by Zoë Burton
“She is your mother. You should expect a certain amount of maternal love from her. I am astonished at her lack of it.” He paused. “You are well rid of her, in my opinion.”
Elizabeth laid her head back onto Darcy’s shoulder. “No doubt. She is still my mother, though, and I do love her. I will always hope for restoration. Perhaps if Mr. Bingley ever offers for Jane, I will be forgiven.”
Darcy smiled softly into her hair and then kissed her head. “Perhaps. In the meantime, however, I should not like to see you repine over your mother’s decision. Nor would I be happy to see you attempting to regain her favor without an apology being tendered to you first.”
“I can promise you I will do neither. My mother is firm in her decisions once she makes them and little will sway her. I will not even attempt it.”
“Good. I think you will feel better for it.” Darcy hugged Elizabeth tightly. “You still have your sisters and father. And, of course, you have me.”
Elizabeth smiled softly, running her hand gently over the hair on her husband’s cheek. “I love you, Fitzwilliam.”
“And I, you.” He bent his head to meet her raised one, and softly kissed her lips.
Chapter 8
Darcy and Elizabeth decided to remain at Netherfield for the time being. Darcy had promised his friend at least six weeks, and neither he nor his wife saw any reason to change those plans simply because they married sooner than expected. They made a few visits in the neighborhood, informing the four and twenty prominent families of their marriage and allowing them to become acquainted with the gentleman who had snapped up one of the jewels of the county.
They did not encounter Mrs. Bennet at any of the neighboring homes and estates. Elizabeth thought this odd; her mother was not known for her ability to keep things to herself, and Elizabeth rather thought her parent would have wailed her news to the entire county by now. However, with her natural inclination to good humor and her determination to not allow her mother’s actions to depress her spirits, she carried on with her new life as though nothing was amiss.
Meryton’s monthly assembly ball was scheduled for the coming week, on Tuesday. Though she did not have time to have a new dress made, Elizabeth did have three new evening gowns that were gifts from her Aunt Gardiner. They had been worn in town, so Darcy had seen them, but to the attendees at the assembly, they were brand new. She chose to wear the blue gown that had so enthralled her husband on their visit to the theater. She blushed as she recalled his description of his reaction that evening. He really is such a lovely gentleman.
The Darcys arrived at the ball early, as Sir William Lucas, the former mayor of the town and self-appointed master of ceremonies, had declared it to be a celebration of their marriage. Bingley had ridden with them, and quickly began to circuit the room, greeting those he had previously met and making the acquaintance of those who were yet strangers. Darcy watched his friend greet new people with the ease of a friend of long standing and wondered, as he had many times before, how Bingley managed it. Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the receiving line.
Both Darcy and Elizabeth were ill at ease, knowing as they did that her family would all be in attendance this evening. It would be the first time they would have to face Mrs. Bennet since she had made her senseless edict, and no one knew what she would say or do. Darcy had spent a large portion of the afternoon alternately holding his wife and trying to distract her with teases and jokes. His attempts had been marginally successful, and then only temporarily. She had laughed at him, but it had been strained, not the joyful, unrestrained sound he loved. And her smile, though sweet as always, had been forced. In the end, they simply clung to each other, even here in the line, waiting to greet the ball’s attendees.
A half hour had passed before the Bennets made their appearance. The two youngest girls, Lydia and Kitty, came through first.
“La, Lizzy! Mama is very angry with you! I cannot imagine why. ‘Tis not as though you did not catch a husband. Who cares that it was not John Lucas?” Lydia was as she always was, brash and outspoken.
“Mama will not allow us to see you or write to you. We almost were not allowed to come tonight. She and Papa had a huge row. You should have heard it!” Kitty insisted that she have her share of the conversation. “Mama threatened to cut up our gowns! I have never seen Papa so angry. It was quite frightening!”
Elizabeth’s grip on her husband’s arm tightened. “Oh, my. Well, you are here, so Papa must have prevailed?”
