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He had just met with the man, grievously injured nearly five years earlier. More than any other person he had moulded Elizabeth. It was he that encouraged her, listened to her ideas, recognised the brilliance of some of those ideas, and in the process made himself rich, renowned and a Baronet. He had also made his niece rich, granted her a share of his business when he did not have to. In a moment of clarity Darcy understood why Georgiana hung on every word Elizabeth uttered. On at least four separate occasions she had demonstrated remarkable insights; the blood brandy, the two ships, the grain purchases for the Peninsula and the tournament. She had the ideas but did not take all of the credit, at times she appeared reticent to take any of the credit. He could not wait to hear her ideas when they were sat in the study at Pemberley.
He did not know what to think about Collins and the rejected proposal. But if he was honest, within the strictures of current society, this was probably the most shocking revelation of all. Rejecting the heir to her family estate and excoriating him whilst doing so? In isolation this act would justify banishment. But of course, it was not so simple and he could only marvel at her strength of character. It definitely cast her parents in a very poor light.
He lounged in his chair thinking of the matters he had missed. The rescue of Lady Maria’s niece was exactly the sort of thing he would expect from Elizabeth. The more he thought of it, the more worried he became about the future. It was a once in a lifetime moment, not to be repeated. At least he hoped so.
On its own Elizabeth maintaining an assumed identity would have been worthy of much reflection. As part of the story of the last five years it was hardly worth thinking about. Darcy suddenly sat up straighter with a big smile on his face. What had Elizabeth mentioned? She had 23 cases of brandy in her personal stocks. He raised his glass to her and took a healthy slug. His smile faded as he considered the last two matters.
What she had endured, been subjected to, and overheard made him angry. But his anger did not have a focus. He had seen the book of bets at his club, the nature of which Elizabeth had overheard. It was no wonder she was so dismissive of men regardless of their status given the way she had been treated. Her talking of the brothel, the Sailor’s Delight, had genuinely shocked him but then she had painted the picture of the women looking exhausted after several ships had left port. He would always remember her, thankfully rhetorical, question; what hard toil had they performed to look so tired? It had been a humbling moment.
And then there was George bloody Wickham. Darcy was happy to swear within the confines of his own mind. Darcy held hundreds of pounds of his vowels, tens of times more than was needed to confine him to Marshalsea or one of the other debtors’ prisons. He had always stopped from taking that drastic step even after Ramsgate. Elizabeth had been worried for the virtue of her sister and so had acted. And her footman Robert knew of the Sailor’s Delight because of her Christian charity. Darcy was not sure of the underlying message there but would accept the result. The blight upon the Darcy name was gone. He was intrigued as to how she was not taken in by Wickham’s lies but it was nothing more than curiosity.
In amongst all the excitement since his return from Kent Darcy had not yet dealt with Bingley, or his vexatious sister. Or remembered to tell Elizabeth that her sister would be at Gracechurch Street that coming weekend. The brandy worked its magic and he dozed off.
--
“How are you feeling Elizabeth? Did you sleep or just rest?”
“I slept for two hours Lady Maria, I did not realise how tired I was. I feel better now. I would like to talk to you about yesterday.”
“Of course. Do you want to talk here while we dine or wait until after dinner?”
“Do you mind if I ramble for a while. It will give you a sense of where my mind is at present and will hopefully make the conversation in the drawing room easier.”
“Go ahead my dear. Talking something through often makes it clearer afterwards.”
“There are still many things that need to be agreed with Mr. Darcy. But I am unconcerned about them, it is merely a matter of us preparing a list and working our way down it. I will need much guidance from you with regard to the Society aspects of our engagement. But like I said, it is just a matter of spending time together and resolving them. Where I am completely lost at present is how do deal with my family.”
This was not unexpected. Lady Maria herself had been pondering the issue.
“It feels like there are endless permutations and few absolutes. The first one is easy, my uncle and his whole family will be at the centre of event. He is my guardian and my wholehearted supporter. But after the Gardiners everything else is a mess.”
Lady Maria watched Elizabeth brace herself.
“I might as well be blunt. I do not want my parents at my wedding. They banished me, or as good as, and they have lost my respect. I still love them in some deep familial way but they are no longer part of my life.”
She looked at Lady Maria with a warm smile.
“I have received more love and guidance from you than I have ever received from my own mother.”
Lady Maria was startled at the declaration. There was gently alluding to something or there was just blatantly stating it so that there was no doubt. Why was she surprised that Elizabeth took the second path? After Lady Susan’s declaration that afternoon she was ready for the tears, they did not catch her by surprise. Even although they were at the dining table she and Elizabeth held a hug for a long moment.
“It is true, and this day would never have come without you. You will always be dear to my heart. But if my parents are not to be invited to my wedding what happens to the rest of the family. I remain on good terms with my other aunt and uncle, they are the hub through which all my correspondence with Jane and Mary flows. The fact of my banishment is just never raised. My aunt is my mother’s sister and rather than choose sides we both ignore the matter. But inviting the Philips to my wedding but not my own parents? I just do not know how I can do that. And what of Jane and Mary? Mary cannot travel to the wedding without my father’s permission and although Jane is of age, she is a resident of Longbourn and will have to deal with the consequences.
“Then there is the news that I received from Mary just today. The Militia is leaving Meryton at the end of April and is going to camp at Brighton with other units for summer training. Which in and of itself is good news, they will be gone from the neighbourhood. But Mary tells me that Lydia is now good friends with the young wife of the Colonel of the regiment. There is talk that Lydia will be invited to journey with Mrs. Forster to Brighton for two months. Mary is in disbelief that my father is even considering such a ridiculous suggestion. And I share their concerns.”
There was a pause as another course of the dinner was served.
“I was painfully honest with Mr. Darcy this morning so I am going to continue my candour this evening with you. I do not want my mother at my wedding because it will immediately no longer be my wedding. She will ignore my wishes and make a horrendous fuss every time any of her demands are ignored. They may be couched as suggestions but they will be demands.”
She shared the story of the first hour back at Longbourn in September.
“Can you imagine her reaction if I do not have enough lace on my dress. I have no idea what my wedding dress will look like and for all I know it may end up with no lace at all. But it will be my choice. A choice she will take away from me.”
Elizabeth shook her head and was silent for many minutes. They each took a plate with the small dessert tarts through to the drawing room. Lady Maria could see Elizabeth was extremely anxious but waited for her to start.
“Mr. Darcy and I are engaged because of how we view family. We will start our own family but that does not mean we can ignore where we came from. He has less to deal with than I do, but as yesterday afternoon showed he too has family members that can be an embarrassment. I am not embarrassed by my uncle or my aunt in Meryton. But I am embarrassed by my parents. It was my mother’s own lament, voiced every Christmas, that was the first thing I thought of when I heard the news of Aunt Madeline’s death. We do not need to endlessly recap the following four years but I was industrious. Circumstances and luck played a role but I had the chance to lead an independent life.
“I do not know that I have ever confirmed it explicitly, although I am sure you have guessed, but my parents have no knowledge of you, the incident that led to us meeting, or that through my uncle I have a dowry.”
