A Constant Love: A Pride & Prejudice Continuation, page 26
He laughed heartily at this, and Catherine joined him, laughing and crying at the same time, and completely overcome when he lifted her hand and kissed it.
“Miss Catherine, I must note that there is a chance I will be knocked on the head during this war, and that I will not return,” he said. “But if that is how things are to happen, I did not want you to be in any doubt of how much I love you.”
“Oh, I love you too,” Kitty said. “I cannot believe this is happening!”
He took up both of her hands in his and assured her repeatedly that it was, until eventually the couple were ready to re-open the drawing room to the rest of the household. The news of their engagement was shared, to the surprise and delight of all except Elizabeth and Darcy, who did their best to appear as surprised as everyone else, while they all congratulated the couple on their engagement.
Of all of them, only Georgiana could not quite find it in herself to be fully wholehearted in her congratulations. She was happy for Catherine, and yet she could not help but think about how they had been two sad young ladies yesterday, and now Catherine had no reason for sadness – her temporary heartbreak was over, and now all her wishes had been fulfilled. As soon as she had met Captain Ramsey, Catherine had known what she wanted, she had clearly shown her preference, and now she had the benefit of being absolutely certain of Captain Ramsey’s affections. She would enter into the war engaged, knowing she held his heart.
Georgiana could not help but wonder how things might have been different if she had been similarly upfront with Captain Stanton, if she had known her own heart sooner. And yet she knew, even as she thought it, that they were both very different people than Kitty and Captain Ramsey – more quiet, more serious, more reserved – and she could not be certain that even if she had begun much earlier to show her preference, that she might have been the recipient of a similar proposal. The others were so animated that it was not an issue, that Georgiana should sit, outwardly pleasant but somewhat listless, until Captain Stanton was announced.
He came into the room, and was immediately acquainted by Captain Ramsey of the engagement. Captain Stanton said all that was enthusiastic and proper, and yet the overall look of his countenance was of disappointment. Once the initial rush of the news had passed, he said that he had called at the Admiralty, and began to better explain the reason for his unhappiness.
“I am to have the Jupiter, of fifty guns,” he said. “She was only just finished in her build as peace was declared, so she is a little more ready for war than most other ships.”
“I do not understand,” Georgiana said. “Fifty guns is twelve more than what the Caroline had. Is this not a better ship?”
“I understand how it would seem that way,” Captain Stanton said, gazing at Georgiana with what kindness he could muster. “However, our fifty-gun ships – we call them fourth-rates – are most unfortunate ships. They have two decks, and cannot match up against a frigate, which would be smaller, with any honour. Yet they are not large enough to fight any of the larger ships – say your standard seventy-four gun ship of the line – successfully. They are in a strange middle ground.”
“Oh, I am so sorry,” Georgiana said. “I had been hoping you would have the Caroline again.”
“So had I, Miss Darcy,” he said. “However, I must accept my lot, and attempt to recruit nearly a hundred more men to man her.”
“He is still better off than I,” said Captain Ramsey. “I am to have the Andromeda, a mere twenty-eight gun frigate, which was about to be sold out of the service, and so was in a better state of readiness than most of our ships. Now, instead, we will be relaying messages and poking around on blockade duty, for that is about all a twenty-eight gun frigate is good for. If my friend’s fifty-gun ship has too many guns, we certainly have too few.”
Most of the family still did not entirely understand how twenty-eight and fifty guns were not a good number for a ship to have, but thirty-eight and seventy-four were, but they still commiserated with the captains, and discussed the course the naval portion of the war was likely to take. It was as yet unknown how much of the French fleet was mobilised, or even how much of it would be willing to fight for Napoleon, versus the captains who would align with the royalist cause. At this point, the Admiralty was quietly preparing all ships that could be readied for sea, and details in strategy and tactics would be worked out later.
They talked with a sense that very soon they would all no longer be in company, but none of them realised how short a time it was they had left, until Elizabeth noted the lateness of the hour, and invited them to stay to dinner. Captain Ramsey readily accepted, with such expressions of happiness as would be expected of a man invited to dine with the lady who had just accepted his offer of marriage, but Captain Stanton could not stay. His uncle was holding a farewell dinner for him, and it could not be delayed, as he and Captain Ramsey would be taking the earl’s carriage down to Portsmouth first thing on the morrow.
They were all shocked; they had not understood the suddenness of naval time, but now it became clear to them with what urgency Captain Ramsey had gone to Longbourn. Kitty was the only one who wept, to only spend part of a day in the company of her betrothed, but she did at least have the satisfaction of their engagement to console her. Georgiana, however, felt a strange, paralysing fear come over her – soon, Captain Stanton would leave to prepare for his dinner, and then she might not see him again for years. She fell mute; she could not attend to any of the conversation for fear that the next hour might determine her fate, and there was so very little she could do.
After another half-hour, Captain Stanton did rise, and said: “I regret I must take my leave of you all now. Miss Bennet, Captain Ramsey, please allow me to repeat my deepest congratulations – there are few things more pleasing than to know two dear friends shall be married.”
