Love Unsought

by Kay Bea

  Now she sat in her favourite parlour with Anne and Miss Mary Bennet, awaiting the arrival of Miss Elizabeth Bennet. She was pleased with what she had learnt of the family so far and was, therefore, predisposed to like the young woman coming to meet her this day. She was duly impressed when Miss Bennet was announced precisely on time. To arrive early would have made the young lady appear over-eager, while arriving too late would make her inconsiderate. Miss Bennet had triumphed before she was even seen.

  Once she was announced, Miss Bennet stepped into the room and gave a small smile when Anne immediately stood to make the introductions. She greeted Miss Bennet, then turned to her aunt and said, “Lady Matlock, may I present Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn in Hertfordshire?”

  Lady Matlock stepped forward as she spoke. “Miss Bennet, I am so pleased to make your acquaintance at last! I feel as though we are already old friends.”

  “Thank you, my lady. And thank you for the kind invitation today.”

  “I could do no less, you are to be my family.”

  Miss Bennet visibly relaxed. “You are very kind, Lady Matlock.”

  “I am anxious to hear the story of you and my nephew. I would ask after your family, but I believe I have it all from your sister.”

  Miss Bennet raised her eyebrows and glanced at her sister. Miss Mary answered, “Perhaps not all, Your Ladyship.”

  “Pah. I have had enough to form an accurate enough picture. Mother and youngest sister to be avoided at all times, next youngest is friendly with Georgiana and not yet out, Miss Mary must grow in confidence before being set upon by all of society, the eldest recently married to Darcy’s friend Bingsby, and you, Miss Bennet, have brought joy to a house that has not seen enough of it these many years.”

  Miss Bennet laughed. “What a picture you paint! As for Mr Darcy and me, the story is not so very interesting. We had a series of misunderstandings which were resolved to everyone’s happiness and we now look forward to a long and happy life together.”

  “You need not play coy with me, Miss Bennet. You see, I have already been in company with Lady Catherine and Lady Winslow. I am certain they told a much more entertaining version of events than what you have offered.”

  “Entertaining to be certain, but surely not accurate. I fear neither of those ladies has a terribly high opinion of me.”

  “I knew you would be intelligent!”

  “I thank you for the compliment, and as you have encountered such biased accounts of me, I shall have to rely upon your trust in your nephew’s good judgment and hope you come to your own decision regarding my character and disposition.”

  Lady Matlock was impressed. She allowed herself a small laugh and said, “I had thought you might require my guidance, but I see you will do well enough with only my endorsement. When you are married and you are ready, I shall have you join me on a few calls. I dare say you will be the toast of the Season. You are most unexpected, Miss Bennet, and I believe I shall delight in watching you confound the ton.”

  Darcy House

  It was not until Saturday that Darcy and Elizabeth had any opportunity for a private conversation. While they had been in company every day, they were nearly always surrounded by family. On this particular occasion, they were left with only the youngest of their family members. Their sisters had quickly abandoned any pretence of chaperoning in favour of trying some newly acquired watercolours.

  Darcy and Elizabeth watched as their younger sisters selected a space in the sunroom and began to sketch and paint the scene before them. Elizabeth was the first to speak: “I am still amazed by the change in Kitty. A year ago, I could not have imagined her in such a setting.”

  Darcy moved behind her and wrapped his arms about her waist, pulling her body close to his and resting his chin on her head. “I feel the same about Georgie. She was melancholy all the time then. I must attribute her newfound joy to you.”

  Elizabeth laughed. “I do not believe I deserve all the credit, sir. She does have an ideal brother.”

  “Do you think she will be lonely when we return to Pemberley?”

  “Why would she be? Has she been lonely there in the past?”

  “In the past, she has not had four sisters to miss.”

  Elizabeth turned in his arms. “She will not have four sisters to miss now”—she grinned mischievously—“only three. I have it on good authority that one sister will accompany her to Pemberley.”

