Christmas at Pemberley

Part 27

Daniel had been more often in the small parish church than in his own home that day, but he found, strangely, that he did not mind it. He ran one hand over the cold stone walls, marvelling at the thought of the many prayers that had been prayed within its boundary, and adding one or two of his own. Mother had taken to her bed at Daniel's insistence she did not need to accompany him. She had been exhausted from the journey and the trouble of escaping from London. She had not said that she and Mr Lambert had quarrelled, but she had not needed to. Daniel was well enough acquainted with his father's temper to know that it would have cost his mother dearly to upset the tradition of remaining in London for Christmas, even if they would have seen little of one another during the festivities. Daniel would do his best to make his mother comfortable for the duration of her stay. He was more grateful than he could say to Mr and Mrs Darcy for opening up their home to his family as well as himself, and made a note to say as much, should he be given the opportunity.

As if Providence herself had heard his request and set forth to answer it, the heavy church door creaked open and Mr and Mrs Darcy themselves stepped inside.

"Good evening," Elizabeth called, waving to Mr Lambert. She winced at the sound of her voice echoing back to her from the silent stone and buried her face in her husband's shoulder. Darcy merely smiled, leading her to their family pew and allowing Georgiana to follow after them.

Daniel was struck by how pretty she looked that evening. She was dressed entirely the same as she had been but a few hours earlier when last he saw her but something about her seemed different, a light in her eyes, a grace to her movements that made her all the more beautiful. He had already taken a step towards her before realising and correcting his path at the last moment so that it led him face to face with Mr Darcy instead.

"I must thank you, Mr Darcy, for inviting my mother and brother to join me in coming to Pemberley for Christmas Day. I hope you understand how much they are looking forward to it."

"Not at all!" Darcy said, rubbing his hands together against the cold of the empty church building. "As my wife says, the more the merrier." He pulled a wry smile suggesting that his own opinion differed somewhat and Daniel felt himself laugh.

"I confess I am generally more content with quietness than crowds, but nonetheless I am grateful."

Darcy's eyebrows lifted as if he, too, recognised something of a kindred spirit in Daniel. He slid his gaze along the pew until it rested on Georgiana's face. She was smiling eagerly at him and he felt as if there was some question she wished to ask him, or to have him ask her. His heart leapt but he quashed it, thinking, in his enthusiasm, he was misreading everything today.

"Good evening, Miss Darcy. I wondered if you would join us this evening! You are not exhausted after your afternoon's exertions?"

"It was hardly exertion," she replied, her eyes shining with merriment. "The children did all the work - ow!"

Mrs Darcy had elbowed Georgiana abruptly in the side.

"Georgiana worked very hard on the concert and rightfully deserves praise for its success," she said, proudly. "I trust you will allow her to do something similar again later in the year. Perhaps at Easter?"

"A fine idea," Daniel agreed, looking back at Georgiana, who blushed under this encouragement. "Although I do not want you to think that you are being pressed into service of the church at every opportunity!"

"Not at all." Georgiana smiled.

An awkward silence descended on the group, and Daniel was struggling to think of something else to say, anything other than what he dearly longed to say, but could not dream of uttering yet.

The door opened and other parishioners began to arrive, so he reluctantly excused himself and went to greet them, all the while unable to keep his gaze from straying periodically back to Georgiana and wondering if he dared to hope that her smiles for him conveyed the feeling he felt for her.

There will be no help to be had by guessing or hoping, he lectured himself, as the organist began to play and Daniel took his position at the front of the church, beginning the familiar solemn celebration of midnight mass.

The service passed in a blur, which fact he was thankful for. His anxiety over leading the first of the Christmas services was utterly gone, vanished in the face of his nerves over speaking of his heart to Georgiana Darcy, which task he felt a sudden conviction could not be put off for long. How could he spend the whole of Christmas day in her presence without knowing, for certain, if she cared for him as he cared for her - or, that she could learn to?

I cannot imagine having won her heart yet, but if I might be permitted to try...

The service drew to a close with a hearty cheer of Merry Christmas and as guests began to group in twos or threes and take their leave, he found his way back to the Darcy pew. Mr and Mrs Darcy were in conversation with their neighbours, discussing plans for Boxing Day and the delivery of alms to the poor of the parish. It was a conversation Daniel no doubt ought to have paid attention to, a great deal of his own responsibility consisting of caring for the needy and yet he could not help but be drawn to Georgiana's side. She was pale where before her cheeks had been rosy and pink and she kept her gaze fixed on her feet as if some disappointment has stolen over her during the service.

"Merry Christmas, Miss Darcy," Daniel said, by way of an opening. She raised her head, looking up at him in surprise.

"Oh, Merry Christmas," she replied. "Mr Lambert."

His name sounded strangely formal on her lips and he wished he knew her well enough to instruct her to call him Daniel, as his friends did, as he hoped one day a wife would.

"Miss Darcy, I wonder if I can ask your assistance for a moment? I am trying to sort through the sheet music for the morning, but the organist has left it in rather a mess and I am afraid I am a complete philistine when it comes to reading music..."

It was a lame excuse but a successful one, for Georgiana leapt to her feet and hurried after him towards the organ.

"This looks in order," she said, after a moment's work. She frowned, looking up at him. "I am not sure you needed my help..."

"No more am I," he confessed, glancing over her shoulder to where Mr and Mrs Darcy were deep in conversation with one another, now that their neighbours had left. "But I wished to speak to you without an audience. That is -" He frowned, wishing he had a better command of his words. Why was it that he could successfully deliver a sermon or summon up prayers at a moments' notice but this simple conversation escaped him?

"Miss Darcy -"

"Georgiana," she said, her eyes bright and cheeks reddening again. "Please call me Georgiana, Mr Lambert. Everybody does," she added, as if to downplay the significance of her request.

"Then you must call me Daniel," he replied. "Although I confess there are not too many people who call me by that name, especially not in Derbyshire." His lips quirked into a smile as he saw realisation grow in her features. "I hope that you would call me Daniel, though, Miss - Georgiana - because...because..." His mouth was dry and he struggled to form even the simplest coherent sentence. "This is the worst possible time and place for such a conversation and yet I did not feel I could wait an hour longer before asking you - that is, before I told you that I -" He drew a breath, realising that the only way forward was to say, as simply and directly as he knew how, the truth. "I love you, Miss Darcy. Georgiana. It has happened so swiftly and so surprisingly that it scarcely seems real, but if Christmas is not the time for miracles then I don't know what is, and the fact that I am here, that I have met you, and that I feel confident enough to speak to you of this now is a miracle indeed."

He ducked his head.

"I do not imagine that you feel the same, and I make no pretence to expectation, only I hope you might not write me off altogether. I hope I might be given permission to try to win your heart."

"You need not try," Georgiana said, her hand slipping almost immediately into Daniel's. It was all the answer he required.