Posted on: 2010-10-22

Chapter 20

~Fig Tree Inn, Broadstairs

Elizabeth was taken to the Fig Tree Inn, and the local doctor was called for. Captain Sharp sent for his granddaughter, Cassie, to attend the examination. The doctor waited for Cassie to arrive before commencing.

During Doctor Brown's examination of Elizabeth, Darcy was afraid he would run mad if he did not attempt to distract himself from his thoughts. He made certain his horse was being cared for adequately, inquired after his coach, which had not yet arrived, arranged for a place for his servants to stay when it did, and took rooms for all those in his party, including Mr. Bennet and his uncle who were expected before the end of the day.

None of this was enough to divert his mind from the worry he had for Elizabeth's health--nor did it keep at bay the haunting memory of the mixture of fear and disgust he had seen in Elizabeth's eyes while Wickham held a knife to her throat…and the way he handled her. He could not repress the violent shudder that ran through his body every time this thought forced itself upon him, nor the bitter taste of bile that rose in his throat at the recollection of his own feeling of helplessness as he watched the scene unfold before him.

Completing his own duties well before the doctor had completed his examination, Darcy joined Richard in the private sitting room that he had rented for the duration of their stay in Broadstairs, and continued to brood as he paced. Richard, seeming to understand his cousin's aversion to conversation at present, returned his attention to his newspaper after a short greeting.

The rage Darcy felt toward Wickham and Lady Catherine was extreme, knowing fully that the only instances that he had ever witnessed Elizabeth as fearful or helpless were as a direct result of their actions, and yet his own behavior could not escape the harshest self-censure. He felt that Lady Catherine would not have blamed Elizabeth for his choice of marriage partners if, through the years, he had been more forceful in his attempts to convince her that he would not marry his cousin under any circumstances. And why, after all they had learned about Lady Catherine in the past few days and all that he knew of Wickham for years, had he not anticipated a plan such as this from the pair?

He prayed that Elizabeth would forgive him for he knew not what he would do if she would not or could not.

Darcy hoped the doctor would be finished with his incessant examination shortly as he was unsure how much longer he could fight the intense urge to burst into Elizabeth's chambers and demand to see her.

Finally, Doctor Brown entered the sitting room and began to give his report, "Miss Bennet has given me permission to advise you of her condition, sirs. Her ribs are not broken but are badly bruised. There will not be permanent damage to her hand as long as she follows my instructions. It is imperative that Miss Bennet not use her hand at all. I suggest you arrange for a lady's maid for her, sir, for she will surely require the use of her hand if she does not have a great deal of help. Since Cassie has experience as a lady's maid, I hope it is agreeable to you that she has agreed to stay the night.

"If the salve I left is used every time the wound is cleaned, and it is cleaned and redressed frequently, it should lessen the chance of infection. If a fever develops, I have left some powders for her to take, but I should be called immediately. Though Miss Bennet refuses to take any now, I have left instructions with Cassie to give her laudanum if the pain becomes unbearable."

He hesitated and looked quite uncomfortable before saying, "What worries me most at present is how favorably Miss Bennet is enduring her ordeal. Most ladies would not be carrying on this well. I have left extra laudanum with Cassie if Miss Bennet needs it to calm her. I have also left a draught for her to take if she has trouble sleeping."

Darcy said, "Doctor, Miss Bennet is an exceptionally brave lady. I have seen her face some situations in the past with equanimity where other ladies would have been incapacitated, but those were not as…personal as this was. I expect she would react in a more satisfactory manner than most ladies would to any situation."

Doctor Brown took a deep breath, struggling to decide how much he should reveal, then replied, "Mr. Darcy, with all due respect, sir, I must speak plainly. You have not seen the extent of the injuries to her ribs and the other bruises her body bears. The man who did this had experience in causing a great deal of pain without lasting damage. I must insist on warning you that a more severe reaction than Miss Bennet is currently displaying is more than likely to appear in a delayed fashion."

Darcy nodded thoughtfully. "Doctor…I am engaged to Miss Bennet…I must ask, sir…" he could not finish. He had thought on this during his ride to Broadstairs and had decided that if it had been so, if she had been defiled, it would not be of consequence to him as long as Elizabeth was safe--he loved her too much to live without her. He did feel it a vital fact to know, though, for Elizabeth's sake. She had said Wickham did not…but she must have recognized him to have been in a complete rage at the time. Had she said it only to stop him from committing murder?

"She was not violated, Mr. Darcy."

A sense of relief washed over him. "Thank you, Doctor," The gentlemen shook hands as Darcy continued, "Will you please tell Cassie that I would like to speak to her before you leave, Doctor Brown?"

"Certainly, Mr. Darcy. I will return in the morning unless I am sent for sooner," Doctor Brown said as he took his leave of the gentlemen.

Not wishing for Captain Sharp's granddaughter, Cassie, to leave her charge for long, Darcy met her in the hallway outside Elizabeth's chambers. She was hired by Darcy to assist Elizabeth for the remainder of their stay in Broadstairs. Darcy asked her to notify him if Elizabeth needed him for any reason at all, and if she required anything at all to make her more comfortable, she was to get it without delay regardless of cost. As Cassie departed through the door to Elizabeth's chambers, he peaked through the doorway in an attempt to catch a glimpse of his beloved. A brief hint of a smile passed over Cassie's features before she could check herself, telling him he had been caught in the attempt.

With a slight blush, and hoping he spoke loud enough for Elizabeth to hear, Darcy said, "Please relay to Miss Bennet my best wishes for a good night and a speedy recovery."

Elizabeth did hear her betrothed's message and smiled. As she readied for bed, she was quite put out at having to depend so completely on anyone, but was grateful for Cassie's assistance just the same. After a much needed hot bath, and a meal in her room, Elizabeth gladly followed the doctor's orders to sleep.

After having a meal tray sent up to Richard's room and leaving the door slightly ajar so they could hear if Cassie summoned them, Darcy and Richard were discussing how to go about informing Mr. Bennet of the day's events upon his arrival at Broadstairs when they heard a scream come from across the hall. Not about to risk her life for the sake of propriety, a panicked Darcy burst into Elizabeth's room with Richard close on his heels.

Elizabeth was sitting up straight in bed, her arms flailing about as if she were hitting someone, and she was still screaming. After a quick look about the room and seeing no one else there, Darcy rushed to Elizabeth while Richard searched the room more thoroughly. Meanwhile, Cassie had heard the screams from the servant's corridor as she returned with a pitcher of water and some fresh linen. She rushed in, taking in the scene before her.

Darcy kept repeating Elizabeth's name, but she was not responding. He sat on the edge of the bed and, gently restraining her flailing hands, said in a voice full of concern, "Elizabeth! Please tell me what is the matter?"

She stopped screaming and thrashing at his touch and looked at him; her trembling was visible to all. Darcy recognized the terrified look in her eyes from the woods at Rosings. He glanced at Richard with a questioning look and Richard, who had just completed his search of the room, who shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. Darcy looked back to Elizabeth and said, "You are safe, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth looked around the room frantically and then back to Darcy. "William?"

Her confusion now was frightening him even more than the screaming and thrashing had. Darcy said, "Yes, Cassie, Richard, and I came into your room when we heard your scream. I think you were dreaming, Elizabeth. There is no one else here."

"But Wickham was here!"

Darcy was unsure of how to respond without upsetting her further, but felt the brutal truth was best. "Wickham is dead; he can no longer hurt you."

Her countenance slowly changed from terrified and confused to one of understanding. "Yes, a dream…not real…just a dream," she said more to herself than to anybody else. Elizabeth broke down into sobs. "Oh! I am sorry, William…I am sorry I am so weak!"

Since propriety had been already completely abandoned the moment he stepped through her bedchamber door, nothing was going to keep him from taking her in his arms now when she needed him. Hesitating for a moment, thinking it was possible that contact with his person might frighten her again, he recalled that in the cave when he had taken her into his embrace it had served to soothe her a great deal. He gathered her close, and she clung to him tightly. Taking a shaky breath, he said, "You are the most valiant lady I have ever met, Elizabeth! It is only natural to have nightmares after such an experience." Darcy closed his eyes. Emotions tightened his throat, but he was able to whisper sweet nothings past it, and he rubbed her back gently to help settle her, remembering that this tender motion had proved helpful with Georgiana on a few occasions after her problems with Wickham.

Elizabeth slowly quieted. Darcy wished to kiss her tears away but could not do so in the present company. Instead, he retrieved his handkerchief from his pocket and gently blotted the tears from her cheeks, handing it to her when he was done.

Darcy said in a tone of gentleness and commiseration, "Is there nothing you could take, to give you relief? A glass of wine; shall I get you one?"

"No, I thank you," she replied, endeavoring to recover herself, wiping her eyes with his handkerchief. "I shall be well. I was only distressed by that dreadful dream."

Richard cleared his throat to remind Darcy that he and Cassie were still in the room.

He loathed having to release her--there was nothing he wanted more at that moment than to hold her all night so he could make certain she was safe--but once Elizabeth had steadied her emotions he had no acceptable excuse to hold her any longer. He rose and stepped away from the bed.

Cassie spoke up, "I will stay with you the rest of the night, Miss Lizzy. I am sorry I stepped out to get some fresh water. I will not leave you again."

"There is nothing to apologize for, Cassie," Elizabeth answered.

He knew he could linger no longer, and though Cassie promised to remain with her, it was difficult for Darcy to tear himself from Elizabeth's side. The gentlemen bid Elizabeth and Cassie a good night and pleasant dreams as they left the room.

For the next couple of hours, Darcy paced and startled at every noise. After several instances of Darcy's going so far as having knocked on her door to inquire as to Elizabeth's state of well-being, Richard assigned one of his men to sit outside her door, with the promise that Darcy would be awakened if anything out of the ordinary occurred, so that his cousin could get some rest.

Darcy had been attempting to remain awake long enough to greet Lord Matlock and Mr. Bennet when they arrived, but he fell asleep at almost the same moment as he sat down in a chair by the fire in Richard's room. Richard moved him to the bed and left him there to sleep, leaving the door open a few inches so his man could awaken Darcy without delay if there was a need.

Being used to the irregular hours of army life, Richard bided his time until the arrival of his father and Mr. Bennet in the dining room, and enjoyed a good meal and a few pints with two of his men, Captain Sharp, Mr. Mott, and Jeremiah--all at Darce's expense of course.

Lord Matlock and Mr. Bennet arrived by horseback a while later, guided to the correct place by the man Richard left waiting for them on the road leading into Broadstairs. Lord Matlock informed Richard that when Elizabeth's letter had reached Darcy House, Mrs. Martin had forwarded it to Matlock House. Richard told both the gentlemen of the happenings in Broadstairs and Elizabeth's condition. After dispatching an express to Matlock House, the Gardiners, and Longbourn relating the news of Elizabeth's relative well being, all of the gentlemen then retired for the night since Elizabeth and Darcy were not expected to wake until morning.

Thursday, March 26, 1812

Elizabeth heard the sound of sea gulls and filled her lungs with salty air before she opened her eyes the next morning. When she sat up, she was reminded of Wickham's rough treatment of her, but she knew the bruises would soon heal. The doctor said she would regain full use of her hand if she rested it, but she knew that having her activities curtailed was going to be frustrating for her. She hoped Cassie had a patient temperament, for patience is what she would need to put up with an independent lady such as herself in such a state as this.

The reminder of Wickham caused her mood to turn pensive. She had passed a restless night filled with dreams echoing all that had happened the previous two days. After her screams had alerted William of her nightmares, at Elizabeth's request, Cassie moved from sleeping on the couch in her room to sharing the bed with her so that she could wake Elizabeth every time she began to thrash around--before the dream became too deeply involved and her cries became loud enough to disturb others. Elizabeth prayed these dreams would not continue.

Remembering how William had been with her after she had the first of many dreams a few hours ago, she could not help but think of how wonderfully safe it felt to have him hold her just then. Every time she had woken during the night, she had wished he had been there to make her feel safe again.

Some of her nightmares were not of what had happened to her…not directly anyway. The worst of them were of what might happen as a result of the past day.

Yesterday, William had acted very protective toward her and his feelings seemed to have been unchanged, but she wondered whether his feelings had altered after he had time to reflect upon what had happened to her. Wickham had put his hands upon her in a way she had never experienced before, and most of it was done directly before William's own eyes! She doubted any man could look past how she had been sullied, and she could not blame William for it in the slightest if he held it against her.

She wondered when he would ask to end their engagement. Perhaps she should do it--to make it easier for him? Or should she take advantage of every minute they spent together before he said the words? Once the words were said, she doubted she would ever see him again.

Cassie helped her dress into a gown borrowed from the Innkeeper's wife while Elizabeth's was being mended and laundered. William had brought her bag, but the bag had been too small to fit a gown--she had thought she would wear one of her Aunt's gowns when she reached London. While she dressed, Cassie told her that Lord Matlock and Mr. Bennet had arrived while she was sleeping, and that Darcy had sent his valet to the kitchen to wait for Cassie so he could inquire about how Elizabeth fared this morning. Elizabeth's mood lifted slightly at the last piece of information; at least he still cared for her a little.

Elizabeth left her room to find her way to breakfast. Mr. Bennet, who had been sitting in a chair in the hall waiting for her, rushed forward and embraced her, his eyes glistening with unshed tears, too moved for words. "I am well, Papa," she whispered.

"I am glad to have had the foresight to meet you upstairs. I cannot express how concerned for you I have been, my dear," Mr. Bennet croaked out as he wiped at his eyes, then looked more closely at his daughter. "You look tired, my Lizzy…excessively tired. Are you certain you have rested enough?"

"Yes, Papa, I have rested as well as I am able to just now. I have no wish to return to bed. I must admit that I hope to have fewer dreams this night. I am hungry, and that must be a good sign!" she smiled at her father as best she could, trusting that it would belay his fears for her.

Mr. Bennet nodded and then escorted Elizabeth to the dining room. All of the gentlemen stood and exchanged greetings with the newcomers. Darcy left the table to fill a plate of food for Elizabeth from the sideboard and returned just as Mr. Mott approached them.

"Good mornin', Miss Bennet! It's good to see ye up and about. Good mornin' gentlemen! I been sent to check on ye by the Cap'n. They better be treatin' ye good here at the Fig. If they don't, ye let us know." Turning to Elizabeth, Mr. Mott continued, "How is Cass workin' out for ye?"

"Good morning, Mr. Mott. Cassie is a great help, sir, and I think highly of her. I have not had time to do much more than sleep since my arrival at the Fig Tree Inn, but I am just now discovering the food is delicious. Would you like to join us for breakfast?"

"Thank ye, missy, I've broke my fast already. The Cap'n wants to know if ye, Miss Bennet, and all ye gentlemen would want t' join the rest o' us for a picnic on the morrow at the beach since the weather is so fine. It's a party for Johnny's homecomin' and ye all had much t' do with that. Miss Bennet, Cap'n wants t' take ye t' Seven Maidens if ye game and Cass can help ye t' pick out some lace for ye dress." Mott glanced at Darcy, then back to Elizabeth and smiled an almost toothless grin.

Elizabeth looked at her father whose eyebrows were high on his forehead, and then to Darcy's shocked expression. She blushed and said, "Since the doctor has forbidden me from removing from Broadstairs at present, and we have no plans, I am certain we shall attend the party, Mr. Mott. I would like to see everyone again before I return home."

Richard had spoken to Mr. Bennet earlier about a certain subject, and received permission to discuss the subject in Elizabeth's presence. Richard said, "Mr. Mott, before you leave us…I thought I should inform everyone…Wickham will be buried this morning at eleven o'clock. The parson will say a few words at the graveside."

"Well now. I fer one won't be goin', but I'll pass the word on, Colonel. Don't ye go waitin' on any of us, though; there ain't no friends of Wickham 'round here." Turning and bowing to Elizabeth, Mott said, "Have a good day Miss Bennet. Hope yer feelin' better. Good day, gentlemen." Mott bowed to the gentlemen and left the group.

Elizabeth was concerned about William's reaction to Wickham's burial. "Will you be attending the burial, Mr. Darcy?"

A dark look briefly passed over Darcy's face. "I have no wish to attend. The boy I grew up with was not the same man who died yesterday. I have already grieved his loss many times over the years…too many times." Elizabeth nodded and Darcy asked, "Do you think it would be helpful for you to attend, Miss Elizabeth?" He intended on accompanying her if she felt it necessary to go. Darcy noticed they had Mr. Bennet's full attention.

Elizabeth looked down at her plate and simply stated, "I would prefer not to attend."

Judging the subject to be at an end, Darcy asked permission from Mr. Bennet to escort Elizabeth for a walk along the beach after breakfast. After receiving a silent nod of approval from Elizabeth, Mr. Bennet agreed. When Elizabeth had finished eating, Darcy rose to hold Elizabeth's chair, and then she returned to her room briefly to retrieve a borrowed pelisse and bonnet and ask Cassie to accompany them.

Miss Bennet and Mr. Darcy walked out in silence for a few minutes. Cassie stayed a few steps behind them to allow for private conversation, doing her best to appear interested in her shoes, her gloves, the village, or the waves rolling onto the shore--anything except Miss Bennet and Mr. Darcy, though that is where her attention was truly focused. She watched her temporary mistress for any signs of excessive distress.

Though she had only known her for a few hours, Cassie had already grown quite fond of Miss Bennet. Cassie had spent years in service as a personal maid to Lady Howell in London, and had been spoiled by having such an excellent mistress. When Lady Howell died, she had left Cassie a little money--enough to live on for a while. At the time, Cassie had thought she would never find another lady as fine as her former mistress, so she left London to go home and see if she could find work near there. She had only agreed to help Miss Bennet as a favor to her grandfather, her cousin Johnny and Doctor Brown. Now she thought it possible that Miss Bennet was just as fine as her former mistress.

During her time with Lady Howell, she had learned a few things about the gentry that would apply to this circumstance. She knew that if Miss Bennet's experiences yesterday were to become public she would be considered "ruined" by the ton, that gentlemen of the ton do not usually marry ruined ladies unless they were the one to ruin her and were forced to do so, and that most times those of the highest circles of society were shallow enough that the wishes of their hearts would never win out over the unwritten rules of society.

Miss Bennet had spoken often in her sleep last night, and so Cassie had a good idea as to what this conversation was going to be about…or at least what Miss Bennet feared it would be about.

Seeing the look of concern when Mr. Darcy spoke to her after meeting with the doctor, the look of love and torment in Mr. Darcy's eyes last night after Miss Bennet's first nightmare, and the interaction between the two that followed, Cassie was praying that his heart would rule and all would turn out well with this couple who were so obviously deeply in love.

The next few minutes would prove what kind of man Mr. Darcy really was.

Darcy attempted to speak several times before he could force himself to say the words, "Miss Elizabeth…I would certainly understand if you would wish to…" his voice cracked, "end our engagement after all that has happened…" he ceased speaking when she stopped walking.

Elizabeth's heart was breaking--it was as she feared, he wished to end their engagement. She took a deep breath, hoping it would help her to hold back her tears and could not meet his eyes as she said in a steady voice devoid of emotion, "Mr. Darcy, you need not say another word. I know very well that I have been compromised by the events of late, and I understand your wish to end our engagement. I release you without any need for further discourse on the subject."

Darcy's eyes widened, "NO! No, I do not wish it…that is to say, I am to blame for this entire ordeal, and I would understand if you would wish to end our engagement. Thankfully Wickham did not do all that he implied, but even if he had, I would have honored our engagement!"

"I would not wish you to honor an engagement out of duty or obligation. I do not wish you to marry me out of guilt or pity, sir."

"Obligation? Guilt? Pity? Elizabeth, I wish to marry you out of pure selfishness, not obligation, guilt or pity! I love you! Without the need to think about it, I realized on the ride from London that it did not matter…whatever Wickham had done, it would not have been your choice..." His voice again broke with emotion, and he paused a moment to collect himself before saying, "My affections and wishes are unchanged, but one word from you will silence me on this subject for ever." He swallowed hard.

Elizabeth closed her eyes and sighed as a wave of relief passed through her soul. It took several heartbeats to recover enough to speak. "William, please explain to me how you think it was your fault that Lady Catherine ordered Wickham to kidnap and…to kidnap me."

Darcy said very quickly, as if the words would burn his tongue, "Lady Catherine had you kidnapped because she wanted me to marry her daughter, not you."

"And you are to blame because…?"

"I should have made it clearer that I would not marry her daughter. I should have…"

Elizabeth interrupted, "Mr. Darcy, had you ever expressed the fact that you had no interest in matrimony with your cousin?"

"Yes, I had, but…"

"Was it ever within your power to control Lady Catherine's thoughts, wishes or actions?"

"No, she has never been swayed by the opinions or arguments of anyone or anything but her own wishes."

"Then you are to blame because…?"

Darcy blinked a few times before answering, "I am not to blame."

"But you think I am such an irrational creature that I would blame you for what Lady Catherine and Wickham did?"

After a few moments of careful consideration he replied, "No, I do not."

"Good. Then we have nothing left to discuss on that matter, have we?" Elizabeth said, but her countenance darkened. "You do know this will cause even more gossip, William? I will be considered damaged…ruined. Are you absolutely sure you are not just honoring our engagement because of a sense of duty? Are you certain you wish to subject your sister and family to my dishonor?"

"Elizabeth, please rest assured that that will not happen. Our friends here in Broadstairs have already agreed not to mention this incident to anyone who does not already know about it. It was Lady Catherine who put these events into motion. My uncle, her brother, the husband of your particular friend, a man who cares for you almost as a daughter--The Earl of Matlock--is determined that all involved in this incident remain silent on the matter. There will be no gossip; it will not be talked of. He does this to protect not only your reputation, but the family names of Fitzwilliam and de Bourgh, which Lady Catherine has dishonored. You have dishonored no one, Elizabeth!"

Darcy hesitated for a moment, looking deeply into her eyes and then almost whispered, "I beg of you, do not ask me to disappear from your life--I cannot survive that again, my love. You are more necessary to me than the air I breathe." Then he smiled a little, repeating what he had said during his proposal at Rosings, "Will it help if I throw myself at your feet and grovel? I am quite prepared to do so and have been for some time now!"

She stood looking into his eyes for a minute or two before saying, "I am a selfish creature, William, and for the sake of giving relief to my own feelings, at this moment I care not how much I may be wounding your reputation if this should ever be found out."

Darcy's eyes shone with hope. "Then you will marry me, Elizabeth?"

