by Abbey North
“Oh, that engagement ended.” Lydia waved a hand dismissively. “Her uncle has moved her elsewhere, wanting her to have a better class of men. Better than an officer like Mr. Wickham? Can you imagine such a thing?” She sounded outraged on his behalf.
“Still, he is not a good influence on you, Lydia. Promise me you shall stay away from him.”
“I shall promise nothing of the sort.” With a little stomp of her foot, Lydia turned and marched away.
Kitty was still there to chastise her for how she had ruined their good name. Lizzy let it mostly roll off her, unwilling to continue to listen to her sister’s near hysterics on the subject. “Enough,” she said firmly a few minutes later. “Avoid town for a bit, and the scandal shall die down. You are making a tempest in a teapot, Kitty.”
“No, I am not. You have ruined my life with this.” With a dramatic wail, she turned and ran up the stairs, audibly crying even when she was in her room with the door closed. Jane looked up, giving Lizzy a sympathetic smile. “She shall soon be on to other things.”
Lizzy shook her head. “I do not think so. While I tell them it will blow over soon, I have my doubts.” She could not deny that she was ruined in the eyes of everyone, and that was the sort of crime that would haunt her sisters far into the future.
Lizzy herself would never make a good match, but she was not too heartbroken about that. There was a certain appeal to remaining single and not having another man to control her. Her father was easy enough to handle, so she preferred to have him as her guardian, though she disputed the need for one at all. Unfortunately, society did not agree with her, so she was stuck in the situation.
“Mr. Darcy may yet do the right thing.”
Lizzy looked around, and since they were alone, she decided to confide in Jane. As quickly as possible, she explained how Darcy had come to Hunsford the day before Charlotte’s disappearance, asking for her hand, though it much aggrieved him. She was careful to omit Darcy’s role in keeping Jane from Mr. Bingley, though she had no good reason to shield him. She simply did not want to hurt Jane with inflicting information on her about how Darcy considered her a gold digger.
When she had finished, she said, “So you can see why I find it quite doubtful he would ever offer for me, even in these circumstances.”
Jane was clearly shocked. “Mr. Wickham is a scoundrel then?” At Lizzy’s nod, she said, “Surely, you understand Mr. Darcy’s position now, and you cannot hold him in such low regard. Why not write to him and tell him you have reconsidered and ask if the proposal is still available?”
Lizzy snorted. “I should not wish to do so.” She was too proud to do such a thing, and she refused to consider that was her only option at this point in time. She still clung to the hope that people would forget about her little indiscretion.
After all, gossip about Charlotte had dominated the village for the last few days as well, though no one yet knew where she had gone. It was obvious by now that she had deserted her husband, but beyond that, no one had a clue. She felt mean wishing that people would focus more on Charlotte’s scandal than her own. However, thus far, no one had linked the two events, at least locally.
“I think—” Jane broke off at the sound of horses coming up the drive. Their shoes clip-clopped against the cobblestone, and the carriage they were surely drawing was also noisy enough to get their attention a while before the coach and four came into sight.
Lizzy and Jane moved to the window, both dying with curiosity as the driver got down and moved to open the door. Lizzy gasped when Mr. Darcy stepped out a moment later, holding his top hat under his arm and his walking cane in the other hand. He strode across the cobblestone, clearly intent on knocking on the door.
Lizzy almost ran. It was the first instinct she had, and if Jane hadn’t put an arm around her, likely picking up on her intentions, she would’ve done so.
There was a knock at the door a moment later, and Hill rushed to open it. Mr. Darcy strode in, and they could hear him before they saw him from their vantage point in the parlor. In the foyer, he said, “I am here to call on Mr. Bennet.”
“Of course, Mr. Darcy. Please have a seat in the parlor, and I shall fetch him.” Mrs. Hill sounded obsequious, which made Lizzy grimace.
It was no surprise when Hill led him into the parlor they were using. They were well-chaperoned with Jane there, but Lizzy was still frozen in shock. Then she burst out, “What are you doing here?”
Darcy frowned. “It is lovely to see you again too, Miss Bennet.” There was only a small hint of irony in his tone. He turned to Jane. “And you as well, Miss Bennet.”
Jane curtsied. “It is lovely to see you again too, Mr. Darcy. I was just telling my sister I suspected we would see you again.”
Lizzy elbowed her. “And I was just telling Jane that we had no reason to do so.”
Darcy’s eyes narrowed, but he was distracted by Jane.
“Have you seen much of Mr. Bingley recently, Mr. Darcy?”
“Not as much of late. I was visiting my aunt at Rosings Park. The last I saw him, he was well.”
Jane seemed to be on the verge of crying for a moment. She blinked rapidly. “And has he offered for your sister’s hand?”
Darcy looked confused. “I… What? I did not realize that was even a possibility.”
Lizzy grinned as Jane hastily smothered a giggle of delight. “It was simply suggested by Miss Bingley,” she said, making no attempt to hide the disdain in her voice.
