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Darcy stared silently out the window at the sodden, mud-soaked countryside as they slowly rolled through it. Separated from his pack when he had been installed in the hospital Darcy now had one uniform and one pair of boots to his credit, and he had absolutely no doubt that he would never see his pack again. Job two for his stop in London, lay hands on another kit before he was charged with inappropriate use of a uniform. Darcy sighed and shifted his position by the smallest fraction of an inch for the umpteenth time.
"Uncomfortable sir?" The question from across the carriage brought Darcy's attention completely away from the window.
"No ma'am." He answered shortly and turned back to stare out the window again so he didn't have the exasperating experience of seeing Sister Helen O'Niell's almost knowing smile as she accepted this answer. They both knew perfectly well that he was far from comfortable, but they also both knew that nothing short of force would induce him to take morphia again. There was also the fact that it was unlikely that anyone in the army had the strength to force it on him. Darcy smiled wryly at the window, correction, probably most of the members of the entire armed forces could currently force him to do it, but fortunately no one had tried. Evening brought their arrival in Paris, and it was in total silence that Darcy saw to ensuring that they were accomodated for the night. The next morning saw them on a packed train for Calais. The next evening saw Darcy in a totally foul humour descending onto the packed station and beginning negotiations to get them onto the next transport across the channel, a procedure somewhat hampered by the absence of movement papers. The following evening saw Darcy in a toweringly bad temper glaring ferociously at anyone who even considered coming near him while he perused numerous newspapers and caught up on four months of mail in a Dover inn. The next evening saw him sunk deep in one of Lord Parker Dellingham's armchairs in a temper that was quite comparable to the previous evening.
"You look positively devilish Dave. Do you want a drink?"
"No." Darcy twisted his head around slightly to nod as Parker came into the room.
"What's got you so bad tempered?"
"Nothing beyond a damnably long and uncomfortable journey. What's happened since I went back to France?"
"Well Wickham moved on and we've got one of our people tailing him. Other than that there is absolutely nothing of any interest has happened.....except that H.E.1 ceased production when Wickham moved on."
"Did you ever get the code cracked?"
"No, but we have our suspicions about it. There was definitely a code in it, and it definitely varies between issues, which means the key has to be part of the code."
"The first one had the reference to the metal on the twelth word.....what was the twelth word on the twelth line?"
"I'll be back in a minute." Parker abruptly left the room, leaving Darcy to stare hazily at the ceiling, his frown groing darker by the minute.
"Well?" Darcy asked the question as Parker returned to the room.
"Grinley's."
"See what happens if you take every twelth word after the twelth line." Darcy yawned. "And give Sister O'Niell my regards and tell her that she did not put sufficient Morphia in that warm milk."
"She gave you maximum dose." Parker looked stunned.
"So I assumed, I need a lethal dose for an average person before you can put me out for more then an hour."
"Why?" Parker had stopped by the door.
"Because I'm a damn sight larger then the average person and I was on near lethal doses until four months ago. I have a resistance to that damnable stuff which should send any medics eyebrows through the ceiling. So pass my regards on to Sister O'Niell and then assure her that I will not consume any more, even to please her so she may as well not waste it."
"I think you can tell her that yourself Darcy." Parker turned and left the room, somewhat irritated by the deep chuckle which followed him out of the room.
"Bingo!" It was just after four in the morning when Parker came back into the dimly lit study to find Darcy owlishly inspecting some immense tome.
"What's bingo?" Darcy looked up fairly sleepily from his book, and promptly had to smother a yawn.
"Your idea. I don't like it at all, Darcy, a five minute think by your morphia sodden brain supplies the answer to a question we have been ploughing over for close on a year."
"You forget that Nickel and I have met before. Nickel had a passion for simplicity, and I really doubted that he would change from them when he set up this complex net we're currently unraveling. It is quite within character for him to use the same code all over the world. Afterall who is going to look in some obscure, country editorial for the other end of a communication line which makes use of an obscure country editorial which is from somewhere just south of Constantinople."
"How do you know we found the other end of it?" Parker frowned at Darcy.
"I didn't take my holiday in Turkey for my health, Parker. You seem to forget that I was the emissary of the information."
"Well then maybe you'll have the decency to tell me who stumbled across it."
"Ashie's mate, the one that got machinegunned saving us just outside Erzurum." Darcy laid the book he was holding aside and dug through a pocket in his uniform. "And just in case you've forgotten, Ashie is the one you just recently got a letter from me about. I thank you for your prompt action." Darcy pulled out his pipe and soon had it lit.
"Darcy, if you don't mind my saying, you are devilishly high handed." Parker frowned at the dark head. "Do you still smoke that thing?"
"Yes to the pipe and also yes to being high-handed, Death always said that too. Any other complaints Parker or are you going to be a good little boy and save Anne from hopping through the carpet as she wonders whether it would be too undiplomatic to interrupt us."
"Obviously you have no such concerns for diplomacy. Anne, meet Lieutenant-Colonel Darcy. Darcy, Miss Anne Marshall, my private secretary.....and yes I know that you have already met more then once, but I demand the right to introduce you. And stop frowning Anne, I'm going to retire right now."
"One wonders that he knew you were frowning. Take a seat Anne and tell me anything you think I might be interested in."
"I doubt I have anything to interest you Colonel." Anne quietly took a seat and pulled out an immense account book. "However I think you could help me." This was added less than a minute later.
"How?" Darcy looked up from his inspection of his boots.
"By seeing whether you can fix this mess Parker has made in his accounts."
"If you call it a mess, then it really is a mess." Darcy levered himself out of his chair and crossed to the desk to study the large book.
Darcy would be the first to admit that his behaviour had been bad, for not only had he spent the entire trip from the hospital to London in bad tempered silence, but he had then deserted Sister O'Niell in London and left for Derbyshire a day before he was supposed to. But the fact remained that two o'clock that morning Darcy had got tired of sitting around, tired of waiting for all the red tape to be straightened out and approved, so he had caught the first train which headed to Derbyshire. True, he would be unable to stay at Pemberley any longer than it took him to grab the mountain of paperwork which undoubtedly awaited him, but even that brief a visit would be sufficient. Darcy had no idea where he would go next, but Cornwall seemed like a good enough destination. For all his travels Darcy had never managed to even stop for a night in Cornwall, it shouldn't be too difficult to get himself some accommodation. Even if it was just at one of the convalescence homes.
Darcy came to a halt as he topped the last hill, below his feet Pemberley and her formal park spread out in all directions. The neat formal gardens which had grown somewhat wild during the war, the gravel paths which had been overgrown at least partially, the green house which was obviously not in use. Darcy took a deep breath and slowly descended the hill, his eyes drinking in the familiar views and sights. But Darcy didn't have time for such self-indulgence, he had to get that paperwork and get out of there, if possible without anyone knowing he had ever arrived. Darcy accelerated his pace and was slipping quickly down the side of the hill. A few minutes later Darcy was gaining cautious entry through the conservatory, he had been more then slightly annoyed that the side door had actually been bolted.....it hadn't ever been bolted before that he could remember. There were a couple of anxious minutes as Darcy slipped silently through the dim passageways, nervously alert for the approach of any of the staff. Then Darcy had safely arrived in the dim study, and with a sigh he had relaxed into the vast chair behind the desk and slowly his head sank down into his hands. Georgiana might not tolerate his presence, but he was damned if she, or any of the inhabitants of Pemberley had to suffer to this war. As the memory of a bombed out French Chateau rose in his mind Darcy hastily dug into the first of many draws in an effort to ward off a sudden and unexpected wave of nausea. Darcy hadn't felt ill like this in years!
Half an hour later Darcy was carefully stowing his papers into a knapsack, along with a quarter loaf of bread and a lump of cheese which he had obtained courtesy of a quick raid on the kitchen. A cautious look out the window proved to Darcy that the coast was clear and he quickly slipped out the window and into the shrubs under the window. A gentle push had the window closed again, and after a brief fiddle Darcy had the window latched again, great was his thanks that this little toy had gone so many years undiscovered. After another cautious look Darcy exited the shrubbery and headed as quickly as possible towards the lake walk. Addmittedly he could have just as easily left the way he had come, but Darcy had no intention of covering old ground when it would make absolutely no difference which way he left.
