Chapter 44

D ue to the urgent manner of the summons to return to Hertfordshire, in consultation with Madeline and Elizabeth, Gardiner and Darcy decided although they would attend a church along the way on Sunday morning, they would continue the journey on that same day.

That night they slept at an inn in Cambridgeshire, The Blue Ball Inn in the sleepy market town of Grantchester. As dawn was breaking on Monday morning, they were on their way south once again. As she had on the journey to Clover Dell, Elizabeth rode the bulk of the journey in the Darcy coach with William, Anna, and Mrs. Annesley.

Even though she had been assured no one was ill and the call home was not due to a bad or sad reason, Elizabeth felt more and more nervous the closer they got to Longbourn. Being an inquisitive soul, she would not be able to rest easily until she was apprised as to why the summons had been sent.

The conveyances were brought to a halt in the drive at Longbourn a little before midday. Elizabeth could hardly wait for John to open the door before she alighted and ran towards where the Hills were waiting for her.

"Where are Mama and Papa?" Elizabeth asked as she looked around expecting to see her parents and brothers as well.

"They made their way to London on Saturday, Lady Elizabeth, but I have a note from your mother," Mrs. Hill extracted it from her pocket and proffered the folded paper .

Elizabeth missed the way she had been addressed by Mrs. Hill, but none of those standing behind her had. Most thought the housekeeper had misspoken.

"Before you read the missive from your mother, what say you we enter the house," Madeline suggested gently. She looked at her husband who could only shrug his shoulders. Like her, he had not an inkling as to what had brought them to Hertfordshire so urgently, and why the rest of the Bennets were not present and had departed for Town.

"Of course you are correct Aunt Maddie, please let us make for the drawing room," Elizabeth responded feeling rather embarrassed she needed to be reminded about where they were standing.

As they entered the house, Anna whispered to William, "Why did Mrs. Hill call Lizzy ‘ Lady Elizabeth '?"

"It must have been an error, otherwise I have no rational explanation," Darcy replied in sotto voce .

Once everyone had been seated and Elizabeth asked Mrs. Hill to bring tea and biscuits, she unfolded the note and saw Mama's comforting script.

4 May 1811

Lizzy dear,

We had thought to wait until you arrived before travelling to London, even though we had been urged to arrive sooner. Papa and I felt not knowing when you would arrive, we could not justify a longer delay.

As soon as you are able, please have your party travelling with you come to Bedford House on Russell Square. Jane, Mary, and their husbands are with us as well. As loathe as we were to interrupt their honeymoons, I think you will agree there was little choice.

Lizzy dear, I hope you are seated. Your Papa and I are the new Duke and Duchess of Bedford. Yes dearest, you are now Lady Elizabeth. We would have much preferred to tell you all of this in person. Rather than try to explain the reasons for ‘ the epic surprise, ' as your Papa called it, a letter is on Papa's desk, a copy of the letter the solicitors presented us when they informed us of our elevation.

This is not something we sought, but at the same time we must do our duties. Go read the letter in the study, and yes, you may share it with those with you as well, and then when you arrive in London, we will answer the myriad questions I am sure you will have.

With my warmest motherly love,

Mama

Not realising she had lost her colour, Elizabeth sat and stared at the page as if the words would change before her. They did not.

Seeing the change in her pallor, Darcy knelt before her. "Elizabeth are you well? May I get you a glass of wine? What ails you?" he enquired concernedly. He watched as she seemed to bring herself out of the stupor just as Mrs. Hill was directing a maid to place the tea and treats on a table.

"I am well, I will be well. The news Mama imparts is rather shocking." Elizabeth turned to Mrs. Hill. "Please retrieve the letter my mother told me is on my father's desk."

Mrs. Hill bobbed a curtsey and followed the maid out of the room to do as Lady Lizzy requested.

"Uncle and Aunt, please read this, and then you may pass it to William," Elizabeth stated as if in a dream; she handed the page in her hand to her uncle who was closest to her. Just then Mrs. Hill returned with the letter from the study. Elizabeth began to read the words, originally written hundreds of years ago, but now had changed her family's life forever.

"My goodness Edward," Madeline exclaimed. "Mrs. Hill did not err. "

"No she did not," Gardiner stated. He could not imagine how this had come about, but he knew the answers were in the letter Lizzy...Lady Elizabeth…had in her hand and that she would give it to him when she had completed her reading. He handed Cilla's note to Darcy.

