Chapter 17 #2
“I married Mr. Darcy in a rush because my father declared me dead to him, and I no longer had a home. I could not be introduced in his society as ‘Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn in Hertfordshire’ if I was no longer ‘Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn in Hertfordshire’. I told my aunt and uncle, and my intended, that I preferred not to lie in that way and that it would simply be easier to marry sooner rather than wait as he had originally intended,” Elizabeth stated, her anger still simmering just below the surface.
“Not to mention, Miss Bingley was sent away from Pemberley for the very thing she accused me of—slipping into William’s chambers late at night in an attempt to compromise him, and this was done after we were engaged to be married.
Fortunately, William and his cousin Richard had been talking until late, and he was alerted by his staff of her attempt at compromise and sent away in disgrace.
She was only in residence at Pemberley for one night before being thrown out.
All of this was communicated to you in letters I sent through Charles, who is also aware of these events.
“I do not understand how you, of all people, could think these things of me,” Elizabeth concluded.
“I will not ask you to leave because it is a long journey, and William genuinely enjoys your husband’s company, but please do not attempt to corner me again.
You may speak to Charles, or even William, if you have questions, as both are aware of all the details, but I will speak of it no more.
” With that, she quickly exited the room and searched for her husband.
She found him in his study. Entering without knocking, she marched in, ensuring no one was with him before shutting and locking the door. Then, she dropped into his lap and kissed him soundly. “I require comfort, my love,” she told him after breaking the kiss.
“Jane?” he asked.
She nodded. “I do not want to speak of it right now. Suffice it to say, Miss Bingley is at fault once again. While Jane is incredibly foolish to believe any of her venom, it has found its mark. I only wish the shrew were here so I could once again banish her from my presence, although I might be tempted at this point to plant her a facer as well.”
William chuckled. “Let me comfort you, my love, and we will speak of it later.”
When they gathered for dinner that night, it was apparent Jane had spoken to Charles, for the group that went into dinner was unnaturally quiet.
While a few words were exchanged, all parties were tense and unspoken words hung between them.
Finally, Charles attempted to break the ice.
“It seems that, once again, I must apologise for my sister.”
“Your sister is a fool and a termagant, but that is news to no one here,” William said bluntly.
Charles sighed. “I do know that, Darcy; nonetheless, I apologise for the injury she has once again caused.”
Jane did not speak. Neither did Elizabeth.
Charles made another sally. “Darcy and I have discussed several properties we hope to look at more closely in the spring. With luck, one will suit.”
“Yes, both seem promising, but it is best to inspect them before making such a large purchase,” Darcy agreed.
The two men shared more details about the properties, and the women, particularly Elizabeth, asked several good questions about their histories and management.
When that conversation lagged, William tried again, speaking of their plans for Christmas.
Each time the conversation lagged, one of the gentlemen brought up another easy topic.
Typically, Elizabeth would join in, but Jane rarely participated, and when the meal was over, she immediately excused herself to retire to her room for the night.
Charles apologised to his hosts but followed his wife to their room.
William and Elizabeth likewise retired for the night. The rest of their guests would be arriving the following day, and they could only hope the presence of others would lighten the tension in the house.
The Matlocks were first, arriving in the early afternoon with Georgiana and Richard, followed by the Gardiners a few hours later. Elizabeth and William greeted them all eagerly, and after showing them their rooms, Elizabeth and her aunts met in her private sitting room.
“Aunt Maddie, Aunt Rebecca, I am so glad you are here,” Elizabeth said when they entered.
“Do you have news for us, Elizabeth?” Aunt Rebecca asked immediately.
She smiled at her aunt. “We believe I am with child, although we do not intend to share this just yet, at least not until I have felt the quickening. We expect him or her to arrive sometime in June. Fortunately, we were not blessed with a honeymoon baby, which should put paid to the speculation.”
“No rumours are circulating in London about anything of the sort. Anything Miss Bingley may have attempted to spread was written off as the nonsense of jealous shrew,” her aunt by marriage assured her.
“Not in London, but plenty are still running through Longbourn,” Elizabeth replied bitterly.
“Jane told me after she arrived that Miss Bingley had written her a letter after she had been sent away from Pemberley for attempting to compromise William. In it, she accused me of coordinating our meeting at Pemberley to coincide with William’s arrival and of successfully doing what she attempted.
Our hurried wedding was mentioned, and ultimately, Jane chose to believe Miss Bingley’s account of events rather than mine.
She did not believe any of the letters I had written in explanation because she refused to understand that Mr. Bennet destroyed any letters I sent by the post after our engagement.
I do not know what she made of the explanations I sent after we established contact through Charles, but apparently, my words were not enough to convince her.
