Page 42 of Mr. Darcy Comes to Town

Georgiana gave a little squeal of delight. She loved dogs. At Pemberley they had several. They were not lap dogs, however, and did not belong in London, so they had been left in Derbyshire. Darcy wondered, now, if that had been a good decision. A dog would have given Georgiana comfort when she felt anxious.

“Is he friendly?” his sister asked, vibrating with anticipation.

“Yes, indeed. Come, Harry,” Darcy ordered, patting his leg.

Harry stood and walked quickly toward them, his short tail wagging so hard that his rear wobbled back and forth.

“What a beautiful dog you are,” Georgiana praised, crouching down. She held out her hand to be sniffed, which Harry accomplished with little fuss. “May I pet you?”

Harry butted her hand, encouraging her to stroke and hug him.

“Who does he belong to?” Georgiana asked, her voice full of love and acceptance. She pushed the hair back from his face so she could look clearly into his big, dark eyes. “You are a good boy. Do you know it, sir?”

“He belongs to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, whom you will meet at the party,” Darcy explained, reaching down to pat Harry on his rump. “She has many animals. Birds, a fox, a fawn, a guinea pig—a recent addition—rabbits, and so on. I even saw a couple of owls.”

Georgiana gazed up at him with wide eyes. “A fox? I would love to see a fox up close. May we visit her? And see her animals?”

“Of course,” Darcy said, pleased to see the dog had taken her mind off her anxiety. “Miss Elizabeth is one of five sisters—a few older than you, and two who are a few years younger. I believe they will all be here today.”

“Goodness,” Georgiana breathed. “All those sisters. I wonder if they squabble?”

Darcy chuckled. “I expect they do. Oh, and Miss Elizabeth has at least one pet mouse, too.”

“Well, that is surprising.” Standing again, Georgiana said to the dog, “Will you walk with us, Harry?” Darcy offered his arm to his sister, she took it, looked at the dog, and said, “Heel.”

Harry came to heel and walked sedately next to her as they strolled between the shrubbery.

“I think we should look around for a smaller dog for you,” Darcy said. “One that can be kept in the house.”

“Truly?” Georgiana asked, her eyes glowing when she looked up at him.

“Truly. I would not be surprised to learn that Miss Elizabeth can find one for you. She seems to know the other dogs in the neighborhood.”

“A puppy?” she asked, almost begging.

“Hmm, perhaps not a puppy,” Darcy said, his tone apologetic. “Something that has already been trained, I think. Let us consult with Miss Elizabeth first.”

“Very well,” Georgiana said, grinning widely. She gave a little laugh and leaned into her brother. “Thank you, Fitz. Thank you.”

Darcy laughed and patted her hand. “I think we had better turn back so you can change in time for the party.”

“I am excited to meet the Bennet sisters,” she admitted, readily turning around with him. Harry chuffed and stopped. Georgiana looked down at him. “Are you going now, Harry?”

He pawed the ground, sneezed, and gamboled away, disappearing through a gap in the shrubbery.

Darcy heard Georgiana sigh happily. He hoped his sister would soon overcome her anxiety about Miss Bingley—and he desperately prayed Georgiana’s path would not cross George Wickham’s during Georgiana’s stay.

Chapter Seven

Lizzy, squashed between her mother and Mary, dearly hoped her day dress would not be too severely creased by the time they arrived at Netherfield. She exchanged a long-suffering look with Jane who sat opposite from her, across the carriage. Jane, who had chosen to sit between Lydia and Kitty in order to reduce the amount of giggling and moaning from the two, smiled at her and Lizzy smiled back.

“Do you two have secrets?” Lydia demanded with sudden suspicion.

“What secrets?” Kitty asked eagerly.

“We have no secrets,” Jane told them, her tone even and designed to quell their curiosity.

“None at all,” Lizzy added, shaking her head firmly.