Page 152 of Mr. Darcy’s Diamonds

“Were you hoping for an elopement?”

“No, of course not. I was only hoping for all the barriers to be removed.”

Elizabeth chuckled. “Perhaps, then, you should speak with my Uncle Bennet this evening. He returns to Longbourn soon, but I think you may be pleased with what he has to say.”

“Truly?” His eyes lit in anticipation.

Elizabeth nodded eagerly.

Fitzwilliam glanced at the chess players. “Their game is almost finished, I think.”

Half an hour later, Fitzwilliam and Uncle Bennet emerged from Uncle Gardiner’s study laughing. Elizabeth exchanged smiles with her aunt and uncle before standing to welcome her betrothed.

It was agreed that Fitzwilliam would join the duke on his visit the next day, and they would broach the topic of their wedding together. Then the couple was granted a few minutes alone as she walked him to the door.

Elizabeth was grateful he did not ask how her grandfather would feel and instead used their precious minutes together to show her how he felt. He kept his kisses chaste, but they were still the glorious answer to all her questions of late. Did he still want her? Would she have him beside her as she entered a new social sphere? Was she more to him than a quest? Would he always come back to her? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Any question she could conjure he would return with a Yes.

Darcy was overjoyed the next day to learn that contrary to his concern that the duke would wish to keep Elizabeth to himself for months or longer now that he had finally met her, he actually wished for a prompt wedding in hopes of meeting his heir.

Apparently, Elizabeth had already received some idea that her eldest son would inherit the dukedom and lands that her father had died too soon to claim. Darcy had not even considered the possibility. His first thought was that he hoped he and Elizabeth would have at least twice as many sons as the one his own mother had, but then he remembered his own heir need not be male, and he had a sister whose child could inherit Pemberley. All he needed for a lifetime of happiness was Elizabeth.

And that lifetime with her as his wife would begin sooner than he could have hoped. With input from the duke, Mr. Bennet signed the marriage articles that very day. Darcy was humbled anew when he learned the size of Elizabeth’s dowry. He and her family ensured all would be protected for her and any future children. He found himself hoping again for a large family.

From her parents, she had inherited an estate in Lancashire and the investment that was now more than double the fifty-six thousand pounds it had been nineteen years before.

Her grandfather’s legacy was more complicated. If Darcy and Elizabeth were blessed with a son while the duke was still living, then the boy would inherit the title, Rowe Manor, and seventy-five thousand pounds immediately upon His Grace’s death.

If the duke were to die before a son came to the Darcys, then the ducal title would become extinct, just as Oliver Rowe’s title had ended. Elizabeth would then inherit Rowe Manor and seventy-five thousand pounds, both of which could be gifted independent of the title.

Either way, the duke’s London townhouse would go to Elizabeth.

After that overwhelming afternoon, Darcy was relieved to take on a simpler task, that of obtaining a common license, which he did on Monday. He and Elizabeth would marry quietly in Meryton chapel a week from Tuesday.

In the following days, Darcy would invite his sister and his Matlock relations to the wedding. Elizabeth would have the support of her grandfather, the Gardiners, and the Bennets. Mr. Bennet had been undecided on whether he would break the news to his wife about Farmer Ollie or wait for Elizabeth to do it. She thought it her uncle’s duty, and Darcy agreed.

They had no intention of informing the Hursts or Miss Bingley of their nuptials beforehand. They could learn the news when the rest of society did. Lady Matlock and the duke, who had met soon after the engagement was formalized, concocted a plan to introduce the recovered heiress to society, but Darcy had no intention of thinking about that until required.

Chapter Sixty-Three

Once Darcy had secured the legal means to marry Elizabeth and had gained his family’s agreement to travel to Hertfordshire for the wedding, he searched for other ways to occupy himself for the few remaining days. He could not be in his betrothed’s company all the time, as she had wedding clothes to purchase and he knew not what other arrangements with her aunt and his own. Georgiana was blessed with more of her time these days than he was, as his sister eagerly helped with the wedding tasks.

He did all he could to direct preparations for his bride’s comfort at both Darcy House and Pemberley, including selecting three rooms in his townhouse for her to choose from for a painting studio. He planned a brief wedding trip after discussing possible destinations with Elizabeth. Then he remembered the diamonds in his safe and had them appraised.

When he had questioned her, Richard learned that Mrs. Jeune had sold off a few diamonds to pay her expenses in her first years in England, more to purchase a house, and then most of her single-carat diamonds to convert to the investment that would support her for life. The remaining diamonds Darcy and his cousin had retrieved from Bath were the larger gems, so even though they were far fewer in number than what Mrs. Jeune had already sold, they were also more valuable.

While the smaller diamonds, of which Darcy had three from the red silk reticule, had grown somewhat in value since their purchase, the two-carat diamonds had doubled their worth in the same period. Darcy had never considered diamond investments before hearing Mr. Gardiner’s story, so he was surprised when he learned his little bag of diamonds was worth more than all of Mrs. Jeune’s seized assets.

Knowing the fortune he had been walking around with in Bath and to Yorkshire and back made Darcy uncomfortable. He wondered again why his cousin had not secured them himself. Darcy was a man used to wealth, but he did not carry nearly four years’ income as he walked down the streets of London.

As quickly as he could upon returning to Darcy House, he separated out the fifteen percent of diamonds he would need to deliver to Mr. Holman. The man or his heirs, when Darcy found them, would get nearly six thousand pounds on their one-thousand pound investment of nineteen years before. Darcy began inquiries into Mr. Holman, hoping he could deliver the precious gems across town rather than being forced to carry them all the way to Cardiff. For now, they would all be locked at the back of his safe.

When Darcy went to dine at Gracechurch Street that evening, he was eager to broach the topic of the diamonds with Elizabeth, but the opportunity did not arise until after she had played the instrument and graced the small company with her enchanting voice. Finally, the lovers were permitted the privacy of sitting in the corner in full view of her relations.

“Were you able to find accommodations in the Cotswolds for next week, Fitzwilliam?”

Darcy traced the soft skin of Elizabeth’s forearm with his fingertips as he took in the creaminess of her cheeks that were tinged with pink after her exertions at the pianoforte and her obvious excitement about their upcoming wedding trip.

“I have, my love. We will stay in Malmesbury, as we had hoped.”