Fitzwilliam Darcy did not permit himself to grin widely as he sat in the parish church in the village attached to Longbourn. But he felt deep satisfaction as he sat next to Elizabeth in the Bennet family pew, her leg pressing rather more than strictly necessary against his own.
The pew was crowded today, as Bingley and his Jane, along with Georgiana and the new Lord Rochester sat in it to hear the announcement.
The old vicar spoke smilingly, “I publish the Banns of marriage between Fitzwilliam Darcy of the Parish of Kympton and Lady Elizabeth Bennet, commonly called, otherwise Hartwood, of this Parish. If any of you know cause or just impediment why these persons should not be joined together in Holy Matrimony, ye are to declare it. This is for the third time of asking.”
Likely at nearly this very minute the vicar of Kympton was saying nearly the same words in Darcy’s own parish, except which person was a member of “this parish” was switched.
No one shouted about a previous marriage with a living partner or claimed that they had proof that Darcy and Elizabeth were siblings or stated any other reason why canon law prohibited the marriage. There was rustling as the village parishioners turned in their pews to look towards Elizabeth and Darcy in the half moment of pause after the announcement.
The vicar then said the “I publish the Banns of marriage” announcement for two other couples, and for both couples each of them were announced to be “of this parish”.
Having completed the banns, the vicar said, “And now I shall recite the Apostles Creed: I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord...”
Though he ought to, and though he took religious observances seriously, and truly believed in the truth of the creed, Darcy found it difficult to pay attention to something he had heard many hundreds of times during his life, or to the sermon. He was filled with happiness, and Elizabeth had pressed herself as close to him as she could with propriety.
One more week till their marriage.
One time during the sermon he did let himself glance towards Elizabeth. She was smiling widely with happiness, and her eyes danced on meeting his. She took his hand.
When they all shuffled back out into the cloudy and breezy early summer day, Mr. Bennet said to Elizabeth, “Just another week. My dear, I shall miss you.”
“Remember, you are to visit frequently!” Elizabeth said. “The library. I must have your help in assessing if Darcy’s library deserves as great commendation as Bingley gives it.”
“It is a very large library,” Georgiana offered.
“A point I admit,” Mr. Bennet replied smiling at Darcy’s sister, who was only now overcoming her innate shyness around Elizabeth’s father. “And that is why it shall fall on me. Elizabeth shall be too busy to give the great collection of books the attention they deserve. Very long walks and becoming acquainted with the neighborhood and other matters for a good many months, and neither of us trusts Bingley’s judgement upon such a matter—do not worry, Lizzy. I shall visit, and oftener than you expect.”
As soon as there was a lull in the conversation Mrs. Bennet said to Elizabeth, “My lady, I instructed Cook to prepare a great many of those lemon scones which you are so fond of. They will be ready for you as soon as we have returned home.”
Elizabeth smiled and nodded, but an escape from Mrs. Bennet’s constant begging for a way to be of service to her would be one of the smaller benefits that marriage would bring Darcy’s fair one.
Though Elizabeth did like those lemon scones—the recipe had already been packaged and sent ahead to Darcy’s own cook so he could greet Lady Elizabeth with one of her favorite foods—though there was no doubt that it would not taste “quite the same”.
At least a firm request from Elizabeth kept Mrs. Bennet from overly bothering Georgiana when she visited. That voluble and too nonsensical thing in Mrs. Bennet’s conversation which made it uncomfortable for Darcy to be subject to listening to her for any great length affected his sister in a far worse way.
They arrived, and Mrs. Bennet refused to let Mrs. Hill help Elizabeth out of her light coat as she was determined to do the service herself.
Mr. Bennet soon retreated to his library, but Elizabeth remained in the drawing room, chattering with Lydia.
“No, no,” Elizabeth said. “Brighton would likely be more fun than visiting Pemberley with Papa this summer, but I must have you as a guest of honor at the ball I shall throw. As you always insist, you arranged the match.”
“Oh, but Harriet shall be so disappointed. La! It still tickles me that you are to marry Mr. Darcy when his first words to us were about how unhandsome you were.”
Georgiana looked at Darcy in that slightly shocked and reproaching way that she showed every time she heard the story repeated by Lydia.
“Here, Lady Elizabeth.” Mrs. Bennet handed her a lemon scone directly.
Elizabeth smiled politely, and said a word of thanks, always the gracious lady.
Then she caught Darcy’s eye, and he could tell that she was amused.
The day was stuffy, the air was hot, and soon enough everyone escaped outdoors to walk about.
Rochester, who liked both of them, walked with Lydia and Georgiana, while Darcy was able to take Elizabeth’s arm—under of course the supervision of her dear brother.
