Page 27 of Regrets

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In the drawing room, Mary insisted that Georgiana spend some time with Jane and Elizabeth. “For,” she said. “If all you ever hear are Kitty and Lydia arguing with one another, you will not have a very good opinion of the Bennets!”

Jane and Elizabeth welcomed Georgiana warmly, and promised to do their best to make certain that Georgiana was well-entertained while she was at Meryton. “You must come visit us anytime you feel the least bit lonely or out of sorts,” Elizabeth told her, sincerely. “It is hard to be in a new place with just a brother and a brother’s friend for companionship. Please know that we are always available to you.”

Georgiana, quite overwhelmed at this open-hearted and open-handed offer of friendship, replied, “Oh! And you must come to Netherfield! I am to serve as hostess for Mr. Bingley, so I can promise you that you will always be welcome.”

Seeing Jane and Elizabeth trade astonished glances, Georgiana said, “Oh, I know I am full young for the role, but I feel confident in myself.”

Mrs. Bennet’s voice cut into the conversation. “Mary, play for us, do!”

Mary murmured, “Excuse me, please,” to Georgiana and then went to the instrument to play.

When the gentlemen joined the ladies, Mr. Darcy complimented Mary’s playing, and then asked his sister to perform. Georgiana resisted at first, less from shyness and more from not wishing to likely outshine her new friend, but yielded at last to urgings from Mrs. Bennet as well.

Mary listened with great admiration to Georgiana’s playing, and then told her, “I am never sorry to listen to a superior performer. I am convinced that I could learn a good deal from you!”

“I would be happy to help you at any time,” Georgiana said, earnestly.

Mr. Bingley had found a seat beside Jane, and Mr. Darcy, after standing at his sister’s side to turn pages, sat beside Elizabeth. “Do you play, Miss Elizabeth?”

She laughed and shook her head. “Certainly not after a performance such as your sister’s!”

“Georgiana has been playing since she could reach the keys, and she has had the benefit of excellent teachers,” he allowed. “But I have no doubt that you excel at anything you choose to try.”

Elizabeth thought this rather presumptuous, given that they had been acquainted for only a few hours, so she expressed her gratitude for the compliment rather coolly.

He seemed to sense her withdrawal, for he then turned his attention to his host and said, “Mr. Bennet, might we see your library now?”

Mr. Bennet’s attention was caught at once, and he rose to his feet. “Indeed, Mr. Darcy. As I say, it was not what it once was, but it is still, I believe, a respectable collection.” Mr. Bennet winced upon hearing himself voicing this familiar regret yet again; he should not say it, certainly not in Lizzy’s hearing, but it seemed he still felt the need to apologise to a fellow bibliophile for the reduced state of his library.

Mr. Darcy also rose; he bowed to Elizabeth and followed his host out of the room.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes at hearing – yet again! – her father’s familiar complaint at having been “forced” to sell some of his most valuable books in order to provide dowries for his daughters. And she was not sorry that Mr. Darcy was gone; he had made her somehow uncomfortable, though she could not have said why. She directed her attention to Miss Darcy and they were soon calling one another by their Christian names.

Chapter Twenty-Five

The next morning saw Mrs. Bennet at the breakfast table, head held high. She had been the first to host the new neighbours, and her daughters – at least, Mary, Jane and Elizabeth – were on a first name basis with a young lady who was the niece of an Earl! Miss Darcy was too well-bred to have mentioned it, of course, but the servants at Netherfield Park had not been slow in making the Darcys’ superior connections known to their counterparts at Longbourn, and Mrs. Hill had informed her mistress of the fact immediately upon learning it.

Of course, it had not escaped her notice that Mr. Bingley had spent a good deal of time with Jane. Since Mr. Bennet had begun to save for his daughter’s dowries, her nerves had calmed down a good deal; so while she might have thought Mr. Bingley a fine prospective husband for Jane, she did yet not know the man well, and had no wish to force any of her girls into a marriage that would not be a happy one.

“Mama, last night’s dinner was very good.”

“Thank you, Jane; I thought everyone seemed gratified.”

“Oh, very much so! Mr. Bingley said he had never imagined country dinners to be the equal of those he had enjoyed in Town, but that your dinner certainly was every bit the equal of, if not superior to, Town dinners.”

“High praise indeed, Mrs. Bennet!” Mr. Bennet had come into the breakfast room just in time to hear Jane’s comment. His tone was mocking. “I am certain that remark will be repeated in our drawing room thrice a day for the next sennight.”

Jane looked down at her plate, but Elizabeth, who had come in just behind her father, said, coolly, “And why should it not be? Mama puts a good deal of effort into her entertainments, and the praise was warranted. If she wishes to share it with her friends, that is surely her privilege.”

“The fact that said praise comes from a wealthy gentleman does not hurt, I suppose,” Mr. Bennet went on, censure in his voice.

“No, it does not hurt at all; since he is accustomed to a good deal of fine dining in London, the compliment must be all the more deeply felt,” Elizabeth returned at once. “And Mr. Darcy made a similar comment to me about the quality of last evening’s meal.”

Mr. Bennet shrugged his shoulders. Facing the salvers, he said, “I suppose he, too, is accustomed to a good deal of fine dining, given that he has an enormous estate in Derbyshire, or so says his friend.”

“Oh, does he?” Mrs. Bennet said. “That is good to know.”