“Oh, he did. I can tell you that I never wish to incite him to that much emotion! There is Mama. Sorry, Lizzy, we must go. I love you!” Lydia grabbed Kitty’s hand and pulled her away. Elizabeth and Darcy looked at each other, communicating with their eyes both their unease and encouragement to each other.
Next through the line were Mary and Jane. They quickly hugged their sister, whispering additional information about the argument between their parents and promising to seek Elizabeth out later. Glancing over their shoulders at their glowering parents, they scurried off into the ladies’ retiring room to change their shoes.
Darcy and Elizabeth turned to face her parents. Mrs. Bennet attempted to walk past her daughter, but her husband’s tight grip on her arm prevented her. Throwing him a glare, she curtseyed, but refused to speak, instead turning her head away and pointing her nose into the air, for all the world looking like she had smelled something rotten.
Giving his wife one more hard look but not letting go of her arm, Mr. Bennet greeted his favorite child. “Good evening, Lizzy, Mr. Darcy. I apologize for Mrs. Bennet’s rudeness. I can force her to acknowledge you, but I cannot make her speak.”
“You must be very angry with her, Papa; it is not often she pays you this much attention.” Elizabeth knew it was impertinent and wrong of her to speak so of her mother, and in front of the woman, but she did not care at the moment. She was just as angry as the woman who gave her birth, and she intended Mrs. Bennet to know it.
“I am. I was not going to let her disappointment ruin this night. I do not know how long the two of you plan to stay in Meryton, but I have no intention of avoiding my own flesh and blood. Her stance is ridiculous, and I have told her so. I will not tolerate childish displays. Would that I had taken such a stand years ago; perhaps this night would never have happened.”
“We cannot know, Papa,” Elizabeth began gently, “but I thank you for this night’s effort. I am prepared for whatever Mama might do. I am not afraid of her.” Elizabeth did not look at her mother as she spoke, but she could feel the heat from Mrs. Bennet’s glower.
“Very good, my child.” Nodding to his daughter and son-in-law, Mr. Bennet urged his wife forward.
Darcy turned to Elizabeth. “Are you well?”
Nodding faintly, Elizabeth replied, “Yes, I believe so. I am glad that is behind me, though I doubt Mama is going to let the entire evening pass without cornering me and having a go at me.”
“Should I be concerned?” A crease appeared between Darcy’s eyes as he considered the implications of her words. He was determined to keep his new mother in sight at all times; if he could prevent a scene, he would do so.
“No. Truly, my love,” Elizabeth said, “there is nothing she can say that she has not already said at some point in the past. I am married now, and to a gentleman far above anything any of us dreamed, including Mama. She should be deliriously happy, and I will not hesitate to remind her of that, should she approach me with anything other than kindness and an apology.”
Darcy raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. “I am happy to hear you say so. I do, however, sense distress in your manner. Be assured, Wife, that I will intervene if things unfold differently than you seem to think they will.”
Smiling at his protectiveness, Elizabeth assured him that she would welcome his assistance in that case, and they together turned to greet the next family that entered the assembly room.
~~~***~~~
The Darcys opened the dancing a few mi
nutes later, then alternated between circling the room, greeting friends and neighbors, and dancing with others. They had saved the middle set for each other, and were pleased that it was a dance that allowed for conversation, though the majority of it was spent staring into each other’s eyes. The spectators on both sides of the room remarked how well the couple looked together and how they danced so perfectly in tune with each other that they might have been thought to have partnered each other for years instead of two short months. It was listening to the neighbors praise her least favorite child that led Mrs. Bennet’s temper to the breaking point.
At the end of their set, Elizabeth and Darcy made their way to the supper room, stopping and speaking to many of Elizabeth’s friends. They entered the room smiling, and made their way to the tea table where a servant was pouring cups for everyone. Looking around the crowded room, Darcy located two empty seats and, nodding to his wife to indicate their direction, carried their cups over, holding them while Elizabeth settled herself. He handed the cups to her and then sat beside her. Before she could pass his back to him, he was startled by a shrill voice.
