Chapter 33

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

O nce freed from their mysterious confinement, Elizabeth and Darcy reluctantly separated with the promise to reunite downstairs an hour later, properly dressed. Their accidental meeting with Miss Bingley during their amorous parting had left Elizabeth worried all over again for her reputation, but her betrothed had reassured her that no tittle-tattle the lady could impart would be enough to tarnish her good name when his own was so closely connected to it. With this, Elizabeth was forced to be satisfied. She had returned his banyan to him amidst his protests—"Miss Bingley telling tales is one thing, but how could we possibly explain your clothing in my room?"—and adjourned to her bedchamber.

By the time Elizabeth had descended to the ground floor, well before the appointed time, Darcy was already waiting for her at the base of the staircase. Upon her appearance, he had marched directly to her and offered her a heartfelt greeting. There was no trace of fatigue in his features and, had she not known better, she would never have believed him awake for most of the night. "Have your aunt and uncle risen?"

"Yes, they are preparing for services. When I visited her chambers, my aunt assured me that they would both be down shortly."

"Good, good."

The plan was for Darcy to draw Mr Gardiner to his study—hopefully free of ghosts for the present—and confess their mishap to him. Mr Bennet would need to be applied to for his blessing, of course, but it was hoped that Mr Gardiner might at least allow them to announce their engagement to those within the household, in case there were any rumours flying about. From there, Darcy intended to write to Mr Bennet to discuss any further particulars.

"My ears are burning."

The pair of them pivoted to see Mr Gardiner leading his wife down the stairs, both of them dressed in their freshly laundered clothes from the day before. There were no traces of the foul weather to be found on the gentleman's attire; the laundress at Pemberley knew what she was about.

Darcy stiffened and snapped to attention like a soldier surprised by his commanding officer. "Good morning, Mr Gardiner, Mrs Gardiner. I do hope your night was a restful one." The couple returned his greeting and assured him that their accommodations were everything they could have wished as they trod the final steps to the ground floor. "Excellent. Mr Gardiner, might I request a private word with you?"

Elizabeth bit her lip, amused both at the startled response of her relations and Darcy's haste. His eagerness was utterly endearing.

"Of course! Is aught the matter, sir? "

"No, no, nothing like that, I assure you. Merely a…a request."

Mrs Gardiner's eyes jumped from Darcy to Elizabeth to her husband and back again, her smile growing incrementally with each pass. Elizabeth knew she must have discerned the purport of Darcy's ‘request'—not that it required a great intellect to deduce, given recent events—and was basking in the superiority of being proved correct. Her aunt would demand details the moment they were alone, and she was prepared to deliver them, though she was not especially anticipating the inherent awkwardness of such a communication. Mrs Gardiner would give her the benefit of the doubt, she was sure, but that made it no less mortifying to relate.

"Come, let us see the ladies to the music room before adjourning to my study. The gardens are especially lovely just after the rain."

They traversed the length of the house, each gentleman escorting his favoured lady, and let themselves into the music room only to stop short upon finding an unexpected presence therein. It was Miss Bingley, and she was behaving rather oddly, pacing back and forth before the wall of windows that looked out onto the grounds and muttering indecipherably to herself. She halted at their entrance, eyes wide and countenance pale, and merely stared at them without any semblance of a polite greeting.

After a long few moments frozen in time, Elizabeth dipped her knees and offered an uncomfortable, "Good morning."

Still, the lady said nothing, but she did at least return a curtsey. Caught as she had been in Darcy's earlier ardent playfulness, Elizabeth had not noted the subtle signs of distress in Miss Bingley the way she did now. The lady appeared to have suffered a sleepless night, evidenced by the dark smudges beneath her eyes, and Elizabeth did not think she had ever seen her so informally attired. She wore an amber frock trimmed in lace and tassels, but there was no other adornment in her hair or jewels at her throat. Her hair was up but twisted into the sort of knot Elizabeth might have been able to perform on herself. Why, there was not a single feather upon her person, so far as she could see. Generally, she was presentable but not at all the peacock Elizabeth was accustomed to enduring.

Gently, haltingly, Elizabeth asked, "Are you well, Miss Bingley?"

The other woman bristled, and her usual hauteur fell into place. "As well as can be expected." Elizabeth felt the pinch of that slight in her gut. No doubt Miss Bingley saw her as snatching something precious from her grasp. "If you will excuse me, I think I shall see whether my sister is awake."

With that, Miss Bingley brushed past them and out of the room, lightening the atmosphere considerably.

