Chapter 11 #2
“They did not. Why do you not tell me, and then I will speak with each of them.”
And so it went. Darcy related the whole, starting with the duke’s reputation, emphasising what he himself had witnessed in the past and the stories he had heard, then explaining all that he knew and conjectured of his and Elizabeth’s recent interactions with the man.
Mr Bennet looked ashen during portions of the story, but by the end his face was flushed with anger.
When Darcy left, he sent Elizabeth in. And when she returned, Gardiner met with Mr Bennet.
During this meeting, Darcy and Elizabeth took a walk.
Mrs Gardiner went outside with them and sat on a bench while they circled the garden multiple times.
Darcy promised Elizabeth that, no matter what, his love for her would be steady, and he would work tirelessly to ensure her wellbeing and their marriage.
She interspersed her own promises: “I assure you, Fitzwilliam, that my father is reasonable. He will give his permission and blessing…. My birthday is less than two and a half months away; if we are not allowed to wed by then, I promise I will marry you the day I turn one and twenty…. I would not allow the disapprobation of the duke—not even of the Prince—stand in our way…. If the worst happens, and you are arrested, I will work with your cousin and uncle and make certain you are released.”
Arrested! Darcy had skated around the word, not wishing to worry Elizabeth, but she knew as well as he that peers sometimes wrongfully wielded the law against people they considered enemies.
Eventually Darcy met again with Mr Bennet; he showed him the rough draft of the marriage articles he had crafted and sent to his attorney and assured him that he could have the finished documents within a day.
Mr Bennet said, “I give you and Elizabeth my permission to marry, but I insist that we hold off on announcing the formal engagement until we see what the duke plans to do and, perhaps, how your defences and remedies fare.”
Darcy agreed, and they briefly discussed Elizabeth’s earlier stated preferences for the Meryton church for the wedding.
Mr Bennet agreed with Darcy’s decision to purchase a common license rather than the usual reading of the banns, given the situation, and he promised to make arrangements with the vicar when he got the all-clear message from Darcy.
Just as their meeting had drawn to a close, Elizabeth and Gardiner came back into the room. Gardiner held a letter, just delivered by an express rider; the duke was threatening Gardiner’s business if he continued to associate with Darcy. Again, the duke invoked the Prince in his threats.
Darcy turned towards Elizabeth. “I am uncertain how much I might accomplish by letter; I should go to London to fight this battle, and I imagine that your uncle will say the same. I wish never to be parted from you, however. I wonder if you and your parents and sisters—or any two or three family members—would wish to come to London, as well, to make arrangements for your trousseau?”
Mr Bennet reminded all that he wished Darcy’s and Elizabeth’s relationship remain a secret, even from his wife, but Darcy assured him that it would seem very natural for Elizabeth to go to London to help her engaged sister shop, and that the modiste would be able to take measurements and note Elizabeth’s choices discreetly.
Darcy’s brilliant idea was adopted. Georgiana and he stayed the night at Netherfield, and Darcy and Bingley took advantage of their one night together to catch up, speaking well into the early morning.
Darcy was grateful that, not only did his cheery friend forgive him for his interference in his relationship with Miss Bennet, he even took responsibility for his decision to remain away, saying, “I should never have relied on your opinion of Jane’s feelings.
I should of course have returned as I had promised and asked her directly! ”
Bingley asked Darcy to explain everything about his romance.
“You and Miss Elizabeth! I have to admit that I thought you well matched, but I never realised that either of you agreed with me!” Darcy related many truths, although he glossed over the specifics of his horrible proposal and Elizabeth’s scathing refusal, and of course he never even hinted at the embraces, kisses, and honest discussions about intimacy that he and Elizabeth had shared.
The next morning, at first light, Darcy’s carriages met with Gardiner’s in Meryton, and they travelled together—again flanked by the guards—to London.
Elizabeth, her mother, and her sister Jane all rode with Georgiana and Mrs Annesley in one of Darcy’s carriages, and he rode Orion, who had arrived at Longbourn the evening before.
Darcy had invited the three Bennets to stay at Darcy House.
He spent a joyful hour showing his beloved the principle rooms and especially the mistress’s rooms; she was as appreciative of the elegant wall and floor coverings, the beautiful art, and the comfortable furnishings as he had known she would be.
Just as he ended the tour, and just before his meeting with the senior servants of Darcy House, Darcy received a message from Lodge and a copy of the second issue of The Peak Report.
Both were remarkable. He sent messages to Gardiner and to his own uncle, the Earl of Matlock, and later that afternoon he sat down with Elizabeth, Uncle Henry, and Gardiner to discuss the note and the newspaper.