“I am hoping you will agree to invite her to the Twelfth Night ball. She has relations in London with whom she is accustomed to staying, and she is certain they would welcome her after Christmas. Her elder sister would accompany her.”
He explained Bingley’s interest in Miss Bennet and that he would appreciate the Gardiners also being included. As expected, his description of Mr Gardiner’s place in the world was greeted with dismay, especially by the earl and countess, though they did a good job of masking it because of their love for and trust in him. Lady Romsley looked at Lord Romsley, giving the impression that she wanted to know what he thoughtbefore deciding; after a brief pause, he gave a slight nod.
“Very well,” she said. “I shall ask all four of them to attend. Mr Bingley and his family are already on my guest list, as you know. Before you leave today, please give me the necessary directions.”
Darcy went to kiss her cheek. “Thank you.” Upon returning to his seat, he raised the question of Lady Catherine. “I can at last tell her that I have found a lady I want to marry. She has told me often enough that she will not cease to promote her daughter as an appropriate bride until I do. I have been wondering whether I should go to Kent to inform her before returning to Hertfordshire. What is your opinion, sir?”
The question was directed at Lord Romsley, though both of his cousins said he must be mad to consider it, as any visit to the de Bourghs was only likely to vex him and thus result in him returning to Elizabeth ill-tempered and irritable.
“She would send you packing at once,” Fitzwilliam said.
Little did his cousin know that she was well aware of how horribly he could act and had seen past it. If he was in a bad mood because his visit to Kent had gone poorly, Elizabeth would do everything in her power to cheer him; just being with her would do the trick. With Lady Catherine in his thoughts, he realised that having Elizabeth with him would make visiting Rosings much easier to bear, which would be a good thing for his connexion to his aunt. Not that she would see it that way; if anything, she would be horrible to Elizabeth, in whichcase, Darcy would avoid seeing his aunt and cousin again.
“Miss Bennet is made of sterner stuff than that,” he said.
“I am glad to hear it,” Bramwell said. “She will need to be to tolerate you.”
“And you two,” Lady Romsley said to her sons.
Lord Romsley’s advice was that Darcy should not go to Kent. “Wait until you and Miss Elizabeth have settled things. Even then, I suggest writing to my sister about her. Once you are married—supposing that is what the future holds for you—you can present her to Catherine as Mrs Darcy. She is more likely to treat her respectfully, then.”
“Mind that he said ‘more likely’,” Fitzwilliam said. “We all know Lady Catherine will despise any girl who marries you who is not Anne.”
“I propose we worry about that only when we must. Perhaps Catherine will surprise us all,” Lady Romsley said. “Now, tell us more about Miss Elizabeth.”
Mr Darcy returned exactlywhen he said he would, and Elizabeth was almost overwhelmed by all she felt upon seeing him again. It was as though his brief absence had made her believe that she liked him less than she did—and she knew it was a great deal—but then, as soon as she saw him, she was so happy that tears filled her eyes. There was only one word for what she experienced: love. True, ever-deepening love.
“Mr Darcy,” she said, her voice softer and holdingmore meaning than she had intended, given they were surrounded by her family and several others—Mr Bingley, a girl who must be Miss Darcy, and a genteel, middle-aged lady whom she took as the companion. Yet, she found she did not care who realised she had learnt to admire him.
“Miss Elizabeth,” he said, his tone similar to hers, and she felt like rejoicing. As much as she had not expected their separation to change his sentiments, here was confirmation that it had not—not just in the full, warm manner of his speech but in the expression in his eyes and apparent unwillingness to look away. “It is very good to see you again.”
“For me too.” She had no time to say more before their attention was required by their companions.
The Darcys had arrived with a variety of treats, “for my friends in honour of the Festive Season,” he explained. There were confections, wine, several books sure to appeal to more than one Bennet, and a thick letter from Mr Frederick Darcy for her father.
Reading it, Mr Bennet announced, “He has invited us all to visit his estate in Shropshire next summer. Listen to this, my dear. He writes, ‘It is time for us to reestablish the close bonds of friendship that once existed between us’. Handsomely expressed, do you not agree?”
Elizabeth was glad for her father; he was genuinely pleased at the thought of meeting his old companion again, and it was wonderful to see him so happy. With the new peace in their family that arose from his growing supervision, to say nothing of the prospect ofher and Jane soon being married, which delighted her mother, it was a fine interlude for the Bennets.
Miss Darcy was a charming girl, and, although shy, she gave every indication of desiring to know and love Elizabeth and her sisters and be loved by them in turn. Elizabeth was confident that they would soon be intimate friends, should she and Mr Darcy marry—and she would be heartbroken if he changed his mind and did not propose. Given his open preference for her, it seemed exceedingly unlikely, and, while she agreed that becoming engaged in November would have been too soon, she hoped he did not intend to wait much longer before making her the happiest woman in the world by asking her to be his wife.If he is not quick enough about it, I shall have to resort to hints and tricks. More likely, Mama will do it for me. She is anxious to have the business settled, as she has said.
To no great surprise, the Hursts and Miss Bingley did not return to Hertfordshire for Christmas. Mr Bingley informed them that they would spend it with Mr Hurst’s relations in London.
“It was what they preferred, and I was hardly going to beg them to be here if they did not like it. We shall see them at Lady Romsley’s ball.” He nodded to Jane and Elizabeth. “Mr Hurst’s father is some distant relation of the countess’s—a cousin thrice removed, perhaps. Darcy would know better than I.”
“I do not,” Mr Darcy said. “It means she feels she must invite the Hursts, and as a courtesy, she includes Miss Bingley. It would be unfair not to, given her brothers and sister will attend.”
That was the most any of them said of Mr Bingley’s relations. Elizabeth was not looking forward to seeing them again, and neither was Jane, from what she had said.
“But I am determined to treat them with kindness and openness,” Jane had told her one evening when they were alone. “If they are to become my sisters, I would like us to be on good terms.”
Elizabeth was glad such difficult relations would be Jane’s lot and not hers; her elder sister was far more capable of being patient with disagreeable people.
On December 23, the Gardiners arrived and added to their merriment, and the following days were busy indeed. Throughout it all, Elizabeth spent as much time with Mr Darcy and his sister as possible, and when they were necessarily kept apart, she spoke to Jane about romance and love and Mrs Gardiner about Derbyshire, which her aunt assured her she would find delightful. On the final day of the year, the Darcys, Mr Bingley, the Gardiners, Jane, and Elizabeth boarded their carriages and left for London.
“I expect you to write to me the moment either of them proposes!” Mrs Bennet told her daughters in the minutes before their departure.
“Their young men might have other plans in mind for the moment after securing two of the worthiest young ladies in the country,” Mr Bennet said. “Tell them I shall expect to see them both in my book-room, hats in hand, no more than two days later.”
