Page 41 of Heiress of Longbourn (Pride and Prejudice Variations)

Pemberley

The Next Morning

It was another beautiful day, with soft spring breezes and blue skies, and the nearby trees were filled with singing birds. Darcy, however, did not find the scene idyllic in the least because of the presence of his supremely annoying relative.

“If you do this, Darcy, you will regret it for the rest of your life,” Lady Catherine declared, her eyes narrowed in anger. “To wed a mere country gentleman’s daughter, when you could marry my Anne…”

“Enough, Lady Catherine,” Darcy interrupted as his aunt’s carriage pulled up in front of the pair. “I already told you that I will not be dissuaded from marrying Miss Bennet, and continued conversation is entirely pointless. I am well aware that you act as if you are queen of Rosings, but I am master here, and you have no power over me. Now, I recommend you enter your carriage and begin your journey south. You do not enjoy sleeping in lodgings on the road, and the longer you delay in starting, the longer it will take for you to return to Kent.”

Lady Catherine snorted, her nostrils flaring out like a bull, but she did, thankfully, enter her carriage, where her maid was already waiting for her.

“I will tell my brother Matlock about this,” Lady Catherine said angrily through the open door. “See if I do not! If you will not listen to me, I am confident you will listen to him!”

“Goodbye, Lady Catherine,” Darcy replied and closed the door. He gestured to his aunt’s coachman, who clucked to the horses, jolting the carriage into motion.

Darcy watched until the carriage disappeared and then walked quickly to the stables, where Phoenix should already be saddled and ready.

With his aunt gone, he could now call on his beloved bride to be.

***

Sitting Room

Parsonage

An Hour Later

“Good morning, Fitzwilliam,” Elizabeth said.

“Good morning, Elizabeth.”

The newly engaged pair gazed at one another for a moment, and then Elizabeth boldly pushed the door closed and stepped over to kiss her fiancé on the lips.

He responded with enthusiasm, but both were too wise to allow passion to rule overlong, and within a minute, the pair was seated on either side of a well-tended fire. Seconds after they had settled, the door opened to reveal Mrs. Hayward with tea and scones, and Elizabeth blushed a little at having nearly been caught in a compromising position by the woman.

Not that there was any true scandal, as she and Darcy were well and truly engaged now. It was glorious and amazing and marvelous.

“I hope that Georgiana was not too distressed by your aunt’s visit,” Elizabeth said, as she poured tea for Fitzwilliam and handed it over.

Darcy smiled. “It is kind of you to concern yourself about my sister when you were the one whom my aunt was so vigorously abusing.”

Elizabeth laughed. “Ah, but she is not my aunt, and in any case, my courage always rises with every attempt to intimidate me. I found her imposing and rude behavior more amusing than anything else.”

“I am very glad. Georgiana was a trifle disturbed, but Lady Catherine is on her way home now, so she will be well enough.”

“Do you think she will cause further trouble?”

Darcy frowned and said, “She has said that she plans to speak to my uncle, the Earl of Matlock, on the matter. I hope that the earl has the sense to stay out of this, though. But come, if you do not mind, I would rather speak of our upcoming marriage.”

“I do not mind at all,” Elizabeth said with a grin.

***

Drawing Room

Netherfield Hall

Two Days Later

Jane Bingley hastily made her way to the east window, which allowed the sunlight to shine on the letter she had just received. With slightly trembling hands, she spread the paper wide and began to read.

Kympton

Dear Jane,

I fear that you might be alarmed by the express which brought this letter to you, so let me reassure you that we are all well.

This letter and the accompanying ones are in fact revealing good news, as two days ago, I had the profound honor of receiving an offer of marriage from Mr. Darcy of Pemberley, which I accepted with joy. He is a marvelous man, Jane, and I have never been so happy.

Fitzwilliam has written to Father, and Alexander and I have too, and we sent the letters to Netherfield because we do not wish for Mamma to discover my engagement before Father is informed. I know she will be upset. I also know she has no reason to be upset. But that is easy for me to say, since I am here in Derbyshire, far away from Mamma’s histrionics. I thought it wise to have Father decide how to share the news with Mother, for all of your sakes.

