the office to tell them that they had arrived, and of course Jane and Bingley were convinced to stay for dinner, and then for the evening. It was decided they would go to a play a mile away at Haymarket Theatre.
A messenger was sent to the stables where the carriage had been sent, telling it to go without Jane and Bingley to the house they had taken so the carriage could be unpacked, and then the vehicle would return to wait for them to call later tonight. Mr. Gardiner arrived, and Mr. Peake and Georgiana snuck a kiss in the entry room, but Elizabeth saw them. They were like she and Darcy had been. Everyone laughed and they all were happy, and after dinner they watchedAs You Like Itfrom a box with red velvet seats.
No opportunity to speak in private to Georgiana occurred.
Waking up now, Elizabeth decided to convince Georgiana to take a morning walk with her. She always enjoyed seeing the sights of the city during the first day or two in Town. Elizabeth went down to the breakfast room to wait for her friend, and she tried to read a book.
Georgiana entered the breakfast room in a simple day dress that made her bloom. She smiled upon seeing Elizabeth. “My dear Lizzy, I so desired to speak with you last night.”
“AndIhad the same desire. But wenowcan before the others breakfast. Will you walk with me? I wish to reacquaint myself with the city.”
“Of course. Of course. Towards St. Paul’s? I have spent most of my mornings walking in other directions, or taking the carriage to Hyde Park when the weather is kind.”
Elizabeth laughed. “That is not today.”
They both looked out the window. “It is not promising,” Georgiana said. “The more need to set out promptly, in case of rains.”
The two walked out arm in arm, bundled up in their winter coats so they could survive a mild drizzle and followed by the Gardiner’s footman.
“At last! At last!” Elizabeth clapped. “Alone with you!”
Georgiana grinned at Elizabeth’s enthusiasm. “I as well looked particularly forward toyourconversation.”
“Yesterday was a good evening, still that endless talk, and then the theater, and then the children.”
“Do not forget that excellent late-night meal of melted cheese and toast.” Georgiana shuddered with pleasure. “Your aunt and uncle havesucha baker. That bread—”
“It was an excellent nightexceptwe could not speak. And that gave it a lack. I rail not against fine company, excellent food and good entertainmentoften— though we shall never be sisters in church law, you are my sister in heart.”
“I…I feel that way as well.”
“Jane feels equally close — see how quick your call brought her to London. And so early in the year! We in general avoid Town at the beginning or end of the season wheneveryonedescends upon the capital.”