She smiled brilliantly, sending his heart racing. "I would be a fool not to marry the man I love more than life itself, would I not?" Then she added with a hint of teasing in her manner, "Besides, who else would make certain you understand that you are not to blame for everything that goes wrong in life and remind you that you take too much upon yourself?"

Darcy took a long, trembling breath, his arms aching to hold her. "I will speak to your father!" His smile widened. "Immediately--before you change your mind!"

"I will not change my mind about marrying you, my William!" she said with so much affection in her voice that he felt it to his very core, and his throat tightened again with a much different emotion.

They walked for several minutes before he could speak again. "Do you think your father expects my petition after Mr. Mott spoke of lace for your wedding gown earlier?" His dimples made a glorious appearance and Elizabeth's heart skipped a beat.

"I do not think my father realized Mr. Mott was referring to my wedding gown. And living in a house with so many women, he does tend to ignore any talk of lace!" Elizabeth's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Oh! Speaking of Mr. Mott calls another subject to mind. I will need your assistance in an undertaking which must be completed before we leave Broadstairs. I promised to make Johnny another kite, and since we will be leaving soon, I should like to do it today, but I can scarcely do it with my hand injured so."

"I am embarrassed to admit that I know not how to make one. A member of my father's staff would make them for me, though I do know how to fly one. Under your wise instruction, your loyal knight will do thy bidding, my queen of kites," Darcy bowed and pressed his lips gently to her uninjured hand.

Elizabeth laughed, "You will tell me how you know about that someday, sir, but for now, I am satisfied. I have devised a plan! We are in need of supplies and will be able to acquire them on our return to the Inn. Once there, I suggest you speak to my father, and then we shall spend the remainder of the day together assembling the kite. Does my plan meet with your approval, William?"

"Have I told you what it does to me when you say my name?" His eyes were so alive with passion that it stirred powerful feelings within her. She blushed and broke the gaze swiftly, afraid of what she might do if she became lost in his eyes at this time.

His voice brought her back from her reverie. "Any plan that includes spending the day with you meets with my approval, Elizabeth." His countenance turned worried as he said, "Do you believe your father will consent?"

"I believe he will, but you must remember that he and I are very close, William. He might be a bit…difficult."

Darcy winced. "Will everything involved in my relationship with Elizabeth be difficult?" His eyes were caught by hers anew and he sighed, losing himself to her once more. "To have the privilege of gazing into these eyes alone for the remainder of my days would certainly be worth any difficulties life will put in my way!"

During their exchange, Cassie let out a sigh of relief, comforted by Miss Bennet's smiles proving that Mr. Darcy would not abandon Miss Bennet to the expectations of the ton after all.

Chapter 21

The course of true love never did run smooth
-William Shakespeare (English Playwright/Poet 1564-1616)

~Fig Tree Inn

Darcy returned to his chamber at the Inn to refresh himself before seeking an audience with Mr. Bennet. Having taken care of his appearance, he began to pace the room as he saw the necessity of using the next few minutes to perfect what he should say to Mr. Bennet when requesting Elizabeth's hand.

Once his appeal was settled upon, Darcy thought himself quite prepared for this interview. As he left his room, he told himself that he was not very apprehensive. Nor was he very nervous when he descended the steps. Nor was he very agitated when he entered the sitting room where he found Mr. Bennet, the room's only occupant, reading.

But then, quite unexpectedly, as he entered Mr. Bennet's presence and sat across from the father of his future happiness, the rational portion of his mind gave way and all was in an uproar. Darcy's preparation was for nothing; it was as if his planned words were written on a slate that had been wiped entirely clean. All that remained within him at the moment was his love for Elizabeth and a sudden and extreme apprehension about the outcome of this interview.

Indeed, had it been any other man that he was to petition, Darcy would have been confident of immediate approval. But this was Elizabeth's father! From what Elizabeth had told him, she had spent quite a lot of time with him while growing up. He had helped to shape her mind; therefore, of all his daughters, she was the most like him.

It must have been through her father's ideals that Elizabeth learned to value a man for more than his material worth or the social gain one might expect when connected to him. This man was not going to be impressed by his wealth or social standing any more than was Elizabeth.

Darcy wondered if Mr. Bennet was expecting his petition for her hand. Darcy sat up straighter and said, "Mr. Bennet…Sir, I am here today to request…it would be a great honor, sir, to… I respectfully beseech your consent to a marriage between your daughter, Miss Elizabeth, and myself…sir." Darcy fumbled out, breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back a little in his chair. "There! I said it! At least I hope I said all of it. It was nothing like what I planned, but it summarized the general idea."

***

A mirthless snort slipped from Mr. Bennet's throat, causing Darcy's eyes to widen. "Before I can make any kind of response to him, there are many questions to consider! Is he worthy of my Lizzy?"

Mr. Bennet's eyes tightened as he examined more closely the man sitting across from him. Darcy, though impeccably dressed as usual, had something about his countenance that was very different from anything Bennet had observed in the past. The impression he projected today was more akin to a frightened deer than the commanding presence Mr. Bennet had observed in earlier encounters. It was most astonishing.

Mr. Bennet frowned deeply as he recognized that he still harbored resentment toward Darcy. He knew that some of his feelings were unreasonable. After all, the man had just saved Lizzy's life! But still…his saving her life did not imply that she owed him the remainder of her years in return.

Mr. Bennet understood that he was having trouble letting go of the prejudice that had grown against Darcy during those horrible weeks he had watched his Lizzy suffer. "When he had left Lizzy in November--plunging her into that resultant dark state of mind and the melancholy that followed his departure--after witnessing that, how can I now believe that he respects her as he should…that he recognizes Lizzy's worth?"

He knew that Darcy had been in love with Lizzy--that much had been obvious during their time together in Hertfordshire…but then he had left her behind. Had Darcy come to terms with the concerns that had persuaded him to reject her and leave months ago?

Was Darcy's offer today an extension of his protective nature brought about by the ordeal they had just endured together? Once the reality of the situation set in, would he abandon her again, just as he had last November, this time leaving her in disgrace after a broken engagement as well?

Was he now offering to marry her out of some misguided sense of duty? Did he feel responsible for all that had recently happened to her since his own aunt and childhood friend were responsible for her trauma?

Mr. Bennet could not allow Lizzy to marry a man who could not fully respect her for the wonderful person she was. He had daily proof of the consequences of not being able to respect a marriage partner, and he would not wish his own fate upon Lizzy. Although Mrs. Bennet showed no indication of noticing his own lack of respect for her, he knew that his Lizzy would be miserable if Darcy withdrew his affections from her after they were married. If this petition was being made out of a sense of obligation for the past few days' experiences, it was quite likely that, in time, Darcy's regard would turn into indifference--or worse, resentment--and their marriage would become unbearable to his Lizzy.

Would Lizzy be good for him? Yes, without question! She drew him out of his reticence and helped him to reveal the amiable man within. But now was the time that he was required to give an answer to the question that had plagued him for a long time --would Darcy be good for Lizzy?

***

Mr. Bennet's silent stare was causing Darcy's anxiety to rise precipitously. A number of emotions had passed across Mr. Bennet's face during this extended silence and none of them were positive! He had to say something, if only to remind Mr. Bennet that he was waiting for an answer.

"Mr. Bennet?"

Several minutes passed before Darcy could wait no more. "Mr. Bennet, sir?"

Mr. Bennet blinked a few times, bringing himself back to the present and sighed quite audibly. "Mr. Darcy, you know not what you ask of me!" A few moments later he shook his head and added, "I am very concerned that this is a hasty reaction to the experiences that you both have undergone the past few days."

Darcy looked at Mr. Bennet carefully to see if he could detect any of Elizabeth's teasing in his eyes, but he could not. This was serious. Icy fingers of fear wrapped around his soul. Darcy rose quickly from his chair and walked over to stand by the window. Closing his eyes, he took several deep breaths in an attempt to control his emotions.

Mr. Bennet's voice betrayed the anger toward Darcy which had finally been unleashed. "You left her months ago without a word in all that time. Do you know what she went through after you left? Our Lizzy disappeared, and she became a shell of her former self. She was almost lost to us, Mr. Darcy! You were not there to see what had to occur to bring her back. It was almost the most terrifying experience of my life, second only to that of her being kidnapped! For the past several minutes I have been thinking on the matter and to be honest, I cannot help but be of the opinion that you do not deserve her."

The anxiety that had been building within Darcy had suddenly been transformed into anger--at himself. He knew that to reply now would give the impression that he was angry with Mr. Bennet, which was the last thing he wished for. Well…close to the last thing he wished to happen. Mr. Bennet held his future in his hands.

Being of a private nature and not knowing Mr. Bennet well, he was more than hesitant to expose the depth of his feelings for Elizabeth, even to her father. Words were insufficient to communicate what he so deeply felt, but he knew that he had to try to find a way to help Mr. Bennet understand before he could gain this man's approval.

More important than his fear of exposing his feelings was the certainty that he knew he could not live without her. The man he had become since he had met Elizabeth could not survive without her. With Elizabeth as his wife, he would live; without her, he would simply exist as an empty shell, emotionally dead as he had been during the months following his removal from Hertfordshire.

Focusing on what Mr. Bennet had said, Darcy realized that Elizabeth had experienced a similar reaction to their separation. A violent shudder ripped through him at the thought. No! He could not allow her to live that way and neither could he, especially not now--not with the absolute knowledge of Elizabeth's returning his love. To face life separately, that was unthinkable to him – and from Mr. Bennet's speech, it had been so for Elizabeth as well.

Elizabeth trusted her father, and he decided he would have to trust him as well. He would need to pour out his heart and soul to Mr. Bennet if there ever was to be happiness in their future.

The final wall of reserve tumbled down, and he turned to Mr. Bennet and began, "I would like to be completely open with you, sir, if you will give me leave to do so?"

Mr. Bennet's eyebrows rose almost to his hairline. This statement piqued his curiosity to no end. "Yes, yes, of course, I value honesty very highly. Go on."

Darcy took a deep breath and continued, "From the first moment I saw your daughter last autumn, I felt a connection to her unequaled to anything I had ever experienced. At the very beginning, her lack of fortune and connections kept me from courting her. Though I care little for the opinions of society in general, in the past, I had witnessed a few matches that were unequal in these respects, and it caused a great deal of censure from the ton. In some cases, the circumstances led to regret, bitterness and resentment between the couple, and I felt this would best be avoided. I thought I was denying only myself, sacrificing my own happiness for Miss Elizabeth's sake and that of my sister.

"So, I tried my best to stay away from Miss Elizabeth and foolishly thought that distance would be enough to lessen my attachment to her--though I found I could barely keep my eyes from turning toward her. I thought I was denying only myself, sacrificing my own happiness for Miss Elizabeth's sake and for the sake of my sister. I discovered this plan of action worked in reverse, sir, because what I found when I watched her only served to strengthen my regard. This, of course, intensified my already favorable opinion of her goodness, her intelligence…her unequaled wit, beauty, elegance, and grace…her liveliness, her love of nature…her mastery of conversing with anyone in subjects ranging from ribbons and lace to philosophy…her brilliant impertinence, her glorious independent spirit, the quickness of her mind…her impeccable manners in the face of even the most adverse of situations, and so much more! Even her imperfections are perfection itself, sir! She is strikingly so…full of life!

"As each meeting would progress, I would find myself unwittingly moving closer to her, drawn to her as a moth to a flame, until she would open a conversation with me, and I could not stop myself from responding. I had selfishly convinced myself that the attachment was mine alone and that my friendship with her would not raise her expectations. It proved that I had little control over my actions, within the bounds of propriety, of course, and every time I was with her, I could not resist having one more 'last chance' of experiencing the joy which accompanied spending time in her presence, nor could I restrain myself when she would honor me with being the person with whom she was willing to share her thoughts and opinions.

"After leaving her presence, I would examine my behavior and reproach myself, resolving never to repeat the experience--only to begin the entire process again every time we met. I thought it best for her sake to withdraw from the vicinity before I risked engaging her heart in more than a friendship, though my own had long since been irrevocably and completely lost to her.

"The most difficult thing I have ever done in my life was to leave Hertfordshire, Mr. Bennet. It would be impossible for me to explain the torture I experienced in being away from her, thinking I could not ever have what my heart most desired--Elizabeth by my side for the remainder of my life. Let me only say my misery was complete, indeed.

"You may not know much of my personal history, sir. Would you please allow me to enlighten you further?"

Mr. Bennet only nodded, for he knew more than Mr. Darcy could probably guess but did not want to break the young man's concentration.

Darcy averted his eyes from Mr. Bennet and began to pace slowly in front of the fire. "My mother died when I was but a lad, shortly after my sister, Georgiana, was born. As she was dying, she asked me to promise her three things: to watch over my father, to take care of my sister and to marry well. When she died, the warmth that was once a part of everyday life died as well. Pemberley became a very cold place--a house, no longer a home. My father became withdrawn, and I felt I had failed in one of my promises to my mother. I did not understand the third promise, so I went to my only adult relative at Pemberley at the time other than my father--my mother's sister, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Based on Lady Catherine's explanation of the promise, I could not have married Miss Elizabeth and fulfill the promise I made to my mother on her deathbed.

"Only now do I realize that Lady Catherine was manipulating me with her version of what 'marry well' meant to further her own selfish goals." Darcy closed his eyes and ground his teeth for several moments before recollecting where he was. His eyes snapped open and he glanced at Mr. Bennet.

"Excuse me, sir. I need a moment before continuing." It took several moments to master his emotions before Darcy could speak again.

"My father died several years ago, leaving the care of the estate to me. The guardianship of my sister, more than ten years my junior, was left to my cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam and myself. Since my cousin is in the army and had spent some considerable time on the continent, most of the responsibility of her upbringing was left to me. Georgiana and I love each other, but a certain something has long been missing in our relationship. An event occurred last summer concerning Georgiana, my sister, and I felt I had failed to uphold my second promise to my mother.

"As for myself, I existed only to perform my inherited duty in a way that I thought would honor my parents and fulfill my obligations to my family. But when I met Miss Elizabeth, I realized that I was not really 'living,' sir. Being in her presence brought an awareness of life within me…warmth I had never known, not even when my mother was alive.

"After battling within myself, I decided that I was willing to fail in carrying out what I believed to be the final promise to my mother, sir, until my attention was quite forcefully turned once again to consider that if I did marry Miss Elizabeth, she would grow to regret our marriage if the ton rejected her. I knew that she deserved every happiness; I, in my selfishness, could not be the cause of plunging her into a life of despair. I had no reason to believe the ton would not reject her, and so I deemed it necessary to leave Netherfield.

"To be honest, leaving Miss Elizabeth behind almost destroyed me. I was in such a state that I might have ended up in Bedlam had my cousin Richard not reached me when he did. It was only the thought of disappointing Elizabeth that saved me. I hope that I have come through that dark time a better man.

"Providentially, my Aunt Adelaide came to me with a letter which had been dictated to her by my mother when she had the strength to explain her wishes…stronger than she had been when she had spoken to me. She was instructed not to give it to me until a certain time in my life, though I wish that I might have had the opportunity to understand her wishes much sooner, since much of the heartache of the past months would have been avoided."

Darcy stopped pacing and a short mirthless laugh escaped his lips. "It seems 'marry well' did not mean what Lady Catherine told me it did, after all. In her letter, my mother explained that she and my father wished me to be happy…to love and respect my marriage partner, and not to give in to the expectations of the ton. It does me little credit to admit that, for sixteen years, I had listened to Lady Catherine's interpretation of those words. Instead I should have had more faith that a woman who loved her husband so deeply would want the same for her children."

Darcy stared out the window for a few long moments before turning back to Mr. Bennet. "There is only one woman who I could ever love, respect and be truly happy with--and that is Miss Elizabeth Bennet."

Darcy began to pace once again. "As to my former concerns that Miss Elizabeth would be miserable if she was not accepted within my family and social circle, I realize these concerns were ridiculous. She is, in fact, far superior in character to many in the first circle. I have enough wealth for the both of us; I am not in need of acquiring more through marriage. Miss Elizabeth brings a sense of joy and life to all she meets, and those who cannot recognize this are fools and will not be tolerated by me nor will they be permitted in Miss Elizabeth's presence. I will do my utmost to protect her, sir."

Darcy stopped pacing and took a determined step toward Mr. Bennet. "I can promise you, Mr. Bennet, that if you consent to our marriage, I am quite able to provide for her material comforts. While I know we are both of very stubborn constitutions and will not always agree, I can guarantee that Miss Elizabeth's opinions will always be respected by me. I have, in fact, taken quite a bit of pleasure in our past debates, and I look forward to many more in our future together. She has such an admirable mind; it is a delight to hear her express herself, even when the opinions she expresses are not her own!

"You were perfectly in the right to say that I do not deserve her, sir; I am painfully aware that I do not. But please know that I will spend every day of my life striving to make her happy and to continue to better myself under her gentle tutelage. I know that I am not worthy of her love and acceptance of my offer, but by some miracle I have gained it, and I give you my word that I will not disappoint her!"

Mr. Bennet's expression changed and was unreadable after this statement.

Darcy panicked and, with even more passion than before, he concluded, "I beg of you, Mr. Bennet, will you please allow me to be the man to share her thoughts, dreams, hopes, and vivacity for all the days of her future life?"

Darcy was left exhausted after this speech and sat down to await the verdict, briefly closing his eyes and saying a silent prayer.

Mr. Bennet was quite moved by Darcy's words. Though he was surprised at Darcy's honesty, all he had suspected months ago of Darcy's feelings for Elizabeth was confirmed, and all his hopes for his favorite daughter were met by what Darcy had revealed today. "Mr. Darcy? I have one further question."

"Yes, sir?"

"When did my Lizzy consent to be your wife?"

"Miss Elizabeth had accepted my offer the morning before…while at Rosings, sir. I have confirmed her wishes only just now before coming to you," Darcy almost whispered.

Mr. Bennet's eyebrows rose. "Before she was kidnapped?"

"Yes, sir."

Mr. Bennet sighed and shook his head slightly. "It might have been wise to have made me aware at the beginning of this interview not only that Elizabeth had accepted you--twice--but just when she had accepted you. Though that was a very moving speech, it might have saved us both a great deal of unease had I been informed of this sooner!"

Darcy turned a deep crimson. "I did not?"

"No! You did not."

"Ahhhh." Darcy shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

After a few moments, Darcy leaned forward in his chair and rested his face in his hands, with his elbows on his knees. As Darcy's shoulders started to shake, Mr. Bennet became concerned and knew not what to do. "Well, well! The tension must have been too much for the man! But I daresay if he has broken down to the point of weeping by this interview, he certainly will not be able to handle a lifetime of sparring with Lizzy!"

"Mr. Darcy?" Bennet said tentatively.

When no answer came he said more forcefully, "Mr. Darcy!"

Darcy removed his hands from his face and Mr. Bennet was shocked to find Darcy was laughing! Mr. Bennet was astounded at the sight, but it turned out to be infectious and before long he was laughing as well.

Once he had recovered enough to speak, Darcy said, "Sir, after all Miss Elizabeth and I have been through to get to this point, I cannot believe I was nervous enough not to have been more clear about when Miss Elizabeth and I came to an understanding."

"I can, Mr. Darcy. I believe we could both use a glass of port at the moment, do you not agree?" At Darcy's nod, Mr. Bennet crossed the room and poured them each a glass.

***

Outside in the hall, Elizabeth had been pacing, wringing her hands with worry. Though she could not hear what they said, she could hear the deep voices of the two most important men in her life. She paced for a long time…then a strange sound began emanating from the room. Was that laughter? Very confused, Elizabeth knocked when she heard the men quiet a bit.

As he was handing Darcy his glass of port, Mr. Bennet said, "I am guessing my poor Lizzy is wondering what tortures I have put you through to keep you in here this long…" Mr. Bennet raised his voice and called out toward the door, "Enter!"

The door opened slowly, and Elizabeth's head peeked around it with a concerned expression and wide eyes--the men broke out again in what sounded almost like…giggles?

Elizabeth stepped into the room with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, "If I did not know better, I would suspect you gentlemen have overindulged in drink."

Both gentlemen stood as she entered the room. As she approached, Elizabeth's eyes were full of questions. Darcy put her at ease with a smile.

Elizabeth took the seat next to Darcy as Mr. Bennet said, "No, no, my dear Lizzy, we have not yet partaken. We simply had a bit of a misunderstanding!" Both men burst out laughing once more.

Elizabeth was bewildered, but could not help but laugh with them.

Once the group's nervous laughter had been spent, Mr. Bennet turned to Elizabeth and asked seriously, "Lizzy, do you wish to marry this man?"

Elizabeth looked upon Darcy, and her eyes reflected every bit of love and respect for him as Darcy had expressed for her earlier. At that moment, Mr. Bennet was absolutely certain this was the match he had hoped for his favorite daughter after all.

"Yes, I do, Papa, very much!" Elizabeth said wholeheartedly.

With a touch of sadness, Mr. Bennet said, "Off with the both of you then." He closed his eyes for a moment and sighing, thought, "I have lost my Lizzy!"

"Mr. Bennet…do I have your consent to marry Miss Elizabeth?"

Mr. Bennet looked to Elizabeth's hopeful face and back to Darcy. "Yes, son…yes, you certainly do." Moving toward Elizabeth he added, "I do believe you have found the one man who can appreciate you the way you deserve. I could not have parted with you, my Lizzy, to any one less worthy." He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

Darcy put down his glass, stood and extended his hand to Mr. Bennet. "Thank you, sir! Thank you very much!"

Weeks later, Mr. Bennet would look back on this moment and think that the brilliant smiles which spread across the couple's faces as he shook Darcy's hand were rivaled only by the ones the happy couple displayed on their wedding day.

Her father, William, and she sought out Lord Matlock and Colonel Fitzwilliam and shared the happy news. Congratulations abounded and letters were written and sent to London, Longbourn, and Pemberley with an express rider. Elizabeth and Mr. Bennet both reflected on their relief that they would not be at Longbourn when Mrs. Bennet received the express.

Colonel Fitzwilliam, having no official reason to stay any longer and no desire to attend the burial, made arrangements to return to London with his men, so they said their goodbyes and were on their way. He promised Elizabeth that his first order of business would be to call on Mrs. Collins and see how she fared. Elizabeth had suspicions about his planned visit, as she had noticed the wistful expression in the Colonel's eyes whenever Charlotte's name was mentioned.

