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With a happy look to Darcy, Elizabeth began listing off names.

“You, Mr. Bingley, and the Gardiners shall be staying the longest, of course. Papa claims he has not yet decided, but I have great hopes that Pemberley’s library will provide enough of a lure.

” Father and daughter exchanged a fond look before Elizabeth continued.

“Mr. Darcy’s uncle, Sir James Darcy has said he will come; you will like him, Papa—he is a judge with a side interest in ornithology…

or perhaps it would be more accurate to say an ornithologist with a side interest in the ju diciary?

And then the Fitzwilliams are planning to come up from Matlock for a week over Christmas—the Earl and Countess are coming for certain, but we are not quite sure which of their children will be there yet. ”

“That shall be quite a houseful,” commented Mr. Bennet. Although his heart still clenched at the thought of losing his favorite daughter, the look of pure affection that Mr. Darcy was currently directing at his Lizzy went a long way in easing the father’s pain.

Fitzwilliam was wholly unaware of the faraway look that had drifted across his face.

“Pemberley has not hosted such a gathering for many, many years; since my mother lived, in fact. After that, Grandmother Darcy made sure there was some small Christmas celebration for us in the nursery, but my father did not participate except to attend services. After Grandmother passed, Georgiana and I would go to Matlock for a few weeks to celebrate with the Fitzwilliams.” The group was quiet for some minutes, considering how all the money and connections of the Darcys could not guarantee the family’s happiness.

However, Mr. Bennet was never one for brooding and he soon turned back to Elizabeth. “But have you not forgotten to invite your own, foremost connection, Lizzy? What of Mr. Collins?”

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Although I’m certain our cousin would revel in the opportunity to count the windows and admire the chimney pieces at Pemberley, Charlotte will be too far along in her confinement by December to travel so far.”

Remembering the other residents of Kent who were known to them, Jane asked tentatively, “And Lady Catherine and Miss de Bourgh?”

Darcy responded immediately and decisively. “My aunt is not welcome at Pemberley until she apologizes to Elizabeth and shows her the respect she is due as Mrs. Darcy.”

Lizzy flushed slightly at this demonstration of his loyalty. “I fear that will be some time.”

Will’s eyes twinkled. “Perhaps not as long as we might have thought. I received a letter from my uncle yesterday; apparently Lady Catherine’s most recent epistle to him was full of plans to debut my cousin with a London Season next spring.

If such is her thinking, then I can only suppose she has accepted my defection and turned her eye toward new prey. ”

Mr. Bennet chuckled. “Well, well. Rich, single men never had much safety in London Society, anyway.”

Uncomfortable mocking Mr. Darcy’s relations, Jane interjected, “And will Miss Darcy be coming out this spring?”

Fitzwilliam looked to Elizabeth, who smiled in reassurance. “We hope so. She is still unsure of herself and I do not wish to force her into it if she does not feel ready.”

His fiancée teased, “Mr. Darcy would happily put off his baby sister’s presentation until she turns thirty.”

Will smiled but his response reflected how much serious consideration he had given to the issue.

“We will leave it until January and then make a decision.” Privately, he had high hopes that a winter spent in Elizabeth’s company would help his sister rebuild her battered self-confidence.

Although Lizzy’s words exactly described his feelings, Georgiana was growing up and it was time.

Mildly ashamed at how the younger gentleman’s conscientious guardianship contrasted to his own lackadaisical manner of raising his girls, Mr. Bennet turned to Mr. Bingley. “And what of your family, sir? Shall Gracechurch Street be overrun by visitors of the Bingley variety?”

Charles smiled sadly. “I’m afraid that there are only my two sisters, Louisa and Caroline, sir, since my parents and elder brother died in a carriage accident some years ago.”

Bingley accepted their sympathy but kept his mind on the original question.

“My mother was an only child and I never got to know any of my Hockenberry relatives. My father’s people are from Yorkshire, near Scarborough.

” He glanced shyly to Jane. “Though they’re not able to travel to Hertfordshire for the wedding, they’ve expressed their hope that we might visit them next spring. My aunts especially wish to meet Jane.”

Elizabeth smiled almost as brightly as her sister, pleased that at least some members of the Bingley family appeared to be welcoming Jane into its ranks. She expected very little from the Bingley sisters beyond cold civility, if that. “Is Charles a family name?” she wondered idly.

