I Met Mr Darcy Via Luton

by Fredrica Edward

  When he reached Darcy House, Georgiana appeared at the door, alerted by the servants that the coach had arrived. She had only been roughly apprised of the nature of the crisis before Darcy left for Hertfordshire, since there had been no time for them to talk privately. But she knew that their aunt had tried to interfere in the fragile state of affairs between her brother and Miss Bennet and was dreading that he would arrive home in a more morbid state than he had achieved at Pemberley after the Gardiners' visit.

  His face was a mask as he walked in the door and requested a meal be sent to his study, generally not a good sign. She was surprised when he motioned her to follow him into the study and astonished when, after securing the door, he grabbed her in a bear hug and said: "Wish me happy, Georgie. She said yes!"

  After receiving the congratulations of his sister, Darcy sat down to pen the notice for the Gazette. He also wrote to Bingley in Yorkshire, telling him the happy news that he, too, had secured a Bennet sister. They were, after all, to be brothers, but not by either of the means previously imagined by Bingley's sister, Caroline.

  Darcy was contemplating how he should tell his Aunt Evelina, whether by the pen or in person, when Richard arrived.

  "Well?" asked Richard. "Georgie tells me you have good news! Do tell!"

  "Where did you spring from?" asked Darcy.

  "Georgie sent a footman to the barracks."

  "What a blabber!" laughed Darcy.

  "How unkind!" said Georgie walking in the door. "Brother wanted to tell you of his engagement."

  "Miss Bennet?" asked Richard.

  Darcy smiled.

  "You dog! How did you achieve it?"

  "I have Aunt Catherine to thank. She travelled all the way to Hertfordshire to warn Miss Bennet off, and I was so encouraged by Elizabeth's response that I went off to Hertfordshire to propose."

  "Oh, come now, Brother," said Georgiana, "that is surely the short version. You looked as blue as a megrim when you were heading off this morning."

  Over tea and biscuits, Darcy gave a longer version that satisfied Georgiana, and kissing her brother and cousin goodnight, she retired.

  Darcy then relayed the unexpurgated version to Richard over brandy.

  "When I was at Rosings most recently over this damnable business of her steward, Aunt took me to task for purchasing Netherfield."

  "Netherfield? Isn't that the property that Bingley was leasing?"

  "Yes, he had the option to buy, but he decided to return to Yorkshire. I purchased it instead."

  "Trying to get closer to Miss Bennet, were you?" jeered Richard.

  "In a roundabout way. Elizabeth is interested in medicine. She was working with the local doctor as his assistant when I arrived in Hertfordshire last year."

  Richard raised his eyebrows at this. "I don't recall her mentioning medicine once when we were in Kent."

  "She had to give it up for various reasons."

  "Not really the thing for a gentleman's daughter to be doing anyway."

  "Yes, well, that was one of them," said Darcy sarcastically, thinking that his cousin resembled his stick-in-the-mud uncle and completely failing to recognise the revision his own thoughts had undergone over the past year.

  "The doctor she was working with is very ambitious. He was looking for a patron to sponsor a hospital in the district. So I purchased Netherfield and made it available to him for a minimal rent on the proviso that he reinstall Miss Bennet as his assistant."

  "Well, that's rather generous of you, Darce. Seems an expensive way to get on a girl's good side."

  "She wasn't meant to know about it. That was one of the conditions I imposed on my patronage."

  "Now you have really lost me."

  "I wanted to make it up to her–for treating her improperly."

  "So you anonymously buy her a hospital. How do I nominate you for sainthood? But I digress… how did Aunt get involved in this?"

  "She discovered I had purchased Netherfield, and her damn parson told her of my improper offer."

  "How the hell did he find out about that?"

  "Walls have ears. The outcome was that Aunt concluded that I had purchased Netherfield as a love nest for Elizabeth. So she hies to Hertfordshire, walks into this hospital, and accuses Elizabeth of being my mistress."

  "Oh Lord! When do we commit her to Bedlam?"

  "Then she arrives here to chastise me and crow about her efforts."

  "So what did you do?"

