by Lori Light
Clearly, Caroline had yet to recall that she was no longer the mistress of Netherfield. Though Jane bore Caroline’s overbearing manners with grace, Darcy was less patient with the woman. More and more, he realized Bingley’s fortune in marrying Jane and wondered at his own early disapproval of the Bennet family. Clearly, the eldest Bennet sisters had superior manners to most of his acquaintances, and even the younger sisters had improved in his esteem. Wortham would have little to be ashamed of in his new connections, and everything to be grateful for in his choice of wife. Perhaps it was best to let Caroline dominate the dinner conversation. At least she was unlikely to bring up the topic of Wortham’s engagement to Elizabeth.
Darcy became lost in his own thoughts, and Caroline interpreted his silence as fatigue. Without bothering to ask, she claimed that their guest had no desire to partake in the traditional separation of the sexes after dinner and insisted that they all retire to the music room, where she would play something soothing and relaxing. The rest of the party obediently followed.
Caroline’s objections to his departure only set Darcy’s mind more firmly upon it. The thought of Wortham returning to crow about his engagement provided extra incentive for Darcy to hasten his removal from Netherfield. Perhaps it was unwise to travel the full distance to Pemberley so soon, but surely he could endure a carriage to London, where his staff at Darcy House would see to his every need. Georgiana may express her concerns, but he was certain she would be easily persuaded to support his decision.
As he walked his sister to her bed chamber that evening, Darcy suggested that the morrow be spent in preparing for a departure on the following morning. Georgiana’s objections were stronger than he expected. Not only was she concerned about his ability to endure such a carriage ride, she was also adamant that they could not return to London without first visiting all their acquaintances in the area and taking their leave. To do otherwise would be unspeakably rude, she insisted. Darcy had a mind to overrule her protest but realized that his sister was right. Not taking their leave could undoubtedly be interpreted as “selfish disdain.” Even if he could not have Elizabeth as his own, he did not want to increase her ill feelings toward him. He would remain in Hertfordshire until he had said his farewells to the Bennets and the other prominent families in the area. And so, it was decided that the two would remain for a few days longer.
Despite Caroline’s insistence that he was tired, Darcy had problems sleeping that night and awoke early the next morning. Not wishing to disturb the staff and the other members of the household, Darcy dressed and set out for an early morning walk. Despite his weakness after having been bedridden for so long, the exercise felt good. Although he walked more slowly than normal and stopped frequently along the way, he was determined to continue so as to regain his stamina.
Before long, Darcy found himself walking along the path to Oakham Mount. Memories of the picnic and his walk with Elizabeth flooded his mind. Why was he torturing himself so? Those memories would only serve to prolong his suffering. Surely, he should turn around. Yet, he felt compelled to continue, reliving the sensations of Elizabeth on his arm. As he rounded the last bend before the summit, he saw her. She was sitting on a fallen log, her bonnet in her hands, her eyes closed and her face to the sun.
He considered turning and leaving before she became aware of his presence. That would be the smart thing to do. After all, Elizabeth was engaged to another. He should leave her be and be happy for her situation. Seeing her like this would only increase his sense of loss. Still, he continued. As he approached, his footsteps alerted her to his presence and she looked up in surprise.
“Mr. Darcy!” she exclaimed, jumping up from her place on the log.
“I apologize, Miss Bennet, for interrupting your solitude. I did not expect to meet anyone on the path at this time of day.”
“Nor did I,” she replied, “but it does not follow that the interruption must be unwelcome. In fact, I am pleased to see you up and about, and looking so well.” Elizabeth blushed at the implication. “I mean… that is to say,” she stumbled, “You seem to have recovered well.”
“Indeed, I have,” Darcy replied. “And you, Miss Elizabeth? Are you fully recovered? I had heard that you had suffered from the smoke.”
“Yes, but I am as good as new now, Mr. Darcy. I am so sorry that you were injured.” Elizabeth blinked back tears, her hands twisting the edge of her bonnet. “Words cannot express my gratitude for your rescue,” she said quietly. “I must thank you on my own behalf, as well as on behalf of Beatrice and her family.”
Gratitude, Darcy thought. It’s not your gratitude I want, Elizabeth. Out loud he said, “Please, do not be concerned. I only did what anyone would have done in the situation…anyone who had seen you enter the burning house. I am so glad that you were able to locate the child and bring her out.”
The two sat quietly for a few moments. Darcy turned slightly away from Elizabeth, trying desperately to maintain his composure. After a few deep breaths, he broke the silence. “I suppose I must offer you my congratulations.” There. He had said it. He hoped the crack in his voice had not been noticeable.
“Congratulations?”
“On your engagement.” She was not making this any easier.
“I’m not engaged, sir,” Elizabeth replied.
Darcy turned abruptly to Elizabeth. His countenance communicated his surprise, but he quickly schooled his features. “I beg your pardon. I thought…that is, I assumed that Mr. Wortham had proposed.”
