Revelations an adaption of Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 164

Chapter 164

Sitting at the Zumpe in their very comfortable room on the second floor, Georgiana felt a bit guilty. Since her seventeenth birthday, her wedding and their removal to Pemberley, Georgiana had little reason to experience any unpleasant feeling. She lived totally free of care in her brother's house and spent all her days doing the only thing she had ever wanted out of life, on a level she could only have dreamed of as little as a year ago, with the man she had never dreamed of because she had been too young to do so, but met anyway. Was her life too easy?

Right now her brother was undoubtedly under quite a bit of pressure. He was taking a stroll around the garden to let himself be talked into adding an unimaginably expensive conservatory to his already huge house. Georgiana was certain he didn't mind strolling through the garden with Elizabeth, or spending a year's income on a glass-and-cast-iron building to please his beloved, but they were in the company of the Prince of Wales, who had dropped in unannounced to listen to Georgiana's talented husband's music but meanwhile tested Fitzwilliam's patience and faith by openly admiring Elizabeth. And that was just the start of her brother's ordeal, for besides Prince George they now had aunt Catherine visiting, and she not only provoked Prince George to unsuspected hauteur with her efforts to exert control over her married daughter, but also insulted Elizabeth at every opportunity. Besides having come to tell poor Fitzwilliam whether the man he hated was in fact his brother, another reason for him to feel less than tranquil. Not to mention coming here in the company of Mr Collins, though Georgiana had taken responsibility for him since she'd let him into the house against her brother's wishes.

And now Mr Bennet had arrived in the company of Georgiana's former lady companion, and if Georgiana hadn't noticed something going on from Mr Bennet's and her brother and sister's behaviour in the drawing-room, she had not been at headquarters for five minutes before the conversation had turned to the old man making the most of a difficult situation by comforting a lady in distress whilst temporarily forgetting his own foolish wife. For Georgiana it was not amusing at all to hear this, she'd actually disliked Mrs Annesley more than a little when that good lady had still been in a position of authority towards Georgiana and was always trying to teach her pupil some useless instance of lady-like behaviour. And she liked Mr Bennet tremendously, because he had accepted his daughter's new little sister without trying to improve her. To him, Georgiana had been good enough as she was, and she resented the power Mrs Annesley now had over someone she actually liked. Or maybe Georgiana was being childish, she had been Mrs Annesley's pupil after all, and since the good lady had changed positions in their household she had treated Georgiana with unfailing respect.

Maybe it was time to grow up and start taking some responsibility? Even though the estate was Fitzwilliam's, and his only?

'You're not paying attention at all, are you my love?'

Eric had stopped playing, she was supposed to give him a little flick every time he let his left hand drag, he still had to pay attention to keeping his two smallest fingers in line. Not even Elizabeth would notice anymore, but Eric wouldn't be the best if he accepted anything less than perfection.

'I'm sorry, no. So much has happened, Fitzwilliam has so much to put up with, and now we've left aunt Catherine and Mr Collins by themselves in the drawing-room. Who knows what they are up to. I feel responsible, I think I should go back downstairs and keep them entertained, or at least from mischief.'

'Well then, my love, why didn't you say something? We can sacrifice an hour to propriety. Come, let us go.'

He got up and held out his hand to her. In this room they did not have to stick to the rigid rules of propriety and inevitably ended up in each other's arms. Likely no-one noticed, for the four other people present were as involved in each other. Frederick and Simon were studying some map, almost sitting on each other's lap but not quite, since Prince George might drop in any time, and Mr Collins also had permission to visit. Nick and Anne were merely relishing each other's presence, talking quietly, they had been riding together all morning but had to pretend to be mistress and servant in public.