  "I encouraged her to write an apology of sorts and donate a thousand pounds to the hospital."

  "Lord!" said Richard, eyes popping. "How did you manage that?"

  "It was the thousand I retrieved from her scurvy steward."

  "Amazing! Then what happened?"

  "Well, I went off to Hertfordshire with my tail between my legs, expecting to be kicked like the cur that I am, and ended up proposing marriage."

  "That's incredible. I thought you had wrecked your chances there totally. You've got some gumption, coz."

  "Not really. It was the way Elizabeth stood up to Aunt Catherine that gave me courage. I guess I realized she wouldn't have bothered if she couldn't care less about me."

  "Well, if Napoleon ever escapes from Elba, Darce, I want you to ride across the battlefield in front of me. I believe you are bulletproof."

  Darcy laughed and shook his head. "I doubt that will ever happen."

  "Well!" said the colonel raising his glass. "To Darcy and Elizabeth! May you have many children!"

  They drank and then Darcy popped the question. "Will you stand up with me?"

  "Unless the King orders me elsewhere, I am yours to command," smiled the colonel.

  Upon retiring, Georgiana had hurried to her bedchamber to write to Elizabeth.

  Since Jane's wedding, she had diligently corresponded with Mary and sporadically with Elizabeth. Her correspondence with Mary had revealed many details of life at Longbourn, including the charitable work that Elizabeth and Lydia performed at the hospital and the preoccupation of Kitty with the stillroom. Mary also spoke of her own work with the ledgers of Longbourn, but mostly of which pieces she was now practising on the pianoforte, since this was their chief common interest. Georgiana's correspondence with Elizabeth seemed to be limited to the commonplace and was not so frequent, but Elizabeth's letters were unreservedly polite and cheerful.

  Knowing how Elizabeth spent her days from Mary's letters, Georgiana supposed that she was too busy to write frequently, but still wondered at their impersonal content until a conversation with Mrs Annesley revealed that the work Elizabeth was performing at the hospital was considered by some to be unfitting for a lady. Georgiana resolved not to mention it to Caroline Bingley, should she see her. Fortunately she had not visited much lately, and Georgiana hoped she would continue to find distraction elsewhere.

  Reaching her chamber, Georgiana untied the small bundle of letters from Elizabeth, but upon doing so, realised she had not yet received a reply to her last missive.

  So after her maid had prepared her for bed, she instead picked up the larger bundle of correspondence from Mary. She then reread these letters with all the felicity of knowing that the ladies described therein would soon be her sisters. After savouring each detail and imagining herself a participant in each event, she retied the bundle, snuffed the candle, and drifted off to a contented sleep where she, too, roamed the halls of Longbourn.

  Early in the morning, Darcy was summoned for breakfast at Matlock House. The earl was surprised at Darcy's engagement since he was unaware that his nephew had fixed his interest. Indeed, his unsocial habits at balls were a great worry to the earl, who paled at the thought that the honourable line of Darcys, which extended back to William the Conqueror, might be extinguished in his lifetime. The Fitzwilliams and the Darcys had a long association in Derbyshire. If it weren't for the fact that he knew his own son frequented Madame Amelie's with his nephew, the earl might have worried that the sole survivor of unbroken male inheritance in the Darcy line had i
nterests elsewhere. So the news that Darcy was affianced to a genteel country beauty was welcomed by the earl, and a bottle of champagne was added to the breakfast fare of eggs, ham and fried mushrooms.

  Darcy warned his uncle that his sister would not approve of the match and enlightened him on the nature of his Aunt Catherine's previous interference in Darcy's romance. His uncle thought this hilarious and almost choked on the food in his mouth when he burst out laughing.

  "Nothing like a good cat fight, eh?" he said, recovering. "Oh, bugger it! The last thing I wanted to do was to go to Kent today. When is the notice to appear in the Gazette?"

  "Tomorrow."

  "Hang it! I'd better be there when she reads it, or she might go off on another excursion!"

  "Thank you, Uncle."

  "Yes, well, you know it's just because she wants you for Anne. But that won't wash. If Anne managed to pop a kid, she'd probably expire doing it. Hopefully, she'll turn her attention to Richard now. Lord knows I can't give him anything myself. Rosings will do nicely for him."

