“Besides, Darcy will likely be worrying enough without you being there as well for him to worry about,” Gardiner teased.
William’s eyes grew large at the thought. “That is likely to be true. I feel I will be terrified when Elizabeth’s time comes.”
Elizabeth reached over and grasped William’s hand. “All will be well, William. You must trust that and try not to worry so much about things you cannot control,” she said quietly to soothe his worries.
“I will try, Elizabeth,” he whispered back. “I love you so very much.”
“And I love you too, William,” she replied as she leaned her forehead against her husband’s.
Gardiner cleared his throat to recall the couple to their surroundings. “I will write a letter to my brother and niece in the morning, asking the girls to come. I will send my carriageon Monday unless I hear back from him with a different date or a negative reply. As soon as we hear something, we will let you know of his decision,” he said. “Maddie and I are very pleased with your news and will anxiously await your child. Perhaps we can find a way to travel to Derbyshire in July or August again this year.”
“Yes, uncle, please do,” Elizabeth said. “We would love to invite you and to have you stay with us for a month or so. Perhaps you can bring the children with you.”
William seconded the invitation. “Let us know if we can aid you, even if it is to borrow a second carriage to transport the children. I know it would please Elizabeth very much to have you at Pemberley with us, and I would enjoy the opportunity to fish with you once again, Gardiner.”
It was not long after that the Gardiners left, and true to his word, he sent a note around when he heard back from Bennet. Bennet had agreed to the idea of Mary and Kitty visiting London, expressing pleasure at having an empty and quiet house for a time.
As they waited for the girls to arrive, Elizabeth finished much of her shopping and made appointments at the modiste the following week for her sisters. While Mary and Kitty were in London, Elizabeth had decided she would purchase them a few dresses as well. Mary would receive more since she was 19, but Kitty, at just 17, would have dresses like Georgiana’s to indicate she was not out. She idly wondered how Kitty would behave after all that happened at Longbourn and was determined not to reward her if she, like others in her family, were determined to believe the worst of her. This was something she would need to discuss with her aunt before her sisters arrived in town.
Mary and Kitty arrived at Gracechurch Street the following Monday evening, terribly relieved to be away from Longbourn. “It has been awful, Aunt,” Kitty cried nearly as soon as she exited the carriage. “Papa would not let us go anywhere, and no one could visit since Lydia has been so sick. She and Mama kept to their rooms all the time, and all I had for company was Mary, and she never wanted to do anything fun.”
“We are glad to offer you a short reprieve, Kitty, but tell me, what do you think about all that has been happening at Longbourn?” her aunt asked quietly.
“Lydia returned suddenly from Brighton, and everyone was in an uproar when Colonel Forster returned her. She told me that Mr. Darcy was to blame for her early return and for preventing her from eloping with Mr. Wickham. He was terribly handsome, but he was also twice her age, and I do not know why Lydia thought it would be such a lark to run off with him, especially since doing so apparently resulted in her being so sick. A few weeks after she returned, she began casting up her accounts every morning, and Papa banished her to her room, so Mama took to her room in a nervous fit. Mr. Bingley returned, and Jane got engaged to him, which was not much of a surprise, except for how long it took him to return,” Kitty said in a rush of words, not considering what she was saying or its impact upon others.
“Then, the news came about Lizzy not returning home, and no one knew why she wasn’t coming home, and then suddenly, Mrs. Phillips brought us a newspaper that said Lizzy was married to that terrible Mr. Darcy. But Mr. Bingley said Mr. Darcy was not so awful, and Jane said nothing about any of it, and there were all those horrible rumours in Meryton about him. But then the rumours seemed to change, and everyone began to say it wasreally Mr. Wickham who had done all those terrible things and made it seem like Mr. Darcy did them.
“Mary says that Mr. Darcy is a very good man and that Lizzy is fortunate to be married to him, although how she knows that, I do not know. Papa says that we are not to talk to Lizzy any more, and now Lydia and Mama are gone to Ireland for their health, but we are also not to write to them. And Jane ignores us all now that she is married.” Kitty continued to run away in this manner for some time. Mrs. Gardiner was uncertain about what Kitty knew or believed but also realised it would take several more conversations before she could begin to understand all that Kitty knew or thought she knew. Based on her conversation with Elizabeth late last week, she determined to keep Kitty away from the Darcys until more time had passed and she had been taught what was appropriate to say and what was not. Quite a few misunderstandings needed to be corrected as well, and Elizabeth, in her condition, was not ready to accomplish the task.
Her conversation with Mary was very different and far more sensible. Mary was able to explain some of the events that had happened at Longbourn—long arguments between her parents about what would happen with Lydia and Mrs. Bennet’s persistent denial of Lydia’s situation until she could do so no longer. Lydia had been isolated and kept separated from the rest of the family, and Kitty had not been able to figure out what was happening, but Mary had, having seen tenants and others in the same condition. Mary could not understand why her mother and sister were so determined to think poorly of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy while thinking so well of Mr. Wickham, who seduced a 15-year-old, leaving her with child and then subsequently disappeared. Not only that but the man had beencourt-martialled and hanged for his attempt to desert the militia and had left substantial debts in Brighton and Meryton.
