“Come, let us go into the dining room and tell the others,” Charles suggested. “I believe Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam will want to wish you well.”
Owen walked over and took Caroline’s hand in his, “I hope you do not mind, but I spoke with my mother and father this morning before I came. I know it is a bit unorthodox, but my mother has waited for some time to hear of my finding love again, and I did not wish to make her wait a moment longer.”
Caroline shook her head. “Of course, I do not mind,” she assured him.
“She was delighted for us,” he told her. “I am to bring you over this very day so that she can welcome you to the family.”
“I look forward to spending time with her,” she told him.
Owen took her hand in his, “Come now, let us go and share our good news,” he told her as they made their way into the dining room.
Darcy sat at the table with Elizabeth and the others eating his breakfast when Owen and Caroline came in, “I have news that I could not wait to share with you,” he announced to them all. “Miss Bingley, forever more to be known to me as my dearest Caroline, has consented to be my wife. We are engaged, and plan to be married soon.”
One by one they all wished the happy couple much joy. It was not long before talk of where the wedding should take place began. It was also not long before discussion of weddings, gowns, and cake began among the ladies. Caroline, who was not so completely altered from her former self, smiled and graciously received the attention given to her by everyone, blissfully unaware of a pair of eyes that watched her very carefully.
Darcy sat looking disapprovingly on the entire affair. He furrowed his brow and wondered if his wife had anything to do with this turn of events. Without saying anything, he turned and went to his study.
Elizabeth saw the look on his face as he left the room and quickly followed after him. She found him standing in front of his window in his study. “William, is everything all right? Are you well?”
He turned to Elizabeth and asked, “I wonder if this engagement, perchance, is the result of some of your meddling?”
Elizabeth furrowed her brow and shook her head, “I promise you, it is not,” she told him.
“I only ask because you were gone for a considerable amount of time last night, and I could not help but take notice at one point, my cousin was about to leave, and was very determined to do so,” Darcy told her.
“He did not leave,” she told him. “He returned to the parlor where he spoke with Miss Bingley.”
“And you were there, I think, when this occurred,” he remarked.
“I was there,” she admitted to him.
“And now Miss Bingley and my cousin are to be married,” Darcy concluded. “They are to be married after only knowing each other for such a brief time. I find that very surprising.”
Elizabeth thought she detected disapproval in his voice, “William, are you not happy for your cousin?” she asked him.
Darcy took in a very determined breath and then exhaled slowly, “I am happy for my cousin as long as this is what he wants. However, I remain skeptical of Miss Bingley’s sudden and remarkable change in character with no explanation for it.”
Elizabeth chewed her bottom lip and considered if she should tell him of Caroline’s past or not. “William,” she began to say. “Do you trust me?”
He looked at her intently, “Of course I do,” he assured her.
“Then will you trust me when I tell you I believe Mr. Fitzwilliam and Miss Bingley are perfectly suited for one another?” she assured him.
“May I ask you on what you base your belief?” he asked her. “Owen is my cousin, and we both know Miss Bingley has always sought to marry for rank and connection. Why is it you believe she now desires to marry for any other reason?”
Elizabeth thought for a moment before she answered. She considered all that Caroline had told her. At once, she realized even though Caroline had not asked her never to speak of her past with another, she could not in good conscience ever tell anyone, not even William, what she knew. Caroline’s secret was one of such intimate detail that it was best left unspoken. “William, please do not ask me to explain further how I know,” she told him. “Please just trust that I love you, and know your concern for your cousin is genuine. I would never say these things to you if I doubted that Caroline Bingley has not gone through a profound and remarkable change that does indeed have an explanation, one that your cousin is very aware of and has caused him no concern. In fact, I believe for him, it had quite the opposite effect, and caused him to love her all the more dearly.”
Darcy sighed again and turned to look out the window, “All right, darling,” he said to her. “I will trust that you know what is best and not make any rushed judgments where Miss Bingley is concerned. Although, I do warn you; if I should see any conduct on the part of Miss Bingley that gives me a reason to pause, I will not hesitate in telling my cousin so.”
Elizabeth smiled, “You will have no cause,” she assured him.
Darcy turned back towards her. “I do truly hope you are right, Elizabeth,” he said as he walked over and took her in his arms. “We both know what a difficult time Owen has had. I would very much regret if I thought we were somehow the cause of any further sorrow for him by way of his marrying Miss Bingley.”
She reached up and gently caressed his cheek, “Come and see for yourself; Caroline Bingley loves your cousin, and she would never do anything to hurt him.”
Darcy smiled, feeling a little more at ease, “Very well then; let us go in and wish the happy couple joy and our congratulations,” he said as he took Elizabeth’s hand in his.
As they approached Owen and Caroline, Elizabeth felt her heart beat a little faster. She was not really sure how this would go, so she silently whispered a small prayer and waited for her husband to speak.
