My Beginning With Mr. Darcy [Book One]

by Lauren King

  Elizabeth shyly stops trying to get the lemon pastry for him. She just lets him hold her hand as he likes. Obviously, she is thrilled at his ardor for her. Elizabeth asks joyfully, “So what did you do with all your free time today, darling?”

  “I had luncheon with Morgan, and then I received a note from Bingley asking me to have luncheon on the morrow at one o’clock.” Darcy smiles smugly like he knows a secret or something.

  “Oh?” Elizabeth smiles coyly. “What did Mr. Morgan and you talk about, darling?” Elizabeth knows that William knows that she wants to hear the details of what Mr. Morgan thinks of Jane. However, William is teasing her by being nonchalant about it.

  “Oh, gentlemanly things.” Darcy smirks mischievously while knowing that Elizabeth wants to hear about what Morgan thinks of Jane. However, it is very fun to tease Elizabeth; she is adorable when she wants information from him.

  “Is it too gentlemanly that I cannot hear about it?” She smiles sweetly but alluringly at him as she covers his hand with both of hers.

  “Oh…I do not know. It concerns a gentleman liking a young lady, and he is hoping that his interest is reciprocated. Is that something that you will be interested in hearing about?” Darcy asks ingenuously – jokingly, of course.

  “Only if you are at liberty to tell me. I am interested in anything you have to say at any time – you know that.” Elizabeth replies innocently with an engaging, impish smile.

  “Anything I have to say?” Darcys asks good naturedly.

  “Yes.” Elizabeth answers coyly.

  “I can just tell you anything and you would be interested in listening? Like the yields on my harvest and the wool prices?” Darcy continues to be lighthearted.

  “Darling!” Elizabeth pouts charmingly. She knows he is purposely teasing her, now. “You are teasing me!” She pouts adorably and then pulls on his hands playfully.

  “All right, dearest; I will tell you what a certain gentleman said.” Darcy smiles handsomely, and then kisses her cheek chastely.

  “Morgan is very interested in Jane. He thoroughly enjoyed his visit with her yesterday. He eagerly awaits for Sunday’s visit with her again. That reminds me; the service at my church begins at nine o’clock. I will be here at a quarter after eight to collect you. Will that be acceptable?”

  “That will be fine, darling. Will Georgie come with us?”

  “Yes, she said she will. Have you asked Jane to come also?”

  “Yes, I have and she is glad to join us.” Elizabeth smoothly reverts back to her information-extraction mission. “Now, is that all that Mr. Morgan said, darling?”

  “Let me see…” Darcy pretends to look upwards and concentrate.

  “Darling!” Elizabeth pouts prettily again.

  “All right, goodness!” Darcy jests. “I think you would make a good barrister too – interrogating me like this.” Darcy sees her pouting again, and he chuckles some more. Darcy laughs. “All right, Morgan said that he really likes Jane, and he hopes that things will work out for them. He does not fool around when it comes to pursuing a young lady who knows her mind. He thinks that Jane could be the right person to share his life. He thinks she is kind, warm, caring, sensible, and pretty. He says he is looking for exactly all of those features in a wife. He knows his mind, and he is not flippant or ambivalent. He is looking forward to knowing Jane better. There, is that what you wanted to hear, my love?”

  “Yes, thank you, darling.” Elizabeth smiles vibrantly and surprises William again by kissing his hand happily. They are seated about two feet apart on the sofa, so it feels very intimate.

  Darcy is very happy with his betrothal; he can only be happier if they were already married, but he will be patient. She will be his wife in 35 more days. He will definitely be the happiest man that day.

  SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28th

  Elizabeth has been talking quietly with William at the window, where she usually reads, since half past ten o’clock when they came back from William’s church. At eleven o’clock Jane is seated at the sofa with Athena reading to her quietly when Mr. Morgan is shown into their drawing room. Everyone bows and curtsies cheerily, including cute little Athena.

  Morgan is surprised to see Darcy here, but he should not be surprised because Darcy is already betrothed to Miss Elizabeth; hence, he is allowed to visit her at any time he likes and for as long as he likes.

  “Good morning, Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, Darcy, and this pretty princess; how are you all this morning?” Morgan asks cheerily.

