Page 35 of Mr Darcy’s Worth: Three Pride and Prejudice Variations
Such a large gathering had rarely been seen in front of Longbourn Church. From each family in the neighbourhood, there was at least one member present, as if people did not believe the double wedding would truly take place and wished to be convinced with their own eyes.
That Mr. Bingley had returned to open Netherfield and was now marrying Jane Bennet was surprising but understandable; however, the announcement of Mr. Darcy’s engagement to Elizabeth Bennet had fallen like a storm.
It came just after the news that Mr. Wickham — everyone’s favourite — had left the regiment just before it was ready to move to Brighton for the summer.
He left behind a series of debts, which were later paid by Mr. Darcy, a few broken hearts, and a large sum of money missing from Colonel Forster’s house.
It had been believed, however, that Mr. Darcy would never set foot in their small town again, considering how much he had despised his previous visit. And the notion that he could marry Elizabeth Bennet — the young woman he had called tolerable and refused to dance with — was beyond imagination.
Elizabeth’s reasons for marrying such an arrogant, disagreeable man, people could only suspect. With his income of ten thousand a year, owning a most impressive estate in Derbyshire, and being so tall and handsome, no woman would refuse him.
The gentleman’s reasons for proposing to someone so below his situation in life remained a mystery, and until the wedding ceremony began, some people still believed it was a farce or a misunderstanding.
In truth, among those who feared that were both Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, who had hardly recovered from the shock that Mr. Darcy would become their son-in-law — part of the family of which he was the severest critic.
Yet, the double wedding was completed, and Mrs. Bennet mingled among those in attendance, moving from one son-in-law to another, her nerves bearing the situation remarkably well.
In the large crowd were the Gardiners, Miss Georgiana Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Mr. Bingley’s sisters — the only ones who remained separate from everyone else.
Elizabeth watched the entire scene with a smile, her soul filled with pure happiness; not just for her but also for her dear sister Jane and her Mr. Bingley, who were holding hands like they feared they might lose each other again.
Elizabeth had no such fears, though she had needed some time to understand that Mr. Darcy was the only man in the world who could be her perfect match.
She saw her father talking to her uncle Gardiner, while Mrs. Gardiner approached her.
“My dear Lizzy, I confess I still do not believe it. You, the mistress of Pemberley? I would never have dreamt that. I barely dared to dream that I would visit Pemberley again one day, and now Mr. Darcy has invited us all to spend the entire summer there.”
“Dearest aunt, you sound almost like Mama!” Elizabeth laughed.
“Well, this time I do feel like your mother. The thought that I shall take a ride around Pemberley Park in a phaeton with white horses is exhilarating.”
“You have an advantage over me, as I have not even seen Pemberley yet.”
“You will — and you will love it.”
“I would love it in any case because it is my husband’s home. My home.”
“You will go to London first, I hear?”
“Yes, Aunt. We shall leave immediately. Then we shall stay in London for a fortnight, to become acquainted with his family. I admit that, after the scandal aroused by Lady Catherine, I have some concerns in meeting Lord and Lady Matlock.”
“They will need some time to accept and love you, but they will, eventually.”
“I hope so. However, Fitzwilliam’s love and Georgiana’s affection are enough for me to be the happiest woman in the world.”
As they spoke, Darcy approached them, and he took his wife’s hand.
“I am sorry to interrupt you, but we should leave now. I would like to arrive in London before dinner. My sister and my cousin will come tomorrow.”
“Yes, we plan to travel all together,” Mrs. Gardiner said.
“I look forward to having dinner together at the end of the week,” Darcy said, while the entire family came to take their farewells.
Half an hour later, while the rest of the guests travelled to Netherfield for a celebratory breakfast, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy began their journey to London together.
They sat together on the same bench, and as soon as they left Meryton behind, his arms closed around her, and her hands entwined in his hair as they enjoyed the first kiss of their marriage.
“I still wonder whether this is true or only a dream,” Elizabeth said. “Everything happened so quickly, so unexpectedly! I barely realised when we became engaged, and now we are already married.”
