“I am no longer upset by it, William,” she told him. “My father has once again shown us how completely he disregards his wife and daughters. For my sisters’ sake, I hope he eventually sees the error of his ways, but his habits are so ingrained that I doubt he will ever really change. We may force him to take an active interest in his estate for a while, and we have removed my sisters, except for Kitty, from his care. She will continue her education with a governess employed by us, not him, and perhaps, finally, Mama realises this is important and will not actively attempt to circumvent the governess.
“The fact is that once he pays back the loan, he has no incentive to continue being responsible for the estate. I hope my sisters are settled and no longer subject to his whims—or Mama’s, for that matter—before that happens. While I believe, or maybe I just hope, the conversations last night and today will have someimpact upon their behaviour, I have little faith they will make lasting changes.”
They arrived at their lodgings just then, and Darcy quickly exited the coach before helping Elizabeth down. He knew her well enough to know she was more tired than she let on, so he escorted her to their shared room and coaxed her to lie down. After both were more comfortably attired for a nap, Darcy cuddled his wife as she fell asleep. They had not been in this position long when Elizabeth gasped and sat upright.
“William!” she cried, her eyes ablaze. “I think I felt it.”
Darcy sat up with his wife. “Felt what?” he asked, confused by both her words and the look on her face.
In answer, she brought his hands to her waist. “The baby, William, I felt the flutters, just like Aunt Gardiner said. Our baby is letting us know he is really there.” She had tears in her eyes as she spoke.
He grinned broadly and blinked back a few tears of his own. “So, we will definitely be parents soon, my love?”
“Sometime in April,” she told him. “Around our first anniversary, if my estimate is correct.”
Darcy pulled his wife into a tight hug. “I love you, Elizabeth,” he told her before kissing her gently. “Now, you need to rest, my dear. Let me hold you while you sleep.”
Elizabeth chuckled. “I do not want to sleep now,” she told him.
“But you will later if you do not now,” he reminded her. They whispered together until Elizabeth fell asleep. While she slept, Darcy fretted. His biggest fear was for his wife’s health. His mother had never been strong, and after Georgiana’s birth, shehad never truly recovered. Elizabeth was healthy, but childbirth was always a risk for the mother. For a moment, he agonised about what he would do if something happened to her, but he quickly shook off those thoughts, knowing they would do no good. To calm himself, he thought about the child, wondering if it would be a boy or a girl and which parent it would favour. He drifted off and dreamt of a beautiful dark-haired little girl with eyes just like her mama’s.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Although Darcy preferred to remain in Meryton for a few days for Elizabeth to rest and visit her friends, she convinced him the only person she cared to see was Charlotte Collins. Charlotte understood Elizabeth’s desire to depart in haste, so they journeyed to London the next day.
An angry Lydia travelled with them to Darcy House. After her parents spoke with her about her behaviour and the possible consequences for her and her family, she agreed it would be good for her to go away to school, at least for a time. Despite this, Lydia was angry—with her parents, with Elizabeth and her husband, and with anyone else set on ruining her ‘fun.’ However, the conversations she had with her mother and father had made her consider her behaviour for once, and while she was visibly unhappy with being forced to go to school, she had begun to contemplate her actions and the potential impacts of them on not only herself but her family.
Two days after they arrived in London, Darcy escorted Lydia to the school near Bromley. As they travelled, he spoke to her in his own quiet but firm way, and although she was determined not toshow it, she listened, and the words of this handsome, wealthy man had more impact than anything anyone else had said. Her sullenness did not improve, but she was consideringsomeof her brother’s comments.
The travel to and from Lydia’s school took an entire day, and Darcy returned home, satisfied both with the school and Lydia, who was no longer openly rebelling against the strictures being placed on her. He had little idea his words impacted his youngest sister-in-law, but he and his wife hoped something would eventually convince Lydia to change her ways. At least at school, she would be somewhat contained, and there would be no men or boys around for her to flirt with—or anything worse.
Jane originally intendedto accompany them but decided to remain at Longbourn as she had little desire to return to London. At Pemberley, especially during the house party, Jane realised she was not suited for a life like her sister’s. She was happy being a simple country girl. Her wishes were simple: a man who valued her for the person she was rather than her beauty and would support her and their family in the style of Longbourn or, just possibly, Netherfield. She had no desire to be mistress of an estate like Pemberley.
