Mr. Darcy's Diary, Amanda Grange [elon musk reading list TXT] 📗

Gardiner when it was over.

‘Mrs Wickham. How well it sounds!’ said Lydia, ignoring her aunt and gazing at the ring on her finger.

A number of curious people had entered the church,

and Lydia showed them all her ring, telling them that

they must congratulate her and be the first to call her by

her new name.

‘How envious my sisters will be,’ she said, as we left

the church.‘Not one of them is married, though they are

all older than me. I should be ashamed to be more than

twenty and still not married. Jane is fast becoming an old

maid. She will have to give up her place to me at the

table, for I am a married woman now. What fun it will

be! “Jane,” I will say,“I take your place now, and you must

go lower, because I am a married woman.” ’

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Mr and Mrs Gardiner exchanged glances.

‘They will all be so jealous of me and my handsome

husband. I was so worried this morning, when we were

coming to the church. I had a horror of him wearing

black, but my happiness was complete when I saw he had

chosen his blue coat.’

I felt a surge of satisfaction as I realized that Lydia will

be just as silly as her mother, and I took enjoyment in the

knowledge that Wickham will, after all, be punished for

his iniquities, because he will have to live with her for

the rest of his life.

Tuesday 2nd September

I dined with the Gardiners this evening. We were all

relieved that everything had passed off well.The last few

weeks have been a strain, but everything turned out for

the best.

They are a most pleasing couple. Mr Gardiner is intelligent, and Mrs Gardiner has a great deal of common

sense.They are cultured and well-bred, and I spent a very

pleasant evening in their company – so pleasant that I

forgot I was in Gracechurch Street. I have spent many a

worse evening at a better address.

To think I once dismissed them without even knowing them, and rejected Elizabeth because her relations

did not fit my notion of what they should be! Had I

turned such a critical eye on my own relatives I might

have realized that she was not alone in having undesirable connections. Lady Catherine, for all her elegance,

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disgraced herself by suggesting that Elizabeth – her guest!

– should practise the piano in the housekeeper’s room,

something I am persuaded Mrs Gardiner would never

do.And Bingley’s relations are hardly any better. Caroline

Bingley might be a woman of breeding and fashion, but

she is also a woman who is eaten up by jealousy and

spite.

Wednesday 3rd September

I returned to Pemberley to find that Caroline and Louisa

were full of plans to visit Scarborough.

‘Do come with us, Mr Darcy,’ said Caroline.‘Scarborough is so invigorating at this time of year.’

‘I have too much to do on my estate,’ I said.

‘But it would be so good for Georgiana. I do believe

she has not seen the sea since last summer, when she

stayed in Ramsgate. She must be pining for it.’ She

turned to Georgiana.‘Would you not like to see it again?’

Georgiana blushed, and said she had no desire to do

so. Caroline turned to me.

‘You would return to Pemberley refreshed, and manage twice as much work as if you had never gone,’ she

said.

‘My intentions are fixed. But you must go,’ I said as

she opened her mouth to change her mind. ‘The sea air

will do you good.’

‘Sea air,’ said Mr Hurst, then retreated into his stupor.

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Thursday 4th September

Caroline, Louisa and Mr Hurst departed for Scarborough. They tried to persuade Bingley to go with them,

but he said he had no wish to be blown about and would

remain at Pemberley. Caroline encouraged the idea. She

still believes he will marry Georgiana, and wants him to

see her more often, though it is obvious to an impartial

eye that he never will.

Monday 8th September

‘I think I will go to Netherfield again,’ said Bingley nonchalantly as we rode out this morning.

‘A good idea. If you mean to keep the house, you

should use it from time to time.’

‘That is exactly what I think.Will you come with me?

I should like to repay your hospitality.’

My spirits rose. If I went to Netherfield, then I would

have an opportunity of seeing Elizabeth again.

‘When do you intend to go?’ I asked.

‘In about a week. I thought I would send the servants

tomorrow, to ready the house.’

‘Yes, I will come.’

He looked pleased.

‘It is almost a year to the day that I took it. I little

thought then…’

His voice trailed away, and it was not difficult to guess

what direction his thoughts had taken. I said no more, but let

him lose himself in day-dreams. Perhaps they will become

reality before very long.And my dreams…what of them?

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Wednesday 17th September

We arrived at Netherfield this afternoon. Bingley

declared his intention of riding into Meryton as soon as

we arrived, and it was only the onset of rain that made

him put his visit off.

Thursday 18th September

Sir William Lucas called this morning, to welcome us

back to the neighbourhood.

‘Mr Bingley,’ he said with a low bow, ‘you do us too

much honour in returning to our humble neighbourhood. We thought we had not joys enough to hold you

and yet here you are, fresh from your triumphs in town,

to honour our humble village with your presence. Mr

Darcy,’ he said, with a low bow to me. ‘It seems but a

moment since we were all taking tea with Lady Catherine in the delightful dining-parlour at Rosings Park.You

enjoyed your stay, I trust?’

Enjoyed it? That was hardly the way I would have

described my feelings during those turbulent few weeks,

but he took my silence to mean that I had.

‘Have you visited your estimable aunt since that

time?’ he asked.

‘No,’ I said shortly.

‘I hope to visit