Fitzwilliam Darcy Elopes

by Beth Wood

  It was clear that, with Lady Matlock's help, London society had generally accepted the new Mrs. Darcy. There were several ladies who only stayed the quarter hour that propriety required in a social call, but there were not a few that stayed as long as they politely could, hoping to form a closer acquaintance or friendship with the new mistress of Pemberley.

  The Darcys decided to remain in London one week after the ball before returning to Hertfordshire. Darcy had already received an invitation to stay at Netherfield Park with Mr. Bingley. Elizabeth had also received a letter in reply from Jane, giving more details of her engagement. They decided they would stay with Mr. Bingley until the wedding, at which time they would depart for Pemberley for some much needed time alone. They looked forward to only having Georgiana and her companion as the other occupants of the estate.

  * * *

  Lady Catherine sat fuming. She had read the preposterous articles in The Times. She did not understand why society seemed ready to blame her for the poor choices of her nephew. She regretted ever inviting the Parsonage Party to dine while Miss Bennet was a guest of the parsonage and Mr. Darcy was a guest of Rosings Park. She believed the reports in the paper, and wished she had somehow been made aware of the secret engagement at the time. If she had, she was in no doubt that she would have been able to put a stop to it. Now that the marriage had taken place, she knew there was little that she could do, beyond ignoring the existence of Mrs. Darcy. So, she sent the Darcys no letter of congratulations. Instead, she wrote a letter to her brother, Lord Matlock, demanding that he explain to Darcy that his wife would never be welcomed to Rosings Park, and that Darcy would not be welcome until he was ready to apologize for the insult of marrying anyone that was not her daughter Anne.

  She would be waiting for a very very very long time.

  Chapter 12

  As the carriage pulled away from Darcy House on the morning of their departure to Hertfordshire, there was a collective sigh of relief. Colonel Fitzwilliam was unable to join them due to the fact that he was in the Army and had some responsibilities which kept him in London. As the second son of an Earl, he was given a great amount of latitude, but abandoning his post on a whim was generally frowned upon.

  It was decided that they would go to Longbourn first before Darcy and Elizabeth made their way to Netherfield Park. They were not completely surprised to find Mr. Bingley in attendance at Longbourn when they arrived, though the presence of Miss Bingley was surprising. All members of the London party were equally astonished at the general rapport that Mrs. Bennet and Miss Bingley seemed to share. For a few minutes it seemed as if they were competing for the honor of showing the most excitement about the recent nuptials of the Darcys, and the upcoming nuptials of Mr. Bingley and Miss Bennet. It was not until Mrs. Bennet gave Mr. Darcy a kiss on the cheek to welcome him to the family that Miss Bingley had to silently concede defeat. Though, she did console herself with the fact that the Darcys would be returning to Netherfield Park with her and her brother, where she would have the opportunity to show them her enthusiasm for their company. If either Mr. Darcy or Elizabeth noticed the vast change in her attitude, neither chose to voice their opinion.

  Although Darcy and Elizabeth had not planned on remaining at Longbourn for long on this visit, they found their plans were changed as the Bingleys appeared to not be in a hurry to return to Netherfield Park. Being only a two hour's trip from London, they had arrived in time to stay for luncheon. They were surprised that they were still in attendance when it was time for tea.

  As the Darcys and the Bingleys finally pulled away from Longbourn, Darcy and Elizabeth were immensely pleased that they were in their own carriage, and the Bingleys in another. Although they were relieved that there had been no allusion to Lydia's elopement, they were both a little disconcerted at the ease with which both Mrs. Bennet and Miss Bingley had discussed how soon they could all assemble as a family party at Pemberley. From time to time there had been a look in Miss Bingley's eye that showed she would much prefer to visit Pemberley without her soon to be Bennet relations, but she was conscious of the fact that she need to pay every arear of civility to the new Mrs. Darcy if she wanted to retain the right to visit the illustrious estate. If that meant she would need to brave the estate at the same time as her new relations, then so be it. If she was required to spend time with her new relations, she would much rather do so in the country than during the London season.

