Page 11 of Mrs. Gardiner: Matchmaker (The Pemberley Collection #3)

Darcy and Elizabeth returned to the drawing room and made the announcement: Elizabeth had accepted his hand of marriage. Many faces were happy and unsurprised—Bingley's sisters were disgruntled but quickly recovered, and Elizabeth's aunt and uncle came forth to give their congratulations.

Darcy was wary of them at first, not sure how much they knew about his tumultuous relationship with their favorite niece.

"Well, then, Lizzy, this is a lovely surprise," Mr. Gardiner said with a grin, "Your Mama will be pleased when we've brought you back to Longbourn a betrothed woman."

Darcy resisted grimacing at the thought of Mrs. Bennet's vulgar merriment at the match. He had witnessed her lack of propriety many a time, and at this moment, he was at a loss to see any familial resemblance between not just Elizabeth and her mother, but even Mr. Gardiner and his own sister.

He glanced at Elizabeth and saw she actually was grimacing, just for an instant anyway, before she turned toward Mrs. Gardiner and smiled.

"Well, Aunt, your insistence we visit Pemberley has changed my life," she said, shyly catching Darcy's eye, and then grabbing the woman's arm and veering away from them, out of earshot. He watched them as they walked away, wondering what they might be discussing, when Georgiana approached, throwing her arms around him, excited young thing she was.

"Georgiana—" he said in surprise, hugging her back hesitantly. She was not normally one to give way to grand shows of affection, but as she pulled away, he saw how she was beaming at him, which made him smile back.

"I knew you loved her, Brother," she said gaily, and then, looking at Mr. Gardiner, who was still nearby, she pulled away and looked a little embarrassed as she said, "Forgive me, Mr. Gardiner."

"There's nothing to forgive, Miss Darcy—I am glad to see our Lizzy will be as cherished in her new family as she is by me and her aunt. Between you and me, Lizzy has always been our favorite Bennet girl."

Darcy listened for a spell as Georgiana spoke with Mr. Gardiner about the other Bennets, whom she seemed simultaneously excited and nervous to meet, when Bingley approached him, beaming at him in a congratulatory way.

"I shall return to Netherfield very soon, and you won't be the only lucky chap engaged to a Bennet daughter," he said happily, but then his face fell a little and he added, "I hope, anyway."

Darcy felt a pang of regret. "I owe you an apology. I might have been wrong when I—"

Bingley waved a hand. "It is all over with, and besides, Miss Elizabeth punished you long enough, I should say."

Darcy gaped. How did Bingley know about that?

He opened his mouth to ask, but Bingley's sisters and Mr. Hurst were upon them. Congratulations were freely given from Hurst and his wife, but Miss Bingley, as usual, was more underhanded in her compliments. Bingley shot his sister a glare, and the woman skulked away after a moment. Bingley looked back at him after Mrs. Hurst followed her sister while her languid husband went to recline on the settee.

"I do apologize for her rudeness," he mumbled sheepishly, "She will be none too pleased when she learns of my plans to reopen Netherfield."

Darcy chuckled. "Perhaps it might be wise to send her to stay with your brother-in-law."

"Or our aunt in Yorkshire. Hurst will not like having Caroline in their household again."

They went on in this way, until Elizabeth finally returned to him, after what seemed an eternity—but it was soon time for the Gardiners to depart back to Lambton. Darcy sighed. He wished he could keep Elizabeth here. Knowing this was not an option, however, he escorted her and the Gardiners outside to the carriage that had been called.

As they walked, they were able to speak privately, albeit briefly.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" he asked hesitantly. He knew they originally had plans to leave soon in the coming days, but he wondered if those plans might change now. Granted, it didn't really matter—if they were to return to Hertfordshire, then he would simply pack up with Georgiana and follow them there—he wanted to have the banns read already.

"Of course you shall," she said with a smile, "And I am unsure now when we will return home. This announcement changes things, you know."

A knowing smile graced her lips, and how he suddenly wished to kiss her, but alas, he could not. Instead, he cleared his throat and answered her.

"I suppose I shall write to your father."

She nodded eagerly. "Please do, but bring your letter when you call tomorrow, so we can send ours together. I need to write to him too, you know. To explain things..."

Darcy chuckled. "You need to explain a simple betrothal?"

She blushed. "My father may not actually believe it, because I have not ever bandied your name in the most complimentary of terms..."

She trailed off, and though Darcy was momentarily mortified to wonder what all Elizabeth must have ever said about him in her father's presence, he found it amusing, so he laughed. She gave him a peculiar look.

"How odd to see you laugh!"

"Is it so odd to see a happy man laugh?"

She smiled at that and shrugged. "Well, I suppose when you put it that way, no."

They were outside now, nearly to the carriage.

