A Constant Love: A Pride & Prejudice Continuation, page 41
“I do not think, if you asked her, that she would say you failed her,” Elizabeth said, softly. “You did the best you could, to be given such a responsibility at your age.”
“I could have done better.”
“You shall have a chance to prove that soon enough, when you raise your own child,” Elizabeth said, glancing down at her belly, and then looking up to him with a smile.
Chapter 15
Lord Anglesey’s dinner party had broken up not long after those few young ladies brave enough to follow Georgiana’s performance had taken their turn on the pianoforte, but still, it had served as a reminder to Mr. Darcy that it was not healthy for his wife to be in town.
“I have been thinking, we can begin to make plans to return to Pemberley,” he said, upon her entering his study the following day. “Georgiana’s matter is certainly settled, and I believe you only have one more sitting with Mr. Thorpe.”
“Yes, later today. Dr. Whittling did encourage me to not stay much longer than a fortnight, and by the time we have made our arrangements, we will be nearly there. I assume Georgiana will wish to stay, however.”
“I see no issue with that. All she requires is a chaperone, at this point, and Mrs. Annesley is more than capable of fulfilling that role.”
“Why do we not go out and see if Georgiana is comfortable with this plan, then?” Elizabeth asked.
When they entered the drawing room, however, they found Captain Stanton was already there, and also planning to leave town.
“It has become clear to me that this is not the place to convalesce,” he said. “I had three invitations arrive today – until Wellington and the army officers are returned, everyone wishes to have whatever representation from the military they may muster at their dinners and balls, and many of them are not persons I can refuse. I called at the Admiralty to request a leave of absence, and learned they are to halt repairs on the Jupiter and the Polonais, for they do not expect they will be needed. So it may be some time – if ever – before I am given another command.”
“Where will you go, to convalesce?” Elizabeth asked.
“My uncle’s estate – my cousin and his new bride have been there these last few weeks, and my uncle had been planning to join them in a fortnight or so anyway.”
“It is outside of Chester, is it not?” Georgiana asked. “That is a very long journey in your situation.”
“It is. I am not looking forward to the journey, but in the long view, it will be much better to go there.”
“You might stay with us for a few days at Pemberley, if you wish to break your journey,” Elizabeth said. Breaking a journey from London to Chester in Derbyshire was not the most practical of travel arrangements, but if one’s fiancée lived in Derbyshire, it would suit quite well.
“Thank you, Mrs. Darcy, I would very much appreciate that,” he said. “I must stay through the Prince Regent’s ball, and I suspect your family may need to as well. When I received the invitation, it was hinted to me that my fiancée and her family would be there, so do not be surprised if one is delivered here. It is a private ball – at least, as private as the Regent manages to give – celebrating the Waterloo victory.”
They received news of the possible invitation – and later in the day, the invitation itself, for the ball four days hence – with appropriate outward reactions. Yet inwardly, Georgiana was both thrilled and terrified. She would never in life have expected to attend a ball at Clarence House, and she wished for the presence of her aunt, who was the only person she knew who might be able to give her some indication of what to expect, and how to deport herself there. Then she chastised herself for wishing for her aunt’s presence for such a frivolous thing as a ball, considering what her aunt was going through currently, and determined she would give it no more thought.
Elizabeth and Darcy, meanwhile, did not discuss it until she had joined him in his bed that evening, saying, “I suppose we shall have to delay our departure a little longer.”
“Yes, I do not like it, but one can hardly refuse an invitation from the Prince Regent.”
“You would not have liked it, regardless. I know how you feel about balls.”
“True, but this goes beyond my general disinterest in them. A ball with that set, and with your health as it is – if there were a way to decline it, I would do so.”
“Darcy, I am with child, not struck down with fever. My health shall survive a ball. Indeed, I would not mind dancing a few times more before I will need to stop. This may be my last opportunity for some time.”
