“Yes,” Elizabeth admitted. “I apologise…”
“Well, now I demand an explanation. But later; for now, my head hurts.”
“I need no explanation,” Mr Bennet declared. “I am too tired for any more discussions. We came early to rest for tomorrow’s journey. Please do not wake me until dinner.”
If there was only a drop needed to fill Elizabeth’s heart with sorrow, that was the Viscount’s visit. Darcy was obviously ignorant about his cousin’s intention and looked surprised and upset, but she knew he would come back. She only wondered how much he would find out from the Viscount about the discussion he had with Mrs Gardiner.
And indeed in less than an hour Darcy was back, so furious he could hardly talk. Received in the drawing-room, he looked for Mr Bennet, but Elizabeth said, “I am sorry, papa is not feeling well!”
Mrs and Ms Gardiner were already so implicated in the story that they could not leave without an explanation.
“I am sorry,” Darcy said, “so sorry about this unacceptable behaviour of the Viscount, and my family in general.”
“You should explain to us what the meaning of all this is, and eventually apologise to Elizabeth,” Mr Gardiner said, as he already knew what his wife had discussed with the Viscount.
“I am angry, but not only with the Viscount but also with Mr Darcy, as it appears you have involved Lizzy in a questionable story, promising her a marriage that can never take place.”
“No, uncle, stop!” Elizabeth cried in despair. “It is not at all like this! Darcy told me from the beginning the problems he had with Lady Catherine, who fourteen years after his mother’s death produced a sort of codicil to her testament imposing on Darcy to marry Anne de Bourgh.”
“Oh, my Lord!” Mrs Gardiner said. “It seems that once begun the miseries are never ending.”
“And he decided to marry you in haste…” Mr Gardiner said.
“Yes, sir! In fact, it was the solicitor’s advice that was made in the presence of my uncle and my cousins!”
Elizabeth was calm again, “That was a splendid solution as long as the bride was not me!”
A guilty silence encompassed the gathering. It was Darcy to break the stillness while he stood up to approach Elizabeth, “I will marry you no matter what obstacles we may have.” She gave him a hand and smiled, she had confidence in him. Unlimited. “Nobody can decide whom I should marry, neither my family nor my mother. I am sorry for this apparent disobedience, but I still cannot believe my mother wrote that letter. My mother always encouraged me to think with my own mind and decide on my own, and I just cannot believe she imposed such a burden on me that I would have to carry for life. Mama was herself an independent young woman who married out of love well beneath her social status; my father was rich and from a good family, but they were not peers of England as was my grandfather.”
“But, that act, your mother seemingly signed, what is its relevance in front of the law?” Mr Gardiner asked, proving his excellent comprehension of any situation again.
“I had a discussion with my solicitor and he told me some very interesting things. The only applicable law is the Breach of Promise.”
“Continue!” Mr Gardiner said. “We do not know what this breach is!”
Darcy was looking at Elizabeth; he would have preferred to be alone with her to comfort her. He understood her need to be protected by her family and he liked the Gardiners who took so much care of her.
“A man’s promise of engagement to marry a woman was considered, in many jurisdictions, a legally binding contract. If the man were to subsequently change his mind, he would be said to be in breach of this promise and subject to litigation for damages.”
“But not obliged to marry the woman!” Elizabeth said with a hint of hope in her eyes.
“No,” Darcy approved, looking with admiration at Elizabeth. “There can be no action for Breach of Promise unless a contract to marry has been made.”
“But that codicil might be considered your mother’s contract, not yours!”
“Exactly. Legally there is no way to oblige me to marry my cousin, yet…”
And that “yet” made her again plunge into despair.
“My aunt or my uncles could ask the Vicar from Pemberley or the one from Meryton not to celebrate our wedding until I solve this problem and bring proof Anne does not want to marry me anymore!”
