Chapter 12
Longbourn
An Hour Later
Jane and Charles were as fine as any king and queen, holding court at the small table in the very middle of the drawing room, hastily redecorated to accommodate the wedding party and their many guests. Two of Mrs. Bennet's finest china plates were set on the table holding ham, bacon, eggs, and toast with marmalade, and an orange apiece. The bride and groom snatched bites in between greeting their numerous well-wishers. Not only was the entire party from the chapel present, but many other acquaintances, including the officers of the militia, had been invited by Mrs. Bennet. Thus, not only the drawing room, but the dining room and sitting room, and the halls between each, bustled with evening best as well as red coats and day dresses.
Elizabeth presided over the drinks arrayed across the table in the dining room. Mrs. Bennet herself kept a careful eye on the dining table and its generous spread of food, but to Elizabeth fell the purview of tea and coffee and hot chocolate. The usual Longbourn maids flitted in and out, along with Jenny, on loan for the day from the Bennets’ Home Farm.
Elizabeth, smiling as she poured old Mrs. Long a fresh cup of coffee, did not mind the throng. She had seen the incomparable joy on the faces of Charles and Jane Bingley, the adoring glances they gave each other, the way they held hands every second they could. Mrs. Bennet was equally joyful, as there was no longer any fear of being thrown into the hedgerows after Mr. Bennet’s death. Even should none of the other girls marry well – which they were far more likely to do, now, with Charles and Jane to sponsor them – their new brother-in-law would not let them starve. Charles was a kindly and generous man and would not leave his new relations to penury.
“My dear Lizzy,” Mrs. Bennet said, bustling up, “do fill a plate for yourself and go find Mr. Darcy! Now that Jane is well married, we must think of you, my dear. You look very well at the moment, after all, and after the wedding today, Mr. Darcy must be thinking of wedding bells. Go along, my dear, go along!”
Elizabeth could not help but smile at this encouragement. She was not hopeful of finding any private time with the gentleman she now wished to marry, but she would enjoy a few quiet minutes with the Darcys, and perhaps Miss de Bourgh, as well.
Thus, she obediently filled her plate with a variety of tasty dishes, grabbed an orange from the pyramid of fruit in the center of the table, and made her careful way down the hall and toward the library, where she guessed that the Netherfield party, except for Bingley himself, had hidden itself away from the maelstrom of noisy and excitable humanity.
She was pleased to discover that she was correct, as the Darcys, Miss de Bourgh, Mrs. Jenkinson, Mrs. Annesley, and Mrs. Scofield were all seated around a table, cheerfully eating and drinking.
Elizabeth was welcomed with a cry of delight from Miss Darcy, which made her smile. In addition to acquiring Mr. Darcy as a husband, she would be gaining a truly delightful sister in Georgiana Darcy, who was as kind as she was shy.
She turned to look at Darcy, who had risen to his feet at her entrance, and felt her breath catch at the adoration in those dark eyes. Truly, she needed to speak to him privately as soon as possible, to bring happiness to both him and herself.
She had, by now, sat down, and Darcy followed, and the ensuing meal and conversation were most enjoyable. Darcy had never spent more than a few minutes in Longbourn’s library before and waxed eloquently about Mr. Bennet’s remarkable collection of volumes, ranging from philosophy to Shakespeare to Gothic novels.
Elizabeth, in the midst of a lively discussion with her suitor, did not even notice when her companions departed the room. It was only when she took her last bite of orange and looked around that she discovered herself alone with Mr. Darcy, though the door was open a few inches.
She blushed in astonishment and then grinned as Darcy, too, looked about with obvious surprise.
“It seems that we have been abandoned,” she remarked, though her heart was hammering within her.
Darcy looked uneasy and said, “I do apologize, Miss Bennet. My sister and cousin are very eager to throw us together, but I did not imagine they would creep away and leave us alone.”
Elizabeth took a deep breath, set down her fork, and said, “I am glad that they did.”
Darcy stiffened. “Are you?”
“I am,” Elizabeth said. “Because I have realized that I am in love with you, and if you still wish to make me an offer, I would be honored to accept it.”
He stared at her in amazement and rose to his feet. “Elizabeth. Elizabeth…”
She unconsciously rose as well, and gentleman and lady walked over to the window, and he took her hands in his, and said, “Miss Elizabeth Bennet, will you do me the very great honor of becoming my wife?”
