“Elizabeth, sit. Take a deep breath.”
Darcy’s voice broke her growing panic, but before Elizabeth could follow the sage advice the door was opened, and her father, Mr. Bennet of Longbourn, entered the room with a glowering look about him.
“Lizzy, what can you mean by this? Marrying again? You were fool enough to marry an useless man once for stupid passion, so you mean to gain revenge on yourself by marrying only for money? I’ll not let you destroy yourself again.”
It was Sally who’d let him in, and she stood behind Papa with an apologetic look.
“Not let me,” Elizabeth’s voice had a shrieky quality as she glared at her father. “And how shall you stop me.”
“I’ll not give you permission for you to waste yourself again, that is for certain. And—”
“Does not matter,” Elizabeth replied. “Does not matter! Do you think I’ll now, after years of independence, depend upon your permission?”
“As a legal matter—” Papa began to reply.
“The lawyer we spoke to confirmed that as a widow I do not need any guardian’s approval for a second marriage. The text of the Hardwicke Act is quite clear upon this.”
“The text of the Hardwicke Act!” Papa replied scornfully. “Fine. The Hardwicke Act—but let me be clear, Elizabeth Bennet, you would be a fool to marry a man who you care nothing about for money.”
He looked… younger than she had remembered him. As though the ride and the argument invigorated him.
“Oh? But I thought it was important for me to ensure that my sisters do not suffer because I married Wickham—you were right about him. I do not deny your wisdom in that matter. But I—”
“Drop these ideas. Matters are neither so desperate that you need to marry for spending money, nor that you need to—did you really plan to work as a hired nurse? You do not need to do any of this.”
“I will not be what you said. I will not rip the bread from my sisters’ mouths.”
“I never meant you to takethatso seriously. Of course, I wish to help you—to care for your children. Is that Emily?” Papa stepped towards her, holding out his arms to take the child, who immediately hid her face in Elizabeth’s shoulder and squirmed away.
Papa laughed at that, “Still shy. Lizzy, you know better than this. You cannot think this is a wise choice. You do not need to—”
“And,” Elizabeth spoke over him, “it is ridiculous. It always was! Why did you never engage in any sort of economy? Why did I think Ioughtto earn the money for my children by working as a nurse? Your estate is large enough and unencumbered. There should have a been alittleto support us. But no, you never could—”
“Lizzy, I’ll not hear you speak of me in such a way.”
“Then why on earth did you come if you did not wish to hear me speak? Only for the joy of your own voice?”
“Ihavein fact engaged in some economy since your marriage. So that I would be prepared for the day when you needed help. I’ve put aside enough money that certainly I can make matters easy for you while still providing for your sisters. Nothing, I am sure, next to the estate of whatever sneering rich gentleman you mean to marry, but enough. Stop this nonsense and come home with me—Itoldyou that if you ever needed help you should ask me.”
“And you told me that if I married Wickham, I would ruin my sisters’ welfare by taking everything they would need to marry. Papa, you say things. Do not expect me to listen to all of them.”
“Ahem,” Mr. Darcy said. “Elizabeth, might you introduce us to our visitor?”
Elizabeth had almost completely forgotten that there was anyone else in the room, and she suddenly felt terribly embarrassed by the way that she had argued with Papa in front of Darcy.
Papa seemed to have a similar sense of embarrassment. He drew himself up, and then bowed, as Elizabeth said to Darcy and Georgiana, “My father, Mr. Bennet of Longbourn.”
Then to Papa she said, “Mr. Darcy of Pemberley, my fiancé, and his sister Miss Darcy.”
“Aha.” Mr. Bennet looked. He rubbed the back of his head. “But wait—are you not the one who shot Mr. Wickham? I remember him complaining to me about you—about how you’d wrecked his prospects.”
“What?” Elizabeth said. “Already before we married?”
“You do not remember how he’d talk about that all the time?” Papa asked.
“I chiefly recall that he was insistent that he would make a great person of himself, no matter how many difficulties had been placed in his way by his godfather’s jealous son,” Elizabeth replied with a frown.
“I, ah, apologize for the manner of my intrusion into your home,” Papa bowed to Mr. Darcy. “But, Lizzy, that is a strangeness even I did not anticipate—marrying the man who shot your husband? You’ve been nursinghim. Of course.” Papa started frowning and looking between them.
