8. Returning Home
CHAPTER 8
Returning Home
A fter discussing it with Gardiner, Darcy waited until Saturday to ride to Longbourn to ask Elizabeth’s father for her hand and permission for her to remain an additional week in London.
As expected, Mr. Bennet gave his daughter’s suitor a difficult time. Eventually, he agreed to both requests, although informing Mrs. Bennet of the new arrangements proved to be every bit as difficult as Elizabeth had indicated.
When Mr. Bennet introduced Darcy to his wife, he simply referred to him as their daughter’s suitor, neglecting to specify which daughter. Mrs. Bennet, naturally assuming the young man had somehow heard of Jane’s beauty and had come to seek her attention, was on the verge of scolding him—until her sharp eyes took in the richness of his attire and the impeccable tailoring of his suit.
“Well, this is quite unusual, sir, but I am certain that my beautiful daughter Jane would be delighted to meet you. Do you intend to remain in the area for long?” Mrs. Bennet gushed.
“I am not here to meet any of your daughters, madam. I am engaged to your second daughter, Elizabeth. Your husband has just given us his permission to marry in six weeks, and she will remain in London for another week or two to begin ordering her trousseau and for me to arrange a place for my sister and me to stay while we wait for the wedding to take place,” Darcy said.
“But you have not yet met my Jane,” Mrs. Bennet cried. “When you see her, you will understand that she is a far better prospect for a bride. Lizzy is nothing to her.”
“I will gladly meet all my future sisters, but Elizabeth is my choice. Your daughter Jane may be lovely, but she is not the one I love,” Darcy replied while Bennet watched, amused at the tableau before him.
Mrs. Bennet looked at him, perplexed. “Then I will accompany you back to London to help Elizabeth shop for her wedding clothes. Her aunt will not know how to assist her best; I know far better what is required.”
“I rode from London, Mrs. Bennet,” Darcy said. “Elizabeth and Mrs. Gardiner have already made arrangements with my sister’s modiste to begin her trousseau, and my aunt, Lady Matlock, will also be assisting her with her choices. There is no need for you to come as well.”
“But the wedding,” Mrs. Bennet cried. “Six weeks is not nearly long enough to plan such a grand event as will be necessary. Oh, do you mean to say you are related to an earl and his countess? Will they attend the wedding? No, six weeks is far too short; six months would be better.”
“No, madam, the wedding will take place in six weeks. I must return to my estate for the spring planting and can delay no longer. Neither Elizabeth nor I wish to wait so long to wed, nor do we wish to be separated for such a length of time,” Darcy replied, his tone firm and allowing no room for argument. “If you cannot make the necessary arrangements here, my aunt can see to everything in London, and we shall marry there instead. Of course, in that case, it is unlikely your family could attend…”
He let the words hang in the air, allowing the full weight of the possibility to settle in Mrs. Bennet’s mind.
The prospect of being excluded at last forced Mrs. Bennet to relent. It was agreed that Elizabeth would return home within a fortnight, and the wedding would occur at the end of March. Darcy and Elizabeth would settle on a precise date and inform Mr. and Mrs. Bennet upon their arrival at Longbourn when they returned.
It took the couple ten days to accomplish what was needed. On the twenty-sixth of February, Elizabeth returned to Longbourn after two months away, arriving in the Darcy carriage along with her intended and Georgiana.
The Great House at Stoke was available to let for the month required to plan the wedding, and Darcy arranged with Mr. Philips to lease it for the duration. Lord and Lady Matlock intended to come with their youngest son and a few of Darcy’s friends the week before the wedding. They would all stay at the leased estate and return to London immediately following the wedding breakfast.
Though Mrs. Bennet still attempted, on occasion, to push Darcy towards one of her other daughters, it took only a pointed look from him to silence her efforts. It seemed she had not forgotten his threat to have the wedding in London should she misbehave. That did not, however, stop her from complaining to her friends and neighbours about the rushed nature of the wedding and the lack of finery as a result. She bemoaned the fact that Jane had not had the same opportunity as Elizabeth to meet eligible men in town, but she never voiced these sentiments when Darcy was near.
During this period, the engaged couple often indulged in long walks, most frequently accompanied by Georgiana and Mary. The two young women, only a few years apart in age, quickly found much in common and soon formed a close bond.
One afternoon, as they walked along a shaded path, Georgiana glanced at Elizabeth before turning to her brother. “Fitzwilliam, I have been thinking… Mary and I get along so well. Would it be permissible for her to visit Pemberley after the wedding?”
Elizabeth smiled at her sister. “That is a lovely idea, Georgiana, but it is not for me to decide.”
