“I have explained my changed opinion of you, and surely any damage done by Mr Wickham has been mitigated with the news of his debts and attempt to desert,” Elizabeth replied, attempting to bolster her love. “I do hope Charlotte was successful in keeping Mr Collins from writing my father.”
“I do as well, my love,” Darcy whispered, kissing her cheek again. “But I trust our marriage will mitigate any possible rumours.”
They stepped apart when Richard appeared. “Come, cousin, we have a long ride ahead of us, and you have an interview to conduct. How I wish I could be in Mr Bennet’s study with you when you make your request!” he laughed loudly. “Miss Bennet,” he said, bringing her hand to his lips for a kiss and smiling as Darcy scowled. “I am pleased you have accepted my cousin and will bring happiness to his life. You are too good for him.”
Darcy clapped his cousin’s shoulder and laughed. “You are right about that, cousin, but keep your odious hands off my intended.” He smiled broadly as he took Elizabeth’s hand, wiping away the imaginary traces of Richard’s kiss and placing a lingering kiss on her fingers, never taking his eyes from hers. She melted at the look in his eyes and laughed at their boyish antics as she watched them leave.
They stopped briefly at Darcy House, where Darcy changed into riding clothes, and then were off to Hertfordshire. As Elizabeth went to seek out Georgiana, she was surprised to realise how much she would miss William’s company thatday. She wondered if anyone had informed Georgiana of their engagement and her brother’s departure.
Lady Matlock and Georgiana were bursting with excitement when Elizabeth returned to the breakfast room. “Congratulations, my dear!” Lady Matlock exclaimed. “My husband just shared your and William’s news and said the boys departed immediately to Hertfordshire to inform your father of your whereabouts and request his consent for the engagement. We are very pleased to welcome you to the family.”
“Elizabeth, I cannot tell you how excited I am that you will be my sister! William wrote of you last autumn, and I wanted to meet you then, but he never spoke of you, and I did not want to ask. Miss Bingley was always so insistent she was the perfect match for my brother when she visited, and I shuddered at the idea he would eventually marry her,” Georgia paused and shuddered at the thought. “But then, he stopped talking to both Bingleys–I do not know why–and has seemed so miserable since. He has been so happy since he returned from Rosings, and I know it is all due to you.”
Elizabeth laughed at the flood of words coming from the previously shy girl. “Nothing is official until my father gives his consent. William and I did not have the best of relationships in Hertfordshire, and my father knows nothing of my change of heart. I wrote him a letter, but I am unsure how he will respond. I hope my letter will convince him to approve.”
“Everything will be well, Elizabeth, if I may address you as such,” the countess said, laying her hand on Elizabeth’s arm. Elizabeth nodded, and Lady Matlock continued. “Then, please, call me Aunt Helen, as we will be family soon. Do not worry about your father giving permission; William will do all he can to convince him of it.”
“Lady … I mean, Aunt Helen, I do not believe I thanked you yesterday for your hospitality and for inviting me, a complete stranger, into your home. I realise it was not completely appropriate for me to stay at Darcy House with William in residence, but with my aunt and uncle away from home, I did not have other acquaintances who could have hosted me.”
“You are most welcome, Elizabeth, and I hope your father will allow you to stay for at least a month, if not for the rest of the season. I will help you obtain your trousseau, and William can escort you to events and introduce you as his intended. As Mrs Darcy, you will need to spend at least part of the season in town most years and participate in events of the ton. William is not very keen on parties, balls, and the like, but he knows he must do his duty to his sister and, eventually, your own children.” Lady Matlock grinned at the blush that crept up from Elizabeth’s chest to her face at the mention of children. “With Georgiana coming out soon, you must maintain a presence in town. I will sponsor you, of course, and help when Georgiana comes out.”
“I do not know if my father will permit me to stay away much longer, Aunt Helen. I have already been away from home for five weeks, and in his last letter, he was anxious for my return,” Elizabeth explained. “My younger sisters do not provide much company for him, and he has likely closeted himself in the library for much of my time away.”
Lady Matlock frowned slightly. “We will need to persuade him then,” she said, then, abruptly changing topics, asked. “I cannot think you have discussed the wedding yet; do you know what you would like? William would prefer something small and simple, no doubt, but I am sure he will agree to whatever you want.”
Elizabeth smiled. “I agree with him, Aunt. Small and simple, yet elegant, would be my preference. And I would like to marry fromLongbourn. A shorter engagement period would prevent Mama from becoming overly enthusiastic with the plans, so marrying in a month or two would be ideal.”