They each thanked him, and then he continued: “Mrs. Darcy, I wonder if I might write to you. I would like to continue to hear news of your family while at sea.”
“Of course,” said Elizabeth. “We would certainly enjoy hearing anecdotes of your naval life.”
“You may count on it,” Captain Stanton said, bowing. “Mr. Darcy, Miss Darcy, Miss Bennet, Mrs. Annesley, my best wishes for your continued health and happiness.”
He turned and left the drawing room, and Georgiana trembled. To hope for her happiness, when she knew there could be no happiness with things so unsettled! She looked over at Elizabeth, who was gazing at her with an expression of such sadness that Georgiana felt her throat tighten with tears. She could not leave things in such a way! She could not!
It did not matter what her family thought – it did not matter what propriety dictated – she must have a private farewell with him. Georgiana stood up and rushed from the drawing-room, out into the entrance-hall, and he was still there, standing in the doorway with Mr. Miller, who was about to open the door for him.
“Captain Stanton!” she cried. He looked up sharply, he took a step towards her, and Georgiana realised that now she held his attention, but she had no idea what to say. She walked up to him, attempting to order her thoughts. “I know you wished for honour. I hope that you may have it, somehow, even with such a ship. But I also hope you will return safely.”
She blushed deeply; he held her gaze, but for some time did not say anything.
“It means a great deal to me that you say that, Miss Darcy,” he said. “I assure you that I have every intention of returning safely; after all, I must still hear you play that Fandango.”
Georgiana mustered a faint smile at this, although there were tears in her eyes. “Yes, you must – I will hold you to it.”
“Goodbye, Miss Darcy,” he held out his hand. “I will miss your company more than I can say.”
Georgiana gave him her hand, and he held it tightly; she returned his grasp, and took what comfort from the gesture she could.
“Goodbye, Captain Stanton,” she said.
He released her hand, and, as Mr. Miller had quietly moved down to the other end of the hallway, opened the door himself and closed it behind him. Only when he was gone did Georgiana allow herself to cry openly.
+++
It was much later in the evening before Elizabeth was able to go to her husband’s bedchamber. Captain Ramsey had stayed very late, and they could not blame him for wishing to do so, not when he and Kitty had no idea of when they might next see each other, although at least now that they were engaged, they would be allowed to correspond privately.
Elizabeth sighed as she took her place in bed. She wished she could be wholeheartedly happy for her sister, and indeed she was as happy for Kitty as she could possibly be. She could not help but keep thinking of poor Georgiana, however. After abruptly leaving them to say her own good-bye to Captain Stanton – a move Elizabeth approved of, although she was not sure her husband would – Georgiana had retired to her room. Elizabeth had given her a little time alone, and then gone to her there. It had not taken much prompting for Georgiana to admit to the whole of her affections, to realising that Alfred Mallory’s engagement mattered little to her heart, because she was in love with Captain Stanton.
Their more private parting had given Georgiana some cause for hope, but she was still filled with regrets that she had not known her heart soon enough, that she had not been able to show her preference. There had been little Elizabeth could say in consolation, only that at least they should hear from him when he wrote to their family, and that at some point he would return home, and then certainly they could renew their acquaintance.
Georgiana had managed to rally her spirits enough to come to dinner, looking sapped, but managing a great deal of enthusiasm for Kitty and Captain Ramsey. If she was quiet and introspective over tea, they all understood, and had done their best to keep the conversation away from Captain Stanton, although they could hardly avoid the war.
“Well, Mrs. Darcy, I certainly hope you have no cause for complaint against Captain Ramsey now,” Darcy said, as she settled under the covers beside him.
“No, I certainly do not. It has come about as handsomely as I could ever have hoped for Kitty.” she said. “It is regrettable that he must go to sea so immediately, but then, I believe that also expedited his proposal. Who knows how long he would have waited, without the war to prompt him.”
“I do not think he would have waited too much longer,” Darcy said. “He clearly had put much thought into his plan for the marriage. I think perhaps he was waiting for an opportunity to become acquainted with your father in more natural manner.”
“He might have waited quite awhile, then. I do not believe my father had any intention of coming to town to meet him.”
“I think eventually we could have managed a house party at Pemberley, or something of the sort, so that they might meet. Or perhaps we could have found some reason for him to escort you and Mary back to Longbourn.”
“Darcy! Even my mother would be proud of such plots! I wondered why you kept bringing up the possibility of my going to Longbourn.”
“Believe me, now that it is done, I will put all plotting out of my mind.”
They were silent for some time, and then he said: “How is Georgiana? I wish that I could speak to her of such things, but I found long ago that they are not the province of a brother.”
“She is not well,” Elizabeth admitted. “I know you were worried about what the news of Viscount Burnley’s engagement would do to her. But in some ways, after she got past the deception, it was to her benefit. She came to realise that she loved Captain Stanton. It is just unfortunate that she did not have any time to act on it.”
“She certainly seemed to act on it as he took his leave.”
“You would not criticise her for that, would you?”
“No,” he said. “I cannot say it was entirely proper, but it was done among family, and if she does love him, I cannot fault her motivation. Indeed, if it gave her any amount of comfort, I am glad that she did it.”
