anghraine | Entries tagged with fic: tolerably well acquainted

Another one in two days, though this was a little easier—there was, unavoidably, a good chunk of Austen's own words.

title: tolerably well acquainted (7/?)
verse: Comforts and Consequences
characters: Elizabeth Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy; Mrs Gardiner, Jane Bennet; Darcy/Elizabeth
stuff that happens: Elizabeth and Mrs Gardiner discuss their visit at Pemberley, and Jane's letters arrive.
previous sections: one, two, three, four, five, six

“Tomorrow’s dinner, of course, will be at Pemberley,” said Mrs Gardiner.

After the morning’s ordeal, Elizabeth might have dreaded it, but she did not. In fact, she looked forward to returning to the beautiful place once more, and tasting whatever Darcy’s undoubtedly excellent cook had to offer, and playing the pianoforte with Miss Darcy, and seeing—

Well, she quite looked forward to it.

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Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: Washington
Current Music: Epiphany (Audiomachine)

Then I wrote this one in two days. Okay, self.

title: tolerably well acquainted (6/?)
verse: Comforts and Consequences
characters: Elizabeth Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy; Mrs Gardiner, Mrs Annesley, Georgiana Darcy, Caroline Bingley, Louisa Hurst; Darcy/Elizabeth
stuff that happens: Elizabeth and Mrs Gardiner pay their visit to Georgiana; Darcy joins them; Caroline tries to intervene in Darcy and Elizabeth's increasing rapport.
previous sections: one, two, three, four, five

“This is my companion, Mrs Annesley. Mrs Annesley, these are some of Fitzwilliam’s friends—Mrs Gardiner and her niece, Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”

Elizabeth almost started. She might have decided that she regarded Darcy as a peculiar sort of friend, but she had not expected to hear herself identified as such immediately afterwards. And while, of course, she knew that Darcy had a Christian name, and knew it well from perusing his letter so many times, he was so much Darcy to her that she never thought of him that way.

Fitzwilliam’s friend. What an idea!

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Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: Washington
Current Music: Sonata for Flute and Harpsichord in E flat major, II. Siciliano (JS Bach)

... four months later. Oh, well.

title: tolerably well acquainted (5/?)
verse: Comforts and Consequences
characters: Elizabeth Bennet, (in absentia) Fitzwilliam Darcy; Mr Gardiner, Mrs Gardiner, OCs—Mr Bromley, Mrs Bromley, Thomas Bromley, Miss Bromley; Darcy/Elizabeth
stuff that happens: Elizabeth and the Gardiners meet their Lambton friends, and discover more about Darcy—now deliberately.
previous sections: one, two, three, four

She spent hours concealing uncertainty and discomposure behind very unnatural reserve, reserve which must appear suspicious to the Gardiners. She could only imagine what they thought now. Well, whatever their conclusions, she would sooner or later be forced to declare them without foundation. That much was a certainty, unless—

Unless they were not without foundation, after all. Unless her feelings had changed.

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Current Location: Washington
Current Music: Waltz for piano No 2 in A flat major, 'Valse Brillante' (Frédéric Chopin)

title: tolerably well acquainted (4/?)
verse: Comforts and Consequences
characters: Elizabeth Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy; Mr Gardiner, Mrs Gardiner, Georgiana Darcy, Charles Bingley; Darcy/Elizabeth
stuff that happens: Elizabeth manages to meet with Darcy, Georgiana, and (unexpectedly!) Bingley without disaster.
previous sections: one, two, three

“Once,” said Elizabeth impulsively, “when I was at Rosings, your aunt ordered him to lecture you about practising on the pianoforte. He told her, without a moment’s pause, that you did not need it.”

Miss Darcy coloured, but looked almost happy.

“I have only just met him,” remarked Mrs Gardiner, “but that is exactly what I should expect. I am not sure I would always know what to expect from him, however. I have the impression that his is a complex character—do you not think so, Lizzy?”

How could she not?

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Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: Washington
Current Music: Symphony No. 5: Allegro con brio (Ludwig van Beethoven)

title: tolerably well acquainted (3/?)
verse: Comforts and Consequences
characters: Elizabeth Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy; Mr Gardiner, Mrs Gardiner, Miss Mortimer (OFC); Darcy/Elizabeth
stuff that happens: Elizabeth survives her Pemberley conversations, and pays very little attention to anything else.
previous sections: one, two

Elizabeth dared a glance at him, which thankfully went unnoticed. Darcy had turned his head away, exposing little beyond a handsome profile. It seemed a softer one than heretofore—perhaps. At the moment, she felt sure of very little with him.

She would take the gesture for what it was, Elizabeth decided: a compliment of the highest order, from a man who had very little reason to offer one. The thought did not set her at ease; nothing could do that, in the circumstances. But it pleased both her rational mind and her vanity.

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Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: Washington
Current Music: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik: Allegro (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

title: tolerably well acquainted (2/?)
verse: Comforts and Consequences
characters: Elizabeth Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy; Mr Gardiner, Mrs Gardiner, unnamed servants; Darcy/Elizabeth
stuff that happens: Elizabeth doesn't have the heart to disrupt the Gardiners' time at Pemberley, with predictable results.
previous sections: one

They all exclaimed at the sight, and Mr Gardiner snatched up one of the nearer flowers and stuck it into the little bunch of blossoms on Mrs Gardiner’s hat.

“There,” he said. “Now you have a real one.”

Mrs Gardiner shook her head, but both ladies laughed. Elizabeth, nevertheless, felt a faint melancholy as they continued. She could not imagine a more happily suited couple—and to think that only by sheer chance had their paths crossed at all! How many others could expect their good fortune?

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Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: Washington
Current Music: Love (Lana del Rey)

I can't remember if I've posted this over here (like so many things), so posting it anyway.

title: tolerably well acquainted (1/?)
verse: Comforts and Consequences
characters: Elizabeth Bennet, Fitzwilliam Darcy; Mr Gardiner, Mrs Gardiner, Mrs Reynolds; Darcy/Elizabeth
stuff that happens: Darcy's letter altered Elizabeth's feelings about him—but Pemberley alters them even more.

“I have always observed that they who are good-natured when children are good-natured when they grow up, and he was always the sweetest-tempered, most generous-hearted boy in the world.” She wheeled around, leading them towards the next room.

Elizabeth stood absolutely still for a moment, stunned, then had to hurry to catch up, her mind whirling. Darcy? Darcy, who … but Elizabeth looked at the housekeeper’s thin, frail form, saw her evident pride in her place in the great family, and even Darcy’s worst moments seemed to fade into insignificance. He should not have said what he did, of course, nothing could make it appropriate, but—how many other men, pleasanter in a ballroom, would have treated a Mrs Reynolds half so well?

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