Page 104 of Regrets

She rose and took his arm. “I know what you were thinking,” she whispered.

“Do you?” he asked.

“Of course. It is absurd that we should have to wait until nightfall, but we do not want to give the servants food for gossip.”

“My servants would never gossip about me,” Mr. Darcy said at once.

“Perhaps not; but there would be a good deal of discussion downstairs about how the master could not even wait until a decent hour,” she said, pretending to frown.

“Do you care?” he asked.

“A bit, yes; I do not want them to think me any less of a lady simply because I have no title and come from the country,” she confessed.

“Fair enough,” he nodded. “I shall contain my beastly self until after dinner.”

But when he threw open the door to the mistress’ room, she pulled him inside and closed the door. It was a full thirty minutes before the tour was resumed.

“You are to make any changes you desire,” he told her, rather hoarsely. “The house has not been redecorated for some time.”

“I would not dream of it!” she said.

“Well, you might, you know. Is not the Egyptian influence still in fashion?”

Elizabeth made a face.

“Thank heaven,” Mr. Darcy sighed. “I do not understand the appeal, myself.”

“I think we will strive for good taste, rather than fashion,” his practical wife replied. “In any case, Fitzwilliam, as it is still daylight, what are we to do about Georgiana?”

Chapter Ninety-Three

You have been very quiet, Georgiana,” her uncle observed at dinner. “Are you not well?”

“Yes, perfectly well.”

The Countess winced. She had not had the opportunity to tell her husband of the new Mrs. Darcy’s rather mysterious warning about Georgiana having had an ‘eventful winter,’ whatever that might mean. She said, hastily, “I understand from Catherine that you visited Rosings Park over the summer, Georgiana, is that right?”

“Yes; I was there for some weeks.”

“And how did you find Anne?”

This was a subject on which Georgiana could speak freely. She would always remember it, she thought, as the last good time in her life, the last time she had been innocent. “Anne and I did very well together, Aunt. Brother sent us a pony and a little phaeton, and we went round the park regularly. Dear little Socks! I hope he is doing well.”

“That was doubtless good for Anne’s health.”

“Oh, very good! And she has a new doctor, one who does not bleed her, but advises plenty of exercise and good food.”

“That sounds eminently sensible; though I am surprised Catherine permits it.”

This caused Georgiana to break into a peal of laughter, and she promptly recounted the story of the little brown pills, which had turned out to be nothing more than bits of brown bread, rolled into little balls!

The Countess was heartened upon hearing her niece laugh so heartily; surely Mrs. Darcy – Elizabeth – was mistaken, and there was nothing at all amiss with Georgiana.

“Mrs. Darcy understands Latin, does she?” the Earl asked.

“Oh, and a good deal more besides!” Georgiana said. “She reads Greek and Latin, as well as French and Italian. She speaks about poetry and books and all sorts of things. Brother quite likes it.”

“I am certain that he does,” the Earl replied. “How fortunate for him that he found such a lady!”