Darcy regarded his sister thoughtfully. “You are quite determined on this, are you?”
“Oh yes,” Georgiana said eagerly. “She is clever and well-read, and she loves music. We would be excellent companions for one another.”
Darcy glanced at Elizabeth, whose eyes shone with approval. With a slight nod, he said, “Then it shall be so. Mary, would you like to visit Pemberley?”
Caught off guard, Mary blinked in surprise. “Oh! I—I would like that very much, sir.”
“Then it is settled,” Darcy said, offering Elizabeth his arm.
Georgiana beamed, and Elizabeth gave Mary’s hand a reassuring squeeze. As they continued their walk, the conversation turned to Derbyshire, and soon, even Mary could not help but look forward to what was to come.
“When our aunt arrives, she will bring a companion for you, Georgiana,” Darcy said. “Richard approves of her, and so does Aunt Matlock, but you must tell me what you think of the lady. She will help guide you as you prepare to enter society, and Mary, you may also benefit from her company.”
Mary beamed at being included in this, for she had often felt lost as the middle child with so many sisters and said as much to Darcy.
A week before the wedding, just before the Matlocks were scheduled to arrive with Fitzwilliam, Jane approached Elizabeth to request a favour. “You and Mr. Darcy are going to London for your honeymoon, are you not? Will you spend the rest of the season in town?”
“No, we will not,” Elizabeth replied. “We will spend our wedding night at the house he has leased but will travel soon after that to Pemberley. Fitzwilliam wishes to be at his estate for the spring planting and to ensure that all is in order.”
“Oh,” Jane replied blankly, having believed her mother’s claims about the couple’s plans. “But would you not prefer to spend some time in town, obtaining your trousseau and attending balls and other fetes given in your honour?”
“No, Jane, I would not, and neither would Fitzwilliam. We attended one ball the entire time I was in London and went to the theatre once. I have told you that the Gardiners do not attend such events often, and Fitzwilliam is not fond of such amusements.”
“I had hoped you would ask me to join you in town,” Jane tried. “You owe me that after costing me a suitor in the autumn.”
Elizabeth sighed heavily at the direction this conversation had gone. “I owe you nothing, Jane. At your insistence, I accompanied you on walks with that man, and because you would not talk, you asked me to engage him in conversation. That he was such a fool to have insulted us both as he did was not a mark of gentlemanly behaviour. Would you truly have wished to be tied to such a man?”
“I would have been married, the mistress of Netherfield, and no longer living at home,” Jane retorted. “It would have been all I could have wanted.”
“Then I am sorry that he did not offer for you, but do not blame me for your unwillingness to engage him in conversation. Perhaps, had you spoken, he would have offered for you. However, what is done is done, and I cannot change what is past,” Elizabeth replied before excusing herself and returning to her room.
To the neighbours’ surprise, Mary stood up with Elizabeth at the wedding. After their discussion a few days before, Jane did not seek her sister out again, but those gathered noted her absence but did not remark upon it. Mary, too, eventually accompanied her sister to Derbyshire, where she remained with Georgiana, forging a quiet but steadfast friendship with the younger girl.
The wedding breakfast at Longbourn was far more modest than Mrs. Bennet might have wished, but it perfectly reflected the couple’s tastes. The guests from London found the gathering entirely fitting for Elizabeth and Darcy, who had no desire for ostentation or any need to impress. They wished only to celebrate their marriage in the company of those they held dear.
Although Mrs. Bennet had grumbled about not being able to make the plans as she wished, her spirits lifted when the Countess of Matlock approached her after the ceremony. “Mrs. Bennet,” she said warmly, “I must commend you. You have planned everything carefully and, more importantly, with the bride and groom’s wishes at heart. It is rare to see a wedding so perfectly suited to those it honours.”
Mrs. Bennet blinked, uncertain for a moment whether she had heard correctly. “Oh! Well, I did wish for something grander, of course, but Lizzy can be most determined when she sets her mind to something. I would have much preferred they waited until the autumn to marry.”
The countess inclined her head. “Determination is an admirable quality in a young lady, particularly when it leads to the happiness of so many. And, as I am sure you must agree, Mrs. Darcy looked happy indeed.”
At this, Mrs. Bennet preened. “Yes, yes, she did, did she not?” Her gaze flitted to where Elizabeth stood with Darcy, their hands entwined as they spoke softly to the Gardiners. “I daresay you are right, Lady Matlock. And what is more important than a daughter’s happiness?”
The countess smiled. “Indeed.”
And so, though Mrs. Bennet had not had the grand spectacle she had envisioned, she took comfort knowing that she had, at least, arranged a wedding worthy of the praise of a countess.