Chapter 2.7 #2
Once alone with her husband, Elizabeth struggled against her embarrassment.
“I do not even know what to say; my mother is always a little too...”
Darcy laughed loudly.
“I am sorry for poor Bingley. It seems both Mrs Bennet and Becky favour me over him. I must ask: Did you ever imagine how I would look dressed in a potato sack?”
Elizabeth watched him in astonishment but had no time to reply as he captured her lips in a kiss that both longed for.
∞∞∞
Their reception at Netherfield was as cold as Elizabeth expected. Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst welcomed them properly and inquired about the weather in London and about Georgiana. Mr Hurst said nothing.
“Come, Darcy, we will take your luggage upstairs, and while Miss Bennet—forgive me, Mrs Darcy—prepares for dinner, we can have a drink. I have many things to tell you.”
“Mr Darcy will have his usual room,” Caroline said as the mistress of the house. “For Eliza we prepared the largest guest room. I trust it will be at least as comfortable as the rooms at Longbourn.”
Elizabeth smiled as charmingly as possible while Darcy replied sternly. “You are very attentive, but that will not be necessary. Elizabeth and I will be happy to share the room. We always do.”
Caroline Bingley froze in disbelief. Louisa stared with eyes and mouth wide open, and Mr Hurst held his glass, forgetting to drink.
Darcy offered his arm to his wife and took the well-known direction to his former room.
Inside, Elizabeth laughed loudly while looking around. “It is a very handsome room. Poor Caroline and Louisa were shocked by your statement.”
“I tried very hard to ignore Miss Bingley’s rudeness, but I will not allow her to ruin my mood. I have long dreamt of sharing this room with you, my love. You cannot imagine how many times I dreamt of you during my days and nights spent here.”
They sat on the bed, and he kissed her hands tenderly. “Do you think we can claim fatigue and retire for the night? Or do we have to bear the dinner?”
Elizabeth rewarded him with a quick kiss. “Mr Bingley seemed eager to speak to you. You cannot disappoint him. I think we should behave properly, at least for the first day.”
He returned the kiss more passionately. “You are right—we should behave properly at least for the first day.”
∞∞∞
Darcy and Bingley had a long conversation before dinner.
The younger gentleman was barely coherent as he mentioned Jane’s name every other sentence.
He was equally joyful and distressed by the prospect of the approaching wedding and wondered whether he could be as good a husband as a true angel like Jane deserved.
“Oh, and I look forward to living with Jane. I visit Longbourn daily, but there is so much activity. I hardly can spend more than a few minutes with her.”
“I perfectly understand that. How about your sisters? What is your plan?”
Bingley was puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“Bingley, you must offer your wife the best possible life. And that does not mean pin money and luxurious rooms but comfort, peace, and the trust that she can be the mistress of her home. I doubt your sisters will give up their role easily, and Jane Bennet is not the kind of person to fight for her advantage. She will have your sisters on one side and her own family on the other side—all much too close. She will try to be kind and generous and will accept anything to ensure the well-being of the entire family, but I fear she will not be completely happy. And believe me: you want to make your wife happy. This should be your main purpose—your only purpose.”
Bingley stared at him, astonished to hear the longest speech ever from his friend. Then he started pacing the room.
“You are right. Yes, you are always right. I must do something. You saw Caroline and Louisa—they are too much to bear even for me. Darcy, I am so relieved that you are here. Yes, I must think of something.”
“Calm down, Bingley. You will find a solution. For now, finish your glass and let us go eat. I am rather tired, and I need to retire soon.”
“Yes, of course. We will talk more tomorrow. Is your room acceptable? Do you want another one? I am not certain whether any other is larger but—”
“The room is fine, Bingley. I used it before, and I am rather fond of it.”
Dinner went reasonably well with Bingley and Elizabeth carrying most of the conversation. He asked about their life in town then said he and Jane might go to London after the wedding.
Caroline immediately added that she would like to return to town too, and the Hursts also approved of that decision.
After the last course was served, Darcy declared they were very tired and apologised for retiring early. No attempt to prolong the evening met with any success.
The Darcys returned upstairs while Miss Bingley and Mrs Hurst commented about how ill Eliza looked and how less pleasant Mr Darcy had become since his wedding.
∞∞∞
Despite the strong fire, the chamber was still cold as it had not been used for a long time. Darcy opened the curtains so they could admire the stars while embracing in the bed that had held his secret dreams, struggles, and fears.
Elizabeth nestled her head on his chest, finding warmth and comfort.
“This is so lovely…all this peace and silence, and the stars. I am so glad to be in Hertfordshire again,” she said.
“So am I because I am with you.”
“It was a difficult day, and I am afraid many others will follow before the wedding. My family is a little tiresome even when there are no special events. But I have missed them dearly. I can understand why you preferred to stay at Netherfield instead of Longbourn, though.”
“My darling wife, if you think I chose Netherfield over Longbourn because of your family, you could not be further from the truth. I would have been perfectly content to share any room with you, if only—”
“If only?” she inquired. He remained serious, and she insisted on his satisfying her curiosity.
“One of the reasons was, as I said, my attachment to this chamber and what it represented for me. And the second…”
“Yes?”
“Well, I have the deepest respect for Mr Bennet. I have grown very fond of him, and I could not possibly…you are his favourite daughter, and I would not dare…being in his house…”
He looked so uneasy that she started to laugh heartily until he silenced her with a deep, long kiss. She somehow managed to escape, and she laughed again.
“But, Mr Darcy, what will we do when my family stays with us at Pemberley for the entire summer? My father will be in the same house with us for four months. Do you plan to move to the Lambton Inn? Or purchase another property?”
He rolled her onto her back and covered her with his warm weight, trapping her hands with his and covering her face with small kisses.
“That would be different, madam. I will be in my own home. Pemberley is an extremely large house, and the guests’ wings are quite far away from our bedchamber.”
“I am relieved to hear that. I began to grow really worried,” she replied, but her last words could not be heard.
During his first stay at Netherfield, Darcy had carried on a most difficult struggle—one of his mind against his heart, his duty against his wishes, his reason against his felicity. He had known many sleepless nights, painful dreams, and distressing thoughts.
But he never found so little sleep and so little rest in that room as during the first night he shared it with his wife—nor had he ever fallen asleep so deeply and peacefully by the time the dawn almost broke.