Lady Matlock looked at Elizabeth as she considered this. “Six weeks then–three here in town and three at your home before the wedding. I will introduce you to my modiste so she can begin work on your trousseau, and we will introduce you to the ton at a few social events: the theatre, a musical or two, and at least one ball in addition to the engagement ball I will throw for you. We can easily plan an engagement ball in three weeks, but we must get started immediately….”
She trailed off, and Elizabeth looked at her askance. “Aunt Helen, might we wait to make plans until William returns with my father’s permission? I would like to know what Papa says and ask William’s opinion on these matters.”
“I have no daughters, only two unmarried sons and a nephew. These boys of mine have steadfastly avoided marriage for years. Now that one is finally getting married, I am anxious to plan a wedding, I think. I do apologise,” Lady Matlock confessed. “Might we at least start planning the ball?”
Elizabeth laughed. “My mother has five unmarried daughters and will struggle to contain her excitement once she knows of our engagement. Perhaps we could begin planning the ball; I have never helped plan such a large entertainment and would appreciate learning how it is done from you.”
The ladies moved to Lady Matlock’s study, where she explained the initial steps for planning such a significant event. They consulted a calendar, selected a likely date, and began making lists of the many things to be arranged: guests, musicians, entertainment, menus, and the like. As Lady Matlock started aguest list, she spoke to Georgiana and Elizabeth about those she would invite and whether they would support the match or were persons Elizabeth should be wary of.
Once their lists were well begun, the two girls drifted to the music room, where Georgiana and Elizabeth prepared a song for Georgiana to play while Elizabeth sang. When Elizabeth was not singing, the girls chatted about many different things. An hour or so later, Lady Matlock listened at the music room door and recognised William’s intended was the ideal choice for her orphaned nephew and niece. Already, Elizabeth was drawing them both out of themselves; she had rarely seen William smile more or Georgiana talk as much as she had done since last night. “Yes,” she thought, “Elizabeth will work miracles on these two and bring much good into their lives.”
Chapter Six
The day of waiting progressed slowly for the three ladies despite their various pursuits. It was nearly four when Lord Matlock returned from this club as the ladies gathered in the drawing room for tea. Elizabeth was aware William and Colonel Fitzwilliam should be arriving at any time, and her anxiety was such that she could not eat much. What she needed, she knew, was a long, solitary walk outside, but that was impossible to achieve in London. An hour passed in easy conversation when the door opened, and, to their surprise, Colonel Fitzwilliam entered alone. Elizabeth paled but noted the Colonel’s broad grin and attempted to calm her nerves.
“Pray, Richard, may I enquire about the outcome of your errand?” Lady Matlock asked.
“I had no errand; I just accompanied my cousin on a long ride. He stopped at his house to bathe and change for dinner and will be here shortly,” Richard said, a teasing glint in his eye. “Miss Bennet, I sat with your mother and three younger sisters for an hour. We had a rather interesting chat about militia officers and, strangely enough, their pay and what they can afford.”
Elizabeth coloured slightly before she regained her composure and said bravely, “I hope it was a successful conversation, and my youngest sisters are now less enamoured of the militia.”
“Yes, I believe they are less inclined towards militia officers now. Certainly, they are less interested in one militia officer in particular, especially with the gossip now circulating throughout Meryton,” Richard said, raising one eyebrow meaningfully at Elizabeth. She drew in a deep breath and nodded her thanks.
The bell rang to signal it was time to dress for dinner, and Elizabeth hurried to her room, where the maid assisted her with the dress she had pressed earlier. It was the best dress she brought on this trip, although still not fine enough for dinner in the home of an earl. With a sigh, she allowed the maid to fix her hair in a far more elaborate fashion than she usually wore.
She arrived first in the drawing room and hoped Darcy would arrive soon. He walked in a few minutes later, clearly tired from the hours in the saddle but clean and dressed for dinner. As soon as Darcy saw her, he smiled broadly as he strode to her and embraced her tightly before pressing a quick kiss to her lips.
“How did your interview with my father go?” she asked, wondering if his effusive greeting was due to his missing her or a difficult meeting.
“Better than I expected, actually,” was his answer. “I have a note for you from your father, who was frankly shocked at my arrival. He is very angry with my aunt and his cousin but appreciative of the steps I took for your protection. He has granted his approval for our marriage. In fact, he seemed rather relieved by it.”
