“It is what he uses to describe the women he meets who interest him. It seemed he was constantly meeting new angels at every ball and party we attended. However,”—he seemed to realise his words had concerned her—“he appears to be far more attached to your sister than he did with these others, and his interest has not waned after a few weeks. She is the first woman with whom he has ever expressed an interest in pursuing something deeper, so you should not be alarmed.”
She considered this. “Jane cares for him, but I would not want to encourage her if he is not serious in his intentions. It is a little late for her to guard her heart, but should I warn her to be cautious?”
He hesitated a moment before speaking. “I am uncertain of his intentions. As you well know, I accompanied him in order to remain close to you and to speak to your father to obtain his permission. I am still stunned by how quickly matters were resolved between us. I still struggle to understand how we both had similar dreams—perhaps Providence wanted to save us from the suffering we would have undergone otherwise.”
She laughed. “Us? William, I was shocked by my dream as I had no idea you cared for me. It took days of contemplation to view them as anything other than fanciful imaginations since I believed you disdained me when you left. The repetition of forced me to consider our earlier interactions differently and Icame to view you and your actions very differently the more I thought about them.”
He grabbed her waist and hugged her tightly. “I was a fool, Elizabeth. I am incredibly fortunate to have gained your heart and your hand.”
Elizabeth rose on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. “Yes, you were, but as I was no better …”
He captured her lips in a passionate kiss, and they remained that way for several minutes.
Before long, Elizabeth found herself obliged to return to Longbourn. Darcy accompanied her until they reached the drive, and just as he had done at the farms, he gracefully descended before assisting Elizabeth. With no one in sight, he seized the moment to share a fleeting kiss and expressed his eager anticipation for their departure to his estate the next morning.
Elizabeth and her sisters sat together and talked for the rest of the evening. Once again, their mother remained in her rooms, her nerves overcome at the prospect of being thrown to the hedgerows by Charlotte Lucas. Mrs. Hill had brought her her tea, again spiking it heavily with brandy, allowing everyone to get the rest they required. Their father remained ensconced in his study, not joining the family for dinner that night.
Chapter Twenty-Four
When he woke the next morning, Darcy’s thoughts were still on Elizabeth’s confession the previous day, about her surprise in seeing how he treated the servants at Netherfield when she stayed there tending to her sister in November.
Madeline Gardiner had arrived in Meryton the previous afternoon and had brought her children, since it seemed likely the family would remain in Derbyshire for some time. The six of them, including Mr. Gardiner, were invited to spend the night in Netherfield. Mrs. Gardiner and Darcy had a lively conversation at dinner about Derbyshire and Pemberley, as Mrs. Gardiner had spent quite a few years in Lambton when she was young and still had fond memories of the area. She had met his parents on one or two occasions, and Darcy was delighted to hear the stories she could share about them. Although they were superficial encounters, Darcy enjoyed hearing how his parents were thought of in their local society.
Darcy felt a sense of shame as he listened to the favourable remarks about his parents, especially when he contrasted it with his own behaviour over the past few years. If not for his dream,he would still have acted as he had when he first arrived in this village, looking down on all those he considered beneath him.
After dressing, he headed downstairs to wait for the Gardiners’ carriage to return to Netherfield with the Bennet girls. They would begin their journey to Pemberley this morning, and the wagon carrying the ladies’ trunks had already arrived. Two more carriages stood ready to convey the group on the journey, which was expected to take three days. A few minutes later, Bingley bounded down the front steps just as a third, smaller carriage pulled up in front of the house. The luggage that would be needed along the way was stored on this carriage, which also conveyed the servants accompanying the party.
Not nearly soon enough for Darcy, the carriage conveying the five Bennet girls and Mr. Phillips arrived. Mrs. Phillips was to stay with Mrs. Bennet at Longbourn while Mr. Phillips was away to provide her sister with the company and attention she needed while her daughters were gone, at least for a brief time.
Once the girls descended from the carriage, the group was quickly split among the three carriages. Mary, Kitty, and Lydia would travel with the two youngest Gardiner children, while Bingley and Jane would travel with Mrs. Gardiner and her remaining children. Darcy and Elizabeth rode in his coach accompanied by her uncles.
The two took advantage of the opportunity to sit next to each other while chaperoned by the two gentlemen, discussing plans for Longbourn after the couple married. Plans were also made for the wedding, as it had been decided that the two would marry as soon as matters could be arranged since the settlements were signed and they had a written statement from Mr. Bennet giving permission.
Phillips assured them that everything was in order legally. “Typically, you would need to establish residency in the parish, or the common licence should be published through Longbourn’s parish. It takes four weeks to establish residency. However, with the documents your father sighed, we can hopefully bypass that and simply wait the sennight required once the licence is purchased. That takes care of you. Now we need to determine what to do with the rest of your sisters.”
The rest of the occupants of the carriage grinned a little at that. Gardiner interjected his own thoughts. “If Jane and Bingley do marry, she would not need to return home for the wedding unless she wanted to. However, we must decide what to do about the youngest three. Kitty and Lydia need consistent discipline and some training in proper behaviour—they might benefit from attending school somewhere. Mary needs a companion, but if she joined your sister, Darcy, perhaps the two of them could benefit from the company of another girl their own age, and your sister’s companion could provide the guidance Mary needs.”
Darcy nodded. “I am not certain what Bingley’s plans are regarding Miss Bennet, though we have discussed it. He is younger than me, and he has never had to carry the weight of responsibility for a household. He took over the lease of Netherfield at Michaelmas and spent more time at sport and socialisation than on estate matters. I do not mean to speak ill of him, but I question whether he is prepared for marriage. Perhaps he will need a longer courtship and engagement period to be prepared, though I am not certain what it will take.”
“You were not ready for marriage a few months ago,” Elizabeth teased her intended.
“That is not entirely true, dearest. It was not that I was not ready for marriage but that I needed a particular kind of jolt to dislodge the ‘beam in my eye’.”
She laughed at his response. “Well, since I required the same jolt to dislodge my own beam, I suppose I cannot say too much about that. However, it seems we have saved ourselves some pain and regret by coming to an understanding sooner than we might have otherwise.”
The look she gave him as she said this was meaningful as they both recalled the vision of the argument from their shared dream. They had not shared the details of their dreams with anyone else and so held the story close to their hearts. Neither was certain how their visions would be received by others, but they also felt the story was too private to share with anyone else. It was that dream that had brought them together and caused them to not only recognise their feelings for each other, but to embrace them.
“What happened?” Gardiner asked, having not heard the story about how the two first met.
Elizabeth laughed. “Did my aunt not share my letters with you, Uncle? I wrote to her about the exceptionally handsome man who insulted me even before meeting me at the local assembly. Mr. Bingley attempted to persuade him to dance with me, and instead of agreeing, he deemed me ‘tolerable but not handsome enough to dance with.’”
Gardiner’s jaw dropped in surprise. “I am amazed she is still speaking to you, Darcy,” he cried.
“Afterwards, she teased and sparred with me at every opportunity. In my arrogance, I mistook her banter for flirtation,only to realise my error later. It was not until I returned to London that I fully grasped the extent of my actions. When we finally were able to meet again, I offered my apologies, which Elizabeth graciously accepted.”
“Truly, his words are forgiven now, at least as far as the hurt involved, though I reserve the right to tease him about them for the rest of our lives,” Elizabeth teased, placing her hand lightly upon his for a moment.
Phillips and Gardiner both found this amusing. Had they been alone, Darcy would have kissed Elizabeth until she could no longer tease him, but instead he settled for a grudging compliment. “Life with you will never be dull, Elizabeth.”