"Mr. Darcy!" The startled gasp had Darcy on the verge of profanity as he realised that he had not managed to complete his visit without being seen. A realisation which was quickly followed by the realisation that it was not a staff member who had been obviously shocked by seeing him.
"I beg your pardon." Darcy frowned down at his boots. "I had not realised that we had visitors, else I would not have used this route. How are you Miss Elizabeth?"
"W-well thankyou." Elizabeth stumbled slightly over her response, her already confused state of mind became even more confused as Mr Darcy, instead of beating a hasty retreat and leaving remained and spent a few minutes in polite conversation before he excused himself and headed for the house.
"Bother, bother, bother!" Elizabeth was just recovering from one surprise when she promptly ran into another....Literally. "Oh I do appologise." The woman who grabbed Elizabeth's arm to prevent them both from tumbling to the ground had a good few inches on Elizabeth and was a few months pregnant, four or five was Elizabeth's guess, though admittedly she was no expert on the subject.
"No, I shouldn't have been standing just around the corner." Elizabeth studied the woman thoughtfully, she had at first thought it might have been Miss Darcy since she had appeared so close behind Mr Darcy, but a brief inspection killed that idea dead. This woman had absolutely no similarities to Darcy, besides which she had a slightly Irish accent and she was most certainly able to see.
"How about we both take equal blame." the woman however was not looking at Elizabeth as she spoke, she was frowning around the lawn.
"You have a problem?" Elizabeth clamped down on the nervous suspicion which had suddenly reared into her mind.
"Yes, but I doubt you can help at all since the housekeeper couldn't and neither could the gardener."
"Okay." Elizabeth gave a brief nod as her eyes took in the nursing badge.
"Sorry to inconvenience you." The woman gave a nod and vanished around the hedge the same way as she had come. Elizabeth turned and slowly made her way back to where her Aunt and Uncle were still talking to the gardener.
"Who was that Elizabeth?" Mrs Gardener dragged Elizabeth aside as soon as she arrived.
"Well the first was Mr....Lieutenant-Colonel Darcy.....and I don't know who the second was, but I think she might have been his wife."
"Odd." Mrs Gardener glanced briefly back towards the house. "One would have thought the Housekeeper would have mentioned it if he had been married."
"Look aunt, I am not Encyclopeadia Darcia, that was just a guess on my part. DON'T take it as fact, my guesses seem to have been remarkably bad of late when it comes to anything outside the hospital."
"Something to do with your claim that you had never seen Mr Wickham, even though you specifically asked to see a picture of him." Mrs Gardener looked curiously.
"You might say that. Please leave it aunt, I'll explain this evening." Elizabeth started moving towards her uncle and the Gardener. Five minutes later saw the small group making its way along the Lake Path, but Elizabeth's thoughts most certainly were not on the overgrown beauty of the path, infact her thoughts were occupied with a place within Pemberley House, that place being where ever the illustrious owner was currently positioned. Was he married? Elizabeth wrinkled her nose as she considered the matter, Had he actually gone and done what he seemed to do his utmost to prevent his subordinates from doing?
"Elizabeth." Mrs Gardener's soft comment abruptly pulled Elizabeth out of her reverie some ten minutes later.
"Yes?" Elizabeth shook her head in an attempt to clear her distraction.
"Am I right....or am I wrong.....It looks very much to me like Mr Darcy is approaching us from the other direction."
"Lieutenant-Colonel Darcy." Elizabeth corrected automatically as her eyes lifted to look for him. "You are correct Aunt, that is indeed Lieutenant-Colonel Darcy who approaches." Elizabeth continued talking in a casual tone, expecting at every turn not to see Mr Darcy because he had turned off down some side track. Then sooner than she would have believed possible he was drawing over to the side of the track to let them past.
"Eee, master Fitzwilliam." The gardener stopped, instead of just walking past.
"Afternoon Hawkins." Darcy nodded calmly, then glanced briefly at Elizabeth and lifted his brows enquiringly.
"Aunt..Uncle, permit me to introduce Lieutenant-Colonel Darcy to you. Colonel Darcy, my Aunt and Uncle Gardiner from Gracechurch Street, Cheapside. My uncle is in trade and currently attached to the diplomatic service."
"How do you do?" Darcy gave a courteous part bow to Mrs Gardiner and shook hands with Mr Gardiner. "Are you interested in fishing?" As the two men and the gardener drew ahead talking animatedly about the fishing ability of the property, Elizabeth was left to meander along with her aunt and frown at the backs ahead.
"Colonel Darcy." Mrs Gardiner's call caught everyone by surprise.
"Yes Mrs Gardiner." Darcy paused and allowed Mrs Gardiner and Elizabeth to catch up.
"I was wondering....if you don't find it impertinent. Who is your wife?" With her aunt's question Elizabeth earnestly wished for the earth to open up and swallow her whole.
"My wife?" Darcy stared at Mrs Gardiner in blank confusion. "I don't have a wife."
"I do appologise." Mrs Gardiner coloured slightly. "Eli....err....we met a young lady out on the lawns, she seemed too familiar to be another visitor."
"Who on..." Darcy stopped abruptly as realisation dawned, but before he could speak the gardener spoke.
"Eee, Master, they must be referrin' to yon lass who turned up asking for you half an hour back and some. She seemed mighty peeved when we said we dinna ken if you was 'round. She was adamant that you was here, said that you left directions to come here."
"I only left directions for her to get to the Lambton Inn." Darcy had a trace of irritation on his face.
"She was mighty concerned like when she heard you hadna been seen. Went off mutterin' that she had to find you afore you kilt yerself."
"Do you mind Hawkins!" It was an exasperated protest. "The woman you saw was Sister Helen O'Niell, yes she is married, but she is also a widow. The only reason she is here and not in France is fairly obvious one would say." Darcy paused, opened his mouth as if to speak again, then closed it firmly, merely signing for Hawkins to continue the walk.
"It must have been Somme." Elizabeth spoke softly as they moved off again.
"Ehh." Mrs Gardiner blinked in surprise at Elizabeth.
"I was observing that Mr O'Niell must have died during the Battle of Somme."
"36th Ulster Division, they got mangled at Thiepval on the first day of Somme." Darcy twisted his head around as he spoke, and Mrs Gardiner couldn't help a smile at this obvious give away of the fact that he was not listening with any particular attention to the discussion of fishing. "He was a Lieutenant, actually a good officer, he was with the Foreign Legion until the 36th reached France, then he transfered." Darcy turned his head forward again and was soon discussing with animation the best flies and baits for catching fish in the Pemberley lands.
"Well he certainly knows his fishing." Mrs Gardiner shook her head disapprovingly almost, then emitted a startled shriek and Elizabeth was almost dragged to the ground with the sudden drag on her arm.
"Aunt Gardiner!" Elizabeth struggled to stay on her feet, while still attempting to support her aunt. It was a sigh of relief that she gave when an arm reached past her and grabbed her aunt firmly, the other hand caught Elizabeth firmly as well.
"Hawkins!" The sharp call had Elizabeth stiffening as she suddenly realised that the hand which was holding her was covered in rough, khaki coloured cloth. "Hawkins!" The call was repeated again.
"Sorry sir." The gardener's browned and grimed hands took hold of Mrs Gardiner and gently lowered her to the ground. Relieved of her load Elizabeth promptly removed herself from the confines of Darcy's arm and knelt down beside her aunt. Mrs Gardiner was almost alarmingly pale.
"Aunt, what is it?" Elizabeth took her aunt's hand out of habit. "AUNT!" She repeated the call more sharply.
"Sorry Lizzie." Mrs Gardiner's voice was faint. "So foolish......my ankle." Mrs Gardiner then fainted away completely.
"Oh dear." Mr Gardiner was grimacing nervously from where he was holding his wife's head.
"She's damaged an ankle before?" Darcy asked the question curtly as Elizabeth started gingerly feeling her aunt's ankles.
"Yes, right ankle.....she broke it back years ago."
