As soon as the carriage came to a stop at Longbourn, he hopped down first and strode straight into the house. The ladies slowly followed, leaving the footman to perform the office that typically fell to their father. None of them had spoken since his outburst, and they could hear his study door slam from where they remained outside. Their mother had exited the carriage second and began wailing for her salts immediately as she entered the house. The five girls stood huddled together outside.
“Lizzy,” Mary said quietly, putting her hand on her sister’s arm, “do we have cause to be worried?”
Elizabeth looked around at all her sisters. “Let us change into more comfortable attire and meet in my room to discussmatters. However, if you cannot or will not keep what I tell you in confidence”— she glared at Kitty and Lydia in turn—“then remain in your rooms. What I have to say is not to be shared outside the five of us.”
All four of Elizabeth’s sisters nodded and quietly hurried to their rooms to change into comfortable morning gowns. Since it was Sunday and they were not anticipating any visitors, they did not expect anyone else to come downstairs for the meal, especially considering that both their parents had retired to their rooms. Elizabeth and Jane briefly spoke to the housekeeper, requesting a large tray of tea and pastries to be brought to Elizabeth’s room where the sisters gathered.
After everyone was settled into a seat with refreshments, Elizabeth looked around the room at her sisters and realised that, for the first time in years, they all seemed to be in sympathy with each other. She thought about how much she would miss them once she married William. Thinking about him made her smile, and that smile prompted Lydia to begin to tease.
“Lizzy Bennet, I never expected to see you grinning like a fool. No one smiles like that unless they are in love, and given what you said in the carriage, it certainly is not with Mr. Wickham. Who is it? The colonel?” Lydia demanded teasingly, the girl she was shining through for once, rather than the flirt.
Jane patted her sister’s hand. “Quiet, Lydia, as nothing we say here can be overheard by our parents. I know who has inspired such sentiment, although I am surprised. Had you met Colonel Fitzwilliam before yesterday?” she teased.
Elizabeth laughed. “You have guessed wrong, and I must admit that I have kept certain matters a secret from all of you since I returned from Kent, in part because everything has happenedso quickly. You may all be surprised to learn that Mr. Darcy has proposed to me, and I have accepted. However,”—she stopped as she raised a hand to quiet the exclamations her words inspired—“Papa has refused his consent. You heard him in the carriage earlier; he does not believe Mr. Darcy has honourable intentions. I know he is wrong, and I will marry Mr. Darcy with or without my father’s permission.”
Jane and Mary gasped in surprise while Kitty and Lydia giggled. “You will elope?” Lydia asked, wide-eyed.
“No, we will not elope. We have discussed several options including marrying from a church in London after I reach my majority. We could have the banns called, or Mr. Darcy could purchase a licence. My father wants me to stay close so I can continue running Longbourn for him. Very few know of this, but since I took the management of the estate, I began setting funds aside each year to provide dowries for all of us. It is not significant, but it is still more than you presently have. The longer you wait to marry”—she looked pointedly at her youngest two sisters—“the larger your dowry will be. The other day, after we discussed Mr. Darcy’s proposal and my father’s refusal, he asked me to give him those funds to enlarge his library. Fortunately, they are tied up so he cannot easily access them. Several years ago, without fully understanding what he was signing, he signed paperwork turning those funds over to our uncles’ control. They are the only ones who can release the funds. I have already spoken to Uncle Phillips about it, and he wrote an express to Uncle Gardiner. I would not be surprised if he arrives soon. The rain likely has prevented his coming sooner.”
“What will they do?” Kitty asked.
Elizabeth sighed. “I do not know what they can do or will do. It is my hope they will take the steps our father will not take to protect us all. Mr. Darcy has hired some men who will arrive later today to guard the house and us since our father will not.”
“Is Mr. Wickham truly a threat to us?” Lydia asked.
“He was not happy at being arrested for his attempt to assault me, and I know Mr. Darcy holds a significant amount of his debt. Mr. Wickham has treated Mr. Darcy infamously. He is not a gentleman,” Elizabeth replied. “Besides, you heard the stories about him in town.”
“But he hadn’t done anything horrible,” Lydia protested.
“Yet,” Elizabeth stated rather baldly. “Lydia, in addition to being the worst sort of rake, he is now an escaped prisoner and a deserter. If he is found, he will be punished, and his punishment will be far worse because of his escape.”
Lydia seemed to ponder this for a moment. “Lizzy, how could the rest of us be ruined if word of Mr. Wickham’s attack on you became known?”
“Because women are often blamed for what men do. If a woman is assaulted, it is assumed by society that she is somehow at fault, and not only is her reputation called into question, that of her sisters and the rest of her family are called into question. We might all be considered unmarriageable in such an instance. It is unfair, but that is society’s way.”
“Fordyce has much to say about feminine modesty, but it seems unfair that a woman is punished and blamed when she has no control over the circumstances,” Mary said seriously.
The sisters continued to talk over the matters and discussed how to protect each other as long as Wickham was on the loose. If their uncles did come the next day as expected, they would also consult with them about what could be done. Lydia joked that they should all travel to Pemberley with their aunt and uncle for company. This suggestion led to quite a bit of merriment, and the girls spent the rest of the day enjoying each other’s company.
Chapter Nineteen
After the service, Darcy returned to Netherfield and joined Bingley in the dining room. “Good afternoon,” he offered in greeting to his friend.
“Darcy, help me understand something,” Bingley began, looking petulantly at his friend. Darcy looked at him in confusion as he watched his friend move restlessly as he attempted to decide what to say. “How is it that we returned so I could further my relationship with Miss Bennet, yet you are the one who is engaged? You and Miss Elizabeth argued often when we were here in the autumn, and I thought you were determined to stay away from her. How have you managed this feat?”
Grinning, Darcy sat down at the table after making his food selections and pouring a cup of coffee. “First, Elizabeth and I unexpectedly met again in Kent and came to an understanding there. My bride’s tendency to walk in the mornings has made it easier for us to meet and speak privately when we were there. That allowed us to come to an understanding before we left the area, though we did not say anything until after we arrived hear and I could speak with her father. Honestly, I thought wewould need to court for much longer before I convinced her to accept me, but well … our conversations helped clear up our misunderstandings from our previous acquaintance.”
“But I thought she did not even like you,” Bingley whined.
“Be that as it may, we have cleared up any wrong impressions of each other and now understand one another. I apologised for my rudeness at the assembly where we first met and that allowed her to see matters differently. We have spoken quite a bit and have come to the realisation that we are both in love and desire to marry the other.”
“Should I ask Miss Bennet to marry me?”
Darcy sat back and slowly let out a breath. “Bingley, I cannot answer that question for you. Since you are the one who has spent time with Miss Bennet, you will need to determine for yourself what Miss Bennet feels for you. Before we left for London in the autumn, you believed she cared for you and were ready to offer for her. However, your sisters and I convinced you she did not return your affection, although I soon corrected my impression and encouraged you to seek your happiness. You did not go to Hertfordshire and allowed your sister to persuade you to remain in London. Months later, after you learned she was in London, you still delayed visiting her for weeks, and now you have been in Hertfordshire for ten days. I now know I should have said nothing to you about Miss Bennet’s feelings toward you, as I am not qualified to advise anyone in this area. Seriously, man, what do the two of you speak about when you are together?”
“This and that. We speak of the weather, her sisters, my sisters, the neighbours…”
“Do you never speak of any deeper topics?”
