The Darcys did not visit for long and soon left for Netherfield and for the first time in weeks, that night Elizabeth stayed with her family at Longbourn. She had been in town much longer than she had anticipated staying and she missed her family, but now she also missed the company of her best friend, but she would see him on Christmas Eve morning at breakfast and later that evening at the candlelight service at church.
Whilst Elizabeth was upstairs with the children, Mrs. Gardiner was downstairs helping with Christmas decorations. Mrs. Bennet was anxious to learn all she could about her daughter’s visit. Such curiosity was justified because Elizabeth had also stayed at the Bingleys when they were sick. Jane had earlier told her that she and her husband had been sick but her mother already knew that from Mr. Gardiner’s recent letter. Lady Catherine and Anne’s getting sick was something new and Madeline Gardiner was the first to tell her. Even Jane did not speak of Darcy’s aunt and neither woman disparaged Lady Catherine her for her outburst at the dinner. Both women left it to Darcy and his sister to speak of this but since their aunt had embarrassed them, it was unlikely that subject would be discussed by any of those present, including Elizabeth.
As usual, the Gardiners brought small gifts for the Bennets including nuts and assorted candies, cookies and fruit as well as the traditional Virginia cured and smoked Smithfield ham. Edward Gardiner had brought a ham for every Christmas for the last ten years. The Bennet girls would usually look after their younger cousins whilst Madeline Gardiner and Mrs. Bennet would catch up on things, but little was said about Lydia and Wickham in the company of others. Instead, the two women spoke of Elizabeth’s helping the others when they were sick but later Elizabeth told her mother that she was very tired after treating both Jane and Bingley, and later Darcy’s aunt and her daughter who were even more sick than Jane and Bingley.
Madeline did tell her sister that Elizabeth had missed out on the shopping with Jane and Georgiana because she was caring for Darcy’s relatives. “Fanny, Lizzy and I did have a few hours to shop before she left town, but that was after Jane left to return to Netherfield.”
“So Lizzy also missed shopping with Miss Darcy?”
“Yes, that too is true. I can say that Georgiana and Lizzy seem to get on very well and the children love her. She is a very kind young woman, but is shy. Even so, I do believe she will get on well with Kitty and Mary. Georgiana is a quiet young woman of good manners and plays the pianoforte very well.”
“Then let us hope that she can teach Mary to play with a softer touch and not bang on the keys so much. But Madeline, do you think that Lizzy’s friendship with Miss Darcy will better her chances to find a husband?”
Madeline Gardiner could not believe the woman could ask such a question. Did she not know that Darcy and Lizzy were in love? The woman decided to learn more of her sister’s thoughts so she replied.
“Well, Fanny, I do believe their friendship will grow stronger. Do you not think that there is a chance that Lizzy might like Mr. Darcy?”
“Oh, fiddlesticks! Lizzy just puts up with him to win the friendship of his sister. It is through Miss Darcy that Lizzy will later meet other gentlemen. You know how she despises the man.”
“But those are no longer her feelings, Fanny. They care for each other very much. Watch them closely and you will see their affection for each other.”
“I will do as you say. Lizzy has been acting very different ever since she returned from visiting Lambton.”
“I just do not understand why you dislike the man, Fanny.”
“Can you not? What about how Mr. Darcy did not honour his father’s wishes for Mr. Wickham to to take a church at Klympton?”
“Lizzy knows the truth about Mr. Wickham. He lied about what Mr. Darcy had done to him, but Mr. Darcy gave the man three-thousand pounds in exchange for the living. And Mr. Wickham said he would use that money to study the law but he gambled it all away. Sister, the man is a seducer of young women and has fathered children by young women younger than Lydia. So you must believe what I tell you, for Lizzy does not lie. What I have said is the truth.”
“How can it be? You cannot tell me that Mr. Wickham does not have rich friends? Did not one of his friends help fund his elopement?”
“And who might that be, Fanny? Colonel Forster said Captain Denny loaned the man a small sum but Wickham had little money that evening when they left Brighton.”
“Oh! I do not know who gave him the money. I am very confused, sister, but I will certainly treat the man and his sister well, though I still believe that Mr. Wickham is the better man.”
“And you believe that even after he seduced your youngest to elope? Fanny, he is near twenty-eight and short weeks ago, Lydia was still fifteen. Mr. Darcy is the better man and you should give him a chance. He is the best of men and is good for Lizzy.”
Those words gave Mrs. Bennet much to think about but she next continued to decorate the house in anticipation of a very different Christmas.
****
Jane and Bingley came outside to welcome Georgiana and Darcy as soon as the coach arrived, and they all returned inside. This was Georgiana’s first visit to Netherfield and there had been changes made since Darcy last visited. He immediately saw some new furniture and decorating as well as improvements outside. Jane showed Georgiana the house and Bingley showed Darcy the improvements he had made.