The sigh that escaped Elizabeth’s lips made Darcy almost take her into his arms, turning to her he said, “My love, nobody is keeping me away from you! I want to marry at Pemberley, in a delightful double wedding with Jane and Charles but unless the problem is solved, in three weeks we are going to Gretna Green.”
They were so in love and wishing to be together that Mr Gardiner, finally satisfied by Darcy’s remarks, took his wife by the hand and left the room leaving the two lovers together.
“There are too many obstacles in the way of their happiness not to let them enjoy some time together!” Mr Gardiner said and his wife approved.
∞∞∞
It was so wonderful to be finally alone.
“I want to apologise for Arthur!” Darcy said with a lot of shame. “I am so sorry mama and papa are not alive to welcome you into the family. They would have known the right words and no one would dare to contradict them. My parents were wonderful people, not the horrible snobs you met in my family and around us in London.”
They kissed and laughed together, “Are you sure you want to come with me to Scotland and get married there?”
“Yes, I am even sure that I could live with you at Pemberley till the matters can be solved and marry just afterwards.”
He looked at her in surprise, “And…?” he asked with a little teasing smile on his face.
“Yes, my lord, and be with you till we get married!”
“Good Lord! How bold you can be! Are you sure you understand what I am asking you?” Darcy smiled teasing her.
She was blushing ceaselessly, but she looked in his eyes and said, “I will be yours… and I will… have you!”
“When Elizabeth?” he whispered in her ear.
“The first time we have a whole night for ourselves!” she said with her cheeks on fire but with a calm and determined voice.
“I am coming tomorrow to Hertfordshire and will stay at Netherfield until we have the License.”
“Why don’t we go to Pemberley?” she asked, finding him smiling in the face of her determination.
“Because by now my family has deduced we are engaged, Lady Catherine’s first stop will be in Hertfordshire to discuss this with the Meryton Vicar. They know there is no legal measure they can take against me. The only hope is the Vicar. But my solicitor will also be in Hertfordshire. And he sent me a message that he may have some interesting information.”
“When are you coming to Hertfordshire?” Elizabeth wanted to know.
“Tomorrow with you! Do not forget your promise! For this evening, I cannot stay for dinner, as I need to solve first the problems related to my relatives and their improper interventions in my affairs. No misunderstandings, no improper expectations. Nothing to keep me away from Hertfordshire any longer.”
Chapter 16
The next morning Darcy’s carriage took them to Hertfordshire. This time there were, only three of them, Elizabeth, her father and Darcy. It seemed ages since she had left Longbourn. Her life – as well as her family’s – had changed dramatically in the meanwhile. Lydia had cast a shadow of misfortune and trouble upon them; however, their chances completely changed when Darcy and Bingley proved to be their support in times of crisis. They stood by the Bennets no matter what their families might have wished for them or what society might have thought about their future wives’ family.
The love and joy on Jane’s face when they met, and the excitement of her mother and sisters, diminished Elizabeth’s irritation regarding Wickham and Lydia. She supported Darcy in his decision to avoid Wickham’s company. That man was a scoundrel and she deeply regretted he was now marr
ied to one of her sisters.
“Please mama, do not invite Darcy to dinner as long as Mr Wickham is here.” Elizabeth pleaded.
“You are so unjust and unbending,” her mother replied, making Elizabeth wonder if her mother understood what had happened in London. She was furious with her mother who reacted exactly as Lydia had − as though nothing had happened and the future was bright.
“We were so close to completely losing the respect of society; she almost shattered our honour and it is a real miracle Jane and I are still engaged to be married.”
“You exaggerate, like always, Lizzy dear! Lydia is after all the only one of you who is married!”
“Mama!” Elizabeth cried in despair, “she is married because Darcy paid Mr Wickham’s debts and gave him a huge sum of money. He obliged Wickham to marry Lydia with the support of Wickham’s army superiors!”
Mrs Bennet erased her words with a determined gesture, “Mr Darcy is rich enough to do this for your sister and it does not matter how they were married as long as she is his wife!”
