“Elizabeth, it gives me the greatest pleasure to see my mother’s ring on your finger. I have long determined that this was its proper place, and until recently I believed that this would never be the case.” He stroked the ring on her finger fondly, and squeezed her hand gently. “I am very pleased that there will soon be yet another Mrs. Darcy.”
Elizabeth smiled. “I never would have imagined that I would be worthy of the title, sir.”
“Even now?” he asked. “For you are the only woman who will ever be worthy.”
“You flatter me, sir,” said Elizabeth, “surely a gentleman of your status would have easily found a bride. A silly woman who cared only for material possessions perhaps.”
“No,” said Darcy, “you are a woman in a thousand, Elizabeth, and I could no sooner imagine another woman with your position in my heart, than I could imagine the sun never rising again.”
Elizabeth was deeply touched by his words of devotion and love. “I shall try my best to be worthy of such admiration.”
“I have no doubt that you will succeed, dearest, loveliest, Elizabeth.”
“Oh William, you are too kind,” murmured Elizabeth.
Darcy brought her hand to his lips and placed a firm kiss upon it. “Elizabeth, if you are not opposed to the idea I want to write to my sister and tell her of our engagement. Then I shall ask Bingley’s permission to invite her to stay at Netherfield for the remainder of the summer. Should you like to get to know your future sister?”
“Of course, and now that the militia is gone, it is the perfect opportunity. Write to your sister, Mr. Darcy. I shall look forward to meeting her and getting acquainted.”
“You have no idea how happy that makes me. I shall be pleased to have the two most important women in my life meet.”
After another quick kiss and a final goodbye the gentlemen climbed into the carriage. Bingley and Darcy spoke about the lovely Miss Bennets for the first mile and then Darcy said, “With your permission, I would like to invite Georgiana to Netherfield.”
“Of course, Darcy. It will be a pleasure to see Miss Darcy again. Caroline will be disappointed to have missed her of course, as she and the Hursts are leaving tomorrow and are not to return until my wedding.” Mr. Bingley seemed relieved to have his family gone, for they were not as close as they had been before. Darcy, too, was relieved to have Bingley’s sisters gone.
“Have you and Miss Bennet decided on a date?”
“Not as of yet, but perhaps now that you and Miss Elizabeth are engaged we could plan a double ceremony in the fall. We should get the opinions of the ladies and of course Mrs. Bennet on this matter.”
Darcy nodded in agreement, thinking that Elizabeth would be pleased to marry alongside her sister. As for the timing, he was impatient for Elizabeth to become his wife and was eager for the day when Elizabeth would wholly belong to him. However, he too, liked the idea that he would marry alongside Bingley, so for now, he would be content with knowing a fall date would soon be selected.
Darcy spent an hour penning a letter to his sister, which included an invitation to stay at Netherfield. It was addressed, sealed, and ready to be sent off in the next morning’s post before Darcy retired for the night.
***
Now that Mrs. Bennet had two daughters happily engaged, she was eager to begin the wedding plans. In her mind, as her daughters were marrying such fine gentlemen, everything needed to be absolutely perfect. No expense would be spared and everyone they knew would be invited. Her daughter’s trousseaux would consist of nothing but the finest items, gowns decked with lace and fashionable finery, shifts and dressing gowns of the finest silk, and an array of miscellaneous items of the most exquisite kind. Her opinions in this area brooked no argument from anyone.
As for Elizabeth and Jane, they were not desirous of an extravagant wedding, but they knew that to try and reign in their mother’s need for extravagance was futile. Their only wish was to be married together.
When the gentlemen called at Longbourn two days after Elizabeth and Darcy had become engaged, the wedding planning officially began. The couples sat together, while Mrs. Bennet was pacing around excitedly. Every so often she would ask the opinions of those who were engaged in between blathering on about her various schemes. The gentlemen followed Elizabeth and Jane’s example and did not try to argue against Mrs. Bennet’s plans for a sensational wedding.