  * * *

  “Do you think our luck will hold tomorrow?” Elizabeth asked as they were lying together late that night, completely ignoring the fact that they had been given separate bed chambers.

  “What do you mean?” Darcy replied, cuddling his wife closer into his side.

  “Today my mother was distracted by our arrival and my incredible fortune in obtaining you as a husband. I almost do not think she even rightly remembers Lydia's indiscretion at this moment. Eventually, though, she will recall the reason for our elopement. I only hope there are no neighbors in attendance when she remembers.”

  “We shall just have to continue to distract her,” Darcy replied. “For the next two months she will be suitably distracted in planning Jane's wedding to Mr. Bingley. With any luck, she will have been able to put it out of her mind by then.”

  “And if she has not?”

  “We will just have to come up with another way to distract her.”

  “And what would you suggest?”

  “I am certain the approaching birth of her first grandchild would be sufficient.”

  “We will have been married less than three months by the time Jane and Mr. Bingley marry. That would be incredibly rapid,” Elizabeth replied.

  “Well then, I suggest we spend as much time as possible attempting to accomplish the feat,” Darcy replied with a smile. Although Elizabeth laughed in reply, her response was quickly smothered. There was no further conversation that night, though they did put their discussion into practice several times before the sun rose the next day.

  * * *

  As the morning lengthened into day, Mr. Bingley found himself completely astounded. He had never known his friend to stay abed past the seventh hour. As it neared ten o'clock Bingley wanted to leave for Longbourn, but there had been no sign of his friend. He had even checked with Darcy's valet, but Carson had assured him that his master was in full health, and there was no reason to be concerned. When Darcy and Elizabeth finally emerged, Bingley was dumbstruck by the smile that graced the face of his friend.

  * * *

  If Elizabeth had thought that by eloping she would be able to avoid having her mother parade her in front of her neighbors, she could not have been more wrong. Before Elizabeth could remove her outer wear, Mrs. Bennet voiced their plans to visit with their neighbors. After greeting the Bingleys and sending them in the direction of the parlor where Jane was waiting for them, Mrs. Bennet joined the Darcys in their carriage and set off for Lucas Lodge.

  “Charlotte! I am so happy to see you!” Elizabeth exclaimed after they had been shown in to the parlor at Lucas Lodge.

  Although Mrs. Bennet had not been aware that Mr. and Mrs. Collins were visiting the Lucas family, she could not help but preen at the thought that she would be able to compare their relative sons-in-law side by side. It may have still rankled her a bit that one of her daughters would not be inheriting Longbourn, but there could be no question as to which of the men was a better catch. It was easy to feign indifference when she could throw around words such as “house in town,” “estate in Derbyshire,” and, “his uncle the earl.”

  “I must confess I am not nearly as surprised to see you here as you are to see me,” Charlotte replied. “When we arrived a few days ago my mother told me that you were expected.”

  “I confess I am glad for the opportunity to spend time with you. I do not think we will be receiving an invitation to Rosings Park any time soon, so I had thought it would be some time before we saw each other again.”

  “No, I do not foresee an invitati
on coming from that quarter,” Charlotte replied with some humor. “Although I have assured Mr. Collins that if you had in fact become secretly engaged while visiting us you would have surely confided in me, we still felt it would be best to absent ourselves from the neighborhood until emotions had a chance to settle.”

  “Oh Charlotte, I did not even think about how my elopement would affect you. I hope things are not too exceedingly uncomfortable for you.”

  “In many ways, you could say it has been the opposite,” Charlotte replied. “I think that Mr. Collins is just as pleased by our new relation by marriage as your mother. When we first left Hunsford we spent a fortnight in Bath, where Mr. Collins was constantly praising his cousins, Mr. and Mrs. Darcy. You need not worry that we will be expecting invitations to visit your estate. It is only that Mr. Collins is exceedingly proud of the fact that one of his family could draw the attention of such a man as Mr. Darcy. It has even given him more confidence.”

