Fitzwilliam was not content to allow the others to be the only ones to speak. “Never touch my wife again, Wickham. I am unsure what you intended to do when you began to drag my wife toward the balcony, but you would not have succeeded. Too many people were watching you to allow you to get away with it.”
Wickham was not truly afraid of Fitzwilliam, but the Major’s glare, combined with his hand slowly caressing the hilt of his sword, made him realise it was in his best interest to flee. He left the ball alone, but one of the footmen who followed him heard him mutter about one day getting the best of the Darcys and Matlocks. This was duly reported to the master of the house, which was shared with his cousin and brother.
The ball wrapped up not long after, and Elizabeth enjoyed dancing the last with her husband. Her new mother had called for a waltz in honour of the newlyweds, and they thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to touch and hold each other tightly in plain sight. It was forgiven if they danced a little too closely since they had only been wed a week and could be expected to thumb their noses at propriety just a little.
“Dearest,” William whispered, holding his wife inappropriately close to him during the dance.
“Yes, Fitzwilliam,” Elizabeth replied, his voice in his ear eliciting a frisson of excitement, causing her to shiver.
“Have I told you you are the loveliest woman here tonight?” he asked, delighting in her shiver.
She carefully stepped up on her tiptoes and quickly kissed his cheek, barely altering the movements of the dance.
“Have I told you how much I look forward to leaving this dance behind and returning to the privacy of our chambers?” she whispered in his ear.
It was his turn to shiver slightly at the emotion, or passion, her words wrought in him.
“Minx,” was his reply, and a tinkling laugh met his words.
“You make me happy, Fitzwilliam,” she replied. “Now, take me home.”
CHAPTER 14
A Visit to Longbourn
Two days after the ball, the newlyweds departed their cosy little home and headed toward Longbourn. They had spoken with the Gardiners the day after the ball about the possibility of making permanent arrangements to aid the tenants. Mr. Gardiner thought arranging for the steward to access the annuity Elizabeth was owed by her father was a great way of ensuring their care while requiring her father to sacrifice something on their behalf. As Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam did not need it, it made sense for Elizabeth to use the funds for Longbourn’s tenants.
Mary was also settled in Elizabeth’s former bedroom at the Gardiners and had brought with her papers granting guardianship to her uncle. This pleased both girls as it was written so it could not be rescinded, and Mary would now have the care of attentive guardians and access to masters and tutors. Mary and Georgiana had gotten along well at the ball, and they arranged to share masters in some areas to further their friendship. Mary was sixteen, almost three years older than Georgiana, but they still had much in common, including a love of music.
Elizabeth also discussed with her aunt and uncle the letters she received from Longbourn. She knew it would be difficult to extricate themselves from her parent’s parlour when her mother was insistent on their staying, but Fitzwilliam and Gardiner discussed it in greater detail without the ladies present. Betweenthe two, they ensured the Darcys’ departure could be arranged without any difficulties.
With these discussions fresh in their minds, the couple embarked on their journey in the newly acquired carriage, a generous wedding gift from the Gardiners. The carriage offered ample space, a welcomed change for Fitzwilliam, who was both tall and well-built and had seldom experienced such comfort during his travels. Gardiner had astutely observed the awkward positioning of Fitzwilliam’s legs during travel, which undoubtedly led to discomfort. Therefore, shortly after Fitzwilliam made Elizabeth’s acquaintance, he commissioned a carriage with an extended body to ensure Fitzwilliam’s comfort. This considerate gesture was deeply appreciated, especially given the time they would spend travelling in the carriage during their extended wedding trip.
Shortly before noon, the carriage reached Longbourn. Following Fitzwilliam’s directives, the horses were left harnessed, and the footman and carriage driver abstained from unloading any luggage. While not an ideal situation, this arrangement allowed the horses to rest while the couple visited Elizabeth’s family and prevented any undue delay in their departure.
