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Less than a week after Mary attended Lady Trowbridge’s tea with her sister, Mr. Tucker rode to Longbourn and received Mr. Bennet’s consent to marry his third daughter.

It was determined that the happy couple would wed in Meryton on the first day of May and then depart for Plymouth to join the others with whom they were traveling.

Once Elizabeth was convinced of Mary’s choice, she was determined to do all she could to help her sister prepare for her voyage.

Between them, the Darcys and Bingleys agreed that their wedding present to the Tuckers would be to outfit the couple for their travels (and travails) in Africa.

Mr. Bennet was happy to contribute to this venture, well aware that the sort of trousseau Mary’s mother desired to assemble would be entirely unsuitable.

Concluding that what little she knew about the so-called ‘dark continent’ was likely to be so inaccurate as to be useless, Elizabeth consulted Lady Trowbridge found the elderly Countess delighted to assist. “My daughter and son-in-law have come down to visit me, and I’m sure that they would be happy to advise you. ”

A decade before, Lady Rose Hardwick (the Earl of Trowbridge’s only daughter) had raised eyebrows in polite Society by refusing to marry any but a brilliant young Oxford archaeology professor whom she had met at a Royal Society lecture.

Since then, Mrs. Smithson had accompanied her husband on all his expeditions in Egypt and, on the occasion that they returned to England, preferred Oxford to London.

Society might sniff at the couple, but the Smithsons paid them no heed whatsoever and remained excessively happy.

“Perhaps you and the Smithsons could come to Derwent House for dinner some night? We expect the Bingleys to return from Yorkshire today, so would Monday evening be convenient?” offered Elizabeth.

“Perfect, my dear! I would offer to host you all in Bloomsbury, but I fear I would feel obliged to invite Percy and Clarissa, and you know what bores they are.”

Having had been acquainted with Lady Alexandra since she was a girl and being well aware of the Hardwick family dynamics, Elizabeth only smiled. “Mr. Darcy’s cousin, the retired Brigadier General Richard Fitzwilliam, shall be a ‘Sir’ by then, so we shall have that to celebrate as well.”

“Ah, a knighthood well-deserved, for once. His parents must be very glad that he has resigned his commission, as well, given the whispers I’ve been hearing,” and the pair’s conversation turned to politics.

The grand ball marking Miss Darcy’s debut was only a week away, but all of Elizabeth’s planning during the winter meant that there was surprisingly little left for the mistress to do, unless she wished to assist Cook preparing the white soup or the maids polishing the silver.

Perhaps guessing this, Mrs. Wilkins was somewhat relieved when Mrs. Darcy informed her that the Darcys would be hosting a small dinner party in several days time.

After church the next morning, Georgiana left with her aunt and uncle to spend the day with her Fitzwilliam relations at Matlock House.

Left to themselves, Darcy and Elizabeth dismissed the carriage in favor of a stroll in the park, making the most of the opportunity to take a leisurely afternoon to themselves and looking forward to a quiet dinner at the Bingleys’ that night.

It had been more than two months since the Darcys had seen her sister and his friend and they were looking forward to catching up with the other couple.

When the they finally returned to Derwent House, however, there was a note waiting for them from Jane that altered their plans significantly. “Oh dear—I hope nothing has happened!” exclaimed Elizabeth as she broke the seal.

Waverley Street, London

Dearest Lizzy,

Mr. Bingley and I are very eager to see you and Mr. Darcy tonight, but circumstances make it difficult for us to host you here.

I realize that this comes at the last minute, but is there any possibility that we might visit your home instead?

Please don’t be concerned—Charles and I are both perfectly well.

We will explain everything when we see you.

Your loving sister, Jane

Elizabeth turned to her husband. “How odd. What do you make of it? ”

Darcy took the note from her hand and read it himself. “Odd indeed. Is it a problem to have them here?”

“None that I can think of. Do you mind waiting a moment while I run down and check with Cook?”

Fitzwilliam quirked an eyebrow. “Not at all,” which earned him a kiss.

Watching his wife skip out of the room on her errand, he sighed with contentment before picking up the newspaper from the sideboard.

Seating himself and shaking it open, he noticed Jane’s note on the dining table where Elizabeth had left it.

Out of curiosity, he picked up the page and read the brief message again, but it provided no new clues as to what “circumstances” had occurred at the Bingley home.

