by Lauren King
Later, all four sisters go to the drawing room so that Elizabeth and Darcy can take their leave. They all promise to write to each other often. “I want to hear about everything you both are doing and planning. I will help in any way I can, but you both understand that you have to want it for yourself first before it will work, right?” Elizabeth hopes that Mary and Kitty will stay motivated with their development.
Both Mary and Kitty reply affirmatively. They will miss their two eldest sisters very much, but they know that they need to be brave and do this for themselves. Mary and Kitty will help each other; Elizabeth and Jane have promised that they will help when needed. Things are going to change for the better.
Before leaving, Elizabeth mentions to her Father that Mary and Kitty very much want to improve themselves and help him with the estate. “Papa, they are shy about being able to learn enough to help you. They really want to learn to better themselves and to make you proud; they have told me so. I think you will acquire two more sensible daughters. Soon you will not miss Jane and me.” Elizabeth chuckles but is rather emotional inside; she tamps down her tears.
“I will always miss you and Jane. However, perhaps with Mary and Kitty truly wanting to better themselves, I can aid them in that. I am very glad you were able to impress that upon them, Lizzy. They will soon realize a whole new world that will also bring satisfaction and admiration by all. I will assure that they will enhance their existing attributes and add to their intelligence. I look forward to teaching them. I should have done more and done it sooner.” Mr. Bennet recognizes his mistake and sighs heavily. “I have seen the light, and I intend to correct as much as I can so that they can benefit from it.” Mr. Bennet breathes deeply and then wishes Elizabeth continued joy with her husband and her new life.
“Papa, both of them are eager to learn and help. I think the three of you will embark on new understandings of each other and appreciate each other more. I am excited to hear of their progress. They have said that they will keep in constant contact with me. I will write to you often too, Papa.” Elizabeth expresses her enthusiasm, and then they both chuckle.
Elizabeth speaks to her sisters one last time. She tells Jane that she will contact Jane next week some time so that they can have luncheon or dinner together. Jane happily accepts. Father and daughter hug each other warmly, and then all the sisters along with Mrs. Gardiner do the same. All farewells are relayed and everyone is sad at this particular departure; however, there is hope for the future. Elizabeth delightedly takes her husband’s arm as they walk to their carriage. She is happy to seclude herself with her husband in their peaceful home, once more. She likes to entertain guests too, but this is not the time. She needs to be with William, alone.
In their carriage, Darcy asks Elizabeth what happened with Mrs. Denny and Mrs. Bennet. Elizabeth discloses it all. Darcy is silently angry. He does not want Elizabeth to continue to be upset; consequently, he does not add anything else, but she knows he is disgusted with them.
“I am satisfied with my decision to cut all ties with Lydia and my Mother. Does that make me mean or ungrateful, darling?”
“Absolutely not, Lizzy. You are well justified in your decisions that were forced upon you. Those two women are horrid!” Darcy shakes his head in disbelief as he caresses Elizabeth’s hand tenderly. “They have no concept of right and wrong. That is incredible to me. It is almost as if they are purposely doing and saying the opposite of what is right.”
“They…I just do not understand them either.” Elizabeth sighs heavily. “She stole from us! That…I still have to stop and think about it each time I remember that she stole my brooch and blamed it on an innocent maid. Not only that but then she blamed it on Kitty afterwards. Could anymore sins be piled on top of all this? She has resorted to being a thief! My own sister is a thief! How has she become so bad? I do not understand it. She is this jealous, envious, and hateful towards me?” Elizabeth shakes her head as she looks from William to the outside of the carriage. She looks back at William and says openly, “I love you, darling. I just want to forget about all of this; no more dwelling.”
“I love you.” Darcy leans in to kiss her lips freely to soothe her. Since being married, they have been inseparable which is exactly what they want. “I do not want you to mull over this anymore. It is over.” Darcy caresses her hands lovingly. “I know you are nervous about Pemberley, but once you are familiar with Pemberley, we can have Mary and Kitty visit along with Jane if you want. Then you can see their development for yourself. Would you like that?”
“Truly, darling? You would not mind my sisters visiting us?” Elizabeth hugs William tightly around his waist with her head under his neck as she looks up adoringly at her loving husband.
“Not those three sisters.” Darcy smiles handsomely to lighten the mood. “They are my sisters, now, too.”
“Thank you, darling. You are a wonderful husband and a great brother. I am extremely thankful and blessed to have you as my husband for the rest of my life.” Elizabeth expresses gleefully. How can she be this lucky?
“Just as I am blessed to have you.” Darcy kisses Elizabeth’s lips passionately.
CHAPTER 9
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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9th
For the entire week they enjoy their newlywed lives as they let the dreadful theft incident roll out of their lives. Elizabeth does not want to dwell on things that she cannot fix anymore. Darcy encourages her to let it go; he does not want it to affect them. Elizabeth finds out that William plans to stay in town until February 18th before leaving for Pemberley. She has to find out if they can remain passed his birthday in order for her to throw a surprise birthday dinner party for him.