  All pleasantries are conveyed. Elizabeth recognizes Jane’s shyness. She can tell that Jane likes Mr. Morgan. Yesterday, Elizabeth told Jane what William had told her about Mr. Morgan. Jane said that she was attracted to Mr. Morgan the first time they met, but she did not want to be disappointed again because she does not know how Mr. Morgan will react if he ever finds out about Lydia’s problem. Elizabeth encouraged her not to be so burdened by Lydia’s problem. Within another week, they will find out from their Father where Lydia’s problem stands. More importantly now, Jane should think about her own situation with these two gentlemen.

  Jane will be able to decipher her feelings a little better after today’s visit because she already knows that she is inclined towards Mr. Morgan. Now, she wants to assure if the feelings are true and sufficient on which to build a relationship.

  Morgan’s gaze is locked on Miss Bennet. She seems comfortable seeing him now and her smiles are lovely, indeed.

  Elizabeth smiles lovingly at William and then turns to Mr. Morgan to say, “Please excuse us, Mr. Morgan. Our book is over by the window there.”

  “Certainly, Miss Elizabeth.” Morgan responds cordially; he knows that Miss Elizabeth and Darcy are understanding.

  “Lizzy, I will go to Mama.” Athena says cheerfully.

  “All right, sweetie; do you know where your Mama is?”

  “Yes. Good day Mr. Darcy and Mr. Morgan.” Athena curtsies most adorably before quitting the drawing room.

  Morgan sees how attentive Darcy and Miss Elizabeth are towards each other, and it makes him eager to have that with Miss Bennet. He can already tell that there is a difference with Miss Bennet’s demeanor towards him. He does not know if Darcy has conveyed any of what he had expressed to Darcy yesterday. He does not mind if Darcy did; as long as Miss Bennet reciprocates his feelings then he is fine. He would rather she knows of his clear interest so there is no misunderstanding as to where his intentions lie. Within the next few visits, he intends to ask her for a courtship if she shows signs of partiality towards him; they seem to get along thus far.

  “Miss Bennet, you look very pretty in that dress this morning.” Morgan says admiringly.

  “Thank you, Mr. Morgan.” Jane replies shyly with another attractive smile. “Would you like some tea or coffee, sir?”

  “Some tea, please.” Morgan replies congenially.

  For the next hour, Jane and Mr. Morgan comfortably chat about when they were young, his work, his goals, and their families. Jane is less apprehensive about Mr. Morgan not being able to tolerate what she may have to reveal regarding Lydia. However, one never knows until one is directly facing the problem in question. She can only be her natural self; if that is not enough of an enticement for her suitor to overcome her family problem, then she cannot do more to change his mind. She is very tired of thinking about Lydia’s problem over and over again. Now, she knows how Elizabeth felt in regards to William.

  Morgan asks if Jane would like to take a walk with him in Hyde Park on the morrow and then go for some tea and pastries afterwards. “Certainly, Miss Elizabeth is also invited, Miss Bennet. Maybe both Miss Elizabeth and Darcy would like to join us.”

  “Oh, that sounds nice, Mr. Morgan. The weather has been agreeable in the afternoons.” Jane responds happily. She wants Elizabeth and William to come too.

  “Would noontime be satisfactory, Miss Bennet?”

  “Yes, that will be fine for me, but I will need to ask Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy.” Jane looks
over at Elizabeth to see her look back at her. “Lizzy?”

  “Yes, Jane?” Elizabeth smiles tenderly and walks over to where Jane sits.

  “Mr. Morgan has invited us and William to go for a walk in Hyde Park tomorrow at noon and then go for pastries afterwards. Will you be able to come at that time?”

  “Oh, I am sorry I will not be available tomorrow until about two o’clock because I already promised Uncle to help him with his accounting tomorrow. If Aunt is agreeable, you can bring Mildred. The weather has been nice for a walk at this time of year as I have been told.” Elizabeth responds good-naturedly.

  Morgan interjects, “If you do not mind, Miss Bennet we can delay the walk until Miss Elizabeth is available at two o’clock.”

  Morgan turns towards Jane and he gives her his full attention so she knows that he will accommodate any time that she would like. He does not want her to back out of their visit for any reason.

  At this point, Elizabeth wants to give Jane and Mr. Morgan some privacy. “Excuse me.” She gets up to walk towards William, and she raises her hand out to him; he instantly walks towards her and extends his hand to hold hers.

  “What is it, Lizzy?”

  Elizabeth quietly explains the invitation. “Will that be a convenient time for you, darling?”

