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Elizabeth went to bed with her head spinning. Her family, who had discarded her, were still causing problems months later.
Chapter 30
The weather was unsettled on the Thursday so Darcy and Elizabeth made do with sitting in the parlour rather than walking. Claire sat reading a book, giving them some privacy whilst remaining chaperoned. Darcy had talked of the meeting with Sir Edward and how he proposed to use Elizabeth’s dowry. When she heard that the income would be hers to use without restriction, and would be in the marriage settlement papers, Darcy had been blessed with her most brilliant smile. He felt ten feet tall. And now Elizabeth had just finished recounting her conversation with Lady Maria from the previous evening.
“Before we continue allow me to tell you something I have repeatedly forgotten to mention. Your sister Jane is going to be staying with your uncle this weekend. His carriage is collecting her on Saturday from the parsonage at Hunsford. I am sorry that I have not told you sooner, but there have been a lot of distractions.”
“There is nothing to forgive. It is interesting that my uncle is bringing her to London. I do not mean this to sound as bad is appears, but he has allowed her to visit. Ever since his elevation he has been fending off ever more blatant requests for a visit from my mother. I doubt that she knows of Jane’s visit.”
“Are you going to visit?”
“The question that cuts to the heart of the matter. Nothing to do with my family is easy. On one level my answer is easy and obvious; of course. How could there be any other answer? But she does not know about our engagement, my staying with Lady Maria or how on earth I know Lady Maria in the first place. If I tell her the answers to any of these three aspects of my life then she has to lie to my parents or they find out. Which goes right back to the problems I have just talked about. William, I am lost as to what to do.”
“May we approach the issues from a different direction?”
“I am open to any approach that could provide a solution.”
“When would you like to marry?”
Elizabeth’s shocked face turned to her trademark impish smile.
“That is a very good technique. Asking a lady about her wedding tends to push all else from her mind. You are suggesting that we work back at the problem?”
“Indeed.”
Elizabeth pulled her small diary from her purse.
“I reach my majority on June 7th which is a Sunday this year. What about the Tuesday afterward, the 9th?”
She counted out the weeks.
“We are already less than 10 weeks from that date. It is shorter than the norm but not suspiciously so.”
“It will be a long nine weeks but I am in agreement.”
Elizabeth blushed scarlet at his roguish comment.
“The next issue is the location of the service and size of the wedding.”
“Here in London, and small, if you are in agreement?”
“It is aligned with my own wishes. Do you wish to marry from St. Magnus?”
“No. We both worship at St. George’s, and as the Gardiners move to their new home before that date they will not yet be established at St. Mary’s. There is also the issue that Uncle Edward rarely actually attends church. He would sit and read his bible while I escorted the three children to church. He regularly hosted the parson for lunch as well.”
“He will walk you down the aisle?”
“He will want to, although I shall talk to him about it. It is the jostling of the carriage that is his biggest issue but he will definitely be in attendance. There will be an element of me helping him down the aisle but my sense is that is what we will do.”
“So we can agree on a small wedding held at St. George’s Mayfair on Tuesday June 9th?”
“Yes we can.”
They both smiled at the decision.
“I received a note from the Earl yesterday evening. He would like to place this announcement in The Times.
‘The Earl and Countess of Matlock are very pleased to announce the engagement of their nephew Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley in Derbyshire to Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Bryanston Square in London.’