Darcy frowned. “I do not know where she got such an idea, but it is certainly not grounded in reality. My sister knows Mr. Bingley and has brotherly affection for him, but nothing more. I should certainly never condone a match where she would be unhappy.”
Jane curtsied again, looking like she was barely containing herself. “Oh, thank you, Mr. Darcy.” The praise was far too effusive for what he had said, but it was obvious Darcy understood why she was so happy to hear that.
Lizzy couldn’t help mouthing, “I told you so,” to him.
His eyes widened, and his lips twitched, but he made no acknowledgment otherwise.
A moment later, the door opened, and Hill said, “If you shall follow me, Mr. Darcy, I will take you to Mr. Bennet straight away.”
Lizzy wanted to follow, but she was certain her father would forbid her from the discussion. He would likely want to hear Darcy’s point-of-view on the matter, and she could only hope Darcy was there to assure her father she was not ruined, rather than to make an offer of marriage.
That was the last thing she wanted. Wasn’t it?”
She wasn’t entirely certain as she paced the sitting room, listening to Jane babble about Mr. Bingley, while the seconds ticked past, and her destiny remained uncertain.
Hill came for her a short time later. “Mr. Bennet would like to see you in his library, Miss Elizabeth.”
She stifled a sigh as she nodded and walked across the sitting room.
“Shall I come with you, sister?” asked Jane.
Lizzy hesitated, but then she shook her head. There might be certain revelations that Jane didn’t need to hear. “I believe I shall be fine. Thank you for the offer, dear Jane.” With those words, she passed through the doorway and moved down the hall, heading toward her father’s library. The door was closed, so she knocked out of politeness before entering. Judging from her father’s relaxed manner and Darcy’s stiff one, she prepared herself for bad news.
“Mr. Darcy has confirmed your record of events, Lizzy.”
Or maybe not. Relief swept through her, and she relaxed marginally. “Excellent. It should all blow over soon.”
“Much sooner once we are wed,” said Darcy. He sounded distant, and he looked anything but pleased.
Lizzy frowned. “There is no need for that. I am a humble country girl, and local gossip will eventually die down. I have no wish to move about in London society, so it is no problem for me to remain hidden. Everything will blow over.”
Darcy scowled at her. “I am
afraid it is not just about you, Miss Bennet. My sister risks being touched by this scandal as well, and I shall not have that.”
It was deflating to realize he was here for Georgiana’s benefit, not hers. Despite her words about refusing his proposal, she was forced to admit that she had hoped to receive one, and for better reasons than this scandal. If she could turn back time, she might reconsider the answer she gave him in Hunsford, but that was far gone now, and she could only accept the future. “I do not wish to cause your sister any taint of scandal, nor my own sisters.”
“Then we shall wed at once. I have applied for special license—”
Lizzy straightened her shoulders. “I did not agree to that.” Practicality made it obvious she could not avoid this match, but she did not have to rush into it as though she had done something wrong either. “I accept there is little choice in the matter but for us to be married. However, there is no reason to accelerate the timeline.”
“Miss Elizabeth—”
She cut off Darcy as though he hadn’t spoken. “I am sure we are all aware there will be no premature children born in too short of a time span after our marriage, and I desire to take my time. I would like to have a regular wedding. Please, Mr. Darcy? I want my friends and family at the wedding breakfast, and I want to hold my head aloft and show we have no reason to be ashamed and prove we did nothing wrong. This is the best, nay, the only way to accomplish that which I can see. Will you agree to a reasonable courtship before marriage?”
Darcy scowled deeper. “How long do you consider a reasonable courtship?”
She longed to say a year, but she was certain he would never go for that. Instead, she said, “Four weeks? It would give us time to plan a nice ceremony, send out invitations for the wedding breakfast, and celebrate the day rather than have it shrouded in shame.”
He nodded. “Very well. I find that acceptable, Mr. Bingley has already given me permission to stay at Netherfield for the time being, so I shall be nearby. We shall make the arrangements, and if you need my input, certainly feel free to reach out to me. I believe it behooves us to appear in public together as well, Miss Elizabeth, so I shall call on you in the coming days. I agree with your idea that we should face the gossip head-on and reveal no hint of embarrassment. It will help the situation blow over much faster.”
She beamed at him. “I concur, Mr. Darcy.” Her smile was strained though. She had gotten a victory, of sorts, but it was a trifle. She would still be marrying Fitzwilliam Darcy in the coming days. It made her feel faint and overheated all at once. She longed to give in to histrionics and pass out from a case of the nerves.
Instead, she forced herself to maintain a strained smile until Darcy departed a short time later. Then she ran to the room she shared with Jane and threw herself on the bed. What a disaster…and what was she going to do?
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About the Author
Abbey is a diehard Jane Austen fan and has loved Fitzwilliam since the first time she “met” him at age thirteen upon borrowing the book from the school library. He is the ideal man, though Abbey’s husband is a close second. Abbey enjoys writing various steamy Jane Austen variations, but “Pride & Prejudice” (and Mr. Darcy) will always be her favorite.
