She squeezed him tightly. “I am so glad, William,” she told him, pulling back slightly to look up at his face. “What did he say about my staying with your aunt for a time?”
“He wrote you about that,” he said, frowning slightly. “He would not give me a direct answer but said he would answer in this letter. I am very hopeful you can stay for a while, as it will be more difficult to see you if you are not in London.”
“Speaking of your aunt, she is anxious to start planning our wedding,” Elizabeth told him. “I insisted we wait to make any decisions until you returned and could be a part of the discussion, especially concerning the when and where.”
“I would not care for a grand society wedding, so I would prefer to marry in Hertfordshire unless I can convince you to marry from Pemberley. I prefer a short engagement but will be content with a wedding date any time from tomorrow to three months hence,” he smiled as he said the last, although privately preferring something far sooner.
“I told your aunt I preferred to give my mother a shorter engagement period so she would have less time to make elaborate plans. She suggested we marry in six weeks; we could stay in London for three and return to Hertfordshire for the last three to finalise the arrangements there,” Elizabeth told him. “She would like to hold a ball to celebrate our engagement before we leave London.”
Darcy nodded. “I will make enquiries for something I can lease in Hertfordshire for a month or so before the wedding. I do not relish staying in an inn for several weeks, and my aunt and uncle will certainly want to attend. Longbourn may not be large enough to house my relations and yours.”
“My uncle Phillips may know of some homes to lease in the area,” Elizabeth suggested. “Did my father say when he intended to inform my mother about our engagement?”
“I hope the answers to your questions are in his note to you,” he replied, releasing her before taking a note from his pocket and handing it to her. He escorted her to a sofa and sat down beside her. She opened the message, read it quickly once, and then read it again. “Are you aware of what he wrote in this?” she asked after a moment.
“No. He consented to our marriage and said he would give you more information in his letter. Why?” he asked. Her response was to hand the note to him. Darcy took it, looking her in the eye to ensure she wanted him to read the note, and, with her permission, began to read. What it contained surprised him.
Her father’s note did not explain but gave permission for them to marry as quickly as they wished and told Elizabeth it was best she not return home unmarried. “Do you think Mr Collins or Lady Catherine had something to do with this?” she asked. “Could they have done anything that would make this necessary? Could they have spread the news so quickly to Meryton? But my mother was unaware of anything, according to Colonel Fitzwilliam.”
“I do not know, Elizabeth,” he said as he embraced her tightly again. A moment later, he was forced to release her as the rest of his family entered the room.
“Was your errand successful, William? Richard refused to say,” Lady Matlock said, giving her son an annoyed glance.
He smiled then and, at Elizabeth’s nod, handed the note to his aunt. “He granted his permission for us to marry.” Hissmile faded as he continued, “Although he suggests we marry immediately and says Elizabeth should not return to Longbourn unmarried at this time.” He was inordinately pleased to be married sooner than he expected but wondered about the reasoning behind it.
The others in the room gasped. “Catherine?” the earl asked.
“The note is vague and does not offer any explanation,” Lady Matlock said. “Mr Bennet simply says it would be wisest to marry from London as soon as they like, and they should delay a visit to Longbourn for some other time. That is all.”
They looked at each other without speaking for several moments. The earl broke the silence first. “It seems a special licence will be required, Darcy. You should send a note to your great-uncle and ask if he can help you obtain it more quickly than the usual se’nnight. Apparently, you and Miss Bennet should marry soon, although I doubt that troubles you much.” The earl grinned at Darcy as he said the last.
“Elizabeth, we can begin shopping tomorrow for your trousseau,” Lady Matlock said. “It will be my gift to you.”
“Mr Bennet gave me a bank draft for wedding clothes,” Darcy interjected. “Might I have a moment alone with Elizabeth before we make too many plans? We had just read her father’s note when you arrived and have not had a moment to discuss what this means. I prefer to give Elizabeth the time she requires before we take this step.”
The countess nodded. “You have five minutes,” she told them. “And leave the door open.”
Darcy escorted Elizabeth into the nearest chamber. “Pray, Elizabeth, are you at ease with this arrangement? While Iunderstand what your father wrote, I do not want to hurry you into marriage before you are ready. We only formalised our engagement this morning, and it has been scarcely a week since I sought your permission to court you.”
“I do appreciate your concern, dear William, but I assure you I am wholeheartedly in agreement with our marrying soon,” Elizabeth replied, smiling. “I had already determined I wanted to marry you, as you recall, and while it may happen sooner than I expected, I look forward to being your wife. Quite frankly, I dreaded the thought of Mama’s reaction to our engagement and what she might do–she has never understood me and would not understand my desire for a simple wedding. This eliminates many battles with her, beginning with the timing of our wedding, and will be easier all around. I hope the quick wedding will thwart Lady Catherine’s plans, and your aunt’s ball could announce our marriage instead of our engagement. ”
He sighed into her hair. “I do not want you to have any regrets, my love. I will not repine making you mine much sooner than I could have anticipated, but I do not want to push you into anything you do not want or are not ready for. I feel certain you never envisioned a rushed wedding with minimal time to prepare.”
Tenderly, she caressed his cheek. “I vastly prefer a modest wedding, William, and I believe you do as well. The shorter timeline necessitated by our circumstances will ensure a simple wedding. Jane and the Gardiners should be able to attend, so except for my father, all those dearest to me will be able to join us for our wedding. I must confess that I ardently anticipate being married to you. Nonetheless, I find myself wondering if there is a scandal brewing that necessitates haste.
“In truth, I rarely indulged in envisioning my wedding. My mother constantly told me I was not pretty enough, far too educated, and too much the hoyden to entice a man to marry me, and the men around Meryton made that clear. They were put off by my intelligence and lack of appropriately ‘ladylike’ qualities and preferred Jane to me. I never dreamed I would meet a man like you who could love me for my intelligence and wit instead of despite them.”
“I do so love your intelligence and wit, Elizabeth. And let us not overlook your impertinence, liveliness, remarkable kindness towards others, and the numerous other splendid qualities you possess,” he said teasingly before turning more serious. “Never did I envision crossing paths with a woman of your calibre, and I am profoundly gratified to have met a woman who not only matches but exceeds me in every aspect. In truth, one of the reasons I initially resisted our connection was the realisation you are not merely my equal but my superior in every way that matters,” William punctuated his words with tender kisses across her face and, finally, her lips.
He broke the kiss a moment later. “I will ask my uncle and Richard not to visit Aunt Catherine until after the wedding. I should have the licence in a se’nnight unless my great-uncle assists us in getting it more quickly. We could marry as soon as we have it, if that is acceptable to you, from Darcy House or Matlock House, whichever you prefer,” William continued.
“Tell me, William, did everything seem well at Longbourn? Was everyone well? Happy? Do you think there is a particular reason Papa wants us to rush the wedding,” she asked.
Darcy shook his head. “Not that I could discern,” he replied. “All seemed as it ever was, although I did not sit with your motheror sisters for long. Richard was with them far longer than I,” he replied.
She thanked him and kissed his cheek, and then he turned his head and pressed another lingering kiss on her lips before the butler arrived to inform them dinner was served.
“So, what was the decision?” Lady Matlock enquired when the first course was served, and the servants exited the dining room.