  Darcy wondered if Richard was apprised of this plan.

  "Get on with you then," said his uncle, clapping Darcy on his back. "Give my love to Georgie."

  Darcy set off across the square with a bounce in his step, knowing the sole remaining hurdle to his happiness had been cleared.

  When Darcy arrived home, he found his sister partaking of her typical breakfast of hot chocolate and brioche with her companion, Mrs Annesley.

  "Morning, Georgie. I plan on going to Rundall and Bridge this morning to buy an engagement present for Elizabeth. Are you interested in coming?"

  "Yes, please, Brother!"

  "And I suppose since we are in that part of town, we should finally get round to paying a morning call on the Gardiners…"

  "Oh yes, Brother! I've been wanting to do so, ever since I visited with Mary and Jane!"

  Thus, in half an hour, record time for Georgiana, the Darcy coach departed Grosvenor Square for Ludgate Hill.

  The perusal of the wares in the jewellery store took far longer than Darcy anticipated. Georgiana favoured a beautiful horn peinita–a mantilla comb, which she thought would complement Elizabeth's chestnut locks admirably. Darcy did indeed think this beautiful, but thought it rather generic. He had hoped to buy something more personal for Elizabeth–perhaps a modest ring or bracelet that matched her ruby cross, which could be worn every day. But all the jewellery on display was far too fine and would put the cross in the shade, which was not his intention. He had almost given up when he spied a beautiful cameo depicting Asclepius and Hygeia, and knew he had found just the thing.

  "That's a beautiful piece," said the assistant as he removed it from the case and placed it on a tray. "It's a hard cameo: an antique made from onyx, as opposed to the modern ones carved from shell–likely Roman. It depicts Asclepius, the god of healing and his daughter Hygeia, the goddess of health."

  Darcy picked it up. It was quite heavy.

  "Just the thing," he replied, "and a suitable short chain, please."

  He purchased the comb also, which was wrapped separately as a gift from Georgiana.

  The Darcys then made a morning call on the Gardiners in Gracechurch Street. As it was their first call, Darcy only intended to stay the requisite fifteen minutes. The housekeeper quickly summoned Mrs Gardiner, who was in the courtyard playing with the children. She greeted them with a wide grin, having already been apprised of Elizabeth's engagement by a triumphant Fanny through the morning post.

  After receiving the expected news from Darcy, Mrs Gardiner invited them to tea. Darcy declined, citing a need to visit his attorney to draw up the terms of the settlements, but he encouraged Georgiana to stay–he would leave the carriage for her and take a hackney. Instead, Mrs Gardiner invited Georgiana to remain until her brother returned for her in the Darcy coach, and this was gladly agreed.

  Darcy came away from his attorney with an understanding that a draft would be ready for his perusal in three days, and allowing time for corrections and modifications, he determined to set out to Hertfordshire in a week.

  When Darcy apprised his sister of his intended movements on their journey home, Georgiana begged to accompany him.

  "Unfortunately I will be staying at Netherfield, Georgie. It is a hospital for soldiers. I'm afraid it's not appropriate for you to stay there."

  "But I have an open invitation from Mary, Brother. I can stay at Longbourn."

  "Well, perhaps that is possible. We had best write to our respective hosts and make sure of our welcome."

  Chapter 52: In Hertfordshire

  The draft of the settlements took a little longer than anticipated: revisions to Darcy's will were required, which, he discovered, needed to be approved by his uncle until he was thirty. He had previously been unaware of these conditions on his marriage, which were determined by his father's will. Fortunately his uncle acquiesced, although the attorney waited two days for his signature. A week after proposing, Darcy set out for Hertfordshire with Georgiana, bearing a draft of the settlements finally in hand. His valet, Finn, occupied the carriage with his sister, while Darcy rode alongside.

  In Hertfordshire, Mrs Bennet was making Elizabeth regret ever having considered a long engagement. Dr Gregory's junior partner was not expected until after Christmas, so Elizabeth had originally resolved to have the banns read in the new year. This, by no means, suited Mrs Bennet.