“Does Miss Bennet visit often?”
“Yes, Darcy, but it seems she is away as much as she is at Longbourn. She seems to often visit with the Gardiners in town, but she and Jane are still very close. But you have been seeing her more, is that not so?”
“Before our meeting in town, the last time I saw her was by accident, when she and the Gardiners were touring Pemberley.”
“You are correct. Things are calmer between you both and you do not have the verbal sparing like earlier. This is something new and should I say it looks promising?”
“Time will tell but we are good friends and she and Georgiana are also close friends.”
“Jane and I read about your visit to the theatre. Should we soon expect any news on that front? Jane believes her sister is in love with you.”
Darcy could barely make out those words as his heart beat rapidly as if to signal his brain that this Christmas he must propose to her again.
“Darcy, you look surprised.”
“Of course I am surprised. We have not always understood each other and I was too naive in matters of the heart and of course she overheard my words at the dance in Meryton. Bingley, ever since we all left Netherfield and returned to town over a year ago, I have been unhappy being away from her.”
“You have never told me this before now.”
“But why should I tell you? Your sisters and I convinced you that Jane did not love you, so I did not want to tell you that I admired Miss Elizabeth after I worked to separate you and Jane. She and I argued at Easter when I visited my aunt and she convinced me that Jane loved you. I told you as soon as I returned to town.”
“Yes, and I acted the fool and would not forgive you, even though you brought me back to my Jane.”
“Ever since I saw Miss Elizabeth at Pemberley and again recently in town, I do have hope that her feelings for me have changed.”
“She no longer has a good opinion of Mr. Wickham. At least Lydia and the man married. Darcy, this will be a good Christmas and much happier without Lydia and with my sisters gone. They are staying with the Hursts in Bath.”
Darcy did not need to be near the fire because he was warmed all over by what Jane had said about her sister being in love. It had been only minutes earlier that the coach had left Longbourn and already his heart longed for Elizabeth. The thought that she might be back at Longbourn thinking of him, nay, loving him, made him immensely happy.
The rest of the day and that evening the friends relaxed and enjoyed renewing their friendship and they spoke on many things and their plans for the new year.
Darcy was already thinking of
the Christmas Eve morning breakfast that Mrs. Bennet had asked them to attend and those thoughts filled his head as he tried to sleep, but Bingley’s hinting that Elizabeth loved him was enough to make him wish to ride over to Longbourn and propose the moment he arrived.
But he chuckled as such a thought did not last long and he fell into a deep sleep.
Nor was Darcy the only one with love on his mind. Elizabeth pondered what she would tell her father about her visit. She was not certain what he might ask her about Darcy and she wanted everything to go well this Christmas, but mostly she wanted to tell Darcy that she loved him. He did not have to reciprocate, for her loving him was good enough. She could even live with unrequited love so long as he knew that she loved him, but she wanted a life partner and marriage would give them their own family and children.
After a restless sleep she awoke early, just like she had done for years, but there would not be any long walks whilst it was so cold, and certainly not until the sun came out and the wind lessened. She next removed the counterpane and readied herself for the day, for the Netherfield guests would arrive later and the breakfast was scheduled to start at ten.
Christmas Eve was always a time for family to get together and the candlelight service that evening was always well attended. This night would be special and she and Darcy would sit together along with Jane and her husband, and Georgiana would sit with Mary and Kitty.
As usual, she passed by her father’s library as she stepped out into the morning, but she immediately turned around. When she came inside she practically walked into her father who had been at the door preparing to open it.
“Papa, I nearly knocked you over. Am I losing my mind? I was not going to walk so early and in such cold weather, yet I stepped outside like a fool.”
“No, Lizzy, you have not lost your mind. Perhaps you have a great many things on your mind, might that be true?”
“Can we go in your library, Papa? It is warmer than where we are currently situated near the door.”
The man opened his door and held it for her as she entered the library and took her usual seat.
“Lizzy, I was hoping to talk with you before the others arrive. It does seem that you have accomplished all that you set out to town for and may have accomplished much more. You appear happy so I suppose your detective work paid off with respect to Lydia, did it not?”
“Papa, I have told no person what really happened and what you know is that the two went straight to Scotland and married without delay.”
“Now for the truth, Lizzy, for what really happened, and did you have to use force to get Mr. Darcy to admit any involvement?”
“Papa, I went to visit his cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam and he and I then went directly to visit Georgiana and Mr. Darcy. I had met him last Easter when I visited Charlotte and more recently, at Pemberley, with the Gardiners.”
“I do remember you saying as much.”
“The colonel did not lie to me and knew about the elopement and I also told him that I wished to see Georgiana again and her brother. He did not know about Jane and Mr. Bingley’s marriage.”
“So, was the man at home?”
“Yes, and we talked and he told me he also looked for the two in town. He said that he arrived a day after my uncle and started looking for them and continued to look for them even after you and uncle had stopped looking.”