Jane’s situation was the most difficult for Mary to understand. When Mr. Bingley returned that summer, Jane had become distant from the family. She had readily accepted his proposal of marriage, offered on only his second visit, but she had begun to wonder why Jane had accepted him so readily after his desertion of her in the previous autumn. The wedding had been difficult, as there had been many arguments at Longbourn preceding it, most of which their aunt had been privy to in the days leading up to the ceremony. Mary had heard that Elizabeth had visited Netherfield but had not known or been told why she had not stayed for the wedding. When she asked Jane, Jane had not explained but had merely said it was for the best.
After the wedding, Jane had rarely visited Longbourn. Granted, they had journeyed to London soon after and then to Pemberley before eventually returning to Netherfield for a brief stay in January. Mama had visited Netherfield daily until they had left once again only a fortnight later, although no one else was permitted to visit with her. These visits were yet another source of contention between Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, and on occasion, Mary had heard Lizzy’s name brought into these arguments when they were especially loud. Mr. Bennet had not visited his daughter either and had eventually refused to allow the carriage to be called for them.
The Gardiners were concerned when they heard of frequent arguments but recognised that it likely was because this was the first time Mr. Bennet had insisted his wife do something she did not want to do. Mary and Kitty said the arguments centred on her not wanting to travel to Ireland and her lack of understanding or acknowledgement of Lydia’s condition. Mr.Bennet’s dictate that she may not visit the neighbours or receive visitors at Longbourn was likely also behind the problem, as Mrs. Bennet had few accomplishments and little to distract her without these. This fact was unlikely to change in Ireland with only Lydia as company, and the Gardiners wondered how long that little visit would last without the two making each other mad.
After many conversations, it was determined that Mary would be taken to visit with the Darcys, but they would wait longer before taking Kitty, even for tea. Neither Elizabeth nor Darcy would appreciate Kitty running on as she had with Mrs. Gardiner, and she would need to be convinced of the facts in the situation before she would be permitted in their company. They also did not want her to influence Georgiana in any way until she learned how to behave more appropriately.
On Wednesday, Mrs. Gardiner met Elizabeth at the modiste with Mary to provide her with suitable gowns for London. Mary would accompany the Darcys to the theatre and a concert the following week, and she would need appropriate dresses for both events. She also needed some dresses for daytime, and Elizabeth was hopeful that she could convince Mary to order dresses that would complement her more than her current ones. Mary had tended to prefer dark dresses with few embellishments as a contrast to the more ornate styles of her mother and youngest sister.
“Lizzy,” Mary cried when she saw her for the first time in months. “You look wonderful. Marriage certainly agrees with you.”
“Mary, it is so good to see you,” Elizabeth countered. “I am sorry things have been difficult at Longbourn, but I hope to keep you with us as long as you like. In fact,” she glanced at her aunt, whonodded, “Mr. Darcy and I would like to invite you to come and stay with us at Darcy House for a few weeks. I think you and Georgiana would get along very well as you are both musical and perhaps you could participate in lessons with the piano master along with Georgiana. He comes twice a week.”
Mary’s eyes widened at the invitation. “But … what will Papa say?” Mary asked.
Elizabeth exchanged a glance with their aunt. “Honestly, Mary, I am not certain what he might say. Knowing him, he would most likely say nothing since he can rarely be bothered to stir himself for much of anything outside his library. If he insists you be returned to the Gardiners, we will return you. However, you know as well as I do that it is unlikely he will be bothered to write.”
Her eyes cast down; she nodded her agreement. “I would enjoy visiting with you, Lizzy. Thank you for the invitation,” she said softly.
“Good. After we finish shopping, we will arrange for your belongings to be transported to Darcy House. Georgiana is looking forward to meeting you, but she was with her aunt this morning and could not join us,” Elizabeth replied cheerfully.
The rest of the appointment at the modiste went well, and Mary was persuaded to order several gowns in much brighter colours than was her typical style. Several evening gowns, as well as day dresses and walking gowns, were ordered, and new shoes and bonnets were also obtained. Mary would be well outfitted for her time in London for however long it would last. A few other things would be ordered if she were to accompany them back home to Pemberley.
Arriving at Darcy House, Mary was awed by what awaited her. Having grown up at Longbourn and travelled to London far less frequently than Jane or Elizabeth, Darcy House was by far the grandest place she had ever seen, although it was relatively simple and elegant in its decor. The size of the home, covering half of a city block, the simple elegance of the furnishings, and the sheer number of servants were enough to overwhelm one used to a modest estate in the country.
Her first meeting with Georgiana had gone well, mainly because of Elizabeth’s presence. Both girls tended toward shyness, so it was with Elizabeth’s help that the two found common ground in music.
