by C. P. Odom
Chapter 18
Friends are as companions on a journey, who ought to aid each other to persevere in the road to a happier life.
— Pythagoras (BC 582–BC 507), Greek philosopher and mathematician
Tuesday, October 29, 1816
Longbourn, Hertfordshire
Elizabeth leaned over to look out the coach window as her previous home came into view through the trees. She had expected to feel a surge of homesickness as she returned to the house, but as she now looked at Longbourn, she felt nothing out of the ordinary. True, it was a house with many memories, but she no longer considered it her home. Home was the house in London where she lived with her husband. Home was also the distant estate in Derbyshire she had not yet seen. She felt it strange and a bit unexpected, but it was nevertheless true.
Darcy sat beside her, and he smiled encouragingly and took her hand. She did not know whether he understood what she was feeling or was just admiring her, something he did quite often, but she returned his smile. She resumed her perusal of Longbourn as the coach pulled into the drive, and she was not surprised to see her mother looking out of the front parlour window with Kitty at her side. They assuredly had been eagerly watching for their arrival, and both of them jumped to their feet and disappeared from view.
They stepped down from the coach, but the chill late-October morning kept everyone inside. The door was thrown wide just as she and Darcy reached it, and her mother was quick to greet her as they entered and the door was closed behind them. Her mother almost bounced with enthusiasm as she embraced Elizabeth, kissed her on both cheeks, and chattered incessantly. Her pleasure in welcoming her daughter and son-in-law to Longbourn was unbounded, and she was equally unrestrained as she admired the size and elegance of the Darcy coach and complimented Elizabeth on her fashionable new attire. Elizabeth was thankful her mother was considerably more restrained as she greeted Darcy; in fact, she was struck mute as he bowed solemnly and raised her hand to his lips.
Kitty’s greeting was almost as unrestrained as her mother’s, but Mary and Jane were much more sedate in their welcome. Jane embraced Elizabeth tightly before holding her at arms’ length to look intently into her eyes. Evidently, what she saw there satisfied her, for she released her with a quick smile and a kiss on the cheek.
Mr. Bennet waited behind the girls, having made a rare departure from the sanctuary of his library. He was truly pleased to see her though Elizabeth was pained anew by his obvious ill-health. His complexion appeared even greyer than it had been when she left.
“Welcome home, Lizzy,” he said, as he stepped forward and embraced her warmly. “It is good to see you. It is even better to see you with a smile on your face. Do I take it the past weeks of marriage have not been entirely unpleasant for you?”
“Not entirely, no,” agreed Elizabeth, glancing over at Darcy with a mischievous smile on her face. “Despite my furious displeasure on the day I was married, my new husband has taken great pains to make my life with him quite comfortable. It seems certain fears on my part were quite unnecessary, and with proper guidance on my part, I have reason to believe our union will prosper tolerably well.”
“Excellent!” Mr. Bennet beamed. “It is just as my brother Gardiner predicted.”
“A most excellent judge of character,” offered Darcy, stepping forward to offer his hand. “I shall always be indebted to him and his wife—and to you, of course, sir.”
Mr. Bennet took his proffered hand and examined the younger man closely. He smiled at what he saw, and Elizabeth noted the twinkle in his eye as he said, “You do look happy enough, young man. Lizzy has not made life too difficult for you, has she?”
“Not at all, sir. She has been rather gentle with me, all things considered. There were some sparks at first, but I believe we have resolved our major points of conflict. Though Elizabeth has promised to continue to tease and make sport of me whenever possible.”
“Yes, life with my Lizzy will never be sedate, but you knew that when you came to me.”
“Exactly right. It was perfectly foreseeable.”
Mrs. Bennet looked both alarmed and horrified at such frank talk, but she dared not say anything. When her husband had first informed her that Elizabeth would marry Darcy, she had been thrilled beyond measure since she knew it marked an end to the isolation in which they had been cast by Lydia’s elopement. Afterwards, she had visited about the neighbourhood and been entertained in return by all her former friends, who were quick to seek the details of how such a brilliant match had come about. Gone were the previous bad opinions in which he had been held since even the neighbourhood gossips had finally realised much of Darcy’s ill reputation had been due to the tales spread by that scoundrel of scoundrels, George Wickham.
But, while Mrs. Bennet had been overjoyed by the match, she had known neither the details of how the wedding came about nor the reason it had to be executed in such haste. Her husband would not impart any further information, saying the marriage was all that mattered, not how it had been accomplished.
Her lack of knowledge had forced Mrs. Bennet to be rather circumspect in her conversations with her neighbours, but she had managed to do so without undue difficulty, satisfying them with hints about a secret correspondence between the two lovers beforehand. She was brought back to the present conversation as Mr. Bennet continued.
“In fact, I find myself missing Lizzy desperately already, young man. When Jane departs, I do not know what I shall do since it is irrefutable that there will be no sensible conversation to be had at Longbourn.”
Elizabeth nodded soberly at this comment. Her father had responded favourably to her letter relating Darcy’s suggestion that Jane should accompany them to Pemberley, and she knew he was doing what he thought best for Jane.