Lord Matlock and Mr. Bennet, who had met years ago through the Gardiners, enjoyed reminiscing and sharing those memories with the newly betrothed couple as they sat on the beach. Elizabeth was instructing Mr. Darcy in proper kite construction. Before afternoon tea, Mr. Darcy had finished the kite and the foursome planned to walk to Johnny's house to present it to him after enjoying their refreshments at the Inn.

During tea, Lord Matlock received an express forwarded from London from Anne de Bourgh. She wrote that her mother was very ill indeed, and was only partially conscious, at times barely holding onto life. The doctor had shared with Anne that her mother's heart had been deteriorating for years, and he felt that it finally was giving out. He did not think that she would ever completely recover from her present state. They had been able to spoon a bit of broth and water into Lady Catherine, but the doctor felt it was only a matter of time before her heart gave way, and she passed on.

In Lady Catherine's chamber, two letters had been discovered upon her writing desk; both appeared to have been written just before her episode. One was to Anne, the other to Lord Matlock. Anne had enclosed the letter from his sister within the express, and he excused himself and retreated to his room to read it.

Lord Matlock was surprised to discover that the letter from his sister was a confession of sorts. He would leave for Rosings to help his niece as soon his valet could pack, but first, he wished to share the contents of the letter with Mr. Bennet, Darcy, and Elizabeth--he felt they were owed that much after all that had happened--so he made his way to the sitting room once again.

Lord Matlock read a portion of the letter aloud:

"I have become aware that I have acted abominably for most of my adult life, and until today, it has not mattered to me in the least. I am ashamed to admit that if I were not dying, I would have continued on in this manner indefinitely without the smallest measure of guilt.

"Earlier today, knowing that I was teetering on the threshold of death's door, for the first time in years, I reached into a bedside drawer to retrieve the Book of Common Prayer. Feeling it was providential that it happened to fall open to the Commandments, I read, 'Hear the commandments which G-d has given to his people, and examine your hearts,' and so I did. In doing so, I can clearly perceive that I have not upheld G-d's Commandments. With my greed, I have worshipped money--the only idol of my existence! With the others, I have done no better.

"Upon this realization, I have concluded I am undoubtedly bound for the infernal regions when my time comes. I can only hope that my eternal fate will be a little less unpleasant if I make an attempt at redemption by telling you all, and charging you, my good brother, with making reparation in my stead. Please do what you can to compensate those I have injured, used and abused, Robert, and do what you can to set things as right as possible.

"I shall begin with telling you that my husband tried his hand at mining saltpetre in India. He had requested of you and our brother Darcy to buy adjoining land there, planning to buy the land from you both when he had more available cash since his cash had been used to begin the mining company. Since the conflicts with France had begun, Sir Lewis had already been financing a smuggler, John Sharp, who was bringing wine, lace and other goods from across the Channel. Sharp was willing to help him smuggle silk, cotton, and indigo dye from India if Sir Lewis provided the ships. Since the East India Company held a monopoly on trade with India, the only way for others to do so was by smuggling; the saltpetre mining would legitimize the endeavor. When Sir Lewis found that the men he had sent to run the mine were mistreating the workers, he put an end to the mining operation, but kept up the rest, though this was more risky.

"I had learned about all this while Sir Lewis was alive, and after he passed on, I continued the business with Sharp, expanding the smuggling to the Americas. No matter how much money I had acquired through this or any other means, it was not enough! I recommenced the mining operations when I learned that the British had halted all saltpetre deliveries to the French. I expanded the operation by having some of my men convince the Americans to stockpile saltpetre before another war began with the British, furthering my endeavor.

"When Sharp refused to supply saltpetre to France, I am ashamed to say that I had his great-grandson kidnapped and kept him at Rosings under guard for more than two years. Most of the other workers were similarly threatened or blackmailed into doing my bidding.

"There were few who worked for me willingly, Robert, but George Wickham and William Collins are my main accomplices. There are several others who were less intimately involved, and I have a list of their names stored with the ledgers in a box under the flooring in the parsonage sitting room.

"Collins is not fit to be a minister, though I had financed Collins' schooling to become a cleric so that he could replace my former parson, who had grown a conscience.

"Wickham has ties to all sorts of evil people and could get things done easily--I had cared not who was hurt in the process as long as my desired ends were met. I am certain you will find enough evidence in my papers to have Wickham convicted of any number of crimes.

"Please see to it that a proper minister is placed at Hunsford for Anne's sake, Robert, and do not allow either of these men to take his revenge upon me by harming my daughter."

Lord Matlock took a drink of water and sighed before continuing, "My sister here reveals where the proceeds from the smuggling are hidden and asks for it to be distributed to the families that she had mistreated over the years. She asks to have the people she had removed from their families to be restored to them. As for the materials she had used for blackmail, she suggests that they be burnt or returned to their rightful owners. Captain Sharp should be gifted the ships he has been using for the operation, which is what Sir Lewis had requested to be done upon his own death.

"The letter continues…

"I ask you, Robert, to extend my apologies to my nephew Darcy for my lies and manipulations over the past sixteen years, although I know I do not deserve his forgiveness. I confess I had allowed jealousy and bitterness to transform into hatred and a personal vendetta against my sister's family. I hope my nephew is able to find his fiancée, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, before Wickham harms her.

"And she gives directions on where Miss Elizabeth could most likely be found.

"I also wish to apologize to Miss Bennet's family, not only for the kidnapping of Miss Elizabeth, but for the attempt at poisoning Mr. Bennet in an effort for Mr. Collins to gain control over Longbourn. I had planned to use it, along with Pemberley, to facilitate the distribution of the smuggled goods to a greater number of people.

"Finally, I ask you, brother, to look after Rosings for Anne's sake, and help her to live a happier life than the one I--her mother--have previously offered her. Anne is completely ignorant and innocent of all; she knew nothing of this enterprise."

An uncomfortable silence settled over the room for several minutes as those present considered Lady Catherine's admissions.

Elizabeth shot her father a look of warning when he seemed ready to say something. She did not feel it their place to comment upon Lady Catherine's letter before her own family, and she was afraid her father might make an offhand remark, as was his way. She took William's hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, hoping it would help to soothe the conflicted emotions she could see in his eyes.

Darcy cleared his throat, and shaking his head, said, "Lady Catherine is selfish to the last."

Lord Matlock was shocked. "Pardon me? Her letter she says that, in the last hours of her conscious life, my sister had become ashamed of her actions and wished to make amends. She wished to protect her daughter and to protect the family names! How is this selfish?"

With a mirthless laugh, Darcy replied bitterly, "Did you not hear the same letter as I? Yes, she recognized her errors and sins! But, while having you follow her orders will be helpful to others and they should be carried out as she said, Lady Catherine had not suddenly become altruistic, uncle. I can only see that she thinks of what she can do to make her own eternal life easier! She thought only of herself, sir."

Lord Matlock reviewed the letter again before nodding. With a deep sigh, he said, "Yes…yes I do see it now. And yet I will do as she wished…for the sake of all those she has injured if not for my sister's." He hesitated a few moments before continuing, "I must bid you all goodbye for now for I must depart for Rosings."

Mr. Bennet said, "Robert, perhaps you should rest tonight and depart in the morning? You must be as exhausted as I from our frenzied journey to Broadstairs."

"I promise I will stop at an inn tonight, but I would feel more comfortable beginning the journey as soon as possible."

Elizabeth passed the remainder of the day with her father and betrothed. Although William was clearly thinking through all that had been learned from his cousin's express, he was adamant that they continue on with their plans to deliver the new kite to Johnny.

Cassie had accompanied them to visit with her family as the kite was delivered to a very appreciative Johnny, and all were invited to stay for the evening meal. They were introduced to more of the family, and had an enjoyable time; the invitation to the picnic was renewed and plans were discussed.

Elizabeth could detect that William was, at first, quite uncomfortable with Elizabeth's suggestion that Cassie accompany them. She could imagine that spending time with a servant and a family that was now his employee's family was not among the usual ways he expected to spend his days, and that he agreed only to please her. As the visit progressed, the Sharp family was so welcoming and friendly that even William could not help but respond with good humor. During their return walk to the Inn, he admitted that it had been an enjoyable evening, and he asked her opinion on planning a trip with Georgiana to visit Broadstairs after they were married.

Elizabeth could not help but smile widely at this admission, and at his having sought her opinion on making plans for their future. Only just engaged and already he wished to consult her before making any decisions! Elizabeth had every confidence that they would have the marriage that she had always dreamed of.

Friday, March 27, 1812
The next morning, Elizabeth again woke to the sound of seagulls and the smell of the salt in the air. She was feeling much more rested than the previous morning. Though she still had nightmares, they were much less numerous and less severe than the night before. She had made it through most of the night without Cassie's having to wake her.

When Elizabeth stretched, she noticed she was doing so with less discomfort. Perhaps the doctor would give her leave to ride in the coach sooner than expected. Cassie had opened the windows and the sheer white curtains were floating through the air on the sea breeze as if they were clouds. Through the curtains she could see something outside the window and moved closer to investigate. There, flying high in the sky, was Johnny's new kite.

Elizabeth smiled--Johnny and Abe were home. Mr. Darcy was nearby, and they were officially engaged to be married! All was right in the world!

As she bathed and dressed, Elizabeth's thoughts turned toward the immediate future; she was looking forward to seeing the Seven Maidens caves where the smugglers stored their goods, as well as Kemp's stairs, which climbed the cliff face to the top where they loaded their goods into wagons to be delivered. Elizabeth greatly anticipated giving Captain Sharp a letter that Lord Matlock had written before he left for Rosings, informing Captain Sharp of the long overdue fulfillment of Sir Lewis' dying request. Sharp should have been gifted all the ships and boats he had been using in his service years ago.

After Cassie had finished arranging Miss Bennet's hair, Elizabeth smiled at her maid. "Oh, Cassie, I am sorry I was not attending. I have been lost in thought all morning. So much has happened the past few days, it is difficult at times to believe it happened at all." As she got up from the mirror, her expression changed at a stabbing pain in her ribs. Holding up her injured hand she said, "Well…at least until I try to do something for myself or move the wrong way! I feel like a small child again since I am not able to cut my own food with a knife!"

Cassie only nodded, and then moved on to her duties.

As Elizabeth left her room to go down to breakfast, she was surprised to find Darcy asleep in a chair just outside her door. Elizabeth stood looking at him for several minutes, examining every feature, every curl of his hair. He looked so much younger when asleep, as if he had not a worry in the world.

Her mind wandered to think of what it would be like to wake up and see this face every day for the rest of her life, and she felt a stirring within her that made her reach out to touch his cheek. When she did, he turned his face toward her hand, and she gasped as he kissed her palm.

His eyes opened and he smiled. "What a nice way to awaken," he murmured, his voice low and raspy with sleep.

His breath caught at the passion in her eyes. His thoughts returned to how it had felt the other night…sitting on her bed holding her in his arms…she had been wearing only a thin cotton gown…"We are too near her bedchamber for her safety!"

He stood and offered his arm to lead her away from her bedchamber door and toward the dining room.

"Were you waiting long for me?" Elizabeth asked.

"I have been waiting for you all of my life," Darcy replied his eyes filled with longing.

Elizabeth's smile twinkled in her eyes. "I meant this morning in the hall chair, my love."

"Ah, that." He teased, "Say it again, please?"

She beamed brightly, "My love!"

The warmth of Darcy's smile filled Elizabeth's soul. "I could not sleep the first night until Richard posted a guard at your door who would notify me if you became upset again. Since the soldiers were gone to London, the only way I could be certain of your well being last night was to take up the position at your door myself." He examined her, noticing that she looked less tired than the day before. "I am glad that you slept better last night."

Elizabeth's expression turned to one of concern, "You spent the entire night in the chair?"

He stopped walking, took her hand from his arm and tenderly kissed it. "I am not ashamed to say that you are more important to me than anything else, Elizabeth, more than life itself. I will have you in danger no more." Her eyes glistened with tears.

A door opened in the hallway admitting a family on their way to breakfast, startling them back into the world. Darcy replaced Elizabeth's hand on his arm and continued on their way to meet Mr. Bennet for breakfast.

Posted on: 2010-10-27

Chapter 22

"One does not love a place the less for having suffered in it, unless it has been all suffering, nothing but suffering."
--Jane Austen (English author, 1775-1817), Persuasion

As the arranged time for the picnic drew near, Elizabeth, Darcy and Mr. Bennet walked out. Since it was low tide, Elizabeth expressed an interest in passing through the Kingsgate Bay arch under the lookout cave. The gentlemen agreed, neither willing to deny her anything within their power to give her pleasure.

While passing through the fissure, Elizabeth stopped at the tunnel entrance that led to the lookout cave and said, "Papa, would you like to see the view from the lookout cave? I received permission from Captain Sharp to take you to see it today."

Both the gentlemen wore surprised expressions.

"Yes, I suppose so. But Lizzy, do you truly wish to revisit the cave after all that came to pass within?" Mr. Bennet's concern was heard plainly in his voice.

"Yes, I would like it very much, Papa. Not all of my memories associated with Broadstairs are bad ones, including this cave. I prefer to think only of the past as its remembrance gives me pleasure."

Darcy remembered similar words from his mother's letter, and a sense of tranquility washed over him as he thought, "Mother would have loved Elizabeth."

"I fully intend to forbid the unpleasant memories from intruding again by facing at least theplace where those events occurred," Elizabeth continued as she moved to enter the tunnel.

Darcy reached out his hand holding her elbow firmly to delay her. "I will go first, Elizabeth! I want no surprises this time." Elizabeth nodded and then allowed Darcy to enter ahead of her, and then she and her father followed.

Darcy called out before reaching the end of the tunnel just in case someone was on lookout duty. Peering around the corner, he ensured the cave was empty before stepping aside and allowing Elizabeth to enter.

Darcy and Mr. Bennet's eyes were fixed on her face as Elizabeth looked around the place.

When her gaze settled on a broken bottle on the floor and the cave opening, a look of fear briefly swept over her face, and passed just as quickly. She walked closer to the cave opening and looked out over the ocean while saying, "Mr. Mott and I had a nice conversation here for an hour or two before…" She hesitated quite a few moments. Both gentlemen held themselves back from their natural desire to go to her and comfort her--knowing it was important for her to work through this in her own way.

Elizabeth continued as if no time had passed since her last utterance, "…before we were interrupted." She then smiled a little before saying, "He told me stories of his sailing days--some were rather exciting! We watched the dawn break over the ocean. It was beautiful, but at the time my thoughts were upon the previous sunrise." She looked at Darcy, who was in awe of how she was concentrating on the good which had happened here rather than the unpleasant. She was such an amazing woman! That she had been thinking of his proposal was not lost on him, and he was deeply touched.

Not breaking her gaze with Darcy, Elizabeth almost whispered, "William saved my life here." Darcy's heart swelled at the love within her eyes.

Mr. Bennet's eyebrows rose as he cleared his throat to remind the couple that he was still present before their shared look turned into something more. After having to clear his throat a second time, he chuckled and said loudly with a teasing tone, "And for that, I shall be eternally grateful, though I do think allowing him to take my favorite daughter away from me, halfway across England, is an overly generous reward for it." When they still did not break their gaze, Mr. Bennet began to move toward the tunnel. "I think I have seen all that there is to see here, my dear."

Elizabeth released Darcy's eyes and looked to her father and smiled, "Perhaps today I can persuade Captain Sharp and Mr. Mott to tell us more of their adventures."

With a parting glance around the cave, Elizabeth moved toward the exit, and the gentlemen followed. They continued downward along the path to the beach and through the arch to Botany Bay using Johnny's kite as the marker for their destination.

As the trio approached, Johnny and a group of children were flying his kite at a little distance from Cassie, Captain Sharp, Mr. Mott, Jeremiah, Abe and their families. Abe was just completing the construction of his new kite but was having trouble with one piece and asked Elizabeth for advice.

Johnny recognized Elizabeth's laughter in response to something Abe had said and his head turned toward their direction while a smile spread across his face. He handed off the kite string to another child and then ran to embrace her, almost knocking her down in his enthusiasm. "Thank you for the kite, Miss Lizzy!" Bowing to Darcy, Johnny said, "Thank you for being Miss Lizzy's hands, Mr. Darcy!" Johnny said and then ran away again to play with the other children.

Johnny's father, Jim Sharp, was standing nearby. "We have you both to thank for Johnny's return to us."

"It was all Miss Bennet's doing, Mr. Sharp."

Elizabeth's eyebrow arched. "You brought Johnny home, Mr. Darcy!"

Darcy smiled, "Ah, but it had been my third visit to Rosings since Johnny had been there, and though I had seen him, I had never thought anything amiss. I only assisted once I knew something was awry. If it were not for you, Miss Bennet, Johnny might still be at Rosings."

"Perhaps, but it all would have been for naught if you had not come to Rosings and brought him home yourself, sir. There was nothing I could have done about it had you not been there. I hardly could have uprooted him from Rosings and taken him to Broadstairs myself. Johnny would have remained there when I departed."

Darcy's eyes twinkled in challenge. "I do not agree. Will it not be advisable, Miss Bennet, before we proceed on this subject to arrange with rather more precision the circumstances surrounding your presence and my absence at Rosings?"

Elizabeth's eyes sparkled in reply, remembering his use of similar words in a previous conversation at Netherfield. "By all means, let us hear all the particulars."

Captain Sharp and Mr. Mott came up beside Mr. Bennet as Elizabeth and Darcy set the framework for their discussion. "What are they two arguin' about?" asked Captain Sharp.

"Debating, Captain Sharp! They both love a good debate," Mr. Bennet laughed. "And I think it is safe to say they are both so stubborn they might never come to a solid conclusion on any subject. It is a good thing they will have a lifetime to work it out, eh?"

Elizabeth overheard the gentlemen and thought it best to end this discussion…for now, anyway. The look in her eye changed to amusement as she recalled more of Mr. Bingley's words from Netherfield when Jane was ill. She cocked her head to the side a bit before saying to the group, "We must not forget the comparative height and size of those debating, gentlemen, for that will have more weight in the argument than you may be aware. I assure you that if Mr. Darcy were not such a great tall fellow in comparison with myself, I should not pay him half so much deference."

The corners of Darcy's mouth turned up a bit. "Yes, and I remember once hearing that there is no more awful object than myself on particular occasions, and in particular places; at my own house especially, when I have nothing to do."

Elizabeth began to laugh, "Principally on Sunday evenings, from what I was led to believe."

"Most decidedly on Sunday evenings, Miss Bennet." Darcy bowed to Elizabeth, his dimples gracing the company with an appearance, and then held out his arm to escort her to a blanket to sit with the others. Low enough only for Darcy to hear, Elizabeth added, "Well, then, Mr. Darcy, we must find something to keep you occupied at all times after we are wed!"

The look of passion in Darcy's eyes let Elizabeth know he understood her thoughts and agreed.

Confused, Mr. Mott said, "Strange way t' be courtin' a lady."

"Aye, but it all depends on the lady!" Captain Sharp observed. "Ain't it true Mr. Bennet?"

"That it does, gentlemen--that it does," Mr. Bennet laughed heartily.

They proceeded to join the rest of the group, where Elizabeth presented Captain Sharp with a letter from Lord Matlock. In accordance to Sir Lewis's original intentions upon his death, all six ships owned by the de Bourgh family, in addition to all the Guinea boats they used for their runs to France, were now Sharp's to do with as he willed, but Lord Matlock specified it should be nothing that could be considered treasonous. The goods aboard the four ships which were already in route to or from India and had not yet arrived in England would all be his to profit from. There was also one ship due in from America.

Captain Sharp said that he would make an anonymous gift to the British military of the four saltpetre shipments that were already in route to England. Darcy offered to arrange the deliveries with General Curtis.

Sharp asked about the mine, and Darcy spoke of soon closing it. With the time it took for his letters to reach India, he did not know how long it would be before the authorities in India could accomplish that purpose. His expression darkened as he thought of all the workers who were suffering, perhaps dying, during the time it took for his letter to be conveyed to the British Army post there.

Elizabeth noticed the change in his mood and slipped her arm through his, the warm tingle of her touch spreading through him, bringing him back to the present. The love shining from her eyes warmed his soul, and he felt as if a weight was being lifted from his shoulders once again. Without breaking their gaze, he placed his hand over hers and squeezed it gently, bringing it to his lips for a kiss which lingered a bit longer than it should have. "Elizabeth is here with me, safe. She loves me and will soon be my wife. With this dream come to fulfillment, I must have faith that all else will be well."

All in attendance had an enjoyable afternoon; the Bennets and Darcy heard tales about the smugglers' adventures, and when the meal was done, they were taken to see the Seven Maidens caves, where they had heard the story of a battle on Botany Bay beach with another smuggling gang taking place thirty years earlier. Cassie helped Elizabeth choose from the finest French lace for her wedding dress, and the gentlemen were each treated to a bottle of superb brandy.

Earlier in the day, Cassie had agreed to travel with them to London, and Elizabeth had asked Cassie if she would consider becoming her maid permanently when she married Mr. Darcy. While exiting the caves, Cassie informed Miss Elizabeth that she had discussed the position as lady's maid with her family during the day and had decided to accept; Mr. Darcy offered her the job starting immediately.

Since the doctor had given Elizabeth permission to return to London the next morning as long as they proceeded slowly and she rested often, they said their goodbyes upon rejoining the others. There were some tearful goodbyes between Cassie and her family, and Miss Elizabeth promised that they would visit Broadstairs after she and Mr. Darcy were married.

Before darkness set in, they were shown up Kemp's stairs; Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet were nervous for Elizabeth's sake, for they did not want her to re-injure herself, but Elizabeth thought the climb exciting, though she had to take it more slowly than she would normally have done. At the top of the cliffs, carriages and carts awaited, one of which would return them to the Fig Tree Inn.

~On the road between Broadstairs and London

When traveling at a normal speed, the journey between Broadstairs and London would be completed in two days including an overnight stay. To ensure Elizabeth's comfort, Darcy insisted on dividing the miles over a period of three days. Cassie rode inside the coach sitting next to Elizabeth, and Darcy's valet rode atop with the driver. Cassie and Mr. Bennet were soon lulled to sleep by the rocking of the coach.