“I truly think she believes all that Miss Bingley and Mrs. Bennet have said about me, and she cannot understand why I no longer want anything to do with Longbourn and will not call Mr. and Mrs. Bennet by Mama and Papa any longer,” she finished.
“I will speak to her,” Mrs. Gardiner said.
Elizabeth shook her head. “We have argued twice since she arrived, both times about this. While she is determined to see the best in Miss Bingley and Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, she is equally determined to believe the worst of me. For so long, she was my best friend—I cannot understand what has happened to her and why she will not trust my word in this.”
The conversation deliberately shifted to Elizabeth’s pregnancy and the signs and symptoms she had already experienced.
Both ladies shared some of their experiences in pregnancy, with Aunt Gardiner’s being far more recent than Aunt Rebecca’s.
However, they both gave her things to look forward to and to dread as her pregnancy progressed, but their information did reassure her somewhat.
When the families gathered before dinner, it was a much more pleasant and lively company than what it had been the previous few days when it was just Charles and Jane as visitors.
Richard frequently entertained the entire company with his tales, and between William, Lord Matlock, and Mr. Gardiner, they discussed weightier topics such as trade, politics, and the general state of affairs in England.
After dinner, Elizabeth and Georgiana entertained everyone with several songs on the piano, and they all discussed the plans Elizabeth had made for Christmas together before all retired to bed.
The following day, the ladies would help put the finishing touches on the baskets for the tenants and staff, while the men would head into Pemberley Woods to gather the greenery to decorate the house ahead of the Christmas party.
Both tasks were quickly completed the following morning with everyone’s assistance, and the ladies used the greenery the men had gathered to decorate the ballroom and to create several kissing boughs that were scattered in doorways throughout the house.
Greenery was placed throughout the house, and the smell permeated every room.
There was lots of laughter and teasing amongst those gathered as they worked, and at teatime, refreshments were brought into the ballroom where they were working in happy camaraderie.
Once again that night, dinner was pleasant and joyful, and even Jane appeared more animated in company after the day they had spent.
Elizabeth avoided her as often as possible, and the two only spoke when necessary and were undoubtedly never alone together.
Mrs. Gardiner had spent a few minutes talking with Jane but had not gotten any further with her than Elizabeth had in conversation, and both were at a loss for the reason behind Jane’s change.
The following day, the Darcys invited their servants and staff into the ballroom of the great house to celebrate Christmas, with all their guests pitching in to assist with games and handing out gifts.
The day ended with an informal dance, which delighted Darcy since he had the opportunity to dance several times with his wife.
He found he enjoyed dancing and balls much more now that he had a wife on his arm whom he could dance with instead of the simpering debutantes who had attempted to capture him before and whom he had always attempted to avoid.
On Christmas Eve, the entire party enjoyed a sleigh ride and games and gifts before ending the day together at the Christmas Eve service in Kympton’s chapel.
A late supper was served after, and it was late when everyone found their beds that night.
The following day, everyone gathered again to break their fasts following the Christmas Day service.
The day was spent in various amusements, with the party separating from time to time to pursue different activities.
The entire company gathered for dinner and then met again in the ballroom for games such as spillikins and snapdragon, laughing all the while.
The Darcys left their guests on their own on Boxing Day, as they spent it visiting tenants once again, as was traditional for the day.
Most of their guests spent the day resting or in quiet pursuits, given how busy the last few days had been.
When Elizabeth and William joined them for tea, they again played games, snacked on a cold collation of meats and cheeses prepared by the servants the previous day, and visited with the assembled party, laughing, talking and continuing the camaraderie of the last days.
Between Christmas and New Year’s Day, the group continued similarly.
After breakfast, the men and women would separate until near teatime, although William and Elizabeth continued to take an hour or two each morning to tend to estate business as necessary.
The men spent several mornings out riding and at sport, while the ladies generally met together to sew or talk, although they also received a few visitors from around the neighbourhood.
Each day, sometime between luncheon and tea, Elizabeth would spend some time in her room to rest, and unless he were needed on the estate, William would join her for her nap during this time.
The group would gather once again for dinner and then entertainments in the evening.
Those entertainments included listening to music, which once or twice led to dancing, cards, or other parlour games.
It was an exceptionally relaxed and pleasant time for all.
However, the one false note in the gathering was the continuing distance between Jane and Elizabeth.
They did speak, but it was not the same as it had been since there was an obvious barrier between the two that prevented them from being as open with each other as they had been before Elizabeth left for Derbyshire.
Pregnancy had made Elizabeth more emotional, and for that reason, William discouraged his wife from pushing the issue any further with her sister.
She agreed, not just because of the stress that it would inevitably cause, but because she thought that it was up to Jane to make the next overture.
Elizabeth had said what she needed to, and until Jane was ready to ask for forgiveness, there was nothing else she could do about it.