With that in mind, she considered the few gentlemen in Meryton, most of whom she had known her entire life, a little more closely, but none of them particularly interested her. Some days later, Mrs Bennet heard Netherfield was leased to another young gentleman and spoke to Jane at length about the young gentleman, who must surely be single, wealthy,andin want ofa wife.Jane was determined to slow her mother down and not repeat her mistakes with Bingley.
“Mama, we know nothing of this man who is leasing Netherfield. I will only remain if you promise not to push me at single gentlemen like you did with Mr Bingley. Mr Bingley was not at all what he seemed to be, but he did help me understand what I do and do not want in a husband. And I want to get to know any gentleman before I agree to a courtship or you say anything about a potential match,” Jane stated.
Mrs Bennet looked at her daughter in surprise. “But Jane!” her mother whined, but Jane cut her off immediately.
“No, Mama, nothing you can say will change my opinion. I will not tolerate your matching us before we even meet, and I will not allow you to push me towards any gentleman. Either a man will call on me and want to get to know me better, or he will not, but you will not push, claim a match, or announce anything to the neighbourhood until the gentleman speaks to my father. If you do any of this, I will leave for London as soon as Lizzy can send the carriage for me.”
Having never spoken to her mother that way, Jane was proud of herself. Mrs Bennet, on the other hand, was shocked into silence for several moments, after which she merely nodded her agreement with her daughter’s demands.
The man leasingNetherfield was a newly-married man who, as Bingley had been, was looking for an estate to purchase to become a landed gentleman. Also, like Bingley, he did not comealone, bringing his wife, an unmarried sister, and a cousin, the second son of a gentleman who made his living as a barrister in London, who was just thirty and already successful in his chosen profession.
Mr and Mrs James Stanhope, Miss Rebecca Stanhope, and Mr Frederick Hastings visited Longbourn a few days after Mr Bennet called on the gentlemen at Netherfield. In an effort to do better than he had the previous year, he did not wait for his wife to berate him into visiting but arranged with Sir William to visit the newcomers shortly after they arrived. During the visit, he suggested the ladies call on his wife and daughters at their leisure, which they promptly did. Continuing his efforts to improve, when Mrs Hill announced the visitors, he joined his wife and eldest daughter in the drawing room to receive their guests and spoke to the gentlemen about Netherfield.
On that first visit, Mr Hastings’ attention was quickly drawn to Jane, and he sat near her and engaged her in conversation during the call. She was quiet, but she asked him questions about himself and his profession, and at the end of the visit, he was interested in learning more about her. Therefore, he asked his cousin’s wife to frequently invite Miss Bennet to Netherfield Park during his stay. He knew he could only spare about a month before he needed to return to London, and he very much wanted to know the lady better. Perhaps, he hoped, she had relatives in London to visit.
“Miss Bennet, business and familial obligations require me to depart for London within a fortnight,” he had said on the fourth meeting between the residents of Netherfield and Longbourn. “Would you be in London this winter so I might call on you there to continue our acquaintance?”
Jane froze when he mentioned leaving, worried he would abandon her as Mr Bingley had the previous autumn, but her outlook brightened when he asked about calling on her in London. “Yes,” she whispered, “my sister is to depart soon to go to London to stay with my aunt and uncle. They live near Cheapside—my uncle is in trade and prefers to live near his warehouses. I am certain my aunt would not object to my accompanying Kitty to town, and I could perhaps stay the entire winter. I would be delighted to continue the friendship we have developed in these last few days.”
Mr Hastings smiled broadly at her and, looking around to ensure they were not observed, reached over to lightly squeeze her hand. “I look forward to it, Miss Bennet,” he said.
Unlike Mr Bingley, Jane believed Mr Hastings saw her for who she was. Mr Bingley perhaps admired her beauty, something her mother liked to proclaim but had not truly listened to or solicited her ideas. Mr Hastings seemed to see beyond her physical appearance and enjoyed speaking with her. They exchanged ideas, but unlike the conversations at Pemberley, Jane had something to contribute to the discussions with Mr Hastings.
“Tell me of your family, Mr Hastings,” Jane asked, moving the conversation to a new topic for a while.
