Chapter 27

After services Sunday morning, Darcy spoke to the rector in Kympton. He invited him to join the family for tea that afternoon to discuss the matter further.

When that gentleman arrived for tea, he was joined by Darcy, Elizabeth, and both her uncles. They showed him the settlement and the permission signed by Mr. Bennet. The rector, Mr. Harris, knew Darcy to be an honourable gentleman who would not take advantage of his patronage to demand he break any laws. There was nothing obvious that would cause him to deny the licence, and so he agreed to marry the couple as early as Wednesday morning.

Elizabeth drew in a breath. "I believe Wednesday would be ideal, Mr. Harris. Thank you."

Darcy laid a hand on top of Elizabeth's. "Would nine in the morning suit?"

Mr. Harris merely nodded his agreement to both questions, and the other two gentlemen agreed with the plan. Mrs. Gardiner was sent for, and she, the rector, and the engaged couple spent another half hour discussing the ceremony. When Mr. Harris took his leave, Darcy went to join Elizabeth's uncles to seek out Bingley to learn what happened the previous night, while Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth invited Mrs. Reynolds, Georgiana, and Elizabeth's sisters to join them in their planning for the wedding and the breakfast.

Bingley had only just arrived at Pemberley, after staying at the inn with his sister the previous night. After barely exchanging greetings, he quickly informed the others about what had transpired. "I cannot stay long. I need to escort my sister to Scarborough myself and see what I can do about arranging for her to stay with my aunts or to find her own house. I will also need to speak to my solicitors about turning her fortune over to her as I will no longer have her live with me," Bingley said tersely after gulping down the whisky Darcy handed him.

Darcy merely raised an eyebrow and refilled the glass.

"Darcy, Caroline is completely unreasonable. I begin to think she might be fit for Bedlam. Not only did she find a way to steal your letters, but I am almost certain she has written a letter to Lady Catherine, and she may have circulated some gossip in London about your bride-to-be. Do the earl and countess already know of your plans to marry Miss Elizabeth?"

"Richard intended to tell them when he arrived back in town. I will write him a letter tonight and send another to my aunt and uncle to ensure they know. I believe they will ultimately support me." He thought for a moment, wishing to ask Bingley to stay for his wedding, but ultimately chose not to speak. Bingley was not particularly adept at hiding things from his sister. It seemed Phillips and Gardiner picked up on this reluctance, and they, too, kept silent about the wedding, which was to take place in just two days.

"What troubles me most, Bingley, is that your sister all but admitted to stealing letters that I was sending to others. They were in her possession. I am unsure how she did it, but she could not have known about my engagement or our trip to Pemberley without reading my letters to my sister, housekeeper, or steward. None of the letters I sent from Netherfield arrived at Pemberley. The notes I sent directly from Meryton were received, except for the last ones. I used a messenger for those, and tomorrow several men will set out to see what they can find about him. He was one of my men and one I have used often enough in the past," Darcy said.

Phillips and Gardiner had already discussed this amongst themselves, and Phillips gave the legal opinion. "Bingley, if Darcy wanted to prosecute, he could. It is a crime to steal the post that belongs to someone else. The fact that he is unwilling to act is most likely due to your friendship. Perhaps you can use that fact as leverage over your sister to convince her to keep quiet. Additionally, I suggest that whoever you hire should watch her carefully and ensure she is not sending out any messages that would cast aspersions on Lizzy's character. What she said yesterday was bad enough, and if she has said anything like that to anyone in London, it could be the making of quite a scandal."

Darcy ran his fingers through his hair at that thought. "Though perhaps it would die down when a child is not born early, there is still the possibility it would garner interest far longer than I would like. Some would spread it because of the novelty of having gossip to spread about a Darcy. We are not a family known for scandal," he said with a grimace. After a moment of thought, Darcy turned toward his friend once again. "Did your sister say how she obtained my letters, Bingley?"

His friend groaned. "She bribed one of the footmen to take them from the salver. I am unsure how she did it, and I will have to deal with the man when I return to Netherfield. He may give me better answers than the ones I received from my sister, though at least with a servant, I can threaten to let him go without a reference if he refuses to answer. It is still so hard to believe—it is not as though Caroline's behaviour normally engenders anything like loyalty from the staff."

Darcy rolled his eyes. "And did she say anything about how she managed to arrive at Pemberley on the very day of our arrival?"