“I believe it did,” Elizabeth said. “It at least gave her some cause for hope.”
“I do not like to bring up our argument over the merits of Viscount Burnley versus Captain Stanton,” Darcy said. “Particularly as history has proven me to have been quite incorrect in my choice. But I have been meditating on this for some time, and there is one merit to Captain Stanton that neither of us considered perhaps as much as we should have.”
“What is that?”
“He has his own fortune – more than enough that the two of them could live quite well, even if Georgiana had nothing of her own. The attention he shows her – even if it is with very little display of affection – is on her merits alone, not because of her fortune. Perhaps it took the incident with Viscount Burnley for me to appreciate that fully.”
“And I will admit that although I preferred Captain Stanton, I never thought Viscount Burnley to be such a poor suitor as he turned out to be. I am so very glad that they were not in any way entangled. If he had offered for Georgiana, and she had accepted, they might have spent their entire marriage in love with other people.”
Elizabeth shuddered slightly at the thought of it; despite how weary she had grown of this life in town, she was still very much in love with her husband. The thought of town, however, made her realise that they had very little reason to stay, now, with both captains going down to Portsmouth.
“Darcy – do you think we might return Kitty and Mary to Longbourn, and then remove to Pemberley?” she asked. “I realise we will have to stay through Caroline’s wedding, but after that there is no longer any reason for us to stay in town. Indeed, Jane and Charles might be willing to go there with us, so that they might look for an estate in the area. They have several parties interested in Netherfield – it cannot be long now before one makes an offer to take over the lease.”
“I have been considering exactly the same thing,” he said, a smile spreading across his face. “I see no reason for us to stay in town any longer than we must. If we stay, there will be no peace for Georgiana – once society resumes fully, I do not doubt Lady Catherine will attempt to take her to Almack’s again, and all of our other engagements will continue. At Pemberley, we might all have some peace.”
Elizabeth felt her spirits lighten at the thought of leaving town, and drew closer to him. “Tell me about Pemberley.”
“You have been there yourself, Elizabeth.”
“It is not the same – I have been there as a guest, to view the public rooms and the grounds, not as anything approaching one of the family.”
“You had been invited to be so, well before your visit.”
“Yes, and I cannot say that I did not think of how I might have been mistress of such an estate, upon seeing it. But you know such things have little true influence on me.”
“Indeed I do.”
“So tell me about Pemberley. Tell me of your Pemberley.”
“I hardly know where to start,” he said. “I have spoke of the library, and must admit it to be by far my favourite room in the house. There is, though, a room beyond it that I do not believe I have mentioned – one of the bookcases is actually a door, leading to a private sitting room, and as much as I adore the library, I fully understand what would have motivated my ancestors to create such a space – it is small and musty, despite all Mrs. Reynolds’s efforts to air it – truly a refuge within a refuge, if you will.”
“Oh, I must see it,” Elizabeth said. “I am wild to see the library, but I must admit the idea of a secret space beyond intrigues me greatly. Longbourn is such a straightforward house; it has none of those secret spaces, and it is not so large that any place of substance could be overlooked. I must admit I enjoy gothic novels simply for the discovery of these hidden rooms and passages – to think of a house so large and so old that it has rooms undiscovered!”
“I cannot claim so many spaces in Pemberley, although parts of it are old enough that perhaps there may be a few that have escaped notice in this century, and perhaps you may be the one to uncover them.”
“I shall greatly enjoy searching for them, then,” Elizabeth said. “But what of the grounds? You have said nothing of the grounds.”
“You have seen the highlights of those, at least, although I expect an accomplished walker such as you will quickly develop your own favourites. I suppose it is all dependent on whether you prefer hills, forest, field, or stream, in your scenery.”
“I enjoy them all,” Elizabeth said. “I shall hardly be able to choose.”
“You will not need to, given your favour for frequent walks. I will say, though, that nature has obliged you in your desire for secret spaces perhaps better than the house itself. There are some hidden spaces in the grounds that are even more delightful than anything I believe the house can muster.”
“And will you promise to show me all of them, and kiss me in every single one?” she asked.
“I will show you them all, and there are some in which I may give you more than a kiss,” he said, stroking her arm with that particular lightness of touch which she could hardly bear, and yet adored.
Chapter 34
Elizabeth did not wish to remove to Pemberley without first discussing the plan with Georgiana, and she found the young woman alone in the conservatory after breakfast. Georgiana looked up from her seat with a tired face, one lacking all of its usual good humour, and Elizabeth felt deeply for her.
“Darcy and I have been discussing the possibility of removing to Pemberley in a fortnight or so, after Miss Bingley’s wedding,” Elizabeth said, sitting beside her. “I wanted to check and see what you thought of such a scheme – if you wish to stay for the full season, we will certainly do so.”
“I have no desire to stay for the rest of the season,” Georgiana said. “To be honest, the thought of meeting any more suitors makes me weary.”
“We had thought that might be the case. I will also admit to being weary of society – I have a great desire to return to the countryside.”
