Georgiana immediately liked what she saw: a pretty woman with an open countenance who gave the appearance of being friendly and engaging. With the fair-haired, blue-eyed Miss Montford in mind, Georgiana realized that the ladies were as different as any two women could be. With her brother waiting for her impression of Elizabeth, Georgiana merely commented that she was very pretty. “But nothing to Miss Montford.”
“If you are referring to Elizabeth’s dress being made of muslin rather than silk or her wearing a rope of pearls rather than a diamond necklace, I will agree with you. However, as to physical beauty, I think Elizabeth, with her dark eyes and engaging smile, is Miss Montford’s superior in looks.”
“Onyx eyes.”
“What?”
“I believe you referred to her eyes as being like onyx, reflecting the light.”
Darcy closed his eyes and shook his head. He had been found out by his little sister and with so little effort. He told her she would have an opportunity to gauge the accuracy of his description during supper.
“I look forward to it.”
With the time for their dance quickly approaching, Jane mentioned to Lizzy that with so many couples the set might last an hour.
“What on earth are we to say to each other in the course of an hour?” Lizzy asked, her voice indicating her concerns. “Since Mr. Darcy does not enjoy conversation, it will fall to me to do most of the talking.”
“Mr. Darcy does not seem to mind talking to you, Lizzy. It might go quicker than you think.”
Lizzy would find out soon enough, as Mr. Darcy was walking in her direction. When he extended his arm, she did feel like la belle de la danse. As they stood opposite to one another, Mr. Darcy commented, “Once more into the breach, Miss Elizabeth.”
“Quoting Henry V’s speech before the Battle of Agincourt is not the best way to start a conversation in a ballroom, Mr. Darcy. Surely, you are not equating dancing with going into battle?”
“With you, it is more like a duel. I know from past experience that you are capable of reducing conversation to its most essential elements, stripping away all layers of polite speech in favor of dealing with the heart of the matter.”
“You are making me out to be a fearsome creature. That is ungenerous of you.”
“On the contrary. I am paying you a compliment. You refuse to be drawn into the silly games polite society demands of us.”
“We are less formal in the country, sir. When I ask a question, I want an honest answer.”
“That makes you a rare bird, indeed,” he commented, while passing behind her, “in either town or the country.”
“As a woman, and knowing the consequences of deviating from the norms of society, I understand what you are saying. However, you are a man from a prominent family, a person of rank, and yet you still find it necessary to ‘play these games,’ as you put it.”
“I do not endure these inconveniences for myself, but everything I say and do must be viewed as to how it will affect Georgiana. If I insult Lord High and Mighty, it may affect her prospects for making an advantageous marriage, and since I refuse to fawn and coo, I remain silent rather than risk offending with hurtful comments. Something you can attest to.”
“I wonder if Miss Darcy understands the sacrifice you make on her behalf or if she would wish it if she did.”
Lizzy’s question went unanswered, and for the remainder of the dance, the two engaged in friendly conversation, and Mr. Darcy felt comfortable enough with his company to tweak the nose of the profligate Prince of Wales for his enormous appetite in just about everything. But he was at his most eloquent when speaking of Pemberley.
“By the end of the London season, I am so eager to be free of the noise, the dirt, the smells, and the intense scrutiny that I go directly to my estate in Derbyshire. I am very much like a man who has been breathing through a narrow funnel for months on end, but who suddenly finds his lungs filled with pure oxygen. As far as I am concerned, Pemberley is as near to heaven as you can get on this earth.”
When the last notes were played and the final steps taken, Mr. Darcy escorted Lizzy to the table where they were to dine. Miss Darcy was already seated and was talking to Caroline Bingley and Mrs. Hurst, who soon departed to see to their duties as hostesses. Knowing about his intended courtship with Miss Montford in London, Lizzy was puzzled by his request that she meet his sister. She was not alone in her confusion, as Mr. Darcy was equally incapable of answering the same question.
Chapter 14
Georgiana Darcy was eager to meet the woman who seemed to have captured her brother’s attention, if not his heart, and Lizzy was equally interested in meeting the young woman who brought a smile to Mr. Darcy’s face whenever her name was mentioned. Georgiana had the dark Darcy hair and gray-green eyes, but little else. She was perfectly lovely and carried herself with a confidence that belied her eighteen years. But her youth was evident once she began to speak, as she talked with the enthusiasm of one who was experiencing everything for the first time.
“I am very pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Darcy, as I have heard so much about you from Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley,” Lizzy began.
“Oh dear!” Georgiana said with a sigh. “Now I know my virtues have been exaggerated, and my shortcomings ignored.”
“Well, their enthusiasm for their subject is a compliment in itself.”
“How kind of them, but let us not talk about me, but of the dance,” Miss Darcy said, blushing. “I just love to dance.”
“Of course, our country dances are nothing to the splendid balls of London.”
“But I enjoy them so much as they provide an opportunity to meet new people. By the end of the London season, there was not one story I had not heard three or four times. I do not know why I was surprised by that, as everywhere I went I was with the same people,” and Georgiana quickly glanced at Caroline and Louisa. “It is different in the country. Every year at Pemberley, we hold a harvest festival and dance. Unfortunately, because of all the rain, we were unable to host it this year. I was sorely disappointed as I find our neighbors to be refreshing in their frankness.”
At that moment, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner joined the party, and Lizzy was pleased to introduce them. She was proud of her uncle who had abandoned the safe career of a country solicitor to strike out on his own in London and had successfully established a company for the importation of coffee from plantations around the world, a topic that proved to be of interest to Mr. Darcy.
“A coffee broker! Why, coffee is my favorite brew, although I must confess I was better off before I had ever drunk a cup. Now, I cannot start the morning without it.”
Mr. Gardiner smiled and confessed to the same addiction. “My wife limits me to four cups a day and nothing after 7:00 at night as there seems to be something in the drink that keeps one awake.”
“Mrs. Gardiner, do you share our weakness for coffee?” Darcy asked.
“No, sir. I do not look to start new bad habits. I have enough already, especially my taste for sweets and chocolate, but I do have something in common with you as I spent my early years in Lambton. My father was the assistant to the apothecary. You would not remember him, as you would have been too young. I remember your parents with great fondness, and I am deeply attached to Derbyshire as it is the most beautiful county in England.”
“Mrs. Gardiner, we are in complete agreement with you,” Georgiana answered enthusiastically on her brother’s behalf. “Will and I spent six weeks there after the end of the season. The views are both spectacular and inspirational. I am no poet, except when I visit the Peak, and any talent I have with a pen falls away as soon as I set foot in London.”