Beth was teaching Jane to sew, and Margaret was dressing her doll in their latest creation, a surprisingly successful imitation of an Egyptian gown.
Elizabeth was sitting in the middle of this happy scene. She looked toward the drive as the sound of carriage wheels filled the air, and Darcy remembered that Jane and Bingley were to visit them. He stayed only to kiss Elizabeth and tell her she was looking exceptionally beautiful, and then he went upstairs to change into fresh clothes.
By the time he joined Elizabeth again in the garden, Jane and Bingley were with her and all the children were playing together, chasing each other across the lawn.
The Bingleys were frequent visitors. Having left Netherfield Park a year after their wedding, they had settled in Nottinghamshire, some thirty miles from Pemberley. In the winter they often stayed with the Darcys, and in the summer it was not uncommon for them to drive over for a day. They customarily arrived before lunch and left after an early dinner, which allowed them to return home in the daylight.
Family news was exchanged, and Jane said, “I envy your trip. If the children were old enough, I would be persuading Charles to take us all, too. But with Eleanor less than two years old, it would never do. It is the talk of Meryton, you know. We have just been staying with Mama, and there is talk of nothing else. Sir William and Lady Lucas have decided to accompany Sophie to London in their carriage. They are planning to stay in London for a few days and then they hope to accompany you to Southampton, so that they may see Sophie safely onto the ship before returning to Lucas Lodge.”
“I am glad they are so careful of her,” said Darcy. “I think it an excellent idea.”
“Yes. I think I must invite them to stay with us while they are in town,” said Elizabeth.
Jane hesitated.
Elizabeth looked at her enquiringly. “There is something you are not telling me,” she said.
“Only this,” said Jane uncomfortably. “As soon as Mama realised that the Lucases would be taking Sophie to London and that the fourth seat in the carriage would be spare…”
“Oh dear,” said Lizzy, but she could not help laughing at the sight of Darcy’s face, which had fallen comically as he had a presentiment of what was coming.
“You mean to say that your mother is intending to come, too?” he asked.
“I am very much afraid so,” said Jane.
“Cheer up, Darcy,” said Bingley jovially. “It is only for a few days, you know, just while you are still in London.”
“Is that really all, or will she accompany us to Southampton?” Darcy asked, dismayed.
“I am afraid so,” said Jane. “To see you onto the ship and to wish you all bon voyage.”
Lizzy could not help laughing, despite her own horror, for it was so like her mama.
“Do you really mind so very much?” she said, turning to Darcy.
He rallied himself. “No,” he said courageously. “Or, at least, no more than you! But never mind, it will not be for long and the children will be glad to see her. We are taking them away from their grandparents for months, after all.”
“I think, if we are to have the Lucases and Mama to stay for a few days before we set out for the port, we should also invite Paul Inkworthy to stay. Otherwise he will be the only member of the party not to know anyone. A few days at Darcy House will give him a chance to accustom himself to the children, as well as meet Sophie, before we leave the familiarity of England,” said Elizabeth.
“A good idea. I will visit him when we return to London and invite him.”
“When are you returning to London?” asked Jane.
“At the end of June,” said Elizabeth. “That will allow us some time in town to have the final fittings for our clothes, as well as make other last-minute preparations before we set out.”
“You will not forget to write? I am longing to hear all about it,” said Jane.
“I will write very regularly, and you must write to me, too,” said Elizabeth. “I want to know all about my nieces and nephews while I am away. I have an itinerary inside; I will give you a copy before you leave, and then you will know where we will be at any given time. If you send your letters to the British Consuls, they will hold the letters for us until we arrive, for we will be travelling at a leisurely pace and the post will go more quickly than we do.”
“This artist of yours, is he any good?” asked Bingley.
“He comes highly recommended,” said Darcy, “but I hope to see for myself when I invite him to stay with us before embarking on our voyage. I intend to call on him to issue the invitation.”
“Would it not be better to write?” said Bingley. “You will give him more time to prepare if you do.”
“Which is exactly why I intend to call. I would like a chance to see his studio so that I can examine some of his work without him having arranged it all for me in advance.”
“His studio is, I fear, nothing more than an attic,” said Elizabeth. “The address was not in a good part of town. You must not expect too much.”
“Never mind. If the young man has talent, then I mean to give him the opportunity to rise in the world. If I like his work, I am thinking of commissioning a whole set of paintings from him, so that we will have a pictorial record of our trip.”
“I like that idea,” said Elizabeth, “but we will be away for months, and if he is to paint everywhere we go and everything we do, we will need a new gallery at Pemberley!”
“Well, and why not? Each generation of Darcys adds something to the house. We will add an Egyptian gallery. We might collect some antiquities, too. And once we return, I will be able to introduce him to many more patrons. There is nothing I would like more than to make his fortune, if he deserves it.”
Elizabeth was gratified. It was one of the more wonderful things about their position, that it gave them an opportunity to encourage those with talent, and she found herself looking forward to all the paintings, with their exotic backgrounds, which were to come.
“You must bring some antiquities back for us, you know,” said Bingley. “Upon my honour, I think a few Egyptian vases would look well in the hall. Do you not think so, Jane?”
“If you would like some, then I have no objection,” said Jane. “But I would rather have some Egyptian cotton; it is supposed to be very fine.”
As the two women began talking of fabrics and sheets, dresses and shirts, the gentlemen excused themselves and went down to the lake to fish.
“Upon my honour, this is a daring enterprise,” said Bingley, as he reeled in his line, only to find a tangle of weed on the other end. He removed the weed and then cast it again.
“The trip to Egypt or entertaining Mrs Bennet in London?” asked Darcy.
Bingley laughed.
“I meant the former, but perhaps the latter will be more of a trial. We have just come back from Longbourn, where Mrs Bennet spoiled the children dreadfully. Charles and Eleanor have taken no harm from it, Charles being too old and Eleanor too young, but I was glad to bring Eliza and Harry home before they were thoroughly spoiled. And so you will be leaving us in July. How long do you mean to stay away?”
“For six months at least. The journey will take several months each way, and we intend to spend some time travelling down the Nile when we arrive. We will go so far from home only once, and we mean to make the most of it.”
Bingley felt a tug on his line and landed a fish, and shortly afterward, Darcy’s own line gave a jerk. It was with a sizeable catch, at last, that they returned to the house, where the fish were taken to the kitchens and served as one of the dishes at dinner.
Afterward, Jane and Bingley did not linger, wanting to be home before dark.