“If dancing is what you wish for, let us open up our own ballroom tomorrow morning. I am sure Georgiana will play for you, and then we may depart for Pemberley once you have danced your fill.”
“We cannot, and you know it. And think of the honour to Georgiana.”
“When she is married, she may attend as many balls given by the Prince Regent as she chooses.”
“And I shall be stuck at Pemberley, with my poor hermit.”
“You may hold as many balls at Pemberley as you wish.”
“I will hold you to that, Mr. Darcy. You will rue the day you said it.”
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Now that the engagement had been announced, Elizabeth had a great deal of correspondence to attend to, and she set out to it the following morning. She had already sent the announcement to the papers, and now made out a note to Mr. Clark, requesting the banns be read beginning in the next Sunday’s service. Her next set of letters was more enjoyable; she wrote to Jane, requesting she let Charles and the rest of Pemberley’s staff know of the engagement, then to Kitty, asking her sister to inform the rest of the Bennets, and to the Gardiners, who had become acquainted enough with Georgiana that she felt they should be pleased by the news.
Her final letter was in some ways the most enjoyable, for of course, Lady Catherine must be informed. Elizabeth wrote what would likely be her longest-ever letter to that lady, speaking of how celebrated Captain Stanton was in town, of his baronetcy, and of their invitation to the Prince Regent’s ball. She knew none of these things to be Captain Stanton’s truest merits, but they were the things that would most matter to Lady Catherine. As she wrote, Elizabeth could not help but be pleased that by anyone’s assessment, Georgiana had made an excellent match, but it was one that had come about through no efforts of Lady Catherine’s.
She finished with enough time for a little rest before dinner, and was about to lie down when Sarah knocked on her door. “Beg your pardon, ma’am, but I wished to let you know your ball gowns are arrived from Pemberley – we had so few options for Lord Anglesey’s dinner I grew worried at what should happen if you were invited to a ball. I sent for three of them; I always like the lilac silk best on you, but I wished you to have a choice.”
“Thank you, Sarah, I must admit I forgot how little we packed to come to town. Were it not for you I suppose I would be showing up to the Prince Regent’s ball in a dinner dress. Do you know if Hughes did the same for Georgiana?”
“She did, ma’am. Neither of you need attend dressed for dinner.” Sarah looked horrified at the thought of it, and Elizabeth realised how much Sarah had grown as a lady’s maid in the last year. She was no longer a young girl, unsure of whether she was doing everything right, and instead a skilled woman who took the turnout of her lady very seriously. Elizabeth would still have happily shown up to the Regent’s ball in a dinner dress; she held a fondness for Sarah that had only been strengthened by her having recognised Elizabeth’s pregnancy, and she felt such a fondness would survive nearly any error in her turnout.
+++
There were two events of significance to take place before the ball. The first was a letter from Caroline Bingley to Elizabeth and Georgiana. Elizabeth had purposely not written Caroline, for there seemed no way to gracefully share the news that so contradicted the gossip Caroline had shared with them, and so Elizabeth preferred it should reach Caroline slowly, through Charles or Jane.
Caroline had, however, seen both the gossip pages and the official announcement, and wrote a letter to Georgiana and Elizabeth indicating her surprise and delight at the engagement, with only the slightest reference to having been wrong in her intelligence, and no understanding at all that she had caused a great deal of pain. She wondered would they be in town long enough to attend a dinner, and bring Georgiana’s fiancé, for having a war hero in attendance would be quite the thing. Elizabeth could only shake her head, upon reading such a letter, and reply that they would all be leaving town immediately after the Prince Regent’s ball, and could not fit in any more engagements.
The second event was quite unexpected to the family, although perhaps it should not have been. Elizabeth and Darcy were sitting in his study the morning before the ball, when Mrs. Annesley knocked and entered.
“I wondered if I might have a word with you, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy,” she said.
“Yes, of course,” Darcy said. “Please be seated.”