"Well she's certainly injured it." Elizabeth grimaced as a touch drew a moan from the unconscious woman.
"Which creates a problem." Darcy was frowning. "Hawkins, is the stretcher still working?"
"What? The one Master Death built with you? Aye sir, I doubt anything could break that thing!"
"Harolds, Beering and Shortley should be able to manage it between them." Darcy rose to his feet as he spoke. "I'll send them out with it...."
"Master Fitzwilliam."
"But..." Darcy stopped, then nodded abruptly. "Very good. Miss Elizabeth we will leave immediately."
"Here, see if you can bring her around with this." Elizabeth dropped the small container of smelling salts into her Uncle's hand before hurrying after Darcy, who was already moving swiftly towards the house. The curtness and unamiability of his agreement to let her come would normally have damped Elizabeth's spirits, but she had noticed something that she very much doubted anyone else had noted. Infact she had only noticed it when Darcy had almost dropped her directly after he had caught her. What she had noticed was that the only reason that Darcy was still on his feet was pure will. Elizabeth didn't know why he was here, though Mrs Reynolds had mentioned something about convalescence, but he obviously was nowhere near his usual strength. It took less than half the time to return then it had taken them to get out there and it was with relief that Elizabeth sank down onto a bench after they had seen the stretcher party off. Much as she wanted to return with the party to her aunt, she was also aware that if she went Darcy would also go and Elizabeth wasn't so blind that she didn't realise that the man was starting to really push his available strength.
"Relieved to be sitting down Miss Elizabeth?" Darcy was slowly walking back and forth, a couple of paces in each direction, as he spoke. Whether he knew it or not, he was starting to show signs of extreme exhaustion.
"Very." Elizabeth gave a smile. "Won't you sit down, you make my legs ache moving back and forth like that."
"If you insist." Darcy sank down onto the other end of the bench, and nothing could prevent the soft sigh of relief. Darcy leant forward automatically and started rubbing his leg.
"You injured your leg?" Elizabeth watched the moves curiously.
"No...well last year." Darcy corrected himself with a faint smile. "That was actually why Colonel Fitzwilliam was so annoyed when he heard that I'd been in Hertfordshire last year.....I sort of neglected to tell him when I discharged myself."
"Sort of had no intention of telling him." Elizabeth responded with a faint smile.
"Hello Lizzie." Mrs Gardiner looked up with a faint smile as Elizabeth looked inquisitively into the room.
"How do Aunt.....good heavens you have been housed nicely."
"Give you a draughty kennel did he?" Mrs Gardiner's expression was surprised.
"No....Are we meant to be staying? I was just coming to say goodbye if you were awake, Uncle and I were about to return to the inn."
"I'm afraid our kindly host managed to out argue me on all fronts. That man is no mean strategist Lizzie."
"He also is intelligent. You must be joking, we can't stay here, it would be a frightful imposition for them to put all of us up."
"Imposition or no Colonel Darcy will not hear us say no to his offer."
"Oh dear." Elizabeth sank limply onto the foot of the bed.
"Really Elizabeth, you could try just being polite and friendly to him. He obviously is willing to forget the past himself."
"But aunt...." Elizabeth stopped and shrugged. "Well there's nothing else I can do." Elizabeth hesitated a few minutes, then shrugged again and stood up. "I must be going aunt, even if we are stopped before we leave."
"Safe journey Lizzie." Mrs Gardiner was visibly fighting a smile.
"Yes Aunt." Elizabeth gave a speaking grimace before she hurried out of the room. Elizabeth made it safely to the ground floor with only a few hesitations, though she did find herself in an unfamiliar part of the ground floor. It was clearly a part of the house which was not open to the public. Elizabeth looked around herself thoughtfully, wondering whether she could possibly make it back to the front of the house, without actually leaving the house by the nearest window and walking around the outside. Elizabeth tentatively explored down a few corridors, then froze.
"....I really couldn't care less. You may not realise it, but I'M the one who gets in trouble if you now ruin your health, so I'll kindly thank you to cease your fool brained shenanigans until you are at least no longer supposedly under my authority." The voice stopped abruptly and a door a short way down the corridor was abruptly opened and Elizabeth found herself facing a clearly irate Nursing Sister. "See what sense you can bang into him, but frankly I have never considered that hospitality should stretch you to the verge of killing yourself!" With that Nelli turned and stormed away, leaving Elizabeth to nervously bite her lip.
"I observe that she's capable of being irate at everyone." Darcy's voice had Elizabeth turning, he was leaning against the doorframe of the room Nelli had left and his expression was blank.
"Umm." Elizabeth hesitated. "I was just going to say thankyou for your hospitality to my aunt, and say that we must be going."
"Going?" Darcy's brows rose slowly. "Your room is right next to your aunt's. Your uncle is on the otherside of her. I'm afraid you'd blow my credit through the roof if you and your uncle were to return to Lambton Inn."
"We cannot so impose on you, it is bad enough that my aunt has to so impose on you, I fear my Uncle and I must refuse your offer."
"Miss Elizabeth, it is not an offer. You are going to stay here until your aunt is recovered. I will not have you going back to Lambton Inn when your aunt is installed here.....I suspect you'll find your Uncle in the dining room, you can speak to him there if you want."
"Colonel Darcy!" Elizabeth felt her ever ready temper go into a boil.
"Miss Elizabeth, your Uncle is concerned for your aunt, and five miles is still a considerable distance.....Even today....Besides which it would be most improper for you to put up at Lambton Inn alone. Now you really have to excuse me before I become even ruder and more bad tempered." Darcy turned abruptly and started to leave, only to stop and turn back again. "You may tell Sister O'Niell when you next see her that I have retired for the afternoon." Darcy turned again and was gone. Elizabeth gave an annoyed sigh of frustration before she climbed out the library window. It was all very well for him to tell her that her uncle was in the dining room, but since she was uncertain of the location of the dining room with regard to where she had been it was a singularly useless direction.
Darcy gave a groan as he rubbed his head, before pushing open the door and walking into the room which was very familiar. Darcy blinked as the doorframe suddenly doubled, and emitted a soft growl as he dropped onto the end of his bed to strip off his boots. His coat soon followed his boots and Darcy lay back on his pillows with a relieved sigh, it was hard removing those high knotting boots with numbing fingers.
"You should have given some warning." It was fifteen minutes later when Nash's disapproving voice caused Darcy to open his eyes again.
"Warning of what?" Darcy rolled his eyes blearily and blinked twice to bring them into focus.
"That you was coming up here. You're making an awful mess of the bed."
"Who cares, I'll clean up before I leave again."
"We sir."
"What?" Darcy rolled his head onto the side and stared at Nash.
"You said leaving in the singular term, I was merely correcting you. You won't be going anywhere.....but we will be."
"Maybe I should have left you in South Africa." Darcy rolled his head back and stared at the heavy beams which crossed the roof of the room.
"Well it would probably have been much better for my health if you had. At least Magreeta's men either killed or missed."
"Killed or missed? Nash you need to get your brains dusted off." Darcy blinked, then glanced back at Nash. "Do you really wish I had not asked you to come?"
"No sir." Nash's response was sharp. "I'll thank you not to question that matter again. You're a damnable nuisance, but your conscience is an even worse nuisance. Shot here, shot there, what's the difference, I'll die some day and I'd much prefer to die helping you then bumming it out back in Jo'burg."
"You hardly bummed it Nash." Darcy pushed a pillow up behind his head.
"True, but I hadn't long left when you turned up." Nash grimaced as he picked up a crumpled suit. "How you make such a mess of clothes you don't even wear!" Nash fingered a bad crease in a mournful manner.
"I wish I got you years earlier." Darcy gave a yawn. "It's utterly damnable Nash. H.E.1. has stopped."
"Atmung still operates?"
"Yes."
"Well it is better than nothing." Nash picked up Darcy's boots and pulled a huge grimace. "How am I meant to get these things clean?"
"You're not. Leave'm Nash, wouldn't do to have shiny boots on the front unless we're on parade for Haig.....and we never are."
"That annoy you?"
"Probably would if I could be on the front for more then five minutes without getting invalided out."
