Page 79

But she did as Georgiana asked, and a maid went into town to procure whatever she could.

When she brought them to Georgiana's room and handed them to Elizabeth, she scanned them with her eyes and then laughed.

"Do you know, I think we might be. Can you imagine it? Little old Miss Bennet in the society gossip sheets?"

Georgiana clapped her hands together. "Oh, read it to me," she said.

Elizabeth laughed. "It is not very long, I'm afraid."

"Lately, Mr D-- of Derbyshire has married an unknown lady of Hertfordshire. The question is, was it a love match or simply a matter of the new Mrs D-- needing money?"

Elizabeth blushed as she read it, for it hit a nerve. Was it not both? Well, not so much the money, but the security on her side and the love on Darcy's. Except she could not imagine her life without him. She did not want to imagine a day without him.

And what did that mean?

Georgiana smiled and sighed. "I hope you are not offended, Elizabeth. They cannot know the love between you both, of course, as no one has really seen you since you were married. But, oh, when you go to London, when they witness the strength of your love, my, what they will write!"

Elizabeth smiled and turned back to the gossip sheet and continued to read.

Her new sister was a romantic, that was certain, and she would not disappoint her with tales of how the world really worked.

Chapter Forty-Six

Darcy was always nearby. He attended to some business, but he did not leave Pemberley, and neither he nor Elizabeth had any chance to be alone. What a strange start to married life this was.

One afternoon, when they had been at Pemberley for a week and Georgiana was having a nap, Darcy said, "You know, it has just occurred to me that I have not yet given you a tour of your new home."

"Well, we have been rather busy," she said.

"Indeed. But Georgiana is on the mend now, and I want to show you Pemberley and all it has to offer. Does it feel like home yet?" he asked.

She considered his question. "I feel at home here. I don't know if I could quite call it homely yet. It is so very large and so much larger than I'm used to," she said with a smile. "But I would love to see more of it, if you've got the time to show me."

"I've got all the time in the world for you, Elizabeth," he said.

He said things like that as though they meant nothing, and yet the words were so thoughtful, so kind, so meaningful, that they almost took her breath away.

"Shall we?" he said, offering her his arm as though he were going to escort her on a promenade.

She entwined her arm with his. "Let's," she said.

They started off in a portrait gallery, where he pointed out his ancestors.

"Your mother was beautiful," she said, and he looked up at her and smiled.

"Yes, everyone said so. I wish I remembered her more, if I'm honest."

"And she is Lady Catherine's sister," Elizabeth said, checking the genealogy.

"Yes, although I'm told their temperaments were very different."

Elizabeth giggled. "Well, that's a relief. And I know better than most that the temperaments of sisters raised in the same manner can indeed be very different."

"Have you heard from your sisters?" Darcy asked as they continued on to a large room filled with incredible sculptures.

"Not yet," she said. "I'm waiting for a letter from Jane. Say, have you heard from Bingley at all?"

Darcy shook his head. "Not since we returned. But I dare say Bingley and I are not as faithful in our correspondence as you and your sisters."