As soon as she was far enough away from the house to not be heard, Elizabeth exclaimed, “Lord, I do wish that Papa had not announced the additional dowry for Kitty and Lydia until we were safe escaped to the north.”
“My dear, you bear up very well under the constant siege from Mrs. Bennet.”
“She has added actual gratitude to her instinctive deference to rank. No matter how many times I insist to her that I had nothing to do with the money, she always thinks it is a gift from me. She thinks that Papa having economized in secret for many years is a matter impossible to imagine—though, in fairness to her, the only way he ever would have economized is in secret.”
Darcy laughed. “A mix of that which I approve strongly of with a little that I cannot like.”
“Just so, just so.” Elizabeth kissed Darcy’s hand. “I have even on occasion noticed flaws in you , though I hope you have never done so in me .”
“None that I do not find charming at present.”
“It is difficult,” Elizabeth said. “I think I only manage to remain polite to Mrs. Bennet because I do not wish to lose any of the good opinion of those who watch me. But while at first, I had imagined that of course when we should visit Hertfordshire, it would be to stay at Longbourn, I have in time come to think that a visit to Bingley would be easier for all.”
“That would not please Mr. Bennet.”
“He has already declared that he shall visit us oftener than we expect. And I expect two visits a year, until he has read the whole library at least.”
“ That would be the work of many years.”
“You do not think ill of me for this?” Elizabeth asked, smiling at him. “I confess, I understand how your Lady Catherine became what she is. It is so easy to come to expect deference as your right. And always there are things amiss in the mode of life of those who give you that deference. Why not advise them how to repair those mistakes when you are one to whom they are determined to listen.”
Darcy laughed. “My dear Elizabeth, you shall always be who you are. And I shall love you, even once you are very used to receiving the deference you deserve.”
The next day after an early luncheon Darcy sat on the garden swing in the yard with Elizabeth next to him. The warm air hung heavy around them, and all the leaves were thick and green. The soft sound of Georgiana playing the piano in the drawing room with Lydia floated out. It was quite peaceful and quiet, but they were observed directly by Mr. Bennet from the open windows of the library.
“The season of courtship has had many charms,” Darcy murmured to Elizabeth, “but I confess to being eager for it to end.”
“Oh, Mr. Darcy,” she replied in a falsetto, “but whatever is it that we shall do to occupy our time once we are married.”
He looked at her with burning eyes. “I have some notions.”
“Oh, my. But I am just an innocent maiden. I have no notion of what you might mean.”
As Darcy leaned forward, wishing to kiss her, she shook her head slightly and gestured towards Mr. Bennet’s window.
A glance showed that Mr. Bennet was in fact there, grinning down at them while holding a book. He waved, and Darcy waved back.
“I think,” Darcy said, “that kiss we shared after you asked me to marry was dearly bought. If only your brother had not directly seen it. It gave both him and Mr. Bennet the excuse to become tyrants. I think engaged couples with established characters such as ours are usually given a little more freedom.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Now, now. It was a very good kiss. Papa simply wishes to protect me...and tease us both.”
“And Rochester only wishes to tease me . I think it is a way of gaining revenge for how I have always been taller and older than him. You are simply an unfortunate object harmed by schemes aimed at another.”
Elizabeth laughed. “I have said it many times, but I do like Bobby very much.”
They heard the faint sound of a horse rider coming up the drive from the other side of the house, and they noticed that Mr. Bennet had left the library, presumably to greet him.
Elizabeth gave Darcy a sparkling and glowing and eager look. “Quick, whilst he cannot see.”
Obeying, Darcy carefully cradled her head (he had already discovered that doing this without care would lead to mussing that Rochester at least would notice and comment upon) and kissed her with some passion.
They only gave themselves half a minute before separating, with rosy cheeks and wide smiles. Soon someone would come around to watch them again.
The season of courtship certainly was not without its charms.
“My brother has changed,” Elizabeth said, as she flattened her dress down. “Is my hair right?” At Darcy’s nod she continued, “After he came back from Ironwood Hall, once he’d fully taken on the business of being master, he seemed older, more serious—more like you. Odd how a name, the change from ‘Lord Hartley’ to ‘Lord Rochester’ can do so much to a person.”
Darcy nodded. He had seen so much as well.
“I shall change when I become ‘Elizabeth Darcy’. I shall have a new role, and though I am eager for it, there is a little fear of being changed once more simply through being looked at differently—I know . You shall say that in essentials I am much as I ever was. And I agree with you, but—why hello, hello!”
Elizabeth and Darcy stood as Colonel Fitzwilliam opened the back door out of Longbourn, followed by Mr. Bennet and Rochester.
