"She will not be leaving the house as Miss Lydia. I do not trust her to be silent no matter what her mother is telling her right now." Mr. Bennet insisted.
"She will learn to watch her mouth as Mrs. Denny as well, or I will withhold her pin money and not allow her to go out to balls or parties. We will also discuss her flirtatious behavior. She is the one who wanted to be married. She will learn that requires a different standard of behavior. I do not approve of violence towards women, but I have no problem making her earn any special privileges she desires."
"Would I had done the same with her mother. I thought of it, of course, but it always seemed to be too much trouble."
"You had the advantage of having an estate and an established place in the community. Mrs. Bennet's exuberance did little to harm that. In the military, a wife's behavior can make or break an officer. Your youngest daughter is not stupid, even if her self-absorbed ways make her appear so. She will quickly learn that I mean what I say, and treats will be dependent on appropriate speech and behavior. She is only what? Sixteen? Seventeen? Not too old to break her bad habits, anyway."
"Fifteen," Mr. Bennet said glumly.
"Fifteen?" Denny asked, "Truly?"
"Truly."
Darcy watched as the man accepted the information, shook his head slightly and repeated, "Fifteen. All the more reason to believe she has time to learn."
"Is Darcy's suggestion for a story acceptable?" Mr. Phillips asked, returning them to the original subject.
"It makes as much sense as any other I can think of," Denny replied. "A distant relative who wanted to see me succeed in my career has purchased my commission. I do not know how quickly I will be transferred to my new unit and position, and so I wish to marry Lydia immediately to make certain there will be no delay when the time comes. However," and he looked challengingly at Mr. Bennet as he said the rest, "I cannot keep her with me in the quarters at the militia camp, nor can I afford to lease rooms without any idea of how long it might be, so she will remain safely at Longbourn until my new orders come through and we are ready to leave Meryton as man and wife."
Mr. Bennet raised one eyebrow even as he shook his head in slight disbelief and admiration. "Safely locked in her room?" he finally said.
"Agreed, unless we can be certain she understands what inappropriate talk will cost her before then."
"I will leave that conversation to you," Mr. Bennet said firmly.
"It is a good story," Mr. Phillips said. "I will be careful to reinforce it with my wife. She will then spread our version of the story as well, even if Fanny gets some of the details muddled in the telling."
"Very good," said Mr. Bennet. "Shall we move on to the other settlements?"
"You probably do not need me for those," Denny said, rising from his seat. "I need to get back to the camp anyway."
"Off you go then, son," Mr. Bennet said as the rest of them rose to shake hands with Denny. "You have set the pattern for these two to follow. We should be done with the other settlements fairly quickly."
It did take only a short time for the other two settlements to be drafted, mainly because Darcy had brought already prepared drafts with him. He and Bingley had worked on them the evening before, with a few modifications made that morning after a good night's sleep. They included all the necessary financial information along with items like the personal allowance, a jointure and money set aside for children's inheritances or dowries. Darcy gave the drafts to Mr. Phillips and they read them over together, with the attorney making notes about any items he or Mr. Bennet needed to have clarified.
Once they felt everything was worded properly, the men decided to adjourn their meeting. Mr. Phillips would prepare clean copies of the final documents, starting with Lydia's, of course, and present them to be signed and witnessed. Once that was done, the three marriages could proceed at whatever pace the participants decided on. Taking his leave, the attorney excused himself to head back to his office, declining an invitation to join the family for tea.
Mr. Bennet claimed to be worn out, so he sent Darcy and Bingley off to the sitting room on their own after Mr. Phillips was gone. In a nod to propriety, he had Mrs. Hill escort them with the admonishment to make certain the couples were at least chaperoning each other before she left to get their tea.
Chapter 23: Of Weddings and Arrivals
All four Bennet sisters occupied the sitting room when Darcy and Bingley were escorted in for their tea. The stilted greetings and uncertain expressions betrayed the awkwardness the ladies felt at meeting the two men after learning the news of Miss Lydia's scandalous indiscretion.
