Chapter 24

When he woke the next morning, Darcy's thoughts were still on Elizabeth's confession the previous day, about her surprise in seeing how he treated the servants at Netherfield when she stayed there tending to her sister in November.

Madeline Gardiner had arrived in Meryton the previous afternoon and had brought her children, since it seemed likely the family would remain in Derbyshire for some time. The six of them, including Mr. Gardiner, were invited to spend the night in Netherfield. Mrs. Gardiner and Darcy had a lively conversation at dinner about Derbyshire and Pemberley, as Mrs. Gardiner had spent quite a few years in Lambton when she was young and still had fond memories of the area. She had met his parents on one or two occasions, and Darcy was delighted to hear the stories she could share about them. Although they were superficial encounters, Darcy enjoyed hearing how his parents were thought of in their local society.

Darcy felt a sense of shame as he listened to the favourable remarks about his parents, especially when he contrasted it with his own behaviour over the past few years. If not for his dream, he would still have acted as he had when he first arrived in this village, looking down on all those he considered beneath him.

After dressing, he headed downstairs to wait for the Gardiners' carriage to return to Netherfield with the Bennet girls. They would begin their journey to Pemberley this morning, and the wagon carrying the ladies' trunks had already arrived. Two more carriages stood ready to convey the group on the journey, which was expected to take three days. A few minutes later, Bingley bounded down the front steps just as a third, smaller carriage pulled up in front of the house. The luggage that would be needed along the way was stored on this carriage, which also conveyed the servants accompanying the party.

Not nearly soon enough for Darcy, the carriage conveying the five Bennet girls and Mr. Phillips arrived. Mrs. Phillips was to stay with Mrs. Bennet at Longbourn while Mr. Phillips was away to provide her sister with the company and attention she needed while her daughters were gone, at least for a brief time.

Once the girls descended from the carriage, the group was quickly split among the three carriages. Mary, Kitty, and Lydia would travel with the two youngest Gardiner children, while Bingley and Jane would travel with Mrs. Gardiner and her remaining children. Darcy and Elizabeth rode in his coach accompanied by her uncles.

The two took advantage of the opportunity to sit next to each other while chaperoned by the two gentlemen, discussing plans for Longbourn after the couple married. Plans were also made for the wedding, as it had been decided that the two would marry as soon as matters could be arranged since the settlements were signed and they had a written statement from Mr. Bennet giving permission.

Phillips assured them that everything was in order legally. "Typically, you would need to establish residency in the parish, or the common licence should be published through Longbourn's parish. It takes four weeks to establish residency. However, with the documents your father sighed, we can hopefully bypass that and simply wait the sennight required once the licence is purchased. That takes care of you. Now we need to determine what to do with the rest of your sisters."

The rest of the occupants of the carriage grinned a little at that. Gardiner interjected his own thoughts. "If Jane and Bingley do marry, she would not need to return home for the wedding unless she wanted to. However, we must decide what to do about the youngest three. Kitty and Lydia need consistent discipline and some training in proper behaviour—they might benefit from attending school somewhere. Mary needs a companion, but if she joined your sister, Darcy, perhaps the two of them could benefit from the company of another girl their own age, and your sister's companion could provide the guidance Mary needs."

Darcy nodded. "I am not certain what Bingley's plans are regarding Miss Bennet, though we have discussed it. He is younger than me, and he has never had to carry the weight of responsibility for a household. He took over the lease of Netherfield at Michaelmas and spent more time at sport and socialisation than on estate matters. I do not mean to speak ill of him, but I question whether he is prepared for marriage. Perhaps he will need a longer courtship and engagement period to be prepared, though I am not certain what it will take."

"You were not ready for marriage a few months ago," Elizabeth teased her intended.

"That is not entirely true, dearest. It was not that I was not ready for marriage but that I needed a particular kind of jolt to dislodge the ‘beam in my eye'."

She laughed at his response. "Well, since I required the same jolt to dislodge my own beam, I suppose I cannot say too much about that. However, it seems we have saved ourselves some pain and regret by coming to an understanding sooner than we might have otherwise."

The look she gave him as she said this was meaningful as they both recalled the vision of the argument from their shared dream. They had not shared the details of their dreams with anyone else and so held the story close to their hearts. Neither was certain how their visions would be received by others, but they also felt the story was too private to share with anyone else. It was that dream that had brought them together and caused them to not only recognise their feelings for each other, but to embrace them.