"Well it's a fair change from Africa where you was never sick."
"True." Darcy stared at the ceiling in silence for a few minutes. "Damn it Nash, I wish we'd never left!"
"Truly?" It was accompanied by a sharp look.
"No." The response was resigned. "You're right, I don't really wish for that." Darcy stared silently up at the ceiling again. "But sometimes it seems like the better way. You wouldn't have been shot, Georgiana wouldn't be blind, Ned's family wouldn't hate me, Peter would still be alive......Is being alive worth this Nash?"
"How about looking at what you'd be missing out on if you wasn't alive." Nash poked once more at the badly wrinkled suit, then finally hung it over the foot of the bed. "You'd ne'er ha' met Bennie, Bing would ha' remained just an old school friend long forgotten. Miles and Carrigan you'd ne'er ha met. Sister O'Niell wouldn't be known to you, Alastair would have been another unknown." Nash paused and glanced thoughtfully up at Darcy. "And you'd never have met Miss Elizabeth Bennet."
"Damn it all Nash, you just changed my mind on me, I was just beginning to think that life wasn't worth it."
"It has its good bits with the rough bits. The rougher the rough bits......well you usually enjoy the good bits more as a result."
"I see I have my own private philosopher." Darcy gave a sigh and abruptly threw his pillow across the room, only to look up sharply as a knock sounded at the door. Nash crossed to it and glanced outside.
"Miss Elizabeth.....are you available to visitors?"
"Well if she isn't allergic to shirt sleeves and socks, then of course she can come in......unless she's come with bad news."
"Depends on what you call bad news." Elizabeth stayed next to the door, but she looked around the room curiously.
"Well then maybe I'll tell you to depart." Darcy caught the pillow as Nash threw it back to him and tucked it behind his head.
"It seems your sister is on the telephone."
"Georgiana?" Darcy stared up in stunned amazement. "What's she on the telephone for?"
"Ummm, I don't know." Elizabeth gave a slight shrug. "She asked for you directly, but Mrs Reynolds is currently stalling her."
"Stalling won't help." Darcy reached out and grabbed the receiver next to the bed and listened to it for a minute. "Yeah, I'm here Georgiana.....no Mrs Reynolds, you get back to your cooking." Darcy listened in silence for most of a minute. "But..." He stopped again and continued listening. "No, just arrived this afternoon I had some papers to collect......no, I actually had left immediately, but a minor emergency delayed my departure." Darcy continued listening for an extended period of time. "No...yes.....no you aren't acquainted with them.......yes I'm sure you'll like them.......no, I promise I won't leave before tomorrow morning.......Yes I realise that Georgiana......No, not in the slightest.......Oh you had better be joking about that Georgiana, I don't want her here!" Darcy listened again for a few minutes. "Yes I realise that.......okay, bring them with you.....No, no, not at all." Darcy listened again for a few minutes before finally bidding goodbye and hanging up. Darcy returned the receiver to its stand and stared up at the ceiling. Elizabeth was by this stage feeling very embarrassed, but her attempt to leave earlier had been stopped by a warning look from Nash.
"Good news sir?" Nash picked up the suit once more.
"Most would probably say it was. It seems Georgiana is on her way home.....and she seems to have decided that I'm a passable brother again." Darcy's brows creased up in annoyance. "I see the fell hand of my cousin...and I do wish he'd mind his own business and leave me to mind mine."
"When Edward Fitzwilliam does that the sky will be purple and the sun will be bilious green. Now get some sleep so you don't actually fall over while attempting to be polite at the dinner table."
"Aren't you so polite." Darcy pulled the spare pillow out from under his head and covered his face with it. Nash viewed this procedure with a grin, then herded Elizabeth out ahead of him and closed the door firmly after himself.
"Have you seen Colonel Darcy?" Nelli's abrupt tones brought Elizabeth's eyes up from her book.
"No, not since breakfast."
"Well if you see him you can inform him that they have arrived."
"Alright." Elizabeth returned her attention to her book, until she heard the door shut again and she finally looked up from it again. "Was that a suitable diversion?"
"That was a pathetic one." Darcy's tone was decidedly damping as he appeared from behind the bookcases.
"Well it was the truth, I hadn't seen you....I had only spoken to you. But now I have seen you and I have been informed to inform you that they have arrived. Whoever they are."
"I think I know who they are.....Would you object to meeting my sister Miss Elizabeth?" Darcy looked back from his position next to the door.
"Object?" Elizabeth looked at him in astonishment. "Of course I don't object, I'd be delighted to meet her."
"Right, I'll bring her in when she's tidied up from her trip."
"Where's she been? I thought she never left here?"
"You're not the only one. She went to London in an attempt to intercept me on my way here." Darcy abruptly opened the door. "I may return soon, I may be gone a while." He gave a shrug and was gone, leaving Elizabeth to stare after him in bewilderment. Had Elizabeth not thought it to be impossible she would have been willing to say that Mr Darcy was worried...possibly almost scared of something. Elizabeth gave a shrug, the matter would probably explain itself, and it was more than likely that she had misread his expression.
"David!" The cry came faintly through the door and Elizabeth resolutely buried herself in her book.
"Georgiana." Darcy had barely gotten out of the library before he came up onto Georgiana.
"I suspected you would be in the Library."
"Obviously my habits are too deeply ingrained." Darcy paused. "You going to go and change immediately?"
"No, I'd actually prefer to talk to you...in private."
"Certainly....best use the study." Darcy automatically offered his arm to Georgiana, and nearly fell over when she actually took it. Maybe his wild imaginings the previous evening had not been wrong....maybe, just maybe, Georgiana might have finally decided to acknowledge him as a relative again.
Darcy paused thoughtfully inside the door of his room and kicked at a coat he had left on the floor that morning. Admittedly he was glad that Georgiana had forgiven him, and yet..... Darcy kicked the coat with even greater vigour before walking across to the window and opening it.
"Coats don't take kindly to such treatment sir." Nash's voice reproved.
"Stop being so bloody formal Nash." Darcy turned away from the window and looked in annoyance at Nash. "The last thing I want right now is polite formality."
"Verra good." Nash picked up the maltreated coat and threw it onto the bed. "Take some advice....take it slowly. Of course your sister is going to be polite and formal with you, she doesn't know you.....Even if you did ignore these past seven years she still wouldn't know you. You started school before she was born and you went straight from school to South Africa. Take it slowly...sure she's your sister, but to be truthful Miss Elizabeth knows you even better than she does."
"Which says a hell of a lot about our family." Darcy stared out the window again.
"It'll start melting in a minute." Nash picked up the coat he had thrown on the bed and walked towards the door.
"Not likely." Darcy turned away from the window and frowned at the floor.
"Well maybe the floor will catch fire first. You're in an awful foul temper tonight and you still have the Bingleys and Hursts to entertain, above and beyond your sister and Miss Elizabeth and her relatives."
"Blast it all Nash." Darcy kicked the bed in annoyance.
"Priest is downstairs, you can ride for an hour before you need to dress for dinner." Nash's expression was blank, he certainly had no intention of provoking Darcy to take his annoyance out on him.
"Probably a good idea." Darcy turned abruptly and yanked his riding clothes out of the draws and vanished into a nearby room, shortly to return.
"Well you won't qualify as a dandy in that kit....Surely you've bought one more recently then that?" Nash was looking in a pained manner at Darcy's somewhat elderly and decidedly beat up riding kit.
"No, costs too much and would be damnably uncomfortable." Darcy rifled around in a nearby draw and pulled out a pair of boots. "Besides which Priest would probably panic."
"You are full of excuses.....You just don't wish to give up the only remaining token you have of a life of work where the choice was optional."
"Optional?" Darcy looked back over his shoulder with a quirked eyebrow.
"Well you could have just sold out a portion of the estate and downsized a trifle, you didn't actually have to go out and work to keep things working."
"Whatever." Darcy turned and headed for the door, then stopped again. "Do you want to come?"
"Maybe some other time." Nash parried.
"Get back on your machine and don't let me see hide or hair of you until tomorrow." Darcy left his room and was soon jumping down the back stairs.