"My goodness," said Mrs Gardiner with a hand pressed to her heart. "She looks as if she has seen a ghost!"

Elizabeth's immediate reply was a warbling laugh. "Or something of that nature."

"On that note…" Darcy turned to Mr Gardiner. "Let us see to the ladies' comfort and adjourn to my study."

Darcy led Elizabeth and Mrs Gardiner to a settee near the window—sadly, it was far too wet to sit on the terrace—before bending over his betrothed's hand and placing a soft kiss upon the back of it. Elizabeth flushed, and the prickling heat was all the more prominent for the self-satisfied way her aunt observed their interaction.

With no other fanfare, the gentlemen departed, leaving the ladies to their inquisition. It began immediately thus: "Out with it, Lizzy. Has Mr Darcy spoken? "

"I do not know what would bring you to that conclusion, Aunt."

"None of your teasing, if you please! I demand satisfaction."

"Very well, I shall not deny you, but it is quite the strange tale…"

The remainder of the household had risen for services within the hour, necessarily cutting the interviews short. Even so, they were fruitful, and the matter of Darcy and Elizabeth's engagement was as settled as it was possible to be without Mr Bennet present. It was agreed that they would announce their understanding at breakfast in a quiet fashion, including only those guests in residence. Elizabeth rather suspected that Mrs Reynolds had guessed their happy news, for she had caught the elderly lady looking upon her and Darcy with tearful fondness once or twice, but otherwise it was fairly contained.

The response of their friends and relations was somewhat mixed. Mr Bingley was as effusive in his congratulations as his brother was indifferent—in keeping with their characters. To Elizabeth's surprise, Mrs Hurst's felicitations were not much more subdued than Mr Bingley's, albeit perhaps less sincere. Darcy postulated, and Elizabeth felt that he must be correct, that Mrs Hurst was mindful of retaining her rights of visiting Pemberley and was thus inclined to be gracious to its incumbent mistress. Miss Bingley, having already given her reluctant well wishes, said very little.

Miss Darcy, who absolutely insisted that Elizabeth must call her Georgiana henceforth—a privilege that was immediately reciprocated—was nothing short of ebullient. Throwing off her customary shyness, she had rushed to Elizabeth and embraced her, exclaiming how pleased she was to have a sister at last. "Oh, you will absolutely love living at Pemberley! And now you can go walking through the woods and gardens every day, just as you wished you could, and assist me in tending the roses…" On and on she went for several minutes, her joy inexhaustible.

It was with longing and regret that the Gardiners deemed it necessary to return to their lodgings after this short period of exquisite felicity. The Darcys protested that they might remain at Pemberley for the remainder of their holiday, but her aunt and uncle were firm; it would be inappropriate for the betrothed couple to remain under the same roof. A rather stern look from her uncle reminded Elizabeth that their misadventure had not been entirely overlooked, and she was chastened. In the end, the parties reached the compromise of daily visits, which was satisfactory enough, though not for Darcy.

"I wish you did not have to leave," Darcy said as he escorted Elizabeth out to the carriage. The Gardiners were already settled inside, waiting patiently while the lovebirds bid their temporary farewells.

"I feel the same, but my aunt and uncle are correct—we have already skirted the line of propriety enough as it is. Oh, but how I shall miss you! It is silly, I know it, but I cannot help myself."

"If you are silly, then so am I, for I shall miss you terribly. I am absolutely dreading the day you are required to return to Hertfordshire, for it is unlikely that I shall have the liberty to follow immediately with the harvest to organise." He sighed. "I know not how I am to bear it when five miles alone feels like five hundred."

Elizabeth slowed to a stop as a notion occurred to her. " What if I did not have to return to Longbourn? What if we could be married from Pemberley?"

Darcy's brows rose high on his forehead. "You do not wish to be wed in your home parish?"

"It is not so much that I do not wish it as that I would prefer not to leave. It is strange to say, but I already feel as though Pemberley is my home. I feel as if I belong here. Besides," she shot him an impish glance, "I should not like to deprive certain guests of an invitation, especially when they worked so diligently to bring about our union. Their spirited presence would be sorely missed."

Darcy chuckled and shook his head. " You are the only ‘spirited presence' that I require. However, as I am devoted to your every happiness, I shall not gainsay your wishes. Let us hope that your father is as amenable to them as I."

"Tell him of your library, and I daresay he will be on your doorstep within the week. But do remind him to bring my mother and sisters with him."