Bingley greeted them all with his usual good cheer, which did help ease the tension a little. Darcy decided to take the bull by the horns.
"Ladies, I expect you are wondering how to react after the events of yesterday, and I admit to feeling a little awkward about it myself. Do not be worried that Bingley or I will judge any of you by the actions of your sister. We know you and respect you too much for that. Nothing Miss Lydia did or does will turn us away from you."
Miss Elizabeth smiled at him while Miss Bennet fairly beamed at Bingley. Aglaea, the shining one - Darcy had picked her nickname correctly. The thought reminded him he wished to tell Miss Elizabeth about the letter to his cousin, but he discovered she had something to say to him first.
"Mr. Darcy, I have noticed you continue to address us all very formally, even when just in the company of the family. Now that we are betrothed, I wish you would call me Elizabeth or Lizzy, and I am certain my sisters will accord you the same privilege they gave Charles, so you may call them by their names."
Her sisters nodded agreement with her comment, while Bingley chuckled at Darcy's surprised expression.
"It seems I had forgotten that benefit of being betrothed," Darcy replied after a moment of thought. "I thank you for the reminder, Elizabeth. My given name is Fitzwilliam, after my mother's family, but I dislike being called by it. That may be why I have stayed so formal with you all. It will sound odd if you ladies just call me Darcy as my male friends do. How do we resolve the problem?"
Elizabeth giggled softly. "Fitzwilliam is a bit of a mouthful. I had noticed Georgiana usually uses 'brother' when she speaks directly to you, although she refers to you by your given name when speaking of you in informal company. Perhaps we should call you Fitzwilliam if we must address you by name but use other ways to get your attention if we can."
"A reasonable solution," he said, "I will do my best to respond before you must move on to the name of last resort."
"Oh, Mr. Darcy, I am happy to see you," Mrs. Bennet said as she came hurrying into the room. "And you as well, Mr. Bingley." She stopped in confusion at their response. "Why are you all laughing? What did I say?"
"Nothing wrong, Mama," Elizabeth assured her with a smile. She walked over and took her mother's arm to gently guide her to a seat. "The tea will be here any minute. Kitty has agreed to pour today, so you may just relax."
Mrs. Bennet sat as she was directed, but she turned back to Darcy even as she settled into the seat. The concern was plain in her expression and she spoke in quieter tones that usual. "Is everything settled properly, Mr. Darcy? Captain Denny will definitely marry Lydia while you and Mr. Bingley will still marry Lizzy and Jane?"
"Yes, Mrs. Bennet. All three weddings are set. We have drawn up settlements that will be formally signed as soon as Mr. Phillips can provide us with the final copy. Everything will work out for the best."
"You are such a comfort," she said with feeling. "Whatever may have drawn you to Lizzy, I am glad of it. I did not know how very wild and willful my sweet Lydia had become. While finding a husband is of vital importance to every woman, she should have known without question that was no way to go about it. I am so ashamed, both of what she did and that she is actually proud of her success."
"She is still very young Mrs. Bennet. If you will excuse me for saying so, she was probably too young to have been placed out in society. At th
at age we have all done foolish things without thinking of the consequences. She will now have to grow up very quickly as the wife of an officer. It will be a different life than the one she has been accustomed to having here."
"Yes, I should not have encouraged her, but she is so pretty and lively. She reminded me of myself when I was younger. I wanted her to have all the fun she could before she had to settle down. Now my baby is getting married and under such a cloud." Mrs. Bennet pulled out her handkerchief and began to softly weep into it.
Jane and Elizabeth jumped up to stand on either side of her and gently rub her back while making soothing comments. Darcy had no idea how to help the situation. He did have an idea for how to deal with Lydia, however, after hearing Mary's next comment.