  Darcy warmly and quietly reminds Elizabeth, “You will be helping your Uncle all morning tomorrow. You will need some rest when you come home. I do not want you tired and immediately going to the park afterwards.”

  “Darling, I will rest after I have luncheon. Can we go with them, please? I can tell that Jane really wants to go. I will be fine. I will only be doing paperwork, not anything laborious.” She pouts and smiles coquettishly so she can get her way.

  “Lizzy, I do not want you tired. I already do not like the idea of you being at that office after those hooligans robbed your Uncle.” Darcy speaks firmer.

  “Darling, please, can we go?” Elizabeth tries to distract William from that subject, so she smiles coyly again and looks up at him innocently with pouty lips.

  “Fine, Lizzy, but if you are tired, I want you to come home earlier. Your Uncle will understand.” Darcy remains firm.

  “I promise, I will, darling.” Elizabeth smiles merrily with satisfaction. Afterwards, she walks towards Jane and Mr. Morgan. “Is the time change still agreeable to everyone?” She smiles cheerily.

  “Two o’clock will be fine with us if you and William can come at that time, Lizzy.” Jane says considerately.

  “Yes, two o’clock will be fine for us.” Elizabeth answers agreeably.

  Darcy leaves to meet Bingley for luncheon at their club half an hour after Morgan ended his visit. Before Darcy left, he expressed to Elizabeth that he does not want her to be alone in her Uncle’s office at any time. Elizabeth promises him that her Uncle will be there the entire time; he will never leave her there alone. Darcy is still not happy, but with the assurance that Mr. Gardiner will be present, it will have to do for now.

  Darcy plans to talk to Elizabeth about his discomfort with her going to her Uncle’s office to do the accounting. He is displeased that she is laboring like that, at all. She will become Mrs. Darcy; she should not be anywhere near any docks or warehouses and slaving all day. He is very uncomfortable with it, but he knows that her Uncle is in desperate need of her assistance; hence, Darcy could not voice his opinion too boldly. Elizabeth is a kind, good, loyal person; she would not abandon her Uncle in a time of need. Therefore, Darcy will need to help find a trustworthy accountant for Mr. Gardiner to employ; that way, Elizabeth will not have to go to that area anymore.

  Luncheon with Bingley is always enjoyable. Bingley is usually affable and glib with conversation, but today he seems quieter. They enjoy catching up with everything, but Bingley is reserved, thus Darcy feels compelled to ask Bingley about his discontent. He can already guess that it is about Jane. Darcy does not know what to do for Bingley if Bingley does not or cannot control Miss Bingley. That is a very personal family matter that needs to be taken care of by Bingley, himself. He can advise Bingley on how to carry out the action, but Bingley has to make the decision and do it himself. In the past, Darcy had mentioned to Bingley several times about having better control over her. Bingley seemed to be relaxed about it; consequently, Darcy did not want to press Bingley on it further.

  Miss Bingley has tried to be coy and to praise Darcy to the sky each time they were in each other’s company. Darcy has always ignored any of her intimations; however, she did not seem to grasp his disinterest, and Bingley could not seem to stop her allusions of becoming Mrs. Darcy. Bingley simply does not want any conflict with anyone; this will certainly give him trouble in the future.

  “So Bingley, come out with it. I know this is very uncommon of you to be this reserved.” Darcy tries to be casual so the problem does not seem overpowering.

  “How is everything with you and Miss Elizabeth, Darcy?” Bingley asks drearily but with hope for his very good friend.

  They have not talked since the day they were both at the Gardiner’s residence visiting with the two beautiful Bennet sisters. He had tried to contact Darcy a few days after that, but he found out that Darcy was out of town with his sister for a week. After that week, Bingley just wanted to think more about the situation with Miss Bennet’s family and his own family. The Bennet’s problem will definitely cause such pandemonium with Caroline that he is not sure that he wants to tackle it. He truly likes Miss Bennet, but the problems that can proliferate from her family’s situation can be insurmountable for someone in his position.

  “I have not had a chance to talk with you – with the holidays and all. I am very happy to tell you that Miss Elizabeth and I are engaged to be married on January 31st in the New Year.” Darcy grins happily as thrilling sensations travel throughout his entire body at the mention of his marriage to Elizabeth.

  “Darcy! Congratulations, chap! This is astonishing! Congratulations!” Bingley excitedly cheers up at this announcement and bends towards Darcy as they both extend their hands to shake vigorously.