"So much for the dressy Major. Where're you headed Darcy?" Bingley's voice stopped Darcy at the door.
"Out, and don't come Bing, I'm in a foul temper." Darcy opened the door and closed it behind himself.
"Well that seems to be that." Bingley turned thoughtfully back and twisted his mouth at the room.
"That certainly would seem to be that." Elizabeth walked across to the window and glanced down. "Well he can certainly ride a horse."
"That shouldn't be a concern." Bingley joined her by the window. "He spent five years in Africa and spent most of it sitting in the saddle."
"I'd sooner be concerned that he gets to tired without knowing it." Nelli frowned out the window, but not having seen which direction Darcy took she could not see him.
"I wouldn't worry, the Major's very good at looking after himself. He doesn't do anything unless he knows he can do it. Besides which it is only an hour until the evening meal and he won't miss that."
"True." Nelli stepped back from the window, and soon Elizabeth and Bingley joined her and after a bit of silence they soon fell into a discussion of the current situation on the Western Front, which was not particularly good.
"Has anyone seen my brother?" It was an hour later when Georgiana's question jerked them out of their discussion.
"Well last time we saw him he was headed off on horseback, but we assume he'll return shortly so as not to miss dinner." Bingley rose to his feet and stretched awkwardly, nearly falling over again. "I never realised that losing an arm could so thoroughly destroy my sense of balance....I mean you don't use them much when walking, they're mostly used for lifting and carrying, and yet I practically fall over again everytime I stand up."
"Practice...that's what you need Mr Bingley, practice." Elizabeth rose to her feet with a grin. Nelli had left the room while Bingley was speaking.
"All well and good for you to talk Miss Elizabeth." Bingley gave a sniff. "Anyone want escort to their room?"
"No thanks." Elizabeth gave a laugh as Mr Bingley left the room.
"Miss Bennet." Georgiana's voice stopped Elizabeth as she also prepared to leave.
"Call me Lizzie, I'm getting tired of being Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth and Sister Bennet and all the other formal names I have."
"But..." Georgiana stopped and bit her lip. "Could you possibly call me Georgiana?"
"Sure thing Georgie, now what did you want with me?" Elizabeth gave a gurgle of laughter as Georgiana's expression became slightly mixed.
"Thankyou!" Georgiana's sudden outburst caught Elizabeth by surprise, but Elizabeth's surprise became compounded when Georgiana abruptly threw herself into Elizabeth's arms and started to cry.
"Ssss." Elizabeth gently stroked the smooth head that rested against her shoulder. It was a slight noise which brought Elizabeth's head up, and looking sharply she saw a foot vanishing, someone had been stopped in the doorway.
"Oh no." Georgiana jerked her head up from Elizabeth's shoulder and rubbed her eyes hard with her wrists.
"What's the matter?" Elizabeth kept a firm hold on Georgiana.
"That was David, and I was crying. I've got to catch him before he goes to change." Georgiana was desperately feeling around herself.
"Door's over here." Elizabeth took Georgiana's shoulder and lead her to the door.
"Thankyou." Georgiana touched the small board next to the door as she spoke and then she was gone. Elizabeth watched in interest as Georgiana walked swiftly down the corridor, taking a totally ninety degree turn into the next corridor. Elizabeth stood by the door for a minute, then turned herself and headed for the front stairs, she had to change for dinner.
"If that's you Nash don't even consider it!" Darcy had been pulling off his boots when the knock sounded.
"I didn't think Nash ever knocked." The voice came through the door in a muffled manner.
"Georgiana." Darcy had the door open immediately. "Sorry, I wasn't actually expecting someone."
"That's not what it sounded like. I thought Nash never knocked."
"I certainly never remember him having done so." Darcy paused, then abruptly caught himself. "Do you want to come in Georgiana or did you just wish to remind me it's dinner time."
"As if I would." Georgiana gave a slight sniff. "David you never forgot dinner....and you never missed it....Even when father banned you from it as a punishment."
"Well you could hardly expect me to starve myself." Darcy stepped aside and directed Georgiana to a nearby chair.
"That you certainly did not do." Georgiana paused. "I like Miss Elizabeth."
"I'm glad to hear it.....I thought you might." The latter was spoken in a somewhat cryptic tone.
"No!" Georgiana nearly stomped her foot. "It wasn't that David so stop it!"
"Wasn't what?" Darcy stopped dead in his tracks.
"I wasn't crying for the reasons you are thinking of. My head does not hurt....or it doesn't hurt that way....I am very happy you are home! I was crying for a very stupid reason and I was going to appologise to her when I realised you had seen me."
"When did you take up talking in riddles George?" Darcy sank down on his bed with a deep crease between his brows.
"I took it up when I realised that I was no longer George to my brother. I don't like Georgiana David, she's serious and proper, she wears nice dresses, she never sees Golden Valley. Please, I've been Miss Darcy and Georgiana for seven years, I'm tired of her..." Georgiana paused. "I just want to be little George again." It was a plea, and as of old Darcy knew he wasn't going to be able to hold out against it.
"Okay George, you got a deal." Darcy pushed a hand through his hair then rubbed the end of his nose.
"Can we go to Golden Valley tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow?" Darcy looked startled.
"Well I haven't been there in ages and I want to see whether the air still feels golden."
"Well it is the best time of year for it." Darcy pushed up from his bed. "We shall consider ourselves engaged for tomorrow afternoon and evening, I'll see that Mrs Reynolds knows that dinner will be late."
"Oh goody." Georgiana bounced on her seat.
"However we'd better leave it at that note for there are now only five minutes in which we need to change and get to the dining room, we're going to have to be mighty wick as Freddie always said. Hop it George, I'll see you at dinner."
"'Til then." Georgiana worked her way warily to the door and then was gone, leaving Darcy to stare at the closed door for a minute, before he abruptly shook his head and wrenched his evening suit out of the wardrobe. Four minutes later saw him sliding down the bannister.
"You seem to enjoy bannister sliding, Colonel Darcy." Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder to speak to him as he passed her.
"True, it is so much faster then walking." Darcy gave a cheerful grin and hopped onto the last bannister, leaving Elizabeth to shake her head and continue her ascent up the stairs.
"What's up?" Darcy grimaced faintly as he saw the layout of the dining room.
"I see you made it on time." Georgiana glanced slightly over her shoulder as Darcy whispered to her. "Yes, Miss Bingley was delighted when I suggested that she took the foot of the table.....though I suspect that she is not so delighted now." Georgiana's smile had an impish quality to it.
"Mrs Gardiner is expected to descend?" Darcy had been counting the settings.
"Yes, she was quite determined when she overheard me discussing seatings with Mrs Reynolds.....Infact the seating arrangement was actually planned out by her and Sister....Nelli."
"You mean this particular arrangement was set up by Sister O'Niell and Mrs Gardiner?"
"Well for the most part....they were the ones who suggested the seating near the foot. After all Mrs Gardiner is not suitably attired, Nelli did not think it appropriate for her to sit there, and I didn't want to sit all the way down there, and Lizzie wasn't suitably dressed either, and we thought Mrs Hurst would prefer to sit next to her husband."
"George, the lot of you are no mean plotters." Darcy then turned sharply and gave polite greetings as Mrs Gardiner came in assisted by husband and niece. "How do you do."
"We are going to hold an extensive cross table conversation in french this evening." Mrs Gardiner paused. "I hope you won't find it offensive Colonel."
"Not at all, I'm afraid you can do what you like and I won't see a thing thanks to this hideous epergne. George, where did you get that frightful thing from?"
"If you don't remember, that was Death's first present from India."
"Well it returns to the west attic the minute it can." Darcy grimaced at the epergne one last time before he sat down. "I always said that Death had no taste." At the far end of the table Miss Bingley was already starting to look annoyed, she had Mrs and Mrs Gardiner to one side talking in french and Mr and Mrs Hurst to her other side, not talking at all, while Darcy and Georgiana were at completely the other end of the table, and totally inaccessible courtesy of the immense epergne.
"You going to sit down Lizzie?" Georgiana looked up from a soft conversation with Nelli.
