by Lauren King
Darcy sees Elizabeth smiling at him, thus he smiles back dotingly with clear adoration.
“That is exactly one week after Andrew’s and Miss Davenport’s wedding. Darcy, did you get Andrew’s wedding invitation yet?” Lady Matlock asks openly.
“Yes, I received it last week, Aunt.”
“Where do you plan to have your wedding breakfast, Darcy?” Lady Matlock poses openly.
“We will have it at Darcy House.” Darcy replies respectfully. “I hope that you will help us plan it, Aunt.”
“Certainly, I will if that is what you both would like.” Lady Matlock responds warmly. “I will help in any way I can.”
“Thank you, Lady Matlock. We greatly value your time and advice. We are especially grateful, now that we know you will also be busy with Lord Somerset’s wedding.” Elizabeth states appreciatively with a sweet smile.
Lady Matlock turns to see that Miss Elizabeth is very pleased with her willingness to help. “You are welcome, Miss Elizabeth. Miss Davenport’s family has a right to her wedding breakfast; therefore, I will leave it to them to decide until they seek my opinion. I will not be that busy as the mother of the groom.” Then Lady Matlock turns back to Darcy and asks, “Will your Godfather be presiding over your ceremony at his church, Darcy?”
“I am hoping that he will be able to preside over our ceremony. I will ask him tonight at midnight mass. Will you also be attending tonight, Aunt?” Darcy speaks comfortably.
“Yes, your Uncle and I will be there.” Lady Matlock turns to Richard and questions, “Richard, will you be coming with us to midnight mass?”
“Yes, Mother, I will.” Richard answers cheerily.
“Have you seen the church, Miss Elizabeth,” inquires Lady Matlock.
“I have, Lady Matlock. It is grand and magnificent in its aura that it projects. The architecture is detailed and awe-inspiring. I felt such peace and serenity when I was inside praying. Do you attend the same church, Lady Matlock?” Elizabeth poses amiably.
“Yes, I do. Whenever we are in town that is the church we attend.”
When the ladies and gentlemen separate for an after-dinner-drink, Lady Matlock is able to speak to Elizabeth more closely. Lady Matlock speaks of many subjects that any well bred young lady could follow. She finds out that Elizabeth is very good with figures and accounts – not just for a household. She understands a business’ accounting. She understands tenant issues and concerns along with contracts and obligations. Elizabeth speaks and answers questions as if she is able to manage an estate. Elizabeth seems to be well-spoken, honest, humble, compassionate, caring, considerate, and loving towards those who she cares for. There is no guile in her conversations and questions; there is no calculation – just joy and curiosity. She also seems to sincerely like and care for Georgiana who seems to be taken with Elizabeth. So far, Lady Matlock is glad for Darcy to have found such a nice young lady who seems to be able to help Darcy in many aspects if he should ever need it.
When Lady Matlock asks about women’s pursuits, Elizabeth admits that she does not play the pianoforte well, at all; she needs to practice more. Georgiana is able to hear Elizabeth’s answer, thus she commends Elizabeth’s singing ability to Lady Matlock.
“Oh Aunt, you should hear Elizabeth’s beautiful soprano voice when she performs. Richard and William like it very much.” Georgiana praises sincerely.
“Oh Georgie, you over exaggerate my abilities, sweetie. I did not learn from the masters; hence, it cannot be as good as you claim. I like singing; therefore, I tend to practice it a little more than anything else; that is all.” Elizabeth pronounces humbly and warmly as she holds and pats Georgiana’s hand.
“Well then, you must perform for us, Miss Elizabeth, and Georgiana can accompany you on the pianoforte. I am sure you know Georgiana is superb on the pianoforte.” Lady Matlock extols her niece’s talent.
“Yes, I do know, Lady Matlock. She is an impressive, great talent, indeed. I can only wish to be one fourth as good as Georgie.” Elizabeth pats Georgiana’s hand affectionately again while giving her a kindhearted smile. “Let us perform as requested, Georgie. Shall we perform the same song we did last month?”
Georgiana says hesitantly, “Yes, we can perform that one.” Then, she expresses her concern quietly to Elizabeth. “Lizzy, I have never performed for this many people before. I do not think I can do it without practicing first.”