While Elizabeth continued to read the pages the housekeeper had handed her, Darcy, with Anna seated close to him, began to read the note Mrs. Bennet left behind. As he read, Darcy turned as white as Elizabeth had on reading it. ‘ I used to question her worth to be my wife, now the question will be am I worthy of the daughter of a Duke? ' he asked himself silently. Then he consoled himself as he cogitated about the woman he loved. ‘ Elizabeth never cared for rank, connections, and wealth when she was just Miss Elizabeth Bennet, so I am sure becoming Lady Elizabeth will not change her in fundamentals .' That realisation calmed his worries to a large extent. If Elizabeth decided he was worthy of being her husband it would be on his merits alone. It was not Elizabeth who judged people on those flawed criteria, it used to be himself.

As soon as she digested the letter her parents had left for her to read, Elizabeth passed it to her aunt and uncle. "Anna, do you remember our discussion at Pemberley regarding your ancestor Elizabeth who married the then Earl of Bedford?"

"I do," Anna averred succinctly.

"Your suspicion was correct. Even before Mary married Richard we were very distant cousins," Elizabeth informed Anna.

"Of what do you two speak?" Darcy wondered.

Anna, with some minor assistance from Elizabeth explained to what they were referring. "When you read the next missive it will become clear," Elizabeth stated.

On cue, Gardiner handed Darcy the second letter. As he read it he wanted to laugh at himself. Before Richard married his Mary, without knowing it, the Bennets had been connected to the Darcys, Fitzwilliams, Rhys-Davies, and Carringtons. Not one of the things he had believed about the Bennets then was close to the truth. What a dunderheaded chucklehead he had been. He admonished himself with the words of Elizabeth's mother that his love had repeated to him. He needed to concentrate on the here and now and concern himself with the future, not the past—as long as he did not repeat the errors he had made.

"When can we depart for London?" Elizabeth enquired. "I know the horses need to rest, but there could be enough rested horses in the stables."

"If there are enough to make two teams, then we would be able to hie to Town within the hour, if not, it would be at first light," Darcy estimated. "By your leave, Lady Elizabeth, I will have my coachman join me and go to the stable to consult with your father's stablemaster." Darcy gave an exaggerated bow.

Elizabeth smiled at his antics. ‘ I will rue the day I taught him to tease, ' she thought. At the same time she hoped he never stopped teasing her.

An hour later Darcy entered the drawing room. "There are enough for one team, but we will not all fit into one coach," he announced.

"In that case, I will remain here with Alli, her companion, and my children," Madeline decided. "It is more important for Lizzy and my husband to get to Cilla and Thomas sooner. As such, we will follow in the morning." She saw her husband was about to protest. "Edward, there are footmen-guards, the staff, and servants so I will be well. It will be less than a full day we will be parted. We will depart with the dawn and be in London before ten o'clock on the morrow."

"You were always wiser than me," Gardiner conceded.

Within the hour, the Darcy coach turned past the gatehouse at Longbourn on the way to London.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~ ~

Mr. Grey showed the four arrivals into the blue drawing room. Elizabeth fell into her parents arms while Charity and Anna hugged tightly. It was after she greeted her parents she noticed all of the others in the room.

"Your Grace," Elizabeth curtsied to the Dowager Duchess.

"Elizabeth, we are all family here, please address me as Aunt Rose," Lady Rose instructed.

"As we were sisters-in-law before the tragedy, I am Marie, and Richard's brother is Andrew," Marie interjected.

"As long as you call me Lizzy, like Charity does," Elizabeth agreed. She turned back to the Dowager. "Aunt Rose, Marie, and Charity, I do not have the words to express my sorrow for your immeasurable loss. I wish we could have discovered our family bond under different circumstances."

A few tears escaped Lady Rose's eyes. "Thank you my dear, it is important to be with family at a time like this," she stated sincerely. That simple statement demonstrated to Elizabeth there was no animosity towards the Bennets for events over which they had no control.

There was no missing the way her parents, sisters, and brothers were looking from her to William, and back to her again. Elizabeth smiled. "Mama and Papa, when you have a moment, William and I need to speak to you."

None of her family missed the way she verbally caressed the name William when she said it. Bennet looked at Cilla who nodded. "There is no time like the present. I think I know the way to the study," Bennet responded.