  Darcy laughed and kissed her nose. “Tease. I was thinking perhaps we should invite her other sisters to join us. The unmarried ones, that is.”

  Elizabeth blinked back tears and turned her face up to see his. “Do you mean that? You would invite Mary and Kitty to live with us?”

  “I am perfectly serious, though your father may object. I believe he has grown fond of their company.”

  “It is true that he would miss them, but I do not think he would oppose the scheme if it were what they truly wanted.”

  “It is settled then. When we return from London, I will speak with your father. If he agrees, we shall invite your sisters to come with us to Pemberley. Unless you think he would better hear the invitation from you.”

  She reached for his hand. “You are a good man, Fitzwilliam Darcy. I am fortunate to know you. I do think it would be best if I spoke with my father and sisters first, though he will still want to speak with you.”

  “Then I shall yield to your wisdom. You know your family best.” He hesitated before asking, “Do you think your mother will create trouble over the invitation?”

  “She is more likely to be thrilled at the idea of her daughters in the company of wealth and power. But if she does object, my father will overrule her. He is much changed in these past months.”

  Darcy accepted her word and found himself wishing for privacy. “Come. Let us walk. I do not believe you have yet seen my study.”

  The days following their return to Hertfordshire were busy with farewells and preparations for the wedding breakfast. Elizabeth found time to speak with her father about inviting Kitty and Mary to Pemberley and was delighted when he agreed. As she had suspected, her mother offered no objections to the idea.

  The invitation to her sisters was issued and accepted with joy. Mary and Kitty were each enthusiastic about the prospect of living with the Darcys. It was decided that Georgiana would stay with the Bingleys for two weeks following the wedding, then all three girls would travel to Pemberley. Though Mary made a decent show of disinterest, both girls were excited by the prospect of shopping for the items required to make their wardrobes suitable for a northern winter. Elizabeth suspected at least some of Mary’s enjoyment would come from being able to choose her own designs without Mrs Bennet continually harping about her lack of real beauty. Much to Elizabeth’s relief, neither of her younger sisters mentioned a single word about meeting eligible men.

  The Darcy siblings arrived on Thursday as promised, and in less time than Elizabeth thought possible, it was Sunday morning and she was seated with her family as the banns were read for the final time. Mrs Bennet adopted every appearance of happiness for her least favourite daughter. She may have been a woman of mean understanding and poor temper, but even she knew the consequences of a perceived rift in the family would harm her above anyone else. Her opinions had not changed, naturally, but she hoped her pretence would purchase some freedoms and perhaps an increase in opportunities to visit her neighbours.

  Mrs. Bennet worked diligently to gain early intelligence of the wedding date. All of her efforts were for naught. No amount of cajoling, begging, or even bribery had helped her to discover the true day and time of the wedding. One maid swore the event was to occur on Monday, another Tuesday and a third would have nothing but Thursday as the happy day. She was not informed of the day until the night before, though Mr Bennet had ensured his wife would have a new gown for the occasion. So it was that at ten o’clock in the morning on the Tuesday following the final reading of the banns Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy
were joined in marriage in a chapel filled with their dearest friends and beloved family members. Anne de Bourgh, Lady Matlock, and her son the colonel travelled from London for the occasion, while Mr and Mrs Philips and Miss Bingley were absent. Though Mrs Bennet sat with her husband and in days to come would often boast of the grand affair, she was only ever able to relate second-hand the stories of Pemberley and its mistress.

  Elizabeth took no note of who was in attendance. For her, the chapel might well have been empty. From the moment she entered the church on her father’s arm, she saw only her Fitzwilliam. Her heart swelled as their eyes met and she knew that everything that had ever happened in her life had led to this moment.