Darcy's coach was well supplied with books as always, but instead of reading as he usually did on long trips, when he was not engaged in quiet conversation with Elizabeth, he spent the time rejoicing in the opportunity to sit across from her and take pleasure in just looking at her. The first time he was "caught" by Elizabeth, he worried that after her recent experience, she would feel uncomfortable and he feared he had gone too far. He was relieved to find that the sparkle in her eyes was one of approval and amusement--and it pleased him to no end when he caught her closely inspecting his form several times as well.

Elizabeth slept through parts of the trip and had awakened with a start, wild-eyed and confused, on several occasions. Not wishing to awaken the other passengers and unable to take her into his arms, Darcy leaned forward to take her hand in his with a look filled with concern, which she only answered by squeezing his hand. He would sit this way caressing her hands until someone would stir, and Elizabeth would pull away with a blush.

Upon setting out, Elizabeth voiced her objections to their planned three stages of the trip, feeling it was too cautious…until her ribs began to ache severely after about fifteen miles upon the road. Elizabeth tried to hide the pain by pretending to fall asleep, but Darcy knew her every movement too well. At seeing her distress, he had the coach stop at the next village with an inn.

The pain in her eyes the first afternoon spurred Darcy to suggest that they stay another night at the inn before continuing two days hence, but Elizabeth insisted she would be feeling much better with rest, and they should continue as planned. In the morning, after a careful examination of her countenance assured him that she was not in extreme pain, he agreed to continue the journey, but he reduced the number of miles they would travel, extending the trip by one more day.

Mr. Bennet was amused at Darcy's coddling of his daughter, and quite impressed with the way he handled her stubbornness with firm but gentle ease and respect. His observations over the four-day journey relieved him of any lingering doubts: Darcy would be good for his Lizzy.

Tuesday, March 31, 1812

~The Gardiners' house

Upon their return to London, Mr. Darcy's carriage took them directly to Gracechurch Street where, as soon as the bustle of their arrival was heard indoors, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, Jane and Mr. Bingley came to greet them.

Mr. Gardiner greeted Elizabeth with a kiss to her cheek and a gentle hug. "It is good to have you safe, Lizzy," he said with tears in his eyes.

After thanking him, Elizabeth stepped directly into her sister Jane's tearful embrace. "Oh, Lizzy! Lizzy!" Struggling to regain control over her emotions, Jane could say no more.

"Jane! I am well! I am well!" said Elizabeth.

A teary-eyed Mrs. Gardiner stood behind Jane, and Elizabeth extended her arm out to include her in the embrace with Jane.

Mr. Bingley and Mr. Gardiner had moved close to Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet where the gentlemen exchanged greetings. Mr. Darcy kept a watchful eye on the ladies, worried that their enthusiastic greeting might hurt Elizabeth; in a concerned tone of voice stated a little too loudly, "Please be careful! Mind Miss Elizabeth's injuries!"

Mrs. Gardiner and Jane both released their hold on Elizabeth immediately, but shared a knowing look and a smile with her about Darcy's disregard for niceties in order to ensure everyone was aware of Elizabeth's needs.

Elizabeth smiled, "I never saw a more promising inclination. Could there be finer symptoms? Is not general incivility the very essence of love?"

Darcy smiled and blushed as he moved closer and bowed to the ladies. "Excuse me, Mrs. Gardiner, Miss Bennet. I am happy to see you again. I hope you will forgive my lack of manners."

Mrs. Gardiner said to him, "You are very welcome, Mr. Darcy. It is quite understandable under the circumstances. Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth--may I congratulate you on your engagement?"

After congratulations were said all around, the travelers were all offered the opportunity to freshen up before Mrs. Gardiner called for tea and more substantive refreshments.

Mr. Bingley was so eager to ask for consent to marry Jane that he requested a private interview with Mr. Bennet as he returned downstairs.

Mr. Bennet laughed openly as he noted Bingley's agitated state, saying, "Hello to you as well, Mr. Bingley! May we at least go into a private room before you petition for Jane's hand, or shall we discuss it here in the hall?"

Just then, Darcy came down the stairs. Bingley stuttered out something nonsensical, and then Mr. Bennet said, "Very well then! You have my consent to marry my Jane. Now may I go have my tea?" Bingley's face turned quite red before displaying a wide smile. He shook Mr. Bennet's hand and thanked his future father-in-law thoroughly.

Mr. Bennet turned and saw Darcy's jaw drop open at the ease of Bingley's consent "interview," which must not have taken half a minute in total. Mr. Bennet chuckled and said, "Mr. Darcy, observing your countenance can be exceedingly diverting!"

As Darcy's color rose, Mr. Bennet was amused at his "skill" of having been able to turn the faces of both his soon-to-be sons-in-law bright crimson within a few moments' time.

Mr. Bennet passed through the door to the sitting room where he could see the others that had already gathered. Darcy muttered too loudly, "I should have gone to him while he was still astride his horse arriving at Broadstairs!" which Mr. Bennet overheard and could not help but laugh again so vigorously that he needed a handkerchief to wipe his eyes.

Darcy and Bingley entered the room. Tea was served promptly along with some bread, cold meats, and cheeses--Mrs. Gardiner was an excellent hostess and knew that the travelers would be in need of a meal upon arrival. Shortly after the tea things had been cleared away, Darcy recognized from the grimace upon her face that Elizabeth was in pain. He dreaded leaving Elizabeth's side after being in her company almost constantly for days, but he knew that she needed to rest as soon as possible.

Mr. Bennet had learned to trust Darcy's judgment about Elizabeth's state of health, and when seeing his concerned expression directed at Elizabeth, decided a quick announcement of Jane's betrothal was in order followed by insisting Elizabeth go directly to bed.

More congratulations were heard for Jane and Bingley. Mrs. Gardiner suggested a double wedding, the idea of which was quickly accepted by all concerned.

Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley were walked out to the hall by Elizabeth and Jane, where the two newly engaged couples separated as much as possible in the foyer.

Darcy took Elizabeth's uninjured hand and pressed it between both of his. "Promise me you will take care of yourself, Elizabeth? I have been used to being near you for the past several days, and I do not want to leave you. Please do not stay up all night conversing with your sister as you told me you tend to do."

"I will try to go to bed after a short conversation with Jane as she helps me change into my bedclothes, though I cannot guarantee that once we start I will not let my mouth run over. If I do stay up late tonight, I will sleep later in the morning. Is that acceptable, sir?" she smiled teasingly, but her expression fleetingly turned into one of discomfort before she was able to repress it.

Darcy nodded, knowing that he did not have much control over the situation. "May I return in the morning to see how you are feeling?"

"My aunt did invite you for breakfast, William. Did you not hear her?"

His eyes brightened knowing that he was welcome so early. "No, I was…distracted. I will see you in the morning then. Please rest well, my love." Darcy kissed her hand as he bowed over it, lingering a little while longer--but not long enough for either of their preferences.

~Darcy House

Darcy and Bingley left together in Darcy's coach. Bingley had moved out of the Hursts' house after discovering Caroline's deception and had been staying at his club ever since. Now that he was engaged, he thought to look for a house of his own in London instead of relying upon the Hursts or Darcy when he wished to come to Town. Darcy offered accommodations at Darcy House for the time being, which was heartily accepted.

Upon arriving home, Darcy went to his study to write a few letters: the first to his doctor asking him to visit Elizabeth the following day, the next to Richard asking after Mrs. Collins and her plans, and finally one to Matlock House notifying his aunt of all that had occurred since his last communication, and asking for an update from Rosings as a postscript.

He then went to his study to unlock the iron chest* that held most of his mother's jewels. He took out the emerald and diamond engagement ring his father had given to his mother and sat looking at it, imagining it on Elizabeth's hand…hoping she would like it.

~The Gardiners' house

Once Jane and Elizabeth were in their room, Jane gently embraced Elizabeth once again. "Lizzy, will you tell me what happened?" They sat on the bed with Jane holding Elizabeth's hands in hers.

"Oh, Jane! But I am afraid to tell you…I am afraid I will it taint your view of the world if I do."

"I do admit that before the unsettling experiences with Mr. Collins and Mr. Wickham at Meryton, I had thought very differently about the world, but since then I have had to concede that not all people have good intentions. When we heard that Mr. Wickham had kidnapped you…I was forced to realize how evil people could be. To know that evil does exist does not necessarily force me to believe that all people are evil, Lizzy--though it has made it easier for me to identify deceit in others that I would not have believed possible a few months ago. Do not be concerned about me. Perhaps, for me, now being able to accept the truth in certain persons' actions is a positive outcome of all that has happened." Jane was resolved to listen to anything her beloved sister wished to tell her, and she inwardly braced herself for the worst and tried to school her features.

"In that case, I will tell you. I suppose it was not as bad as it could have been. On the trip to Broadstairs, I had so much time to think…I confess I had been imagining the worst! I could not think of any way to escape that would not put me in greater danger than I already was, and I had no money to make my way home if I did get away. If it were not for the goodness of men who, only a few days ago, I would never have believed able to be honorable in the least…a gang of smugglers…I do not believe William would have ever found me. I most likely would not have seen you again, Jane." The two ladies embraced once again before Elizabeth continued.

"Jeremiah protected me from Wickham's advances during the journey to Broadstairs, and then Captain Sharp and Mr. Mott were kind and gentleman-like and tried to keep me safe until William could come retrieve me. Wickham had to hit Mr. Mott on the head with a bottle to be able to get near me! Wickham had been drinking during the entire trip to Broadstairs and then he must have had more once he got there--and he certainly was drinking in the cave. His impaired state made it easier for me to defend myself, I think, so I cannot complain…but not allowing his advances angered him." Tears began to fall as she continued, "He hurt me, but I was able to prevent him from doing more. What Father taught us to protect ourselves worked, Jane! Though I was running out of things to try…if William had not arrived when he did, I do not know what would have happened!"

Elizabeth closed her eyes and when she opened them, Jane could see the pain her sister was feeling was magnified tenfold. "Oh, Jane! What William witnessed! I do not know how he could still wish to marry me! Wickham taunted William, told him lies that he had done more to me than he had…and he touched me while William was there, but he was holding a knife and neither William nor I could stop him…and Wickham then told William that he had…that he had…" Elizabeth could not finish the thought and she shook her head. "And from the look in William's eyes, I thought he would kill Wickham! For such a good man to be forced to that level--and it was my fault!"

Elizabeth began to sob at this point, hiding her head in her hands. Jane comforted her until she was confident Elizabeth had checked her emotions well enough to understand what Jane wished to say. "None of it was your doing, Lizzy! William loves you; of course he would still wish to marry you! Do not take any of the blame upon yourself, dearest Lizzy!" Jane stroked Elizabeth's hair for a few moments before continuing, "You do not know what a state William was in when he asked his aunt and uncle to tell us of your kidnapping! Lady Matlock told us he could barely contain himself from searching for you before the soldiers were ready to leave!"

Elizabeth raised her head to look at Jane, "Afterward…the following day, he told me that he would understand if I wished to end our engagement since he blamed himself and assumed I would also blame him. Jane, I thought he did not wish to marry me because I had been compromised by what had happened and I agreed to end it. He explained that he did not wish it…and it was settled after talking for a while.

"But, Jane, I still cannot fully reconcile myself to it. When I am with him and I see the way he looks at me, I do not doubt his love; but once he is no longer with me, I cannot help but fear that he will change his mind once he has had time to think it through more thoroughly. Every time I have a nightmare, I wake up fearing he will no longer love me." Her tears began to fall once again. "And I would not blame him for it at all! Sometimes I think it would be better for him if I ended our engagement so that I would not have to see him become disgusted with me when he stops loving me. Jane, I never felt truly worthy of his love, but now…now this feeling…I feel much less worthy, and question everything I do!"

"Lizzy! Perhaps you do not see the affection in his eyes when he looks at you, but I can! He loves you, Lizzy, with all his heart. It will not change! It is quite obvious that to William, you are his life!"

Elizabeth wept for a little while longer, and knew more discussion on this subject would be futile, so when her emotions settled down once again she said, "I suppose all will be revealed with time, Jane." She sighed, "But tell me about what happened here. How are you, dear Jane? How have you been through all this? Aunt and Uncle Gardiner, how have they been?" Elizabeth smiled a little and then said, "And what of you and Mr. Bingley? Please tell me all!"

"It has been difficult for us, Lizzy. At first we were all in a state of shock, and we felt so useless here in London--there was nothing we could do but worry! Mr. Bingley came to see us a few hours after your William wrote to him of what had happened, and he was so kind and compassionate. He spent the entire day and evening with us, supporting us in any way he could, and the following days as well. I was torn about what to do…whether to go home to Longbourn to comfort Mama or stay here and await your return. Charles helped me decide to stay--he told me that William asked him to be ready to bring me to Broadstairs if you needed me.

"While we were waiting for news, Charles and I took the children for several walks and he explained to me what had happened to keep him away from Netherfield. He revealed to me that William told him where to find me. He was here when we got the express letter notifying us that you were safe. Oh Lizzy, you know not how relieved we all were!

"And then, the next day, Charles asked Uncle Gardiner if he could speak to me privately. Charles confessed that he loved me, and had always loved me, and asked me to be his wife! I did not know how I should bear so much happiness – and I so wished you here with me to share my joy!" Jane's smile was wider than Elizabeth had ever seen it before.

"I am so happy for you, Jane!" Elizabeth embraced her sister once more.

When they parted, Jane said, "You must get some sleep now, Lizzy. You are here now, and we can talk more on the morrow."

Jane helped Elizabeth get undressed and into her night clothes. As Jane brushed Elizabeth's hair, Elizabeth said, "Jane, I must warn you…I have been having nightmares since…" She took a deep breath and continued, "They seem to be getting better but I must ask you…if you find me thrashing about, please wake me. Cassie has been kind enough to do so since it all happened, and we have found that it has been better to wake me rather than to allow the dream to continue." Elizabeth blushed.

"Oh, Lizzy! I am sorry you have been having nightmares! I promise to wake you, dearest. Now please, get some sleep. William made me promise not to keep you awake too long talking, and I have already done so! I would not wish that your betrothed should be disappointed in me." She tucked Elizabeth in and kissed her on the cheek before getting herself ready for bed. Elizabeth fell asleep before Jane joined her in bed.

* In the early 19th Century, safes were referred to as "iron chests."

Posted on: 2010-10-27

Chapter 23

Wednesday, April 1, 1812

~The Gardiners' House

Doctor Albert Somerset smiled when he received the note from Darcy. He was only too glad to assess the future Mrs. Darcy's state of health and visited the Gardiners' house during the course of the morning.

Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley were eager to see their betrotheds and so arrived at Gracechurch Street early for breakfast. They joined Mr. Bennet and Mr. Gardiner in the sitting room and awaited the doctor's report on Elizabeth's progress.

The gentlemen stood as Doctor Somerset entered. Darcy shook hands with the doctor and turned to make introductions, but Mr. Bennet was greeting the gentleman before Darcy could begin.

"Albert! This is a surprise; I did not know you were Darcy's physician. I hope all your family is well."

"Good morning, Mr. Bennet, it is good to see you again, though I would rather it be under more pleasant circumstances. Mr. Gardiner, Mr. Bingley--good morning. The family is well, sir, I thank you. May we speak privately about Lizzy's condition, please?"

A bit rankled at his friend's referring to his Elizabeth so familiarly, Darcy checked his reaction, thinking, "Of course they know each other! Elizabeth is friends with The Duke of Beaufort and Albert is his seventh son. Although I did not realize they were friendly enough that she would know all the family."

Surprising Darcy, Mr. Bennet asked him to join them in Mr. Gardiner's study to hear the news concerning Elizabeth's state of health.

Once the door was closed, Doctor Somerset reported, "Lizzy's hand is healing nicely, and the treatment should continue the same as it has been. Though no real harm has been done by the carriage ride from Broadstairs, it has, at the very least, delayed healing, and I am advising against any lengthy travel until her bruises are completely healed. I must admit to being surprised that with the extent of her injuries, the doctor in Broadstairs had allowed her such a long carriage ride so soon after they had been inflicted. All was explained, however, when Lizzy confessed that she may have exaggerated 'just a little' about how well she felt since she was looking forward to going home…and I know how stubborn she is once her mind is made up! Unfortunately, the doctor at Broadstairs could not know she was being less than candid with him.

"Mr. Bennet? I usually do not inquire, but in this case I feel I must. May I ask what happened to the man who inflicted these injuries? May I be of assistance in testifying to a judge as to the extent of Lizzy's trauma?" Both men could see that Albert was angry.

Darcy was surprised at the personal nature of Albert's questions, but he had gone through Eton and Cambridge with Albert Somerset. Albert had become a friend over the years and attended to the medical needs of Darcy and his sister when they were in London ever since he had begun his practice--and he knew that Albert would adhere to the necessity of holding the matter in the strictest confidence. Albert had attended Cambridge with Wickham and had known, and disapproved, of Wickham's depravity almost as well as Darcy did. He also knew all the particulars of what occurred in Ramsgate when Darcy required his advice about Georgiana's behavior afterward.

Darcy answered, "It was Wickham," Albert started and paled, "but he will no longer be of concern to anyone. He was so drunk this time, that when he saw Richard and me, he ran--and fell off a cliff."

"Well, if it had to happen to any human being, I could not have made a better choice as to whom. What a waste his life has been!" Albert was thoughtful for a minute or two and then smiled, "I also could not have made a better choice of a wife for you, William. I have known Lizzy for years, and I cannot be happier that she will be the next Mrs. Darcy. Congratulations!"

After shaking hands with Darcy, Albert turned to Mr. Bennet and said, "And congratulations to you, Mr. Bennet! Darcy and I have known each other a long time as we were in the same year at school, and I can attest that you will be gaining a truly good man as your son-in-law."

Mr. Bennet teased, "I would not have given my consent if I had thought otherwise! You seem to know Mr. Bingley as well, Albert? He will be taking Jane off my hands soon."

"Bingley was a few years behind us, but we met at Cambridge and have met on several occasions through the years through our mutual friendship with Darcy. Congratulations again, Mr. Bennet; Bingley is a good man as well and does seem a perfect match for Jane." Albert's expression became serious again before clearing his throat and changing subjects, "Gentlemen, it seems Lizzy is quite proficient at concealing her pain, but do not let her behavior fool you. Her injuries are very painful ones. She does not need to be confined to her room or the house, but she does need her rest when she tires."

"Thank you, Albert," said Mr. Bennet. "I have noticed Darcy is acutely attuned to Lizzy's state of health and level of fatigue. I am certain Jane and Mrs. Gardiner are almost as perceptive as he is. Between the three of them, Lizzy will not have the opportunity to over-exert herself."

"Good! I should take my leave, now, as I have other patients to attend. I will return in two days to ascertain her progress. I will send a messenger with additional salve for her hand injury, and I have already left Lizzy's maid with instructions. I do not anticipate there being any need, but if there are any changes for the worse, please do not hesitate to send for me at any time, Mr. Bennet. I assume the entirety of this situation is confidential?" Albert said with a knowing look at both gentlemen.

"Absolutely, Albert, and my uncle will be using his influence to keep it that way," Darcy said.

"Just as I thought, and I am glad to hear it. Have a good day, Mr. Bennet, Darcy." Albert shook hands with both gentlemen, and after making a stop in the drawing room to take leave of Mr. Gardiner and give his congratulations to Bingley, he was on his way.

"Mr. Bennet, before we return to the others, I have a request to make of you. May I have a few minutes alone with Elizabeth this morning? I have a gift for her in honor of our engagement."

"On one condition, Darcy…you must call me Thomas or Bennet from now on." Mr. Bennet's eyebrow rose, "And you may have only ten minutes alone with Lizzy."

Neither Elizabeth nor Darcy had realized that when they thought Mr. Bennet was sleeping during their carriage ride to London, several instances occurred where Mr. Bennet was actually observing their behavior from under hooded lids--and he had witnessed some rather ardent looks being exchanged between the couple. He did not wish to leave them alone for too long! He also was of the opinion that this wedding should take place as soon as possible.

Darcy was thoughtful for a moment trying to decide which to call him, then answered, "Thank you, Bennet."

Soul meets soul on lovers' lips
--Percy Bysshe Shelley (English Poet 1792-1822)

As the two gentlemen left the study, they encountered Elizabeth descending the staircase; her countenance brightened by a smile the moment she espied Darcy. "Good morning! I hope you both rested well. Did you see Albert before he left?"

Mr. Bennet approached her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Good morning, Lizzy! Yes, he just gave us his report. I will allow Darcy to inform you of his opinion--why do you not use the study? I expect to see you in the dining room for breakfast in ten minutes." Mr. Bennet threw Darcy a pointed look and then left the couple alone.

"Good morning, Elizabeth. How are you? I hope you slept peacefully last night." Darcy said as he took her hand, and then kissed it reverently.

Elizabeth moved toward the study. "I am much improved this morning, thank you. I am confident the dreams will soon be at an end. Jane only had to wake me twice. What did Albert say?"

Darcy opened the door to the study and stepped aside to allow her to enter before him, closing the door behind him. Stepping closer to her and taking her hands in his, he answered, "He said you probably should not have traveled so soon, and he will not allow you to travel to Longbourn until your ribs are healed. Your hand is healing nicely and will continue doing so if you persist in the current treatment. There are no other restrictions, but you must rest when you are tired, Elizabeth. It is important."

"Well, that will not be too difficult to endure. It is much better than bed rest! It was good to see Albert again; spending time with him is always what I would imagine having an older brother would be like. He told me you and he went through school together."

"Yes, that is true…but I would like to speak to you of something else while we are alone, Elizabeth." Darcy's serious look frightened her, and the icy fears of her nightmares gripped her heart.

She realized her emotions must have shown upon her face when Darcy said, "Elizabeth? What is it? Have I said something to upset you?"

Elizabeth swallowed hard and said, "No…no. Please tell me what you must."

Darcy's features displayed his concern as he sat down beside her and took her hand. "Elizabeth, please tell me what has you suddenly so disconcerted?"

Elizabeth blinked back unshed tears, and, as her vision cleared, the warmth of love in his gaze spread through her, melting away all her doubts. Sighing, she shook her head, "It is silly, really…what you said was reminiscent of my dreams of late," and she moved into Darcy's willing embrace.

Resting his cheek against her soft, fragrant curls, he stroked her back for several minutes. His heart swelled with love for her beyond what he had hitherto believed possible at knowing that she wished to seek comfort in his arms.

After he felt her relax against him, he whispered, "I do not know what you were afraid I would say, my love, but I only wanted to give you something…" He reached into his coat pocket, took out the box that held his mother's ring, and shifted a bit so that he could see her reaction as she opened it.

