Elizabeth relaxed into him, and the two remained quiet the remainder of the way to their leased cottage. Upon reaching their lodgings, Darcy escorted his wife to their chambers, where they continued to speak. “What will you do about your sisters?”
She shrugged. “I do not know. If we see them again before we leave Meryton, I suppose we will have to judge them based on their reactions to seeing us. Jane seemed angry with me while Mary was … I do not know, regretful. She seems to have missed me, and I wonder if forming a relationship with her is possible.If any of my sisters were to write to me, I would be willing to correspond with them. However, if their letters are self-serving or demanding, I will be reluctant to continue the relationship. I realise they are not the ones who cast me aside, but I no longer know them as I might have had I grown up with them.”
Darcy nodded at this. “That is wise. Know that I will support you in whatever you decide, Elizabeth, and will be as encouraging as you would like me to be.”
“Thank you, William. I admit that I cannot imagine having anything to do with either Mr. or Mrs. Bennet at this point. I am uncertain if anything would make me want to have a relationship with either of them again.”
“I do not believe anyone could fault you feeling that way, Elizabeth. Your parents do not know what a treasure you are, and they do not deserve you. I cannot imagine what either of them were thinking, demanding you return to marry the heir to the estate.”
Elizabeth laughed scornfully. “Nor can I. I do not remember much, but I believe the heir is a distant relation of my father’s. It has been years since I heard him mentioned, but when I was a child, I recall him being spoken of as a contemporary of my father’s. Hill said he was older than me and had a son around my age.” She shuddered. “Even had I remained at home with my parents all these years, I cannot imagine willingly marrying a man more than twice my age. Of course, there is no telling what kind of person I would have been had I been subjected to the influence of the Bennets for all these years. I was taught by my father, but Mrs. Bennet always complained about the time I spent with him. Jane would have eventually listened to her and stopped reading, but I do not believe I would have. I wonder if we would have met had I remained at home.”
This thought made Darcy take his wife in his arms once again. “I cannot imagine ever not loving you, Elizabeth. Without you,” he visibly shuddered, “without you, I cannot imagine the man I would have been.” The two remained tightly embraced for some time following this, and nearly all conversation came to an end.
Chapter Twenty-One
Some hours later, the two boarded the carriage to take them to Lucas Lodge for the party that was taking place that evening.
When Darcy began making arrangements for their stay in Meryton through Elizabeth’s uncle, Phillips had mentioned this gathering and obtained an invitation for the couple to attend. Only that afternoon, Elizabeth sent a note to her friend explaining how she had come to be wed, including ensuring that her and her husband’s attendance that night would not cause any problems.
The return note informed the pair that Mr. and Mrs. Bennet had sent their regrets for the party that afternoon except for Jane and Mary would still attend. Elizabeth scoffed a little at this since it was outside the bounds of propriety for the two young girls to attend without some sort of chaperone, but Darcy attempted to excuse it, claiming that it was likely the families were so well acquainted, the Bennet parents had not thought it would matter. Elizabeth acknowledged that might be true but was hopeful that the two attended because they wanted to see her again.
Both suppositions proved to be correct, though in varying forms. Even Lady Lucas acknowledged the impropriety of the two arriving unchaperoned, but several others offered to perform the office in the absence of their parents. Jane and Mary did seek out Elizabeth on several occasions throughout the evening, always separately and it was obvious they had very different purposes in doing so.
Whereas Mary approached Elizabeth almost immediately and sought to discover what she could about the sister she had not seen in nearly a decade, Jane waited to seek Elizabeth out until dinner was finished.
Shortly after they arrived, Darcy was cornered by Mr. Phillips.