Elizabeth’s frustration was complete; she finally understood that Jane and herself, and most probably Mary, resembled their father, while Lydia and Kitty were Mrs Bennet’s copies. It was so odd how nature distributed the parents’ qualities and faults among siblings. She loved her mother, but at that instant, she just wanted to move away from her house and allow time to heal her frustrations. The most unpleasant situation was the way Mrs Bennet praised, in front of Darcy and Bingley, Lydia’s marriage.
And poor Bingley – Darcy thought – he would not have five days distance between him and his mother−in−law!
Elizabeth hoped her mother would pass her praises onto Jane as soon as she was married and forget about Lydia’s ‘success’.
∞∞∞
Despite the problems, she had with her mother the following two weeks passed joyfully for the Bennets and the two couples.
The whole of Meryton seemed to forget Wickham’s betrayal and the rumours about the elopement faded once they were properly married. Mr Wickham was congratulated for his new commission in the North and soon left to attend his duties with his new wife.
Jane and Bingley enjoyed their peaceful engagement, waiting to celebrate their wedding one year since Charles’s fist arrived in Hertfordshire. Their happiness was so different from the one Elizabeth and Darcy had; they were in a dream, rarely touching the ground, a world of their own to which nobody had access.
∞∞∞
Elizabeth tried to be optimistic for Darcy’s sake but, secretly, she continued to be afraid. Scotland was indeed a solution, but not the best and she found it so unjust not to have her marriage when even Lydia had her own. When she was home she tried to read much and often she walked the paths around Longbourn just to be alone or to meet Darcy.
Elizabeth’s favourite path was the one toward Oakham Mount. Jane and Bingley used to jest that she might know every tree and every stone along the way. Indeed she preferred to stay away from home and meet Darcy on that path to stroll together. Every morning Elizabeth and Jane paced waiting for their betrotheds to come and meet them.
The autumn was already approaching, the heat slowly replaced by a cool breeze while the wind increased, blowing through the trees like a piece of soft music. The sounds of nature enchanted Elizabeth’s ears, impatiently waiting for the steps of a horse to break the peace. She turned and remained still in the middle of the road, smiling. She was alone; Jane had a mild cold and she decided to stay home. The trees prevented her from seeing the rider, but her heart told her it was he.
As he approached, Elizabeth could see the smile on his face. It was the most pleasant moment of the morning when they glanced at each other smiling with happiness. Elizabeth would never acknowledge she was haunted by fears and worries. If he had not come one day, she would have been capable of running all the way down to Netherfield just to see what was happening. Each time they met she looked attentively at him to see his mood… so frightened was she of bad news that could destroy her happiness. In vain Darcy told her again and again nothing could happen, yet she continued to keep a sort of prudence as her aunt advised her. She did not want to daydream of life at Pemberley when she was not yet married. So many things could happen and it was better to keep her composure.
“My beautiful wife!” Darcy usually said, only making her answer, “Not yet, sir!”
But they laughed as it was nothing but a game; he was trying to convince her that soon she would be the mistress of Pemberley while she wanted to keep him with his feet on the ground.
“Look at the leaves, they are turning red,” she said.
“Forget the leaves!” he urged her; think about our mornings at Pemberley when we will go strolling or swimming.”
Elizabeth looked at him with full reproach, “You are wrong, I will never swim!”
But he knew better; it would be sufficient once to entice her into the beautiful lake near Pemberley and she would never refuse him again.
“You have to listen to your husband,” he said, “you should be extremely attentive to what the minister will tell you at our wedding!”
They did not dare to touch as at any moment someone could appear, but Darcy always caught her in a word game that made her blush and remember his hands on her body and his kisses.
“You would have only a chemise on you…”
“Darcy, stop!” she said, but in fact, she liked more and more the idea of swimming. She realised that they had spent most of their lives indoors while at Pemberley; on their return there would be so many new and exciting things they would do outside.