Elizabeth opened the box to reveal an emerald ring surrounded by small diamonds. She gasped. "Oh, William! It is the most beautiful ring I have ever seen. This is for me?"

Darcy smiled, "Of course it is for you, Elizabeth. It was the ring my father gave to my mother upon their engagement, and I had always hoped to give it to a woman that I loved as much as he did my mother. That is you my dearest, loveliest Elizabeth." He removed the ring from the box and took her hand. "May I?" Elizabeth nodded, and he slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly.

"Elizabeth, I cannot count how many times I have imagined this ring on your finger. I have not the words to express how happy you have made me by accepting me!"

His fingertips drifted lightly over the silk of her cheeks, and his thumb caressed her lips. When he saw her lips part slightly, he leaned in to kiss her. As their passion overtook the moment and their kisses deepened, their arms wound around each other. Afraid he might hurt her, he kept himself from holding her as tightly as he wished to, but she was lost to him and pressed herself thoroughly against him. The sensations of having his Elizabeth so close was causing him to lose focus of the warning Mr. Bennet had given them to limit their time alone.

That she would soon be his wife was the only thought that gave him the strength to pull away from her, but the images that thought conjured up in his mind did nothing to help his physical state.

Breaking the kiss, he leaned his forehead against hers while they both took several moments to catch their breath. His body was aching to do much more than kiss her, and he knew if he remained this close to his beautiful, warm, soft, responsive Elizabeth--who at this moment was stroking his back and looking up at him with a most arousing fire in her eyes--his self-control would not hold much longer.

Heaven help him, he needed to put some distance between them immediately, albeit reluctantly, and he needed some time to regain his composure before being seen in public again. Mr. Bennet had given them ten minutes, and he was certain they had been alone well beyond that time. "Elizabeth, your father will be coming to look for us if we remain here. Will you go ahead to breakfast? I will join you shortly."

Elizabeth smiled saucily before nodding and moving toward a mirror near the doorway to fix a few curls which had come loose from their pins. As she did so, Darcy looked about the room for something to distract him and pulled from a shelf the book Disquisitiones Arithmeticae by Carl Friedrich Gauss. "Perfect!"

Darcy sensed she was closer than before and looked up to find Elizabeth peeking at the title of the book in his hands. Her eyes were smiling as she teased, "Higher Arithmetic in Latin before breakfast?" She rose up on her toes and brushed his lips gently with hers, whispering, "Thank you for your mother's ring, William," before leaving the room.

Friday, April 3, 1812

~Matlock House

The Darcys, Gardiners, and Bennets had received an invitation for tea with Lady Matlock. Upon arrival, Richard greeted them in the drawing room.

"Miss Elizabeth, my mother has left instructions for you to meet her in her sitting room for a private conversation--immediately," Richard stated.

Elizabeth nodded, and then asked, "And how does Lady Catherine?"

"As far as I know, there is no change in her condition."

"I shall join her directly, Colonel Fitzwilliam." Elizabeth curtsied and left the room with the footman.

Elizabeth was shown to Lady Matlock's sitting room and found it empty. After waiting a few minutes alone, Lady Matlock entered and crossed the room quickly, taking Elizabeth into her arms. After a few tears were shed, Lady Matlock sat down, regaining control over her emotions.

Since propriety dictated that the lady of higher rank speak first, Elizabeth sat and remained silent, waiting for Lady Matlock to begin scolding her for not writing, but she did not. Instead, Lady Matlock sat, eyebrows raised high, looking at Elizabeth expectantly. Thinking of the length of time two extremely stubborn ladies such as they might possibly sit across from each other waiting for the other to begin the conversation, Elizabeth repressed a smile.

Knowing she owed her friend an explanation, she decided to throw propriety to the wind and began, "Lady Adelaide, I must apologize for abruptly ceasing my correspondence with you last October. In hindsight, I can see that I should have written, but I did not know then all that I do now.

"I honestly did not know what to say to you. I felt it would be deceitful of me not to mention my meeting William, but I certainly could not tell you of meeting him without revealing my opinion of him. Writing of my opinion of him…it would have meant facing the feelings I was busy denying to myself, to Jane, and to my friend Charlotte. After some time, I could no longer deny that I loved him, but I had convinced myself that he thought of me only as a friend. I had observed some looks that told me otherwise, but I felt that I was seeing what I so desperately wanted to see, and not what truly existed.

"After William left Hertfordshire…I…I was not myself. If I had written then, knowing me as well as you do, you would have known that I was heartbroken, and I did not wish to concern you. And that brings us to date--other than being kidnapped, and I certainly could not write during that time!" Elizabeth laughed nervously.

"And why did you think that William could not love you, Lizzy?"

"Lady Adelaide, I know that you have already made the correct assumptions because we have discussed the reasons in detail several times over the past two years, but I will confirm them for you. I thought that he would recognize that he and his sister would be censured by the ton for marrying a 'country nobody.' In our previous conversations you may have told me that my connections with you and the Duke, and my acquaintance with some of your friends, would make a marriage with any man easier, but I could not believe it until I heard William speak the words. His opinion was more important…could he cope with the ton's disapproval? Until he told me that it mattered not--it did matter!"

"I must say that I was worried about you, Lizzy. All those months without hearing from you! First, you must promise never to stop writing to me again. Second, you must agree to address me as 'Aunt Adelaide' from this moment on!"

Elizabeth smiled brightly. "I am happy to agree to both conditions, Aunt Adelaide."

"Lizzy? If you ever wish to speak to someone about your recent experiences, please do not hesitate to seek me out. I will always be willing to listen, my dear--without judgment. I wish to make certain that you know that I do not hold you in any way responsible for what happened. You are very special to me, Lizzy, and you always will be!"

Elizabeth's eyes were brimming with tears, "I may accept your offer sometime soon, Aunt Adelaide, but not today. I thank you."

"Then I suggest that we join the others for tea, after which we will finish our chess game. It is long overdue!" As both ladies stood, Lady Matlock walked to Elizabeth and hugged her. "I am so happy for both you and William, Lizzy!"

Darcy and Richard were relieved to see Lady Matlock and Elizabeth walk into the drawing room arm-in-arm. After the usual greetings, Lady Matlock held her hand out toward Darcy and as he moved closer and took it, she said, "If you had not been afraid of my matchmaking schemes, you would have met Lizzy years ago and saved much time, William!"

Displaying his dimples, Darcy said, "I must agree, Aunt Adelaide, I should have accepted your invitations. If I had only known your matchmaking skills were so finely tuned, unlike most others I have been exposed to, I would have found perfection much sooner!"

Blushing, Elizabeth cried, "William! Even you have admitted that there are none without fault!"

"Ah! As I told your father a few days ago, Elizabeth, even your imperfections are perfection itself." Darcy's eyes were twinkling with amusement.

"Lizzy, I see you need no advice from us married ladies. You have him well trained already!" Mrs. Gardiner said as she approached the group.

Lady Matlock observed Elizabeth and Darcy throughout tea and was quite pleased to see the way each looked at the other and how happy they both were. She was impressed with the changes she saw in Darcy as well. He smiled much more often, and not only at Elizabeth. He carried on more conversations during tea than she had ever known him to do at social engagements, even when among family. They truly were in love, and they were good for each other. She looked at Mr. Bennet and realized he was watching her watch Elizabeth and Darcy. He approached her and said, "I must admit you were correct, Adelaide. I am impressed with your nephew, and he does seem perfect for my Lizzy."

"Of course I was correct, Thomas," Lady Matlock quipped, "and you owe me a shilling!"

Mr. Bennet chuckled as he handed her a shilling. "Ah! So you do remember our bet, then? I wondered if you would. Though I am glad that Darcy resisted your matchmaking or I would have lost my Lizzy much sooner. I will find it difficult being at Longbourn without her, I am afraid. Once she and Jane are gone, I will never hear two words of sense spoken together!"

Just then a message from Lord Matlock arrived; Lady Matlock read the missive immediately. A number of emotions were expressed upon her countenance and at one point a gasp escaped her lips as she read.

"What is the news from my uncle?" Darcy asked, expecting to hear that Lady Catherine had died.

Lady Matlock knew she needed to share the contents of the letter with those present, but after their recent difficulties, she was unsure whether to proceed. Her eyes moved to Elizabeth and at Elizabeth's nod, Lady Matlock looked down at the letter while summarizing it for the group, "Lord Matlock is well, and Anne sends her congratulations and wishes for a happy life to William and Elizabeth.

"It seems that Mr. Collins had been quite upset at Lady Catherine's illness. Shortly after Lord Matlock's arrival, Mr. Collins declared to all present his longstanding love for Lady Catherine, and he refused to leave her side. He neither ate nor slept for days. Mr. Collins worked himself into a frenzy over her illness, had an apoplexy, and died! The doctor had attempted to give Mr. Collins something to calm him, but he was not able to do anything to save the man.

"Lord Matlock asks Richard to contact Mrs. Collins immediately. It seems Anne has offered for Mr. Collins to be buried there since he was so attached to Rosings and her mother, and Lord Matlock has already begun to make arrangements for a funeral there at Rosings but would like to know if that is what Mrs. Collins wishes. While Mrs. Collins is welcome to stay at Hunsford until a new minister is found, Anne offers the services of some of Rosings' servants to help Mrs. Collins pack her belongings when the time comes. Anne also asks for her affection for Mrs. Collins to be relayed and says she will be sad to see her go. Lord Matlock will be assisting Anne in filling the living.

"It seems that Catherine wrote Anne a letter of apology before falling ill which has left Anne quite confused about her mother. My niece has been sitting by her mother's bedside, speaking to her and reading from Anne's favorite books. Anne has also been sharing her thoughts and feelings about many other issues. Anne has explained to her uncle that after reading her mother's letter telling Anne of her regrets, she was giving her mother the opportunity to become acquainted with her daughter before she died--something she had never took the trouble to do during Anne's lifetime.

My husband says that they are unsure whether his sister understands what is being said, but Catherine has shed tears at times, so there is a chance she understands what she hears. The doctor feels Catherine might continue in this state for several weeks before another attack, but he is sure one will come eventually."

After all that happened with Mr. Collins, Mr. Bennet made it clear that he had no desire to attend his cousin's funeral unless Mrs. Collins was in need of his services, though he was certain that she would be escorted by her father to return to bury Mr. Collins.

Richard left to see Mrs. Collins immediately. Elizabeth had offered to go along, but Richard declined the offer, saying that he would inform her immediately if Mrs. Collins was in need her of her presence. Seeing the pleading look in Richard's eyes, Elizabeth agreed. Perhaps it would be better for both her friends if Richard was the person that Charlotte turned to for comfort just now…mayhap leading to a more intimate acquaintance with time.

After the tea things were cleared, Lady Matlock and Elizabeth moved to the chess board to complete their game; it was a pleasure to play opposite each other, compared to the beginning of the game which had taken place through correspondence. Lady Matlock won, but she had to admit that Elizabeth seemed a bit distracted by the presence of her betrothed, and so a game without the presence of the gentlemen was planned between them while Elizabeth was still in London.

Over the next few days, Bingley and Darcy spent most of their spare time with their fiancées. Darcy was unable to spend as much time with Elizabeth as either of them would have liked; he had neglected his responsibilities far too long since his return from Netherfield.

Bingley had found several houses in London that he wished Jane to see, and whenever Darcy was unavailable, Jane, Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner often accompanied him to view them so that Jane could participate in the decision about their future home.

Elizabeth asked Lady Matlock and Mrs. Gardiner to accompany her on a visit to the Duke of Beaufort. The Duke was happy to see Elizabeth and overjoyed at the news of her engagement to Mr. Darcy. Unknown to Elizabeth, the Duke and Lady Matlock also conferred privately about making certain it was widely known they both thought very highly of Elizabeth in order to ease her acceptance by the ton.

The Duke held a large dinner party in honor of both couples. Invitations were sent only to the best company which meant that those in attendance consisted of clever, well-informed people who had a great deal of conversation**--an event at which even Mr. Bennet was witnessed enjoying himself. The Duke told the story of how Elizabeth "saved his life" several times to anyone who would listen.

Another day, the Duke and Elizabeth took Mr. Darcy on a visit to the orphanage where they gave the children a special dinner and toys in honor of the couple's engagement--which gave Mr. Darcy an idea for a surprise for Elizabeth.

Mr. and Mrs. Hurst held a celebratory dinner to honor the engagements. The guest list included her siblings, the Bennets, and Mr. Darcy as well as several other friends. Louisa Hurst was genuinely pleased at her brother's happiness. She welcomed Jane into her home with open arms and with the utmost respect, and treated Jane and Elizabeth the way that she always should have, regretting how she had allowed Caroline to influence her in the past. Louisa had done much to remove herself and her opinions from being under Caroline's influence, resulting in several outbursts from Caroline, but tonight Caroline behaved herself as well as she could.

Caroline Bingley was extremely vexed about her brother's engagement, and even more so about Mr. Darcy's. After seeing other people's reaction to Mr. Darcy and Eliza at the Hursts' dinner, she decided to feign acceptance. Her behavior towards Eliza was so sweet that it was sickening, and it fooled no one, but she behaved well enough to gain invitations to all the festivities leading up to the wedding, knowing how her connection to the Darcys would gain her invitations to other events as well.

She had been beaten in two battles, but the war was not yet lost--she needed to keep in mind her current goal was to find herself a new target on the matrimonial battlefield. At one of these parties she met Mr. Hainsworth, who had been refused by Elizabeth years earlier and had never come to terms with her refusal. When it was announced that Elizabeth would become Mrs. Darcy, Mr. Hainsworth became quite dissatisfied with his life and was an easy target for the only lady of the ton that he could find who disliked Elizabeth Bennet as much as he thought he did: Caroline Bingley.

The day following the Hursts' party, Darcy invited the Bennets, the Gardiners, and Bingley for dinner in two days' time; he planned to include an "inspection tour" of Darcy House for his future bride. Since Doctor Somerset advised Elizabeth not to travel again for another fortnight, Mrs. Bennet, Mary, Kitty, and Lydia were due to come to town to shop for Jane and Elizabeth's trousseaux in a few days' time. While Darcy planned to host all of the Bennets for dinner after they arrived, he knew that Elizabeth would enjoy seeing Darcy House without the energetic responses to every piece of furniture, rug, wall covering and drapery that he expected would be heard once Mrs. Bennet and her youngest daughters were in London.

He trusted Elizabeth to redecorate Darcy House as she saw fit, and he wanted her to take pleasure in doing so. Mrs. Gardiner's and Jane's tastes in clothing were close to Elizabeth's own taste, more than was Mrs. Bennet's, and Darcy knew that they would support Elizabeth's choices about decorating Darcy House more than Mrs. Bennet would. If the decisions were already made before Mrs. Bennet arrived, she could not attempt to coerce Elizabeth to decorate in her taste instead of Elizabeth's. He knew Elizabeth would stand firm, but neither did he wish her to find the need to cross swords with her mother. Again Mr. Bennet was impressed with Mr. Darcy's determination to do what was best for Elizabeth and his discretion in carrying it out.

~Darcy House

Mrs. Martin, the housekeeper at Darcy House, was at first amused at her master's nervous behavior when he announced that he was bringing his future bride to dinner and a tour of the house. But then his demands over the past two days had become an ever increasing frenzy to make certain that everything was absolutely perfect for this evening, and Mrs. Martin had begun to fear that the future Mrs. Darcy must have a very demanding and critical nature.

Having been with the family since before the previous master had married, she was extremely loyal to Fitzwilliam and Georgiana Darcy and felt quite protective of them. She did not know exactly what had happened to put the master in the state he was in these past few months, but she did know it had something to do with Miss Elizabeth Bennet.

Needless to say, Mrs. Martin was not predisposed to like her future mistress, though it was not her place to express this opinion. In fact, she was rather dreading to meet the lady who she expected to be an even worse match than she had feared Miss Bingley would have been!

Friday, April 10, 1812

Darcy's personal preparations being completed much too early for his own good, he had spent the past hour alternating between badgering his staff repeatedly over the smallest details for the day's gathering, pacing the drawing room floor, smoothing wrinkles out of his clothing, removing invisible lint off his coat and standing by the window in nervous anticipation of his guests' arrival. As the reader may suspect, these extraordinary behaviors were largely the result of his anticipation of one guest in particular. Bingley had made a few jesting comments in an attempt to distract his friend, but Darcy's mood was beyond even what Bingley's good-natured jesting could help.

Not only had he not seen Elizabeth for almost two full days, the longest separation since they had been reunited two and a half weeks ago, but this was the first time she would see Darcy House. And in only a few minutes, she would grace the halls of his home…or rather, their home. Darcy smiled at the thought.

He had imagined her at the London house and at Pemberley so many times that it was difficult to recall that she had never actually been there. What if she did not approve? What if she were expecting something larger or grander? He hoped she would not be disappointed.

The Gardiners' carriage approached the house, and Darcy was off toward the door, with Bingley not far behind. Rushing outdoors, Darcy's hand itched to open the door to the carriage himself but he restrained his eagerness enough to wait, rather impatiently, for the footman to perform the task.

The footman opened the carriage door, started, closed it very quickly and stepped away from the curb as the shade was drawn within the carriage. Darcy stopped at the bottom of the steps and blinked a few times before quietly saying to the footman, "Is something the matter, Luke?"

"The lady said 'not yet,' sir."

Elizabeth had been to Matlock House many times, as well as to the home of the Duke of Beaufort and some of Lady Matlock's acquaintances. Unlike some ladies of the ton, she had spent her time at these homes concentrating on the people, not judging the quality of the furnishings and draperies. Though she and Jane had helped Aunt Madeline redecorate the Gardiner's home in London, the only other times she noticed how a room was decorated was when the décor was ostentatious or bordering on the ridiculous. Elizabeth felt strange, and more than a little nervous, going into someone else's home and doing it over in her own tastes, even if it were about to become her home as well. What if William and Georgiana's taste in furniture or wall coverings was quite different from her own? What if they were unhappy--or worse uncomfortable--with her choices?

Upon the arrival of the Gardiner's carriage at Darcy House, Elizabeth's eyes widened. She did not know what to expect, but she did not expect it to be this majestic! When the footman opened the door to the carriage, Elizabeth blurted out, "Not yet!" The footman quickly closed the door, and then Elizabeth immediately pulled the shade, slumping onto the back of the seat.

Everyone looked at Elizabeth in confusion, but Elizabeth was looking at Jane. "Oh Jane! It is so grand! What am I to do?" she whispered and grasped her sister's hand with her own trembling one.

Though everyone in the carriage had been able to hear her and could see the terrified look upon her face, Jane was the only one who quietly acknowledged Elizabeth had spoken. "Lizzy, you are every bit as dignified, worthy, and able as the mistress of this house should be, perhaps more so than others due to your modesty and goodness. Lady Matlock and William would not have every confidence in you if they did not believe that you would be able to manage this house with ease after a time of adjustment. Do not underestimate your abilities, dearest!"

"Perhaps they overestimate my abilities!"

"Lizzy! You will be fine, please believe me. Think not of the house, think of who is in it."

"Yes…" Elizabeth took a deep breath. "Yes, William is here." Straightening her back, she opened the shade and looked out expecting to see the footman but found an anxious-looking Darcy standing in his stead.

As their eyes met, both felt much more at ease and smiles spread across both of their features. Darcy handed Elizabeth out of the carriage, and kissed her hand without breaking their shared gaze.

Suddenly remembering he was the host of the party and should be paying better attention to all the guests, Darcy turned and saw the gentlemen had already taken care of the most urgent duty of handing out the other ladies. Placing Elizabeth's hand upon his arm--where it should be--he smiled brightly and happily uttered, "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen." His gaze shifted to Elizabeth. "Welcome to Darcy House!" He turned and led his guests into the house.

Upon admittance to the entrance hall, Elizabeth was struck with the elegance displayed here and became overwhelmed once more, thinking of what the remainder of the house must be like. After the party had divested themselves of their cloaks and hats, Darcy introduced them all to Mrs. Martin, who would be accompanying them on the tour to hear any plans for the redecorating. Mrs. Martin kept a discrete but watchful eye upon Miss Elizabeth Bennet in an attempt to make her out.

The remainder of the group was busy admiring a painting on the far wall, leaving Darcy and Elizabeth with Mrs. Martin. He asked Elizabeth, "Would you like to begin the tour directly or shall I order tea before we begin?"

Elizabeth thought for a moment. She wished to put off looking about the house but did not think that she could eat or drink anything just now. It was better to get this done and then perhaps she could enjoy William's company. "I think we should begin the tour, William."

He took her hand to kiss it and noticed she was trembling. "Elizabeth? Is something wrong?" he said.

Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears. "I…I am afraid I will disappoint you, William."

Darcy wanted to take her off alone somewhere and wrap her in his embrace to soothe her. Though the murmur of the voices at the other end of the hall did remind him that there were others present, so completely was he consumed by his concern for her that he forgot Mrs. Martin was close by. "My love, there is absolutely nothing you can do that could disappoint me. Every new thing I learn about you might surprise me or impress me, some even leave me in awe of you--but you never disappoint me."

He was completely bewildered when his words stirred another flood of tears. Darcy swallowed with difficulty past the lump in his throat before being able to say, "Elizabeth? Please explain why my words have upset you so."

"William, do you not think it is possible you have overestimated my abilities to be a proper mistress of your homes? I have never expected to live in such a grand house. I have learned how to manage a small estate such as Longbourn and have helped my Aunt Madeline with her house in London…but neither is anything like this!" her eyes widened. "Or Pemberley! Oh, William, today you wish for me to make plans to decorate your home, but I would not even know from which shops or warehouses to buy such elegant furnishings or wall coverings or rugs or draperies or…" Her emotions tightened her throat too much to speak any longer, and she struggled to maintain her countenance.

Darcy wanted to kiss all her fears away, but with the nearness of her family, words would have to do. "Elizabeth! I only wish for you to be comfortable in your new home, but you do not have to change anything if you do not wish it! I do not expect you to redecorate the entire house in one day.

"As to being mistress of our homes, there is no one I would trust more on this subject. You are more intelligent, well educated, and accomplished than most of the people that I have ever known, lady or gentleman! Aunt Adelaide and Uncle Robert feel the same way, and they are not among those who compliment others without good reason. No one will expect you to simply know everything about managing a house this size or an estate such as Pemberley the moment you become my wife, I promise you that. Mrs. Martin, Mrs. Reynolds and I will be there to help you. Please believe me, my love."