I am wondering whether you and Charles might be willing to journey north to take part in our wedding. We hope to marry within the fortnight, which I am well aware is short notice, but if you were able to be my matron of honor, I would be very pleased. Fitzwilliam would also be delighted if Charles were here to act as his best man.

If you cannot come, we entirely understand.

With much love and joy,

Elizabeth

Jane looked up at Charles, who had followed her in and was holding the rest of the letters from Kympton. She smiled at him in relief and said, “All is well. No, all is better than well! Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are engaged to be married!”

***

Library

Longbourn

An Hour Later

Mr. Bennet leaned back in his favorite chair near the fire and adjusted his position so that the candle behind him shone on the paper.

Dear Mr. Bennet,

Yesterday, I had the honor of asking your daughter, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, for her hand in marriage, and she granted me great joy by accepting.

I suspect this is a surprise given that, when I was in Hertfordshire visiting my friend Bingley, I did my best to hide my admiration of Elizabeth to the point that even she was thoroughly startled when I told her of my love.

She is a clever, intelligent, determined young woman, and she did not accept my offer until she had considered all the pertinent details.

It is our desire to wed soon, but that is, of course, dependent on your wishes. I have enclosed my idea for the wedding settlements, and you can inspect them at your leisure, though I beg you not to be overly leisurely, as Elizabeth and I do wish to marry soon.

God’s blessing on you, sir.

Sincerely,

Fitzwilliam Darcy

Bennet lifted his gaze to his eldest daughter and her husband, who were seated in adjacent chairs across from him, holding hands in a thoroughly besotted way.

The master of Longbourn made rather a point of never expressing dramatic surprise about anything, but in this moment, he was well aware that the astonishment in his heart was reflected on his countenance.

“Did either of you know about this?” he demanded.

The Bingleys glanced at one another and then shook their heads simultaneously.

“I had no idea,” Jane confessed. “Elizabeth frequently mentioned Mr. Darcy in her letters and always in an appreciative way, but she never indicated that she had hopes or interest in an offer.”

“Darcy has written to me twice in the last months,” Bingley said, “and mentioned Elizabeth a few times, but he has been very busy with Pemberley and a measles epidemic, and Elizabeth has been assisting with that as well, so…”

He shrugged and said, “I am truly astonished, but I am very pleased, too. Mr. Darcy is a wonderful man and will be an excellent husband to Elizabeth.”

“Why do you think that?” Mr. Bennet demanded, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. He did not want to lose Elizabeth, not so soon after losing Jane, and Mr. Darcy had insulted his daughter some months ago. Surely he was not worthy of becoming Elizabeth’s husband?

Bingley wrinkled his brow and said, “I do not pretend to know Elizabeth all that well, but she is, without a doubt, very clever, far more than I am. She is a great reader, and thinks rapidly, and I believe most men would find it difficult to keep up with her. Darcy has a truly powerful intellect and is also hardworking and diligent. I can see Elizabeth as a remarkably successful, and happy, mistress of Pemberley.”

Bennet considered this and then turned to peer at Jane. “You agree, my dear?”

“I do,” Jane said decidedly. “Mr. Darcy is, perhaps, a trifle stiff in company, but he is an excellent man and, as Charles said, a match for Elizabeth’s intellect. Moreover, Elizabeth is a determined person, and she would not accept Mr. Darcy’s proposal if she did not believe they would be happy together.”

This was, certainly, true, and Bennet sagged a little against his chair. He could not, of course, refuse his favorite child’s desire to wed a wealthy and honorable man, but he would miss her. Without a doubt, he would miss her very much.

“Very well,” he said with a sigh. “I need to read through Darcy’s suggestions for the marriage settlements, so perhaps you should enjoy tea with Mrs. Bennet.”

The Bingleys glanced at one another again, and then Jane said, “What do you wish us to tell Mother about Elizabeth’s engagement?”

Bennet, who was frowning over the first page of marriage settlements, lifted startled eyes towards his eldest daughter and then groaned dramatically.