  Elizabeth was lost in a heaven of her own making and heard nothing more until the curate uttered those long-awaited words, “I pronounce that they be man and wife together.” She floated through the closing prayers and the reading of the psalms. They were married. No schemes of George Wickham, or Lady Winslow, or Caroline Bingley had prevailed in the end. All the misunderstandings, the almost unbearable separation, and the seemingly endless heartache would be forgot. She was now his wife and she would remember the past only as it brought her pleasure. Her face radiated happiness as she took her husband’s arm and walked to the register to sign her name as Bennet for the final time. They removed immediately to a private coach to enjoy their first kiss as a married couple. Then they took the most circuitous route possible in order to enjoy many more kisses before returning to Netherfield for the wedding breakfast.

  The newly married couple remained at Netherfield longer than either thought strictly necessary. When sufficient time had passed that their leaving would not cause offense, Darcy and Elizabeth once again boarded his private coach, this time headed for Darcy House. Given the difficulties involved with winter travel, the couple decided they would spend a week in London and then retire to Pemberley for some months before taking a wedding trip in the spring.

  Having slept little in the preceding days and not at all the night before, Elizabeth was soon lulled to sleep by the motion of the carriage and the warmth of her husband’s embrace. Much to her delight, Elizabeth rested comfortably in his arms the whole of their journey. Darcy woke her as they entered London and did not hesitate to assist her when she asked for help restoring her appearance. “It is now my privilege as your husband to do this,” he said and caressed the locks of her hair and trailed his fingers over her exposed wrists. It seemed even the simple act of holding her hairpins while she adjusted her curls brought him pleasure.

  “And what causes you to sigh so deeply, husband?” Elizabeth teased as she placed the final pin in her hair.

  “You, my beautiful wife. I am hopelessly under your power and find myself content to be so.”

  “Perhaps you should not have told me. How can you be certain I will not abuse my power over you?” She leaned over and kissed him deeply as she asked.

  “Teasing woman,” he replied as he kissed her nose. “We must cease this activity, or I shall not be able to exit the carriage!”

  Elizabeth flushed crimson and apologised. Darcy said, “I would not have you apologise for so beautifully expressing your desire. You are my beloved wife and I want you to be exactly as you are.”

  “I love you, Fitzwilliam Darcy, with all my heart.”

  Once they arrived at Darcy House, the couple lost no time in retiring to their chambers. They requested a tray be sent to Elizabeth’s sitting room and after minimal assistance, dismissed their personal servants, saying they would ring the following day when their services were required. Elizabeth felt no shyness with her new husband. It felt natural to her that he would assist in the removal of her gown, and she would provide a similar service to him. In a short time, they were comfortably dressed in little more than their dressing gowns and reclining together before the fire. Such informal attire, when combined with privacy, a little wine, and a good deal of desire could only lead to the purest and deepest expressions of marital felicity.

  It was several days before any of the household staff other than their personal servants saw Mr and Mrs Darcy. They took their meals in Elizabeth’s sitting room and spent their days precisely as a couple newly married and violently in love would be expected to. On the Friday evening following their marriage, Mr and Mrs Darcy made their first public appearance. Having been to the theatre earlier in the year, Elizabeth was now keen to accompany her husband to the opera. The new Mrs Darcy was everything lovely and Mr Darcy seriously considered cancelling their planned outing in favour of more intimate entertainment. His wife would insist on the opera, however, and in good time they made their entrance.

  Heads turned, gentlemen stared, and ladies whispered behind their hands as each got their first look at the elegant pair whose nuptials had been announced in the previous day’s papers. A privileged few had been at the theatre when Darcy and Elizabeth attended before, and their opinion was sought as to how Mrs Darcy had changed and what was known of her character. Though Elizabeth greatly enjoyed the performance, the moment that would be most talked of in the weeks to come occurred off-stage. As Mr and Mrs Darcy were making their way through the crush to their box, they were stopped by many of Darcy’s acquaintances. Lady Matlock’s approbation was all the evidence required to determine that Mrs Darcy was worth knowing, and it seemed most of those they met were determined to like her. Darcy had just murmured something that caused a slight blush to appear on his wife’s cheek when they saw Lady Winslow making her way through the crowd.

