Chapter 31 #4
The men joined the others in the drawing room.
Lizzy quirked her brow in question and William gave her a look to reassure her all was well.
The first news shared was that the renovation of Longbourn would be completed ahead of schedule, explaining why the Park’s housekeeper and butler were back at the estate.
The Hills were supervising a deep cleaning, and two days hence the family could move back into their much-enlarged home.
The Duchess shared that the Duchess of Kent, the Queen’s primary lady in waiting, had responded that the Queen had granted her permission for the double wedding and both couples would be honoured at the ball to be held at St James.
With the wedding venue settled, the Rhys-Davies and Gardiners both volunteered to host the wedding breakfast but Fanny demurred, saying that it would be held at Bennet House.
The following Monday was set as the day that they would all move to Town to start the extensive wedding planning that would have to be coordinated with the Duchess of Kent representing Queen Charlotte.
Given the scope of the undertaking, Rose Rhys-Davies suggested to Fanny that she invite Elaine Fitzwilliam and Sarah De Melville to join them in town to add their vast skills to the endeavour.
Agreeing that the suggestion was a sound one, the mistress of the house hied to her study to pen the missives to her two friends.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Charlotte Collins had elected to stay in Derbyshire when her friend and the rest headed south.
Suspecting her motivation for staying, Lizzy had asked Miss Anita Jones, Kitty’s companion, to remain with Charlotte as her chaperone.
The plan now was that Charlotte would arrive in Surrey two days before the wedding as she had promised Anne that she would attend.
She would witness the ceremony in the church but her full mourning would dictate that she not attend the celebration after.
She would be accompanied by Miss Jones and the maid that was assigned to her at Dovedale to doubly ensure that propriety was maintained.
While the rules were less stringent for a widow, she was Lizzy’s friend and Darcy would make sure she had every protection and courtesy, and had arranged for all the stops and worked with his Elizabeth to set up Charlotte’s preferred repasts along the way.
It was obvious to all at Pemberley that the feelings that both she and Mr Elliot felt for one another had grown steadily.
It did not hurt that Charlotte already loved his daughter Gracie, who loved her in return and one would often see them walking the grounds or playing together while Mr Elliot attended his parishioners.
Who could not love such a sweet child who had lost her mother before she reached the age of three?
Grace Elliot was sad that her best friend, May Gardiner, had departed but had been promised that she would see her soon when the family returned to their estate.
Charlotte often visited the parsonage, which she had discovered was larger and more comfortable than both of her former homes.
She sat on a settee in the sitting room she had once shared with Eliza and remembered with supreme pleasure the conversation that she had with Mr Elliot after the rest of her party had left.
“How are you today Mrs Collins?” Elliot asked as he came upon her while she had been on a stroll being trailed my Miss Jones and a footman. Charlotte was honest enough with herself to admit that she had been hoping to see him.
“I am very well, thank you sir. There is a request that I want to make.” She had looked down shyly, wondering now if she was brave enough to be so forward.
“Anything madam.” Elliot held his breath.
“Can we dispense with the appellation ‘Mrs Collins?’ That name only conjures up memories that I would sooner forget,” she asked boldly, her eyes on his as she determined that she need not be angry or disappointed with herself just because of a choice she had made to help her family.
“I would never desire to cause you pain. What name would you have me use?” He knew exactly what name he wished to exchange the hated surname of Collins with.
“When we are in private, could I just be Charlotte? It is forward, I know, and my hope is that I have not offended you, Sir, and I assure you I have never given such leave to any man not related to me, not even him, but I find I would like to be Charlotte to you.” She waited, appreciating that with age and experience, wisdom and lack of fear of the same consequences most younger adults suffer, seem less important when one has already lived one lifetime and is praying for a second one that would bring such happiness as never imagined for herself.
“I do not find you forward…Charlotte. I will honour your request if you too will call me Patrick in private.” He watched her expression and was relieved the idea made her as happy as it excited him.
Hearing her say his name in conversation was pleasing to him, as she had been Charlotte to him for a while now.
She had nodded her acquiescence and then after a minute he had asked her his own most forward question.
“Charlotte, do you intend to mourn the man that brought you aught but bad memories for a full year?”
“Is it not what society dictates? I wish it were not so,” she had admitted. Her truth, however, which some would call weak or harmful, in her case was justified on many levels.
“You are not known here except by your friends. Would they begrudge you your happiness if you found it?” he asked hopefully.
“They would not. To what do these questions tend, Mr….” she cleared her throat and smiled at his arched brow, “Patrick?” She offered softly. Her blush was warm and his relief at hearing her say it as telling as her reaction to his saying her familiar name.
“When Adelaide was called home by God after her battle with the illness, I mourned for two full years and never imagined that there was room in my heart to love another. It seemed like a betrayal to Adi to love again, but I have come to realise that she would want me to find happiness with another. Our love was such that we would want the other to be happy regardless if it was with another after one of us passed. I had decided to seek another bride for the sake of our daughter but was sure that my heart would never again be engaged. Gracie needs a mother and I need companionship, so I believed that I would make a match of convenience.” He frowned as he considered how wrong that was.
“Just like I did in my first marriage. Take it from my hard-learned lesson, Patrick, it is no way to live the rest of one’s life,” she admitted, the sadness overwhelming her because she believed he was about to tell her that he had found a woman to fill the role he had been describing.
“I completely agree with you, Charlotte. You see, the problem I have with that plan is that I have fallen in love again, something of which I never believed I was capable. I was mistaken, thinking that my heart had no more room for love of a woman after Adi. But God, in His infinite wisdom, gave the heart an unlimited capacity to love. Adi will always have a place within mine, but now I know that there is more than enough room for the lady that I have fallen in love with and pray she might one day return my feelings. Do you return my feelings Charlotte?” He held his breath and even in her surprise she could not miss the truth of his words, his eyes locked onto hers as he stared at her with a Darcy like intensity.
“I admit that romance was the last thing on my mind when I accompanied Eliza. I never thought myself a romantic, which made me reconcile my acceptance of the offer from my late husband.” She saw the worry that she did not return his feelings and reached out to touch his arm to soothe him; herself soothed when he covered her hand with his own.
“Fortunately, that has changed, Patrick, as I, like you, who never expected that her heart would be touched by a man, find myself in love. I never thought to experience such joy, but I have fallen in love with you, Patrick, and am grateful to know that I have not done so alone.” She smiled at his hopeful expression.
“Yes, I love you too,” she promised, gasping when he dropped to his knee.
“Charlotte Lucas Collins, I love you. I will endeavour to make you happy for the rest of your life, for the rest of our lives. Will you accept my hand in marriage?” He had progressively squeezed her hand tighter as if she might run and he needed to keep her, but she was quite disinclined to try.
“Yes, Patrick, yes, yes, yes! I will most definitely marry you. When do you want to marry and what about the mourning? How can we best put my past behind us? If it were possible, I would demand to marry you today before someone else tries to throw me over his shoulder. I would have to take Grace with me and you would have to come steal us both back. Do tell me, how we can avoid all of that?” Charlotte was happy that he had not sprouted flowery nonsense like her first proposal, but could not help teasing him.
Her Patrick, like Richard and Lizzy, caused all those around him to gravitate closer to him in the hope to catch but a small bit of his happiness and joie de vivre for themselves.
His laugh could likely be heard in Lambton and he looked at her with such pleasure she could not help but laugh with him.