A Constant Love: A Pride & Prejudice Continuation, page 9
Two of the gentlemen were to inherit estates, and when they found Darcy, although not much their elder, had already been managing Pemberley for some years, they applied to him for advice as the group set out for Richmond Park. This was a comfortable subject for Darcy, one he could converse on at length, even with new acquaintances, which was a relief to him. The two ladies seemed already acquainted, and rode together, although they had been kind enough to Georgiana when they were all introduced. This left Georgiana free to be joined by Lord Alfred, who rode up beside her as they started onto the streets of London.
“So this is Grace?” he asked. “She moves beautifully.”
“Yes, I quite love her. My brother selected her for me when I outgrew my cob.”
“Your brother has excellent taste in horses,” Lord Alfred said, looking up towards the front of the group, where Darcy was riding.
“Yes, he does. Although, Lord Alfred, I must point out that we are talking about horses.” Georgiana blushed as soon as she made the statement; she was teasing him the way Elizabeth teased her brother! She realised how comfortable she was in talking to Lord Alfred – he was so pleasant and had such easy manners that she had just spoken as she never thought she would.
“Ah, Miss Darcy, you refer to our conversation at Lady Catherine’s dinner party. You have called me out; I am ashamed,” he said, smiling at her. “I beg you to choose another topic for us, although I might point out that talking about horses briefly – whilst actually riding – is a step above talking interminably about racing horses at a dinner party.”
Georgiana laughed and returned his smile. “Yes, let us continue on horses for just a little while longer. I have not complimented you on Gambit yet – he is beautiful.”
Gambit was indeed beautiful, a chestnut stallion who was clearly of the finest bloodlines, and yet very well-behaved. He seemed pleased to be trotting along next to Georgiana’s mare, but was not at all made difficult by her presence.
“Why thank you, I do take great pride in him. You would not think it to look at him now, but he was the smaller of twins born to one of the best mares on our estate. Everyone wanted to put him down so that the larger twin should have all of his mother’s milk, so I took him and fed him on goat’s milk. That was ten years ago.”
“You are correct, sir, I would never have thought it – how honourable of you!”
“I was too young then to think of anything like honour,” he said. “I simply could not stand to see him killed. And I have been many times rewarded for my effort – his growth quickly caught him up to his twin brother in size, and I believe he is the finer horse. Since he has known me all his life, his behaviour toward me is much like a young puppy who loves his master.”
They did move on to other topics soon enough. On the first night of their acquaintance they had discovered a similar taste in books, but Georgiana found they also conversed easily on other topics, as well, and she was surprised they reached Richmond Park in what seemed like a very short time.
Georgiana found herself immediately charmed by the place. The great rolling hills and vast expanses of grass, and the wooded areas she could see beyond them, reminded her a bit of Pemberley. A herd of deer, startled by their entrance into the park, took off running, and instantly the riders in the front of their group set off at a gallop to try and chase them; not to hunt, which they could not do on the royal grounds, but simply for the sport of it.
Now the quality of the horses and the courage of their riders began to tell, as gaps formed in the group, and soon enough, Darcy’s horse, Kestrel, and Lord Alfred’s Gambit were at the head of the group. They moved at an easy gallop, with perhaps just the slightest sense of competition between them, but not so much that they would visibly urge their horses on. Georgiana and Grace stayed comfortably in the middle of the group, although ahead of the other two ladies, Grace quite happy to finally stretch her legs, Georgiana revelling in the wind on her face and the wild beauty of the park. She saw her brother’s horse finally move into a clear lead, which did not surprise her. Kestrel was the very best horse that years of careful breeding by her father and then brother had produced at Pemberley, bred for stamina as well as speed, and if her brother had any interest in racing, Kestrel would have been a true contender.