Elizabeth nodded and forced a smile.

He took a deep, trembling breath and continued, "Why do we not take a tour of the house…I have often dreamed of sharing it with you. If you find anything you would like to change, tell me and, truthfully, I would greatly enjoy choosing something to replace it together."

Darcy swallowed loudly. "I would like you to pay special attention to your rooms, for they have not been updated in many years…though it is not proper for me to accompany you into your rooms yet," his breath caught at her expression, and it took a moment to recover enough to go on, "I am certain that Mrs. Gardiner, Jane, and Mrs. Martin can help you choose what you would like to replace or have redone, and I would be more than happy to help with the shopping." His eyes took on a far away look for a moment when his thoughts filled with some of his imaginings of what would happen in her rooms in the future. Recalling where he was, he blushed and looked to Elizabeth only to find her gazing at him with that look--which could cause him to act quite rashly if he were not careful.

Mrs. Martin, who had moved away a little to fuss with a wall hanging so she could feign ignorance of what was being said--but who had heard every word--was greatly relieved by the conversation. Her future mistress seemed not at all as she had feared and very much in love with Mr. Darcy, as he was with her. She also was aware of the fact that the look the couple was sharing at the moment was not quite appropriate for the company they had obviously forgotten was in the same chamber with them. She cleared her throat rather loudly to help them become more conscious of the rest of the world around them. Little did she know that this was only the first of innumerable times she would be performing this duty for their benefit during the remainder of her years in service!

** Paraphrased from "Persuasion" by Jane Austen

Posted on: 2010-10-31

Chapter 24

~Darcy House

Elizabeth had relaxed quite a bit after their discussion and was able to take more pleasure in the tour of the house than she could have anticipated. Mrs. Martin made the tour more personal with the addition of anecdotes of what had occurred in each of the rooms in years gone by. Elizabeth found the stories centering on young Master William most enjoyable.

To Elizabeth, each room she was shown was more beautiful than the last, and she found almost nothing she would change, which only improved Mrs. Martin's opinion of her. Darcy actually had more suggestions concerning redecorations than did Elizabeth. She made plans to keep a few pieces that he initially had wished to discard and have them moved to her personal rooms after they were recovered or refreshed.

Mrs. Martin had procured books of upholstery fabric and wall coverings samples, and the couple found their tastes were very similar. They chose two or three possibilities for each item or room, deciding to look at them again the following day before making the final choices.

Naturally, the entire staff was curious about the future mistress, and Mrs. Martin knew it would have been impossible to stop the talk even had she wished to. Her usual rule of the loss of their positions for gossiping would have resulted in her being the only remaining staff member by the end of the evening! And so, Mrs. Martin had given the staff permission to "gossip" on this one occasion after all had agreed that none of what was said was to leave the house.

The servants gathered in the kitchen whenever their duties allowed. There was much interest in whether it was a love-match or a marriage of convenience. They were all fond of the master and wished him to be happy. While most were hoping for a love-match, many of them, knowing the ways of the ton, did not think it would be likely.

All wagers were required to be placed before Mrs. Martin returned from the tour. The final determination would not be made until Mr. Darcy retired for the night for it was heartily agreed upon that more information might be obtained as the evening wore on.

It was a truth universally acknowledged among the servants that the footmen stationed in the dining room would be the best source of information, and the second best reports would come from the footmen who would be present at the parting of the couple when the carriage came for the future mistress.

As the master and his guests moved to the dining room, Mrs. Martin's bright smile upon entering the servants' wing spoke volumes to the rest of the staff--showing that her opinion of her future mistress was very high indeed, verifying the opinions of staff who had already been in contact with Miss Elizabeth and had shared their observations.

Mrs. Martin, now confident that the chatter would be nothing but positive in nature, was relieved to find Miss Elizabeth personable with all the servants she encountered. She had watched Miss Elizabeth's and Mr. Darcy's interactions closely, and was more than impressed by her congeniality.

Each time a member of the staff returned to the kitchen, all attention was centered on any bit of news to be shared. Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner had been known to them all once before as a pleasant couple. Mr. Bennet was declared to be a highly amusing gentleman.

Miss Bennet, betrothed to the all-around well-liked Mr. Bingley, was a beautiful, serene, and admirable young lady. This was of great interest to some of the staff since their relatives were candidates to work for Mr. Bingley once he had purchased his house in London, and permission to pass on this specific information to their relatives was obtained from Mrs. Martin.

Most importantly, they learned that Miss Elizabeth was beautiful, intelligent, amusing, and an excellent young lady. She did not treat the staff members as so many ladies from the ton did--as if they did not exist or were lower than animals. She had a brilliant smile that could light up any room and impeccable manners. They found that she was able to get the master to laugh openly, even at himself, and the cold exterior he usually wore while in company seemed to melt away when Miss Elizabeth was near. They had never seen Mr. Darcy smile so widely nor so often, not even when he was with Miss Darcy, playing games with Mr. Bingley, or jesting with Colonel Fitzwilliam.

By the end of the second course, it was decided that it was a love-match on Mr. Darcy's side, which was confirmed when he shockingly made absolutely no effort to hide his feelings as she played and sang in the music room after dinner. But one question remained – was it a love-match on her side as well?

It was then declared that the footmen stationed at the door would be the source of the information which would decide this final question. They were instructed by all to pay strict attention to every move and every look made by Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and the entire staff waited impatiently for them to return.

At the end of the evening, the footmen reported that Miss Elizabeth's eyes told all as she spent a few moments "alone" in the hallway with Mr. Darcy, and outside before the master handed her into the carriage. It was announced that there had never been a woman more in love than Miss Elizabeth Bennet was with Mr. Darcy!

It was a love-match on both sides! All were pleased with the news--though perhaps those who lost their wagers were not quite as happy as those who had won.

Hughes, Mr. Darcy's valet, smiled. He and Cooper, Mr. Bingley's valet, had been disqualified from the wagering. Both were practiced in being excessively discrete and neither would share any of the information they had gathered while at Netherfield … mostly because they did not want to spoil the others' enjoyment of the evening. But now, Hughes and Cooper told the staff the tales of Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth that they had heard from the Netherfield staff to enhance the favorable opinions of the two ladies.

Mrs. Martin was glad she had delayed writing to Mrs. Reynolds of her opinion until after hearing from Hughes and Cooper, for she now was completely at ease with the prospect of having Miss Elizabeth as a mistress, and had much more to report to her good friend as well.

In honor of his engagement, Mr. Darcy had ordered wine for all the staff after their duties were completed this night, and so they drank, ate, and celebrated the good fortune of all soon to be associated with such truly fine ladies … ending with one toast to their future happiness and another to commemorate the rare evening when the staff at Darcy House had been permitted to gossip.

Wednesday, April 15, 1812

~The Gardiners' house

Mrs. Bennet, along with her three youngest daughters, traveled to join the rest of the family in London. Elizabeth was happy that Darcy's usual morning visit had been curtailed by his sister's impending arrival in London the same day since her mother's effusions at seeing Elizabeth and Jane were extreme.

"Oh! My dear, dear Jane, I am so happy! Mr. Bingley! Why, he has four or five thousand a year, and very likely more. I am sure that I have not gotten a wink of sleep since I heard! But I knew how it would be. I always said it must be so, at last. I was sure you could not be so beautiful for nothing! I remember, as soon as ever I saw him, when he first came into Hertfordshire last year, I thought how likely it was that you should come together. Oh, he is the handsomest young man that ever was seen!"

"And Lizzy! Good gracious! Bless me! Only think! Dear me! Mr. Darcy! Who would have thought it! And is it really true? Oh! My sweetest Lizzy! How rich and how great you will be! What pin-money, what jewels, what carriages you will have! Jane's is nothing to it--nothing at all. I am so pleased--so happy. Such a charming man! So handsome! So tall! Oh, my dear Lizzy! Pray apologize for my having disliked him so much before. I hope he will overlook it. Dear, dear Lizzy. A house in town! Such a grand estate! Every thing that is charming! Two daughters married! Ten thousand a year! What will become of me? I shall go distracted."

Even Jane had the ungenerous thought that it seemed that Mrs. Bennet already had gone distracted, indeed!

~Darcy House

Upon Georgiana Darcy's return to London later the same day, Georgiana was so excited that she had opened the coach door herself and had rushed halfway up the steps in front of Darcy House before her brother was out of doors to greet Georgiana's and Mrs. Annesley's coach. She threw herself into his arms and embraced him with such heartfelt emotion that she nearly knocked the breath from him.

Darcy separated himself from his sister and grinned widely, "I hope you do not mind that I sent for you so soon after you returned to Pemberley, Georgiana. To make such a journey twice in less than a month was difficult, I am sure."

"William! I am so happy at your news; you could not have kept me away. I would have come whether you sent for me or not!"

Darcy walked toward the coach and handed down Georgiana's companion. "I hope you had a good trip, Mrs. Annesley."

"Yes, we did, thank you, Mr. Darcy."

"When do we go to see Miss Elizabeth?" Georgiana said the moment her brother turned back to her to offer his arm.

"I thought tomorrow morning, after you have rested," he answered as he escorted his sister inside the house.

Georgiana's happy expression turned to one of disappointment as she gasped, "Tomorrow?"

"Georgie, you have spent much time traveling these past three days. You must be exhausted."

"Oh please, Brother? Please, let us go today? I feel wonderfully refreshed already just from seeing you. Becoming reacquainted with Miss Elizabeth will be rejuvenating! I will just take a few minutes to change out of my traveling clothes, and then we must go. Please, William?"

Darcy laughed. "If you are certain that you are feeling well enough, then we may go. But we will only stay for a little while, and then you must come home to rest. Agreed?"

Georgiana clapped her hands and kissed her brother on the cheek. "Oh, thank you, William! You know not how I have been longing to meet Miss Elizabeth again! And Miss Bennet, too!" And with that, she almost ran up the stairs to the family wing.

Darcy turned to a smiling but weary-looking Mrs. Annesley who had just entered the house and said, "I suppose that you would rather rest, Mrs. Annesley, than accompany us to the Gardiners'?"

"Yes, I would appreciate that kindness, Mr. Darcy. I am not as young as Miss Darcy and do not take to traveling as well as she does. May I congratulate you, sir, on your betrothal? I am looking forward to meeting Miss Elizabeth soon."

"Thank you, Mrs. Annesley. I do think I am the happiest of men! Rest well, and we will see you on the morrow."

"Thank you, sir. Have a good evening." She curtseyed and was soon gratefully on her way to her room.

~The Gardiners' house

Bingley gladly accepted Darcy's offer to accompany his friends to Gracechurch Street. Georgiana had not realized that all of Miss Elizabeth's family would be there and was suddenly shy as she saw that there were so many people she did not know. Elizabeth detected that she was overwhelmed, and so after Mr. Gardiner made the introductions and Georgiana made her congratulations to Elizabeth and Jane, Elizabeth led Georgiana to a small sofa on the opposite side of the room across from where her mother and sisters were sitting. Elizabeth smiled in reply to the grateful look Darcy directed at her, and she sensed his gaze on them often throughout the next few minutes.

Darcy had written to Georgiana a little of what had happened to Elizabeth, without giving too much detail. Though Georgiana wished to give Elizabeth a good impression of herself, she was unsure what subjects might upset her future sister and thus, should be avoided. This, in addition to her natural shyness, meant that Georgiana allowed Elizabeth to direct their discourse. They began safely by discussing the weather and Georgiana's journey, Pemberley, and then moved on to the wedding. By this time, Georgiana was feeling quite comfortable with Elizabeth. Elizabeth told Georgiana about Captain Sharp's giving her lace for her wedding dress, and when Georgiana expressed a desire to see it, she offered to bring it down from her room.

Georgiana forgot her bashfulness and exclaimed, "Oh! You must not bring it downstairs, Miss Elizabeth! I think it would be bad luck for my brother to see it!"

Elizabeth smiled and said, "Well, then--I am certain Mrs. Gardiner would not mind my taking you up to my room to see it, Miss Darcy."

Mrs. Bennet's attention was drawn by Georgiana's exclamation and said, "Are you speaking of the lace for your wedding dress, Lizzy? I will come upstairs with you, as will Kitty and Lydia since we all have been hoping to see it soon as well. Mary would have no interest in such things."

Elizabeth noticed Mary's blush, and said, "Mary, you are welcome to come with us if you would like."

Mary would not be interested in lace that her mother or younger sisters had selected because she found their taste to be too ostentatious for her liking, but in her opinion, Jane and Elizabeth had such good taste that she was always interested in seeing something they had chosen. With a glance at her mother, Mary answered, "Yes, I would like to see it, Lizzy, thank you."

The six ladies removed above stairs to the room Elizabeth was sharing with Jane.

Georgiana had never seen such fine lace with such a delicate pattern. "It is beautiful, Miss Elizabeth!"

Upon seeing the lace, Mrs. Bennet exclaimed, "Well! I am impressed with the quality, Lizzy, but not surprised that you had such poor taste in choosing the design. By now you should know to get a more intricate design…and I do not understand why you had not asked for more for your sisters? Oh--and some for Miss Darcy too, of course. You should have chosen some for each of them."

Georgiana seemed considerably uncomfortable.

"Mama! Do you not see it would have been rude to ask for more?"

"Rude? After all he put you through? Forcing you to stay in caves and having you exposed to a man such as Wickham! Captain Sharp owed you much more than a few yards of lace!"

Elizabeth saw Georgiana stiffen at the mention of Wickham and discretely took her hand in hers, holding it behind her skirts, and pressed it gently. Georgiana was a bit shocked when she realized that Elizabeth's action meant that she knew of her past with Wickham, and she looked at Elizabeth, expecting to see a look of reproach in her eyes. When she found kindness there, she knew that her future sister did not condemn her for what had happened the previous summer. Georgiana took a few deep breaths to recover her equanimity.

Elizabeth answered her mother's charges, "Mama! Captain Sharp showed me nothing but kindness. He had nothing to do with the kidnapping and was not responsible for my being injured. He owed me nothing, and yet, he fed me, sent a man all the way to London with an express telling Mr. Darcy where I was, and did everything in his power to keep me as comfortable as possible under the circumstances. He gave me the lace out of generosity as a wedding gift. Would you have me ask for more from everyone who gives me a wedding gift?"

"Do not be ridiculous, Lizzy! Of course not!"

Elizabeth looked at Georgiana and gave her a little smile in an attempt to communicate to her not to take her mother's reproaches to heart. "Perhaps it is time we rejoin the others?" Elizabeth suggested, and the ladies made their way downstairs once more.

When they returned to the drawing room, the subject of the wedding date was brought up by Mrs. Bennet. It was eventually agreed upon to have a double wedding in six weeks time on the 29th of May.

Darcy was visibly disappointed at having to wait six weeks. Mr. Bennet also felt that it might be too long a time to wait after he had witnessed Darcy's and Elizabeth's behavior on their trip to London, but he knew that he could not voice his reasoning without embarrassing his daughter. Mr. Bennet sent a look of warning to Darcy, which the younger man understood completely.

Mrs. Bennet would hear none of the arguments which were presented, "Six weeks will be short enough time to plan a wedding of this magnitude, and I will not settle for one day sooner!"

Mr. Bennet noticed Darcy's countenance change, and then Darcy said, "Mrs. Bennet, as you know, Lady Catherine de Bourgh is very ill, and the doctor does not expect her to live much longer. She was my mother's sister and, when she dies, I will be required to go into deep mourning," to himself he thought,"to keep up appearances and protect Elizabeth's reputation." Then he continued aloud, "It would be unheard of for me to be married during deep mourning, madam. I would rather marry sooner than later and forgo a more elaborate wedding. "

Confusion was evident on Mrs. Bennet's face as she realized that moving up the date of the weddings would result in less than perfect decorations for the wedding ceremony and a less elaborate wedding breakfast. Her thoughts then began alternating between her need for more time, her wish not to insult her prodigiously rich future son-in-law in any way by rejecting his direct request to have the wedding sooner, and fear that if his aunt died and they were required to wait six months, he would more than likely lose interest in Elizabeth due to her impertinent behavior before they made it to the altar. That would not do at all!

After some minutes in silent calculation, Mrs. Bennet replied, "Three weeks …I can do it in three weeks, on the eighth of May. The banns will be complete by then as well. But we must begin shopping for the trousseaux tomorrow! I will not have much time to organize the wedding breakfast once we return to Longbourn!"

Mrs. Gardiner noted, "If anyone can do it, Fanny, I am confident that you can!"

~London

Georgiana and Elizabeth enjoyed exchanging visits, and Georgiana was included on all the Bennet ladies' shopping excursions; their rapport was splendid, and they were calling each other by their Christian names by the second visit. Elizabeth loved Georgiana's goodness and honesty. Georgiana loved Elizabeth's sense of humor and kindness--but she considered her ability to make her brother happy to be Elizabeth's best quality.

Georgiana was often surprised when she would find William smiling for no apparent reason or laughing out loud at something Elizabeth said or did. Even when she was not present, he spoke of her often with a smile reflected in his eyes. She had been a little shocked at the way the two "debated," but they both seemed to enjoy that time more than the silly, useless flirting she had seen other couples engage in. Georgiana was even getting used to laughing at her brother when Elizabeth teased him. All in all, she was growing to love Elizabeth as a sister--just as she had always hoped that she would love the woman William married.

During one of Elizabeth's visits to Darcy House, Darcy was taking a short respite from his work, enjoying his time watching Georgiana and Elizabeth as they practiced a duet at the pianoforte. As Richard was taking his leave for the remainder of the day, a footman came in with a letter for Darcy. When Darcy saw who had sent it, he wasted no time in opening it. He sat down heavily while reading, his face overcome by a pallor which caused all the others in the room to become concerned.

Elizabeth crossed the room and sat beside him on the sofa, taking his hand in hers. "William, who is it from?"

"It is from Mr. Clark in India." Darcy paused and spoke directly to Elizabeth, "Diamonds! The saltpetre mining was hiding the fact that it is a diamond mine as well! It seems this is why they were not allowing anyone out of the mine…the men Lady Catherine hired to run the mine had kept their discovery of diamonds a secret from her, and they were keeping all the profits for themselves.

"One of Mr. Clark's men managed to escape from the mine, but he was badly injured. He was able to make it away from the mine before he collapsed. Some men from the nearest village found him and took him home with them. They cared for him…weeks had passed before he was strong enough to send word to Mr. Clark of his whereabouts.

"Mr. Clark has seen to it that the men running the mine have been taken into custody by the British Army for theft from British citizens. The local authorities are charging them for several murders, attempted murder and kidnapping as well. He predicts that by the time I receive this letter, the trial should be concluded and the men brought to justice for their crimes."

Georgiana asked, "Theft?"

"Yes…the diamonds." Looking back to the letter, Darcy continued, "The mine has been closed, and the people working there have been tended to. Mr. Clark asks what he should to do about the mine."

Richard said, "Everything does make much more sense now." All were quiet for a few minutes until Richard broke the silence, "So Darce--you own a diamond mine!"

Darcy blinked a few times before replying. "I suppose so. Along with your father, Richard…the adjoining land is in his name whether he bought it or not. I must speak to the Earl about this as soon as possible."

A frequent visitor at the Gardiners' was Charlotte, who had become closely acquainted with the Fitzwilliam family during this time. After a trip to Hunsford to bury her husband and pack her belongings, Sir William had agreed to allow Charlotte to return to the Walsh's home in London before resettling at Lucas Lodge. She had been enjoying her time at the home of Captain and Mrs. Walsh, and it would be of service to them for her to continue to assist with their children when Mrs. Walsh's sister was unavailable until Mrs. Walsh's confinement was complete.

Charlotte's visits to Gracechurch Street coincided with the visits of Colonel Fitzwilliam so often that, in some, it raised suspicions of its being by design. Richard was a frequent visitor to the Walsh residence whenever he could be spared from his duties, as well.

Lady Matlock smiled whenever she saw Richard and Charlotte conversing together, for she could see clearly that Richard would have no need of her "finely tuned matchmaking skills," as Darcy had termed it.

Mr. Bennet returned to Longbourn before the others to attend to business at home. It was settled that after the shopping for wedding clothes was complete, the Bennet ladies would return home in Darcy's and Bingley's coaches; the gentlemen would escort them. Arrangements were made for Netherfield to be opened for their return. Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley would accompany them to Hertfordshire to prepare for the wedding.

Over the next few days, much shopping was accomplished. Lady Matlock, Mrs. Gardiner, Jane and even Georgiana, helped to counter Mrs. Bennet's insistence on "more lace" and "more elaborate designs" than Elizabeth would have been comfortable with. Due to Elizabeth's injuries, each of her shopping sessions was shorter than most of the ladies preferred, and at times Jane was forced to endure outings with her mother without the benefit of the same "protection" from Mrs. Bennet's enthusiasm.

Monday, April 27, 1812

~Hertfordshire

By the time they were ready to depart from London, Elizabeth's ribs had healed completely and her hand was almost entirely healed as well. Her nightmares had subsided considerably, and on some nights she did not have any at all. Occasionally, memories of Wickham intruded upon her daytime thoughts, but it was becoming easier to quickly push them aside.

On the trip to Hertfordshire, Georgiana traveled together in Darcy's coach with the engaged couples, while the remainder of the Bennet ladies rode in Bingley's carriage. In the Darcy coach it was a most agreeable ride, with the passengers passing the time playing word games and in pleasant conversation.

Having returned to Hertfordshire in the spring, Mr. Darcy was able to visit Elizabeth's special place at her favorite time of year. They made a day of it by planning a picnic for all their sisters and Mr. Bingley to share it abloom in its entire springtime splendor.

Surprisingly, Mary especially loved the place, and that being so, Elizabeth and Darcy had no trouble finding a chaperone for walks there during the remaining days of their engagement…though Mary was too good a chaperone for their taste!

Georgiana decided to paint a picture of this place that was so special to her brother and Elizabeth as a wedding present, and she enlisted Kitty to accompany her whenever she walked there to help carry her materials. Watching Georgiana paint renewed Kitty's interest in art, which she had given up long ago due to Lydia's impatience with it. Georgiana shared paper with Kitty, and Kitty often asked for advice. Kitty's natural talents enabled her to catch on quickly, and in some ways, she was even better than Georgiana, who had taken lessons from masters for years! Kitty created a sketch of Oakham Mount as her wedding present to them since Lizzy and Mr. Darcy often enjoyed walking there as well.

