Chapter Twenty-Eight

Elizabeth

E lizabeth sat in the drawing room at Longbourn, her sisters Jane and Mary by her side. Jane had spent much of the last few days at Netherfield, planning her wedding to Charles Bingley. His sisters had not accompanied him to Netherfield, since they both remained opposed to the wedding. Mr Bingley, however, appeared to have learned from his mistakes and had stood strong. He would marry Jane, no matter what.

And while Jane struggled with her soon to be sisters-in-laws’ misgivings, she was determined to win them over one day. While her oldest sister was at last contented, the same could not be said for Elizabeth.

“Lizzy, you have been so quiet since we returned from London weeks ago. Is it Mr Darcy? I know it must be,” Jane said, her voice laced with concern.

Elizabeth sighed, her gaze distant. “I can’t deny that I miss him, Jane. I miss Mr Darcy. I find myself thinking about him all the time.”

Mary, who had been quietly reading a book, looked up, her expression thoughtful. “Do you regret not going with him to Pemberley then, Lizzy?”

Elizabeth shook her head slowly. “It would have been a mistake at the time but a part of me wishes I had gone. I wish … I wish he hadn’t turned out to be who he was in the end.”

Jane reached out, taking Elizabeth’s hand in hers. “Mr Bingley speaks so highly of Mr Darcy, Lizzy. You must see that he is a good man. You might have disliked him, but you didn’t even know him. And from what Charles says, Georgie is much like Mr Darcy—minus some of the haughtiness. Charles adores Mr Darcy.”

Elizabeth looked at her sister, her eyes filled with uncertainty. “I admit that I have been wrong about Mr Darcy. I’ve known this for some while now. Not only has Charles praised him at every opportunity, but his sister wrote to me again as you know. I did not reply for I did not know what to say, but it was clear that she adores her brother greatly. I regret the things I have thought about him. I know it wasn’t rational to do so especially after you forgave him. But still, I feel that it was correct not to go. What if—”

Mary interrupted her. “Lizzy, you cannot live your life by ‘what ifs’. Do you love Mr Darcy or not? For at the end of the day, he is your Georgie. And you have moped and been Friday-faced for quite long enough. You must finally face reality.”

Elizabeth looked at Mary, surprised by the outburst and yet grateful because it was what she’d needed. “I do love him, Mary. Seeing Jane and Mr Bingley together, and even Kitty with her greengrocer, has made me long for that happiness even more. But he’s so far away and it would not be proper for me to write to him. Besides, time has passed, what if he—”

“No what ifs!” Mary bellowed now and slammed the book down. “Jane, tell her before I need Mama’s smelling salts.

“Tell me what?” Elizabeth asked at once.

Jane smiled then, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Let me just say that it is a good thing you said that, Lizzy, because I happen to know that Mr Darcy is on his way here.”

Elizabeth’s eyes widened in shock. “What? Mr Darcy is coming here?”

“Yes!” Jane said with a broad smile. “Charles asked him to come to the wedding, but we didn’t know if he would. But then he suddenly agreed. A letter came just a week ago. In fact, he should have arrived this morning and is at Netherfield right now.”

Elizabeth’s heart raced at the news. “Mr Darcy is here? At Netherfield?”

Jane nodded, her expression filled with excitement. “Yes, Lizzy. Let’s go to Netherfield and see him.”

“I do not know if—” Elizabeth started.

“None of that,” Mary replied, joined by Jane.

“Indeed, you told me to speak to Charles and I did and now we are to be wed. Now I am the one to tell you to speak to Mr Darcy.”

Elizabeth took a deep breath and rose, taking both her sisters’ hands into her own and then, the three of them made their way to Netherfield to find out if Elizabeth might yet find her happily ever after—or if Mr Darcy had ultimately decided that her rejection of him had been too harsh to forgive.