“In the shock of the moment, I had forgotten that your mother … yes, this is going to be awkward. Not only will the heiress of Longbourn be married, but to a very wealthy man in a different county. Your mother will be unhappy, and she will cry and fuss, and it will all be very tiresome.”

“But there truly is no need to be worried,” Bingley said. “I will always take care of Jane’s family after your eventual death, regardless of the disposition of Longbourn, and Darcy will as well. Indeed, this is a good thing! Soon, three of your daughters will be married to honorable and prosperous men, sir.”

“I am aware of that,” Bennet said heavily, “but Mrs. Bennet is fixated with fears of losing Longbourn.”

“Perhaps I could try to explain it to her?” Bingley asked hopefully.

“No,” Jane and Bennet said simultaneously, and Jane continued, “We have tried in the past, and it has proven hopeless, Charles. Mamma refuses to listen.”

A thoughtful, mournful silence fell, and then Bennet sat up a trifle and said, “There is a simple solution, of course; we will not tell Mrs. Bennet until after the marriage.”

Jane wrinkled her brow. “How would that work, Father? Surely you would not lie to her about your destination to Derbyshire, and she will certainly be suspicious and, yes, nervous, if we all journey north without telling her why.”

Bennet looked outside the window closest to him, which faced the stable, where Coachman Jack was currently wiping down the Bennet coach in the warm spring air.

“You are planning on attending the wedding?” he asked.

“Yes,” Bingley confirmed.

“Then I need not travel north at all,” Bennet said. “Bingley, you can act on my behalf and give Elizabeth away, and Jane, you can take my place as her attendant, and the entire affair can be finished before Mrs. Bennet is even aware of it.”

He noted the look of shock on Jane’s face, and Bingley said, “You do not wish to give Elizabeth away yourself, sir?”

Bennet felt a slight flutter of embarrassment, but swatted it away like a fly. “I would, if she were here, and I did not need to journey to Derbyshire with your mother, who would complain and whine and fuss the entire way. The alternative of telling her about the marriage and then leaving her here is also unwise. In her distress, she might well gossip to all and sundry about Elizabeth’s new marriage, and given how recently we dealt with a serious threat to our honor, that is the last thing we need.”

He was relieved when Jane’s expression softened, and a moment later, his eldest daughter nodded and said, “That is true enough. We can tell Mamma that we are journeying north to spend time with Elizabeth and Lydia, which is true, but without adding that she will be marrying. Does that seem reasonable, Charles?”

Bennet was growing weary of uncomfortable emotions. The look that Jane turned on her husband was one of open adoration and trust, and he realized that it had been many years since his own daughters had looked on him with such confidence. He had, he knew, been a rather lazy father for some years, and now his daughters were grown up.

Of course, his intellect told him that regardless of his own diligence, his grown-up daughters would almost certainly marry and unite with their new husbands and leave him behind…

But Jane was at Netherfield, not very far away, and he could see her whenever he liked. Elizabeth, his cleverest child and the one most like him, would be permanently settled in Derbyshire, more than a day’s journey away.

“Father?”

He looked at Jane and noted the concerned look on her face, and he smiled and said, “My apologies. I was thinking about how much I will miss Lizzy.”

“We all will,” Jane agreed, “but perhaps you will wish to visit Pemberley in the summer, Father.”

“It is possible. But I do not enjoy traveling, you know.”

“Pemberley has a truly enormous library,” Bingley offered. “It is at least ten times the size of yours.”

Bennet jolted, looked around at his beloved shelves, and then turned a suspicious gaze on his son-in-law. “Ten times? Surely not.”

“At least ten times,” Bingley repeated stoutly. “The library at Pemberley has been the work of many generations, and Darcy is always adding books to it.”

“Well, I suddenly find myself far happier about this match, and yes, I will indeed visit Elizabeth sometime, I hope in the next year. Now, pray go spend time with your mother and sisters, though I must insist that you speak nothing of Elizabeth’s engagement. I have quite a bit of work to do.”

“As you wish,” Jane said, rising and walking over to plant a kiss on her father’s head.