“Georgie, you know this song inside and out. Do not let the anxiety overtake you. You can do it because you truly are talented, and you know the material. This is for fun – just like when we did it with each other, all right?”
Georgiana nods as she breathes deeply and calmly.
“Just think good thoughts; it is all family here. You are the most talented here; do not be anxious. I know you can do this. This is any easy performance for you. I should be the one who is worried; I only know a few people here. However, we can conquer this, right?” Elizabeth says quietly with great encouragement, and then she smiles confidently.
Elizabeth is nervous to perform here because she wants to make a good impression upon Lady Matlock. Lady Matlock seems like a fair woman who is straightforward and confident in her abilities; therefore, she will not be easily impressed with some paltry accomplishments. Well, Elizabeth can only do her best; she will not be intimidated. She can do this.
Lady Matlock hears the exchange between Miss Elizabeth and Georgiana. She is pleased that Miss Elizabeth is inspirational and caring of Georgiana. She sounds to be a sincere and a good influence for Georgiana.
Both Elizabeth and Georgiana go to the piano forte and ready themselves to perform. As Elizabeth walks by, Jane reaches out and both sisters hold hands for a brief second as if to encourage one another. Jane looks up with a tender smile towards both Elizabeth and Georgiana. Lady Matlock sees this exchange too, and she distinguishes that they are loving sisters.
Throughout dinner, Lady Matlock recognized Darcy’s honest affections for Miss Elizabeth and hers for him. They looked very becoming of each other when they were side by side, talking cheerfully. Miss Elizabeth looked genuinely in admiration of Darcy, and it was clear as day that Darcy adored Miss Elizabeth like no other. Lady Matlock has never seen Darcy be taken with any young lady before, but it is safe to say that Darcy is completely taken with Miss Elizabeth.
The room becomes quiet as everyone sees Georgiana and Elizabeth take their place at the pianoforte. Georgiana starts to play right before the men quietly walk to the open entrance without entering. After a few seconds, Elizabeth starts her singing, and, as usual, Darcy is mesmerized by her voice and beauty. He gazes lovingly at his betrothed lost in his own thoughts about how providential it was for them to become acquainted through Georgiana.
The performance is excellent; both young ladies get enthusiastic applauses from everyone – except, maybe, Miss Sophia Ellington who is not as impressed. As Elizabeth and Georgiana hold each other’s hand to go back to their seats, Darcy approaches them and congratulates them on an excellent performance. Both ladies thank Darcy, kindly and with shy smiles. Darcy remains by Elizabeth’s side while Jane comes over to praise both ladies’ performance. Lady Matlock also happily adds her commendations. Afterwards, they all enthusiastically talk about the wedding. When Elizabeth warmheartedly asks for Lady Matlock’s advice, she cannot help but become involved and excited for the couple, especially when Elizabeth sounds sincere with her request for Lady Matlock’s counsel.
Lady Matlock is glad to see that Miss Elizabeth is not too conceited to ask for advice and guidance when she needs it. She is not false with her request nor does she exaggerate her praises. She does not boast about her abilities, and she is straightforward but tactful and eloquent. Lady Matlock will not mind associating with someone like Miss Elizabeth. Her father is a gentleman; accordingly, she will always be considered a gentlewoman. She is an impressive, learned young lady that Darcy clearly adores. This bodes very well for their future together. Lady Matlock will see what she
can do to assist this couple. She cares for Darcy and Georgiana like her own children; therefore, she would like to know that Miss Elizabeth will be a good family member for them both. So far, Lady Matlock is satisfied with Miss Elizabeth; she hopes that Miss Elizabeth is truly who she presents herself to be.
At this point, Miss Sophia Ellington performs on the piano forte with Miss Anna Ellington turning the music pages for her. Her performance sounds rather involved and impressive – even Elizabeth can recognize this. Elizabeth can tell that Miss Sophia Ellington is not shy about performing, and she has looked at William’s direction a couple of times before she started to perform. Elizabeth remembers that Miss Sophia Ellington was very happily conversing with William during dinner. She was very friendly towards him but just enough so that it looked lady-like. Elizabeth wonders if William knows or recognizes Miss Sophia Ellington’s interest in him. Did William ever pursue her in the past? Elizabeth has not noticed any partiality towards Miss Sophia Ellington from William; she is glad for it because she would not know what to do if she did notice his preference for another lady. She would be distraught.