Mrs. Annesley claimed the seat nearest her, and sitting up very straight, said, “I know we have not yet discussed such matters, but certainly Miss Darcy’s marriage will necessitate the end of my employment here.”
“You need not worry on that account,” Darcy said. “You may take as long as is needed to find a new situation that is suitable to you, and stay with us under the current financial arrangements. It is the least we can do after all you have done for Georgiana.”
“That is very generous of you, sir,” Mrs. Annesley said. “However, that is why I am here so soon. I have found a new situation, not apurpose, mind you, but still, I have. A friend saw Miss Darcy’s wedding announcement in the papers, and happened to mention that I should be coming available to an acquaintance of hers, Lord Epworth. He is a widower, and as he comes out of mourning, seeks to find a companion for his daughter. He wrote to me, and I visited them in my half-day, and I have found the situation to be very suitable.”
“That is splendid,” Elizabeth said. “We shall miss you greatly, but I am sure you shall be such a comfort to the young lady.”
“I thank you, Mrs. Darcy. The difficulty of it is, Lord Epworth would prefer I begin immediately. I told him I was committed to your family through Miss Darcy’s wedding, if you need me, but that I would speak with you.”
Elizabeth glanced over at Darcy, and knew he was of her mind on the situation. They were for Pemberley after the Regent’s ball, and would have much less need for Mrs. Annesley there, particularly with guests already in the house, and more coming. Mrs. Annesley had not sought this new position, and they could not begrudge her for wishing to take it immediately – if left to wait a month or two, Lord Epworth might grow impatient and find another companion for his daughter.
“You should take up your new position,” Darcy said. “As Mrs. Darcy says, we shall miss you greatly, but I would not wish you to allow this opportunity to pass. And you will allow me to write a character for you, although you may not need it now. I would be happy to verify your time with Georgiana to Lord Epworth, if he does need me to do so.”
“I thank you very kindly, Mr. Darcy,” Mrs. Annesley said. “I would still wish to attend Miss Darcy’s wedding – that is, if I would be invited.”
“Of course you are invited,” Elizabeth said. “And we will be very happy to have you there, particularly Georgiana.”
“I am very much obliged to you, Mrs. Darcy. Would you wish me to tell Miss Darcy now?”
“Yes, I suppose so. There will not be a better time,” Elizabeth said.
Georgiana was in her apartment, looking at the dresses Hughes had requested from Pemberley, trying to determine which might be best for the ball, when Mrs. Annesley knocked on the door.
“Please come in,” Georgiana said, and upon seeing her companion, “Oh, Mrs. Annesley! Would you tell me which of these you prefer? I cannot decide.”
“This always was my favourite,” Mrs. Annesley said, pointing to the white silk dress Georgiana had worn for her coming-out ball. “However that is not why I have come to talk to you.”
Georgiana looked more closely at Mrs. Annesley and realised that she looked quite upset. “Is something the matter?”
“I shall be leaving you, sooner than I expected,” Mrs. Annesley said, and proceeded to tell Georgiana of her new situation, and how it had come about.
As she spoke, Georgiana felt her eyes filling with tears. Given more time, she would have come to realise that of course Mrs. Annesley would be leaving; Georgiana would not require a companion, once she married, and so she must necessarily lose Mrs. Annesley while she gained her husband.
“Your brother and sister have given me leave to begin my new situation,” Mrs. Annesley said. “However, if you feel you still need me, I shall stay. I will return for your wedding, either way.”
“No, they are right. You should go and begin your new situation with your new family. I just – oh, I shall miss you so!”
Mrs. Annesley reached out and embraced Georgiana as she had so many times when Georgiana was first recovering from Mr. Wickham’s deceit, and then again during the events of the last few months.
“I shall miss you too, my dear, but soon enough you will be married, and I promise you will miss me much less after that.”
