by Beth Wood
It was only after returning to the house, that they remembered Colonel Fitzwilliam was in residence. Wishing to be alone, but knowing that they needed to hear his news, they joined Richard in the parlor. It was several rounds of refreshments later when Richard felt he had divulged all of his dealings with Mr. Wickham and Lydia Bennet.
Although Darcy would have preferred to have Elizabeth to himself for the following fortnight, it was agreed that Mr. Bennet would bring Lydia to Darcy House in the morning, at which time they could discuss future plans. With a sigh of relief, he watched Richard leave the house in order to convey the message to the Bennets and the Gardiners. Without saying a word, he took Elizabeth's hand in his own, and the two of them disappeared for the rest of the evening.
Chapter 9
Darcy and Elizabeth were just finishing a late breakfast when Colonel Fitzwilliam, Mr. Gardiner, Mr. Bennet and Miss Lydia were shown in. Elizabeth immediately stood and approached her sister, stopping a few paces away. Neither knew quite what to say, though it was clear by their eyes that both were nervous for this first meeting since their elopements.
“Lyddie,” Elizabeth whispered, raising one hand toward her sister.
That was all the encouragement that Lydia needed. With a ruffle of skirts, Lydia threw herself into her sister's arms, tears streaming down her face. With a look from Elizabeth, the gentlemen left the room, giving the young women some privacy.
“I am so sorry,” Lydia whispered through her tears. “I was so caught up in being the first to marry that I made a mess of everything. Can you ever forgive me?”
Elizabeth was astonished at seeing her sister's tears. It had been years since Lydia had shown true remorse. As Lydia's tears stained her morning dress, Elizabeth's heart opened. She did not know everything that had happened to her sister since that fateful day in Brighton, but there was little doubt that it had affected her immensely. Elizabeth suddenly found herself missing the silly girl that she had always known.
“You are already forgiven,” she replied. Then, trying to lighten the mood, she added, “I suppose I really ought to thank you.”
“Why would you thank me?” Lydia asked.
“You have saved me innumerable arguments with Mama. It has been many years since we could visit the modiste without a disagreement arising. Can you imagine how upset Mama would be with me if I did not take her advice with my wedding clothes?”
Lydia's tears slowly turned to giggles. As she was approaching hysteria, she suddenly burst out, “Your wedding clothes! I had not given that any thought. Are you going to have wedding clothes?”
“Yes, my new aunt insists that every bride needs wedding clothes. She is arranging to have her modiste visit Darcy House shortly.”
“Oh! A private visit with the modiste! I did not realize how rich you would be. Can I help you pick out your gowns? Do you think she would make something for me?”
With a smile that only slightly resembled a grimace, Elizabeth realized that the spoiled and annoying sister that she knew and loved was not completely lost.
* * *
While Elizabeth and Lydia were experiencing their reunion in the breakfast room, the gentlemen gathered in Darcy's study.
“What news is there?” Darcy asked.
His cousin, ever the tactician, was the one to reply.
“Wickham's boat leaves in two days. As of yet, it appears he has kept his mouth closed concerning Miss Lydia. He is much too concerned that you will withdraw your support for his deportation in lieu of his hanging if word of their elopement were to surface. He has decided it is in his best interest not to cause us more trouble.
“My mother has kept her ear to the ground. She has reported on all of the various rumors concerning your elopement. Although she does not know about Miss Lydia's situation, she is astute enough that she would immediately advise me if there was something being spread. It would appear as if London Society has not concerned themselves with Miss Lydia, or her reputation, beyond what they can glean from her concerning your elopement with her sister.
“I received word from Colonel Foster late last evening. He and his wife have agreed to spread the story that Miss Lydia left Brighton abruptly after receiving news concerning her sister's elopement. As they had kept her initial elopement as quiet as possible, it appears as if this story is being accepted.”
“Excellent,” Darcy replied. “Have we had any news from Hertfordshire?”
“We received a letter from Jane this morning, but it was a few days old and had very little news of consequence,” Mr. Bennet replied. “She is a dear girl, but half of her letters take an inordinate amount of time to reach their destination as she is in the habit of writing the direction very ill.”
“Perhaps it would be best for one of us to return to Hertfordshire in order to gauge the situation,” Mr. Gardiner replied.
“Let me first attempt to send a letter to Mr. Bingley,” Darcy replied. “When we left Pemberley, I had the impression that he would make Netherfield Park his next destination. With his sister also in residence, I am sure he will be able to tell us of any rumors circulating around Meryton.”
The gentlemen then agreed between themselves that Mr. Bennet and Lydia would return to the Gardiner's for the rest of the week, but would take up residence in Darcy House the following Monday. They would all remain in town until after the Berwick Ball, after which they would travel to Hertfordshire together. They were content in the knowledge that everything was proceeding as planned.
* * *
The visitors were invited to stay for luncheon, so Darcy went in search of his bride and her sister. He found them standing in awe in the middle of Elizabeth's closet. The remainder of Elizabeth's luggage had been brought over to Darcy House with Mr. Gardiner and the Bennets, and Sally had already ensured that Elizabeth's clothes were hung in their proper places.