"No, I was just going to stand for the rest of the evening." Elizabeth quickly slid into the last available seat with a grimace.
"That could make eating difficult." Darcy started serving from several plates, doing Georgiana first, then Elizabeth, then finally loading up his own plate.
"Hence I decided in the end to sit down." Elizabeth shot a quick glance down the table to where her aunt and uncle were talking away before turning back to her plate and taking a cautious sip of her drink, then snapped her head around and stared at Darcy. "Miss Bingley will kill you. This is rasberry cordial." It was a soft whisper.
"Only at this end." Darcy's response was just as quiet as he filled his own glass.
"But..." Elizabeth stopped abruptly.
"Exactly." Darcy's tone was dry. "I'm really hoping I don't fall asleep before this evening is over."
"Bother!" Nelli's mutter was clearly audible.
"No Sister, I poured that out the window, I'm just a trifle fatigued as they say."
"Which makes me even more annoyed." Nelli jabbed at the food on her plate.
"Of course it does, hence I wasn't actually going to tell you." Darcy set to work on his plate of food.
"Anyone would think you had made a deliberate study of how to most annoy Sister O'Niell." Elizabeth took another sip of her drink, then gave a soft laugh as Bingley deliberately went after the jug at the other end of the table.
"Well I actually prefer the cordial." Georgiana took a sip of hers.
"Hah!" Elizabeth gave a near crow of delight. "My friend Georgie, at last I've found someone else who also likes rasberry cordial as much as I do."
"Well I'm glad the choice of refreshment satisfied all. Mrs Reynolds was somewhat concerned when I rearranged her refreshment situation."
"Well I'll assure her later that the refreshment was delicious." Georgiana reapplied herself to her food.
"You should have told me we were dining in state." Elizabeth growled softly under her breath to Darcy while appearing to refill her glass.
"Why?" Darcy filled up her glass for her.
"Because I am not dressed appropriately and neither are my aunt or uncle. Even though rasberry cordial is not a beverage for a dinner table. Miss Darcy, how come your brother is so rude?"
"I couldn't say." Georgiana took a sip of her cordial.
"Do you always change subjects without taking a breath Miss Elizabeth?" Darcy refilled Georgiana's glass.
"Only when I'm dining in state in a pair of trousers and didn't bother to brush my hair."
"I didn't notice it was unbrushed and anyone who looks under the table is very rude."
"It's all very well for you to comment." Elizabeth applied herself to the task of eating and answering Mr Bingley's numerous questions.
"Elizabeth..." Georgiana spoke softly.
"Call me Lizzie." Elizabeth took another sip of the rasberry cordial, amused by the fact that Bingley was rigorously avoiding use of the decanter containing it.
"Lizzie, what is it like being a VAD?"
"Depends....depends on a lot of things. Depends on whether you actually like what you're doing, depends whether you're good at it. Depends if you really want to be there. My sister was in France for a few months, but she didn't enjoy that very much so she came home and has transferred off the overseas list. My sister prefers the shock hospitals because frantic activity dizzies her and she doesn't actually like to see them....." Elizabeth waved her hands expressively and Darcy gave a soft choke, then leant down and whispered to his sister.
"Do you actually see that?" Georgiana looked in astonishment across the table. "I never realised you actually dealt with them before they had been....repaired."
"Yes....depends on where you are depends on how you see them. The 'Front Door' crew and the ambulance sisters see the worst of it, with the theatre sister only a bit further behind. The ward sisters see very little of it and the communications sisters see nearly nothing of it." Elizabeth frowned at the piece of chicken on her plate.
"What do you do?" Georgiana took a drink from her glass.
"Uhh." Elizabeth flickered a glance at Darcy and Bingley. "I was front door and theatre sister."
"Both at once?" Georgiana was surprised.
"Well, not really. I didn't accompany the ambulances at all, I just dealt with them when they returned. Some of it is pretty gruesome and definitely not table conversation." Elizabeth paused, then turned to Darcy. "What brought the war home most for you?"
"I think it was the first time we were actually on the front, it is incredibly annoying to feel utterly helpless and that is precisely what happened. Here was I, a mighty Major with some hundred odd men under me and no matter what I did, I would be unable to save them if they got in the way of flying metal. At the same time I realised that the same had effect for me. I don't believe there is anything worse than just sitting there waiting to see who will die next."
"It doesn't trouble you now?" Elizabeth looked curiously up at him.
"Uhhh." Darcy hesitated. "The effect is different, you develop a certain frame of mind....fatalistic is I think the best word. Someday a shell will probably find you, but until that day dawns you have work to do and if the work is done well you might manage to stave off the day for someone else."
"Surely that can't be the best approach?" Elizabeth crinkled her brow up.
"Well....Bing, you got an opinion on this?"
"No." Bingley's answer was brief and to the point.
"There has got to be a better way, my father is fatalistic, and all I can say is that it makes the world decidedly flat for him."
"I'm not......" Georgiana started, then stopped abruptly and focussed on her food.
"You're not?..." Elizabeth prompted gently.
"I was thinking that my brother might be referring to fatalism in the personal sense."
"Expound this theory Georgiana." Darcy pushed back slightly in his chair and extended his legs. Elizabeth felt something brush past her toes and she was immediately given a curious eyebrow.
"My only pair of shoes were dirty."
"Very wise of you." Darcy turned his attention back to Georgiana.
"What was that about?" Georgiana looked curiously across in Elizabeth's approximate direction.
"Your brother just discovered that I am wearing a pair of socks instead shoes and socks and he wanted an explanation for such a breach of etiquette." Elizabeth spoke softly and gave Darcy a dark look, he merely responded with a faint smile.
"Oh.....well it is much more comfortable." Georgiana's brows creased.
"Expound your theory sister, we were waiting impatiently when I was so rude."
"You were nothing of the sort." Georgiana gave her brother a firm look, then took another sip of cordial.
"You referred to fatalism in the personal sense...." Elizabeth prompted.
"I was just thinking that it is easy to be fatalistic when considering yourself but not fatalistic considering others." Georgiana spoke hurriedly.
"Interesting theory." Darcy's brows creased. "Unfortunately I don't think it applies to me....certainly not currently."
"Well suppose we take the army as you personally since my brother always said that the army should operate in the singular as opposed to the plural. Would you still consider your outlook as fatalistic....or something else." Elizabeth lifted a curious eyebrow.
"Well I can certainly guarantee that my outlook is not optomistic." Darcy's brows creased. "Perhaps if I give an answer when I have considered the subject at greater depth?"
"That's alright with me.....Georgie?"
"M-me?" Georgiana looked surprised. "Yes, certainly....he doesn't have to give an answer at all."
"Oh yes he does." Elizabeth refilled her glass. "For if he does not have to answer he quite possibly won't even consider the matter. Mr Bingley...What brought the war home to you?"
"Me?" Bingley was startled, he had long since tuned out of the conversation which was occuring next to him and it caught him by surprise when a question was addressed to him. "I think it was the first time I was issued with live ammunition."
"Why?" This interested Elizabeth. "Why weren't you affected when you were issued with your first weapon?"
"Well at training camp.....well it was rather like boy scouts.....Cadets while at school. You put up tents, you dug ditches, you ran all over the place and you went bang. Injuries were rare in the extreme and it was just a lot of fun and schoolboy competition." Bingley rubbed his forehead and frowned. "Then they issued us with live ammunition when we landed in France, and suddenly you realised that you were here to kill people and to be killed. These little bits of metal could hurt, they could maim, they could kill. Before it was just a bit of a chuckle like, we were here for the glory of the country and our pride. Then suddenly you really had to ask yourself the question of what your life was worth, were you actually willing to be killed for the country and this war. It was a mighty rough wake up and some didn't make the grade. It really made you see that the small things were the most important. I got upset with Bennie just before Loos because he upset my last cup of tea......My last words to him were in irritation."
"Not your last Bing." Darcy softly interjected, it was clear that Bingley was fast losing himself to his memories. "I was there, your last words were the call of aid. I didn't actually pass out completely until that damn Private of yours grabbed my leg."