The young man flushed a brilliant red and Darcy began chuckling. “The lady asked you a question, Bingley,” he admonished, attempting to look serious but failing miserably.

The Bennets were quite curious at how a relatively common name could cause such a response, and Bingley turned to Darcy accusingly; “I cannot believe I ever told you.”

To the others, Fitzwilliam explained, “Bingley had been at school several weeks and was suffering from a severe bout of homesickness. He held me captive one night, pouring out every last detail about his childhood that he could dredge up. As a result, I was in the happy situation of knowing any number of embarrassing stories with which to threaten him.”

“You were an excellent listener,” grumbled Bingley good-naturedly. “I often wish that you were a better forgetter !”

“Come now, Mr. Bingley,” entreated an amused Elizabeth. “You must tell us the origin of your name, now, or we will be forced to interrogate Mr. Darcy for all he can remember.”

“Lizzy,” tempered her sister, concerned that her sister’s lively teasing might be truly upsetting Mr. Bingley.

Charles waved his hand in submission. “Really, it’s no great mystery.

My father enjoyed historical tales of great kings and so my elder brother was named for King Arthur,” here he paused to elbow Darcy, who had begun to chuckle anew.

“And I was named for Charlemagne, which I’m well aware is perfectly absurd as I’m about as unlikely to become a great military conqueror as anyone ever born. ”

They all smiled and Mr. Bennet noted, “Well my boy, after playing you at chess, I cannot disagree. Perhaps you had best keep your focus on becoming a gentleman farmer.”

Once the ensuing laughter quieted, Charles thought to turn the subject to less mortifying subjects, although the soft look in Jane’s eyes told him that perhaps the embarrassment was not entirely pointless.

Mr. Bennet was encouraged to tell stories from his university days with Mr. Gardiner which amused him and kept his daughters and their fiancés entertained for much of the morning.

The trip from Meryton to Gracechurch Street was not much more than thirty miles, but they were less than half that distance when a loud crack and a rattle prompted the driver to slow to a halt.

Mr. Darcy was extremely unhappy when it was discovered that a wheel was fractured, undoubtedly from one of the larger ruts in the country road.

Fortunately, they had stopped on the outskirts of a small village with a comfortable inn where Darcy was able to arrange for rooms with a private parlor.

A local smith was engaged to repair the vehicle as best he could, but Fitzwilliam also sent one of his men to fetch his other carriage from London.

When he finally sat down with the others and accepted a mug of cider, he began to apologize again until Elizabeth touched his arm. “Such things happen, Mr. Darcy. It could have been far worse; just consider what might have occurred if the carriage been moving at speed.”

Darcy studied her carefully and then, reassured by her obvious sincerity, turned to see Bingley and Jane chatting happily with Mr. Bennet.

Suddenly he realized that he was the only one particularly upset by the delay; the others were so relieved to be away from Mrs. Bennet’s nerves that they were perfectly content.

He forced himself to relax a little and managed a smile that was immediately matched by Elizabeth.

The village was a pretty one, with a central square shaded by a massive elm and ringed by shops. After luncheon, Mr. Bennet disappeared into a bookshop while the two couples enjoyed a stroll in the afternoon sun.

When they all met back at the inn some time later, Thomas Bennet was gloating, having discovered several rare volumes and made the acquaintance of a fellow bibliophile.

“Congratulations, Mr. Darcy! This was truly an auspicious place for the carriage to break down—I would never have stopped here otherwise, and what a loss that would have been! This Mercer fellow is an odd character to be sure, but he seems to have a most amazing nose for finding rare volumes of Greek philosophy at estate auctions. ”

Neither Bingley nor Darcy had ever seen Mr. Bennet in such a jubilant mood, and soon Jane and Lizzy were giggling at their astonished expressions.

It was some time before their father caught on to the joke, but being laughed at did nothing to dampen his enthusiasm.

Darcy and Elizabeth were easily drawn into a discussion of books and the remainder of the afternoon was spent in easy conversation.

Before the group sat down to dinner, the blacksmith delivered the news that he had managed a temporary patch on the wheel that should hold until they could get it to a proper carriage shop. Even so, Fitzwilliam was relieved when his own man arrived at the inn with a second coach.