Chapter 9

Darcy departed Rosings two days after his proposal, and as planned, Elizabeth remained a sennight longer. Soon, they were both in London and eager to see one another again.

"Lizzy," Mrs. Gardiner said not long after her niece arrived at Gracechurch Street, "you will never guess who came for a visit a few days ago."

Elizabeth grinned at her aunt. "If I had to guess, it was Mr. Darcy, since I gave him a letter to deliver to my uncle asking him to send for me sooner and to request if I might stay in London a few extra days."

"Is there an understanding between you two?" her aunt asked.

"We are engaged," she whispered, not wanting to say too much. "He has not yet spoken to Papa, but he will return to Meryton a few days after me to make the request. We hope to marry before the end of summer."

"Well, I suppose that means I will have to ask another of your sisters to accompany us on our tour of the Lakes then," Mrs. Gardiner replied.

Still grinning, Elizabeth could only nod in reply.

"I do not even have to ask if you are happy. It is obvious that you are delighted with your understanding. When we were at Longbourn in December, you said little about the man, but your mother did not seem to think much of him."

"Mama had not forgotten how he slighted me at that first assembly and has hated him since. However, all will be forgotten when she learns of our understanding. She might even finally forgive me for rejecting Mr. Collins when she hears of it," Elizabeth teased.

"Will you be happy with the gentleman?" Mrs. Gardiner asked.

"So very much," Elizabeth replied.

She was glad to have relieved herself of the secret of her engagement with her aunt, as she had not yet told her sister. Since Jane was still unsettled by Mr. Bingley's failure to visit, Elizabeth only told her how she and Darcy met frequently in Kent.

Darcy called the following morning, bringing Mr. Bingley with him. The half hour they spent at Gracechurch Street started off uncomfortably, but Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner ensured that conversation flowed smoothly after a few awkward moments. Elizabeth and Darcy had only a moment to speak privately before they departed.

"Forgive me, love. When I learned Bingley had still not visited, I brought him with me. He has not yet opened Netherfield, and I am tempted to offer to pay off the lease myself. He and your sister had little to say to each other today, but perhaps that will improve with further visits," Darcy said after kissing Elizabeth's hand.

"I thank you for attempting to make things right, William. We will be here until Monday, when we will take my uncle's coach to meet my father's," Elizabeth replied.

"I love you, Elizabeth. I will call again tomorrow and have invited your family to dine at Darcy House on Saturday evening. I wish I could take you to a play, but your uncle thought it should wait."

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, he told me. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow and to seeing your home on Saturday."

"Our home," he whispered, as he kissed her hand one more time before departing.

When Elizabeth returned to the parlour, Jane and Mrs. Gardiner were talking quietly. Elizabeth joined them as they spoke of Mr. Bingley. "I am glad to have this first meeting done before Mr. Bingley returns to Netherfield. Now, I might see him again with perfect indifference."

"Do you feel nothing for him, Jane?" Mrs. Gardiner asked. "He appeared to still admire you."

Jane looked uncertain. "He may appear to admire me, but not enough to bring him to my door these last weeks. We know from his letter that he has been aware of my presence in town for above a month, and he only called when Mr. Darcy dragged him here. Do not tell me that gentleman did not have a particular reason for his visit." Jane looked determinedly at her sister as she said this.

Elizabeth coloured brightly. "I will not deny that he called to see me, and that we are friendlier than we were in Hertfordshire. You know my opinion of him altered from my initial impression, and in Kent, he was better able to demonstrate his good traits."

"And will he have a particular question to ask Papa when we return home?" Jane asked.

Again, Elizabeth could not prevent the flush that rose in her cheeks. "Perhaps," she replied with a shy smile. "But, Jane, tell me, how do you feel about Mr. Bingley? Do you still admire him?"

Jane sighed. "He is still everything good and amiable, but I do wonder why he kept saying he wanted to call, but then never appeared. Uncle said he planned to come several times, but before he could arrive, something else came up to prevent his coming."

Elizabeth wanted to give her sister some hope. "When he is at Netherfield, he will make his intentions clearer. He will be at Mr. Darcy's house for dinner on Saturday?"