“You have your nerve, Miss Lizzy! Showing your face here and humiliating your own mother.”
Immediately, both Darcy and Elizabeth stiffened, but it was Elizabeth who spoke. “I have not the pleasure of understanding you, Mama.”
“You obstinate, headstrong girl! I am ashamed of you. You know very well what I mean! You have always been an ungrateful child. I did my best to teach you what a lady should know and to lead you in the proper direction to be a wife, but you refused to listen. You took my husband’s attention away from me and everything else in this life. Then, when I finally get you trained as well as I can manage, you turn down a perfectly good offer of marriage, one that would have saved me from a life in the hedgerows when your father passes.”
“But, Mama…Mr. Darcy is much higher than John Lucas. He would have been willing to keep you from the hedgerows, had you not behaved so atrociously toward me.”
“I have not treated you any worse than you treated me. I am your mother; you are supposed to obey me, not ignore me and turn my husband away from me.”
“I never turned anyone away from you,” Elizabeth cried, her rising temper betraying itself in her flushed cheeks, snapping eyes, and flaring nostrils. “I gave you the same respect I gave my father, that of a beloved parent. It was your own behavior that turned Papa away, if he indeed did turn.”
“If? Of course he turned away, and you are the reason.”
Sensing that her husband was about to step in, Elizabeth tried to alleviate the tension and distract her mother, but Mrs. Bennet was not to be deterred. Hearing Darcy’s intake of breath, she looked helplessly up at him, suddenly noticing the crowd gathering around them.
“Fanny Bennet, what are you yammering on about?” Lady Lucas’ frown gave away the perturbed state of her mind.
“Yes, Fanny, do tell. You are making no sense whatsoever.” Mrs. Goulding was one of the area’s greatest gossips, and she was vastly enjoying the scene her neighbor was making. It would provide fodder for the neighborhood for months to come.
“Fanny Bennet thinks only of herself. There is nothing wrong with her.” Mrs. Philips had no compassion for her sister at this moment; she had frequently tried to impress on Mrs. Bennet the importance of treating all her daughters well, not just her favorite ones. However, her sister had never been able to see past the end of her own nose and did not understand the ramifications of her words and actions. Having no children of her own, it greatly distressed Mrs. Philips to witness Mrs. Bennet mistreating Elizabeth. Now that Elizabeth was taking a stand against her mother, and had the comfort of a husband who loved and supported her, it was Mrs. Philips’ feeling that her sister should be punished. That she was being mocked in public did not cause a bit of guilt, either.
“I am not yammering or carrying on. I am speaking to this girl and not to any of you. Mind your business and leave me to mine.”
“This girl?” Lady Lucas tittered. “She is your daughter, Mrs. Bennet.” John Lucas’ mother had been in agreement with Mrs. Philips about Fanny Bennet’s treatment of her second child. The only reason she had not discouraged her son’s thoughts about marrying the girl was that she knew Elizabeth needed to get away from Longbourn. Her dowry was no larger than John’s sisters’; both she and Sir William had hoped he would marry up and Eliza was not what they were looking for.
“I know that,” snapped Mrs. Bennet.
Mrs. Goulding was caught up in the emotion of the moment. “Then why do you treat her so poorly? I have often remarked to Mr. Goulding that it was a shame that you are so cruel to Miss Elizabeth. It would serve you right if Mr. Darcy stood by and watched you be thrown out of Longbourn. It is not natural for a mother to treat her child as you do yours.”
Darcy stood back and watched as his mother-in-law’s friends and neighbors made mincemeat of her. As they went on, he could see Mrs. Bennet beginning to wilt under the realization that she had no support. Finally having seen enough, he gently grasped Elizabeth’s arm and pulled her away.
Chapter 9
Her hand having covered her mouth as soon as she realized that her mother was being rebuked by her friends, Elizabeth kept it in place as Darcy led her away. When he stopped in the hall outside the supper room, she removed it, gazing up at him with wide, unbelieving eyes. “Did that truly happen?”
