At this, Charles and Jane smiled, Mrs. Hurst frowned, and Miss Bingley scowled, while Mr. Hurst was only concerned about there being enough food and drink for their party so he could eat his fill. The ladies of the party had just seated themselves around the room when Elizabeth entered. She quickly sat on a settee near her sister and new brother, and her husband joined her.Miss Bingley scowled yet again when her prey did not sit nearer to her as she had expected.
“Jane, my dear,” Elizabeth began. “How are you?”
Jane smiled and blushed lightly. “I am very well, Lizzy. The wedding was exceptionally lovely, and the arrangements you made were perfect. Everything went off without a hitch with Mrs. Gardiner’s assistance.”
“Yes, we missed you and Mr. Darcy at the wedding,” Miss Bingley inserted acidly. “We had heard you were in Hertfordshire but left before the wedding. I am surprised that sisters as close as the two of you would not want to be together on such a … remarkable day.” This was said in a tone that communicated the wedding day was anything but remarkable.
“We were called back to town unexpectedly,” Mr. Darcy said, again showing his displeasure with the lady. “The bride and groom were aware of this and understood our absence. We plan to invite my friend and his wife,” this said in a tone that made it clear to all that only those two were included in whatever invitation he was about to issue, “to visit us at Pemberley before the end of the year. We will celebrate both marriages then and are looking forward to many more visits between the four of us over the years. I am extraordinarily pleased to be able to call Bingley my brother by marriage, especially since marriage has brought me such a lovely and exceptional wife. I could not be more pleased with my choice.”
Miss Bingley was becoming angrier by the minute and was ready to spew more of her venom in the direction of the two former Miss Bennets, but her sister put her hand on her arm to stop her from speaking. “Mrs. Darcy, allow me to congratulate you on your recent marriage to our dear friend Mr. Darcy,” Mrs.Hurst said quickly, attempting to act conciliatory to defuse the atmosphere in the room.
“Yes, we were amazed to learn of it, especially as it all happened so suddenly,” Miss Bingley could not help but say. “We all assumed there was an excellent reason, given your sudden appearance at Pemberley.”
“Not so suddenly,” Elizabeth inserted. “We were engaged the day I arrived at Pemberley, as unexpected as that occurrence was, and were married a month later. It seemed a surprise to some in society because we chose to only tell our dearest friends and family about it before the wedding. My new aunt, Lady Matlock, was the one who suggested we not announce it publicly before the wedding because she knew how much my husband hates it when people fawn over him.”
Miss Bingley did not seem to recognise the statement’s implication or ignored it. “But my dear Mr. Darcy, if you were engaged at Pemberley, why did you not tell me the happy news? I would have enjoyed celebrating with you.”
Mr. and Mrs. Darcy both stared at her for a moment. “Miss Bingley, first of all, I am not, nor have I ever been your ‘dear’ anything,” Darcy finally said after a moment. “For what it is worth, I am your brother’s friend; I have never been yours. And, as I recall, youwereaware of our engagement, as you were at Pemberley the night was announced, the same night that you attempted to enter my private rooms in the hope of affecting a compromise. Quite frankly, I am shocked that you would have the audacity to enter my home again and make these insinuations about my beloved wife after what you attempted then.”
He stood and, reaching down to his wife, helped her to rise and linked their arms before speaking again, “My dear, I had hoped not to cause a scene, but I cannot in good conscience allow this to continue. Miss Bingley, you are not welcome in my company or that of my wife or sister. From now on, I will inform my staff they are not to admit you into any of my homes, and if you attempt to speak to me, my wife, or my sister in public, I will cut you.”
As he began to walk toward the door, he turned and spoke once again. “Charles, you and Jane are, of course, welcome to stay, and Mr. and Mrs. Hurst, while I am certain you knew you were not invited this evening, you are welcome to stay as well, but when I return to this room in five minutes with my wife, I hope that at least one person is gone from this room, and she understands she is decidedly unwelcome here.”
So said, he escorted his wife to the study, where he pulled her into a passionate embrace. She snuggled into his chest and held him in return as he attempted to calm. “I am sorry, Elizabeth, for losing my temper as I did. I could not stand to be in her presence any longer, hearing her barely veiled insults against you and recalling her actions at Pemberley. I am stunned she was brazen enough to force her way into my home yet again.”
“She is angry and miserable,” Elizabeth said in a soothing voice, pulling away slightly to look at him. “And angry people are rarely wise. She has pursued you for years and has always looked down on my family. Losing you to someone she viewed as inferior to her, because despite our relative statuses, she has always looked down her nose at me in particular, has unsettled her and made her act out. I do hope she will eventually get over it, but she seems determined to be miserable. Perhaps with you out of therunning, she will find someone new to fix upon.” The last was said in a teasing voice and drew a small smile to his lips.