Georgiana, Elizabeth, and Darcy spent as much time together as the wedding planning would allow. For Darcy, the next best thing to having time alone with Elizabeth, which was extremely scarce, was sharing his time with her and his sister. There was no prouder man than he when walking out with the two ladies he loved best, one on each arm.

Caroline Bingley was extremely vexed as she arrived at Netherfield with the Hursts two days prior to her brother's and Mr. Darcy's weddings.

She had repeatedly "requested"--though coming from another, her style of address might be referred to as "ordered"--her brother to invite Mr. Hainsworth to the wedding so that she could continue to impress him with her charms instead of having to leave him in London without her, where there was a risk that he could become interested in another in her absence.

Charles spoke to his betrothed on the subject. He was aware that both Darcy and Elizabeth had become more than a little uncomfortable in Mr. Hainsworth's presence during the two occasions they had been in company together when they had encountered the malevolent glare he had directed towards one and the wistful look of longing he had directed toward the other.

Charles could only agree when Jane voiced her opinion that it would be undesirable to risk spoiling the happy day by having one of the grooms challenge one of the guests to a duel. Jane felt that Mr. Hainsworth's offensive behaviors of late would surely be repeated, and she was not entirely convinced that Elizabeth would be able to continue to prevent the challenge from occurring if Mr. Hainsworth was caught again in his lewd ogling of her person on her wedding day … so out of respect for Darcy and Elizabeth, they decided to withhold the invitation.

Though Caroline had reluctantly given up any hope of becoming mistress of Pemberley and Darcy House, she also could not accept the fact that it seemed Mr. Darcy would be happily married to Eliza, and she had every intention of preventing it. Relying on Mr. Darcy's being distracted by wedding plans and thoughts of his betrothed, and knowing that Mr. Darcy would not risk a scandal by calling off the engagement, she also assumed no one currently in residence at this time would chance gossip by publishing abroad that he had been found in a compromising position with her. Therefore, unlike in the past, it would not risk her reputation to execute the plan she had spent years "perfecting" in her simple mind, but it would most likely cause Eliza to doubt her fiancé and prevent the couple from enjoying any future marital felicity.

After changing into a very sheer and revealing nightgown she had purchased specifically for this occasion, Caroline cracked open her door and looked out into the hallway. Finding it empty, she quietly made her way to Mr. Darcy's bedchamber and closed the door behind her. Seeing the coverlet of the enormous bed had already been turned down, she knew his valet had retired for the night. She blew out the one taper still lit so that the only light came from the fire, and slipped into the bed on the opposite side, making herself as flat as possible so Mr. Darcy would not detect her presence before he was actually lying beside her.

Caroline's most evil smirk spread across her face as she thought of the certainty that her plan was sure to succeed. He would suddenly realize that she was there in his bed, and then, of course, he would be unable to resist her infinite allurements once so conveniently offered. As he began to ravage her, she would scream while she pulled at the threads which she had carefully loosened earlier in anticipation of part of her gown falling away. The others would come rushing through the door, and they would be struck speechless at finding them in bed together. She would then throw herself into her brother's arms, weeping, and "recount" to all those present how Mr. Darcy had forced her into his room and attacked her while confessing to her that he had realized how wrong he had been in choosing Eliza over her. Knowing it was too late to cancel the engagement he would have to settle with this one night spent with Caroline to remember fondly for the rest of his life. Her brother would be appalled, of course, and an argument would ensue, bringing the entire situation to the attention of the servants. Nobody would believe Mr. Darcy's protests that he was innocent when so much evidence was before them! Before the morning was through, she would beg her brother to bribe the servants to remain quiet about the incident so that her reputation would be safe, but not before they had ample time to pass along the information to the servants from Longbourn who would arrive at Netherfield at daybreak to prepare for the wedding breakfast the following day. It was certain that Eliza would hear of the incident, and it would crush her spirits and her trust in her betrothed, completely!

"Oh, what fun this will be!" Caroline amused herself by replaying the scene she expected to happen over and over again in her mind…until the door opened.

Exhausted from the full day, Darcy made his way to his bedchamber. Upon entering, he detected a repulsive odor and froze in place. In the few moments it took for his thoughts to clear, he was able to recognize the odor as Caroline Bingley's latest perfume. Immediately realizing that his worst fears regarding that lady were finally coming to pass, he regrouped his thoughts, patted his pockets as if recalling that he had forgotten to bring something with him (in case she was watching him,) and then returned to the billiards room where he had just left Bingley and Richard.

When Darcy entered the room, his friend and cousin knew immediately that something was very wrong by Darcy's quick-paced steps and color heightened in rage. He approached Bingley and almost shouted, "This time your sister has gone too far, Bingley! Though I do not know where she is hiding, she is somewhere in my bedchamber!"

"Caroline? She is in your bedchamber?"

"Though I had always expected something of this nature from her before, I was not prepared for it now that my wedding is only two days away! I could not see her, which makes me believe she is either hiding behind furniture…or more likely in my bed since it was too dark in the room to see it from the door, but I certainly could smell her the moment I entered the room! Judging by the overwhelming intensity of the fumes, I have surmised that she has been there waiting for me for quite some time. What are you going to do about this, Bingley? I will not allow her to succeed in forcing a wedge between Elizabeth and me! This must come to an end, NOW!"

The three gentlemen discussed the situation for several minutes before assistance was called in. Thankfully, Louisa was still awake when Bingley knocked quietly upon her door. Bingley filled her in on the events which had passed and asked that she and Mr. Hurst join the rest of the gentlemen in the billiards room to devise a plan among them that would teach Caroline a lesson once and for all. Bingley left the room to allow Louisa time to dress and awaken her husband; she knew that he would not want to miss this!

"Finally!" Caroline thought as she heard the door open again, "He certainly would not have been gone so long if he knew I was waiting in his bed!"

The fire was dying, and it was so dark in the room that she could barely make out his form, even when he was standing close to the bed. She heard the sound of clothing being removed, and she speculated that he was changing into the nightshirt that had been laid out on the bed. Eventually, he got into the bed and pulled the covers over his form. Something within her stirred, her heart was pounding in her ears, and her breath came faster…it was rather exciting knowing she was so close to her revenge!

When he had settled into his pillows, she made her move. Since he was facing away from her, she reached out and ran her hand up his back and along his shoulders. She felt him shudder under her ministrations and smiled. "Mr. Darcy," said she in a voice that she had practiced and judged as her most seductive, "Take me; I am yours! Do what you will with me!"

She thought she heard the muffled sound of a female giggle coming from somewhere in the darkened room, and froze for an instant to listen more closely. When there was nothing but silence, Caroline thought that it was probably her imagination, and then continued to run her hands along his back and shoulders. She thought it very strange that he did nothing but shudder again, so she pulled him toward her and he shifted onto his back. She ripped at her own nightgown, tearing the loose strings away and exposing part of her chest. "Please, Mr. Darcy, ravage me!" she cried.

Caroline heard the sound of a match being struck and turned her head to find her brother lighting a candle a few steps away from the bed! Next to him was her sister Louisa, who had both hands covering her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laughter. Next was Mr. Hurst…and Mr. Darcy! "How…" she said, so confused she was unable to continue.

"Good evening, Miss Bingley!" Colonel Fitzwilliam's voice came from beside her, causing her to jump away from him in surprise. "I do believe you should cover up or you shall catch cold!" he said while holding the counterpane toward her and almost jumping out of the bed before she could touch him again. Mr. Darcy handed his cousin a robe.

At the look of shock and complete mortification on her sister's face, Louisa could no longer hold back her mirth, and her laughter burst forth with such enthusiasm she could barely draw breath. Before long, Mr. Hurst, Charles, Mr. Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam joined Louisa in her amusement, and Caroline buried herself under the bedding. Their laughter was such that no one could hear Caroline begging them all to "go away" between sobs.

Eventually, as the five began to regain control over their mirth, Colonel Fitzwilliam said, "I do think that was the most entertaining seduction I have ever witnessed, Miss Bingley!" This only brought on another round of laughter.

When all had quieted down, Mr. Darcy said, "Bingley, since there is little chance of needing less than a full day to air out this room before my being able to return, I would appreciate being assigned to a different bedchamber for the night…one with excellent locks on the doors and a key only for myself!" The last was said in an abrupt manner, after which the group heard a noise that could only be described as something between a moan and a shriek coming from the lump under the counterpane.

Mr. Darcy collected a few things he would need, and then Charles offered to show him to another guest chamber. Colonel Fitzwilliam said quite loudly, "Good night, Miss Bingley. It was a pleasure!" as he followed his cousin and host from the room.

Mr. Hurst called out, "Thank you for the show, Caroline! It was most enjoyable!" and quickly exited the room, but not before throwing a look of compassion at his wife for what he knew was about to be a difficult confrontation with her sister.

Louisa sat on the edge of the bed and sighed deeply before saying, "You can come out now, Caroline. We are alone."

Caroline peeked out from under the covers to verify what her sister had said, and then sat up quickly and growled, "How dare you, Louisa? This was my perfect opportunity! How could you have been a party to the ruination of all my plans?"

"Caroline, I do not see what you were trying to accomplish here tonight! Were you attempting to become Mr. Darcy's mistress? He loves her. Caroline…he will not be seeking a mistress! Did you think that, after all these years of ignoring you and doing everything in his power to avoid you, he would suddenly realize he wants you instead of Miss Elizabeth and break their engagement? Mr. Darcy will marry Miss Elizabeth, Caroline! It is a love match! Why can you not be happy for them?"

"I will never be happy for that little chit! She has stolen my Mr. Darcy and has ruined everything! I will find a way to make them miserable in their life together!"

Louisa gasped. "Is that what this was about? You were trying to make Miss Elizabeth suspicious of him so it would interfere with their happiness!" Judging by the look on her sister's face, Louisa knew this was exactly what she had been attempting.

Louisa stood and shook her head. "OH, Caroline! I am thoroughly ashamed of you…more than even I thought possible! You deserved every bit of humiliation you incurred tonight, and more!" Louisa put her hand up as Caroline was about to say something and said in a firm manner, "You will be completely silent through all of what I must tell you, sister! It is of your future I will be speaking and I suggest you pay close attention to several new conditions by which you will be required to live.

"Caroline, I give you fair warning. You have made a grave error! Tonight, when Charles came to ask for my assistance, I have never seen him so furious! At first, he threatened to throw you from the house immediately…in the middle of the night with only your night clothes as protection, no money and no transportation! 'Let her earn a fee as a lady of the night, as she has now proved herself to be!' Charles said! He was generous enough to allow your maid to pack your trunks in the morning and put them outside the servant's entrance for you to do with as you pleased, but he would refuse to have anything to do with you ever again! Charles--your own mild-mannered, loving brother--said these things!

"What do you think others would say and do if they learned of your behavior?

Caroline blushed furiously and Louisa paused for a few moments before continuing. "Mr. Darcy talked him out of this rash action…but do not give me that satisfied look, Caroline! Mr. Darcy made it perfectly clear he did this to save all of our reputations, and not in compliment to you!

"Charles agreed that you may stay for the time being, but only if you will remain locked in your room for the remainder of Mr. Darcy's time here at Netherfield. You will be permitted to attend the wedding and the wedding breakfast, but only if you behave with absolutely impeccable manners. One wrong look or unsatisfactory word and Mr. Hurst and I have full permission to remove you to London without a moment's notice, even if it means making a scene in the process. And I do warn you--causing a scene will be quite damaging towards your future prospects, sister.

"I suggest you apologize, sincerely, to all those who witnessed your behavior, especially to Mr. Darcy, and at your first opportunity you will be required to beg Miss Elizabeth for forgiveness. Grovel if you must, Caroline! In a little more than one day's time, Miss Elizabeth will be Mrs. Darcy, and I can promise you that if Mr. and Mrs. Darcy give you the 'cut direct,' the Earl and Countess of Matlock, the Duke of Beaufort and many of their friends are sure to follow. If that were to happen, you would be fortunate if Mr. Hainsworth only graced you by looking in your direction if he encountered you, for I am confident that he would not risk his reputation by being connected to you in any manner!

"Your entire fate lies in Miss Elizabeth Bennet's hands. If you are successful enough to be granted another chance, you can be absolutely certain that it will be your last!

Caroline's mouth opened as if to speak, but Louisa interrupted again, "No! I will hear no protests! You will now return to your room, and I will lock you in. Your maid will be allowed to enter in the morning, and she will bring you a tray at mealtimes. I advise you to take this time to think, Caroline!"

The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers do not finally meet somewhere. They are in each other all along.
-Jlal Uddin Rumi (Turkish Sufi mystic poet 1207-1273)

Thursday, May 7, 1812

~Oakham Mount

The next day…the day before his wedding…Darcy woke up with an irresistible urge to ride to Oakham Mount, and so set off after breakfast. As he approached the hill, he was treated to a sight that took his breath away … again.

There she was, his Elizabeth, standing atop the hill in the same position that she had assumed the first time he beheld her. Her eyes were closed and her face tilted upward, the breeze playing with some curls which had broken free from their pins. Her arms were extended a bit from her sides and slightly behind her. She was, as always, his angel.

The last time he had seen her like this, he had experienced difficulty finding a way to ascend the hill, but now he knew the quickest route to the top, and he quietly made his way to her. As he approached her from behind, Darcy said quietly, "You were in that same pose when first I saw you. I could not help but fall in love with you instantly." He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her waist. Eyes remaining closed; she leaned back into his embrace and covered his hands with hers. He bent down to whisper into her ear. "I thought you an angel and expected you to sprout wings."

"I do not remember standing this way at the assembly," she whispered in return.

He smiled. "It was here, at Oakham Mount, a fortnight before the assembly. It was as if you were calling to me … I was drawn to you, as I was today--as I am every time I am near you. It was as if I was bewitched; I could not look away. I cannot explain the disappointment I felt that you had seemingly disappeared before I could reach you, though now I realize it was likely for the best for I might have taken you into my arms and frightened you away from me forever! You were, and always will be, the most beautiful sight I have ever seen.

"I thought you something my imagination had created since I did not believe a woman as lovely as you could truly exist--but part of me continued to hope you were real. I returned here every day to see if I could find you again, but you did not reappear. Your unnamed form haunted my thoughts and my dreams.

"When at the assembly you walked past me and I realized that I had insulted the only woman I could ever love, you cannot imagine how I felt!" He kissed her neck and took a deep breath, filling himself with her scent.

Elizabeth smiled. "I remember that day! I was thinking of you, William…when I was standing here, all those months ago."

Darcy pressed his lips to her ear. "How so, my love?"

"I was wondering about the man that I would love, imagining the man that I would marry. You are more than I had ever hoped to find." Elizabeth turned in his arms to face him; the look in her eyes matched the love shining from his.

"Truly, Elizabeth?"

Her hands moved to his face, fingers smoothing the worried creases from his brow and tracing the lines of his face. "You are much more than I ever thought to expect, even in my imagination's conjuring of the ideal man, William."

The love in her eyes stirred an unknown feeling deep within him. As her thumb traced his lips, he whispered, "I cannot understand what I have ever done to deserve your love, Elizabeth, and I do not have the words to express how thankful I am for it."

A teasing sparkle lit her eyes as she said, "Then show me!" and she raised her lips to his, wrapping her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer … closer.

Their kisses slowly became more passionate than any they had ever shared before. After several minutes passed in this manner, Darcy pulled away and inhaled sharply at the emotion in her eyes. He said breathlessly, "Elizabeth! I cannot tell you how I look forward to showing you exactly how thankful I am--tomorrow night, after we are married. But for now, I need to walk you home … for if we continue in this manner, I do believe I will show you here and now!"

Elizabeth gasped, "Tomorrow!" She reached into his pocket and removed his watch. Her eyes filled with tears as she said, "I shall become your wife at this time tomorrow, William!"

He took her face between his hands, caressing her cheeks. "And I will be the most fortunate husband who has ever lived!"

They shared one tender, lingering kiss, before he took her hand and led her toward Longbourn.

On the way, he thought to acquaint her with what had occurred the night before. At first, Elizabeth was angry and horrified, but as the story progressed, her mirth matched that of his the previous night. The couple walked on for several minutes in a companionable silence while Elizabeth contemplated her opinion as to how they should act in respect to Caroline Bingley. That Caroline would soon be her dearest Jane's sister-in-law weighed heavily on her decision. As they approached Longbourn, she voiced her judgment that they should not publicly cut Caroline, but privately they could avoid her company as much as possible…unless she proved herself truly repentant for her actions, and then they could discuss the matter again.

Darcy's heart swelled with love for his Elizabeth, for her forgiving and generous nature. They shared a sweet, gentle embrace before he watched her until she entered her home for but one more day.

Posted on: 2010-10-31

Chapter 25 - The Wedding

Remember tonight, for it is the beginning of always
-Dante Alighieri (Italian Poet 1265-1321)

Friday, May 8, 1812

For months to come, Hertfordshire gossip would be full of praise for Mrs. Bennet on her arrangements for the double wedding of Miss Jane Bennet to Mr. Charles Bingley of Netherfield and Miss Elizabeth Bennet to Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley--and all accomplished with only three weeks to plan!

The weeks leading up to the wedding saw the purses of the dressmakers and shopkeepers in Meryton and the surrounding villages become fat with the local gentry's attempt to impress the members of the peerage who were predicted to attend. The local butcher's tills were filled to overflowing with the purchases of sundry meats needed for the wedding breakfast and other entertaining which would surround the happy event.

The local matrons--including Mrs. Bennet--were cheerfully primping their single daughters in anticipation of all the single gentlemen friends and relatives of the grooms who were rumored to attend, all said to possess large fortunes. Though not all were invited to the wedding breakfast itself, there was always the possibility of meeting with said gentlemen by chance in the village, and all of the families in the area with unmarried daughters had every intention of being present at the church.

Lady Matlock traveled to Netherfield a few days before the wedding. Since Lady Catherine's state of health had not changed for weeks, and the doctor had said she could last for at least another week in this condition as she had been able to swallow some liquid nourishment, Lord Matlock convinced Anne de Bourgh to come with him to Netherfield for one night; they would leave for Rosings directly after the wedding breakfast. Georgiana would accompany Lady Matlock to London, where she would stay while the Darcy's were away on a honeymoon tour.

The night before the wedding, Elizabeth and Jane stayed up late talking and enjoying their last time together as single sisters. They discussed many happy moments in their lives and some sad ones. They laughed as they shared their nervousness about beginning a new life and their happy expectations of marriage.

Lady Matlock and Mrs. Gardiner had invited the soon-to-be brides for a walk earlier in the day to give them "the talk" about what to expect on their wedding night, not trusting Mrs. Bennet to give them a reliable account. When Mrs. Bennet came into Jane and Elizabeth's room late that evening, what she shared was surprisingly similar to the information they had received earlier in the day-- except that she was even more positive and more shockingly enthusiastic about what they should expect from their handsome, physically-fit husbands. The girls broke into a fit of giggles after Mrs. Bennet left the room, which lasted until they were too exhausted to stay awake any longer.

Lord Matlock took it upon himself to speak with Darcy and Bingley, since neither of them had a father living to perform that duty. Richard was in the room when Lord Matlock was about to begin, and when he refused to leave, his father decided to proceed anyway stating that he was saving himself from having to do this again some day with Richard. There was more hemming and hawing heard than actual words, but the main ideas were eventually communicated…somewhat--with Richard's stifled chuckling in the background. The group then joined the other guests who had gathered at Netherfield to attend the wedding.

Contrary to what most of the gentlemen assumed, neither Darcy nor Bingley seemed nervous about getting married. It was the wedding itself that Darcy was worried about--standing up in front of all those people! The married gentlemen all assured him that the only time anyone would be looking at him was before the ladies entered the church. Instead of lessening his nervousness, this confirmed that he would be the center of attention for part of the day, therefore putting his state of anxiety even higher than before, rivaling Mrs. Bennet's worst case of nerves.

The next morning, Richard stood up for both Darcy and Bingley, and it took all of both Bingley's and Richard's attentions to keep Darcy from pacing or withdrawing to a window while they waited.

When the brides entered the church, there was no need for any further interference. Darcy only had eyes for Elizabeth, and she for him. They held their gaze through the entire service as long as the demands of the ritual allowed.

Months earlier, Darcy had worried about making his vows when he married. But today, when he looked into his Elizabeth's eyes and vowed to "love her, comfort her, honour, and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live" and repeated the words, "I take thee to my wedded Wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part," he meant every word-- wholly and completely--and there was not one person in attendance who would ever doubt it…not even Caroline Bingley. The same was true for Elizabeth's recital of her vows. Theirs was, without any doubt, a love-match.

As they left the church, Darcy told Elizabeth to look up, and the smile which no onlooker thought could become brighter, did. The sky was filled with colorful kites! At the look in her eyes, Darcy was tempted to skip the wedding breakfast and tell the driver to take them directly to Darcy House in London…but he knew his mother-in-law would never forgive him.

As a surprise for the "queen of kites," Darcy had hired some of the locals to make a kite for every child in the area as a gift, along with a shiny coin, from the couple on their wedding day. He had made certain that every one of them promised they would not tell Miss Lizzy about the surprise, and they had all kept their promise. There may have been evidence of some tangled lines and a kite or two stuck in a tree, but the children of Hertfordshire would have to make do without Miss Lizzy's assistance from that moment on.

The wedding breakfast was a complete success. There were many discussions on which lady was the more beautiful bride or which groom had been more handsome, but it was universally acknowledged that the ceremony was perfect in every way, as was the celebration afterward.

It was much talked of that Darcy and Elizabeth were inseparable throughout the event. In some way the two were always touching--they were holding hands, her arm was entwined with his, or his hand could be seen resting upon her waist.

As they left Netherfield, Elizabeth embraced her family and friends while bidding them goodbye, and though it was considered positively improper by some of the guests, she also embraced a few beloved members of the staff…but those people who were most important to Elizabeth and Darcy understood this behavior completely.

Darcy sat opposite Elizabeth in the coach on the way to London, reveling in the fact that he now had the right to do more than just admire her from afar. This presented a challenge as she resumed her previous coach ride behavior from the trip from Broadstairs to London and there was nothing to check his behavior other than his desire to wait to arrive at their London home rather than embarrass them both by making her his right there in the coach! Though from the look in her eyes he did not think she would mind very much, it was not the way he wished their wedding night--their first time as lovers--to proceed.

