Chapter 6
Chapter Six
The day of waiting progressed slowly for the three ladies despite their various pursuits.
It was nearly four when Lord Matlock returned from this club as the ladies gathered in the drawing room for tea.
Elizabeth was aware William and Colonel Fitzwilliam should be arriving at any time, and her anxiety was such that she could not eat much.
What she needed, she knew, was a long, solitary walk outside, but that was impossible to achieve in London.
An hour passed in easy conversation when the door opened, and, to their surprise, Colonel Fitzwilliam entered alone.
Elizabeth paled but noted the Colonel’s broad grin and attempted to calm her nerves.
“Pray, Richard, may I enquire about the outcome of your errand?” Lady Matlock asked.
“I had no errand; I just accompanied my cousin on a long ride. He stopped at his house to bathe and change for dinner and will be here shortly,” Richard said, a teasing glint in his eye.
“Miss Bennet, I sat with your mother and three younger sisters for an hour. We had a rather interesting chat about militia officers and, strangely enough, their pay and what they can afford.”
Elizabeth coloured slightly before she regained her composure and said bravely, “I hope it was a successful conversation, and my youngest sisters are now less enamoured of the militia.”
“Yes, I believe they are less inclined towards militia officers now. Certainly, they are less interested in one militia officer in particular, especially with the gossip now circulating throughout Meryton,” Richard said, raising one eyebrow meaningfully at Elizabeth.
She drew in a deep breath and nodded her thanks.
The bell rang to signal it was time to dress for dinner, and Elizabeth hurried to her room, where the maid assisted her with the dress she had pressed earlier.
It was the best dress she brought on this trip, although still not fine enough for dinner in the home of an earl.
With a sigh, she allowed the maid to fix her hair in a far more elaborate fashion than she usually wore.
She arrived first in the drawing room and hoped Darcy would arrive soon.
He walked in a few minutes later, clearly tired from the hours in the saddle but clean and dressed for dinner.
As soon as Darcy saw her, he smiled broadly as he strode to her and embraced her tightly before pressing a quick kiss to her lips.
“How did your interview with my father go?” she asked, wondering if his effusive greeting was due to his missing her or a difficult meeting.
“Better than I expected, actually,” was his answer.
“I have a note for you from your father, who was frankly shocked at my arrival. He is very angry with my aunt and his cousin but appreciative of the steps I took for your protection. He has granted his approval for our marriage. In fact, he seemed rather relieved by it.”
She squeezed him tightly. “I am so glad, William,” she told him, pulling back slightly to look up at his face. “What did he say about my staying with your aunt for a time?”
“He wrote you about that,” he said, frowning slightly. “He would not give me a direct answer but said he would answer in this letter. I am very hopeful you can stay for a while, as it will be more difficult to see you if you are not in London.”
“Speaking of your aunt, she is anxious to start planning our wedding,” Elizabeth told him. “I insisted we wait to make any decisions until you returned and could be a part of the discussion, especially concerning the when and where.”
“I would not care for a grand society wedding, so I would prefer to marry in Hertfordshire unless I can convince you to marry from Pemberley. I prefer a short engagement but will be content with a wedding date any time from tomorrow to three months hence,” he smiled as he said the last, although privately preferring something far sooner.
“I told your aunt I preferred to give my mother a shorter engagement period so she would have less time to make elaborate plans. She suggested we marry in six weeks; we could stay in London for three and return to Hertfordshire for the last three to finalise the arrangements there,” Elizabeth told him.
“She would like to hold a ball to celebrate our engagement before we leave London.”
Darcy nodded. “I will make enquiries for something I can lease in Hertfordshire for a month or so before the wedding. I do not relish staying in an inn for several weeks, and my aunt and uncle will certainly want to attend. Longbourn may not be large enough to house my relations and yours.”
“My uncle Phillips may know of some homes to lease in the area,” Elizabeth suggested. “Did my father say when he intended to inform my mother about our engagement?”
“I hope the answers to your questions are in his note to you,” he replied, releasing her before taking a note from his pocket and handing it to her.