Elizabeth suddenly got very teary and had a hard time continuing.
“Now, Lizzy, you can take your time or we can talk later if you would be more comfortable.”
“No, Papa, the man said he found Mr. Wickham and convinced him to marry Lydia.”
“He bribed him?”
“Yes, he said he would buy his commission in the regulars and settle his debts and continue to pay him money as long as he treated Lydia well. He also told Mr. Wickham that if he did not treat Lydia well, that he would send him to debtors prison.”
“But now they have the papers showing when they were married.”
“They are dated too early. They could not have travelled so far in such a short time. Anyway, he paid for Mr. Wickham’s trip to Gretna Green and Mr. Wickham bribed the authorities to get them to assign an earlier date for their marriage.”
“Why did your friend not tell us he had found them?”
“He knew that the only chance to save our family from disgrace was to say they married right away and he could not tell anyone of his involvement.”
“So though he saved us and we all thought he had not helped us in our time of need, he did these things. Oh, Lizzy, this must have cost him a great amount of money, but he was correct that their story had to be that they married immediately.”
“I know you are thinking how did Lydia not mention Mr. Darcy’s involvement. She does not know and Mr. Darcy told him that he must not tell anyone, and certainly not Lydia, or he would stop giving them money and would have Mr. Wickham sent to debtors prison.”
“Now Lizzy, if he did these things for you, he must still be in love with you. I must say he alone has saved our family, and to think, he was not even invited to Jane and Mr. Bingley’s wedding. And now he and Mr. Bingley are friends again. How did that happen?”
“Papa, uncle wrote you that Jane was sick and Mr. Bingley looked for me at the Gardiners before he was sent to Darcy House.”
Elizabeth still had tears ready to run down her cheeks as she took her father’s handkerchief.
“I told him that I had treated him so poorly after what he said at the dance in Meryton and then when he proposed and I refused him. He also apologized and said he had acted pompous and above his company.”
Now the tears flowed freely as she told that Darcy said he did not want her and all the family’s chances for happiness to be ruined when he might be able to help.
“Lizzy, I have never seen you this way? You are a watering pot.”
“I know Papa, but I often cry when I am alone. When I was helping care for his aunt and his cousin he stayed up all night the first two nights helping me and had a second large lounge chair brought into the room just to be near me. Of course we had the doors open but I found it hard to focus on caring for them with him so near me and insisted that he go to his bed and sleep. I told him that he was my best friend in the world.”
“Then you must believe that you are his best friend for all he has done. Are you not happy that he has come for this Christmas?”
“Yes, Papa, it is a magic time and I am glad he and his sister have come. His cousin arrives later today.”
Elizabeth was satisfied to have spoken with her father and his knowing of her feelings for the man convinced her he would support her. As the time neared for the arrival of her sister and the others, she was no longer nervous but suddenly felt in control and was confident the breakfast would be successful. One reason for this belief was Lydia and Wickham and Bingley’s sisters would not be present and the same for Darcy’s aunt, who certainly would not make another scene. No, Elizabeth had friends and the best of her family and her mother’s Christmas Eve breakfast was something to behold. This was the one meal that her mother and her Aunt Madeline helped with the preparation and later all the servants would eat the same breakfast in the servants room.
The Bingley coach left Netherfield beneath a purple-bruised sky on this very cold morning. Still, some leaves that should have fallen in late autumn clung stubbornly to the trees that bordered the road to Longbourn, as if challenging each other to be the last to fall. Despite the chill, the travelers watched the puffs of breath from the horses in the cold air and saw the same against their rosy faces as they they sat close together for warmth.
From the moment Elizabeth’s friends arrived and came inside amongst warm hugs and welcomes that were genuine, this gathering had the feeling of something special. Not only was this Jane and Bingley’s first Christmas together, but Lydia was married to a regular army officer and was no doubt attending many parties in Newcastle. And Lizzy had returned as the hero for helping not only
Jane and her husband when they feel sick, but Darcy’s aunt and his cousin who fell sick just days later.
The Gardiners knew of the significance of this gathering and so did Elizabeth and the Darcys. Elizabeth and Darcy looked as happy as they had ever been. Mrs. Bennet, remembering the conversation with her sister, watched them closely and saw the look they had for one another. Mr. Bennet caught her watching them and his wife’s glance back at him confirmed she now understood that she had been wrong about the couple. Georgiana and Darcy felt genuinely welcome and this small gathering was already more pleasant than any they had ever experienced with their family. Almost right away, Kitty and Mary had sought Georgiana out and befriended her and she immediately knew she was amongst friends. Indeed, the sisters had made her feel comfortable and minutes after they met, Georgiana was swooped away by the younger Bennet sisters. Of course, her fondest hope was that her brother and Elizabeth would marry, then she would have her own sisters.
His Best Hope Page 8