“Yes, and to try to persuade my aunt and uncle to attend the wedding.”
“Your aunt and uncle – oh, the Matlocks!” Mr. Bingley exclaimed.
“An earl and countess at Lizzy’s wedding?” Jane first looked bemused, then amused. “My mother will be beside herself!”
“That is what Elizabeth said as well, but it is by no means certain.”
“You mean they may not approve,” Jane said, her voice sharp.
“Or they may already be engaged for that date; the twenty-fifth of May is, after all, not far off. Jane – it feels very odd to call you that! – might they stay here, if they do choose to attend?”
“Of course; there is far more room here than at Longbourn.”
***
The next morning saw Mr. Darcy in the saddle immediately after breaking his fast. He saw no need for a carriage, as it was a fast and easy journey by horseback, and he could manage his clothing well enough without his valet for a few days. He was at Darcy House before luncheon.
“Mr. Darcy! We were not expecting you,” the butler greeted his master at the door. “But Cook can put together a meal for you quickly enough.”
“My decision to come to London was rather unexpected, Thompson,” Mr. Darcy said. “Please tell Cook that a light meal would be welcome, but she is not to go to any trouble.”
Mr. Darcy ran up the stairs like a boy, and was back downstairs in twenty minutes, having given himself a quick wash and changed his clothing. His housekeeper, Mrs. Armstrong, greeted him cheerfully in the family dining room.
“Mr. Darcy, a pleasure to see you, sir. Cook hopes this will suffice.” A meal of bread, cheese and cold chicken had been placed on the table.
“More than sufficient,” he assured her. “Please thank her for me, and tell her that I will be back for dinner.”
Mrs. Armstrong curtsied and left; Mr. Darcy made short work of his luncheon and was soon out the door.
***
“The young lady has no dowry at all?” The solicitor’s voice rose in distress.
“None, Mr. Everingham.”
“But –“
“Mr. Everingham, I have assured you three times now that this is the case. Shall I take my business elsewhere?” Mr. Darcy was becoming frustrated.
“No, sir; I am just surprised,” the solicitor confessed, his hands spread wide.
“Please contain your surprise, then, and let us move on to the matters at hand.”
It took an hour to establish Elizabeth’s pin money, the dowries that would be established for their daughters, the inheritances that would be given to their sons, and the monies and properties that would belong to Elizabeth in the event that Mr. Darcy predeceased her.
“Mr. Everingham, would you be able to lay your hands on a copy of my own parents’ marriage articles? I understand this may take some time, as they were created more than thirty years ago.”
“Wait here, sir,” the solicitor said, and left. He returned not ten minutes later, with a sheaf of papers in his hand. “Here are those articles.”
“I congratulate you on your filing system, sir,” Mr. Darcy said, in some surprise.
“I have an excellent clerk!” was the reply.
Mr. Darcy flipped through the papers and discovered that as a widow, his mother was entitled to her pin money for the remainder of her life, as well as the possession of an estate called Cresston Hall. He recalled that the estate was in Cumberland, and his parents had gone there on their wedding trip as part of a visit to the Lake District.
Looking up, he said, “Mr. Everingham, might you have three copies of my marriage articles made, as well as a single copy of this page?”
“Indeed, Mr. Darcy. Return to us in three days’ time and all will be ready.”