“Planning your changes already?” Darcy asked with a smile.
“How can you say such a thing, William,” Elizabeth replied. “These rooms are amazing. I do not think I will ever own enough clothes to fill this closet.”
If the girls had been alone, Lydia would have made a sarcastic remark concerning how easy it would be to fill the closet with the amount of money Lizzy now had at her disposal. Instead, she was struck dumb by the fact that Mr. Darcy replied in a similar vein.
“You forget that the modiste will be here tomorrow, and if my aunt has her way you will spend an inordinate amount of money on filling this closet beyond its capacity.”
“I cannot imagine needing so many clothes,” Elizabeth replied. “Surely not even your aunt would expect me to fill this closet after one visit with the modiste. The hours spent in fittings alone would be enough to drive me to distraction.”
“You are, of course, free to order as many or as few dresses as you choose,” Mr. Darcy replied. “It may behoove you to remember, though, that you can either make one very large order, or several small ones. You can decide just how many times you wish to be inconvenienced, though I typically visit my tailor just once a year. A few days of extended poking and prodding have always seemed preferable to spreading the torture out over several afternoons all season long.”
“I can see your point, and I will certainly keep that in mind,” Elizabeth replied.
“Now, it is time for luncheon. Our company is waiting for us below.”
* * *
Charles Bingley could not remember a happier time in his life. He had received encouragement from his friend, and now his sister, to pursue the woman he loved. He had already visited her twice since returning to Netherfield Park two days previous. If her shy smiles were any indication, she was not completely indifferent to his presence. Before leaving Longbourn on Tuesday, Mrs. Bennet had pressed the Bingleys to return for dinner on Wednesday.
If Bingley had been able to take his eyes off of Jane, he may have been amused by the antics of Caroline and Mrs. Bennet. It was almost as if they were in a competition to see who could come up with th
e finest reasons to leave the young couple alone. As Mr. Bennet was still in London, there was no separation of the sexes after dinner.
Almost immediately after settling down in the parlor, Mrs. Bennet sent Kitty to retrieve Jane's latest example of needlework. As Mrs. Bennet had taken the time to hide the article in the deep recesses of her closet before dinner, she knew that Kitty would be occupied for some time.
Shortly after Kitty left the room, Caroline asked Mary if she would mind entertaining them by playing the pianoforte. Although Caroline never thought she would actually make such a request of the middle Bennet daughter, there was not a pianoforte in the parlor where they were sitting, so it would require Mary to leave the room. Mary was delighted at the opportunity to exhibit, and quickly shuffled away.
Caroline and Mrs. Bennet then turned their eyes on each other, each contemplating the best tactic of removing the other from the room. Caroline made a passing comment on the quality of the meal. Mrs. Bennet made mention of the superiority of their cook. Caroline expressed an interest in meeting the cook, and Mrs. Bennet offered to make the introduction immediately. In unison, both women rose, took a surreptitious look at Jane and Bingley, then left the room. Whether or not the cook would appreciate the intrusion into her domain so soon after dinner, while dishes still needed to be done and servants needed to be fed, was of little importance to either lady.
It was only when they heard the click of the door that either Jane or Bingley realized they had been left alone. Although Jane was embarrassed, Bingley was delighted. Finding his courage, Bingley reached for Jane's hand.
“Miss Bennet, there is something of which I would like to speak to you.”
Jane slowly raised her eyes to his face and smiled. She still preferred Mr. Bingley's company to any other man she had ever known. Her heart raced in anticipation of having every one of her dreams coming true.
“It was not long after coming into the neighborhood that I felt myself in love with you. I regret that I allowed myself to be persuaded from addressing you last November. I did not dare to dream that you had similar feelings for me, until Darcy encouraged me to return to Netherfield Park.” If Bingley had been a more observant gentleman, he may have noticed Jane's slight furrowing of her brow and slackening of her smile. “He spoke to me as he was leaving Pemberley, encouraging me to discover if you still have tender feelings for me. I have never loved another to the extent that I love you. I immediately decided to return and declare myself. Even Caroline has come to encourage me in my pursuit of your hand. Would you do me the greatest honor and consent to be my wife?”
By the end of Bingley's speech, Jane's smile was the smallest it had ever been.
“Would you have asked for my hand if Mr. Darcy had not encouraged you?” Jane asked quietly, casting her eyes back down. Bingley paused a little longer than he should have before replying.
“I am certain I would have returned to Netherfield Park eventually. I have not been myself since I left.”
“Even if you returned to Hertfordshire, would you have asked for my hand if you had not been encouraged to do so by Mr. Darcy or your sister?”
“Certainly,” Bingley replied, a puzzled expression on his face. “It seems unimportant to discuss the unknown possibilities at this point, though. I truly want your hand in marriage. Will you not answer me?”
