Page 34 of Regrets

“What do we know of him?” Mary asked.

Mr. Bennet finally spoke. “He is a clergyman in Kent.”

“Oh!” Mary said, relieved. “Well, then, he is certain to be a good man, is he not?”

Mr. Bennet could only shake his head at her. He was baffled; Jane and Elizabeth were intelligent, so how was it that the younger three had turned out to be so silly?

Mary pressed on. “Mr. Downey is a good man, is he not? And Mr. Forsythe before him?” Her voice was eager.

Mr. Bennet sighed and explained, slowly, “Our two rectors are, to the best of our understanding, good men; but many men go into the church because they have no other way of making a living, not because they are particularly good Christians. Surely you already understood this, Mary.”

Chastised, Mary nodded and looked down at her plate.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The Meryton assembly was exactly as Mr. Darcy had imagined it, as it was exactly like the assemblies held at Lambton, the small town near Pemberley. There was, as he had expected, rather a dearth of gentlemen, and so he spoke with Mr. Bingley as they entered the room, saying that they had to do their duty to their neighbours by dancing every dance.

Mr. Bingley was not at all opposed, as he was a sociable creature by nature. But it was far more distressing for Mr. Darcy; he would do his duty, as he always did, but he was never completely comfortable on a dance floor. Being the target of so many marriage-minded young ladies was never pleasant; one had to watch one’s words ever so carefully, and be vigilant in one’s actions so as not to be caught in any sort of compromising position.

He recalled a ball given in Town in which a young lady had lured a gentleman, the son of an Earl, out onto the balcony, and then had ripped her bodice and screamed for her mother. The scandal resulted in a hastily arranged marriage. He shuddered at the thought of such a thing happening to him.

Georgiana had spent a good deal of time considering her attire and coiffure, so he made it a point to tell her that she looked everything lovely, and would no doubt dazzle the locals!

He danced with her for the first, as he had promised. It was a simple country dance, and they were easily able to converse as they moved through the figures. “You are enjoying yourself here at Meryton, Georgiana?”

“Oh, very much! Being with Anne was quite rewarding, but the Bennets – why, I cannot recall when last I had such a good time!”

“I am glad; but at some point we must consider what we will do when we return to Pemberley. I shall make another attempt to find you a companion. In fact, I shall ask Aunt Eleanor to find one for us.”

Georgiana made a face. “Perhaps I can just stay with the Bennets; that would be most agreeable.”

Mr. Darcy laughed. “I hardly think so.”

“Let us not talk about it now; we have just begun our sojourn here, Brother.”

“Very well, Georgiana. But you know me; I like to have plans in place.”

“I do know you, and I also know that plans do not always work out as one expects.” As she spoke, the dance ended and she made a formal curtsey to him, almost down to the floor. He extended a hand to help her up, and they laughed together.

Mr. Darcy saw Miss Elizabeth standing with her mother by a pillar, and he escorted his sister there. “Miss Elizabeth, I believe this is our dance.” He offered an arm, and she put a light hand on it.

“I saw Georgiana curtseying to you,” she began, laughter in her voice, as he led her to the floor. “Do the Darcy gentlemen require formal curtsies at the end of a dance? I wish I had known; I would have practiced it.”

“We do not require it at all,” he said, at once. “Georgiana was teasing me.”

“I suppose that is a natural part of the sibling relationship. I have no brothers, as you know, but teasing is certainly a daily ritual among the Bennet sisters.”

“I do not doubt it,” he replied. “But I am certain that it is intended to be just good fun, is it not?”

“Not always,” she replied. “My younger sisters can tease one another quite cruelly. The relationship between sisters who are much of an age is bound to be very different from that between a brother and a much younger sister. Your relationship with your sister is almost that of a father and daughter, is it not? I apologise if this discussion is in any way uncomfortable, Mr. Darcy.”

“No, not at all,” he replied, easily. “It is true that I stand as a father to Georgiana, so in that regard, we are not typical siblings. I am glad that she is now able to tease me, as that tells me that we are moving toward a brother-sister relationship; that is what I would prefer. And I must say again that I am grateful to you and your sisters for so quickly befriending Georgiana.”

“It is entirely our pleasure, Mr. Darcy. Meeting new friends, particularly friends as delightful as your sister, is a rare pleasure.”

“I suppose you have known your neighbours here for your entire life.”

“Or a good part of it, anyway. My dearest friend, after my sister Jane, is Miss Charlotte Lucas; she moved here some ten years ago and we have been good friends ever since. She is older than I, but one of the most sensible ladies of my acquaintance.”