Chapter 25
“Good morning, papa.” Elizabeth greeted her father as she entered the breakfast parlor.
The Duke smiled indulgently as he gestured to his daughter to sit down. He had open letters next to his plate.
“You look exceptionally cheerful this morning. Have your letters brought good tidings?”
“My dear girl. If you enjoy being Lady Elizabeth, daughter of the Duke of Northampton, the likelihood of your keeping this exalted position has just gone up significantly, almost to being a certainty.” He handed her one letter to read for herself. It was the express from Mr. Darcy.
“Oh, this is good news indeed. I am very glad the treachery has been discovered, and the rightful owner of the dukedom shall now be acknowledged.”
“What? Your first reaction is not to rejoice over keeping all of your fancy gowns and jewelry?”
“Will Mr. Darcy and the Earl be here soon to finalize the matter once and for all?”
“The hard work is now finished. I should not monopolize Darcy’s time any longer.
He has two vast estates to manage. However, he is still working on my behalf.
As the letter states, he and the Colonel will find more people who had visited Colonel Weston’s mistress.
They believe there would have been a few more.
These two gentlemen are nothing but thorough.
Now tell me, daughter, what are your plans for spending the rest of your life as Lady Elizabeth? ”
After reading the letter Mr. Darcy wrote, Elizabeth’s mind was completely occupied by the gentleman himself. She had not expected to see the elegant yet masculine hand—it seemed almost intimate to see his handwriting. Her yearning to see the gentleman surged to new heights.
“Lizzy? I suppose I asked a weighty question for a young lady not yet of age. A lot depends on whom you marry.”
The word ‘marry’ woke Elizabeth from her trance.
“I think I shall go visit Charlotte.”
“Visiting Charlotte is the first step toward living the rest of your auspicious life as a celebrated, exalted lady of the highest circles? That is interesting indeed. Let me count the ways: Charlotte is your dear friend—but is also your not-so-dear cousin’s wife…
that cannot be the reason; she lives in Hunsford in the county of Kent, which has nice weather during this time of the year… ”
“Papa, I simply want to…” Elizabeth wanted to stop her father before he inevitably arrived at her actual—but unmentionable—reason, which was still murky in her own mind.
She blurted out, “Jane has very confused feelings about Mr. Bingley, especially after Mr. Darcy’s disclosure to you.
I think if Jane and I go to Hunsford, and you subtly suggest to Mr. Darcy he invite Mr. Bingley to Rosings, Jane and Mr. Bingley could then assess their feelings toward each other without the scrutiny of either the public or mamma. ”
The Duke eyed his daughter with interest. He did not believe for a minute that his clever daughter had told the whole truth.
However, he agreed it was a good plan, as he was quite concerned about Jane’s happiness.
Her erstwhile serenity seemed to have vanished since becoming Lady Jane.
He suspected that Mr. Bingley might be the primary culprit disrupting her tranquility.
He had never been actively involved with his daughters’ marital prospects because his wife’s machinations made any effort on his part superfluous.
But within him, he cared deeply that they did not repeat his mistake in choosing a spouse.
Speaking up against Mr. Collins was a manifestation of this concern.
As for Bingley, he had no objection. He himself had married a solicitor’s daughter, and his brothers-in-law were both in trade.
He trusted these two men implicitly, whether or not he was Duke.
He cared only that his daughters were married to gentlemen of excellent character, and they strove to make his daughters happy.
After all, he could not marry his daughters any further up because, thanks to the King’s own law, royal princes were forbidden to marry outside of royalty.
Otherwise, his beautiful daughters could have been in real danger of being preyed upon by the princes—all scoundrels of the first order.
Elizabeth squirmed and blushed under her father’s scrutiny, which did not escape the patriarch’s eyes. He surmised there must be a gentleman involved.
“Interesting,” the Duke noted under his breath.