When all in the group had their fill of galloping, they drew back together, and one of the gentlemen suggested they take one of the paths through the woods. Lord Alfred was still at the front of the group, and not near Georgiana, but she received many compliments from the other gentlemen on being quite the young equestrienne, and enjoyed the ride through the trees, with the sunlight making long-fingered rays through the branches. The leaves were full into their change, and many had already fallen, so that they crunched under the horses’s hooves as they made their way along.
They rode for another two hours before making their way to a lake, where Lord Alfred had arranged to have servants and grooms meet them with refreshments, and all of the horses could drink, deeply, after such a long ride. It was here that Gambit stood out ahead of Kestrel; while Darcy’s horse could have easily gone for another gallop and needed to be held closely by a groom, Lord Alfred simply slipped Gambit’s bridle off, so that the horse might follow him and then graze near where his master was sitting. Darcy complimented him on his horse’s behaviour, and Lord Alfred gave him an abbreviated version of the horse’s history by way of explanation.
Georgiana found she was famished after so much riding, and had to take care to ensure she was eating and drinking like a lady. She was sitting with the other ladies, now, and found them to be intelligent and pleasant, and was glad to see that Lord Alfred kept such good company. For just a moment, she allowed herself to think of what it might be like to be his wife, and spend much time with the people in this group, perhaps going on many more outings like this. However, she soon reminded herself that they were new in their acquaintance, and while she enjoyed his company, and he hers, they still knew very little of each other.
Chapter 10
As the weeks passed leading up to Lady Catherine’s ball, Georgiana had many more opportunities to get to know Lord Alfred. He called frequently at Curzon Street, and Georgiana and her brother took to more frequent rides in Hyde Park, where they often encountered Lord Alfred and Gambit, and then rode on together.
She began to understand more of his daily life as a second son. He of course had no fortune of his own and no expectations to inherit, but was given a very liberal allowance by his family, and as such could live a life of leisure in London. He was not, however, part of that group of young men with similar means who spent all their time in gambling, dissipation, and drunken all-night routs, although she came to understand that, as she had suspected, his brother went with such a crowd.
Lord Alfred dined at White’s frequently, and as Darcy determined he needed at least one night a week away from so much female company, he and Charles Bingley resumed dining there together as they had during their bachelor days, and often invited Lord Alfred to join them, if not for dinner, then at least for a glass or two of brandy or port. Darcy found the young man to be someone of sense and economy, if a bit lacking for purpose in life. Over time, he determined that if the young man’s acquaintance with Georgiana deepened further, and Lord Alfred should choose to offer for her, and she to accept, he would readily approve the match.
He discussed this with Elizabeth one day. She had come into his study to take a break from the planning of Georgiana’s ball, having just returned from a call to Lady Ellen, who had been helping her determine the best additions to the guest list beyond the family and acquaintances Elizabeth already had in town. Later she was to have another conference with Mrs. Annesley and Mrs. Wright, and she needed a pause in worrying about ensuring that an event of such importance, both to Georgiana and herself, went perfectly.
Elizabeth sat down wearily in the old leather chair she had claimed as her own, and Darcy allowed her some minutes of quietude before broaching his topic.
“I had another satisfactory conversation with Lord Alfred last night at White’s,” he told her.
“He and Georgiana do seem to enjoy each other’s company quite a lot,” Elizabeth said readily, for this was a welcome topic to her. She, too, approved of Lord Alfred, and especially the way his easy manners seemed to make Georgiana more comfortable in company, particularly when she conversed with Lord Alfred himself.
“Lord Alfred informed me that he will be staying in town through Christmas; as his brother also intends to stay. He would of course not say so, but I expect his parents may have instructed him to do so, to keep an eye on the elder brother. I told him our plans were not yet fixed. I wanted to discuss with you whether it might make sense to stay here, so that there should be no separation between him and Georgiana. We usually spend Christmas at Pemberley, and I know we continue to keep you away from the estate – believe me, I should much prefer to be there, and were it not for Georgiana’s needs, I would have taken you there after Weymouth so that you could take up your rightful position as its mistress.”