  “Thank you, Bingley. I am very happy. You will get your invitation soon.” Darcy continues to grin most contentedly.

  Bingley laughs at Darcy’s emphasis that only he is invited to the wedding. “Lord, you work fast! I am very happy for you both. This is…incredible! The infamous Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy will be married in a month. Unbelievable!” Both gentlemen chuckle merrily as Bingley is still shocked. “Miss Elizabeth looks to be a wonderful young lady. I am overjoyed for you, Darcy – truly.” Bingley says joyfully and genuinely.

  “Thanks, Bingley. Miss Elizabeth is, indeed, an extraordinary young lady.” Darcy says proudly and blissfully.

  “Darcy…” Bingley takes in a deep breath before continuing. “I have had arguments with Caroline regarding Miss Bennet, and I have not even told Caroline about the Bennet’s problem yet. Can you imagine the mayhem if Caroline knew about it?”

  “Bingley, as I have told you before, you have to take a firmer hold of your younger sister. She is definitely old enough to understand that certain behavior will reflect badly on her; you will also be seen in a bad light for her behavior. You need to do something about her; otherwise, I am sorry to say, you will not be happy and you will not have a happy wife. I am sure in either of those situations your life will be miserable.” Darcy states determinedly. He really wants Bingley to be sterner with Miss Bingley. It is ridiculous to see that Bingley cannot stand up for his own happiness.

  “I am seeing that now. I am trying to be reasonable with her and explain so she can understand, but she is so scared of being associated with trades people that it is hard to say anything against her beliefs. And now to be associated with such a problem as the Bennet’s; that will wreak havoc which I do not know if I can handle. She is my sister and I am responsible for her until she is married so…” Bingley trails off into silence.

  Darcy is so thankful that Georgiana is such a good, kind person. “Bingley, she is three and tw
enty, correct?” Darcy asks and Bingley nods in affirmation. “She cannot continue to be the way she is or else she will only end up with a gentleman that will take control of all of her money, use it all, and still treat her badly. That would be a dreadfully bleak future. Her attitude and behavior must change, and you have to set down the rules. I am sorry if that was blunt, Bingley. I do not want to see you agonized. You are too good-natured to suffer like this. However, I recognize that due to your good nature, she acts like that with you. I am sorry for sounding so direct and harsh, but you must correct her or do something about her.”

  “You are correct.” Bingley sighs deeply and glumly.

  Darcy does not want to say anything more about Miss Bingley or Miss Lydia’s problem which may clear up if Sergeant Denny marries her. Darcy does not want to give Bingley false hope because if Miss Lydia’s problem does not get resolved, then Bingley will again be in a difficult position. That would be worse on Jane if Bingley should retreat again; consequently, Darcy decides to stay quiet until he hears from Mr. Bennet about Miss Lydia’s resolution.

  “I will visit Miss Elizabeth, now, so we will talk again soon. Will you be attending Salisbury’s New Year’s Eve Ball?”

  “Yes, will you be attending?”

  “Yes, we will. How about St. Claire’s New Year’s Day Ball?”

  “Yes. You will be there too?”

  “Yes, we will. I am certain that Miss Bennet will be attending with me and Miss Elizabeth for both balls. Will you be bringing Miss Bingley?”

  “I do not want to.” Bingley breathes heavily and miserably.

  “I will see you there, then. Think about it, Bingley. Do not agonize over it anymore. Do what you feel is right and do it sooner than later.” Darcy says thoughtfully and sympathetically.

  Darcy recognizes that he is in a different position than Bingley; he can weather the storm of Miss Lydia’s problem. Bingley’s family’s reputation cannot withstand such a blow; Darcy feels badly for Bingley. He hopes that Miss Lydia’s problem will resolve the way he has imagined. If that is the case, then maybe Bingley can try to win Jane back. On the other hand, Darcy does not think Bingley can win Jane’s hand back if Morgan is in the picture. From what Darcy could observe earlier, Jane seems to be partial to Morgan. Morgan is a good man, and he can stand up to anyone in order to protect Jane. Darcy is certain that Jane and Elizabeth have taken that aspect into consideration. Darcy is concerned that Bingley may have lost Jane. Unfortunately, Bingley has made the mistake of not standing up to his younger sister. Bingley will regret Jane for a very long time.