At the end of an hour it had been decided that the wedding would be a double ceremony to take place in mid October. Darcy was not desirous of a four month long engagement. He wished to wait no longer than a month, but he held his tongue. He was determined to give Elizabeth the engagement period she wanted, despite the fact that four months seemed to be an impossibly long time to wait in order to call her his own. However, Bingley and Jane had already planned for a traditional engagement, and Mrs. Bennet had proclaimed that four months was a perfect amount of time for planning a proper wedding. In addition, Darcy understood that to suggest an earlier date meant upsetting Elizabeth, and depriving her of an opportunity to get married with her most beloved sister. It also would likely cause Mrs. Bennet to go into an unrivaled fit of nerves, and Darcy knew that no one would wish to bear witness to such a sight.
Beyond the date, neither of the engaged couples were particular about the details. They trusted that Mrs. Bennet would make it an event to be remembered.
Eight
It was the beginning of July. Georgiana Darcy sat alone in one of Netherfield’s sitting rooms; she was admittedly quite nervous to meet Miss Elizabeth Bennet. She had not been surprised when she received a letter from her brother announcing that he was engaged and inviting her to spend some of the summer at Netherfield. Of course, she had written directly and said that she would be thrilled to go to Hertfordshire. However, now that she was here, she was nervous. She knew little about Miss Elizabeth Bennet, aside from the fact that she was the sister of Mr. Bingley’s fiancée, and that she and her brother had met during his sojourn to Hertfordshire and once again at Rosings. She now gathered that Miss Bennet had broken her brother’s heart, but as the situation was remedied, she harbored no resentment towards her. Still, she was curious about their history, but knew that she would not be able to discover the mystery of it until she gained Elizabeth’s confidence.
Arriving at Netherfield the previous day and discovering her brother’s joy was a great comfort. His face had been overflowing with happiness as he embraced her. “Georgiana, dear, I am so glad you have arrived!” They had spent the evening together in wonderful companionship.
Georgiana was in the sitting room when her brother finally came downstairs. Bingley had gone to Longbourn to call on Jane earlier that morning. “I hope I find you well Georgiana,” he said, with a smile on his face.
“I am quite well, and it seems that your mood has much improved since we were last together. I am glad to observe this. I was very worried about you, William.”
“Being engaged brings a happiness you cannot imagine, Georgiana,” he said.
“I am delighted for you, William. Do you think Miss Bennet will like me?” she asked timidly.
“Of course she will, my dear. There is nothing to dislike. I hope that the two of you will come to love each other.”
Georgiana smiled at her brother’s obvious contentment. “If she is that important to you, I am sure I will love her as well. Still, I cannot deny I am anxious about meeting her,” she confessed.
Darcy knew that his sister’s native shyness caused her to worry about meeting new people, but he was entirely confident that Elizabeth’s friendliness would immediately charm his sister. As for Elizabeth, he suspected that she would take a shine to Georgiana, and hopefully, would help to bring her out of her shell. “You need not worry, dear sister. Elizabeth is the kindest of souls, and I am sure you will get along famously.”
“I hope so,” said Georgiana, just as the maid entered and announced that Miss Bennet had arrived.
Darcy went to go collect her
, hoping to steal a kiss or two before he introduced her to Georgiana.
Elizabeth stood in the foyer waiting for Darcy. She had calmed herself considerably about the prospect of meeting Miss Darcy. As soon as she saw Darcy, she relaxed immediately. He was so perfectly handsome. He was smiling radiantly at her and immediately took her hand in his and guided her into a vacant room. Once the door was closed he gathered her into his arms. “My beloved Elizabeth, I am so happy to see you.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Mr. Darcy, we just saw each other yesterday afternoon, and if I am not mistaken, you had your sister to keep you company.”
“As much as I adore my little sister, I still missed having you at my side.”
“It is a hopeless case then. For what it is worth, I missed you as well, but if I am not mistaken, I believe I came to Netherfield to meet your sister.”
“You can meet her in a moment,” said Darcy, pulling her closer to him. “I need a moment alone with my beautiful fiancée.”
