Elizabeth shook her head vigorously. “I have a book at home which I will lend to you. The author argues that women are not inherently emotional or silly, but that they have simply been deprived of a man’s education. Men want women to be pretty and quiet. But when we are pretty and quiet, then they say we are irrational and incapable. If you had attended Cambridge like your brother, perhaps you would now be a famous astronomer.”
Georgiana regarded Elizabeth with her head tilted to one side. “Who is this author?”
Elizabeth took a deep breath. “Mary Wollstonecraft. The book is A Vindications of the Rights of Women.”
Georgiana gasped. “But is she not a dreadful, fallen woman?”
Elizabeth had anticipated this objection. “Her life was…unconventional. She lived with a man she had not married, perhaps because she feared becoming his property. But such choices do not invalidate her views.”
Georgiana hesitated, then nodded. “I would like to read the book.”
“I will lend it to you.” Elizabeth leaned forward, taking the other woman’s hand in hers. “And, my dear, you must tell your brother the truth.”
Georgiana bit her lip. “Which truth?”
“That you do not want to have a coming out and enter the marriage market. You may have a small family party, declare yourself ‘out’ and be done with it.”
Georgiana sagged against the back of the bench. “That would be lovely. But must I tell William I do not wish to marry?”
“If you do not, you will spend a lot of time dodging the men he throws your way.”
Georgiana rubbed her chin. “Yes, but…do you think he will understand?”
“If he does not, then I am completely mistaken about his character.” Elizabeth folded her arms over her chest. “But rest assured, I will tell him where he went wrong.”
Georgiana had a fit of giggles. “That I would like to see!”
When the other woman had sobered, Elizabeth continued. “He is very concerned about you. No doubt he will be relieved to know what has been troubling you.”
The young woman tapped a finger thoughtfully to her lips. “But perhaps I should not mention reading Wollstonecraft.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Perhaps not immediately.”
Georgiana gave a decisive nod of her head. “Yes. One scandal at a time.”
Chapter Eleven
Darcy had vowed not to visit Longbourn the day after dining there—and he managed to keep his promise, showing remarkable restraint that nobody else could truly appreciate. By all rights, he should want to avoid the place like the plague. Between making inane conversation with Collins and ignoring his attraction to Elizabeth, Darcy might be slowly going insane.
But his share of her conversation had been far too small the previous evening. Of course, he could have conversed with her all night, and it would not have sufficed; he had been starved of Elizabeth’s presence in his life for far too long. Knowing that she was a mere three miles away represented a great temptation. He endeavored to
distract himself by perusing Pemberley’s ledgers, reading a book of poetry, and writing correspondence. But his imagination revisited again and again the image of a laughing mouth and fine eyes.
Netherfield’s butler informed him that Miss Elizabeth Bennet had called upon Georgiana and that they had quitted the house to take a turn about the garden. This was the last blow to Darcy’s peace of mind. Fortunately, or unfortunately, for him, the windows of his bedchamber overlooked Netherfield’s garden. Without bothering to conjure even the feeblest of excuses, he planted himself in the window seat, where he could savor the sight of Elizabeth in the garden.
He watched her tilt her head and gesture with her hands as she spoke with his sister. His heartbeat accelerated at the sight of her smile—as if his heart pulsed only for Elizabeth. God, I am like a schoolboy in the throes of his first love! On the terrace, he had believed she was not unaffected by his presence. He thought he caught a glimmer of attraction, but then he had angered her. Was anything possible between them? As her tiny figure moved gracefully about the garden, he desperately wanted the answer to be yes.
You do not have the right, he chastised himself. There can be nothing between us. His clandestine observations suddenly felt completely wrong, something he was not entitled to, a violation. He pushed himself away from the window seat as his stomach twisted itself into knots.
He idled away the time until Georgiana returned alone from her walk. It was all he could do not to pounce on his sister immediately with questions about whether she had mentioned his name.
But those concerns had been quickly eclipsed by what his sister said when she unburdened herself. Tearfully, she had confessed that she did not desire a great London debut, in fact that she would be pleased to miss most of the Season altogether. Darcy had been shocked at first but then relieved.
He himself did not perform well to strangers and had not been best pleased by the prospect of an entire Season with the cream of the ton. Her reluctance was somewhat of a relief to him. He had assured Georgiana that she could have a small coming out party with family and then attend a ball in Derbyshire. He certainly would not press social events upon her unwillingly.
With relieved tears glistening in her eyes, she alluded to more information she needed to share. But they were both just as happy to save it for another time.
That evening, Georgiana was in a much happier frame of mind, laughing and teasing him as she usually did. Elizabeth had worked a miracle—which rendered it impossible to avoid a trip to Longbourn the next day. It would be the height of ingratitude not to express his appreciation to Elizabeth in person. Darcy had managed to avoid Longbourn the previous day, so he would reward his restraint with a visit today.