He decided that, as a distraction for them both, now was a good time to tell her about her father's veiled warnings in London, hinting at what he had witnessed pass between them in the coach on their previous trip. Revealing this information surprisingly only increased the look of ardor in her eyes and made it an increasingly laborious task to maintain his distance.

Remembering their conversation at the Lucas home months ago when she had requested to speak to him alone about their "friendship," Elizabeth said, "May I speak with you alone, Mr. Darcy?"

Confused, his eyebrow arched--of course she could speak to him alone, there was nobody else in the coach. That was his problem at the moment!

She continued with such a seductive look in her eye, he could barely breathe. "This time I am a 'dangerous' female about to compromise your honor! I wish to assure you that I do have the expectation of our acquaintance progressing well past friendship, sir. I would much rather not be the cause of any further suffering, and I will allow your future behavior to guide my own…William." She extended her finger in a "come hither" motion--therein ending his endeavor to maintain his distance.

There is nothing nobler or more admirable than when two people who see eye to eye keep house as man and wife, confounding their enemies and delighting their friends.
--Homer (Ancient Greek Poet, dates lived unknown, BC)

Thursday, June 11, 1812

A strong sense of déjà vu came upon Darcy as he rode through the grounds of Pemberley. He had ridden this path many times, but never had he experienced this feeling before.

It was a perfect day; the lake reflected a beautiful clear blue sky and a mirror image of the manor house.

He saw Elizabeth walking toward him. She seemed distracted by the view, and she did not catch sight of his approach. Her cheeks had the healthy glow that came from long summer walks. As she noticed he was nearing, a bewitching smile spread across those tempting lips, and her eyes were bright and sparkling. Oh, how lovely she was! The sight took his breath away.

Darcy dismounted, allowing the reins to fall to the ground, and stood drinking in her form and reveling in the grace of her movements as she neared. She stopped just in front of him, their bodies almost touching, and eyes locked. His breath quickened as he saw her eyes mirror the passion he felt anytime he was near her.

She laid her palm on his cheek as he leaned into the warmth of her touch. His head spun as Elizabeth's lavender scent overwhelmed him. Her hand slowly moved to the back of his neck and gently pulled him toward her as her other hand caressed his chest. She gave him the gentlest of kisses, then pulled back to look in his eyes. His arms wound around her waist as he pulled her closer. He rejoiced in the feel of every inch of her body pressed against his. His lips met hers, again and again. Her fingers laced through his hair. As the kiss deepened, he savored the taste of her.

He felt he should never need air again as long as he was with her, but his lungs rebelled. They pulled apart, with one last gentle kiss.

Elizabeth's saucy grin reached her eyes as she said, "Have you had your fill of exercise for one morning, or would you like to join me?"

Trying to suppress a grin, Darcy offered, "A walk, perhaps, or would you like to receive the sidesaddle lessons I promised you?"

"I think not today, my love. My mind was turned more toward indoor activities. You are in desperate need of a bath, and I was looking forward to…assisting. I am certain the opportunity of other forms of exercise will soon present itself." The look in her eyes made him gasp.

"I do believe that can be arranged." He said with a rakish smile, moving in for another kiss.

"Come," she turned toward the house, wrapping her arm about his waist. Elizabeth tugged him toward the house, and they began to walk.

"Do you think the staff is used to our scandalous behavior by now, dearest?" Darcy's eyes were twinkling with a teasing light.

"If they are scandalized by our behavior, it is for the best. I will not have anyone thinking that this is anything but a love-match!"

Epilogue

Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul.
--Democritus (Greek Philosopher 460BC – 370BC)

Caroline Bingley's disgraceful behavior at Netherfield never did become common knowledge, and she did "catch" Mr. Hainsworth upon her return to London after her brother's and Mr. Darcy's weddings.

Caroline Hainsworth, nee Bingley, received the wealth and beautiful estate she thought she wanted, and was able to write the names of the peerage on the finest paper for invitations and place cards just as she had always dreamed of doing. Unfortunately, after the first two occasions for writing invitations, the thrill was gone.

The ladies of the first circle looked upon her as an interloper, the daughter of a tradesman who actually had the arrogance to criticize the taste and opinions of ladies born into the first circle. Whether they liked the ladies who Caroline criticized did not matter, she did not have the right! They soon began to give her the cut direct--even physically turning their backs to her whenever the gentlemen were not present. Eventually, she was invited nowhere but to visit her own family, and none of the first circle would accept her invitations. What did it matter if she was able to wear the best gowns and decorate her house with the best materials available when she could not show them off to anybody of import?

Her husband was not at all supportive; he found he had unwisely rushed into making an error he would regret for the remainder of his life. Their dislike of Mr. and Mrs. Darcy was the only thing they did have in common when they married, and that eventually changed on his part. In fact, he found that he and his wife could hardly be civil to each other, and he avoided her except when absolutely necessary. He did not worry about the servants gossiping for, judging by the way he saw her treat them, he felt they well understood his behavior and only wished they could do the same.

Whenever Caroline was in company with her siblings and their spouses, the Darcys, or any of the Bennets for that matter, she came to see the happiness and contentment which was missing from her own life…and became quite resentful towards them, blaming them for her dissatisfaction.

Her life was not at all what it was supposed to have been, and she was quite vexed! She should have everything! If events had followed her original plan she would not be in this situation! Why had nobody listened to her?

The more discontented and irritable Caroline became, the less time Mr. Hainsworth spent with her--until Caroline found herself taking all her meals alone as well. The day dawned when she suddenly realized that in truth she had nothing compared to what any of her family or the former Bennet ladies had, but still she refused to give way to this thought and change her behavior. Mrs. Caroline Hainsworth lived unhappily ever after.

Once Louisa Hurst had cast off her fear of her sister Caroline, she began to develop her own tastes and opinions on everything life had to offer. Alexander Hurst's attention was caught by the changes in his wife, which renewed his interest in life itself. He decided to court his wife for a second time…and the two slowly fell in love with each other. They became a happily married couple, bought an estate of their own and had two sons.

Since the death of Mr. Collins, the entail of Longbourn passed to a distant cousin who was the next in line, Archibald Baldwin, a rather sensible young man who had already come into a large inheritance and had no other family. It warmed Mr. Bennet's heart to know that such a worthy young man would take possession of Longbourn once he was gone. Having only a house in London, shortly after hearing of the entail, Mr. Baldwin came for an extended visit to learn estate management and soon became the son Mr. Bennet never had.

Lydia fell in love with Mr. Baldwin at first sight. To impress Mr. Baldwin, she joined Mary in taking over for Elizabeth and Jane in their heartfelt duties to the neighborhood. Surprising everyone, Lydia found great pleasure in it and matured in the process. Over time she became much more sedate but kept some of her liveliness in a perfect combination to attract the young gentleman. They married two years after Mr. Baldwin had first come to Longbourn.

Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam had placed Charlotte Collins with the Walsh family when she initially escaped from Hunsford. He had visited her there frequently and realized he really was in love with her. Charlotte finally admitted to herself that she was a romantic after all. Following Mr. Collins' death, and an extended stay at the Walshes', Charlotte went home to Lucas Lodge. She spent much time visiting with Elizabeth and Darcy in London and at Pemberley over the next year. Richard visited his cousins as much as possible as well, and they often found themselves staying with the Darcys at the same time. He was also a habitual guest at Netherfield. When her mourning period was over, Charlotte was more than overjoyed to agree to marry the love of her life, Richard Fitzwilliam, and to live on a colonel's salary. A fortnight after their engagement, Richard received an express stating that a distant relative had died and, having no heirs, had left an estate to Richard, thrilling all who cared for them. Conveniently, the estate was little more than a two hour carriage ride from Pemberley. With the substantial increase in his income, Richard retired his commission immediately and married Charlotte as soon as was possible thereafter. Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam lived a long and happy life together, making certain the Darcy children had many cousins.

Lady Catherine's heart gave out two weeks after Elizabeth Bennet wed Fitzwilliam Darcy, and Anne de Bourgh took possession of Rosings. Though still weaker than most young ladies her age, her health and personality blossomed with the activity and responsibility of the inheritance. Anne had endured enough of someone else directing her life while her mother had lived and never wished to put herself in that position again. She would be the sole master of herself and of Rosings for the remainder of her years, and she named the second son of the Viscount Matlock as her heir.

She became fond of her new cousins through marriage, Elizabeth and Charlotte, and invited them to stay with her at Rosings often. Though Charlotte and Richard always declined the offer due to past associations with Hunsford, Anne was always welcomed to visit them--and she did so often.

Anne had met Elizabeth's sisters during her short visit to Netherfield for the Darcy's and Bingley's weddings when she became friendly with Mary. After correspondence was exchanged and their friendship had grown, Mary was invited to visit at Rosings--where she met the new, quite intelligent and respectable rector of Hunsford. Mary married the minister and became the perfect wife for a clergyman, and they lived out their lives in quiet happiness.

Kitty and Georgiana continued the friendship begun during the time just before William and Elizabeth's wedding, and Kitty visited the Darcys often. While at Pemberley, Kitty met and fell in love with the clergyman of Kympton. They were married alongside Mary and her betrothed in Mrs. Bennet's second double wedding ceremony, which was almost--but not quite--as grand as the first.

Georgiana received her letter from her late mother before her "coming out." The influence of her mother's advice added to the example set by her family, especially William and Elizabeth, proved to Georgiana that it was indeed best to marry for love--though she did not do badly in matters of social status and wealth by falling in love with a wealthy baron.

Once Elizabeth and Jane were married, Mrs. Bennet settled down quite noticeably. Meeting Mr. Baldwin and believing his subsequent promise that she would never be "thrown out into the hedgerows" as long as she lived helped to calm her nerves as well. As Mary and Kitty's wedding drew near, Mrs. Bennet was almost unrecognizable when her two eldest daughters arrived for the visit. Without having to constantly worry about providing an heir, as she had for the first fifteen years of their marriage, or who would marry her daughters, as she had for the next eight years, she had the time and the inclination to become involved in more intelligent pursuits, with her husband's guidance. Mr. Bennet began to see that the woman he had married years ago was not just a pretty face. He fell in love with Fanny Bennet all over again, and she with him. They lived the rest of their time together in blissful harmony.

Jane and Bingley did not live long at Netherfield. They purchased an estate not far from Pemberley and were able to visit the Darcys often with their own happy family, consisting of two sons and two daughters.

Elizabeth and Darcy lived a long and unquestionably happy life together. The heir to the Darcy legacy, Bennet Fitzwilliam Darcy, was born two years after their wedding, followed about every two years by another addition, in all four more children, two daughters and then two sons--Jane, Anne, Matthew and Richard.

The Darcys taught their offspring many things. Among them were the importance of duty and honor; to embrace happiness as opposed to allowing the expectations of other people to guide their lives, taking their happiness from them; to judge the worth of others by their characters and not the standards of society; and that trust is earned, not a thing to be given away casually.

All of the Darcy children followed the advice of their parents and lived to become truly generous and worthy individuals. They followed their parents' example by marrying partners with whom they shared mutual respect and the deepest love.

The story of Elizabeth and William Darcy's difficulties, adventures, and triumphant love influenced the lives of countless descendants. They lived on through stories passed from generation to generation for many years to come.

Eight generations later…

Lizzy had followed in her father's footsteps in a choice of careers. Unlike many genealogists, they not only researched their clients' backgrounds using the internet and other modern methods, but also employed the old-fashioned, hands-on approach of tracing backgrounds through church records, graveyards, and family Bibles. Her particular success in the field came from going beyond merely handing over a family tree of ancestors to her clients as did many of her competitors. In order to relate a family's history as thoroughly as possible, she insisted on searching through the family's libraries and the dustiest corners of their attics for old letters, journals and diaries which often revealed intimate information about their ancestors that gave her a sense of their personalities, all which would be included in the final report.

This time, though, her research was personal. Similar to the old adage that a plumber's pipes would always be leaking, her father had only sporadically researched their own family tree. Between assignments, Lizzy had continued this work with a vengeance. Most of her ancestors, dating back to the time of William the Conqueror, had been accounted for, but there was one family line that had a few branches missing. When she had traced the Bennet line to an estate called Longbourn, she had petitioned and was granted permission from the current owner for access to the library and attics. When she arrived, she fell in love with the place, and since it was for sale, she bought it. Her sister Jane moved in with her and did what she did best--restored the estate to its original condition.

In the attic, Lizzy found a chest full of letters that, to most people, would have been considered trash, but to Lizzy they were a treasure. From them, she was able to trace several members of the Bennet family and fill in some of the branches of the tree. She also found a number of journals from a lady named Elizabeth Catherine Bennet, and Lizzy soon found herself becoming quite attached to Miss Bennet. They were kindred spirits, and Lizzy thought of Elizabeth almost as if she were an old friend. The journals ended abruptly after the year 1810. There were several rather general references to her in correspondence from later years found nearby, but she did not know exactly what Elizabeth's fate had been. She also could not find much information on Jane Mary Bennet, though there were several references to her living at Netherfield Park, a nearby estate. The church at Longbourn had suffered a fire in the year 1858, and most of the marriage and birth records before that time were lost. Several of the books were partially recovered, and on one page from 1812, Lizzy could make out that Jane and Elizabeth Bennet were married on the same day, but the part of the page that named the grooms had been destroyed.

Lizzy had petitioned the current owner of Netherfield Park, which had been closed for years, for access to the attics numerous times, but to no avail. Then gossip began to spread around the neighborhood that Netherfield had been purchased by a wealthy man by the name of Charles Bingley. Quite the horseman, but not having a very good sense of direction, Mr. Bingley had become lost and upon seeing Longbourn, stopped for directions back to his new estate. Lizzy found Charlie very friendly, and Jane and Charlie soon became something more than friends. After being shown photos of what Longbourn's condition had been when Lizzy first purchased it and seeing the results of Jane's restoration firsthand, he asked Jane to restore Netherfield Park as well. While spending many months in each other's company during the restoration of Netherfield, Jane and Charlie fell deeply in love and were engaged to be married.

In the meantime, Charlie had given Lizzy access to the attics of Netherfield without a second thought. After much rummaging through the huge space, she was surprised to find some records indicating that Charles James Bingley had leased Netherfield from 1811 to 1813. He left a simple note to the steward at the time with a forwarding address for any correspondence that might come after they had left, and for that of his wife--Jane Bingley nee Bennet! What a find this was!

The current owner of the estate in Derbyshire that the Bingley's had apparently purchased upon leaving Netherfield was happy to give permission to have her look through a box of old letters to Jane Bingley which they had found in with some family heirlooms. It seemed that Elizabeth Bennet, Lizzy's "old friend" from the journals at Longbourn, had married Fitzwilliam Darcy, of Pemberley, also in Derbyshire.

This information was bittersweet. She knew the current owner of Pemberley as he was a good friend of Charlie's and if it had been anyone else she would have been overjoyed…but this man was absolutely insufferable! Yes, he was probably the most handsome man she had ever seen, but he was such an arrogant snob! At their first meeting she had overheard an insulting remark he had made about her which she had never been able to forgive. Of course, the fact that he had never apologized for saying it played a large part in her resentment. Whenever they were thrown together, Lizzy and Will would either ignore each other or argue, and he was always glaring at her, probably trying to intimidate her. Since he always seemed to be hanging around and coming back for more, she thought that either he was a glutton for punishment, or he was trying to make her feel so uncomfortable that she would be scared off. She would not give him the satisfaction of giving in to his bullying tactics, and so any time she heard that Will was around, she would make sure to show up.

Months ago, he had asked her out, and she literally laughed out loud thinking he was joking. From the way he reacted, she guessed he had not been joking. They had a terrible argument, and she told him exactly what she thought of him. Lizzy had not seen him since.

Charlie had insisted that Will Darcy acted so rudely at first because he was very shy and very rich and always had women throwing themselves at him, which he absolutely hated, and he must have wrongly assumed that Lizzy would do the same. Jane had plenty of opportunities to get to know Will better while staying at Charlie's place in London and assured Lizzy that Will's personality was much different from what she had expected. Lizzy's opinion of him may have softened a little, but she had to see it to really believe it, and she knew that after the verbal thrashing she had given him, he would probably never want to be in the same room with her again let alone get to know her better. Jane told her that she shouldn't be so sure about that, since the man was obviously head-over-heels in love with her. Lizzy just laughed in disbelief.

To avoid the awkward scenes that were inevitable when having to spend time with Will, she delayed her request to search Pemberley's attics, following the Bingley branch of the family instead through Charlie's relatives. She continued her explorations whenever there was a break in her work schedule--paying clients still came first.

She would always remember the horrified look on Charlie's face when Lizzy informed him and Jane that they were all three descended from a union between Charles James Bingley and Jane Mary Bennet! Charlie immediately assumed that Jane and he could not marry since they were related, and he panicked. The expression of relief he exhibited when Lizzy informed him that it was not a problem since eight generations had passed was absolutely priceless.

Since her curiosity about her "old friend" continued to nag at her thoughts and the blank space underneath Elizabeth Catherine Bennet Darcy's name began to drive her mad, when another lull in her work occurred, and only after all other leads had been exhausted, Lizzy finally relented and asked Charlie if he would talk to Will about allowing her to search the attics at Pemberley.

It was quite a shock to see Pemberley for the first time, and it helped her to understand his attitude a little better--seeing just how rich Will Darcy must be. Pemberley was a fairy tale castle, perfect in every way possible!

When she arrived at Pemberley, Will surprised her by greeting her in person, and would not hear of her staying at the Inn at Lambton, telling her that his staff had already prepared for her stay there for as long as she needed to complete her investigation. He seemed a different person when she arrived, and at first, she was angry at him for not continuing with his spoiled-brat demeanor. She had become accustomed to despising the man, which went a long way in counteracting her physical attraction for him. This change in behavior was playing havoc with her libido. Lizzy was shocked that he was being so nice to her. He introduced her to the staff, and gave instructions for them to assist her in any way possible. He gave her a personal tour of the manor house explaining some of its history and showed her parts of the grounds. He even spent many hours with her helping her dig through the attics and dragging out several trunks that had been left untouched for generations, ruining his perfectly tailored clothing in the process. He treated her with the utmost respect the entire weekend and even stayed with her an extra day.

At one point Lizzy overheard the housekeeper, who seemed to treat him more like a son than an employer, saying how shocked she was that he had taken a day off from work when he hadn't for years. Will had replied in a defensive tone of voice saying that since he owned the company, he could take a day off if he wanted to. Mrs. Reynolds suddenly seemed to warm up to Lizzy after that, and she could not imagine why. They spent the remainder of the weekend together, and after he left, she realized it had turned out to be very pleasant. By the time he left for London early Tuesday morning, Lizzy had become very confused as to her feelings for Will Darcy.

Even the attics at Pemberley were beautiful. Since they had been servants' quarters generations ago, they were large and airy and had many windows--all of which, Mrs. Reynolds informed her, Will had opened the day before Lizzy arrived so that she would be more comfortable spending time up there.

The trunks that Will had recommended she investigate first were a goldmine! They contained Elizabeth Bennet Darcy's journals starting with 1811 and spanning the next few decades; though after the children came along, Elizabeth seemed to have a lot less time to write. Lizzy spent many hours sitting by an open window reading or skimming through her old friend's life story. Her relationship with her husband was wonderfully romantic and, though she hated to admit it, it seemed Will Darcy had a lot in common with Elizabeth's description of Fitzwilliam Darcy. Lizzy wondered if she would ever have a love like that.

When not researching, Lizzy kept finding herself in the portrait gallery with the excuse of needing to review all the people Will had "introduced" her to, but in reality she spent most of her time standing in front of Fitzwilliam Darcy's portrait. It was incredible how Will looked so much like his great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather! It also seemed that there was a portrait missing from the wall and the pictures in that area had been rearranged recently. When asked, the housekeeper told her it was a picture of Fitzwilliam Darcy with his wife and children and was lately removed. Lizzy was very curious about why this had been done and became determined to ask Will about it when he returned at the end of the week.

Lizzy continued to search the attics for other information. Thursday around noon, as she was leaving the attic, she tripped over something and ended up on the floor covered with dust. Turning around, she noticed that her foot was caught in a large sheet…and her antics had pulled the sheet down off a portrait, exposing it.

Lizzy could not believe her eyes…it was almost as if she was looking into a mirror after dressing up for a masquerade party. The woman looked almost exactly like her! Was this the portrait that had been removed from the gallery? Could this be Elizabeth Bennet Darcy looking up at Fitzwilliam Darcy with such love in her eyes, surrounded by their children?

Lizzy startled and turned around quickly when she heard Will say, "The resemblance is uncanny, isn't it?" He had a pleading look in his eyes. "I had it hidden away before you arrived at Pemberley because…well, I didn't want you to get the wrong idea, Lizzy…that maybe you would think I'm a nut or something." Will closed his eyes and sighed. His voice was stronger when he continued, "It is a portrait of Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy, and their children, painted in 1825."

Lizzy could not find the strength to tear her eyes away from his. "I thought you were in London."

"I couldn't concentrate on work knowing you were here at Pemberley. No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to stay away from you, Lizzy." Hesitating for a few moments, but never breaking their shared gaze, he seemed to gather his resolve and continued, "I've never felt like this about anyone before, and it is a bit terrifying to know that you have so much power over me. I know I made a terrible first impression, but I would appreciate it if you would give me another chance."

Lizzy's thoughts returned to what she had been thinking while reading Elizabeth's journals. She had wished for a love like Elizabeth had with Fitzwilliam. She had repeatedly thought that Elizabeth seemed so much like herself…and Elizabeth's descriptions of Fitzwilliam reminded her very much of Will. Will seemed so different since she met him again. Had he taken what she said to him months ago during their heated argument to heart? Could it actually work between them?

Realizing there was only one way to find out, Lizzy said, "If I remember correctly, I was not on my best behavior, either. I think I would like a chance to get to know you better."

Will displayed the dazzling dimples that had set her heart racing when she had seen them for the first time the previous weekend. "Do you ride? It will be light for a while yet and I'd like to show you more of the park..."

Lizzy smiled brilliantly, "Yes, I'd love that."

They both looked at the portrait for a few moments before Will covered it with the sheet once again. "Someday you and I will have a similar portrait done, and we'll hang it in the gallery across from this one." His grin broadened at the sight of her wide eyes, and motioned toward the stairs. "Shall we?" Lizzy nodded and they continued on their way together…forever.

Finis