Elizabeth’s lip curled to a half smile. “And if he did, it necessarily follows that I would have accepted?”
“No, I…” Darcy looked at her in confusion. “You rejected him?”
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Darcy, if Mr. Wortham did propose, you must know that I would not betray such a confidence.” She tried to keep her tone light and teasing.
“No, of course not.” Darcy nodded as if he suddenly understood. “I apologize, Miss Elizabeth. It’s not my place to mention the engagement before it has been formally announced. I have not been in society much in the last few weeks. I just assumed that an announcement had been made during my convalescence.”
“Truly, Mr. Darcy. I am not engaged – formally or otherwise.”
“Then you did reject him! I don’t understand.” He looked at her in wonder.
Elizabeth tried to hold his gaze, but she could not. She looked down at her hands, which had begun again to twist the bonnet in her lap. “You must think me very fickle,” she said at last.
“No, I did not mean to imply such a thing. It’s just that… well, I thought he had won your admiration.”
“I do admire him; he is a good man. When he first came into the neighborhood, I was pleased with his attention. I was flattered. That he had earned the good opinion of his friends – honorable men whom I respect – spoke highly of his character. I was determined to love him -- I wanted to love him...” She paused before adding, more quietly, “but I could not.” Elizabeth spoke so softly that Darcy had to lean forward to hear. “My heart was engaged elsewhere.” Elizabeth turned her head away from Darcy as she wiped a tear from her cheek and bit her lip. But those strategies did not prevent Darcy from noticing that her chin was quivering.
A million thoughts flashed through Darcy’s mind as he stared at Elizabeth in wonder. Elizabeth is in love. Who has won her affections? Darcy thought back to Bingley’s engagement ball, trying to remember the other gentlemen with whom she had danced. Young Mr. Lucas, perhaps? But Darcy had not noticed any special attention she had given to any man, other than Wortham.
Finally, Darcy looked away before asking softly, “And does the gentleman return your affection?” He dared not look her in the face to receive her answer.
“I do not know,” she answered. “There was a time…” Elizabeth’s voice cracked, and she looked away.
“There was a time?” he repeated, willing her to continue. Dare he hope? He glanced up at her face, trying to deduce w
hat was going through her mind. After a moment of hesitation, Darcy continued. “Miss Elizabeth, I cannot imagine any gentleman, once he has bestowed his affections on you, ever withdrawing them.”
At this, Elizabeth looked up him. “Even if I treated him abominably? If I said things that were cruel and untrue?”
Darcy shook his head. “Impossible,” he said. Could she be referring to their quarrel back in Hunsford? Had she changed her mind about his proposal? He was not eager to have a repeat performance of that rejection. Still, if he were to ever speak, now would be the time to do so. Taking a deep breath, he continued. “You are too good to trifle with me. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes are unchanged, but one word from you will silence me on this subject forever.”
Slowly, Elizabeth lifted her eyes to him. Her mouth, at first opened in surprise, gradually transformed into a smile. Raising her eyebrows in that pert way that he adored so much, she took his arm, turned it over so his palm was facing up, and began rubbing her finger along his forearm. Darcy’s heart pounded fiercely, and he dared not move. It wasn’t until Elizabeth cleared her throat and started pressing more determinedly that he realized she was forming letters, as if she were writing on a slate.
“Ah…I see. Please start again. “I…f…” Elizabeth looked at him quizzically. “If...” he replied tentatively and was pleased when Elizabeth nodded with enthusiasm before continuing. “O…n…e…One!” he stated when Elizabeth again gave him a small smile. “W…o…r…d…” He was getting the hang of it now. “If one word…will… silence...” Darcy recited as Elizabeth continued to write. After these words, she pointed at Darcy. “If one word will silence me,” he repeated, then laughed as Elizabeth covered her mouth with her dainty hands. Darcy understood what she was trying to say.
“No, no,” he objected. “I mean one negative word. Or phrase...” Darcy’s lip curled upward slightly. “‘Last man in the world,’ for example -- that indeed may silence me!” He laughed as Elizabeth winced playfully.
Darcy adopted a more serious mien, although Elizabeth recognized it as tender rather than stern. “If, on the other hand, your feelings have changed,” he said quietly, cupping her small hand in his two large ones, “please tell me so at once. I beg you to use all the words you would like!” Such hope filled his heart as he awaited her response!
“Mr. Darcy, my sentiments...” she began, and then halted as she wiped yet another tear from her eye. “My sentiments have… well, they have undergone so material a change since the period to which you alluded… I can hardly express my gratitude and pleasure for your current assurances! I cannot think about how I treated you before without abhorrence!”
“Again, I must remind you that I deserved your rebuke. The recollection of what I then said, of my conduct, my manners, my expressions during the whole of it, is now, and has been many months, inexpressibly painful to me. Your reproof, so well applied, I shall never forget: ‘Had you behaved in a more gentlemanlike manner.’ Those were your words. You know not, you can scarcely conceive, how they have tortured me – though it was some time, I confess, before I was reasonable enough to allow their justice.”
