Finally, they arrived at their new home in London. None of them had seen it before, though they had heard reports of it from various servants who had visited at one time or another.
Elizabeth was surprised to see that it was not the largest home on the street, though it was certainly large enough, likely about three or four times the size of Longbourn.
Since the sun had already set, there was no opportunity to explore the house. They all sat down to a pleasant supper and then headed straight to bed, each of them exhausted from their journey.
~~~~~
Papa must have sent a letter ahead of their journey, because Mr. Darcy called at the earliest polite time the next morning.
It was the first time she had seen him since he arrived at Lockwood to collect his sister months earlier. Even then, he had not spent long in her presence. He only stayed long enough to share a few of the details of Lydia’s marriage that Papa had not included in his letter.
Seeing him again was odd in the extreme. Though she had been busy for much of the summer, she had still had plenty of idle moments when memories of his proposal flitted through her mind. More prominent, however, were the memories of the time he spent at Lockwood assisting her father with his finances.
There, he had been kind and generous with his time. Her father had commented several times that he had the patience of a saint as he explained the same concepts multiple times in multiple ways until Papa fully understood them.
As Elizabeth thought about him, her mind invariably remembered his poor behavior in Hertfordshire. At first it was confusing how a man could be so proud and unbearable in one place and so respectful and helpful in another. As she thought more about it, however, it began to make sense, especially as she became more accustomed to her new life.
The life of a wealthy person came with a certain standard of comfort, which invariably included a standard of cleanliness and manners, both of which contributed substantially to one’s comfort and the comfort of all those around them. Such standards were harder to maintain without a sufficient numberof servants and an excess of clothing, both of which could become rather expensive.
Mr. Darcy’s apparent pride in Hertfordshire could very well have sprung from genuine discomfort from being surrounded by those who were less than pleasant smelling and those whose manners clashed with his own.
A tiny voice reminded Elizabeth that during his proposal, he had distinctly insulted Aunt and Uncle Gardiner. She did not dismiss the thought, but she wondered if he had since amended his opinion.
Now that he was in the parlor of her new London home, she hoped she would once again get a chance to speak with him. But it was not to be.
Mr. Darcy greeted all the ladies kindly, but once Papa entered the room, both men headed for Papa’s study.
The following two weeks were just as busy as their time in Manchester had been, though their activities were significantly different. Mr. Darcy had apparently introduced the duke to quite a few of his acquaintances, at least those who were in town at this time of year, and he had helped Papa get a membership to his gentlemen’s club.
Papa’s new acquaintances then brought their wives and daughters to call at the duke’s residences, thereby giving his family a much wider social circle almost immediately.
Because of this wealth of new acquaintances, Elizabeth, her sisters, and her mother were kept busy with morning calls, both making them and receiving them. Elizabeth was genuinely surprised at how many ladies of quality were in London at this time of year. She had assumed that most of them would still be in the country, but apparently there were plenty of gentry andnoblemen who simply preferred the city and only went to their estates during the hottest months of the year.
One of their earliest callers was Lady Matlock, Mr. Darcy’s aunt. Elizabeth was surprised to see her mother and the countess get along so well almost immediately. Both ladies had an unhealthy obsession with matchmaking, and a delight in minor gossip, making their conversations both rapid and scattered. Elizabeth could seldom follow everything, or everyone, they discussed, but they clearly enjoyed their time together.
Lady Matlock always brought Georgiana with her, and Elizabeth and Jane were pleased to renew their friendship. Surprisingly, Georgiana gradually gravitated more towards Kitty, with whom Georgiana often seemed more at ease. Elizabeth was a bit disappointed, but she was happy to see Georgiana more animated than before. She was also pleased to see Kitty making a friend closer to her own age.
On top of morning calls and new acquaintances and friends, much of their first two weeks was taken up with planning a ball that was to be held at the end of the month. This ball would introduce the family to their new society and make it clear that the daughters of the house were all out.
Three days after their arrival in London, they were all seated at dinner when Mama said, “Mr. Bennet, I would like to invite my brother and his wife to dinner sometime soon. I haven’t seen them since everything changed.”
Elizabeth and all three of her sisters stared at Papa, wondering how he would respond. On the one hand, the Gardiners were family, and Elizabeth’s father had always gotten along quite well with them. On the other hand, it was just barely possibly that the Duke of Derby no longer considered the Gardiners to be appropriate company for their new station.
When he immediately replied, “Of course, my dear. Shall we plan for them in a couple of days?” Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how high their status was, she would not wish to lose her aunts and uncles.
“Perfect,” said Mama, “I shall send a note around tomorrow morning.”
An idea suddenly struck Elizabeth, and before she thought it through, she said, “Can we invite the Darcys to join us that evening as well?”
Papa gave her a quizzical look while Mama said, “While I certainly don’t mind their company, I would not wish Mr. Darcy’s pride to insult my brother and sister. I know he has been helpful to your father, but I still remember quite clearly how he looked down on all our friends and neighbors last autumn. Do you think he can treat my brother well if we invite him?”
“I am certain he would not be rude,” said Elizabeth. She knew he had too much respect for her father to insult a guest of his. “However, I wish to see whether he can be sociable with those not of his status. I had the impression that at one point he regretted his behavior last year, and this would be a chance to see if he has amended his ways.”
“Well, I will always be glad of Miss Darcy’s company,” said Mama while Kitty nodded her enthusiastic agreement. “I suppose we could invite her brother as well.”
After dinner, Papa asked Elizabeth to join him in his study for a few minutes.
“What is going on in that head of yours?” he asked once they were both seated. “Why would you wish to force Darcy and Gardiner together?”