After his visit and examination, Dr. Douglas had prescribed some medications to ease Mr. Bennet’s occasional chest pains, but he had reported there was little else he could do but to caution a moderation in brandy and port in favour of wine. The unpalatable truth was that her father’s heart had been weakened, and there was no other remedy.
But Mr. Bennet was cheerful enough now, and during the journey from London, Elizabeth had determined to relieve Darcy of as much contact with her mother’s folly and vulgarity as she could.
Accordingly, Elizabeth turned to her husband. “My dear, I am sure there are a number of items you wish to discuss with my father. Since we shall not depart until Thursday morning, perhaps my mother and I might borrow your coach in order to visit some of our friends in the neighbourhood.”
In truth, visiting her mother’s friends was one of the last things Elizabeth desired to do, but her mother’s eagerness to exhibit her newly married daughter made her accept this offer with fervent haste, and she disappeared above stairs to don the appropriate apparel. Darcy smiled at Elizabeth gratefully, and she rolled her eyes at her husband as he followed her father into his library.
Her mother’s voice could still be heard, happily telling Elizabeth who they should visit and in what order, but being well-used to her mother, she could easily tolerate an afternoon or two of embarrassment to spare Darcy.
***
It was some hours before Elizabeth and her mother returned, and Mrs. Bennet’s satisfaction at such a triumphant excursion was so great that she retired to her room to savour all the pleasures of their restored standing in the community and sent a message to her sister Philips with one of the servants. Thus, it was rather late in the afternoon before Jane was able to have a private conversation with her sister. As they entered her bedroom, Jane gave a huge sigh of relief.
“I thought I would never be able to talk with you alone,” she said as Elizabeth seated herself on the window seat and assumed her favourite position with her legs tucked under her. “Now, I can wait no longer. When you left, you were truly enraged at what my father had done, and now you app
ear to be quite content with Mr. Darcy. I am pleased to see it, of course, but I am very confused. And then there is your extraordinary invitation to Pemberley! Father told me to accept it, and I did so gladly, but what does it mean? What does everything mean?”
“You must slow down!” Elizabeth laughed, patting the seat beside her. “Come, sit down, and I shall answer everything you ask. But one question at a time, I beg you!”
“Then you must tell me the truth. Do you really get on well with Mr. Darcy?” Jane asked urgently as she sat down. “You wrote that you have grown increasingly content with your situation, and I desperately hoped such might be the case. But can it be real? Or are you simply pretending—trying to spare our feelings?”
“You know me too well to believe me capable of pretending something like that,” Elizabeth said. “It is surely a defect of my character, but if I were truly unhappy, you can have no doubt I would say so.”
“That is true,” Jane said, “but our situation is so terrible—was so terrible, to be more accurate! I had to wonder whether you might have been driven to…well…behaviour that is quite different from your character.”
Elizabeth’s smile was cheerful and open. “William has made errors, of course, but so have I—dreadful ones. But we have determined we shall no longer remember those past missteps. William is too good a man to deserve less. In such cases as this, a good memory can be a hindrance to felicity. I am determined that the veil of forgetfulness will preclude any further consideration of such mistakes.”
“That is encouraging,” Jane said with a somewhat uncertain smile. “At least, I hope so. I have very much wished for your happiness, but I was concerned that you had sacrificed yourself to save our family.”
“I did feel a sort of sacrificial martyrdom when I departed Longbourn, but that memory goes in the same crypt as the others. Think only of this: William and I do not sleep apart. We share the same bed every night, and he holds me in his arms. I am determined we shall continue to do so for all our lives. I do not know whether I love him with the intensity he loves me since his love endured four years of anguish on his part, but I cannot imagine being married to anyone else. He is, quite simply, the best man I know, and it is settled between us that we are to be the happiest couple in the world.”
Jane leaned back against the side of the window well, her mouth slightly agape as she looked at her sister. Finally, she managed to say, “I am astonished! I could not imagine your opinion changing so quickly and well—”
“Do not trouble yourself about it any further,” Elizabeth said earnestly. “Pray believe me—I am quite happy and content, and I am looking forward to seeing Pemberley, especially since you will be at my side.”
“Which brings me again to this invitation. Did it take a great deal of persuasion to convince your husband to let me come?”
“No persuasion was needed at all. It was his idea. A few days after we were married, we visited Aunt and Uncle Gardiner, and William mentioned he had been considering inviting you to accompany us to Pemberley. It was quite a surprise to me.”
“That is most generous, but I cannot help but wonder why he suggested it.”
“In part, it is because I would not know any of the local families when we first arrive at Pemberley. He thought you would be good company for me until I become more familiar with the neighbourhood, but he also thought you would benefit from a change of scenery.”
Elizabeth did not mention what she believed to be Darcy’s primary motive—to make amends for what he had done to separate Jane and Bingley four years earlier. She never acquainted Jane with those facts, either after Darcy’s disastrous proposal or in the years that followed. There seemed to be no sufficient reason to do so.