“Came over straight from Bingley’s rented pile. I dropped my bags there, but he said all of the interesting people were here , so I rode over straightaway. Apologies for making you both rise, you two looked very cozy there.”
“We were,” Elizabeth replied cheerfully, with a smirk at Mr. Bennet.
He rolled his eyes.
“Now what have you been doing with my innocent little sister this time?” Lord Rochester asked.
“Not so innocent,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said. “I’ve seen the girl shoot.”
“I am generally acknowledged,” Elizabeth said, “as the second best shot in the neighborhood.”
“Have you thought about forgetting this Darcy chap and joining the army. The scouts could use a person like you in Spain.”
Though they laughed, there was something sincere in how Colonel Fitzwilliam said that.
Elizabeth then took Colonel Fitzwilliam’s hand. “I cannot express my gratitude to you for the service you did me when you prevented me from shooting the previous Lord Rochester. I shall always be deeply grateful to you.”
He was seemingly a little disconcerted by having Elizabeth’s glowing eyes turned on him in this way. “Lady Elizabeth, I am glad to have performed that service for you. But I rather suspected that Darcy admired you. It would have made his courtship awkward if you’d been transported.”
“Hear, hear!” Rochester said. “But when shall I see you all next after the wedding? There is too much business following my father’s death for me to leave Ironwood for two months, like you’ve suggested.”
“Oh,” Elizabeth said smiling, “It is settled between Darcy and myself. We shall visit Kent for at least two weeks every spring, and likely longer. One week for you, and one week for Lady Catherine.”
Rochester shuddered. “Since Darcy didn’t come up to scratch for her, Lady Catherine has chosen me as the new suitor for Anne. Now she is not so bad. She can even be clever, but well, I am not at present inclined to marry for at least another year, and I have no, ah, feeling for our cousin.”
“Poor Anne. She really is not so bad,” Elizabeth agreed. “I have only actually spoken with her twice, but I liked her well enough.”
Rochester laughed. “It is Lady Catherine who you get along with fabulously. I confess, having her as a mother-in-law would be one of the more serious disadvantages of such a match. But as my father always said, it is a pity you are not a son, because then you could do the honor of marrying Anne.”
Elizabeth grinned at her brother, not at all perturbed by the image of herself as a boy.
Darcy knew that jesting about this was part of how Rochester handled his disappointment at the way that his father had spent much of their last conversation insulting him.
“No, no. I like Lady Catherine,” Elizabeth said. “But it is the dose which makes the medicine. I do wonder at her insistence on having Anne marry one of her cousins. An odd preference.”
“I think it is that she knows we would treat her kindly,” Darcy suggested.
Elizabeth looked at him rather skeptically. “No, I doubt very much that is her motivation—but why not you, Colonel Fitzwilliam. You need an heiress, which neither my fiancé, nor my brother do.”
“I suspect that is my chief deficiency in Lady Catherine’s eyes. That I ‘need’. But in any case, I have spoken around the subject with Anne, and I believe she intends to remain unmarried. She does not think highly of either men or matrimony, and she has no need to fear any sort of want.”
“Jove, you made proposals to Anne, and she refused you,” Darcy asked, quite surprised to hear this.
“No,” Colonel Fitzwilliam replied laughing. “Have you no subtlety? Of course I did not. I said I talked around the subject with her. And not for the purpose of proposing my own suit, but merely because I wished to know if my cousin desired any help in escaping Lady Catherine’s close observation so that she might find a suitor she liked.”
“In that case,” Elizabeth said laughingly to Rochester, “Until you do decide to marry, you must visit slightly more often than your usual habit would suggest, let Lady Catherine seat you next to Anne—but do not speak to her more than necessary. We do not want her to think you wish to court her, and her expectations for Mr. Darcy showed that Lady Catherine will be convinced by very little.”
“No, no. Anne must shift for herself,” Rochester replied. “I think it would do her good if she were a little more like her mother, or like you. Firm, willing to speak her mind, and stand when challenged.”
When Colonel Fitzwilliam returned to the house to refresh himself, and Lord Rochester followed him, Elizabeth and Darcy embraced each other.
They did not kiss though, as Rochester had formed a habit of hiding himself somewhere near and bursting back into their presence without warning in hopes of catching them kissing.
“I can hardly believe that is how I am seen by him, but it also is a true description of my behavior,” Elizabeth whispered to Darcy. “I have changed so much.”
He loved the feel of his arms around her, the way that she leaned towards him, letting him press her against his body.
He risked a kiss on the top of her hair.
“Oh, I am so happy!” Elizabeth said.
“My dear, you deserve every happiness.”
She looked up at him with happy glowing eyes and darted a quick kiss. Elizabeth laughed. “Well of course I do.”
The End