“I certainly understand, and William will understand as well. It was a risky thing for him to do—to fall in love with someone who is fully human. But he is so in love with you that he was willing to place his heart in your hands and hope for the best. So there will be no candle in the window tonight, and when he returns tomorrow morning, you may take your leave of him and return home. I am sure you will remain friends since Mr. Bingley is one of his dearest friends and that will be of some consolation to him.”
“Anne, I am truly sorry,” she said, her voice cracking.
“No need to apologize. If you cannot give yourself to him completely, then you should not become his wife because William would know that your feelings did not match his own and that is a burden he should not have to bear.”
Chapter 6
At supper, Elizabeth was engaging and conversant, but it was merely a performance. Although she thought there was an element of deceit in such false cheerfulness, she feared that if Georgiana knew she was to return to Longbourn alone and unattached, there would be a repeat of the previous night’s histrionics. But she could keep up such a pretense for only so long, and she played so poorly at cards that Anne suggested to Georgiana that she perform one of the pieces she had been practicing so diligently.
While Miss Darcy played, Anne and Lizzy chatted quietly. Anne insisted that there was no need for Elizabeth to apologize for appearing to be in good spirits when she was not.
“I understand completely. I know how unsettling it was for you to see Georgiana so distraught, and you certainly would not want to have to witness such an exhibition again.”
Lizzy squeezed Anne’s hand, comforted by the knowledge that she understood her difficulty. “I am a mere three and a half years older than Miss Darcy, but I feel so much older than she is.”
“That is because she has been protected her whole life,” Anne answered, “as are most of the girls who will come into society in the spring. I think it is rather unfair actually. Because once they are out, they are expected to act as adults when they have been treated as children up to that time.”
“I am sure that Mr. Darcy, in his role as Georgiana’s older brother and guardian, acted in the same way as he thought his parents would have,” Lizzy said.
“Exactly. He has felt the weight of being her guardian for the last five years. He has frequently said that in all decisions regarding his sister he would err on the side of caution, and so her upbringing has been very conservative. Despite what happened yesterday in your bedchamber, Georgiana is actually quite mature. But she loves the theater, and it shows.”
After finishing her piece, Georgiana rejoined the two ladies and suggested that Elizabeth accompany her while she played a ballad.
“Georgiana, I shall answer for Miss Elizabeth. She is very tired, as am I, and we are going to retire early.”
“Retire? It is only a quarter past nine. The evening has just begun.”
“Not everyone slept most of the day, and I really must insist that the evening come to an end, as I am weary to the bone.”
“All right then. I shall go to my room and read, but I can tell you that I am too excited to sleep. I shall be thinking about my brother and how he will be here by breakfast time, and I know one person who will be especially glad to see him,” she said while looking at Lizzy.
“Georgiana, you are too hasty,” Lizzy responded, beginning to feel cornered. “There are so many things that need to be discussed. I would not wish to give you false hope.”
“Oh, I am not worried about any of that. You will be persuaded. I am sure of it.”
Shortly after Lizzy went to her room, Ellie appeared to help her prepare for bed. When Lizzy had first arrived at Pemberley, she was puzzled as to how Ellie knew exactly when Lizzy required her assistance, but then she realized that Mr. Jackson had a way of signaling the staff when any of the Darcys or their guests were on the move. He anticipated everything and planned accordingly, which was probably why Mr. Darcy’s transformation remained unknown after fourteen years of secrecy to all but the most trusted servants.
As her long curly hair was being brushed, Lizzy asked Ellie about her master. “Is he often at Pemberley?”
“Oh, he comes and goes quite a lot, but he’s usually here at least once a month. And he’s always here for May Day, which is a big thing hereabouts. The Darcys always take part in the village celebrations, and they usually supply all the meat. Mr. Darcy is a big meat eater.”
“Yes, I noticed.”
“And he’s sure to be here for the Harvest Festival because the Darcy family is the host of it. It is the biggest event of the year. Everyone from the village and farms comes to Pemberley for a day of feasting, and I do mean feasting—what with a hog being killed and tables filled with all kinds of fruits and puddings and breads and lemonades. By the time you’re finished eating, you feel like a stuffed pig. After everyone has had their fill, they push the tables out of the way, and the dancing starts. Mr. Darcy and Miss Darcy and their partners always lead off the first dance, and they can really kick up their heels.”
After putting Lizzy’s hair in a braid, Ellie continued, “Mr. Darcy really is the best master, and he is very kind to his servants. Before Christmas, we get gifts and some coins so that we can buy gifts for others. And the cottages for his tenants are always in good repair, and I can tell you that that is not true on a lot of the other estates. Some of them are frightful—little more than caves, and he does other things as well. People around here have lots of kids, and they need to work. So he helped to pay for the building of the potteries and a flannel manufactory.” Ellie put the brush down. “I think that will do for your hair, Miss Bennet. Is there anything else you want?”
“No, Ellie, I will have no further need of you tonight, so you may retire.”
“Thank you, Miss. Mr. Jackson said if we got all our work done early, we could have a story. He started reading Robinson Crusoe to us last night—me and all the other junior servants is what I mean. Have you read that book, miss?”
“Yes, I have. It is about a man stranded on an island, far away from any friend or family.”
“That’s the one. I can’t wait to hear what happens next.”
Lizzy wondered if such things were planned to coincide with the nights when Mr. Darcy was transformed. If Mr. Jackson was reading to the servants, all would be accounted for, and no one would be wandering about the estate. Then Lizzy thought of something else.
“Ellie, where are David and Goliath? I have not seen them all day?”
“And you won’t. Not until Mr. Darcy comes back. It’s the funniest thing. When the master ain’t at home, the dogs disappear. No one knows where they go, but we know they’re about because, in the morning, their food and water dishes are empty. And here’s another funny thing, we always know when the master is coming back because the two of them are on the prowl looking for him in every nook and cranny.”
Was it possible that the whippets knew what happened to their master and that they stayed away from him so as not to put him at risk of discovery? This whole thing was becoming stranger by the minute.
Before Ellie left, Lizzy told her that she would ring for her in the morning when she was needed. “I am not sure I will have breakfast tomorrow, and since the weather is still so mild, I will not require a fire.”
“Yes, miss,” Ellie said, and after curtseying, she left. After she heard the door close, Lizzy went to the window and stepped in front of the drapes.
“Where are you, Mr. Darcy? Are you nearby watching as you did last night?” But because of the emotional events of the last few days, a wave of fatigue descended, and she went to her bed. As she closed her eyes, she thought, one more day and I will be on my way to Longbourn, and I shall try very hard to put all of this behind me. But she knew that it was unlikely that she would succeed.