“I will,” she replied, so breathless that it was hard to speak.
“I will,” she said a moment later, more loudly.
He was so very tall, and she tilted her head up, and he was bending down.
The kiss was powerful and yet delicate, and she felt her pulse in her throat, and she closed her eyes…
“Lizzy?” a familiar voice exclaimed from the door.
The newly engaged pair sprung apart, and Elizabeth turned a bright red face toward the door. Mrs. Bennet rushed forward to embrace her second daughter, her blue eyes bright with joy. “Oh, my sweetest Lizzy! How rich and how great you will be! What pin-money, what jewels, what carriages you will have! Jane’s is nothing to it – nothing at all. I am so pleased, so happy. Such a charming man! So handsome! So tall! Oh, my dear Lizzy!”
Elizabeth turned mortified eyes on her beloved and was relieved to see him smiling at her without any hint of exasperation. Once his prospective mother-in-law had finally fallen silent, Darcy said, “Mrs. Bennet, I am overjoyed and delighted to have won Elizabeth’s acceptance of my hand, but I must speak to Mr. Bennet and ask for his blessing. Shall I try to find him, or…?”
“Oh, I will summon him immediately!” the lady of the house exclaimed, rushing for the door as quickly as she had rushed in. “Oh, Lizzy! I am so happy! So rich, so fine…”
***
Breakfast Table
Longbourn
The Next Day
“My dear Lizzy,” Mrs. Bennet said happily, “now that Jane is well married, I can devote myself to your upcoming wedding and breakfast. It must be a magnificent affair, befitting of a gentleman with an income of ten thousand pounds a year. I confess to being a little fatigued after the preparations for Jane’s wedding, so you should plan to marry in the September or October, perhaps, which will give us enough time to prepare for the most incredible breakfast Hertfordshire has ever seen!”
Elizabeth waited until she was certain her mother was finished speaking and then said, “Fitzwilliam and I do not wish to wait that long, Mamma.”
Mrs. Bennet waved her left hand in excitement even as she picked up her coffee with her right hand and took a long swallow.
“Lizzy, dear one, I am well aware that gentlemen do not care about such things as much as you and I do, but the Darcys are truly great, and your fiancé – Oh, fiancé. How well it sounds! – your fiancé would not wish to be shamed by a small, pathetic wedding breakfast.”
Elizabeth gazed at her mother and was, to her own surprise, shaken. It was true enough that her beloved Fitzwilliam was master of one of the largest estates in the land. Would he be perturbed by a quick wedding and small breakfast? She herself did not long for an elaborate affair, but she loved Darcy and wanted him to be happy.
***
The Shrubbery
Longbourn
Later
“Of course I do not care about the wedding breakfast,” Darcy said, gazing down on his beloved Elizabeth. “Furthermore, if I am forced to wait until September, I may give in to my passion and carry you off to Gretna Green for a marriage over the anvil.”
Elizabeth chuckled. “I promise that will not be necessary. I have no desire for pomp and circumstance – I wish only to wed you as soon as possible.”
Darcy heaved a sigh of relief. “I am very glad. I have an idea, though you must tell me if you are amenable to it, and if not, please say so. As you know, I need to see my man of business in London to arrange for the marriage settlements. I had originally planned to come back to Netherfield, but if there were any way for you to visit your aunt and uncle in Cheapside, perhaps we could wed in my parish and not yours?”
Elizabeth frowned thoughtfully and turned to gaze at one of her mother’s favorite rose bushes, which was full of large, ruby red blooms.
“Please, Elizabeth,” Darcy said a minute later. “If you wish to marry here, tell me.”
“No, I would like to wed in London,” she said deliberately. “It would mean that Mamma will not harass me about a wedding breakfast, and in any case, I do not wish for Jane and Charles to be caught up in my mother’s frenetic concerns over our wedding. That would not be fair to them.”
Darcy grinned and said, “That is true enough. Bingley has always been the perfect host, but he was surprisingly direct two days ago when he informed me that he would not be entertaining me and my family after the wedding. He wishes to spend time alone with Mrs. Bingley. Now his cousin Mrs. Scofield is entirely capable of acting as hostess to my relations and me, but it would be easier on the Bingleys if we all returned to London so that they can enjoy their honeymoon in peace.”
“I think that is a marvelous idea,” Elizabeth declared. “Absolutely marvelous.”