“That is very thoughtful of him,” Jane said with a relieved smile. “I can see why you have changed your opinion of Mr. Darcy. Thank you for putting my mind at rest.”
“I think the Christmas season and, indeed, the entire winter will be much more convivial if you are with me.”
Another more playful thought came to mind. Darcy knew well that, even after the isolation of her family subsided, there would have been little chance either she or her sisters would find a husband suitable to their character. There would be an enhanced chance for Jane in Derbyshire where she would only be known as the sister of Mrs. Darcy and she could meet any number of young men. Careful to control her expression and keep her impish intention concealed, Elizabeth said with the utmost casualness, “Besides, William wants to introduce you to his cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam, whom I met in Kent. He is the youngest son of the Earl of Matlock, and both William and the colonel’s own family are of the opinion he should find a wife and settle down.”
“Lizzy, do not tease me so!” exclaimed Jane with a somewhat uneasy laugh.
“In fact, after the results he obtained in my case, he offered to go to Lord Matlock and my father in order to finalise the arrangements,” Elizabeth said, her eyes dancing with mischief. “After all, he has experience in the matter, and his solicitor could draw up the appropriate agreements quite quickly.”
“Lizzy, stop!”
Elizabeth laughed and embraced her sister warmly, and Jane was greatly relieved as they moved to other topics.
***
Darcy spent a pleasant afternoon, much of it with Mr. Bennet in his library, but he knew Elizabeth desired some private conversation with her father. Thus, he was reading in the parlour when she descended the stairs after talking to Jane.
“I believe your father would like a word with you,” he told her when she entered the room. “Was your excursion with your mother tolerable?”
“To a degree,” Elizabeth said with a laugh, “especially since I knew it would be short-lived. All her friends wanted to know the latest news from town regarding fashions and gossip, and I was hard pressed to find a way to answer them. I am afraid I indulged in a bit of exaggeration and managed to indirectly leave them with the impression that you did not allow me to leave the house too often, so I learned little of such affairs.”
“Which is only a slight misstatement, my dear,” Darcy said, laughing cheerfully, and she was warmed by the way his eyes darkened as he looked at her. She leaned down and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before leaving the room.
Her father was already waiting for her in his library, and she curled up in her favourite upholstered chair facing his desk.
“I miss seeing you in that chair,” Mr. Bennet said, leaning back comfortably in his own. “And with Jane gone, it will be even worse.”
“It was good of you to agree to let Jane accompany us.”
“It will be for the best, and I shall get on after a fashion. I know Jane wants to go. The society here has become rather trying. Even if our honour seems restored somewhat in the eyes of those whom we refer to as friends, it is obvious Jane will never find a suitable husband among the eligible young men of the neighbourhood. It may be a blessing, now that I consider it. There are few young men who might possibly deserve her. In fact, I cannot think of a single one.”
Elizabeth smiled. “William believed a respite in a different county would restore her spirits.”
“I cannot disagree. Jane’s disposition has always been excellent, but the sad events following Lydia’s elopement were perhaps harder on her than she allowed. I do not believe she will ever fully understand why our neighbours shunned us as they did. It will be good for her to get away as much as I shall miss both of you. And it is decidedly more likely she might meet a young man among your husband’s circle than our own.”
“I was very pleased that William made the suggestion. It was one of many surprises I have encountered.”
“So you are on the way to forgiving him?” her father asked, his eyes glinting with the wry amusement with which she was so familiar.
“I have forgiven him everything,” Elizabeth
said simply. “William is an excellent man—a very complicated man, to be sure, and we are still learning about each other. He is not the haughty and cold man I thought I was marrying.
“During the past several years while I was becoming embittered about what had befallen our family, he was quietly suffering because of his love for me. He was certain his love was hopeless, but I cannot determine whether he was changed by my rejection of his offer or whether he was never the man I thought he was. I suspect it was some of both. As I said, he is not a simple man to understand, but this I know: since the first moments of our marriage, he has been gracious, kind, and loving towards me, and I quickly learned I could not maintain my resolve never to forgive him.”
“We all knew that would be the case.”
“It is quite embarrassing to have all my relations better able to discern my character than I can,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “In any case, I do not want the past to poison our future. We have resolved all our major differences, including what he did to separate Jane and Bingley.”
“I was not aware he was responsible for that,” Mr. Bennet said with a sudden frown.
“I think all of us knew he played a part, along with Bingley’s sisters, though I never told Jane of his admission of having done so. But William has admitted he was wrong, and he deeply regrets the sorrow Jane experienced and, in some measure, still experiences. I could not blame him for trying to protect his friend. He was convinced Jane did not feel the same attachment as Bingley felt for her, and knowing Jane’s disposition, I was forced to agree that such an observation had some merit.”
She paused for a moment in thought before continuing. “In any case, I have determined to my satisfaction that Bingley is quite content with his wife, and it is plain that he has no idea how attached Jane was to him. He was quite excited to learn his best friend had finally married and was very interested in hearing how all the people he had known at Netherfield were getting on. When he learned Jane was still unmarried, he was astonished. I rather think he had no knowledge of Lydia’s elopement with Wickham. ”