Chapter 16
Elizabeth did wear lilac, and Georgiana her white silk gown – both of them quite thankful that outside of St. James’s, court dress was not required – when the carriage stopped outside Carlton House. Captain Stanton was waiting there with his uncle, although fortunately his father was absent, and he looked a little better than he had at the earl’s dinner, but not so much so that Georgiana had any expectation that she should have a chance to dance with him in the course of the evening.
Their waiting for the Darcys meant that Lord Anglesey could introduce Elizabeth and Georgiana to the Prince Regent as they came in – Darcy, it seemed, was already vaguely known to him – and Georgiana dropped into her deepest curtsey, feeling Elizabeth do the same beside her. Georgiana had seen the Prince Regent’s carriage before about town, but this was the first time she had been close enough to observe him; she was surprised at how large his person was, and how unwell he looked, and made her utmost effort to avoid having these thoughts reach her countenance.
“So this is the young lady who has snared the heart of our latest baronet, hmm?” the Prince said, looking at Georgiana. “I congratulate you both. And since I have invited your poor fiancé to a ball where he may not dance, Miss Darcy, I hope he will not mind too much when I add insult to injury and ask if you will dance the third set with me.”
“Of course, Your Royal Highness, I would like that very much,” Georgiana said, her voice trembling, for regardless of what she said, the thought of dancing with the Prince terrified her, filling her with thoughts of how she should make some unforgivable mistake in front of such a man, and such a crowd.
They moved on, then, into a house that was even more opulent than Georgiana had imagined it would be. She had lived in the vast space of Pemberley for much of her life, but had never encountered anything in the confines of town to equal this, nor anything so ostentatious. The ceiling of the entrance-hall seemed twice as high as the one at Curzon Street, and the rooms they walked through to reach the ballroom were covered in gold leaf and the finest satins and velvets, and these materials were in turn covered with painting after painting, each so beautiful that Georgiana would have liked to pause an hour or so in each room to examine them. They walked slowly, allowing some time for study, but it was not nearly enough.
Lord Anglesey was active in politics, and within minutes of their being inside the house, had espied someone he wished to talk to, made his apologies, and departed their company. This left his nephew, as they continued on their way, to suddenly stop walking, and, as they all gathered around him, to say, in a most uncomfortable tone of voice:
“I should have thought to say this when last I called, but there will be more than a few men of looser morals than you are generally acquainted with here. Mrs. Darcy, Miss Darcy, please take care that they escort you back where they should, if you dance with them, and do not leave the ballroom without Mr. Darcy or myself. Miss Darcy, I include the gentleman who earlier asked you to dance, when I say this.”
He looked at her very carefully, and Georgiana realised he meant the Prince Regent, although of course he could not say so directly. It was no secret in town that the Prince Regent had many mistresses, but the thought of his having any interest in her made her face very warm as she nodded her understanding.
“Very good,” Captain Stanton said. “I do not mean to frighten any of you; it is most likely that we will all have a pleasant evening, but I would not wish to keep silent on such a thing and come to regret it later.”
They were directed by servants through the house, and out into a promenade along the gardens, where an enormous set of structures had been set up, including Mr. Nash’s great round “tent,” which Georgiana had read about in the papers a year previously, and saw now was much more a building than a tent.
They made their way into the tent, which served as a great ballroom, and had been most elegantly decorated for the event, the floor intricately chalked. They were not there long before there came a great booming voice behind Georgiana: “Stanton! There you are! I hope we see you better.”
Captain Stanton dropped into what semblance of a bow he could manage, and Georgiana followed him without knowing who she curtsied to; she could see it was another man in naval uniform, although it was that of an admiral.
“I thank you, Your Royal Highness, I am feeling a little better.”
“And this must be your fiancée and her family. Will you please introduce us?”
“Of course, sir. This is Mr. Darcy, Mrs. Darcy, and Miss Darcy, of Pemberley in Derbyshire,” Captain Stanton said, then, to the Darcys, “This is His Royal Highness, the Duke of Clarence.”