"I had forgotten." Bingley sat silently for a minute. "It was still the last time I really exchanged words with him, and I have wished it could have been otherwise frequently."
"What about you Miss Elizabeth?" Darcy turned to look at her. "What really brought the war home for you?"
"I don't know." Elizabeth paused and soon became totally lost in thought.
"Elizabeth?" Darcy's voice jolted her out of her preoccupation.
"Sorry, got lost in thought. I think it was when my brother left. He'd been away at school for years before that, but this was somehow different. He was so quiet about it, when going to school he always made sick jokes to conceal his homesickness and stuff, but this time he was silent. It was as if he was storing up memories of every second and had no wish to have any jarring chord to disturb them.....My brother grew up that day.....It was terrifying to watch......and it was even more terrifying to think that I might never see him again." Elizabeth abruptly ducked her head. "Thinking back one might almost think he knew he was going to die, for his preparations were so precise and careful....he was closing up his life in England, preparing to take with him only a few enjoyable memories."
"Dessert time I think." Darcy had left a slight pause before he spoke, and Elizabeth managed to regain her control under the cover of the confusion of the table being cleared and relaid. The rest of the meal passed with flippant conversation and light jokes and soon the ladies left for the music room while the gentlemen enjoyed their post-prandial port.
"Lizzie....would you please play the piano."
"Are you serious?" Elizabeth glanced doubtfully up at Georgiana. "I have hardly touched a keyboard in two years now."
"Please."
"Well......okay." Elizabeth moved across to the piano and gently touched it. "This is a beautiful piano."
"It was my mother's.....do you want some music?"
"No thankyou." Elizabeth spread her hands over the keys and played a few experimental keys. "Much nicer than our piano at home. Do you play much?"
"Oh yes." Georgiana pulled up a nearby seat.
"Then you can play when I'm done." Elizabeth let her mind drift backwards as she remembered a tune that was once very familiar.
"What!" Georgiana came as close to a squawk a you could while whispering.
"All's fair, I play for you, and you play for me. Besides which I'm sure you're brother would like to see you play."
"Well..." Georgiana shifted uncomfortably.
"Lizzie....Isn't that the Beethoven I used to play?" Mrs Gardiner suddenly looked up from her conversation.
"Is it?" Elizabeth continued to not listen to what she was playing, it was much easier to follow the memory that way.
"It's very beautiful......like spring rain." Georgiana had a faint crease between her brows as she tried to track down where she had heard it before. "I'm sure we have the music for it."
"Well don't try to find it for it is bound to terrify me if I see it."
"Isn't that Bennie's Beethoven?" It wasn't until Bingley spoke that Elizabeth realised that the gentlemen had joined them and she missed a chord as she glanced up at them. With a frown Elizabeth tried to recapture the elusive melody, but it would not come and after a few attempts she gave a sigh and pulled her hands off the keyboard.
"I find the leave I am given to be a respite which merely makes a pleasant change."
"Your sister lead me to believe that you don't take half your leaves." Bingley looked up quickly.
"True, and as a result I get twice as long when I actually take leave." Elizabeth leant back slightly and turned the page for Georgiana.
"I hear that the Canadians have left Meryton. They must be a sad loss to your family."
"I could hardly say since I left before they did. Though certainly good company is always a sad loss." Elizabeth leant forward again.
"Good company?" Miss Bingley gave a slight laugh. "I'm sure Mr Darcy could not agree with that."
"For the most part I found the Canadians to be quite interesting." Darcy's response was slightly bored in tone.
"Oh, well I suppose I only met them at Charles' ball and there they seemed quite savage." Miss Bingley gave a slight sigh.
"One might think you regretted that Miss Bingley." Mrs Gardiner spoke in a slightly reflective tone and got a horrified look for her remark.
"One must admit that there was provocation." Bingley suddenly returned to the proceedings. "The Canadians much preferred the informal hop to our formal proceedings." Bingley paused. "And that reminds me Darcy, what did you say to that poor blighter of a Lieutenant?"
"Manners Bing." Darcy put his book to one side. "I wished him a long and healthy life."
"The man was persuaded that you had put a curse on him." Elizabeth glanced back at Georgiana's music and noted that she would soon have to turn the page again. "Not but what we have a fairly steady flow of combatants on leave staying at the Horse and Hounds. Mr Darcy, I hear from my father that you have become a legend in our neighbourhood." Darcy responded with a look of surprise and Elizabeth bit back on a chuckle.
"Lizzie." Georgiana's voice called Elizabeth's attention back to the music and she quickly turned the page, but when she turned back again the conversation had taken another turn.
"No, I am a Nurse Miss Bingley." Nelli was answering in a composed manner.
"That must be most interesting, please do tell us about it."
"I'm afraid Miss Bingley that such should be inappropriate, there are many in this room who might object."
"Oh, I'm sorry, I had not realised." Miss Bingley gracefully backed out, but she had not counted on her opponent.
"But if you would like we could go into another room and we'll discuss the matter."
"No, that would be too impolite to Mr Darcy." Miss Bingley gave a faintly superior smile.
"Frankly I don't think Mr Darcy could care what we were doing." Nelli's response came with a laugh from Bingley, for Darcy was asleep in his chair. Miss Bingley sniffed in disapproval at such uncultured behaviour, but her expression became even less impressed when Nelli moved out of her chair and gave Darcy a short, sharp shake. Darcy's eyes opened and he blinked sleepily, then gave a chuckle and struggled out of his chair.
"I fear I must be excused for the evening." Darcy hurriedly stifled a yawn. "I'll see you all in the....." Darcy stopped as the butler came into the room.
"Sir."
"Yes Jackson?" Darcy glanced at the butler, relieved that he had been woken before the man entered.
"We have just had a delivery made for a certain Lady Helen O'Brien."
"Oh." Darcy made the noise in a profound manner, for he could well see the problem, Jackson was not aware of there being any Lady Helen in the house. "I'll see that she gets it." Darcy took the parcel and nodded until Jackson had left, then he turned and handed the parcel to Nelli. "I believe you can deal with this matter best Sister."
"Thankyou." Nelli's voice was unsteady as she took the parcel. Darcy took one sharp look at her face and then resumed his previous seat.
"On second thoughts maybe I won't retire."
"I don't believe it." Darcy rose slowly to his feet, his jaw dropping. "It passed through."
"You knew?" Nelli turned and stared at Darcy.
"Who?" Bingley creased his brows up.
"What happened?" Elizabeth looked up curiously.
"O'Niell was a Lieutenant in the 36th Ulster Division and they got shoved onto the Somme Front in the Thiepval Wood. They had zero cover except for part of a sunken road on No-Man's-Land and they were going up against the Schwaben Redoubt, and trust me when I say that the Schwaben Redoubt is one of the last places I ever wish to be."
"The last place is Vimy Ridge near Ypres....Now that is one hellish corner to be stuck in." Bingley blinked slowly, it was obvious that Darcy was not the only one who was suffering somewhat from fatigue.
"After taking Schwaben they headed on for the Stuff Redoubt, but didn't make it. O'Niell had gone in there with a platoon of thirty-six men, that platoon alone accounted for forty prisoners, and of the thirty-six men only eight are still alive and four of those are still in hospital. O'Niell was soon in command of his entire Company after the captain was killed, though the company was never larger than his previous platoon, and all in all O'Niell and his men accounted for nearly one hundred prisoners......They took more prisoners then he had men at any given time, and he very nearly survived as it was."
"Ouch." Elizabeth winced, and yet she heard many stories of similar style.
"Exactly." Darcy paused then rose again. "I suggest we all retire for the night." Darcy then firmly propelled Nelli from the room, leaving Miss Bingley behind to gape.
"You should learn sister that the Nursing Sisters do not use there titles, they are just Sisters." Bingley pushed awkwardly to his feet, and yawned. "I have decided to take Darcy's advice and I too am retiring for the evening."
"Well I think I'll join the flow, your arm please Elizabeth." Mrs Gardiner pushed awkwardly out of her chair and had soon retired resting on Elizabeth's arm. Georgiana waited only just long enough to decide that she had no desire to take part in Miss Bingley's conversation with her sister about the deceit of people before she too retired.