He considered it for a moment but decided no conclusions could be drawn without further information and turned his attention back to news of the peace negotiations in Europe.

Some minutes later, Elizabeth swept back into the dining room, handing a note to the butler with directions for it to be delivered. She smiled at her husband when he stood and pulled out her chair at his right hand. Returning to his own seat, he inquired, “All is well, then?”

Lizzy motioned to the footman to serve the luncheon. “Yes, all is well. Mrs. Davies is a marvel! Not only was she not upset to be serving dinner on five hours notice, she appeared sincerely disappointed that there are only to be four of us!”

Sipping his soup, Darcy smiled with amusement.

“She is very happy that you are here. I rarely entertained before we married, and when I did have guests, they were usually friends from university or business acquaintances. She once told me that gentlemen might be grateful for the taste and volume of her dishes, but ladies were necessary to appreciate the presentation.”

“Well, I expect to appreciate both this evening. She was talking about roasts, asparagus, and apple tarts when I left.” Lizzy smirked at her husband; “So save your appetite, if you can!”

Fitzwilliam looked down at his nearly empty bowl and groaned in mock despair. “And there is nothing better than Mrs. Davies’ apple tart!” After they finished chuckling, he asked, “You sent a note to the Bingleys?”

“Indeed. I said dinner would be at seven but encouraged them to come by as early as they wished so that we might have time to visit. I admit to being very curious; Jane’s note sounded serious in a way she rarely is—serene, yes, but not so serious.

But she wrote that all was well. Did you have any guesses? ”

“Not a one. I suppose we shall just have to wait and find out.” He was forced to chuckle when Elizabeth rolled her eyes over such a droll response.

Over the winter, the Darcys had formed a habit of spending Sunday afternoons in front of the library’s fireplace, reading snippets from newspapers or books to each other and discussing events of the past week or the days to come.

With spring beginning to warm, they decided to forego the fire in the library and move to a pleasant sitting room at the back of the house where they could (and did) open a set of doors onto the rear garden.

The room was decorated in light green with cream and yellow accents, and Elizabeth had arranged some daffodils in a vase.

Together, it created a welcoming retreat from the city and the Darcys settled happily on the sofa together.

Around five o’clock, the butler showed the Bingleys in; their distress was obvious even before Jane threw herself into her sister’s arms and wailed, “Oh Lizzy, it is so good to see you… I’m so glad…

” Meanwhile Charles moved to shake Mr. Darcy’s hand vigorously and appeared very close to mimicking his wife’s actions.

Once the Darcys had guided their friends to sit, Fitzwilliam asked, “You are both upset. Can I get you something before you tell us? Tea, or perhaps a glass of wine?”

Charles looked to his wife who was sitting on the sofa beside her sister, still gripping Elizabeth’s hand tightly. “Normally I would abstain on a Sunday, but I believe we could both do with some wine. Thank you, Darce.”

Once their guests had been served, the Darcys waited quietly as both Bingleys took several sips. Eventually, Jane began tentatively, “Our trip to Yorkshire was wonderful—Charles’ relations are perfectly lovely.”

“They all adore Jane, just as I predicted,” added Bingley with obvious pride.

“We arrived back at the house on Saturday. You know that, of course—I sent you the note inviting you to dinner.” Jane took another sip of wine.

Elizabeth squeezed her sister’s hand, encouraging her to continue.

“Well, I was in my bedchamber as the maids were unpacking my trunk… and I checked my jewelry box… the one on my vanity in my dressing room? I had… well… you remember that lovely necklace Charles gave me for Christmas? The one with the sapphires and diamonds?”

At Lizzy’s encouraging nod, Jane continued, “Well, I had left it in the box. I know I should have given it to Bingley to lock in the strongbox before we left, but we were in such a rush that I forgot… and really, all of our servants are trustworthy, so I couldn’t imagine there would be any problems.”

Elizabeth could not stop herself from rolling her eyes at Darcy, although when she turned back to face her sister, her face showed only her genuine concern. “And what has happened? Were they stolen, Jane?”

“Oh Lizzy… the sapphires weren’t in my jewelry box. I thought perhaps I had misremembered, so I asked Charles and we checked the safe, but they weren’t there either, so we talked to the housekeeper. And she… well… she sugges ted that we ask Caroline’s new maid.”

“Caroline!”

“But has she not moved to her own establishment by now?”