He escorted her to a sofa and sat down beside her.
She opened the message, read it quickly once, and then read it again.
“Are you aware of what he wrote in this?” she asked after a moment.
“No. He consented to our marriage and said he would give you more information in his letter. Why?” he asked.
Her response was to hand the note to him.
Darcy took it, looking her in the eye to ensure she wanted him to read the note, and, with her permission, began to read. What it contained surprised him.
Her father’s note did not explain but gave permission for them to marry as quickly as they wished and told Elizabeth it was best she not return home unmarried.
“Do you think Mr Collins or Lady Catherine had something to do with this?” she asked.
“Could they have done anything that would make this necessary? Could they have spread the news so quickly to Meryton? But my mother was unaware of anything, according to Colonel Fitzwilliam.”
“I do not know, Elizabeth,” he said as he embraced her tightly again. A moment later, he was forced to release her as the rest of his family entered the room.
“Was your errand successful, William? Richard refused to say,” Lady Matlock said, giving her son an annoyed glance.
He smiled then and, at Elizabeth’s nod, handed the note to his aunt.
“He granted his permission for us to marry.” His smile faded as he continued, “Although he suggests we marry immediately and says Elizabeth should not return to Longbourn unmarried at this time.” He was inordinately pleased to be married sooner than he expected but wondered about the reasoning behind it.
The others in the room gasped. “Catherine?” the earl asked.
“The note is vague and does not offer any explanation,” Lady Matlock said. “Mr Bennet simply says it would be wisest to marry from London as soon as they like, and they should delay a visit to Longbourn for some other time. That is all.”
They looked at each other without speaking for several moments.
The earl broke the silence first. “It seems a special licence will be required, Darcy. You should send a note to your great-uncle and ask if he can help you obtain it more quickly than the usual se’nnight.
Apparently, you and Miss Bennet should marry soon, although I doubt that troubles you much.
” The earl grinned at Darcy as he said the last.
“Elizabeth, we can begin shopping tomorrow for your trousseau,” Lady Matlock said. “It will be my gift to you.”
“Mr Bennet gave me a bank draft for wedding clothes,” Darcy interjected.
“Might I have a moment alone with Elizabeth before we make too many plans? We had just read her father’s note when you arrived and have not had a moment to discuss what this means.
I prefer to give Elizabeth the time she requires before we take this step. ”
The countess nodded. “You have five minutes,” she told them. “And leave the door open.”
Darcy escorted Elizabeth into the nearest chamber.
“Pray, Elizabeth, are you at ease with this arrangement? While I understand what your father wrote, I do not want to hurry you into marriage before you are ready. We only formalised our engagement this morning, and it has been scarcely a week since I sought your permission to court you.”
“I do appreciate your concern, dear William, but I assure you I am wholeheartedly in agreement with our marrying soon,” Elizabeth replied, smiling.
“I had already determined I wanted to marry you, as you recall, and while it may happen sooner than I expected, I look forward to being your wife. Quite frankly, I dreaded the thought of Mama’s reaction to our engagement and what she might do–she has never understood me and would not understand my desire for a simple wedding.
This eliminates many battles with her, beginning with the timing of our wedding, and will be easier all around.
I hope the quick wedding will thwart Lady Catherine’s plans, and your aunt’s ball could announce our marriage instead of our engagement. ”
He sighed into her hair. “I do not want you to have any regrets, my love. I will not repine making you mine much sooner than I could have anticipated, but I do not want to push you into anything you do not want or are not ready for. I feel certain you never envisioned a rushed wedding with minimal time to prepare.”
Tenderly, she caressed his cheek. “I vastly prefer a modest wedding, William, and I believe you do as well.
The shorter timeline necessitated by our circumstances will ensure a simple wedding.
Jane and the Gardiners should be able to attend, so except for my father, all those dearest to me will be able to join us for our wedding.
I must confess that I ardently anticipate being married to you.
Nonetheless, I find myself wondering if there is a scandal brewing that necessitates haste.