“Darling, can we stay in town passed your birthday? I do not want to spend your special day on the road inside our carriage. I want us to relax and do anything you like on that day.” Elizabeth smiles coyly. “Would you like to do things with me, sweetheart?” Elizabeth teases impishly as she blushes and slyly gazes at him sideways. She has gotten braver, especially when William keeps encouraging her.
“We can stay in town longer if you like. Certainly, it would be very nice to spend my birthday with you and do things with you in our own home instead of an inn.” Darcy smiles roguishly while waggling his brow which makes Elizabeth giggle and blush more. “Are you still shy, sweetheart?” Darcy chuckles amusingly as he squeezes her tighter to him.
“You like to make me blush.” Elizabeth is still bashful when it comes to their intimate encounters, but with his guidance, she is much more confident to be open and free in her actions and emotions. He likes to see her act wantonly. She was so embarrassed when he showed her how he could love her from behind; he was so ardent and heartening that, soon, she did not feel shy with the act. That next night he showed her how he could love her while lying on her side. William is very passionate when they make love. He makes certain that she reaches her ecstasy before he achieves his own pleasure no matter how many times they make love in a day.
“I do; you look very fetching with your pink cheeks.” Darcy gently grasps Elizabeth’s chin and kisses her lips ardently. “Your skin is very enticing anywhere that it is pink. I like to kiss you all over; you know that. Suckling you all over is very rewarding.” Darcy waggles his brow again while Elizabeth gasps at his brazen statements. He does not hold back because they are alone together. He is adamant that they should be able to speak to each other in any manner they wish as husband and wife.
A couple of days later, Elizabeth enlists Georgiana to help her put together William’s surprise birthday dinner. Elizabeth speaks to Mrs. Lane about making all of William’s favorite dishes and desserts. She invites the Fitzwilliams, the Gardiners, Jane, and Mr. Morgan; they all have responded affirmatively. She is still contemplating about inviting Mr. Bingley, but she is undecided due to Jane and Mr. Morgan. She does not want to offend Mr. Bingley by not inviting him because he is a good friend to William, but she does not want to make anyone uncomfortab
le, either. Surely, Mr. Bingley, Jane, and Mr. Morgan will be aware of each other’s presence and be uneasy because of their history with one another. Elizabeth detected that Mr. Bingley was still tense and anxious around Jane during their wedding breakfast. Elizabeth decides that she will not invite Mr. Bingley this time; it will be only family this time. Since Mr. Morgan is courting Jane then he will be included. Moreover, Elizabeth wants more time to pass in between what happened with Mr. Bingley and Jane so that there will be less awkwardness. Time heals all wounds – so to speak.
She wants the dinner to be intimate, relaxing, and fun. Elizabeth had seen a very nice man’s pocket watch when she had gone shopping during Christmas with William. It had caught her eye because a memento can be placed inside the cover of the watch. She would like to put a likeness of her in it for William, but she has never had her likeness painted. Obviously, her family does not have that kind of money to spend on such frivolous things. She would love to know that through her likeness she was with William everywhere he went. She would dearly love to have a likeness of him with her at all times too. However, getting a likeness of her done will take too long. William will know about it, and then the surprise birthday gift would be revealed. She thinks that she will put a lock of her hair in it for now and maybe next year she will have her likeness done and present it to William so he can put it in the pocket watch at that time.
Since William had given her his own pocket watch, she was determined to buy him one to replace it. She had to get one where she could have a message written on it as part of the design on the pocket watch. First, she has to find a way to pay for it without William knowing about it. This will be a feat, given that she does not possess that kind of money, yet. She suspects that the pocket watch is not inexpensive so she does not know how she can afford it. It is extravagant for her, but she really wants to purchase it for William’s birthday. This pocket watch is minimal compared to what he has spent on her jewelry, but it has more sentimental significance. An idea comes to mind; she will ask her Uncle to advance her some money, and when she gets her pin money, she will pay him back. She will ask her Uncle to purchase the pocket watch for her and give him special instructions on where she wants the engravings. She will have to rely on her Uncle and Aunt; otherwise, William will find out. She is excited.
Their honeymoon strolls by blissfully. Elizabeth is with William throughout the entire day, each day, and they happily share a bed at night, thus she is very contented. Elizabeth has never been this joyous in her entire life. William, surely, expresses his satisfaction freely and candidly every night and every morning. William says he has never felt such pleasure and exhilaration ever before. His heart overflows with love and joy for her.
“I cannot believe how I have lived without you in my life all these years, dearest. I love you deeply and immensely.” Darcy says unreservedly as he kisses her forehead.
“I love you, too. What I cannot believe is how easily and quickly I got used to being with you all the time. I…I missed you when you went to your meeting at the bank yesterday.”
“You did?” Darcy beams proudly with a radiant handsome smile.
Elizabeth smiles and nods shyly but coyly as she caresses his chest while standing inside his embrace. “I missed you even though it was only five hours.”
Darcy hugs Elizabeth tighter and then kisses her lips before saying, “Believe me; I just wanted the meeting to be over with so I can be back with you. If it was not very important, I would not have left you here. I had to make my final decisions on a business that I will be investing in so that the Darcy money can stay diversified. That business will bring in more income for us; therefore, we will not always have to depend solely on good harvesting seasons.” Darcy gladly shares this information with Elizabeth because she has shown interest in knowing more about his businesses. She is an intelligent lady who does not shy away from learning non-lady pursuits, especially when it pertains to him and their future.
