Darcy was sitting with Miss Montford in the parlor of the family’s Mayfair townhouse. They had already discussed the weather and had talked about the families who had returned to London from their country estates, and with all the easy topics got out of the way, Darcy was staring off into the distance, hoping for divine intervention to assist him in finding something else to say.
“While you were in the country, did you shoot many birds, Mr. Darcy?” Miss Montford asked, and he silently thanked Providence for intervening.
“Actually, not a one. Mr. Bingley’s time was quite taken up with Miss Jane Bennet, a most agreeable lady and the daughter of a gentleman farmer. Shortly before I left Hertfordshire, he made her an offer of marriage, and she has accepted him. Understandably, he could think of little else.”
“That is very good news for Mr. Bingley that he is marrying well.”
Did he hear her correctly? Did she just say that Bingley was marrying well and not the other way around?
“Knowing Miss Bennet, I agree that Mr. Bingley is marrying well, but considering his fortune, it is also a good match for the lady.”
“What I meant is that Mr. Bingley is not a gentleman, but will be marrying a gentleman’s daughter.”
“You don’t consider Mr. Bingley to be a gentleman?”
This seemed to make Mr. Darcy unhappy, and so she demurred. “Who am I to say who is or who is not a gentleman? I was only basing my opinion on my understanding that his father was in trade.”
“Have you met his sisters, Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst?” If she had, then she would know they were well educated, accomplished, and elegantly attired.
Miss Montford tilted her head to the side, which was something she did when she was puzzled. “How would I know them, Mr. Darcy, as we do not have the same friends? We may have attended some of the same events, but I have never been introduced to them. Do you think that I might be introduced to them?”
Darcy could not tell from her tone if she considered that to be a good thing. But surely if they were to marry, she would understand that the family of his closest friend would be invited to their home.
“Mr. Bingley tells me they will marry around Christmastime,” he said, ignoring her question. “He has a large family, so it will be quite an affair if all can attend the wedding celebration.”
“How nice for them,” she responded, and then the silence returned for what seemed an eternity. “Shall I play something, Mr. Darcy?”
“Yes, please,” he answered eagerly, and then sank back into the chair with a sigh of relief. They would not have to talk as long as she was playing.
“Do you have a request, sir?”
“Surprise me,” and then he thought of something Elizabeth Bennet had said about what constituted an accomplished woman: “You see, Mr. Darcy, we are of necessity more practical in the country. Jane and I have painted many screens, but when every fireplace has one, we stop. Even the largest house can only hold so many tables, no matter how beautifully painted, and when it comes to the matter of music, many of our friends are talented on the pianoforte. But if the truth be known, most people prefer an air or a jig to a concerto as we love to dance.”
After thinking about Miss Elizabeth’s comments, he asked, “Miss Montford, something lively, if you will,” and she searched among the music sheets before finally settling on a Scottish air, and while she was playing, he could not help but notice how many painted tables there were in the room.
While Letitia played, Darcy’s mind was flooded with visions of Elizabeth. How he would love to wrap his fingers around her dark curls while gazing into her coal black eyes and to trace the outline of her face with his fingers. His thoughts of the lady spurred him to action.
“Miss Montford, I do not recall if I mentioned that Mr. Bingley is hosting a ball at his home in Hertfordshire, and I have promised that I will attend.”
She showed no sign of unhappiness at his news, and after deciding that the visit had lasted long enough, he rose, bowed, and beat a hasty retreat, and when he got into the hackney, he loosened his neckcloth as he felt as if he was being strangled.
At supper, after interrogating her brother about his visit with Miss Montford, Georgiana pronounced it to be satisfactory.
“Since you are gone so frequently, perhaps you might consider writing a poem or love letter.”
“Please, Georgiana, I am not a romantic.”
“Flowers?”
“May we have this conversation after I return from Hertfordshire?”
“Yes, and I have a surprise for you, Will. I have been feeling guilty about not going to the country with you, so I have changed my mind. I shall attend the ball at Netherfield.”
Instead of the expected response, her brother put his head back and rubbed his temples as if fighting a headache.
“Georgie, would you pour a glass of Madeira for me? I have something unpleasant to tell you,” and he advised her of Wickham’s presence in Meryton.
It had been several weeks after Wickham’s attempted elopement before Darcy could speak to his sister about the events in Ramsgate, and he had only relented because Anne de Bourgh had written, encouraging him to listen to what his sister had to say. Georgiana had successfully convinced her brother that she would never have married without his permission and that she was ashamed of the romantic notions she had harbored.
“Will, surely, you do not think I would have anything to do with Wickham. I have learned so much from that unfortunate affair, and it has stood me in good stead this past season when I was able to recognize insincere flattery for what it is: an attempt to secure my fortune.”
“No, it is not that at all. I know he will not come to the ball as he is a coward and will not face me. It is just that the militia is always about in the village, and there is the possibility you might encounter him.”
Georgiana, whose clothes were made by the finest dressmakers in London, laughed. “I am going to Netherfield for the purpose of attending a ball, not to shop in Meryton.”
“Forgive me. I am tired. As an aside, you may be interested to know that after the ball, Louisa and Caroline will return to town, and Mrs. Crenshaw will come to keep house for Bingley.”
“Mrs. Crenshaw and her little band of ruffians! The same ones who put mud in my riding boots? I am convinced that it was Athena who actually did the deed, but she was put up to it by those monster brothers of hers.”
“I can easily believe it. When Bingley leased the house in Surrey, I saw Athena throwing rocks at the ducks. For such a little girl, she was remarkably accurate.”
“Why does Charles put up with their obnoxious behavior?”
“He finds them spirited.”
“Spirited! If they were in my care, I would spirit them away to the nearest woodshed for a proper whipping.”
Darcy reached out his hand, and his sister came and sat beside him. “I know you are eager for me to begin a courtship with Miss Montford, and I will do so upon my return from Hertfordshire. Since it is now certain the Crenshaws will take up residence with Bingley, I can assure you I will not be at Netherfield nor in Meryton nor in Hertfordshire when the Crenshaws arrive. I think I can safely remain in England. However, it is a good thing to know where they are at any given time,” and brother and sister shared a good laugh.