Once again, when faced with the option of not removing to Pemberley, Elizabeth felt a rush of relief. She had grown comfortable with the servants here – Mrs. Wright, in particular, had been very easy to work with ever since Sarah’s promotion – and to go to Pemberley and learn the ways of the house while trying to plan Christmas and a ball back in London seemed an impossibly daunting task.
“I do not mind at all, staying here through Christmas,” she said. “I agree they should not be separated by such a distance. As well, it will be much easier to continue planning the ball from this house.”
“Very well, then,” he said, and then seemed to want to continue to speak, but could not determine just what he wanted to say. Finally, he told her: “Elizabeth, I cannot tell you what a joy it has been to see how you have embraced Georgiana as a sister. I know it means the world to her as well. Before we were acquainted, whenever I turned my mind to marriage, I worried about the effect a new mistress of the household would have on Georgiana – in some ways, it would be to her like gaining a new stepmother. Then I met you and I knew that I should have no such worries, if I could finally manage to win your hand. You would be the sister she never had and always wanted. It pleases me so much to see that my estimation was correct.”
Elizabeth did not even consider teasing him after such a tender speech; she demurred, she noted that Georgiana was so lovely that she should have hoped they would have been friends, even if Elizabeth had not married her brother. For her modesty, she found herself rewarded with a kiss rather more appropriate for their bedchamber than his study, one that promised far more when they did retire that evening. She returned the kiss most ardently, but then required herself to leave earlier than she needed to for her meeting with Mrs. Annesley and Mrs. Wright. She feared that if she stayed, a servant might knock too softly and come in, and thus Mr. and Mrs. Darcy would come to be known through the house for having done something most inappropriate in the gentleman’s study.
Chapter 11
Lady Catherine’s ball was precisely what one should imagine of Lady Catherine’s ball: overdone in its decorations, and populated with those who made Lady Catherine herself feel more important. The Earl of Brandon was of course there with Lady Ellen, whom Lady Catherine could not very well leave off the guest list without also leaving off her own brother, and – perhaps more importantly – an earl. Both Viscount Burnley and Lord Alfred were in attendance, as well as members of several other noble families and other untitled, but influential guests.
Lord Alfred had already called on them the day before to claim both the first set and the supper set from Georgiana, as well as promises for sets with Elizabeth, Catherine, and Mary. Lady Catherine had also ensured there would be ample male partners at her ball, strongly persuading even the slightest of acquaintances to attend, so long as they were of appropriate station and known to be good dancers. Introductions were made, and partners readily found for Catherine and Mary, so that Elizabeth had the fortune of being able to dance the first set with her husband.
Lady Catherine herself led off the first set with the earl, and Elizabeth wondered whom Lady Ellen should dance with. Then she saw her aunt beaming as she was escorted onto the floor by a familiar face – Colonel Fitzwilliam had returned from the continent! She and Darcy both expressed great joy at seeing him returned to England as they took up their places, and indicated their longing to speak with him more over the course of the evening.
Such was the size of the ball that more than half of the guests were unknown to Elizabeth, and she felt for the first time in a while that she was in hostile territory. Whispers followed her as she and Darcy made their way through the dance, and she realised that of course Lady Catherine would move in the same circles as those who had called her the nobody who married Mr. Darcy at court. She felt her cheeks flush, and determined she must hold her head high and try to act as elegant as Lady Ellen. They might find fault with her background, but they would not find fault in her manners.
Georgiana, meanwhile, found nothing but the utmost pleasure in the first dance. Lord Alfred was every bit as good a dancer as she had remembered him to be, and conversation flowed even more easily between them now that they knew each other so well. If it lacked the drama of his rescue before their first dance, she still enjoyed it just as much, and was even more delighted when she discovered that her cousin Edward was among the dancers.
