Revelations an adaption of Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 78

Some nights later, Darcy lets Elizabeth convince him to provide an hour's entertainment by reading to his family, now including Fielding, and their one remaining guest, Manners.

His cousin is still staying over, but he's not really a guest, staying out all day and coming home late at night.

Since Manners will stay with them for the duration of their own residence in London, and most likely at Pemberley thereafter, and Fielding will be there, too, since Georgie is, Darcy decides to start the pirate tale afresh.

And both men are highly diverted by the tale of woe, ending in the anticlimactic shipwreck that forces the main characters into piracy. When Darcy has finished the first part with a flourish, and their new companions have complimented him on his elocutive skills, their party separates into smaller groups.

Georgie and Fielding tackle a new page of Bach, Elizabeth listening in and working, and Manners sits at the table, teaching Simon German. It's rather weird to have Simon around as if he's company, but when Manners asked permission to teach him some gentleman's skills Darcy couldn't very well refuse. Remembering what Fitzwilliam said about the accident of birth, Darcy realises Simon can pass for a young English gentleman very well, and after years of faithful service to Darcy he deserves a chance to better himself and see something of the world.

All is quiet for an hour or so, Darcy never consciously hears practising, not on the piano, and he finds he can ignore the harpsichord as easily, though most people would say it sounds rather jangly, and playing the same bars of music again and again might drive them mad.

After an hour of Bach, Georgie looks so tired Darcy expects her to turn in, but she's obviously loathe to leave her beloved behind and seek her cold bed. Fielding apparently knows his fiancée pretty well already and closes the lid of the harpsichord resolutely. Then he gently places Georgie in the easy chair close to the piano, and sits at the keyboard himself. He is going to play for her, that is so romantic!

The tones he brings forth are a perfect mixture between poetry and music, speaking volumes of his happiness and his attachment to Georgie, who is of course totally overcome by this moving testimony of his love for her. Darcy cannot remember having heard this composition before, it sounds like an original Fielding, did he write that in the few days since their understanding?

It doesn't last very long, suggesting it is indeed a new work, and when the last notes die away, the young couple exchanges one last embrace, then retires for the night. Georgie is so tired, she will be not be yearning for her Eric long, she'll be fast asleep in moments.

Simon retreats straight after his lesson, without displaying any sign of affection towards Manners or regret at parting. Elizabeth has obviously enjoyed the music very much, and Darcy sits next to her while Manners arranges his notes.

Suddenly the front door slams shut so loudly they can hear it in the drawing-room. Knowing it's Fitzwilliam coming back, Darcy suspects he's rather intoxicated, for his cousin would not usually behave with so little sophistication. His fellow officers must be a rough lot, for two days now he has been down for breakfast, but clearly hung over. That is not like cousin Fitzwilliam at all, he is always so calm and responsible. Fortunately he is not troublesome when inebriated, or his reputation as an officer might be in danger. Since Darcy is rather worried, he has decided to wait up for him tonight and see whether Fitzwilliam cannot be drawn out to talk about what is troubling him.

His cousin now enters the drawing-room, as Darcy hoped, and though he is obviously surprised to find Darcy, and Elizabeth, still up, he does not make his way towards either of them. Instead, he sits himself beside Manners, who greets him kindly, but also with some concern.