The Bennet family greeted the newcomers on the front step. Mr. Bennet did greet his daughter warmly, and Kitty and Lydia seemed pleased to see her, although they were primarily concerned with what gifts she had brought them. Neither Mrs. Bennet nor Jane seemed particularly excited to see Elizabeth and were nearly aghast to see the fine carriage she arrived in. They were even more displeased when they saw the handsome man who descended from the carriage and helped out an elegant and well-dressed Elizabeth.
Finally, after a rather pointed glance from Fitzwilliam, those two ladies greeted their daughter and sister with stilted congratulations on her marriage. They asked for an introduction to “the gentleman who accompanied her.”
Elizabeth nearly laughed at their words since the lack of a chaperone should have indicated the gentleman was her husband if nothing else did, but she graciously performed the introductions. “Family, I would like to introduce you to my husband, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. Mr. Darcy, my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, my elder sister Jane, and my youngest sisters Catherine and Lydia.” Bows and curtseys were exchanged, and Mr. Bennet indicated they should move indoors.
“But Lizzy, why is your carriage not being unloaded?” Mrs. Bennet cried as they turned to enter the house. “I told you in my letter you must plan to stay at least a sennight, although I would not complain if you stayed longer. There are several entertainments planned in the next few days, quite in your honour, and you cannot leave until your marriage has been celebrated by all in the neighbourhood. I finally have a daughter married, and Lady Lucas still has none. You must allow the neighbours to greet your new husband.”
“Mama, I told you and Papa both in my first letter we could only visit for a few hours on this occasion. Mr. Darcy has appointments in the north that do not allow us to stay any longer than this afternoon,” Elizabeth said. “I did not receive your letter until yesterday and could not reply to your invitation, but I believed my first letter should have been sufficient. I am sorry to disappoint you, and I apologise you made plans on our behalf, but we cannot stay.”
“But Lizzy, I told you …” she cried again and was quickly cut off by Mr. Darcy.
“Madam, my wife informed you of our schedule, and you no longer have the right to place any demands on her schedule. Our plans are quite fixed for the next several weeks, and we cannot alter them,” he stated.
His rather direct manner caused the matron to falter, and she did not speak again until they were settled in the front sitting room. Mrs. Hill had brought in tea nearly as soon as they had entered, and after ensuring all had a cup, Mrs. Bennet began her inquisition. “Now, Mr. Darcy, tell us about yourself. You are a barrister, I understand. Do you earn a good living in such a profession? My brother Phillips is a solicitor, and he and my sister live well enough, I suppose, although they keep rather small rooms, and they are above his office in Meryton. But you are a barrister, not a solicitor, so surely you can afford a much better situation. Tell me, how much do you earn each year?”
Fitzwilliam was taken aback at the barrage of words on such a highly inappropriate topic as his income. Elizabeth stepped into the breach. “We will live well enough, Mama; you do no need to worry. Mr. Darcy’s uncle has a small house in town he will let us use for the present, and it is quite comfortable for the two of us.” She had no intention of letting her mother know exactly who her husband’s uncle was just yet or that the house was located in Mayfair, not far from Grosvenor Square. “Since my father assigned my guardianship to my uncle, he was the one who arranged for the settlement, and he and my husband have ensured I will be provided for in the future.”
“Oh, well, that was nice of your uncle to allow you to borrow his house. Do you hope to purchase it someday? Is it very small?” Mrs. Bennet snickered.
“It is unlikely, Mrs. Bennet, as my uncle will doubtless leave it to his second son. We hope to purchase one of our own beforetoo long,” Fitzwilliam stated. The couple sat next to each other on a sofa and had their hands tightly gripping each other’s and hidden within Elizabeth’s voluminous skirts. Fitzwilliam was already struggling to control his temper while Elizabeth desperately tried not to show her mortification at her mother’s impolite questions.
Mr. Bennet seemed to recognise this as, just then, he attempted to redirect the conversation. “What business takes you to the north?” he inquired.
