Chapter 6 #2
The two men read the letters while Elizabeth watched their faces. Both grew angry as they read, but she detected that William’s face held a touch of sadness as well.
When they looked up, William looked at Elizabeth, his eyes sorrowful.
“I am sorry, Elizabeth,” he said, looking at the face of the woman he loved so dearly.
“Is it so horrible?” she asked.
Her uncle answered. “I would not like you to read all of what he says, but suffice it to say, he is unhappy about your engagement to ‘the villainous rake’. He is angry at me for permitting it and for even bringing you here in the first place. He is quite harsh in his criticism of Darcy, although I cannot imagine what would have brought such a reaction. You have told us, sir, that you appeared taciturn and haughty in Hertfordshire but nothing of what he is accusing you. I would have expected a certain measure of reluctance on his part, given that he had always favoured you, Lizzy, but for him to spew such hateful words is shocking.”
“Do I have any chance of changing his mind, do you think?” she asked.
“He states if you come home still engaged to Darcy, you will not be permitted to enter Longbourn,” Gardiner told her.
“He has read your letters and remains unconvinced that you could hold such a man in any affection.
He believes Darcy is deceiving you and will not marry you.
Although he says he cannot prevent the match, if you do go forward with it, he will no longer claim you as his daughter.
And he will not let any of his daughters write to you or accept your letters to them.
They will not be permitted to contact my family either, regardless of the outcome.
“We are permitted only to claim our children when we arrive and will be expected to leave immediately. As I said, you will only be allowed to enter if you have renounced any notion of marrying Darcy.”
She sat in shocked amazement. “Are you serious, Uncle? He would disown me over my engagement to Mr. Darcy. I can scarcely believe it. How can he allow my youngest sisters to behave as they do and condemn me for accepting the proposal of an honourable man?”
“I admit, I am astonished as well. I would have never dreamed he would react this way. Reluctance would make sense; this reaction does not,” Gardiner replied.
“Dearest, I am sorry it has come to this. I do not like that you have been put in the position of choosing your family or me. I will, of course, abide by your decision, and regardless of what you choose, do anything I can to assist you,” William said softly.
“There is no choice, William,” she said emphatically, walking toward him to take his hand and clasp it with hers. “My future is with you. I do not understand Papa’s reaction whatsoever, but if he wants to make me choose between him and you, I choose love. I choose you.”
He stood and pulled her to him in a fierce embrace. They remained that way for several moments before her uncle finally cleared his throat, and the couple separated. Holding her hand firmly in his, Darcy led Elizabeth to the settee once again, helping her to sit, and then he sat down beside her.
“So, that decision made, what do we do next? We are to leave Monday, and Darcy, you plan to accompany us, do you not?” Gardiner asked.
“Yes, sir, I do,” he said.
“I propose a slight alteration to our plans,” Gardiner began.
“You and Georgiana should go directly to London rather than stopping in Hertfordshire.
Elizabeth may accompany you if she wants to avoid Longbourn entirely.
I will try to slip Jane a letter explaining as much as I can, or you can write to your friend, Darcy.
Hopefully, he will marry Jane soon enough, and then you will be able to see her once again, Lizzy.
“Once in London, Darcy can apply for a common licence, and you can be married there. We may still want to consult with your aunt and uncle to see what they think may be best. We want to avoid anyone believing you are marrying due to a compromise, and Lizzy, you are unknown in society.”
“If I am not permitted at Longbourn, I would rather go straight to London. But uncle, where would I stay if you do not accompany me there?” Elizabeth asked.
“I imagine one night at Darcy House with Georgiana and her companion in residence should not matter too much. Do you agree, Darcy?” Gardiner proposed.
“I do not see a problem with it, so long as Elizabeth agrees. We can also check with Mrs. Annesley to see if she has any objections to the idea,” Darcy answered.
Elizabeth smiled at William and nodded her agreement with the scheme.
