***
Upon hearing that her new companion would be in residence in a few weeks’ time, Georgiana went into a frenzy of self-improvement. She cleaned out her wardrobes, with the help of her maid, and pulled out all her old schoolbooks to display them prominently on her bedroom bookshelf. Elizabeth came to visit Georgiana in the midst of this disarray; hiding her smile, she remarked, “Georgiana, this is not necessary.”
“I want her to think well of me, Lizzy.”
“She will think very well of you, Georgiana, I promise you.”
“Do you really think so?” Her voice was so small and worried that Elizabeth could not help giving the girl a hug, and was pleased when she did not shrink away from it. At fifteen, Georgiana was already taller than Elizabeth, but that did not matter; inside, she was a child.
“Oh, Georgiana,” she sighed. “You are so, so much more than you think you are.”
“But I always feel…” And she trailed off.
“Yes?”
“I do not know the right word. Inadequate, I suppose.” A tear made its way down one cheek.
“Georgiana, look at me. You are lovely, you are gifted, you come from an excellent family, you will never want for food, clothing or shelter. You are blessed beyond measure.”
“I do not deserve all these good things, Lizzy. I am no one and nothing very special.”
“No one deserves the good things they are given, Georgiana. Think you the Prince Regent deserves his position in life?”
Georgiana giggled, though the sound was a bit choked by her tears.
Elizabeth went on. “You see, then; a good many of us have things that are given to us through no effort of our own, and few of us deserve them. We can only try to become a person whowouldhave deserved such blessings. Does that make sense?”
She thought about it. “So I can become someone who deserves what she has been given…?”
“Exactly. Every day of my life I try to deserve being married to a man as excellent as your brother, having a sister as wonderful as Miss Georgiana Darcy, and being the mistress of Pemberley. Every morning, I ask myself what I can do that day to deserve all that has been given to me.”
“I think that a most excellent philosophy, Lizzy, and I will adopt it immediately.” Georgiana brightened considerably at this idea.
“I believe it will serve you well. Now if we could only convince the Prince Regent…” And the two laughed merrily together before Elizabeth hugged Georgiana again and left.
Chapter Forty-Five
Over the next few weeks, Elizabeth stepped ever more firmly into her role as mistress of Pemberley. She met with all the servants, about two dozen at a time, and polished her speech so that she was able to deliver it with ease.
She brought the accounts up-to-date, and found a number of areas in which profligacy might be reined in with no repercussions for any of the estate’s inhabitants. This made her feel easier about having her rooms redecorated, which she had done speedily. The blue and cream patterns and fabrics made the rooms feel much calmer; she could imagine herself sitting at the seaside. Perhaps she and William really could travel to Bath next summer!
Though she was never happy in the saddle, she understood that visiting tenants would require that she ride. She had several riding habits made in Lambton – the modiste had been delighted with the order – and had asked her husband to select a mount for her. He had conferred with the stable master, and she had been given a mare named Penelope.
Penny, as Elizabeth called her, was a chestnut lady with a white star and white hooves. Though Elizabeth had never before been fond of horses, she fell in love with gentle Penny at first sight. The horse seemed to take to Elizabeth as well, whinnying a greeting whenever Elizabeth appeared. Mr. Darcy insisted that she take a groom whenever she went out, a direction with which she was happy to comply, as she did not know where the tenants were to be found and must rely on the groom to guide her.
She visited only a few tenants at a time, and brought baskets of food, clothing and toys to each house. The first few families were surprised to see her, but word spread rapidly throughout the estate, and her arrival was soon greeted with smiling faces.
***
And then it was the day that Mrs. Annesley was to arrive! Despite her initial misgivings, Georgiana had selected the room next to her own for her new companion, and had placed vases full of flowers on the bedside table and on the mantel of the fireplace. “Will she like it?” she asked Elizabeth several times.
Each time, Elizabeth replied, “She will love it, but more than that, she will love your thoughtfulness.”
When the Darcy coach pulled up to the house, the downstairs maid on duty hurried to tell the upstairs maid, who hurried to tell Georgiana, so that Georgiana was in the drawing room by the time Mrs. Annesley was announced.
Elizabeth had been in the still room, helping to compile a list of the supplies that were running low, but she hurried to take off the apron that protected her gown and made her way to the drawing room. By the time she arrived, Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley were already in the drawing room together.
Mrs. Annesley rose to her feet when Elizabeth entered, and the two women curtsied to one another before sitting.