“You are a sensible girl. I trust you will do right, even if your heart urges you astray. I shall write to Darcy and propose his taking a holiday. Perhaps a hunt with his friends? It would be unseemly for me to go any further. He may invite a particular friend, or he may not.”
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“Jane, I may have thought of a way for you and Mr. Bingley to meet without arousing undue attention.”
Again, Jane looked puzzled but not displeased. They had just finished a lesson on etiquette with Mrs. Trimmer and were again walking in the garden. It was another early spring day filled with sunshine and warmth.
“What do you mean?”
“Remember—I put off visiting Charlotte in Hunsford?”
“Yes…and then…? I do not see what you are planning, unless you are going to do the unthinkable and ask Mr. Darcy to invite Mr. Bingley to Rosings, where I shall visit as well? How will you achieve this scheme?” Jane was half-alarmed and half-intrigued.
“You are so clever, dearest! That is precisely what we would do. Papa will encourage Mr. Darcy to invite friends to Rosings to shoot or whatever gentlemen do while we are visiting Charlotte at the parsonage. Charlotte said that she and Mr. Collins are often invited to Rosings. As guests of the parsonage, we are bound to meet the gentlemen at these gatherings.”
“I see.” Jane assumed a distant look, which had become quite the regular replacement for her erstwhile tranquil features.
She asked with concern, “But Lizzy, will you be well meeting Mrs. Darcy at the estate Mr. Darcy acquired through marriage?”
Elizabeth was dumbfounded. She stared at her sister for a full minute. Finally, with a feigned calmness, she said, “Whatever do you mean? Why would meeting Mr. Darcy be a concern?”
“I did not say meeting Mr. Darcy. I said, meeting Mrs. Darcy at her marital home. You have not been hiding your admiration for the new master of Rosings. We have all heard you praise the gentleman regularly.”
Elizabeth was shocked—the feelings she had newly recognized had been clear to the people around her for some time! No wonder her papa had warned her about doing the right thing when her heart felt wrong.
She walked away a few paces and turned back abruptly.
“Jane, as you said, we have not kept secrets from each other, although this was not a secret… it was… is a feeling. You asked me why I could carry on as if nothing had happened over the last few months. The truth is… I am uncertain of what the truth is, but perhaps I have already given my heart away. The confounding thing is that ever since laying eyes on Mr. Darcy at the Meryton Assembly, he has taken hold of me. I coped by hating him because of his arrogance and disdain for others, and his ungentlemanly treatment of Mr. Wickham. Once these… prejudices had been discredited, this relentless feeling surged forward again and gave me an irrational longing to see him—but he is married! That should calm all ardor, but I am also aware he is not expected to be married for long. With my elevated position, perhaps he will notice me when he is free again. Until then, all I desire is to be near him—nothing more. If you had mentioned my ill- disguised admiration only two days ago, I would have laughed at you for being fanciful—you knew I hated the man. So what I just explained is a confession… not only to you but also to myself.”
“Oh, dear Lizzy!” Jane took her sister’s hands. “How I envy you!”
Elizabeth wanted to interrupt, but Jane stayed her.
“I have been unhappy since November because, being two-and twenty, I was eager—even anxious—to be married. Mamma instilled in us the need to marry well to save the family when papa died. But now, the need to marry at all has disappeared. With so many eligible gentlemen chasing me, it is impossible to choose. Added to the mix is our promise to each other that we shall marry only for the deepest love. You have found your true love. The road to marriage and happiness will be full of obstacles, but you will overcome them.”
“Dearest, you have turned out to be the fearless and optimistic one. I do not know what to do with this newfound—only two-day-old—feeling. I was excited to have maneuvered a chance to see him again. Now, I worry I shall be awkward and may even have a nervous attack!”
“My dearest Lizzy, let your true feelings speak and be guided by them. I trust you. You will do nothing to disgrace yourself or your family. I do believe that you shall be very happy in the end!”
“I hope I will like Mrs. Darcy. If he is not mine to have, I would at least wish him a good wife.”