  “And how has Lady Catherine reacted to this new found confidence?” Elizabeth queried.

  “I am sure we will find out shortly after returning to Kent,” Charlotte replied. “I must confess I am looking forward to the first time that Mr. Collins refers to Lady Catherine as his relation. I take comfort every day in the fact that once a living is bestowed it is exceedingly difficult for it to be taken away again.”

  Chapter 13

  The Darcys had been in residence at Netherfield Park for a fortnight before Mrs. Bennet was satisfied that she had paraded her daughter sufficiently in front of the four and twenty families with which they dined. Elizabeth was fairly certain she had even seen the inside of a fair number of drawing rooms where she had never before set foot.

  As time passed, Mrs. Bennet immersed herself in wedding plans for her eldest daughter. Since she had been robbed of the opportunity to plan a spectacular wedding for Elizabeth, she was determined that Jane's wedding would be the finest Hertfordshire had ever seen. Mr. Bingley's wealth may have been nothing compared to Mr. Darcy's, but it was still an excellent match.

  It was not long before Mrs. Bennet and Miss Bingley settled on a scheme to throw a ball in honor of the Darcy marriage and the engagement of Jane and Mr. Bingley. Mrs. Bennet could only delight that she would have her first opportunity to throw her other daughters into the path of rich young men. Miss Bingley's thoughts were not far off, as she contemplated which of Mr. Darcy's friends should be her next target.

  The two ladies who cared the most about attendance to the ball planned it for two days prior to the wedding. Mrs. Bennet and Miss Bingley both hoped that by having it so close to the actual wedding, they would be able to attract more of the eligible bachelors from town. They were not to be disappointed.

  * * *

  Every guest room at both Longbourn and Netherfield Park were occupied by friends and family in the days leading up to the ball and subsequent wedding. When Colonel Fitzwilliam arrived without notice, Miss Bingley was both scandalized and relieved when Mr. and Mrs. Darcy volunteered one of their rooms for his use. Although all of the servants were well aware that only one of the rooms the Darcys occupied had required tending during their visit, Caroline had remained purposefully ignorant of that fact.

  During a late breakfast on the day of the ball, Charles Bingley overheard Colonel Fitzwilliam lightly teasing Darcy about his change in morning routine. Although Bingley had come to accept that Darcy's habits had changed, he had not really thought about the cause. He had been relieved when they told him that he should leave for Longbourn whenever he desired, whether or not they were ready to accompany him. As realization dawned as to the nature of Richard's teasing, Bingley blushed much deeper than Darcy, causing Richard to delightfully change the target of his teasing.

  * * *

  Although Mrs. Bennet had planned to have both Darcy and Elizabeth in the receiving line of the ball, no one had bothered to tell either of them. As a result, their preparations for the ball lasted much longer than others expected. By the time they were refreshed and dressed appropriately, most of the guests had already arrived.

  Darcy soon found one benefit to his wife having so many sisters. By the time he danced with all of the females in the Bennet and Bingley families, there were only a few dances remaining for the evening. He was even able to find some amusement when his acquaintances from town asked Elizabeth to dance, as they had at the Berwick Ball. Knowing that they were asking Elizabeth to dance due to the fact that she was now married only gave him satisfaction, knowing he was the one that had married her.

  Although Mrs. Bennet was just as loud as she had been at the last Netherfield Ball, the comments she made were fact instead of rumor and speculation. Elizabeth had married Darcy, and Jane would be marrying Bingley within a couple of days. There was one tense moment for a few of those in attendance when Colonel Fitzwilliam asked Lydia to dance, and Mrs. Bennet exclaimed how happy she was that Lydia had failed to throw her life away on a mere lieutenant. After the dance, Richard led Lydia to her elder sisters instead of her mother. Darcy chose the following dance to be the one that he danced with Lydia. Richard took it upon himself to ensure that it would not be necessary for Lydia to return to her mother's side over the course of the evening.

  Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner had arrived the day before, and were in attendance at the ball. After the near disaster, they silently appointed themselves as chaperones for Mrs. Bennet for the rest of the evening.

  Unsurprisingly, the Bennet carriage was again the last carriage to be prepared to return home. By the time it arrived, most of the guests that were staying at Netherfield Park had already retired to their rooms. Darcy retired to the library with Richard, after asking Elizabeth to come and fetch him when she was ready to retire.

  * * *

  The two gentlemen had been sipping port for some time when the topic of conversation turned to the Bennet family.

  “Their mother truly is ghastly, is she not?” Richard asked.

  “Ghastly is a rather strong word,” Darcy replied.

  “Well then, which word would you use?”

  “I believe I used the word objectionable.”

  As Richard laughed, both gentlemen were surprised when someone else responded.

  “I believe you also said she had a total want of propriety.”

  “Did I say that?” Darcy asked, turning red.

  “I believe I have the evidence in our room if you would like me to fetch it.”

  “Evidence?” Richard asked, chortling.

  “Have you still not burned that letter?” Darcy asked.

  “It is still the only letter that you have written me,” Elizabeth replied. “I do not plan on burning it until I have something to replace it with.”

  “Am I to understand, that in the only love letter Darcy has penned you he told you that your mother was objectionable and displayed a lack of propriety?” Richard was now finding it slightly difficult to breathe as he attempted to stifle his laughter.

  “I wouldn't call it a love letter, per se,” Elizabeth replied, “more, a letter of explanation.”

  “And what exactly was he trying to explain?”

  “Oh, a great many things,” Elizabeth replied. “But, as now everything has been put to rights, it is unimportant.”

  “And I will be forever grateful that you were willing to forget my awful proposal and consent to be my wife,” Darcy interjected. “Now, it is well past time to retire, are you ready to go to our room?”

  “Wait a moment!” Richard exclaimed. “What awful proposal?”

  “That is really none of your business,” Darcy replied.

  “Will you at least tell me when this happened?”

  “In Kent,” Elizabeth replied with a smile. “I am still amazed that the gossips were able to discover that Darcy had proposed during that time, even if we were not secretly engaged.”

  * * *

  Everyone slept late the day after the ball. While Bingley found it necessary to entertain all of his guests with a shooting
party, Elizabeth returned to Longbourn to help with all of the last minute preparations for the wedding. As the Darcy carriage returned her to Netherfield Park that evening, she realized that the day apart had been their longest separation since they had run away from the Inn at Lambton.

  When she arrived in their bedroom, she was delighted to see a letter waiting for her from her husband. She quickly opened it and began reading.

  Dearest Elizabeth,

  Words cannot express the great joy that you brought into my life when you agreed to be my wife. I will endeavor to show you every day how much I admire and love you.

  In the meantime, burn the other letter.

  With love,

  Fitzwilliam Darcy

  Chapter 14

  Every bride hopes for a perfect day to mark the beginning of their marriage. Not too hot, and not too cold. Unfortunately, the best way to describe the breaking dawn on the day of Jane and Bingley’s wedding was “gray.” It was truly hard to know when dawn actually broke. The sky was so overcast, it was impossible to tell.

  “With any luck, the rain will hold until after everyone has returned to Longbourn,” Elizabeth said with a sigh as the Darcy carriage arrived at the church.

  “I think the only hope of that would be if the vicar speaks uncommonly quickly,” Darcy replied.

  The vicar did not.

  * * *

  As the marriage ceremony came to an end, the sound of raindrops hitting the roof of the chapel could be heard. It was not until the newly married Bingleys reached the exit that Charles remembered how romantic he thought it would be to drive away in an open carriage.