In the two short weeks of their engagement, Elizabeth had not yet grown accustomed to being referred to as a fiancée. While she was glad to be engaged, it was all so new to her. A year ago, she never would have guessed that she would be engaged to a man like Fitzwilliam Darcy, but now it was all so real. Being with Darcy now felt natural, yet, because of their history, it was still astonishing that they had ended up engaged, and so quickly too! It was yet another reason to be relieved that the wedding was not until October. However, she pushed these thoughts aside as she allowed herself to take comfort from his embrace. After a moment, she turned her face up towards him in an obvious invitation. The invitation was accepted with enthusiasm and their lips met in familiar bliss.
It was not long before their kisses deepened and their passion for each other flared and it was Elizabeth who finally pushed away, “William, your sister will wonder where we are.”
Darcy felt a bit bereft without Elizabeth in his arms but he nodded in acknowledgement. “Very well. Of course you are correct, we should join her.” He offered his arm to her and together they left the room.
Elizabeth and Darcy entered the sitting room a moment later, both blushing faintly. Georgiana looked up from her seat at the pianoforte, and was surprised to see the look of embarrassment on her brother’s face. While she was not completely naïve, she never would have thought that her brother would bend the rules of propriety. She stood and Darcy introduced them, his voice taking on a formal tone. “Miss Bennet, may I introduce you to my sister, Georgiana?”
“It is very nice to meet you, Miss Bennet,” said Georgiana softly, not looking directly at Elizabeth.
“I am pleased to meet you as well, Miss Darcy,” she said with a warm smile. She took a seat on one of the sofas; Darcy settled beside her and gestured for his sister to join them. Georgiana, in turn, sat across from her brother and his fiancée.
Initially, the conversation was stifled and minimal. Darcy was not prone to converse much, and Georgiana spoke hardly at all. So it was left to Elizabeth to keep the conversation flowing, which was an easy task due to her gregarious nature.
As the afternoon progressed, Elizabeth discovered that Miss Darcy was even more reserved than she would have imagined. She said as little as civility would allow in response to her questions, and never initiated her own conversation. She was handsome enough, though, not as handsome as her brother, and already she had the graceful figure of a young woman, though she was scarcely sixteen. Elizabeth was relieved to discover that Mr. Wickham had been totally out of line in his description of her character, and she held the belief that if Georgiana was anything at all like her brother, there was surely a spirited young woman beneath her shy exterior.
Georgiana quickly recognized that Miss Bennet was a kind natured young woman. She saw, also, how her brother was captivated by her every word, and that his gaze rarely left her. If they were sitting a little closer together than society demanded, she would never point it out. Georgiana noticed how satisfied William was as the afternoon progressed. She was also relieved to discover that Elizabeth was not like the other pretentious and snobbish high-society ladies of her brother’s acquaintance. For the longest time, Georgiana worried that William would end up marrying Miss Bingley, an all together horrifying prospect. No. Elizabeth was Miss Bingley’s polar opposite. She was perfectly unassuming, clever, and amiable. These qualities eventually encouraged Georgiana to add more to the conversation.
“Your brother tells me that you play the piano-forte quite well,” said Elizabeth with a smile.
Georgiana averted her gaze, “My brother is prone to exaggeration when it comes to my accomplishments,” replied Georgiana modestly. Darcy, of course, insisted that this was untrue.
“I am sure that he would not exaggerate. Did you know that he was forced to sit through my playing for nearly a half an hour while we were dining at Rosings?”
“Oh yes,” said Georgiana, “he said you play quite well.”
Elizabeth turned a mock-astonished gaze upon Darcy. “My, my, it looks like you are prone to exaggeration, sir. I assure you, Miss Darcy, that your brother is too generous in regards to my playing, for I can only play a little and very ill!”
“On the contrary, Miss Bennet, I rather enjoyed hearing you play. You think too little of your talents.”
“I see he is guilty of flattery as well. Tell me, Miss Darcy, is he always like this?”
