A Wife for Mr. Darcy
the advertisement for a wife in The Times those were my exact specifications.”
Her brother’s good humor seemed to reassure Georgiana, and despite claims that she never slept while on the road, she dozed off, leaving Will to his thoughts. He suspected that returning to Hertfordshire was probably a bad idea, as any hope of his coming together with Elizabeth Bennet collided with the reality of their situations. But he had to see her one more time. In that way, it might be possible to banish her from his dreams.
When Georgiana awoke, her brother informed her that they were within a few miles of Netherfield, and his sister, who loved meeting new people and visiting new places, asked about the neighborhood. After hearing Will’s description, she decided it was little different from the village of Lambton near Pemberley.
“It is a market town, Georgiana, so if you need ribbon or hose, you will be able to find it easily.”
“But what of the ladies? Are there many pretty girls here to tempt a gentleman?”
“A few. There is a Miss King, who has pretty red hair, a Miss Long, who has lovely hands, and a Miss Robinson, who is attractive in profile,” and Will tapped his teeth to indicate her defect.
“And what of Miss Bennet’s sisters?”
“They are an attractive family. The eldest and the three younger sisters are light of hair and comely. Only the second eldest has dark hair, which is very curly and difficult to restrain, and she is always putting it back in place. She has luminous dark eyes, almost like onyx, that reflect the light, and a very pretty smile.”
Unrestrained curls? Onyx eyes? For a man who said he did not notice such things about a lady, that was a very detailed description, Georgiana thought.
“What is her name?”
“Did I not say? Miss Elizabeth Bennet. But you will have an opportunity to meet all of them at the ball. We are very near to Longbourn, so you might gently nudge Mrs. Brotherton.”
“Longbourn? I thought the name of the estate was Netherfield Park?”
“I meant to say Netherfield Park. Longbourn is the Bennet estate.”
“I am looking forward to meeting all of the Bennet sisters,” Georgiana told her brother, and she was most especially interested in meeting Miss Elizabeth Bennet.
Mrs. Bennet was as excited as her five daughters were about attending the ball at Netherfield. Mr. Bennet and she had had their first dance in its ballroom more than two decades earlier, and she fondly remembered the pale blue robe a l’anglaise with matching petticoat she had worn that evening and which had greatly complemented her blond hair, blue eyes, and tiny waist. But after only a few moments of remembrance of things past, she returned to the business of the day. Now that Jane was to marry Mr. Bingley, she needed to concentrate her efforts on seeing that her four unwed daughters made advantageous marriages.
Mrs. Bennet was disappointed when she learned that Mr. Bingley chose not to invite any of his friends from town to the ball. Because he had settled comfortably into the neighborhood, he was often seen riding into the village on his way to Longbourn, waving to the merchants and their families as if he had grown up in Meryton. As a result, he felt no need to seek company outside of Hertfordshire. Occasionally, he was accompanied by his friend, Mr. Darcy, but because someone of such an exalted rank would not be interested in any of her girls, the gentleman from Derbyshire served no useful purpose and was, therefore, of little interest to her.
Mrs. Bennet decided that Kitty, whom she considered to be second in beauty only to Jane, would have no difficulty finding a suitor, possibly from amongst the officers who would be in attendance at the ball. And although Lydia was only sixteen, her effervescence always attracted attention, and her mother would not say “no” to a good offer for her youngest daughter. Mary, of course, was hopeless. If only she would do something about her looks. A little rouge, a nice pair of earrings, a less severe style to her hair would do wonders for her, but any suggestion about improving her appearance brought on endless sermonizing about the fleeting nature of beauty versus the enduring benefits of integrity and character.
Then there was Lizzy with her dark hair and eyes, so unlike her fair sisters. In the privacy of their bedchamber, Mr. Bennet occasionally teased his wife about their second daughter, accusing her of having had an assignation with
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