“I know it was important, darling; I do not mind that you have to tend to vital business that will better the Darcy name and holdings for our future children. I am very glad that you take your responsibilities seriously; many people count on you. I would expect nothing less.” Elizabeth caresses his cheek fondly. “I admire your devotion and care to everything around you. We will make time for us, but sometimes a lucky business opportunity will not wait for anyone. I understand that. I wish that my Father had shown a little more devotion to growing his estate like you do; maybe he could have provided a better dowry for all of his daughters if he had put forth more effort. I think he lost his motivation after he knew that he was not going to get his heir.” Elizabeth imparts frankly and a little sadly. She kisses William’s lips tenderly as she continues to caress his cheek. William is truly her ‘dream man’.
“Well, you and our children will never have to fear the lost of your home. Pemberley and all Darcy holdings are not entailed away from the female line. I would never allow that to happen. All of our children will be well provided for.” Darcy caresses Elizabeth’s cheeks and then he says, “I am very fortunate to have such a smart wife who understands my business obligations. That is why I will never place you second to anything in my life. I will never neglect you or our children.”
“I know you will not. Have I told you that I am, categorically, blessed to have you?” Elizabeth smiles adoringly.
Elizabeth has written to her Uncle and Aunt about her planned birthday gift for William. Her Uncle has agreed to purchase that pocket watch for her and bring it over on the surprise birthday dinner party. She is very excited for the dinner to come; all the details are in place.
Elizabeth and Darcy go for a walk in Hyde Park one morning when they see Morgan and Jane walking ahead of Jenny, one of the Gardiner’s maids. They all cheerfully greet each other, and then all four continue their walk with one another. The sisters walk with each other, and Jane tells Elizabeth about what Morgan has told her.
“Mrs. Crawford cried and pleaded with Mr. Morgan when he did not want to continue their friendship. She said that I took what she said the wrong way. She never meant to warn me off or anything like that. She was trying to relay to me how good a man he was and that there are plenty of ladies who would love to have his attentions. In the end, she admitted to him that she likes him and would like a romantic relationship with him – she has for many years. He told her that he only saw her as a family friend, and she has crossed the line with her interference in his courtship with me. He told her that he was not going to tolerate her warning me like that; she has no right to speak to me that way. Mr. Morgan said that he hopes that Mrs. Crawford will forget this notion of them ever being anything other than friends. He told me that he is unsure whether he will continue their friendship. He feels that if Mrs. Crawford is repentant and acts accordingly, then he will still recognize her as a friend in public. I think that is fair. What do you think, Lizzy?” Jane is eager to hear her sister’s opinion.
“Well, that was quite a bit; are you satisfied with the outcome, Jane?” Elizabeth slightly hesitates in her opinions.
“Yes, I am. I think Mrs. Crawford would still like to have Mr. Morgan as a friend instead of nothing at all, thus she will no longer be a problem. Furthermore, most likely, we will not cross paths anymore unless his family invites her and her family to their party or something like that.” Jane explains neatly. She wants this to be over with; she does not want anymore tension.
“They are old family friends; therefore, I am certain that her parents will not be excluded from his parents’ parties. Does that mean she will be included also? If she is and you are too, then you will have to face her again.” Elizabeth wants Jane to think of all the facets of this problem with Mrs. Crawford so that she will not be surprised and hurt.
“Yes, you are right. I think I will be fine if Mr. Morgan is clearly on my side. He was adamant that he will not tolerate her interference again. Other than a simple acknowledgment in greeting, I do not think Mr. Morgan w
ill speak to her further than that. He knows my original concern regarding Mrs. Crawford.”
Elizabeth takes a deep breath and wants to advise Jane about this more, but she does not want to impose her opinions upon Jane. Elizabeth does not think it a good idea that Mr. Morgan has any contact with Mrs. Crawford – not after what Mrs. Crawford had dared to do. Maybe she should let Jane decide this all on her own. Elizabeth may still impart her opinions to Jane; she will think about it.
Darcy and Morgan walk about ten feet behind the sisters. Morgan comments on how happy and beautiful the bride is and how delighted Darcy looks.
“Marriage really agrees with you, Darcy.” Both gentlemen chuckle openly.
“Was I scowling all the time before my marriage?” Darcy counters jokingly.
“No, but anyone can tell from the joy on your face; even your eyes look blissful. I hope I will look that pleasant when I get married.” Both men laugh.
“Well, this is what true love does to a man.” Darcy smiles smugly.
“No wonder all those chaps that we know from the club are not as agreeable as you; they all have marriages of convenience. You are a lucky man, Darcy.” Both gentlemen chuckle once again. “Is this your first time out of Darcy House?” Morgan claps Darcy’s arm in jest as he chuckles freely trying to embarrass his usually serious friend.
Darcy does not want to divulge that they had to go to the Gardiners due to the theft of Elizabeth’s jewelry; therefore, he answers affirmatively with a calm smile which just makes Morgan even more energized about the possibilities.