"At least I have an answer to that question: she knew from the letters when we intended to depart. She left London that same day, intending to arrive the day after us. Caroline is never one to rise early, so because of our additional stops extending our own journey, she arrived later on the same day instead. Not only that, but she travelled without a maid, jeopardising her reputation if it were to become known. I think she hoped to use this as another means to force you into marriage, claiming some problem that led to her having to travel on her own and appealing to your friendship to force you to marry her. And now I learn that she has acted in such a way as to steal your letters, Darcy. I simply cannot understand her anymore."

The men spoke a little longer about the steps Bingley would take once he arrived at his family's home. Before long, he and Phillips departed for the inn. Bingley would stay with his sister another night since she had not bothered to bring a chaperone along. Should her journey have been discovered, it would have ruined her reputation, another fact that made the men further question her sanity.

Darcy wentin search of his soon-to-be bride as soon as Bingley left. Her meeting with her aunt and Pemberley's housekeeper had just finished, and he pulled her into the library as she walked by that room. Before saying a word, he leaned down and kissed her until they both were breathless.

"What was that for?" she asked, her face pressed into his chest, but she was smiling; he knew it from her voice and how she felt against him.

"I am glad I am marrying you and not a woman like Caroline Bingley. Your Uncle Phillips is accompanying my friend to Lambton, hoping to impress upon her that interfering with the post is illegal. He hopes to frighten her into some sort of compliance and to ensure she does not spread any rumours about you in the ton."

That made Elizabeth pull away slightly and look up at him. "Such as what she said about me yesterday, about my being with child."

"Among other things. You know that a rumour does not have to be true; it just has to be titillating. The idea that I would seduce the daughter of a country squire, leaving her with child, would fly across London due to the sheer surprise of such an idea. Of course, those who know me well would not believe it, but it would be ‘interesting,' and that alone would ensure its spread," Darcy replied.

Elizabeth sighed and leaned her head back against his chest. "I am so sorry, Will."

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Will?"

"Will is shorter than William and certainly shorter than Fitzwilliam," she retorted, mimicking his arched eyebrow.

He laughed. "No one has called me that before, but I do like the idea of a private name between the two of us. And why are you sorry, dearest? It is not as though you have done nothing wrong. Miss Bingley is upset that she did not win and hates that you did. She never did think much of you, especially not after I confessed my admiration of your ‘fine eyes.'"

Her laughter soothed him. "That is right. First, I was barely tolerable, and then I had fine eyes. Finally, I teased you into losing all your reason and offering for me."

"Well, between that and a nightmare, I was convinced you were my soulmate."

Elizabeth burst out laughing. "Will, you are an excellent protégé. You might become adept at teasing far sooner than I expected."

He kissed her temple and pulled her into him again. "You make me happy, dearest. I think I always possessed the capacity for frivolity, but it took you to bring it out of me. Now, what do you truly think about marrying on Wednesday? I know you hoped to marry sooner than your birthday, but are you sure this is not too quick?"

She patted his chest. "No, William, I have been ready to marry you almost as soon as I said yes to your proposal. Uncle Gardiner was correct when he said my loyalties would shift, and they have. You have my heart, my loyalty, and my love. Soon, you will have all of me."

At her words, he drew in a deep breath as he attempted to calm himself as the images her words evoked rushed into his mind. "Liz." He dipped his head to kiss her, allowing his passion to consume him. Too soon, he broke the kiss and stepped away. "We need to find a chaperone."

She looked at him, still a little dazed by his kiss. "Why is that?" she asked innocently.

"I do not know if you understand the power you have over me," he breathed. Immediately, he straightened further and then blew out a long breath. "Come, dearest. Let us find someone to keep company with us as I do not think I can remain a gentleman much longer if we remain alone."

Elizabeth allowed him to drag her away from the library. The first people they encountered were Jane and Mary. Darcy was pleased by this, as it allowed the three ladies to discuss the wedding and gave him the opportunity to speak to Jane about Bingley's departure. The four settled in for a conversation, though Darcy participated little. He chose to remain sitting next to Elizabeth, holding her hand as he listened to the ladies discuss plans for the wedding.

Eventually, though, duty called him away when he was reminded of the letters he still needed to write to his Aunt and Uncle Matlock and another to Richard. He hoped they would be in London, though he sent a copy of the messages to Matlock, just in case they were there.