Chapter 23 #2
For a moment neither moved, and the only sounds were the crackling fire and the distant tick of the longcase clock. Then Darcy raised her hand to his lips, and when he looked up, she was smiling at him with such warmth that he felt something loosen in his chest that had been bound tight for months.
“There is something I must show you,” he said, releasing her hand with reluctance. “Something I had intended to keep secret until the matter was fully resolved, but I believe you ought to know of it now.”
He crossed to the desk and retrieved a sheaf of papers from beneath the legal documents. When he returned to Elizabeth's side and placed them in her hands, he watched her face as she examined them.
“What is this?”
“I met with Mr Collins in Kent three days since. After considerable negotiation and the application of certain persuasive arguments regarding his future prospects, he agreed to relinquish all future claims to Longbourn in exchange for a substantial settlement — a sum sufficient to purchase a comfortable living elsewhere and secure his prospects independent of the entail. The arrangement required my solicitors and Collins’s to work together, and it is not concluded yet; there are papers still to be drawn up and signed before a magistrate.
But Collins has given his word, and I have his written undertaking.
The entail cannot simply be extinguished in a morning — the law does not permit it — but with Collins’s cooperation, the property may ultimately be conveyed to a trust that protects your family. ”
Elizabeth's lips parted, but no sound emerged.
“The estate will, when the legal process is complete, pass into a trust I intend to establish for your mother. While Longbourn is officially under my name, Mrs Bennet will have the use of Longbourn for her lifetime. Collins will receive his settlement, and your family will be secure.”
“You purchased Longbourn?” Elizabeth stared at the papers as though they might transform into something else. “For my family?”
“I could not bear the thought of your mother and sisters turned out of their home when preventing it lay within my power,” he said quietly. “I have more fortune than I know what to do with, and I can think of no better use for it than securing the happiness of the woman I love.”
Elizabeth opened her mouth to respond, but the sound of wheels upon gravel reached them from outside, wheels travelling at considerable speed. Even in the distance, she could hear the loud screeches of a woman’s voice raised in agitation.
Elizabeth glanced toward the window and sighed, though amusement glimmered in her eyes.
“I do not need to look out of that window to identify our visitor.
I should recognise the particular timbre of that shrieking anywhere, and I fear you are about to receive a comprehensive introduction to my mother's constitution.”
Darcy moved to the window and confirmed her suspicion. A carriage was careening up the drive, and as it lurched to a halt, the door burst open before the footman could reach it. Mrs Bennet emerged with her bonnet askew and her shawl trailing behind her.
“Perhaps we ought to go out,” Elizabeth said, “before she succeeds in alarming the horses. I do wish to warn you about my mother’s nerves though, Mr Darcy.”
“I have had the honour,” Darcy said gravely. “Twice.”
Elizabeth laughed under her breath. “Then you are better prepared than I feared.”
They reached the front steps just as Mrs Bennet came rushing toward them. Jane descended from the carriage at a more dignified pace, with Hill bringing up the rear looking rather worn.
“Lizzy!” Mrs Bennet gasped, clutching her bosom.
“Lizzy, how could you? Riding like a common dairymaid, arriving at a gentleman's residence without chaperone, your hair loose and your habit destroyed. Oh, my poor nerves! Whatever will the neighbours say? We shall never show our faces in Meryton again!”
Elizabeth caught Darcy's eye, and her lips pressed together against rising mirth.
“Mama,” Elizabeth managed through a smile, “do calm yourself.”
“Calm myself? When my daughter has ruined herself before the county?”
“Mrs Bennet.” Darcy stepped forward, and something in his bearing commanded silence. “I wonder if I might speak with you on a matter of importance.”
She blinked at him. “A word? Whatever about?”
“I should like to request your permission to pay my addresses to your daughter. To Miss Elizabeth. If she will have me, and if you give your blessing, I should very much like to make her my wife.”
Silence descended upon the company. Mrs Bennet's mouth opened and closed several times without producing sound, lending her an unfortunate resemblance to a carp.
“You wish to marry my Lizzy?” She looked between them, her expression cycling through shock and dawning comprehension. “My goodness. Two offers in one week. Two wealthy gentlemen seeking my daughters. Ten thousand a year, and Mistress of Pemberley, and...”
Her eyes rolled back, and she crumpled toward the gravel. Jane lunged to catch her with Bingley arriving a moment later to assist, and between them they prevented disaster whilst a resigned-looking Hill produced smelling salts from her reticule.
Elizabeth shook her head, though her smile remained. “I did warn you about those nerves, Mr Darcy.”
“So you did,” he said, smiling in response, for her joy proved infectious.
A loud peal of laughter escaped Elizabeth, bright and unrepentant, the sound of someone who had carried a heavy burden too long and felt it finally lifting.