Jane drew her breath, and let it out. She wanted to accept Mr. Bingley's hand. When she heard he was coming back into the neighborhood, she had dreamed that he was coming back for her. But, she thought he had made the decision on his own. She had hoped he had grown to miss her to the same extent that she missed him. Instead, it appeared as if he had no real plans to return until he was told to do so by her new brother. Could she marry him, knowing that her feelings appeared to be stronger than his? What if they were unsuccessful at completely silencing the gossip concerning Lydia's disgrace? Would he come to resent her?
“When you arrived in Hertfordshire, you immediately came to express your well wishes on the marriage of my sister, Lizzy, to your friend, Mr. Darcy. Would you have still come if there was no news concerning the Darcys, but instead there was gossip indicating that my sister Lydia had eloped with a soldier, with no evidence that they were married?”
“Why would you ask such a question?” Mr. Bingley was very confused.
“It is important to me. Please tell me what you would have done,” Jane replied.
“I do not know. I suppose that Caroline would have wished to travel straight on to London. I would probably have taken her for the season, hoping that she would marry. After she married, I would have come back.”
“But, what if she did not marry this season? How long would you have waited?”
“I have never given such a thing a thought, and I do not understand why you would even be considering such a scenario. Why is this so important to you?” Bingley was starting to become ruffled. He had planned to be celebrating his engagement by this point. Now, instead of kissing his betrothed, they were in the midst of a debate. There was a reason he did not participate in debate while at university.
“If it were not for Mr. Darcy, you would have been welcomed to Hertfordshire by the gossip concerning Lydia. Elizabeth told him of Lydia's actions, and he suggested they elope as well.” In stunned silence, Bingley listened as Jane outlined the rest of Darcy's plan to confuse the gossips. “Even though things seem to be going as they hoped, there is always a chance that gossip will spread concerning Lydia. Although I do care for you, I will not marry you if there is a chance you will regret the union. If others discover Lydia's actions, will you regret your offer?”
Bingley sat in thought for a few moments. He was never very good at thinking on his feet when it came to weightier matters. Darcy had always advised him in these sorts of situations (not that he had ever been in quite this same situation before). It was only as Jane began withdrawing her hand from his grasp that he was brought back to the present. The idea of losing her was much worse than the idea of withstanding gossip concerning her sister.
“No!” Bingley exclaimed, reclaiming her hand. At first, Jane was uncertain whether he was protesting the removal of her hand or if he was answering her question. “There is nothing that could make me regret marrying you. I was surprised by the news, but that does not change the fact that I love you.”
“Are you certain?” Jane asked, her smile finally softening slightly.
“Certainly,” he replied. “Though, if we could refrain from telling Caroline I would be grateful. I do not know that she would agree that the benefit outweighs the risk, and may withdraw her support.”
“And would that matter to you? If your sister no longer supported your decision, would you still marry me?”
“Now that you have assured me of your regard, there is nothing anyone else could say to dissuade me from pursuing you.”
“Then, my answer is 'yes,' Mr. Bingley,” Jane replied.
“Yes?”
“Yes, I will be your wife.”
When Caroline and Mrs. Bennet approached the parlor a few minutes later they both pressed their ears to the door as discretely as possible. They shared a smile at the realization that there was complete silence on the other side of the door. They stood outside for just a moment, both talking much louder than would typically be required, before opening the door to the bright smiles of their relations.
Chapter 10
Although the Darcys attempted to stay away from society as much as possible, they still felt completely inundated from their family during their fortnight of seclusion. Elizabeth would never know how Lady Matlock was able to arrange for Lady Hastings to return to Darcy House for the visit from the modiste, but the two ladies arrived shortly before Madam Beauvant. Lydia had not yet taken up residence at Darcy House, but Elizabeth had agreed that she could visit while the modiste was attending her.
Madam Beauvant had appeared on Bond Street twenty years previous. She quickly made a name for herself, and after only a few years
stopped taking on new clients unless they came highly recommended by one of her current customers, which made her even more sought after. Lady Hastings may not have been so confused over Madam Beauvant's willingness to have a private sitting in a new client's home if she had remembered that Lady Matlock had been one of the first ladies to appear at a ball in one of Madam Beauvant's creations.
Although Lady Hastings had determined that she would be silent for the entire endeavor, she did find herself fascinated by the conversation. At first, it appeared as if Miss Lydia had very little fashion sense. The suggestions she made became more and more outrageous. At one point, she even asked if it was possible to have a dress made entirely of lace. She was well on her way to being offended on her cousin's behalf, until Mrs. Darcy laughed.
“Oh, Lydia, you have been doing a marvelous job of impersonating Mama, but I don't think even she would make such a suggestion.”
“I'm not so sure,” Lydia laughingly replied. “Do you not remember how she described the lace on Mrs. Hurst's gown when we first made their acquaintance? I think Mama would be ecstatic to own a gown covered from head to toe in the finest lace she could manage.”
Both sisters tried, unsuccessfully, to contain their mirth when Lady Matlock joined in the conversation.
“My dear, there is a very important difference between having lace cover the entire gown and having the gown made of nothing but lace.”