"I shall call tomorrow, and I shall have my letter to your father in hand," he said, handing her in. She clung to his hand for just a mere moment before letting go.

"I shall count the hours," she answered softly.

So would he.

How he slept that night, Darcy did not know—but soon it was the following day, and eager he was to see her again. He had written his letter to Mr. Bennet, a solid request for his favorite daughter's hand—Mr. Gardiner had told him that about Elizabeth—and he was anxious to send both his and Elizabeth's letters via express so they might know sooner rather than later whether they could marry. He gripped his letter as he stepped out of his curricle, which he had brought with the purpose of suggesting a ride through the country with Elizabeth this morning.

But the scene that awaited him as he entered their lodgings was not what he expected.

Elizabeth was alone, bent over a letter and crying furiously. Darcy was shocked—what had happened? He paled to think of a death in the family, of one of her parents, or—heaven forbid—her favorite sister Jane.

"Elizabeth," he said urgently, coming to her and kneeling beside her. "What has happened? Are you well? Let me get you some wine, you look like you've seen death."

He quickly called for a servant to bring up some wine, and then he returned to her, grasping her hands in his.

"Tell me at once, what news have you?" he asked, anxious to know. He hated to see her this way—in fact, he had never seen Elizabeth cry before. It was a horrid thing, making the ache in his heart pang hard and heavy, and then, for a moment, he felt murderous rage toward whoever might make her feel so upset, if there was a guilty culprit.

She sniffed, finally looking up at him, tears streaming on her pale, heart-shaped face, with unshed ones still trembling in her eyelids.

"I have just had a letter from Jane, with such dreadful news. It cannot be concealed from anyone. My youngest sister has left all her friends—has eloped—has thrown herself into the power of—of Mr. Wickham—”

Darcy felt an angry, horrid beast inside him rear its ugly head at the mention of that man's name.

“—they are gone off together from Brighton. You know him too well to doubt the rest. She has no money, no connections, nothing that can tempt him to—she is lost forever."

Darcy's heart pounded, and the murderous rage he felt a moment ago only intensified with every sentence uttered. How dare he—!

"What I consider," she cried out, even more agitatedly, "that I might have prevented it! I, who knew what he was! Had I but explained some part of it only—"

Darcy couldn't listen, no, he just couldn't. It was horrid to him that Elizabeth blamed herself for such an event, when it was truly his fault that Wickham was able to prey upon the unsuspecting victims of Meryton. Had he only revealed to Colonel Forster the snake in his midst, instead of being so preoccupied with only protecting his family. Darcy felt ashamed.

He stood, releasing her hands and pacing the room while she spoke, asking a few questions about what was being done—apparently her father had tried to follow then to London and trace them out, to no avail—and Darcy was already concocting a plan to go to London himself when he heard Elizabeth say, "What must you think, to be tied to such a family, to such a scandal! Oh, Darcy, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. If you wish to be released from our betrothal now, before many have heard—"

He whirled around and came to her, dropping to his knees before her once more and taking her delicate hands in his.

"Absolutely not," he said sternly, so sternly that she looked at him wide-eyed. He softened his tone and added, "Elizabeth, you are my betrothed now, and I will do everything I can to take care of your family. I was lost in thought, not because of what you surmise—that I am scandalized—but because I have a plan. I shall join your father in London and help seek out Wickham and your sister."

Her jaw dropped as she gaped at him. He took his finger and gently closed her mouth with a slight smiling chuckle. She blushed and smiled too, though tears still glistened in her eyes as she gripped his hands tightly. He felt a surge of admiration course through him at the sight of her broken beauty, and within a moment, his lips were on hers, briefly, passionately—she opened her mouth and let him taste her—but then just as quickly, the kiss ceased, and he was standing, still holding get hands, but gently pulling her to her feet. The servant came in with the wine just then, eyes wide on them as she sat it down on the table and quickly departed. Darcy looked at it and then at Elizabeth.

"We have scandalized the maid servant," he said, holding back a smile, and she shook her head and laughed, though her face was still red and blotchy from crying. He wiped a lone teardrop from her cheek and then cradled her soft jawline with his strong hand, his thumb gently caressing her skin.

"I will find them," he murmured, as they were standing so close he was engulfed by her tantalizing scent, "I promise."

She gazed at him, her eyes begging for him, and they nearly kissed again, except for the sounds of her aunt and uncle coming up the stair. Darcy pulled away, dropping her hand and turning just as the door opened. The aunt and uncle were surprised, but not unwelcome, until they saw the distress on Elizabeth's face.

"Mr. Gardiner, may I have a word?" Darcy asked, and he exchanged a glance with Elizabeth, who passed the letter to her aunt. He took the man aside and apprised him of events, and they quickly came to an agreement on what to do.

Darcy knew he had to rescue the Bennets from ruin, and he would do everything in his power to do just that.