“I will go to write my father a letter. And one for Jane that you can perhaps include in a letter to Bingley,” she remarked.
“And I need to speak to your aunt and write my own letter to Thomas. Darcy, my letter will express my anger over what he wrote; if you think you must also write one, keep it conciliatory and respectful. Do not include any of our plans. Keep your anger in check—save it for after you are wed and if this continues. Hopefully, it will not be needed then,” Gardiner commanded.
Gardiner left, leaving Elizabeth in the study with the door wide open. “Are you certain, Elizabeth? I do not want you to resent me later because you were put in this position of choosing,” William asked hesitantly, needing to ensure Elizabeth was confident about her decision.
“You have not put me in the position to make this choice; my father has. And marriage is already about choosing to move loyalty from one family to a new one. I am just doing that a bit sooner than we had anticipated. No, William, I choose you unreservedly. You are my future, and I choose to move forward with you at my side. If it were possible, I would leave Derbyshire on Monday as your wife, but alas, that cannot be. I may regret that I had to make a choice, but I will not regret choosing to keep you in my life,” Elizabeth said, her voice laced with love and certainty.
He kissed the hand he held. “The wedding will come soon enough. You make me inordinately happy, my love.”
Reluctantly, they began to part. Hesitantly, he suggested, “Elizabeth, there is a writing desk by the window. I could move it nearer, and you could remain in my study to write your letters if you would like.”
She beamed at him. “I would like that very much, William.”
“Perhaps, when we are married, we could add a desk here for you to use. There is a mistress’s study as well, but I would enjoy having you in here with me whenever possible,” Darcy suggested.
“That is a lovely idea,” she gushed.
He grinned and moved the small table in front of his desk where he could watch her.
He gave her writing supplies, and they both sat to write letters.
His took longer than usual, both because he often watched Elizabeth but also because he had to carefully craft at least one of the letters so his anger would not be too evident in it.
Finally, though, he completed the letter to her father and brought it to Elizabeth to read.
Mr. Bennet,
I write to assure you of my honourable intentions toward your daughter.
I love her, in fact, I have loved her for many months.
Please do not doubt the constancy of my affection for her.
Her strength, her intelligence, and her character all drew me to her, and that has turned into a deep and abiding love that I am certain will last for a lifetime.
Not only do I love her deeply, but I also respect her and admire her greatly.
As I have come to know her better, I have recognized in her the ability to be my partner in all things.
She will be brilliant as my wife—and especially in her role as the mistress of Pemberley.
I have every faith in her abilities to do everything that is needed and more.
If you make her choose between her family at Longbourn and me, it will break her heart.
If she is forced to forsake her family by choosing me, it would be one kind of heartbreak.
Since she loves me as much as I love her, choosing her family would result in breaking her heart in another way.
Neither option is ideal, sir, and both would have long-reaching impacts.
I beg you to reconsider your ultimatum. I would be happy to pay a visit to Longbourn if it would help and offer you any reassurances you require.
Please write to me at Darcy House in London if you have any reply as we are bound for London before this letter can reach you.
Yours, etc.,
Fitzwilliam Darcy
She looked at him and smiled. “You do have a way with the written word, William. Here, read what I have written.”
Father,
I do not understand why you are forcing me to choose between my love for Mr. Darcy and my family.
If you will issue ultimatums, know that I will choose to marry the man I love.
As I have learned to understand the man better, I have found that he truly is the best man I have ever known.
What your specific objection is, I do not know or understand, and your ultimatum prevents me from discussing this matter with you as I would have hoped.
If you are willing to discuss this matter, I would be pleased to do so.
However, my choice is made and my loyalty from this point on is toward my future husband.
Since you have not seen fit to contact me regarding your decision, and since you have declared in my uncle’s letter that I am no longer your daughter if I pursue this course, I no longer owe you any loyalty.
Apparently, I only had value so long as I was doing what you wished.
Farewell,
Elizabeth