"What happened?" Gardiner asked, having not heard the story about how the two first met.

Elizabeth laughed. "Did my aunt not share my letters with you, Uncle? I wrote to her about the exceptionally handsome man who insulted me even before meeting me at the local assembly. Mr. Bingley attempted to persuade him to dance with me, and instead of agreeing, he deemed me ‘tolerable but not handsome enough to dance with.'"

Gardiner's jaw dropped in surprise. "I am amazed she is still speaking to you, Darcy," he cried.

"Afterwards, she teased and sparred with me at every opportunity. In my arrogance, I mistook her banter for flirtation, only to realise my error later. It was not until I returned to London that I fully grasped the extent of my actions. When we finally were able to meet again, I offered my apologies, which Elizabeth graciously accepted."

"Truly, his words are forgiven now, at least as far as the hurt involved, though I reserve the right to tease him about them for the rest of our lives," Elizabeth teased, placing her hand lightly upon his for a moment.

Phillips and Gardiner both found this amusing. Had they been alone, Darcy would have kissed Elizabeth until she could no longer tease him, but instead he settled for a grudging compliment. "Life with you will never be dull, Elizabeth."

The remainingdays of travel passed easily enough, though the planned three-day trip extended to four. The children required more frequent stops, and the sheer number of people and carriages travelling with them ensured that departures were not as smooth as they might have wished. Regardless, just after noon on the fourth day, their carriages passed through the village of Lambton.

On the second day, the uncles had shared a carriage with Mr. Bingley and, from what Elizabeth heard, had asked him about his intentions with Jane. They gave him an ultimatum: if he was not going to ask for a formal courtship soon, they would bar him from her company to protect Jane's heart. But before he made his final decision, Mr. Bingley had received Gardiner's and Phillips's permission to ride with Jane along with Darcy and Elizabeth on the last day of the trip. Mr. Bingley and Jane conversed about more serious things than their usual frivolous talk, and Elizabeth hoped it was a sign that they would fall as deeply in love as her and Darcy.

Not long after they left Lambton, Darcy leaned forward to touch Elizabeth's knee lightly. It was bouncing in agitation, nervous about seeing her new home for the first time. "It will not be long now. We will stop when we reach the top of this rise so I can show you Pemberley."

"Am I so obvious?" she whispered back.

He only laughed and nodded. She scowled at him in reply, but soon, her knee began to bounce again.

When the carriage stopped, Darcy exited first and encouraged the others to remain while he helped Elizabeth out. "Come, dearest," he whispered. The two walked a few feet to the top of the rise, and Elizabeth caught her first glimpse of her future home.

"Oh, William," she breathed when she saw the limestone building rising naturally from the ground beneath. A stream in front of the house opened into a small lake a little further down, but the whole thing blended seamlessly with the surrounding nature. In Elizabeth's imagination, the house seemed to have sprung naturally from the ground, so perfectly did it fit its surroundings.

He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. They were mostly hidden from those in the carriages, but even the chance they might be seen did not dissuade him from expressing his love. "Do you like it?" he whispered. "Did I tell you I dreamed of you here?"

Her cheeks heated at this thought. "I cannot imagine liking anything more. It is beautiful, and I cannot believe that you want me to be the mistress of such a place. I confess that it is far beyond my wildest imagination. Are you certain about your choice for its mistress?"

"I have never been more certain of anything, Elizabeth. I have absolute faith in your abilities, but remember that Mrs. Reynolds has been running the estate since I was a boy. She will teach you anything you need to know, and truly, my dear, you only need to take on the duties that you wish to do. You will have all the help that you need to learn your duties, but your most important duty is to love me and be my partner. You will help me and be by my side. More than anything else, I have needed someone to come alongside me, as an equal, and you are well capable of that."

She turned in his arms and, regardless of who might see them, kissed him with all the passion she felt for him in that moment. "I cannot wait to be your wife, William. Must we wait the additional four weeks?"

"Perhaps a donation to the parish would convince the rector to forgo the waiting period for the common licence. I would be happy to be married to you as soon as possible, my dearest," he replied before dipping his head down and kissing her yet again. He reluctantly released her. "Come, let us return to the carriage and complete the final trek to the house. They will be waiting for us."