  Before they were married, Darcy had told her of the lady’s involvement in everything that had happened, and how she had conspired with Wickham to destroy his life: first by deceiving him into marriage, then later with the attempts to ruin Georgiana and the Bennet family. Knowing these facts, Elizabeth had nothing to say to the woman and could not imagine why she would seek them out. A public confrontation would not reflect well on either of them.

  As she watched Lady Winslow approach, Elizabeth made a decision. She wanted this woman out of her life permanently. As Miss Elizabeth Bennet, she had possessed no means of making that happen. However, as a result of Lady Matlock’s perceived support, Mrs Fitzwilliam Darcy was already a formidable woman. She stood quietly next to her husband and waited until Lady Winslow began her addresses. Then, without speaking a word, she looked directly at the harridan and turned away. She ignored the gasps of the crowd and with her husband proceeded gracefully to their box.

  At the intermission, the couple made it known they would be returning to Derbyshire the following week but would be happy to make and receive calls when next they were in town. When the performance concluded, they were among the first to leave. Years later, the Darcys learned the night marked the beginning of a decline in Lady Winslow’s importance that culminated with her husband sending her away after he discovered her flaunting her affair. It was said she refused the establishment he offered and had insufficient funds to purchase something to her tastes. In the end, she was forced to share a home with Miss Bingley, who had purchased an expensive home but had not the funds with which to maintain it. It was rumoured the pair hated one another.

  When their week in London was complete, Elizabeth and Darcy began the journey to Pemberley. Elizabeth was excited to see her new home and pleased that Darcy had arranged for their sisters to arrive a full week later. The condition of the roads slowed their progress, and a journey that was normally accomplished in three days instead took four. Darcy had timed their arrival on the final day with care. When they came to a certain bend in the road, he signalled the driver to stop and opened the carriage door. He was careful as he handed his bride down. He directed her to the magnificent limestone house nestled in the valley below. The sun was low in the sky and bathed the scene in warm light. Autumn leaves covered the grounds surrounding the limestone house. Elizabeth gasped. “Oh, Fitzwilliam! ’Tis splendid. Truly I have never seen the like.”

  “Welcome home, Elizabeth.”

  Because of the joy
Darcy saw in wife’s eyes when he spoke them, the words became an oft repeated phrase in the course of their marriage. He said it after they escorted Mary to join Anne in her travels around the world and when they returned first from Kitty’s wedding and then Georgiana’s. He said it again every time they returned from celebrating the arrival of a new niece or nephew. He even said it after they brought Mr Bennet to live with them in his old age. And every time he spoke the words, Elizabeth would smile as she had done the first time when she turned to him and, after bestowing a kiss on his cheek, said, “Thank you, my love.”

  Visits between the families were frequent and there were always stories to be shared between them. Elizabeth’s favourite visits were those when they were joined by Mary and Anne, who travelled the world together and always returned with fabrics and exotic spices. While her married sisters both bore several children, Elizabeth was blessed with only three. Each successive birth was more difficult than the last, with the third and final delivery proving nearly fatal to both mother and child. When Elizabeth finally recovered, the midwife informed her there would be no more children. Though he comforted Elizabeth in her grief at the news, Elizabeth knew her husband was relieved. He told her he loved her far too much to risk her life in childbirth again.

  In late July, ten years after her marriage, Elizabeth was chasing frogs with her three sons. They were each determined to catch the largest frog to show to their papa when he came down from his study. Elizabeth was determined to keep the boys at least somewhat dry until after their mid-day meal. Then they would go swimming with their father. Later in the day, she would give the boys over to the care of their governess and Elizabeth would enjoy a private swim with her husband. It was an activity they had enjoyed since their first summer at Pemberley when Darcy found her teaching Kitty and Georgiana to swim. Elizabeth smiled fondly at the memory and returned her attention to her sons. Their youngest was showing her an especially large specimen when an old wagon came trundling up the drive.