Mrs. Reynolds shivered and said, “Without the fires this room is too cold for my old joints. On to the gallery.”
As they shuffled out, Elizabeth said with a smile, “This room demands something at least every month.”
He smiled at her. “I thought we would have a ball for New Year’s Eve.”
That brought her nervousness about being the mistress of this house forward again. But now it was actually about beingthe mistress. How would she manage? This was far beyond what her mother had taught her.
But with a smile Elizabeth said, “I like that notion, but Mrs. Reynolds, you are the one who will have the most work for it. Two weeks to prepare a great ball?”
“I believe the white soup can be set in time, and the invitations printed,” the housekeeper replied in a manner that suggested to Elizabeth that she had her own sense of dry humor that was similar to Darcy’s.
"Miss Darcy,” Elizabeth asked, “will you like to have a ball thrown?”
The girl flushed and looked down.
“Georgiana is not yet out,” Darcy replied. “Unlike your sister who I believe is only fifteen, I thought it prudent to wait longer.”
Miss Darcy stared at the floor, and Elizabeth gained the sense that there was some story to this beyond what Darcy had just said.
Also, Elizabeth realized she could have become offended by his reference to Lydia, had she been in such a mood. To her own surprise, however, at present she didnotwant to feel unhappy with her husband.
“I have always thought my sisters came out rather too early — Lydia even more than Kitty. Mama insisted, and while they do get their part of the fun, I have never thought it had been wise.”
Darcy gave her a surprised look, as thoughhehad not expected her to ever admit a flaw in her family.
“And when does Miss Darcy come out?” Elizabeth asked, speaking to both Miss Darcy and Mr. Darcy. “From your protective manner, I assume that you shall only permit society to see her when she is past five and twenty, and old enough that you can be certain she will make no foolish decisions.”
That had an unexpected result of giving Miss Darcy a deflated, sad, and unhappy countenance. She turned and stared at one of the portraits along the gallery wall.
Elizabeth frowned, wondering what could be the matter with her. Darcy frowned at his sister as well.
“Not that I can imagine you ever,” Elizabeth said to Miss Darcy, “making a particularly foolish decision, even at your present age.”
“Oh!” Georgiana whimpered and pressed her hand to her mouth.
The whole episode gave Elizabeth a rather different impression of her character than she’d had a minute before. At the very least, the girl had done something thatsheconsidered as having been a very foolish decision.
Elizabeth did not consider it proper to reassure Miss Darcy by saying:Do not worry about whatever you did. Your brother and I acted stupider by far. We kissed in a room surrounded by witnesses when neither of us wished to marry the other.
Elizabeth viewed there as little chance that Mr. Darcy had given a sister twelve years his junior the details of how they had formed their engagement.
After an awkward period, Darcy put his arm around Miss Darcy who embraced him back. He then looked at Elizabeth with that dry smile that he had when amused, and said, “My intention had been to only let her come out when she turned twenty-five, but recently I learned the shocking fact that it is possible for those over twenty-five to make foolish decisions.”
Even though the words could have stung, something about how he said it made Elizabeth feel included, as though they were laughing at themselves together. “Thirty then?”
Darcy laughed. “Perhaps twenty. But the woman principally affected should have some say in the matter.” Hesqueezed Miss Darcy closer to his side and then let her go, asking as he did, “So Georgie, when would you like to come out?”
“Oh, certainly not yet!” She then looked down again.
The girl was shy, not proud.
They continued on, Mrs. Reynolds started showing the group some of the many, many guest rooms, pointing about them, and saying, “The decorations must be renewed — you see how the silk shows its age. And the style is from the early years of His Majesty’s reign. I know you must want to make many changes.”
“Not precipitously.” Elizabeth laughed. “And you must give me time to familiarize myself with matters. At present I chiefly wish to knowwhyyou manage as you do, so that any suggestions I make will be informed.”
“The estate is in excellent repair,” Mrs. Reynolds added. “You will at least wish to update the furniture. Many pieces date to Mr. Darcy’s grandfather’s time or even earlier.”
“How lovely! I adore antique furniture,” Elizabeth replied. “You shall not find me an ally in changing out the old pieces. What I have seen of the house is precisely as it ought to be.”
