Page 57 of Such Low Connections

Elizabeth supposed that the unpleasant gossip about his birth might have taught him that, although with Miss King’s departure, she and her family heard less of this now in Meryton and the local area. She fancied that Georgiana Darcy was entirely unaware of the rumours. Perhaps that was why her brother was so relaxed here.

“But you must come again tomorrow, Elizabeth,” Georgiana declared when Mr and Mrs Gardiner regretfully announced the need to return to Lambton. “You will, won’t you?”

Elizabeth hesitated, unsure whether her aunt and uncle would want to extend their stay in Lambton by another night, and also unwilling to force Mr Darcy’s hand. He might have made a great effort today in order to demonstrate that he held no ill-will towards her. She should not push him further.

“You would certainly be most welcome,” Mr Darcy asserted, looking to all three of his guests but settling his eyes on Elizabeth. “My sister has little society here at Pemberley at this time of year, and I am not the best of companions for a young woman.”

“That is not true, Fitzwilliam. I like you more than anyone,” Georgiana assured her brother, taking his arm. “But I should like to see Elizabeth and Mr and Mrs Gardiner again too, if it is not inconvenient for them.”

Elizabeth’s aunt and uncle laughed together.

“We should certainly not mind another day at Pemberley,” Mr Gardiner assured his host, and all was soon settled for another visit.

The second day at Pemberley passed just as agreeably as the first, with Mr Darcy remaining both attentive and respectful to Elizabeth. Neither of them had mentioned either their heated exchange in Hunsford, nor the evil rumours he was battling. Elizabeth imagined that they both thought these things best forgotten.

As they walked the galleries and hallways of Pemberley, filled with the artworks collected by many generations of the Darcy family, Elizabeth amused herself with the thought that she might have been mistress of this place by now if her principles had been different. Although her views on matrimony were unchanged, she could no longer say that Mr Darcy was the last man she would ever marry.

In fact, Elizabeth rather hoped that she might now consider both Miss Darcy and Mr Darcy her friends. She was sorry when the day came to an end.

“You must write to me, Georgiana,” Elizabeth entreated the younger woman, having gathered that she did not have many correspondents and wished for more. “I would love to hear about Pemberley in summertime.”

“I shall,” Georgiana assured her, glancing at her brother and sighing with her next sentence. “You must call on me at Darcy House in London when I return there too…maybe next year, I suppose.”

“I promise I will,” said Elizabeth, and embraced the young woman in farewell.

“Mr Darcy will accompany us back to Lambton and take a brandy at the inn with me,” announced Mr Gardiner before Elizabeth could take a final leave of their host. “I have convinced him to allow me this one small gesture of hospitality in return for accepting so much of his.”

“I did not require very much convincing,” Mr Darcy protested with a smile, and then walked out with Elizabeth to the carriage.

“Thank you,” Elizabeth told him as he handed her in and then sat down opposite her, leaving space by the door for Mr and Mrs Gardiner, a few steps behind them.

“There is no reason to thank me,” he said. “I thank you for being so kind to my sister and for your own good company these last two days.”

Mr Darcy looked slightly uncomfortable, but Elizabeth pressed ahead, having had very few opportunities to speak with him alone.

“For some time, I’ve wanted to thank you for opening my eyes to George Wickham’s true nature,” she said swiftly, glancing out of the carriage to ensure the others were not yet at the door. “You wrote bravely.”

“I wrote truly,” Mr Darcy corrected her, and then fell silent as Mr and Mrs Gardiner joined them, Elizabeth’s aunt beginning a conversation about local landmarks remembered from her youth in Derbyshire.

∞∞∞

Two letters were waiting for Elizabeth at the inn when they returned, both in Jane’s handwriting.

“I pray you will all sit by the fireplace and take your drinks,” she urged her companions. “Do forgive me if I take a few minutes to quickly read Jane’s letters. I cannot claim urgency, but they do seem to have gone astray on the road in reaching us, and I have had so little news from home since we left.”

With the approval of all, Elizabeth retreated to the private parlour’s rear corner where the coats hung, and broke the seal on the first letter. At first, she smiled to hear of ordinary things: Mr Hill chasing a goat running riot in the laundry, Mary learning an unusually mournful new song and Kitty hiding her sheet music, Mrs Bennet’s latest fit of nerves…

Upon reaching the second sheet of writing, however, Elizabeth heard herself cry out aloud in shock.

“Lizzy?” asked her aunt, immediately standing and hurrying to her side, while Mr Darcy and Mr Gardiner looked up from their chairs in alarm. “Is all well?”

Elizabeth could hardly speak and only shook her head, continuing to read while she held the paper in a trembling hand. By the end of it, she feared she was going to cry. If only Mr Darcy had not come with them, after all! She could not bear for him to hear such evil news. What he would think of her, of her family! Elizabeth would have concealed her feelings if she could — but that was impossible.

Looking up, she saw three faces looking at her with expressions of great concern, Mr Darcy’s no less interested than the others.

“All is not well,” she managed to tell them, although her voice was cracking. “Lydia has run away from Brighton. She has eloped with George Wickham.”

“Good Lord!” exclaimed Mr Gardiner, coming over and taking the letter from her hand to read it himself.