As soon as the four exited the drawing room the four Bennet siblings remaining looked to Gardiner questioningly. Gardiner raised his hands. "If there is something to announce it will be done by your father," he stated. As much as the two sisters and two brothers wanted to interrogate their uncle, they refrained from doing so.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

"When we were in Derbyshire, William requested a courtship, which I granted. After we heard about the catastrophe which took so many lives, we did not want to waste any more time," Elizabeth explained.

"Lizzy, you have reached your majority, you do not need our permission," Cilla stated.

"No, I do not, nevertheless, I would prefer to have it, but I do desire your blessing very much," Elizabeth averred.

"Lizzy, I hope you know what you are doing? Are you out of your senses to be accepting this man? Have you not always hated him?" Bennet questioned. "Yes he apologised, but that is a far cry to your granting a courtship. We cannot stop you, but let me advise you to think better of it. I know your disposition, Lizzy. You will never be happy unless you truly esteem your suitor, unless you look up to him and see him as a true partner, one who would treat you the same way. Your lively talents would place you in the greatest danger in an unequal marriage, like my first, thankfully, brief one. You could scarcely escape discredit and misery. My child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life. I know it is only a courtship, but one does not court unless they intend to marry."

Cilla rested her hand on her husband's arm. "Thomas, I understand your concerns, but you know our middle daughter. She would not have accepted the courtship offer had not her feelings undergone a material change. Also, do not forget the difference in William's behaviour before Jane's and Mary's weddings," Priscilla reasoned. "I have one question though. Was this offer made before our elevation was made known to your suitor?"

"I am no fortune hunter Your Grace!" Darcy cried, a little indignantly, "and yes, I made my request after the visit to the Peak District, well before we learnt what we did at Longbourn only today. Also, the first time I offered for the then Miss Elizabeth was in Kent." Darcy realised he could not take offence due to Bennet's words or his wife's question. He would have reacted similarly had he been the one in the Duke's shoes and Anna's suitor had behaved the way he had.

"There is a story there, I believe. Call me Bennet. Although, I suppose Bedford is appropriate now," Bedford replied as he calmed. "My Cilla is correct. Had Lizzy's feelings not undergone a radical change, she would not toy with you and grant a courtship. Now Kent, if you please." Bedford gave the young couple his best ducal stare.

Between Elizabeth and Darcy, they related all which had transpired at Hunsford. Neither left out parts which caused themselves to be seen in a negative light. When they were done, the Duke and Duchess were silent for some moments. "Now tell us what changed after you both left Kent, and when," Priscilla insisted, while her husband nodded his agreement.

The courting couple told of how their relationship was greatly repaired before the double wedding, mainly because of William's letter, and how Elizabeth began to develop tender feelings for William. He explained he had fallen in love with her before his departure from Hertfordshire, even though he had fought to deny that fact to himself. When the two spoke of their interactions on the journey into Derbyshire and subsequent to their arrival, there was no missing the looks of pleasure both sported, especially when they spoke of the inception of their courtship, and then the time they spent in company together on the way back from Clover Dell.

As he did so often before making an important decision, Bedford looked at his wife and they communicated silently as those in a love match married for more than twenty years often did. "You have our consent and blessing for your courtship." Bedford paused. "Well, my dear, we have no more to say. If this be the case, he deserves you. If…when…he proposes and you accept him, we will know we will not be parting with you, our Lizzy, to anyone less worthy."

"Thank you Mama and Papa," Elizabeth gushed as she hugged each in turn. She understood why her father had been so strident. He wanted to be certain she was making her choice for the right reasons and he was testing William's mettle to be sure he would not desert her at the first sign of hardship.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

Before he made an announcement, Bedford confirmed Rose and her daughters were sanguine with such a thing at a time they were in deep mourning. Rose assured him that she had no objections. It was not, after all, a public celebration.

When the courtship was announced, while Jane and Mary hugged their sister, Henry and Tom took a few moments to reconcile themselves to Darcy courting their sister. Once they had, they were able to express genuine approbation for the match. As long as he never hurt Lizzy again, they would accept him as a possible brother.

"If Lizzy is enough of a simpleton to accept you, we will finally be brothers," Richard ribbed as he clapped Darcy on the back.

"I always thought of you as a brother, so when I marry Elizabeth, it will become true indeed," Darcy averred with a grin as he watched his beloved who was surrounded by her siblings.

The Darcys were invited to remain for dinner, when the De Melville parents would be present. In addition, Anna was asked if she would like to reside at Bedford House to be with Charity, with her brother's permission she accepted. In the meanwhile Elizabeth accompanied her mother and the housekeeper upstairs to choose a suite as her own.