Chapter 29
After breaking their fasts at Longbourn, Darcy saw Charles off as he set out to visit the neighbours, then he joined the family in the drawing room.
Mr Bennet read the newspaper, while Darcy skimmed a book from his host’s library.
Mrs Bennet occupied her time by writing her lists, and occasionally sniffing her salts.
Jane and Elizabeth worked on their stitching projects, and Mary silently studied her sheet music.
Still in confinement, Kitty had returned to her chamber.
Except for the ticking of the mantle clock, the house was quiet, and the mood was sombre.
When the doorbell rang, Mrs Bennet gasped in astonishment. “No one has called on Longbourn in nearly a fortnight.”
Moments later, Sir William was announced to the drawing room, and the family rose to receive him. He entered with his usual jovial reserve, bowed to the room, and greeted everyone by name. In Darcy’s opinion, this was an excellent start.
“Oh, Sir William, how good of you to call,” Mrs Bennet said in breathless accents. “I hope you and your family are well.”
“Yes, everyone enjoys the best of health.”
Once they were seated, the conversation centred on the changing weather and the excellent condition of the roads.
Mrs Bennet gestured to her eldest daughter. “Our Jane is now betrothed to Mr Bingley.”
“What delightful news, Miss Bennet. I offer my most sincere wishes for a lifetime of happiness.”
Jane blushed rosily. “Thank you, Sir William. I’m certain Mr Bingley will call at Lucas Lodge as soon as he is able.”
Sir William inquired after Miss Kitty and listened intently to a brief report of her fictional malady. “And what of your sister, Mr Darcy? Is she yet out?”
“Not yet, sir,” Darcy said. “She’s still in the schoolroom, and studies with a music master. I’m extraordinarily proud of her progress on the pianoforte.”
“Nothing is more important to a young lady’s success than an excellent education,” Sir William said. “Do you not agree, Mr Bennet?”
Mr Bennet nodded his understanding. “Indeed, Sir William. My youngest daughter is enrolled in Miss Huntington’s Seminary for Young Ladies in London, and we hope to see a great improvement of her skills.”
Despite being fully aware of Lydia’s present situation, Sir William raised his brows and nodded eagerly at this announcement.
“Capital! What could be better for our dear Miss Lydia than a prestigious seminary in town? She is a gifted girl and needs only a town bronze to give her a finishing touch. I have every confidence that she will thrive there.”
Darcy couldn’t have asked for a better endorsement of the delinquent girl. Hopefully, Sir William would repeat those same sentiments to his neighbours, and Lydia’s sisters would suffer no further scorn in the community.
After he had gone, the mood in the room had considerably lightened.
“Oh, Mr Bennet, now that Sir William has called, we shan’t have long to wait for our other neighbours to call,” Mrs Bennet said, vigorously employing her fan.
“Perhaps, my dear, but I believe we have Mr Darcy to thank for this civility,” Mr Bennet said, casting an appreciative grin at Darcy. “Sir William wouldn’t have troubled himself to come otherwise.”
Mrs Bennet released a contented sigh. “How lucky we are to have such excellent friends. I don’t know what would have become of us without them.”
“I agree, my dear,” he said, patting his wife’s hand. “We are indeed blessed.”
With Charles Bingley now calling on Haye Park, Stoke House, and Purvis Lodge, Darcy firmly believed that the Bennets would soon hear from those august families, and order would be restored.
***
When Charles returned to Longbourn, eager to share his news, he found the family in far better spirits than when he’d left them. Mrs Bennet fairly glowed with happiness, and even Mr Bennet had regained his relaxed air. Jane greeted him with a blissful smile, and led him to a sofa near the window.
“Has Darcy gone out?” he inquired, noticing his friend’s absence.
“Mr Darcy received a note and has gone to the village to meet with Mr Denny,” Miss Elizabeth said.
Charles supposed that Denny had determined the last of Wickham’s debts to be settled.
“Sir William called today, Mr Bingley, and he was most cordial,” Mrs Bennet said, her vinaigrette nowhere in sight.
This was just as Charles had hoped. “He was out when I called on Lucas Lodge, but Lady Lucas and her daughters were pleased with my news, and send their best wishes to you, Mrs Bennet.”
Mrs Bennet curled her lip and exchanged irritable glances with Jane and Miss Elizabeth. “How kind of them to think of me,” she said with a bland smile and a sarcastic edge to her voice.
“’Twas quite civil of them, Mama,” Jane said, then reached for the tea tray. “Shall I pour you a cup, Mr Bingley?”
Charles declined. “I’ve had my fill of tea, for now.” He’d consumed an abundance of tea, biscuits, fruit tarts, and cake at the neighbours’ houses and was near to bursting.
