I agreed, and said, “I have not the slightest doubt of it. I have seen you play, and I have never seen fingers fly over the keyboard as rapidly as yours. And Mary even remarked upon what a prodigy you must be with a needle! You are accustomed to fancy work, I know, but plain sewing requires a good deal more speed and concentration. I pray that you will make an attempt. And, if it does not suit you? Well, there is always that eight hundred pounds to live on in Town, is there not?”
And at this, Caroline completely gave in and said, “Of course, I would be happy – most happy indeed – to assist you with the plain sewing for the tenants! It is only right, if I to live with all of you on the estate.”
There! Are you not astonished at my boldness? I admit that I am everything proud of myself for having managedher so well, though I confess that I had rather hoped she would leap at the chance to take her dowry and leave us all. Charles congratulated me later that night at how well I had managed; I did not tell him that I was pretending to be Elizabeth throughout the conversation!
Tell me how things are at Pemberley. Is it as lovely a home as Aunt Madeleine says? Are you able to find your way around yet, or must there be a footman to follow you about so that you do not get lost?
I miss you dreadfully and am counting the days until we join you at Pemberley!
All my love,
Jane
P.S. I apologise for the length of this letter, but I know you well able to manage the expense and just had to tell you every detail!
Elizabeth turned to Georgiana and said, “There; you see how lucky I am? Jane has Caroline Bingley, while I have you, dearest Georgiana!” The two smiled at one another, and Mr. Darcy felt his heart swell, once again, with love and gratitude at the special relationship that had been formed between the two most important ladies in his life.
There was also a letter from Mrs. Bennet; Elizabeth opened that next.
Dear Lizzy,
I know you told me not to visit Jane every day, but it is so difficult not to! I want so very much to see my beautiful Jane as mistress of the largest estate in Meryton, if not all of Hertfordshire! And you know that the second drawing room needs redecorating very badly, and she truly ought to take some advice from me, for have I not redecoratedmore drawing rooms in my life than Jane? But I will do my best, as I do understand that newlyweds in particular need time away from their parents!
I swear that Mr. Bennet will drive me quite mad with his talk of account books! I have always kept track of the household accounts, at least as much as I was able, but now he insists that I have been doing it all wrong, and I am to do it very differently, tracking every single expense, no matter how small! I blame your husband for this, Lizzy, I truly do, for until he came to teach Mr. Bennet about estate management, there was nothing whatever wrong with my accounts.
Kitty and Lydia are incorrigible; now that they have seen how your Miss de Bourgh spends her money, nothing will do until they, too, have a reticule full of coins! How we are ever to manage that, even with Mr. Bingley’s three thousand pounds, I cannot say. Your father has not yet given the girls their pin money, nor me mine, as he says that all debts must be paid first.
It is everything unreasonable, Lizzy, and I beg that you will write to your father and tell him so!
Your loving mother
Elizabeth read this aloud as well; Mr. Darcy raised a brow and said, “Well, good for Mr. Bennet! Anything else?”
“Yes; one from Anne.” Elizabeth opened it and read.
Dear Lizzy, or do I now call you Mrs. Darcy?
London has been everything wonderful! I have the most beautiful new gowns you can imagine, and bonnets and slippers and fans, and everything wonderful! I wish Kitty and Lydia could be here with me, we would have the mostfun imaginable shopping together! I should have kept that three thousand pounds from Mama’s safe, it would have bought your two sisters beautiful things!
I told you that Aunt hired a dancing master for me, did I not? Well, it turns out that I am not as clumsy as I always thought. Monsieur DuBois says that I have simply not been taught, and that if I follow his instructions, I shall never be embarrassed on a dance floor. I am, as you may imagine, following his instructions quite closely!
In fact, we are to go to a private ball in just two days’ time! Aunt says this is ideal, as I will be able to dance without the entire ton watching me.
I have been writing to Mama most faithfully, telling her all the good things that are happening here in London, and she says she is happy for me. I do not know if that is true or not, but it is good of her to say so. I did mean it when I said that I would always return to Rosings Park, for it is my own estate, and should I not live on my own estate? I asked Aunt what would happen if I married a man who already had an estate, for which one would we live on? She says not to worry about that just yet, so I suppose I shall not.
Your dear and loving friend,
Anne
P.S. Oh! I must tell you that everyone here is very excited about coming to Pemberley this summer! I am to come with the Matlocks, and I do hope Kitty and Lydia will be there as well!
P.P.S. Do tell Georgiana that I send my love! Perhaps she and I can have a Season together; would that not be everything delightful??
Elizabeth could scarce finish reading the letter, as the three of them were laughing so hard that their sides hurt.
“She is a different creature entirely from the Anne de Bourgh that I knew,” Mr. Darcy said, at last. “I do not doubt that she will be a sensation in theton.”
Chapter One Hundred and One