"My brother came to see me earlier, not long after you departed the house, I believe. Like the short-sighted fool he can be, he signed a contract with the heir presumptive of Longbourn, promising an unnamed daughter as a wife in exchange for a promise to allow Mrs. Bennet and her remaining daughters to live there after his demise. If he fails to meet the terms of the contract, the heir can claim that he has forfeited his estate, at least, is what was written. I am uncertain it is enforceable as it is, but he is obviously concerned about it now. It is unusual for him to exert himself so much as to actually seek me out, rather than sending for me to visit him," Phillips said. "Apparently, Mrs. Bennet was the one who read the letter from Mr. Collins and, after corresponding with the man in secret, demanded her husband sign the contract without ever ascertaining if the stipulations it contained were legal or even if the contract made sense. Bennet signed it without question," Phillips said, shaking his head as though he could not believe the words he said.
"No man of sense could sign a contract without reading it first and then being certain he could fulfil it. Before he agreed to give his daughter in marriage, he should have ascertained that she was free, particularly one he had disowned and had not lived with him in years. Though, a wise man would not have sent his daughter away in the first place," Darcy replied.
Phillips laughed derisively. "You are not wrong, nephew. Bennet is intelligent but unwise. Mr. Collins is the same age as Bennet and there is no reason to believe that Collins will survive him.My sister obviously did not comprehend that the arrangements she negotiated would not secure her future, yet Bennet capitulated to his foolish wife when she demanded he sign the agreement; he has always done what was easiest instead of what was wise."
“It was short sighted of him. However, he has made his bed and will have to live with the choices he has made. There is little that can be done about it now,” Darcy replied.
"Returning to the point at hand, although it is my professional opinion that the contract Bennet signed with Collins is unenforceable, there are too many variables for me to make an accurate prediction of how this will be resolved. Since I am unaware of any correspondence that was shared beyond the contract, it is difficult for me to determine what promises may have been made. Part of it depends on how reasonable a man he may prove to be. He may demand another wife in Elizabeth's place, or he may recognise that something can be done to assist both families. Truly, all of my nieces are too young to marry a man who is nearly the same age as their father, but apparently, he wishes for a young bride."
Darcy grimaced at that. "That does not speak well of the man or his motives. I cannot imagine any of my new sisters wishing to marry such a man, though I do not know any of them well. Did not someone say he has a son nearly the same age as Miss Bennet?"
"His son is twenty-three, as I understand it, and has recently finished at university. Fanny claims he intends to seek a position as a curate since he hopes to take orders while he waits to inherit either from his father or his distant cousin," Phillips replied.
"I have experienced too many of my aunt's rectors to believe that everyone who is ordained is worthy of being so," Darcy retorted. “However, if he proves competent, I may be able to aid him in finding a position. Once you meet him, let me know your opinion."
Phillips nodded and offered his thanks to the gentleman. The two spoke a little longer about the matter before separating to join the ladies. It was then that Darcy encountered his new sister speaking poorly of his wife, and the previous conversation was nearly forgotten.
In the meantime, Jane approached Elizabeth once the women were settled in the drawing room with their tea. “Well, Lizzy, it appears you have done quite well for yourself."
She eyed her sister warily. “What do you mean?”
“Your husband. Not only is he rather handsome, I understand from our neighbours that he is very wealthy,” Jane said, eyeing her with a mixture of disdain and envy. “How did our uncle arrange that?”
Elizabeth inwardly sighed. It should not be a surprise to learn that there was already talk about her husband’s wealth. The Lucases were vaguely familiar with him, and she supposed that others would have heard his name when they attended events in London. While none of them were of the same level of society as her husband, his family and wealth were well known. After a moment, she spoke: “Our uncle did not arrange anything. Fitzwilliam and I met several years ago, but did not see each other for some time after that. When we met again in April, we recognised our growing feelings for each other. He proposed when we visited his estate this summer,” Elizabeth stated coldly.
Jane smirked at her sister. “And what did you do to convince him to offer for you?”
“I did not ‘convince’ him,” Elizabeth began, but was cut off by the men entering the room.
“She did not have to convince me. I knew the moment I saw her at her coming out ball that I wanted her and no other for my wife,” Darcy said, his tone gruff and icy. Elizabeth had never heard him so cold.