“I was certainly very far from expecting them to make so strong an impression. I had not the smallest idea of their being ever felt in such a way.”
“I can easily believe it. You thought me then devoid of every proper feeling, I am sure you did. The turn of your countenance I shall never forget, as you said that I could not have addressed you in any possible way that would induce you to accept me.”
“Oh! Do not repeat what I then said. These recollections will not do at all. I assure you, that I have long been most heartily ashamed of it.”
“Then, dear Elizabeth, there is a question I must ask you, although I hardly know how to start. I greatly fear that I might muddle it as soundly as I did the first time I asked it of you.”
Elizabeth’s fine eyes sparkled as she replied. “Although I must not presume to know what you would ask, I do recall that you made a very lovely start to our conversation last April.”
Darcy thought for just a moment before dropping to one knee. “Then you must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you. Dearest, loveliest Elizabeth, will you marry me?”
Epilogue
Darcy and Elizabeth enjoyed a short, yet eventful engagement period. Part of their engagement was spent in London, where Darcy escorted Elizabeth to museums, concerts, the theatre, and even to a ball given in the couple’s honor by his aunt and uncle. For once, Darcy did not mind the attention he received in public, as his beloved Elizabeth was on his arm. And contrary to Lady Catherine’s predictions, Elizabeth was neither censured, slighted, or despised by any who was connected to the couple.
But the couple spent an equal amount of time in Hertfordshire during their betrothal, where their social engagements, though not so refined, were even more numerous. All four-and-twenty families in the neighborhood seemed to vie for the opportunity to host the brightest jewel of the country and her wealthy fiancé.
Whether in the city or in the country, everyone who saw the couple could attest that their happiness was unmatched, even by the Bingleys. Elizabeth’s liveliness soon brought out Darcy’s long-hidden humor, and all were pleased to see the serious-minded master of Pemberley appear so jubilant.
Well, perhaps not all were pleased. In fact, Lady Catherine was most seriously displeased. She complained so relentlessly that her daughter, Anne, requested to join her aunt and uncle in London, leaving her mother at Rosings with only the servants to listen to her grievances. Even Mr. and Mrs. Collins took their leave to visit with family in Hertfordshire to avoid the great lady’s ire.
Georgiana travelled to Hertfordshire to enjoy the wedding, along with the celebrations leading up to it. While there, she spent a great deal of time with each of Elizabeth’s sisters, to their mutual benefit: Georgiana gained from the liveliness of the Bennet household, and the younger Bennet sisters saw in Georgiana a role model worthy of emulation. While Georgiana developed a special affection for Elizabeth, she looked forward to a close relationship with each of her sisters-to-be.
Happy for all her maternal feelings was the day when Mrs. Bennet got rid of her most vexing daughter. All of Meryton seemed to have turned out for the event, which was attended by many of Darcy’s estimable kin. At the wedding breakfast, Mrs. Bennet was all aflutter as she boasted of Lizzy’s high connections.
Standing nearby, Elizabeth wished, not for the first time, that having two of her daughters settled might have made her mother less vulgar, or at least taught her to moderate her voice. As color rose into her cheeks, she stole a glance at her new husband, expecting to see disapproval in his countenance. However, Darcy seemed to bear the remarks with admirable calmness. In fact, his mind had barely taken into account his mother-in-law’s words. His eyes, his heart and his mind were focused solely on his bride. There was too much to be thought, and felt, and said, for attention to any other object.
Her husband’s serenity strengthened Elizabeth’s own composure, so much so that she hardly flinched as Mrs. Bennet continued her effusive remarks. “I always said it must be so,” her mother called out to her friend, Lady Lucas, over the din of the wedding breakfast. “I was sure that Jane’s beauty could not have been for nothing!”
“Jane’s beauty, Mrs. Bennet? What does Jane’s beauty have to do with Elizabeth’s marriage?” Lady Lucas asked.
Mrs. Bennet nodded knowingly as she replied, “I always knew that Jane’s marrying so greatly must throw my remaining girls in the way of other rich men!”
Darcy’s lips twitched, betraying the fact that he did indeed register his mother-in-law’s remarks, and found them more amusing than offensive. At that, Elizabeth laughed heartily. Although she looked forward with delight to the time when they should be removed to the comfort and elegance of their family party at Pemberley, she was also thankful that her husband had learned to withs
tand the company of her family so well. For, despite all the silliness of her family members, Elizabeth really loved them. And in a sense her mother was correct. It was her sister’s marriage that brought Darcy back to Hertfordshire, and threw her in the way, once again, of the only rich man she could ever be prevailed upon to marry.
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[1] Holy Ghost, with Light Divine, words by Andrew Reed, 1817
