In any case, his cousin must be informed. If Richard could attend, he would naturally stand with him; if not, Darcy would request the office of his new uncle.
That settled, he returned to his letter.
—but given your sister’s conduct towards my intended at Pemberley, I judged it prudent to say nothing. I would not hazard my wedding by inviting her interference.
In withholding this information from you before your departure, I did not anticipate that Miss Bingley might still attempt to interfere from a distance. In this, I was mistaken.
I am engaged to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and we are to be married on Wednesday. The haste of our wedding is owed chiefly to my own wishes; now that she has accepted me, I have no inclination to allow for delay.
Unaware of this—and, I suspect, much displeased by Miss Elizabeth’s presence at Pemberley, as well as my own sudden departure, which necessitated her leaving as well—your sister has written to Miss Jane Bennet. I have seen that letter, along with the one she wrote upon leaving Netherfield in November, and I cannot overlook the liberties she has taken in presuming to speak on my behalf.
In her earlier letter, she suggested that you were forming an attachment to my sister, which caused Miss Bennet considerable distress, given the marked attention you had paid her during the previous months. We have since spoken of this matter, and I can onlyrenew my apology for the part I played in discouraging your return to Hertfordshire.
Your sister’s more recent letter, however, is of a far more serious nature. In it, she casts unwarranted aspersions upon my intended and asserts that, whatever may have occurred at Pemberley, you would wish to have no further connexion with the Bennet family. She presumes to claim the same for me.
Although she could not have known of my engagement, I must insist that she refrain from ever again presuming to speak for me. I would strongly advise that you impose a similar restriction where your own name is concerned, but at least she is family and she has presumed to speak for you for some time.
I do not know your present intentions with regard to Netherfield or Hertfordshire; yet I must request that you caution your sister in the clearest terms: should she again presume to speak in my name, or to advance any such assertions concerning any member of my family—including the Bennets—I shall consider our acquaintance at an end.
Her future reception in my homes will depend entirely upon her conduct towards my wife. As such, Elizabeth shall determine whom she receives at our homes, if she chooses to receive Miss Bingley at all; and at present, I do not imagine either of us will be inclined to do so. Should I learn that she has spread such gossip beyond Miss Bennet, I will take whatever measures are necessary to protect my wife.
I would not have you learn of my marriage in this manner, yet circumstances have made it unavoidable. I hope, when next we meet, that we may do so with the same regard that has long existed between us.
Yours, &c.,
F. Darcy
That letter sealed and folded, Darcy placed it upon the salver reserved for the outgoing post and turned his attention to a second, far more enticing undertaking.
Elizabeth had confessed that evening that she had preserved the letter he had given her in Kent—a letter which, by all rights, ought long since tohave been destroyed. Yet she had kept it, she said, because it was the only one he had ever written to her.
That, he determined, must be remedied. A part of him wished for her to destroy his first letter, but he also credited it with helping her to change her mind about him. Regardless, he did not wish for that to be the only message she had from him.
Taking up a fresh sheet of paper, he began again.
Dearest, loveliest Elizabeth,
From there, his pen moved with far greater ease, as he set down many of the thoughts he had held during the months of their separation—omitting, of course, any sentiments he had once been misguided enough to entertain against her.
Several other letterswere written that Sunday, following the announcement made during the church service, and were dispatched in the same post that carried Darcy’s to his cousin Richard in London and to Bingley in Scarborough.
Mr Gardiner wrote to his solicitor to enquire about releasing a portion of his mother’s legacy for her grandchildren—a matter known at present only to himself and his London man of business. He could not but think he ought to have addressed it sooner, though it had not returned to his mind until they were preparing for bed that evening.
Lady Lucas wrote at once to her daughter, Charlotte Collins, at the rectory in Hunsford.
Mrs Bennet wrote to several acquaintances now scattered across the country—ladies who had long since removed from Meryton and who would not know the Darcy name, but who would certainly appreciate the triumph of a daughter at last married.
Mrs Gardiner, in turn, wrote to friends she had only recently visited in Lambton, sharing the news that her niece would soon be established as mistress of Pemberley.
A number of the neighbourhood ladies took up their pens as well, sending accounts of the engagement to friends in London; and at least one could boast of a distant connexion to the gossip papers, ensuring the news might travel farther still.
And Jane Bennet wrote a letter—decidedly severe, for her—to Miss Bingley, insisting that she never write to her again, particularly if she meant only to deceive her.
Nineteen
Monday, 10 August 1812
Elizabeth met Fitzwilliam atop Oakham Mount early on Monday morning. Their meeting had not been planned, but they each were accustomed to taking exercise at an early hour, and both had been drawn to the small rise as a place well suited to quiet reflection.