“Completely immersed in water, absorbed by other sensations you do not know, and your husband will be near to embrace you, along with all the water around us.”
“You promised me so many things when we were in London!”
One day she had asked Mr Bennet for permission to stay in Netherfield after dinner, to sleepover as they wanted to depart for a visit to St Albans. Her father looked at her with his mild and loving smile and said, “Lizzy, you know I trust you know what to do with your life and you have never deceived me.”
“But…” Lizzy said with a smile that resembled her father’s.
“But after Lydia’s shameful behaviour, let us keep the gossips out of our family for a while. You have two more weeks and you will be free to go wherever you might want with your husband.”
Her father was right, Elizabeth knew despite her disappointment. She wanted to be with Darcy, but in the end, it was better to wait for Pemberley and their beautiful bedroom.
“I did make promises in London!” she blushed, remembering them. “But Papa is right, Darcy! We have all our lives ahead of us to be together; it is better not to give Meryton other motives for gossip. Our family’s reputation was in enough danger through Lydia’s deeds.”
∞∞∞
One morning in vain Elizabeth waited for the usual gallop that announced her lover; yet, at the very hour they usually met, apart from the forest’s sounds, she heard nothing. Suddenly a twig broke behind her but before she had the time to turn she was in Darcy’s arms. It had been more than a week since they had the chance to hug and kiss. They kissed for just a second forgetting the danger. When she tried to escape, he grabbed her hand to make her follow him into the woods.
It was risky and dangerous, yet she could not stop; she wanted to be alone with him as much as he wanted her. They walked for a while, the trees’ foliage offering them a precarious hiding place. Yet it did not matter anymore. He took her into his arms. For the first time, Elizabeth was kissing him, all her shame or shyness shattered by the urge mounting in her body to be close to him. They both felt a thrilling sensation at the same time as if their bodies finally accepted they belonged to one another. He was kissing her neck, caressing her body, his coat unbuttoned to feel her nearer, but all he could feel were her hands directly moving on his shirt, touching him. She was finally overcoming her fears and shyness while he was celebrat
ing that the woman inside her had finally conquered her spirit and body. She was his, entirely! She did not resist anymore, no matter how intimate his caresses were, just leaning her head on the tree with her eyes shut in a splendid posture of abandon and bliss.
“I need you!” she whispered, not yet prepared to say ‘want instead of ‘need’.
“Good!” he said with a little ironic smile as he moved away from her. “We are two now!”
“Horrible man!” she whispered as she could not yet speak with a self-assured voice.
“Horrible woman,” he replied, smiling directly into her eyes, “who makes promises she does not intend to keep!”
“I intended to keep them, sir!” she said. “But I was prevented!”
They kept silent for some moments, connected by their eyes in a single gaze.
“I want to…,” Elizabeth said and then repeated, “I want to…”
“To…?”
“To be with you at Pemberley!”
For both of them, it was a wish… a promise… a dream.
Chapter 17
One beautiful September morning Jane and Charles received their License, they could get married at any moment now. Accompanied by Mr Bennet, they both went to the Vicarage happy as two children. The Vicar, Mr Taylor, and Mr Bennet looked at them smiling in the face of such joy.
“It is what I want to see more often,” the Vicar said, “This innocent and genuine happiness of two young people walking together in life!”
The dining room in Netherfield was sparkling from the beautiful chandeliers that were all lit to celebrate the happy couple, so close to being married. Charles wanted to entertain the people who loved them and believed in their marriage. The Bennets came with the four girls, but to their surprise, they found the Gardiners who had just arrived at Netherfield.
They hugged and talked loudly; it was such a joyful gathering that nobody felt otherwise than happy.
The Gardiners’ children were also present, especially invited by Jane and Charles, shy but so happy to be considered guests. Darcy remarked on their perfect manners and secretly determined to educate their children as Mrs and Mr Gardiner did, with much love but also with strict guidance.
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