“Yes, my love, your mother was publicly censured. I am glad of it,” he continued fiercely. “For if they had not, I was about to. No one disparages my wife and gets away with it.”
Elizabeth lowered her hand and took a deep breath, willing away the tears that threatened to fall. “Thank you, Fitzwilliam. I…I don’t know why she did that, nor why Papa let her go on. Where was he?”
“I did not see him. Perhaps he was in the card room or something. Looking for your sisters, maybe.”
“Maybe.” Elizabeth was rather doubtful. In her mind, it was more likely that her father was just out of sight, laughing at the scene. She was greatly disappointed that he made no effort to stop his wife’s abuse, but then, it was not the first time he had failed to protect her. Jane’s voice startled Elizabeth out of her contemplation as she came rushing into the hall, Bingley and Mary on her heels.
“Are you well, Lizzy? I am so sorry that Mama berated you in public like that. I cannot imagine what she was thinking.”
“I am as well as one would expect, I think. What is happening in there? Are the ladies still mocking Mama?”
“No,” Jane blushed and looked down. “They seem to have stopped.”
“Jane stopped them. Do not allow her to be modest about it.” Mary’s voice clearly showed her admiration for her eldest sister. “You and Mr. Darcy had no more than left the room when Jane stepped in. She told Mama that she was very wrong to speak so of her daughter and that you loved her. She said that if Mama felt that way about you, she must do so about the rest of us, as well, and that she was not going to stand around and wait for her to calm so she could see you.”
“She was magnificent,” Bingley added. “Jane is always so serene that I think none of the ladies, least of all her mother, expected such words from her.”
Jane’s blush deepened at the praise. “Mama is wrong, you know she is. Someone had to say it.”
Elizabeth hugged her elder sister. “And when you feel strongly that you are right, you are firm in it. Thank you for defending me, my dear sister. I suspect your words may have made an even greater impact on my mother than Lady Lucas’ and Mrs. Goulding’s. Do not be embarrassed.”
“I am proud of both of you,” Mary declared. “I have always liked you two best of all my sisters, and you have both demonstrated why I try to emulate your behavior.” Anything else she might have contemplated saying was cut off when Jane and Elizabeth pulled her into their hug.
“Thank you, both of you. I love you. Fitzwilliam and I both appreciate your assistance.” She looked over her shoulder at her
husband.
“We do,” he intoned, his deep voice relaying his sincerity. “You will always be welcome wherever we are, should you choose to visit.”
Elizabeth smiled at him, her appreciation for his words shining in her eyes.
“The musicians are taking up their instruments once again. Miss Bennet, may I have the pleasure of your company for this dance?” Bingley held his hand out to Jane. Her set down of Mrs. Bennet had greatly impressed him, for even as she handed out criticism, she did it quietly. She appeared to be the total opposite of her mother in gentility and personality, and Bingley was falling hard for her. Though they had only been in Hertfordshire for a week, every time he saw the lady, he was more certain that she was the one for him.
“You may.” Jane happily tucked her hand under his extended arm, allowing him to lead her back to the ballroom. Mary followed, having hugged Elizabeth one more time.
Alone in the hallway again, Darcy pulled his wife into his arms, giving them both much-needed comfort after the events of the evening. “Are you truly well, my love?”
Elizabeth melted into his embrace, laying her head on his chest and snuggling in close. “I am. It helps to know that I was defended so vigorously, not only by the neighbors but also by my closest sister. I never thought Jane would speak against Mama, or anyone, for that matter.”
“I am happy that you have such devotion between you, and Miss Mary, as well. I meant what I said about them visiting. I should be glad to host them at any time.”
“I know, and thank you. It would delight me to have them close by as often as possible.”
They fell silent for a few moments, reveling in the quiet of their embrace. They kissed, and then Darcy asked for another set of dances, which Elizabeth granted with a twinkle in her eye. They separated, Darcy tucking his wife’s hand under his arm, and turned to enter the ballroom when Mr. Bennet suddenly appeared before them.