When Lady Matlock leads Elizabeth and Darcy into the gallery to show Elizabeth her most favorite painting in their collection, they overhear two ladies speaking from around the corner of the gallery. The ladies thought they were alone; therefore, they spoke quite candidly.
“Mother, I do not understand why he spoke to me so nicely, danced with me, and then got engaged to another lady. Did I do something wrong?” The young lady sounds hurt and upset as she speaks unguardedly.
“No, sweetheart; you did not do anything wrong. You were the perfect young lady. He was very nice with you last season, and we thought that he would express his interest after he danced with you at two different balls. Alas, some men do that because they are rakes, or they just do not know their minds. I thought Mr. Darcy was sophisticated enough to know his mind since he is the head of the illustrious Darcy family. Unfortunately, Mr. Darcy does not know what he is about. This Miss Elizabeth Bennet is nothing to you, but some men are not very smart. I am surprised at his decision. Her father’s estate is small which means her dowry is small, too. She is pretty but nothing out of the ordinary. You are so much prettier and better suited for him, but as I have said some men are not very smart. Do not give him another thought. You deserve someone better than him.”
At the point where Darcy’s name is first mentioned, Lady Matlock, Darcy, and Elizabeth shockingly freeze in their attempt to leave the gallery; they could not help but hear what is being said. Darcy is determined to hear what is being said about him; he feels that if someone is bold enough to gossip maliciously about another person in public, then they should bear the consequences of being confronted when discovered. It will serve them right if he sets them down directly in public. The three of them realize now that it is Mrs. Mark Ellington and Miss Sophia Ellington that are speaking to each other about Darcy. Darcy does not want Elizabeth to hear anymore of this ridiculousness, so he turns Elizabeth around to leave the gallery.
As they leave, they hear Miss Sophia Ellington say, “He also spoke to me at dinner earlier, and he was still nice like he was at those balls. Yet, I saw that he kept paying attention to Miss Elizabeth. Both Richard and Nathaniel were paying her attention all night, too. I heard Edward and Francis say that she was beautiful.”
Indeed, Darcy is offended and upset by what he just heard. At no time did Darcy ever pursue or even acted roguishly towards any young lady anywhere – not including Elizabeth who was his betrothed already before he kissed her hand. He has always been a gentleman. Certainly, he danced with some young ladies, but he never danced the first set with anyone or danced more than once with any of them at the same ball. He does remember that he danced once with Miss Sophia Ellington at two different balls, but after that he was not interested in progressing with her, thus he never approached her again. Incidentally, the two balls were two months apart, so it could not have been considered that he was pursuing her. If he was, he would not have let two months go by without anything transpiring before asking for a second dance. He never acted out of line as a gentleman. Furthermore, she is Aunt Helen’s niece; Darcy would never do anything so flagrant – under no circumstances would he be rakish. How dare they allude that he would be a rake and that he does not know his own mind! He knows not to ever associate with this Ellington family again. Now, he does not care that they are related to Aunt Helen. He will not allow them to jeopardize his reputation like that.
Lady Matlock is embarrassed that Elizabeth heard some of her niece’s and sister-in-law’s conversation. Lady Matlock knows that Sophia likes Darcy, but Darcy has never shown any interest in Sophia. She has never seen Darcy act ungentlemanly towards anyone; therefore, for these two ladies to allude to his ungentlemanly behavior is thoughtless and imprudent. She can see that Darcy is silently angry at these comments. She will have to be diplomatic about all this to prevent both sides from holding a grudge.
Elizabeth is slightly concerned about what she just overheard. At first, she was not quite certain who the ladies were because she did not know these ladies well enough to recognize their voices. However, she deduced that it was either Mrs. Mark Ellington and her daughter Miss Sophia Ellington, or it was Mrs. Peter Ellington and her daughter Miss Anna Ellington. Elizabeth guesses that it was Mrs. Mark Ellington and Miss Sophia Ellington since it had to do with William. She noticed that Miss Sophia Ellington paid more attention to William than to anyone else here tonight – discreetly, of course.