  "Why, he may change his mind, Lizzy!" said Mrs Bennet. "You should have the banns read sooner rather than later."

  "I do not think he is so fickle, Mama," said Elizabeth, "and I would not wish to marry him if he was."

  She was glad she could escape to Netherfield during the day. Her work there also thwarted her mother's plans to show off her second engaged daughter to the neighbourhood. Mrs Bennet was not even able to drag Lydia, Kitty or Mary along–all of them citing work commitments. Instead, their mother had gone off in the carriage alone to visit Mrs Long and Lady Lucas, declaring her daughters undutiful.

  Lizzy had dreaded telling Dr Gregory of her engagement–she felt so unreliable. Having only been working at the hospital for a few months, she was about to abscond to Derbyshire. Knowing it must be done immediately, if for no other reason than to allow him to plan for the future, she approached Dr Gregory the following day. He gave her his hearty congratulations, said how much he would miss her, and sat down to tea to plan how they might get on without her.

  No, Dr Gregory was not angry–he was too canny a man for that. He knew that he would never have secured Mr Darcy as a patron without Elizabeth and had thought something might be in the wind from that quarter. Furthermore, he also realised that he might reasonably expect to extend his ten-year lease on Netherfield by maintaining their association.

  At Longbourn, the sisters started a new routine, planning for Lizzy's future removal to Derbyshire. Mary accompanied Lizzy in the gig to Netherfield in the morning. She had agreed to take on doing the hospital's ledgers, much to Dr Gregory's relief, as those with facility with numbers were not easy to find in Meryton. Lydia, also, was learning new skills. She had begun assisting Dr Gregory with phlebotomies, the changing of bandages, and the use of maggots. She was also learning to drive. When Mr Jones arrived in his gig at ten to pick up the day's prescriptions from Kitty, he also picked up his new driving student, Lydia, who took the ribbons for the journey to Netherfield. She planned to drive Mary and herself to Netherfield in the Bennet gig once Lizzy had departed for Derbyshire. After delivering Lydia and the prescriptions to Netherfield, Mr Jones took Mary up for the trip back to Meryton where he performed surgeries in the afternoon. Mary returned to Longbourn on foot in time for a late lunch.

  Lizzy was devoting most of her time overseeing alterations to Netherfield as new patients arrived. The most ambitious of these was a hydropathy pool. Dr Gregory had explained his idea over tea one morning with Mary.

  "We installed a bath in the fever hospital in Meryton, based on Dr Currie's principles, which ha
s been most efficacious. I would like to also install such a bath here, but there are other uses for hydropathy beyond fever. If we could install a large pool here at Netherfield, I believe it would be of great benefit to Captain Kirkby and others like him."

  "Do you believe he will regain the ability to walk?" asked Elizabeth.

  "Between you and me, I doubt it. But I believe it will give him some satisfaction in being able to move himself about, and it should help with his upper body strength."

  "No doubt some of the others could also benefit," said Elizabeth.

  "I believe so, but unlike purchasing a copper tub, I haven't got the least idea how to go about installing such a pool. Could you look into it for me?"

  Into the midst of this hive of activity, Georgiana's letter requesting a visit to Longbourn was received with pleasure by the sisters and was hailed as a godsend by Mrs Bennet. She had awoken two days after Darcy's departure, convinced she had dreamed the whole engagement and had ended up in the hedgerows after all. Her nightmares of eviction were of a longstanding nature and had been severely exacerbated by Mr Bingley absconding after the Netherfield Ball. Thus, she was exceptionally happy to welcome her future daughter-in-law to the house as a tangible reminder of her more secure state. Mary was instructed to reply post-haste.

  Mrs Bennet spent the rest of the week badgering Mr Bennet about getting Darcy to have the banns read early. Her husband met these entreaties with non-committal answers, suggesting instead that his wife might like to speak to the great man herself.

  When the Darcys finally arrived at Longbourn on the appointed day, all the ladies were there to meet them. Mary and Lizzy had delayed their departure for Netherfield to await their visitors.