"Where's who?" Emma appeared at the top of the stairs, looking like an angel in a pale green fitted gown.
"Knightley." John didn't even miss a step, even though he had certainly not expect to hear anyone asking questions of him.
"The motor just came in at the top of the street." Emma retreated as she spoke, she didn't need telling that it was inappropriate for her to have appeared outside, but really it wouldn't make a difference since everyone had seen the dress already.
"Emma." Isabella was fluttering around nervously, but she still managed to reprimand that Emma had been out.
"They've just come in at the top of the street." Emma crossed to a small mirror and checked her hair had not been upset by the expedition into the outside world.
"Is my dress straight?" Isabella turned nervously and twisted trying to get a look at her back in the mirror.
"Stand still Isabella." Emma firmly straightened her sister up and tugged at a few points on the skirt to straighten it completely. "Lovely, now try not to twitch or those flowers will fall out of your hair." Emma fussed around for a few minutes more, before she finally looked up as their father came into the room.
"Isabella, you look lovely." Mr Woodhouse extended his arm, and took a firm grip on his cane. "Far too drafty in this church, you'll likely catch your death of cold." This remark drew a soft laugh from both girls as Emma finally opened the door and lead the way out into the packed church. The ceremony had been intended to be small, but the fact remained that when a Knightley married the entire city turned out too watch the event....especially when the Knightley was from the main line. The size of the church had limitted the number of people, but even so Emma could see many familiar faces. John was standing by the alter with Knightley a few steps back behind him. Emma found that even though the aisle had felt like several miles of walking the service had fairly raced passed and in an unbelievably short time she was once more traversing the aisle behind John and Isabella.
"Ladies and Gentlemen." Three years in the Senate had equipped George Knightley's already powerful voice with the ability to drown out any noise. "There will be a reception at the Knightley Home, you have two hours to get there." With those words Knightley finally took his position standing beside Emma and shaking endless hands and exchanging endless quantities of polite conversation.
"I thought they didn't want a reception?" Emma muttered the remark to Knightley, then smiled charmingley and enquired of some middle aged gentleman how he was.
"Unfortunately seeing the crowd we were required to change plans." Knightley's response was interspersed by greetings and polite enquiries.
"Couldn't you have warned us?" Emma smiled genuinely as she finally shook hands with a familiar face.
"And offend your father? Not likely." Knightley made a polite enquiry after someone's son. "Besides it was touch and go getting things set up anyway."
"I could believe that." Emma nodded to Knightley's secretary, a Mr Elton. "Remind me to thank your catering staff after it has finished."
"I'm sure they'd be delighted for you to thank them." Knightley made yet another polite enquiry, though this time about someone's daughter.
"Emma!" A frantic John Knightley came flying up the stairs to where Emma stood talking to a maid.
"Yes?" Emma calmly finished her conversation before she turned to the harrassed looking husband.
"Knightley's just had to desert us for his office, can you possibly produce a speech? I really couldn't tolerate Elton making a speech at my wedding, even though he has offered."
"A three minute speech.....Oh dear. Yes I think I can manage John, but please make sure father keeps the speeches as late as possible."
"We can't." John ran frustrated fingers through his hair. "It's a buffet affair where people just help themselves, we've got the speeches first up so the kitchen staff have an extra fifteen minutes to get things together and out."
"Mr Knightley didn't happen to leave his speech behind did he?" Emma made the enquiry sarcastically because she knew as well as John that Knightley never used notes, and certainly not for something like a wedding speech.
"You might be able to talk to him." John knew as well as Emma that his suggestion was just as daft as hers had been, for Knightley to have left at all meant that there was a BIG problem and his telephone was almost guaranteed not to be connected.
"Very funny, I'll be down in fifteen minutes, complete with three minute speech.......And hope I don't stutter over it."
"You won't Em." John gave Emma a quick hug. "You'd never do anything like that, least of all at my wedding reception." John then fled back downstairs leaving Emma to pace restlessly as she attempted to work out a speech. How did one even start a speech like this?
"Miss Woodhouse." The maid was standing on the stairs.
"Yes?" Emma stopped pacing and looked at the girl.
"Senator Knightley wishes to speak to you on the telephone."
"Thankyou." Emma quickly followed the maid to the telephone, with luck Knightley would at least tell her how to start the speech.
"Emma...." Knightley got no further before Emma leaped in.
"I've been assigned to make the wedding speech. Help me Mr Knightley, I haven't the faintest idea of how to start one."
"Dear me, this is bad, Emma asking for help. Ladies and Gentlemen is invariably a good start and having got them quiet some joke is quite handy, get them laughing."
"Um-hmm." Emma was scribbling on the pad next to the telephone as she responded.
"Best finish with wishing John and Isabella all happiness and peace.....though it has to be a foul idea we're going to be into this war unless it ends soon."
"Don't talk about such things......why did you leave?"
"For that precise reason, The War. I'm actually heading for D.C. tomorrow morning and was going to ask while I remembered whether you and your father had any interest in coming with me?"
"How about I give you a response this evening after this has all died down and I've managed to speak to father."
"Fine, I'll call at your hotel sometime before midnight."
"Right....thanks for the speech tips and enjoy your work." Emma hung up to the sound of Knightley making a rather rude remark about Trade Unionist Acts. Chewing on the pencil for a minute Emma started scribbling quickly on the sheet, this was going to have to be a fairly spontaneous speech because she refused to take up too many notes, and to write out a three minute speech would not only be a lot of paper, but it would also be tiresome. Emma was still jotting ideas on the pad as she took her seat, nothing like having been a society columnist if you wanted endless stories and edged jokes. Five minutes later Emma rose to her feet in response to her father's introduction, and she took a deep and cautious breath.
This brought a quick chuckle from the assembled group, and taking hope from the success of her first joke Emma continued with increased confidence.
Emma was forced to pause while the assembled guests stopped laughing and generally making noise, for it was a well known fact that there were few less timid and shy than the Minnesotan Senator.
Once again Emma had to pause.
I stand here and look at my sister, Isabella Jane, you are the best sister and the loveliest sister a person could ever have. At the point the Best Man would, had he been here, probably have interjected that he'd do anything to get rid of his brother....
Emma had to pause once more for the laughter to die away before she could continue, but eventually her speech was completed, and Emma had the delightful view of seeing Isabella chewing on her napkin so as not to scream with laughter.
"You little devil." John's eyes were dancing as Emma resumed her seat. "Did he really call you up and tell you how to make a speech?"
"Not quite." Emma took a hurried drink. "He called to explain why he'd had to run and ask whether father and I would accompany him back to D.C. I asked him about the speech and that's about all he said on the subject."
"Called to D.C. is he? Oh what fun for him......you're fortunate no one would believe he gave such daft suggestions for writing a speech." John shook his head, then turned back to Isabella when Bobby Elton came to claim Emma's attention.
August 31st 1916 - Pemberley, England
And life is what we make it. Always has been, always will be. - Grandma Moses
September 1st 1916-Minnesota, U.S.A.
"Where is he?" John Knightley was prowling back and forth in front of the small church, checking his watch at regular intervals and looking nervously up at the church behind him.Ladies and Gentlemen, I bid you welcome to this reception in honour of the marriage of John Franklin Knightley and Isabella Jane Woodhouse. I will admit at this point that it is not usually the role of the Bridesmaid to make the opening speech, infact as far as my understanding went Bridesmaids aren't meant to speak at all.
As most are well able to tell you, it is usually the role of the Best Man to make this particular speech. But likewise everyone is well acquainted with at least the face of today's Best Man, and you all know how shy and timid he is, how unable he is......
.....to even open his mouth in public.
However a telephone call to one senatorial office and the result were these precise instruction on how to make a speech at a wedding party. Did you know that one is advised to start with 'Ladies and Gentlemen' these words are supposedly the magic key to silence. I was also advised that jokes and laugh lines come in handy when it comes to preventing people from yawning while spending the requisite three minutes talking. There were more instructions, but I have not yet reached those points of the speech yet, so please, patience, you will hear more on that subject soon.
© 1999, 2000, 2001 Copyright held by the author.