"It bothers me that, even though she is in trouble for what she did, Lydia will still get exactly what she wished for. She will be married before any of us, even Jane and Lizzy, who behaved properly and were already betrothed. No matter what the outcome, she will believe she has behaved correctly because she succeeded in outdoing them."
"What if she does not succeed?" Darcy asked, thinking aloud.
"Oh, but she must marry!" Mrs. Bennet sobbed.
"Yes, Mrs. Bennet, she must. And it must happen soon. However, no matter what she says her goal was, the real purpose of her actions was to gain attention. Do you not agree? She wants to have a big, fancy wedding with everyone looking at her and congratulating her on her cleverness in marrying an officer in a red coat."
"You are correct," Kitty said. "Also, she wants to be able to take precedence over us and walk in front of Jane because she is more important as a married woman. She wants everyone to see she is better than all of us. That is always her goal. She will do anything for that kind of attention."
Darcy nodded. "Then the answer is to take away the attention. She will marry first, but you must make it a small affair. Only the immediate family should attend. There should be no crowd at the church, no big wedding breakfast. No extra attention at all."
"Nothing special for my daughter's wedding?" Mrs. Bennet asked tearfully.
"You will have your opportunity to have a large celebration for Jane and Elizabeth, much as I personally dislike the idea of a big affair. Do not take away from the importance of the daughters who are always models of good behavior by rewarding your misbehaving child. She will be married, let that be enough. You even have the perfect excuse for keeping the wedding small," he was thinking as he spoke again and hesitated for a moment as the ideas coalesced.
"What is that?" Elizabeth asked eagerly.
"While we discussed the settlement for your sister, we agreed that the speed of the wedding will be explained by Captain Denny's upcoming transfer to the regulars. Since his new commission and orders could come through at any time, he wants to have the wedding quickly. Miss Lydia will remain in your household until it is time for them to leave for his new post because he cannot bring her to his quarters in the militia camp, nor does he wish to lease a house not knowing if the wait will be weeks or just days. You can explain the small wedding by saying that, due to the uncertainty, the Captain did not wish for any fuss and your husband is providing the funds that would have been used for a large celebration to assist the couple in traveling to their new home and settling into comfortable lodgings when they arrive."
Elizabeth clapped her hands lightly and the other girls looked pleased. "That is perfect, my dear," she said. Mrs. Bennet looked at her daughter in surprise at the form of address before turning back to Darcy.
"Do you really think that is best? Lydia will be so disappointed."
"That is the point, Mrs. Bennet. Are you not disappointed in her behavior?"
"Well, yes. She should not have behaved that way even if it resulted in a betrothal."
"Then she must feel the disappointment, or she will never learn any better. This way she comes to no harm, but she does not take precedence over the daughters who have earned your attention."
"Well…I suppose you are correct."
"He is, Mama," Elizabeth said firmly, and her sisters echoed her agreement.
"Then it shall be as you say. At least I can buy her a nice trousseau."
Elizabeth shook her head in despair and then looked at Darcy for help.
"Mrs. Bennet, you will need to remember that Miss Lydia will not have the same needs as an officer's wife that she has had as a gentleman's daughter. Instead of fancy clothing, she will need items that are more serviceable and will last longer. No matter where her husband is posted, she will be attending far fewer parties or dances. There will also be little time to have anything made right now. Perhaps you can arrange to send her gifts of clothing that will be appropriate to the location and climate once you know where she will be living. Captain Denny already indicated that would be the best way you could help your daughter adjust to her new place in life."
"No trousseau? Oh dear," she buried her face in the handkerchief again.
~*~
On Saturday, January 5th, the party from Netherfield attended the wedding of Miss Lydia Bennet and Captain Terrance Denny. At the end of the ceremony, the bride alternated between sulking over the paucity of guests and gloating with triumph at being the first of the sisters to marry. She insisted on pride of place as she and her husband left the nearly empty church. As they entered the carriages, Darcy could hear her complain to her husband about not having a new gown for the wedding or having been allowed to shop for a trousseau. Darcy climbed into his own carriage to sit next to Elizabeth before any response could be heard.