“It might have happened quickly for you, my love, but for me, it was a sweet, long torture. I have been miserable in my love for almost six months, trying to become accustomed to the notion that I should never have what I most desire. Even worse, the arrogant fool that I was assumed that you returned my feelings and that perhaps my departure had disappointed and hurt you. Then I met you in Kent, and finally, my reason became at peace with my heart, only to realise that you despised me — and rightfully so. I tried to prove to you that I was not as bad as you believed me to be, and I slowly improved your opinion of me.”
“So you did, my beloved husband.”
“And then somehow, something astonishing happened, and I won your love sooner than I dared hoped might happen. I have wondered so many times when the moment was that you felt the first touch of affection. There were only a few days between me writing to Bingley and the moment I made half my confession and half my proposal. At times I fear it was too hasty.”
“Do you doubt my love for you?” Her voice trembled with concern.
“Of course not,” he answered, placing tantalising kisses on her face. “I am certain you would not have accepted my marriage proposal if you did not love me. And if you did not love me, your kisses would not be so sweet and your caresses so passionate.”
“I hope there is much more proof of my love than just my kisses,’” she answered, her smile returning to her face.
“I certainly have further proof, but your kisses are my favourite, beyond a doubt,” he teased her.
Elizabeth caressed his face tenderly. “I am quite certain that I felt the first touch of affection when I saw you for the first time with the children and the puppies. Did I not tell you that? I believe I did. I began to love you before I stopped hating you for what I believed to be your cruel and selfish behaviour. I began to love you before I was even certain of who you really were, Mr. Darcy.”
He turned his head and placed a soft kiss on her palm.
“But I could ask the same thing, Mr. Darcy. When we met at the assembly, you called me tolerable and refused to dance with me. Then you claimed that during that party at Sir William’s, you were already in love with me. There were no more than a few days between those two moments, were there?”
“True. I even admitted my admiration for your fine eyes to Miss Bingley! Can you imagine?”
“Poor Miss Bingley! What a shock she must have suffered when she heard of Charles’s marriage to Jane as well as our marriage.”
“Indeed. Bingley only mentioned they had a huge quarrel, and I requested no further details. I have my own share of quarrels to deal with.”
“So, when did you fall in love with me, Mr. Darcy?”
“I really cannot say. I was in the middle before I even knew it. And I failed to recognise the depths of my affection precisely because I had never felt it before.”
“I wonder,” Elizabeth asked, “if not for those horrible rumours about Mrs. Gilroy, would you have proposed that day?”
“I wonder too. I was eager to confess my love, but I feared I might have misjudged your feelings again, that I might have been too hasty, that I had assumed too much. I hesitated to open my heart to you and even more so to propose so quickly. I do not know what I would have done. I probably would have waited until we met again in London.”
“I was afraid that I might assume too much too. Although I recognised your attention to me, I wondered whether you would take such a bold decision — against your family’s expectations. I am afraid to ask what your uncle and aunt said when you first told them.”
“Well, the first person I completely shocked was my cousin Geoffrey. Just imagine the torment of leaving Rosings and the scandal Lady Catherine created — her screaming that I had betrayed her, that I was the ruin of her and Anne’s lives simply by offering the Gilroys another home, far away from her.
She was angry about losing her power over them. ”
“I am relieved the Gilroy family is safe,” she whispered in his arms.
“Mrs. Reynolds informed me they are well accommodated at Pemberley. Mrs. Gilroy is working as a seamstress, and she has some clients from Lambton,” Darcy said.
“I am glad the children are well taken care of. I cannot wait to see them — they must be happy there.”
“I hope they are. Tom has expressed a wish to join the army. Once we are home, I shall see how we can better support him.”
Elizabeth looked at him adoringly, touching his face. “So, what were you saying about the colonel?”
“We finally left that madness of Rosings, and about an hour later, out of nowhere, I told him we were engaged. I still laugh recollecting his dumbfounded expression. It took half of our ride to London to convince him I was not joking.”
“Poor Colonel! But he could not have been more shocked than my uncle and aunt, Jane, and poor Charles. Or my own parents. I too needed a long time to convince Papa I was serious. As for Mama, she has been asking me several times a day whether it is true. While you were in London, she was terrified that you would run away and not return.” She laughed.