Page 26 of Regrets

“I envy you,” Mary sighed. “I have a surfeit of sisters, but one brother would have been very nice, for several reasons.”

“I would have loved to have sisters,” Georgiana said, regret in her voice. “A brother is all very well, but one wishes for siblings of one’s own sex! And you have both a mother and a father, while I have neither.”

“No parents?” Mary sounded shocked.

“No; my mother died when I was quite young; my father three years ago. My brother and my cousin are my guardians.”

“I am sorry, Miss Darcy; that is hard indeed.” Mary imagined her life without her mother, and was so overcome with sorrow for her new friend that a tear trickled down her cheek.

Georgiana was immediately touched by this clear evidence of understanding and friendship. “Please, I hope you will call me Georgiana.”

Mary’s smile bloomed at once. “And I am Mary.”

They were called in for dinner, then, and Mrs. Bennet announced that seating would be informal; everyone could sit where they wished. Georgiana and Mary immediately sat together on one side of the table, and they were joined by Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Kitty, Lydia, Jane and Mr. Bingley were on the other side.

Mr. Darcy had found Miss Elizabeth unexpectedly interesting. After the initial difficulty of their conversation, there had been a period of silence. Then she asked him his opinion of the poetry of Robert Burns, and the animated discussion that followed revealed her to be surprisingly well-educated and well-spoken. She was only a country girl, of course, but she was certainly not an average country girl, not by any means.

***

After Mrs. Bennet led the ladies back to the drawing room, Mr. Darcy had the opportunity to speak to his host. “Your daughter tells me you have a library that is worth viewing,” he began.

“I would be happy to show it to you,” Mr. Bennet replied, cordially. “It is not quite the collection that it once was, but I believe it still to be worthwhile.”

Mr. Darcy wondered what had happened to make Mr. Bennet’s collection less that it had been, but thought it best not to ask. Doubtless there had been a tragedy of some sort.

“I had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Bingley when he first arrived,” Mr. Bennet said. “And I understand that you are here to advise him as to estate matters, Mr. Darcy.”

“I am happy to help such a good friend,” Mr. Darcy replied.

“You have a great deal of estate experience, then?” Mr. Bennet asked.

“I know I am rather young to claim it,” Mr. Darcy admitted. “But my father died three years ago, and it has been up to me to keep things going ever since.”

Mr. Bingley laughed. “Mr. Bennet, Darcy here is so modest that you will have no clear idea as to his qualifications. In truth, he is the master of an enormous estate in Derbyshire, and he has been trained since birth to manage it. Netherfield Park could fit into Pemberley ten times!”

More like twenty, Mr. Darcy thought, but he merely shrugged and looked down at his brandy glass.

“Indeed?” Mr. Bennet said, mildly.

Mr. Darcy shifted in his seat, feeling rather awkward. Seeking to turn the attention away from his wealth, he said, “All estates face the same issues, regardless of size.”

“Do they?” Mr. Bennet asked. “I would not have thought so.”

“I have a small number of satellite estates,” Mr. Darcy said, warming to his topic. “And yes, it all comes down to just a few things: taking care of the tenants, utilising the more advanced farming techniques, planting the appropriate crops at the appropriate times.”

“Just those few things?” Mr. Bennet asked, very clearly trying not to laugh.

“Yes; I see you biting your lips, Mr. Bennet. Do you disagree?”

“Oh, no, not at all. Only that those few things actually require a good deal of time, effort and research on the part of the owner, particularly if the estate cannot afford a steward.”

“Oh. Yes, I imagine so.” Mr. Darcy sounded almost sheepish.

“I can tell you from my own hard experience that learning these things, if one has not been – what were the words? Ah, yes, trained since birth – well, they are rather intimidating. How is one to know if the four-field crop rotation really is a good idea, particularly if one’s tenants have never heard of it? Not to mention the improvements on Tull’s drill for planting seeds! And tenants are not always open to new ways.”

“That is certainly true,” Mr. Darcy said. “My tenants have learnt to trust my judgement in such matters or, more accurately, my father’s judgement. I can understand that it might take some time for tenants to learn to trust the owner’s opinion, particularly if there have not been a good many new changes implemented in past years.” He paused, and then said, carefully, “I take it you were not the eldest son, Mr. Bennet? I apologise if the question is too painful.”

His host sighed. “I lost both my father and my elder brother while I was at Cambridge. I had no training at all.”