Mirth sprang to Mr Bennet’s eyes.
“Did you see Mr Goulding?” Jane inquired.
“And his wife,” Charles said. “They were both warm and welcoming, and send their compliments to you, Jane. I received much the same from Mrs Harrington and Mrs Long, who had also called at Stoke with her nieces. I had a nice long chat with Mr Robinson, and he plans to call tomorrow to wish you happy.”
“It sounds promising, don’t you agree, Mr Bennet?” his wife inquired with a hopeful air.
“I believe we owe a great debt of gratitude to Mr Bingley, my dear,” he said, rising to shake Charles’s hand, which he easily accepted.
“Calling on the neighbours was no great hardship, I assure you.”
“Perhaps we ought to advise Kitty of Mr Bingley’s success, Mary,” Miss Elizabeth said, reaching for her sister’s hand, and casting a meaningful glance to Jane.
“Yes, let’s go up,” Jane said, following her sisters. As she passed Charles, she whispered, “Library.”
Her meaning was perfectly clear. At long last, they would have a few minutes alone together.
Intent on speaking to the housekeeper, Mrs Bennet went off in a flurry of skirts, leaving Charles with Mr Bennet. While Charles plotted to make some excuse to leave the room, Darcy entered, and gave a quick nod.
“Well, that’s it then,” he said, sinking into a chair. “The last of Wickham’s mess is now sorted.”
“Was it quite costly?” Mr Bennet inquired.
Darcy shook his head. “Not as bad as I expected – only two hundred pounds. I feared it would be much worse.”
Mr Bennet scoffed. “Two hundred pounds is no trifling amount, considering he was only in the neighbourhood for a sennight.”
“He’s quite careless, but at least he’s far enough away that he can’t cause further trouble here,” Darcy said. “How did you fare on your errand, Charles?”
“Everyone received me with perfect civility,” he said, hoping to cut this conversation short. “And I drank an excess of tea. If you’ll excuse me a moment.”
When Mr Bennet turned his attention to Darcy, Charles slipped out of the room and headed straight for the library where he found his angel waiting patiently.
He closed the door against all interruptions and she flew into his arms. “Oh, Charles, I’m so proud of you.”
He hadn’t done anything extraordinary, but with her soft body pressed against his, he believed he would do anything to please her.
He would endure the stuffiest drawing rooms, listen to the dullest stories of years past, and consume barrels full of tea and mountains of cake.
If her sweet kisses were to be his reward, nothing she asked of him would be too great a burden.
***
Thursday 5 December
When Darcy reached the spinney, he felt like the greatest beast in nature for arranging this early morning rendezvous.
It had rained overnight, but there Elizabeth stood, bundled against the cold and clutching her skirts to keep them from getting soaked by the sodden ground.
Yet, with her rosy cheeks and welcoming smile, she’d never appeared lovelier.
He swept her off her feet and kissed her until they were both breathless.
“Now I understand the appeal of riding off into the sunset with a handsome rogue,” she said, caressing his unshaven face.
“I am a rogue for asking you to meet me here at this hour, and I’ll not do so again. We’ll find another way to steal a few moments together.”
“I must thank you for speaking to Sir William. I’ve lost all respect for him, but my mama is desperate to preserve the connection.”
“I believe he abhors any type of dispute and will make every attempt to mend the divide.”
After a few lingering kisses, he released her. “I dare not keep you outdoors any longer.”
With promises to arrive promptly for breakfast later that morning, he watched her walk away and disappear into the woods.
He might be a rogue, but unlike Wickham, he intended to lead this fair damsel to the altar, carry her way to his fortress, and protect her with his life.
After enduring hours of tedious morning calls at Longbourn, Darcy escorted the last neighbour to his conveyance. Although he despised this archaic custom of polite society, it had been absolutely essential to the restoration of the Bennets’ reputation in the community.
Mr Robinson leaned heavily on Darcy’s arm as he hobbled over the driveway. “I daresay you don’t need my advice, Mr Darcy, but you’ve found a precious jewel in Miss Lizzy, and you ought not to let anything prevent you from securing her hand.”
Darcy agreed wholeheartedly. “Indeed, Mr Robinson, and if it were up to me, the banns would have already been read.”
The elderly man quietly chuckled. “Thomas Bennet is a bit overcautious, but don’t worry, I put a flea in his ear.”
Darcy doubted that Mr Bennet had further reason to withhold his consent now that the neighbours had called, but this endorsement from a trusted acquaintance wouldn’t go amiss. “I’m in your debt, Mr Robinson, and hope we’ll soon have cause for celebration.”