Free A Wife for Mr. Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen Page B

with hurtful comments. Something you can attest to.”
    “I wonder if Miss Darcy understands the sacrifice you make on her behalf or if she would wish it if she did.”
    Lizzy’s question went unanswered, and for the remainder of the dance, the two engaged in friendly conversation, and Mr. Darcy felt comfortable enough with his company to tweak the nose of the profligate Prince of Wales for his enormous appetite in just about everything. But he was at his most eloquent when speaking of Pemberley.
    “By the end of the London season, I am so eager to be free of the noise, the dirt, the smells, and the intense scrutiny that I go directly to my estate in Derbyshire. I am very much like a man who has been breathing through a narrow funnel for months on end, but who suddenly finds his lungs filled with pure oxygen. As far as I am concerned, Pemberley is as near to heaven as you can get on this earth.”
    When the last notes were played and the final steps taken, Mr. Darcy escorted Lizzy to the table where they were to dine. Miss Darcy was already seated and was talking to Caroline Bingley and Mrs. Hurst, who soon departed to see to their duties as hostesses. Knowing about his intended courtship with Miss Montford in London, Lizzy was puzzled by his request that she meet his sister. She was not alone in her confusion, as Mr. Darcy was equally incapable of answering the same question.

Georgiana Darcy was eager to meet the woman who seemed to have captured her brother’s attention, if not his heart, and Lizzy was equally interested in meeting the young woman who brought a smile to Mr. Darcy’s face whenever her name was mentioned. Georgiana had the dark Darcy hair and gray-green eyes, but little else. She was perfectly lovely and carried herself with a confidence that belied her eighteen years. But her youth was evident once she began to speak, as she talked with the enthusiasm of one who was experiencing everything for the first time.
    “I am very pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Darcy, as I have heard so much about you from Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley,” Lizzy began.
    “Oh dear!” Georgiana said with a sigh. “Now I know my virtues have been exaggerated, and my shortcomings ignored.”
    “Well, their enthusiasm for their subject is a compliment in itself.”
    “How kind of them, but let us not talk about me, but of the dance,” Miss Darcy said, blushing. “I just love to dance.”
    “Of course, our country dances are nothing to the splendid balls of London.”
    “But I enjoy them so much as they provide an opportunity to meet new people. By the end of the London season, there was not one story I had not heard three or four times. I do not know why I was surprised by that, as everywhere I went I was with the same people,” and Georgiana quickly glanced at Caroline and Louisa. “It is different in the country. Every year at Pemberley, we hold a harvest festival and dance. Unfortunately, because of all the rain, we were unable to host it this year. I was sorely disappointed as I find our neighbors to be refreshing in their frankness.”
    At that moment, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner joined the party, and Lizzy was pleased to introduce them. She was proud of her uncle who had abandoned the safe career of a country solicitor to strike out on his own in London and had successfully established a company for the importation of coffee from plantations around the world, a topic that proved to be of interest to Mr. Darcy.
    “A coffee broker! Why, coffee is my favorite brew, although I must confess I was better off before I had ever drunk a cup. Now, I cannot start the morning without it.”
    Mr. Gardiner smiled and confessed to the same addiction. “My wife limits me to four cups a day and nothing after 7:00 at night as there seems to be something in the drink that keeps one awake.”
    “Mrs. Gardiner, do you share our weakness for coffee?” Darcy asked.
    “No, sir. I do not look to start new bad habits. I have enough