Chapter Sixteen #2
“He is rich as a king,” she screeched when she had finally recovered her voice.
“You shall have far more carriages and jewels than Jane. Of course, you shall have to take your sisters to London for a season. Oh, I can scarcely contain myself. We must celebrate! What are Mr. Darcy’s favorite dishes so that I might instruct Cook to prepare them for dinner?
And I must tell Mrs. Long and Lady Lucas and Mrs. Goulding!
They shall be positively green with envy at my good fortune.
Two daughters well married; it is more than any of those ladies can claim. ”
Mrs. Bennet continued to wax long and eloquently for nearly a quarter of an hour. Finally, Mr. Bennet appeared at the door with Mr. Darcy trailing close behind him.
“I can see by your exuberance that our daughter has told you her news,” Mr. Bennet said sardonically. “I shall leave you to celebrate. I wish to break my fast before some other gentleman arrives at my door to carry away another daughter.”
“Oh, Mr. Bennet,” Mrs. Bennet said. “How can you be so very flippant? Do you not know he has ten thousand a year?”
Mr. Bennet shook his head and left the room. Lizzy rose and approached her betrothed, staring lovingly up into his dear face. He offered his arm, and she took it. Off they went to the dining room, leaving Mrs. Bennet to follow at her own pace amid her exclamations of delight.
Mary, Kitty, and Lydia all stared curiously at Mr. Darcy as he escorted Lizzy into the room.
Mr. Bennet quickly informed them of her engagement.
When they squealed in delight—yes, even Mary--he begged them all to cease the display so that he might dine in peace.
The twinkle in his eye betrayed his teasing, but his daughters all settled themselves again and chatted merrily as they ate.
Mrs. Bennet wasted no time in talking of weddings, despite having only arranged one to completion just two months prior. She began to speak of an autumn wedding, only for Mr. Darcy to protest.
“My dear madam,” he said politely, “while I am very aware of the honor you do me in planning such a grand affair, I am afraid I am quite a selfish man. I desire nothing more than to be wed before the end of June. I wish to take Elizabeth on a leisurely wedding tour before we must return to Pemberley for the harvest.”
Elizabeth beamed at him. She had not been anticipating the many long, drawn-out months of planning that Jane had been subjected to. Now that her happiness was very nearly complete, she saw no reason to delay any longer than necessary.
“But what of the wedding clothes?” Mrs. Bennet cried in distress. “The breakfast, the flowers, the guest list… there is simply too much to do in so short a time.”
“I assure you, anything that is arranged will be most suitable,” Mr. Darcy reassured her.
“Additionally, such a timeline will be very convenient for my Aunt and Uncle Matlock. My uncle will be concluding his session in Parliament, and they will be journeying north to their home shire around that time.”
“Parliament?” Mrs. Bennet squeaked.
“Yes, Mama,” Elizabeth said. “Mr. Darcy’s uncle is an earl.”
“Oh,” Mrs. Bennet breathed. “Oh! I shall go distracted! An earl in my house? It is not elegant enough! Oh, what shall I do?”
“Perhaps Jane and Mr. Bingley can be prevailed upon for the use of Netherfield Park,” Mary said sensibly. “It is much larger and would accommodate guests much more comfortably.”
“Yes,” Mrs. Bennet said, her tone somewhat less shrill. “Yes, that will do nicely. I shall write to Jane immediately, of course.”
“They are due back in a matter of days, Mama,” Mary said. “It may be best to simply wait for their arrival.”
Elizabeth, in all her excitement, had quite forgotten her own plans for the coming days. “Aunt and Uncle Gardiner!” she cried suddenly. “I must write to them immediately. Maybe they can postpone their travels until after we are wed.”
Turning to Mr. Darcy she said, “I was to travel to the Lake District with them later this month. Their pleasure at my good fortune will surely outweigh their disappointment that I cannot accompany them. They might take Mary instead, I imagine, should she wish to go.”
Mary looked up hopefully, and Elizabeth smiled encouragingly. It also pleased her that Lydia did not protest as she might have once done, though Kitty grumbled under her breath in displeasure.
Discussion continued for some time, and after the evening meal concluded, Mr. Darcy departed for the inn in Meryton.
It was with great pleasure that George Wickham received a note from Darcy inviting him to dine at the inn just one day after his arrival in Meryton.
George hoped to be given a proper answer to his yet unanswered letter.
Thus, when the appointed time arrived, he walked the short distance from Mr. Phillips’s law office to Meryton’s only coaching inn.
Darcy greeted him with a smile and a strong handshake. The meal had already been brought to the same private parlor they had occupied many months before, and the two settled in to enjoy their dinner.
“I would hope that given your presence here in Meryton, congratulations are in order?” Wickham ventured to ask.
Darcy smiled broadly. “Indeed, they are,” he said happily. “Just yesterday, Miss Elizabeth Bennet consented to be my wife. I am to be happier even than Bingley, I imagine.”
“I am very pleased to hear it,” Wickham replied warmly. “Miss Elizabeth has been quite despondent since I escorted her home from Kent.”
“You mentioned in your letter she told you of what occurred in Kent?” Darcy asked.
“She did,” George confirmed. “After our return to Hertfordshire, I penned a letter containing certain of my suspicions to you…” He trailed off expectantly.
“I did receive it,” Darcy replied grimly. “Your suspicions were well founded, and they contributed the final pieces of the entire debacle.”
His friend spent the next half hour detailing everything from Ramsgate to the confrontation at Pemberley. George listened somberly. With so many conflicting emotions warring inside of him, he hardly knew what to think.
“Where are Mr. and Mrs. Jones now?” he asked when Darcy had finished his recitation.
“I do not know,” Darcy said. “Nor do I care. Georgiana is not my concern any longer. I shall always love her as my sister, but I find I do not really know her any longer. She is not the girl I thought she was.”
“She will likely seek to ingratiate herself with you again at some point,” George cautioned.
“Or to make trouble,” agreed Darcy. “Yes, I am aware. I have taken the liberty of locating Mrs. Younge. Apparently, after assisting her brother and Georgiana in their elopement, she returned to London, where she has a boarding house. I made the arrangements with the runners to find her before I left the city. I shall send her a cordial letter, informing her that if she introduces any more mischief to my life, I shall make it my mission to see her deported. As for her brother and younger sisters, I have refused to acknowledge them. It remains to be seen how long Georgiana will maintain her silence before entreating my help.”
“What is her situation?” George asked.
“I am uncertain at this time, but will send inquiries soon,” Darcy replied. “I have been too much on the road these last two weeks. I imagine it to be rather awful, given the fury exhibited by Mr. Jones upon our last meeting.”
“He does have a house in Ramsgate,” George offered. “I know of it from my own inquiries last May, though I do not know if it was leased or owned outright. If you would like I can send a letter to a contact there for more details.”
“Any assistance would be greatly appreciated,” Darcy said. He paused to sip his drink before continuing. “I am very grateful, you know, that you and I made amends.”
“I, too, am very glad of that,” Wickham agreed. He raised his glass. “To true friends.”
“Here, here,” Darcy said. They touched their glasses and drank deeply before turning the conversation to happier topics.
Later that evening, George reflected on all he had learned that day. That Georgiana could behave so terribly came as a shocking blow, even though it had only confirmed his suspicions. Perhaps deep down he had hoped he was wrong.
“I suppose the only thing to do now is wish her all the best,” he mused quietly as he readied for bed. Climbing between the covers, he snuffed out his candle and lay back on the pillow, falling into a deep sleep.