Frankly, Georgiana was shocked. She had never seen anyone tease her brother so blatantly, and he was not even offended. In fact, he seemed nothing short of delighted. Georgiana softly reiterated her belief that her brother would never say anything that was untrue, and then looked away.
Elizabeth wondered how much the two of them conversed when they dined alone. However, Elizabeth was not discouraged. At the end of the visit, she had determined that although Georgiana was quiet and shy, she was the type to open up to those she trusted, however rarely that trust might be bestowed. When Elizabeth announced that she should be getting home, Darcy offered to escort her back to Longbourn. Georgiana said a subdued farewell to Elizabeth and immediately returned to her place at the pianoforte.
Darcy handed Elizabeth into his carriage. When he settled in beside her, Elizabeth looked at him and said, “I quite like your sister. Her shyness is sweet.”
“She typically does not speak at all when meeting new people. I find myself pleasantly surprised by her willingness to converse with a new acquaintance today. Perhaps under your influence she will learn to overcome her inherent timidity.”
“I take it you are concerned that she is uncomfortable meeting new people.”
“Yes,” said Darcy. “She will need to overcome her reserved nature when she is presented to society. Fortunately I still have a year or two before this will happen. It is my hope that she will emulate your example, for I have not represented social skills well.
“You are reserved, it is true,” acknowledged Elizabeth, “but you are more sociable when you are with those closest to you. I was surprised to find that your sister speaks very little even with only you and me in the room. Dining must be a silent affair when it is only the two of you.”
Darcy smiled at her last remark. “She and I are capable at conversing at length when we are alone, though it is not a frequent occurrence. Perhaps we both can learn from your gift of conversation.”
“I do not wish for you to change, William. I love you just the way you are.”
“Now you are the flatterer, Elizabeth. I hesitate to take you home.”
“Perhaps a small detour would go unnoticed,” suggested Elizabeth, feigning innocence.
“I could not agree more,” said Darcy.
***
When Darcy returned to Netherfield he was informed that Georgiana had retired to her room. Eager to know her thoughts of Elizabeth, he knocked on her door. “Georgiana, it is William, may I speak with you?”
“Come in,” came a soft reply, and Darcy entered to find his sister lounging on the settee in the
private sitting room.
He sat down beside her and said, “May I ask you about your opinion of Miss Bennet?”
Georgiana had counted on a conversation of this nature. In fact, she had found nothing to dislike in Miss Bennet, and she informed her brother of that.
“Shall you like having her as a sister?” asked Darcy.
“Oh yes, she is very kind. Do you truly love her William?” asked Georgiana, wishing for verbal confirmation of her brother’s feelings.
Darcy was taken aback by the question, for he would have thought the answer was obvious, but replied, “I love her very much, Georgiana. I hope she becomes someone you can confide in.” Darcy paused before continuing on. This would be an uncomfortable conversation. “I was hoping that you would speak to her about the Ramsgate affair.”
Georgiana paled at the subject.
Darcy pressed on. “I already have informed her of the events of last summer. I can assure you of her complete discretion, but Georgiana, you have not confided in me, and I worry that bottling up your emotions about the incident will only slow the healing process. If you cannot confide in me, I have a hope that you could discuss it with Elizabeth.”
“You told her about Mr. Wickham?” asked Georgiana, completely taken aback.
“Yes. As you know, Mr. Wickham is now in the militia, which was encamped in Hertfordshire for the winter. When I was here last, I had the misfortune of seeing Mr. Wickham again. Naturally, the meeting was unpleasant.”
“I can imagine,” said Georgina, not daring to look at him. If Mr. Wickham had done anything to injure her brother further then it was all her fault and she could not stand the guilt that she would receive were she to look directly at her brother and see the pained expression on his face.
“Not only that, but Mr. Wickham had already seemed to charm nearly everyone in Hertfordshire, including Miss Bennet.”
Oh?” said Georgiana keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the floor.
“He told her vicious lies about me, and I regret to say that she believed them.”
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