Chapter 16

Sixteen

To say Darcy was ecstatic would be to undervalue his joy. Immediately upon returning to Netherfield after the assembly, he shared his news with Bingley. Given how Miss Bennet had acted when she approached him and Elizabeth, he was not entirely surprised when Bingley expressed no shock, even though he would not have minded a little more enthusiasm.

"Jane will be pleased. She told me recently how much she hoped you and her sister would come to an understanding. When will you speak to Mr Bennet?" Bingley said before going on to describe his own interview with the gentleman without bothering to hear Darcy's response.

Darcy was awake half the night writing letters to his sister, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and other family members to tell them of his engagement. He supposed he should wait until he had Mr Bennet's approval, but he reasoned the letters would not be received until after it was done. It might be presumptuous to believe the man would give his consent, but Elizabeth assured him he would. Besides, she would be one and twenty soon and would marry him then, should her father decide to withhold his permission.

Shortly before breakfast, he and Bingley went to Longbourn, and he immediately sought out Mr Bennet in his book-room. Upon hearing that Darcy had proposed to his second daughter, the older gentleman regarded him with an arched brow for a long, awkward moment.

"Like that, is it? I should say I am surprised, but that would not be entirely correct. I have not noticed anything myself, but my good wife has been muttering about you and Lizzy since you came back to the neighbourhood." He laughed. "If anything, I am more shocked that she was right than that you recognise my Lizzy's excellence. Well, I suppose if she wants to be your wife, there is nothing I can do to stop her."

It fell to Mrs Bennet to greet the news with enthusiasm, and she did not disappoint. She insisted on kissing his cheek "to welcome you to the family" and leapt into a discussion of the wedding before anyone had a chance to tell Miss Mary and Miss Catherine about the engagement. Miss Catherine said all that was proper; Miss Mary did too, although she spoke with more hesitation in her tone and seemed to spend the rest of the morning observing him with an air of suspicion. Another time, he would ask his darling Elizabeth about it, but for today, he gave himself permission to simply be happy.

Amongst the many ideas and decisions she had already made about the wedding day—including that it would be on the nineteenth of November and coincide with Miss Bennet and Bingley's—his soon-to-be mother-in-law insisted he obtain a licence. Darcy heard a soft noise of disgust from across the table, and turned to look at Miss Mary when she spoke.

"There is no need for that. There are enough Sundays before then for the banns to be read." She tore a muffin into ever smaller pieces.

Elizabeth laughed. "So I told her, Mary, but?—"

"It is enough to ask the vicar to announce them for Jane," Mrs Bennet said.

Although he was confident Mr Carson could manage both, Darcy settled the debate. "I have no objection to marrying with a licence, as long as Miss Elizabeth agrees. Miss Bennet and Bingley might prefer not to share their day with us, however. I would not want?—"

"Think nothing of it, Darcy!" Bingley interjected. "I think it is a capital notion. Do you not agree, my dear?" The last was said to Miss Bennet.

"It would only add greater felicity to the morning."

Elizabeth indicated she would not argue against the scheme, and the matter was settled.

Over the next few days, more decisions were made, including that he and Elizabeth would go to town for the better part of a fortnight. Miss Bennet and Bingley rejected the notion of going with them, preferring to remain in the country, and Mrs Bennet insisted she had too much to do to accompany them, sending Miss Catherine in her stead.

"It might do her good to leave home now and again," the matron said.

She would not explain herself when asked why. As Miss Catherine was pleased with the treat of a trip to town, no one enquired further.

Darcy was glad for the excuse to be away from Meryton. There were a number of tasks he could best attend to in town, including meeting his solicitor regarding the marriage contract and changing his will, and it was difficult not to find some of the company fatiguing. Most notably, this included Mrs Bennet, Mrs Philips, and Mrs Goulding, who were effusive with their congratulations and went about with an obvious air of satisfaction at their part in the engagement. Another source of ennui was Mr Bennet and his sardonic wit and endless supply of jokes about young lovers and the many ways they would disappoint each other beginning a mere year after they united their lives with promises of living together in harmony.

His favourite moments were those he and Elizabeth spent alone, and he defied anyone to see fault in that. They went for as many walks as Mrs Bennet and the weather permitted. While she insisted they have a chaperon, it was usually either Miss Bennet and Bingley or one of the other Miss Bennets, and they left him and Elizabeth to themselves.

On one such occasion, shortly before they were to leave for London, Darcy proposed a plan for the coming months. Elizabeth's hand was clasped in his, and Miss Mary walked about thirty feet behind them.

"I thought we might spend a week in town before going to Derbyshire. It would give us time together before undertaking the long journey. Georgiana remains at Pemberley, and my aunt, Lady Romsley, proposed visiting us at Christmas or Twelfth Night, if you do not object. The earl's estate is less than sixty miles away, and as long as the weather permits, it would be an excellent occasion for you to know them."

Elizabeth squeezed his hand and gave him such a look of contentment and—there was no mistaking it—love, that his heart swelled.

"It sounds wonderful. I long to see Miss Darcy again. Georgiana, I should say." She laughed fondly.

Georgiana had sent Elizabeth a lengthy letter in which she wrote of their marriage answering a prayer she had made after they met that summer.

Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder at her sister, then, in a tone unlikely to be overheard by her, said, "What do you think of having Mary stay with us in the spring? I am worried for her."

"Oh?" Darcy stopped himself from looking at the subject of their discussion.

"Mary took Lydia's…well, she took it very hard. It can be difficult to tell with her, but when she is particularly disappointed or angry, she becomes increasingly silent. She kept her jaw clenched so tightly when Lydia and that man were here, I was afraid she would do herself permanent injury. She is not best pleased with Mr Bingley either."

"Why not?" This time, his eyes strayed enough towards the rear to catch a glimpse of the young woman.

Elizabeth looked apologetic. "Because of the way he left last year and how despondent Jane was afterwards."

"Since she is polite to me, I take it she does not know about my own misdeeds?"

"Not even Jane knows everything that happened between us, and if you would please stop mentioning any errors you made in the past, I would soon forget them and my own."

Darcy lifted her hand to his lips for a kiss. "Miss Mary is a loyal sister. I admire her for it. I would never tell you not to invite one of your family to stay with us."

"Except for the two we shall avoid talking about as much as possible."

He made a noise of agreement, but said, " Him I could never admit to my company. As for your youngest sister, I do not think it is impossible, though I would not ask Georgiana to see her."

"I would never expect it of her. You are very good to be willing to entertain the notion, but I am not certain I will ever wish to have Lydia stay with us."

In a few minutes, they came to a fork in the path, and Elizabeth paused to speak to her sister.

"Mr Darcy has never seen the stream down here, and you know how much I love the willows. We shall run ahead and take a look and meet you back on the path."

Without awaiting a response, she pulled him in the direction she had indicated. Darcy readily followed. It soon became clear that she had other motives than showing him a picturesque view.

When they were out of sight, she turned to him with a coquettish smile. "I have secured us several minutes of privacy, Mr Darcy. What do you suppose we should do with them?"

He grinned, but only until his lips reached hers.