Jane nodded at this but said nothing further. Elizabeth allowed the deflection, and they spoke of what would occupy them for the two days in between,

Among their other activities over those days, Elizabeth could not escape a visit to the modiste. Though she protested, Mrs. Gardiner thought it wise to begin Elizabeth's trousseau while she was in town instead of waiting for her father to grant his permission. Since she would be joining the first circles, she would need far more in her new situation, not to mention the warmer clothing that she would need in Derbyshire.

Saturday evening, Elizabeth dressed in the new gown they had found at the modiste. It had been completed as a part of another order, but that lady had decided she did not care for it in the end. Since it fit Elizabeth almost as if it were made for her, Mrs. Gardiner had purchased it for Elizabeth, and with only minor alterations, it was a perfect gown for the evening.

Darcy House was a large, imposing townhouse situated across from Hyde Park. The last to step down from the carriage, Elizabeth was met not by a footman, but by Mr. Darcy himself who had arrived in time to help her from the carriage. Their eyes met, and she smiled into his eyes that were looking at her with love. She did not realise that her eyes radiated the same.

Monday morning,Elizabeth boarded her uncle's carriage for her return to Hertfordshire. Knowing that she would not call Longbourn home for much longer made this trip bittersweet. She was happy to see her family again, but she would miss seeing Mr. Darcy. Even in London, she had seen him daily, though she already missed their morning walks.

Her uncle had given them five minutes of privacy in the library after dinner where they had exchanged a few quick kisses, but that was the only time alone they had managed since leaving Kent. Elizabeth found she rather enjoyed kissing Mr. Darcy and hoped for the opportunity to resume their morning walks in Hertfordshire.

Jane and Elizabeth had spoken quite a bit about the gentlemen since they first visited. Mr. Bingley had returned with Mr. Darcy on Friday but not on Saturday, and he was at the dinner at Darcy House. Each time, he paid considerable attention to Jane. However, he did nothing to make his intentions obvious, not even truly explaining his absence over the last months. In fact, he said little about his failure to return to Hertfordshire in the autumn or about his not paying a call at Gracechurch Street after being informed of her presence there.

"Mama will be difficult when she learns of the gentlemen coming to Netherfield," Jane complained as strongly as Elizabeth had ever heard her. "I can hardly bear to hear her speak of Mr. Bingley as she did in the autumn. Perhaps once Mr. Darcy speaks to Papa, she will be so focused on your relationship that she will not worry about mine. While I know Mama means well, she does not know how much I suffer from what she says."

"I wish I could do more to comfort you," Elizabeth replied. "This evening or in the morning, I will speak to Papa about Mr. Darcy to prepare the way for his coming. I do not doubt that Papa will be displeased with my leaving, but I cannot imagine that he would deny Mr. Darcy's request for my hand."

"Is that what he will ask Papa?" Jane asked.

It occurred to Elizabeth that she had only hinted to Jane about the connection, but she had never been specific. Her lips turned up in a full smile. "Yes, Jane, he will ask Papa for my hand. We met nearly every morning in Kent, and on his next-to-last day there, he proposed. It was everything I could have hoped for. He loves me. In fact, had he not found me in Kent, he said he would have dragged Mr. Bingley to Netherfield upon his return from that county so he could court and propose to me."

Jane clapped her hands in excitement and expressed her happiness for her sister and her soon-to-be brother.

Upon arriving home, the entire family spilled out of the house to greet the new arrivals. Mrs. Bennet immediately asked Jane if she had seen Mr. Bingley in London, and Jane replied positively, causing her mother to loudly declare her anticipation of the match. After they were settled inside, Jane gathered her courage and spoke resolutely to her mother.

"Mama, there is no guarantee that Mr. Bingley will propose to me. He does intend to return to Netherfield within the week, but he has not asked for anything from me, not even to call. I saw him twice last week, but his sister never even returned the call I paid to her. Please do not do as you did in the autumn and proclaim to all and sundry about a relationship that does not exist and may never do so. I do not want a husband forced on me because you obligated him to preserve my reputation."

Mrs. Bennet could say nothing in response to this, but only sat and blinked at her eldest, most complying daughter. She nodded but remained quiet, further shocking everyone else in the room.

Elizabeth squeezed her sister's hand, and they began to speak to their sisters about what they had seen and done over the last weeks. It took some time for Mrs. Bennet to rejoin the conversation, but when she did, she was far less voluble than usual.