The wedding breakfast was as simple as the ceremony had been and was attended by the same group of people. The bride's parents and sisters were there, along with Mr. and Mrs. Phillips. Bingley, Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley rounded out the guests. Darcy had ended up being a participant in the ceremony. Denny felt they could not trust Lydia to refrain from saying anything foolish or incriminating during the ceremony or breakfast, so he asked Darcy to be his best man instead of including one of the other officers. Lydia grumbled about that as well.
"I do not understand why none of the other officers came to our wedding," she complained as they entered the sitting room to enjoy the small meal Mrs. Hill had set up for them. "Any of them would have been better as your best man than Mr. Darcy. He does not even wear a red coat. I think Lizzy only wants to marry him for his money, although I would not marry someone so boring for all the money in the world."
"Lydia! Apologize at once." Elizabeth said. Lydia stuck her tongue out at Elizabeth.
"I am too clever to be stuck with someone like him. Is my husband not simply the handsomest man here?"
Elizabeth looked furiously at Lydia, but Denny shook his head and she kept silent.
"While I appreciate the compliment, Mrs. Denny," he said, "you need to learn to be more polite. I was very grateful Mr. Darcy agreed to be my best man." He stopped, realizing she had heard nothing beyond the title Mrs. Denny. He and Elizabeth shared an exasperated look.
A short while later Darcy heard Lydia complaining to her aunt and mother about the lack of new clothes. She declared it was shameful of her family to send her away without any fine gowns or new ribbons. Mrs. Bennet tried to explain that she would get some new things once they knew where her husband would be stationed. There was no need for anything new yet. Lydia became angry at that statement.
"You would have bought me anything I wanted if it was not for mean old Mr. Darcy. You are so worried he might refuse to marry Lizzy that you do everything he says. Well, I think he is just a boring old man who does not want anyone to have fun. Why do you think he will not let Georgiana have her season in London yet? And Charles follows everything he says. Well, it is my wedding breakfast and I do not want him to stay here any longer!" As she finished, she stamped her foot in anger.
Denny walked over and took her by the arm. "I think you have not understood anything we have told you, Mrs. Denny," he said calmly. "Since you are proving you do not know how to b
ehave in company, it is time for you to return to your room."
"Do you not mean our room, back at the camp? I want to show all the other officers my ring."
"No, Mrs. Denny, I mean your room. As you well know, I am not allowed to have any woman in my quarters, not even my wife. You will be staying here, in your own room, until my transfer is complete, and we are ready to leave Meryton."
"But how will everyone know I am married? When will I show them my ring?" She struggled against his grip and stomped her foot again, but Denny remained calm.
"We will announce the wedding at church tomorrow. If you had shown yourself more reasonable, you would have been there with me. Given your performance right now, I cannot trust you out in public just yet."
"What do you mean, you cannot trust me? Do you not want to show me off to everyone?"
"Not until you learn to behave like a proper officer's wife. In part, that means being respectful and appreciative of other people, including your family and the people who are important to them."
Lydia huffed. "Oh, I will apologize to Mr. Darcy if you insist. I am sorry I called you boring, Mr. Darcy. There, now can I go to church tomorrow?"
Denny laughed. "An apology is about more than just the words, Lydia. Come on. We need to go have a talk in private. I want you to understand exactly what I expect of you and what you can expect of me in return."
As they left the room, Elizabeth leaned close to Darcy and whispered, "I think she is in good hands."
"I think you are correct," he replied. "It was good fortune for all of us that she picked him."
~*~
There were a few expressions of surprise when the family announced that Lydia was too overcome by the excitement of her wedding to attend the church service with her husband that Sunday. Most people seemed relieved by her absence and politely went along with the explanation for the hasty wedding, offering congratulations to the family members. Captain Denny told Darcy later that he had received quite a few offers of condolences on his recent marriage, along with some congratulations on having found a way to leave his bride with her parents.
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