“Miss Bingley,” Darcy said as he stepped up to her and Owen. “I wanted to congratulate you and wish you well. I hope you will be very happy.”
“Thank you, Mr. Darcy,“ she said as she glanced over at Owen. “I am very happy to be joining your family.”
William hesitated for a moment, then said, “Yes, it seems by marrying my cousin, you will be a part of my family,” he remarked as his earlier doubts returned momentarily. “I suspect you have gotten what you always wanted in marrying Mr. Fitzwilliam.”
“No, that is where you are wrong, Mr. Darcy. In marrying Mr. Fitzwilliam, I have not gotten what I always thought I wanted,” she said as she looked over at Owen with such love and adoration in her eyes that it could hardly go unnoticed by anyone. “In marrying him, I have gotten what I always truly hoped for, and did not even know it.”
Owen stepped over and took Darcy’s hand in his, “Congratulate me, Darcy,” he said to him. “I believe today is the happiest I have been in quite some time.”
Darcy smiled, “I do congratulate you, cousin, and wish you well,” he told him. “When will you marry?
”
“We will marry by special license, before Christmas,” he told them.
Elizabeth’s eyes opened wide, “So soon?” she was surprised. “There will be so much to do!”
Caroline smiled, “We hope to have a very small and simple wedding,” she told them. “Owen would like to be married from Hallowell, and I have no objections to it being so.”
“A Christmas wedding sounds perfectly lovely,” Elizabeth told her.
Colonel Fitzwilliam stepped aside with his brother once all the well-wishing came to an end and talk of wedding plans ensued. “Owen, I was wondering if you have already spoken to Father and Mother about this?”
He nodded his head, “I have, and they are both delighted for me,” he told him. “Although, I think I should warn you that Mother made mention of you needing to settle down. She said she expects to see grandchildren from both her sons before she dies.”
Richard laughed, “I suspect Mother would use every opportunity she can to remind me of my need to
marry.”
Owen looked over at Georgiana, “Tell me, little brother; have you figured out the answer yet to your dilemma?”
Richard furrowed his brow, “I am not sure I know what you are talking about?” he said, “Are you speaking to my dilemma of needing to marry, or something else?”
Owen laughed, “The dilemma of needing to marry, of course. The answer is right before you, you know. It has always been there.”
Richard shook his head, “I am afraid I do not understand your meaning, brother unless of course, you are suggesting you know something that I am unaware of?”
Owen sighed, “I have done my best not to say anything and allow this situation to come to a natural conclusion, but as your older brother, allow me to offer you this bit of wisdom; time is a very fleeting thing, do not waste any opportunity that you might be given today by refusing to see what is plainly in front of you.”
Richard looked over in the direction that his brother was looking and saw Georgiana standing with the other ladies discussing Owen and Caroline’s wedding. He now understood what his brother was attempting to say. So, he had been more obvious with his changing and growing feelings for his cousin than he realized. Now both Miss Bennet and his brother had discovered what he had been working to conceal.
Owen could see he was still conflicted, “Never mind, little brother, do not think on it now,” he told him. “I have other things to discuss with you,” he told him.
“Such as?” Richard asked.
“Such as I wonder if you would stand up with me? I can think of no one else I would like by my side when Caroline and I marry,” he told him.
Richard nodded his head, “Of course I will,” he agreed.
It was late in the day by the time Owen and Caroline left to go and meet with his parents. Jane and Charles, along with Richard, were to accompany them, and it was expected that they would not return until late.
Elizabeth made her way into the sitting room to find Kitty sewing away on one of her gowns. “Kitty, what are you doing?” she asked her.
“Well, I thought since Miss Bingley is to marry so very soon, and I cannot ask Papa to buy me another new dress, I would simply make some alterations to the dress I wore last night and create something that might look new. The color of this dress is beautiful, and the fabric is very easy to work with. I love the tiny gold and red flowers, but I was not as fond of all this white lace,” she said holding it up for her to see. “I believe this red ribbon and gold lace will suit it much better and would be very festive for a Christmas time wedding.”
Elizabeth smiled, “Kitty, I am always astonished by the ideas you come up with,” she told her. “I wonder, would you be able to finish this in time, or if you like, you could ask Genevieve to help you?”
“I have asked Jane to help; she sews a very pretty stitch,” she told her without thinking how that would sound. “Oh, but Lizzy, truly, I meant no offense. You sew very lovely stitches as well.”
Elizabeth laughed, “I am not in the least offended. I know my stitches are not as lovely as your’s or Jane’s,” she told her. Elizabeth walked over and sat down on the couch across from her sister, “Kitty, tell me; do you have feelings for Colonel Fitzwilliam?” she asked her.
Kitty drew her brows together and shook her head, “Lizzy, why would you think that?” she laughed. “Colonel Fitzwilliam and I are friends, but he does not care for me in that way.”