Elizabeth cannot understand some ladies’ interpretation of certain situations; perhaps Miss Sophia Ellington is naïve enough to believe that just because a gentleman dances with you at two different balls then that means they are seriously pursuing her. Did William mislead her by accident or was he actually interested in her at first but then changed his mind? Did he act recklessly towards an innocent young lady? She would like to talk to William about this; if he did act so imprudently, then she would have a difficult time trusting him. She simply does not believe William would act in that manner. She has only seen William be the epitome of a perfect gentleman in every sense of the word. She truly believes that Miss Sophia has naively misunderstood her situation with William; otherwise, her father surely would have confronted William on her behalf. William is in no way inconsiderate and in no way a rake. Elizabeth is actually offended on William’s behalf, now that she considers it.
As the three of them reach the exit, Elizabeth decides to break the awkward silence so that her two companions will not be out of sorts with what just happened. “You have a lovely gallery, Lady Matlock. I like the paintings with the cherubs in them. They are adorable.”
“Thank you, Miss Elizabeth. Those cherubs are adorable; they remind me of Andrew, Richard, and Darcy when they were babies.” Lady Matlock replies eloquently. “Let us get some punch; would you like some, Miss Elizabeth?”
“Yes, thank you, ma’am. Mr. Darcy, would you like some? I know you enjoy the orange punch.” Elizabeth asks affectionately with her sweet smile for him.
“Yes, thank you, Miss Elizabeth.” Darcy replies while looking at Elizabeth fondly. He really hopes that she is not upset with him over what she just heard. She seems to be handling this awkward situation very well; it is not surprising to him how understanding and considerate Elizabeth is to everyone. She is the best wife he could ever want.
By the time the evening ends, Lady Matlock comes to the conclusion that Elizabeth is a worthy young lady who is fitting of Darcy, and she will do all she can to help this couple traverse through high society to which Darcy belongs. They will need to consider the Ton because their children will belong to the Ton. Therefore, they should be well versed with how the Ton works so that it will be an advantage for their children. It never hurts to be in the upper crust of society and be considered well by them.
It seems that everybody, other than Miss Sophia Ellington and her Mother, are satisfied with their dinner experience this
evening. Lord and Lady Matlock are pleased that Mr. Bennet is a true gentleman; albeit, his estate is small and it will not benefit his daughter. Other than that, he seems to be suitable. They hope that Mrs. Bennet and the other three daughters are just as suitable and charming as Elizabeth and Jane. They only want the best for Darcy.
Before midnight mass begins, Darcy introduces Mr. Bennet, Elizabeth, and Jane to his Godfather Archbishop Nicolas Peters. They converse for a short while and the Archbishop agrees to preside over their wedding. After midnight mass, they cheerily say their farewells to Archbishop Peters. Elizabeth is happy that the Archbishop is nice and kind – not stern as she thought that he may be given his religious status.
Elizabeth and William did not get a chance to speak about what they overheard in the Matlock’s gallery tonight because they were not alone at any time. Elizabeth is not disturbed by what was said; she just wants to assure that he is not still interested in Miss Sophia Ellington in any way. They can talk tomorrow.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 25th
At nine o’clock the next morning, Mr. Bennet gets underway to Blyth after speaking to Elizabeth and Jane.
“Jane, Lizzy, I want to let both of you know not to worry about Lydia’s situation too much anymore. I will get things under control. I will have Sergeant Denny marry Lydia as soon as possible. I will insist upon it, and it will be from Longbourn, so I will write to you both to let you know of the exact date. Lizzy, as for your wedding trousseau and wedding gown, you have an allowance of 30 pounds. If there is anything else that you absolutely need, then you will need to let me know, all right, my child?”
“Thank you, Papa. I think the 30 pounds will cover everything. Have a safe trip, Papa. When will you reach Blyth?”
“Since we will have to traverse slowly on the winter roads, it will take approximately four and a half days from here.”