She had the pleasure of dancing the second set with Edward, who congratulated her on her presentation at court and on coming out in society. Edward told her he had just arrived the evening before, and had been happy to learn that so many of his family and friends would be at the ball; he had missed them all dearly. The other dances before the supper set went well enough – Lady Catherine had lined up a few alternatives to Lord Alfred, and continued to introduce them to her niece and suggest strongly that they dance. She danced with Viscount Burnley, as well, and found she did not mind it at all; he was a good dancer, if a bit flashy, and conversed just enough to be polite.
Still, Georgiana was quite happy to be handed over by the viscount to his brother for the supper set. Such a contrast to her last ball, to know she was dancing with a man whose company she would enjoy during supper! She skipped gaily through the dance, and was much commented on, both by her family, and others in the room.
“Georgiana and Lord Alfred seem to get on quite well,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam to Elizabeth, whose hand he had claimed for the set.
“Yes, they have been much in each other’s company of late,” she told him.
“Darcy approves of him?”
“Yes – I cannot speak to what manner of interrogation the poor young man has gone through at White’s, but he seems to have passed muster.”
“I am sure I will like him as well, then.”
“I did not say Darcy likes him, Edward. You know my husband well enough to know that it will be some time before he deposits true like upon the young man.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam laughed at this, and said, “Oh, Mrs. Darcy, I cannot say how much I have missed you all, not to mention English society.”
Supper was also what one would expect of Lady Catherine. No dish that was in fashion was left out, more footmen than were needed attended them all, and Lady Catherine blustered on through its course that no one had a greater love of seeing young people dancing and enjoying themselves than she.
Elizabeth found herself comfortably ensconced in the family group, and not within earshot of any that would whisper about her, so that she could relax a bit, and attempt to apply herself to all of the food before her, and the conversation amongst their group. Georgiana, Lord Alfred, and Viscount Burnley sat somewhat away from the rest of them, and Georgiana began to get a better sense of the dislike both brothers had for each other, which was great indeed. She sided fully with Lord Alfred; the elder brother, although he had been pleasant enough to dance with, she still saw as a rake and a frivolous young man, and to this she added a sense of indignation for Lord Alfred, for it was clear to her that the younger brother would have been a much better estate manager, and the family should suffer that he was not the one who would succeed to the dukedom.
The remainder of the ball passed much as its beginning and middle. Georgiana had not the pleasure of looking forward to any more promised dances with Lord Alfred, although she hoped that perhaps there would be a waltz to close the evening as there had been at Lady Allen’s, and he would ask her to dance it again. There was not to be a waltz, however; Lady Catherine was far too conservative for such things. Georgiana was disappointed, Kitty even more so, and although they both closed out their evenings with less-than-ideal partners, in a whispered conference during the carriage ride home, they both agreed that on the whole, the evening had been quite delightful, which was far more than they should have expected for any ball of Lady Catherine’s.
Chapter 12
Following Lady Catherine’s ball, Elizabeth’s primary focus became planning for Christmas. Preparations for Georgiana’s coming-out ball were already well in hand, save for some families Lady Ellen wished to introduce her to, so that Elizabeth could then invite them.
Elizabeth asked Mrs. Wright to meet with her one morning after breakfast, and informed her that the family were to stay for Christmas. Mrs. Wright was delighted – usually the honour went to Pemberley every year, and it had been some time since the house had hosted the event. Mrs. Wright had been the housekeeper then, however, and she explained to Elizabeth what had been done at that last Christmas in the house. Elizabeth was pleased with most of the decorations, and added only one direction – that they place pine boughs along the stair railing, as had been tradition every year at Longbourn.
The Fitzwilliams and Lady Catherine were to return to their respective family estates, so that the guest list for Christmas dinner was limited to the Bingleys, Hursts, and Gardiners. The menu from the previous Christmas dinner was far more outdated than the decorations, and Elizabeth, Mrs. Wright, and Cook spent quite some time determining the dishes and puddings that should be served.