“But dearest, I asked how you felt,” she asked her. “Do you have feelings for him?”
Kitty sighed, “No, not like that,” she told her. “I thought perhaps I might at one time, just after you and Mr. Darcy married, but then after spending more time with him, I realized that I did not.”
“So you do not mind that he does not have feelings for you?” she asked her, just to be sure.
Kitty smiled, “I do not mind, Lizzy, I promise you,” she said.
Neither Kitty nor Elizabeth were aware of the fact that Georgiana was just passing by the open door and stopped when she heard Kitty say, “…Colonel Fitzwilliam is perfectly agreeable. He is handsome, charming, and very clever. I think any young lady would find him very agreeable.”
Georgiana's heart sank just a little as she turned and walked away before Kitty finished saying, “However, I do not love him, and I suspect he and I are probably too much alike to ever truly be happy. I believe he would be much better suited for someone with Georgiana’s temperament.”
Elizabeth sighed, feeling a bit relieved. “I wonder then; last night, did you like any of the gentlemen in particular that you danced with? I know that several calling cards were left this morning. Some for you and some for Georgiana.”
Kitty chewed her bottom lip and thought for a moment, “I liked Captain Hathaway very much; he is very handsome. I like his dark hair and his blue eyes very much. He is very clever but does not make me feel less so. There is something about him that I find very intriguing. I believe his time in battle has been very difficult for him, as he talks very little about it, unlike Admiral Godwin and Colonel Forster,” she told her, then continued. “Lieutenant Godwin is very kind, and he is handsome. He has rather nice brown eyes that remind me a little of yours, Lizzy.” Kitty finished her stitch and set her sewing aside. “I thought Mr. Belmont was nice, although he is very vain and spent more of his time with me asking about Georgiana. I do think he likes her very much.”
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes just a bit as she looked down at the cards in her hand. “How odd, Mr. Belmont left two cards; one asking to call on you, and the other asking to call on Georgie.”
Kitty laughed, “That does not surprise me, Lizzy. As I said, Mr. Belmont thinks very highly of himself; he probably imagines that the world does so as well.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Well, we shall have to receive him to tea, or Lady Belmont would take it as a slight if we did not.”
“I suspect you are right in saying that,” Kitty told her. “As for the other gentlemen, Mr. Walter Belmont and Mr. Nicolas Belmont both were very kind and agreeable. Walter is rather handsome like his brother Edmond, but not as vain. Mr. Nicholas Belmont is not as handsome, but he is very clever. He likes to talk a lot about his calculations. I believe he likes numbers very much. He works for his father at the bank and is very proud of his position there.”
“I did overhear Mr. Nicholas Belmont talking with Miss Wicket,” Elizabeth laughed. “I do not believe she enjoyed his attention half as much as she did Mr. Edmond’s.”
Kitty laughed, “I think you must be right about that,” she told her.
Elizabeth stood up and walked to the door, “I suppose I should go and speak with William about our return to Pemberley. I should think this engagement between Mr. Fitzwilliam and Caroline will delay it.”
“Oh Lizzy, do you think so?” she asked, sounding somewhat disappointed.
Elizabeth furrowed her brow, “I believe so, yes,” she told her. “Why, do you not like being in London?”
Kitty thought for a moment, “I do like London, however, not as much as Lydia. She has already written to me several times pleading for me to speak with you that she might come and stay with you. I have written to say she needs time with Bennet, but she has not written to me again except to say she misses Wickham terribly. I feel bad for her on that account. I wish Wickham could be persuaded to spend time with Lydia, at least for Christmas. I think it would be easier for her if he would.”
Elizabeth considered what she said. “Perhaps something can be done to persuade Mr. Wickham,” she mumbled softly.
Kitty smiled, “I do hope so,” she told her. “As for staying here, I will admit, I had hoped to see Pemberley. Captain Hathaway has said so very much about it that I find I can think of little else,” she told her.
Elizabeth smiled, “You will see Pemberley, Kitty. I promise you. I will be sure that you do,” she said before turning to leave.
Elizabeth went to speak with Darcy, but the door to his study was closed when she came to it. She knocked
and waited for him to respond, but he did not. She opened it and found the room empty. She turned and went to the library, but he was not there either. As she walked back down the hall, she saw one of the servants, “Howard, has Mr. Darcy gone out?” she asked him.
“No, ma’am, I believe he is in the gardens,” he responded.
“Thank you,” she said before she went to get her shawl and make her way out into the gardens. It was a cloudy day with just a little wind to help drop the temperature. It was clear as November turned into December that the weather had changed. There was a crispness in the air that let you know the seasons would soon be changing once again. It would not be long before winter with its storms, and bitter cold would be just around the corner. As she walked to the center of the maze, she saw William standing there. “William, whatever are you doing out here?” she asked him. “I went to speak with you, but you were not in your study.”
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