“At the very least, one would hope she has finally gotten the message and will not seek us out again,” Darcy said, pulling her tightly to him again. “She is intelligent enough to know I will do as I said and give her the cut direct if she attempts to approach me again. I will also inform my aunt about what has happened tonight and what occurred at Pemberley so she can deflect any gossip Miss Bingley may attempt to start following tonight’s set down. We should call on her tomorrow.”
Nodding, Elizabeth leaned back, silently requesting a kiss from her husband. He complied, and they were lost for several moments before a light knock sounded on the door. The couple pulled apart slightly, and Darcy’s voice called for the person to enter.
“I am incredibly sorry for Caroline, Darcy,” Bingley said as he entered the study. The embraced couple could see Jane standing just outside the open door, uncertain of her welcome into this particular room. “The others have gone, and Louisa was very apologetic as well. She had not wanted to come, but nothing we did would stop Caroline, so Louisa came to keep her from acting as she did. Obviously, that failed.”
Darcy sighed and released his wife. “Come, let us return to the drawing room to sit and speak until dinner is ready.”
Jane interjected. “We saw the butler in the hall as he came to announce dinner. It is ready,” she informed them.
Elizabeth nodded and took her husband’s arm. “I assume they know our uninvited guests have departed, so let us go into dinner. Since we are such a small party, we are eating at asmaller, more intimate table, and I would prefer to sit next to my husband tonight if it is all the same to the two of you,” she laughed as they walked toward the dining room.
The others readily agreed with the suggestion, and both couples were quickly seated at the table. A footman whisked away the extra place settings as fast as they had been added, and the two couples were soon eating and chatting companionably. They spoke of the wedding, and both had only glowing things to say about the event and those in attendance. Both Mrs. Bennet and Lydia had been too ill to attend, and Mr. Bennet had spent much time discussing with both Mr. Bingley and Mr. Gardiner as they attempted to make plans for, at the very least, Lydia and how to deal with her during her confinement.
Elizabeth noted that Jane was silent during this discussion but left it alone. Eventually, she knew Jane would have to face the realities of Longbourn; however, Elizabeth did not want to further ruin this night with that discussion.
All too soon, the evening was over. Elizabeth noted several times that the previously close relationship she had had with Jane was not the same, and she began to wonder if it would ever be fully restored. Granted, as a married woman, William was now her most intimate friend and partner, and the role Jane had played in her life would naturally have changed regardless. Still, she felt as if there was something else that was causing the distance between her and her sister.
The next morning, the couple visited Lord and Lady Matlock and informed them of the events from the previous night with their uninvited guests. Lady Matlock promised to whisper a few quiet words in the right ears to ensure that Miss Bingley could no longer trade on the Darcy name for invitations to events.
Within the week, Miss Bingley was again travelling north with the Hursts. That bitter lady was to go and live with an aunt in Yorkshire, the same place she had been sent to after her antics at Pemberley. This time, however, she had been publicly disgraced after being denied entry into the drawing rooms of several of the ladies she had attempted to ingratiate herself with by speaking poorly of the new Mrs. Darcy. She had not realised when she spoke that Lady Matlock had already informed several ladies of Miss Bingley’s bitter grapes because she had been unable to trap Mr. Darcy.
She was still bitterly angry but was impotent to do anything about it. Her reputation in shreds, she had little hope of ever being able to return to London to find a husband there. Her only hope was to find a reasonably wealthy husband in Yorkshire, or she would remain an old maid. Perhaps, in time, her brother would allow her to visit him again, but she would find it difficult to live in a house where Jane Bennet was mistress.
It was with a distinct sense of ill use that she departed, and while she never accepted her role in her banishment, banished she remained. She never returned to London, and although her brother and sister did write and visit, she was never again in company with the Darcys, nor did she marry.
The Darcys and Bingleys were in company twice more before the former left for Pemberley nearly a fortnight later. Jane remained slightly distant from Elizabeth in these meetings, leaving Elizabeth to wonder about the cause. However, she was incandescently happy with her husband of not quite two months. She accepted that she and Jane had been bound to grow apart with their marriages, especially considering the physical distance that separated them.
It was early November when the Darcys returned to their estate, having remained in London much longer than they intended. The entire staff was waiting outside to greet the new mistress, and after the necessary introductions were performed, Darcy lifted Elizabeth in his arms to carry her over the threshold. Elizabeth laughed as he did so, causing Mrs. Reynolds to smile broadly and wipe a tear from her eye at her master’s happiness. Soon, she knew, there would be new life and new little Darcys at Pemberley again.
Their first week at Pemberley was spent exploring the estate. William ignored all business except an item or two that his steward had determined needed his immediate, personal attention. These were easily handled, and William took the opportunity presented by one of these items to take his new wife on a horseback ride. While riding, he introduced several tenants to their new mistress, and Elizabeth, as he had expected, had charmed them all. It was too cool for a picnic, although their rides did give William several ideas about places to visit privately with Elizabeth when the weather warmed.
