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“After what seemed like an eternity, I heard Jane come up the stairs. I sneaked into her bedroom, demanding to know what had occurred. She was crying but I soon found it was with happiness because she was to leave in the morning to marry Mr Churchill. My mother had counselled Mr Churchill to wed properly in church in front of his relatives. I was so glad that he was finally going to do the right thing after his months of skulking about. Jane said that it was because his aunt, who would have disapproved of the match, had died. She said she would go back to her relatives tomorrow. She hoped to marry Frank as soon as six weeks of mourning had passed.”

“Oh! I am so glad for Miss Fairfax!” said Jane, conscious of the parallels with her own situation with Mr Bingley but too generous to begrudge Miss Fairfax her happy ending. “But poor you! You have again lost your companion, and Felix and Amabel—their governess!”

“I don’t suppose I could convince you to return?” asked Cherise hopefully.

“I am afraid not,” said Jane, lowering her voice to a whisper. “It is not yet publicly announced, so I know you will be discreet, but my sister has married Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy, so my uncle does not want me to go back into service. In fact, I would be grateful if you would be discreet about the time I spent with you—Mr Darcy is a very proud man.”

“Certainly,” said Cherise. “I shall let it be known that you accompanied me to those functions as my friend. We are friends, are we not?”

“Of course!” said Jane, warming to the theme, “and if you wish, I could accompany you to a few places as your friend while your mother is searching for a new companion.”

Cherise squeezed Jane’s forearm in appreciation.

At this point, Mrs Garth spotted her daughter talking to her former companion in the corner and decided to join their tête-à-tête. Jane’s location at the front of the church next to Miss Georgiana Darcy had not escaped Mrs Garth’s notice and when she asked Miss Bennet if she counted Miss Darcy among her friends, her daughter whispered in her mother’s ear.

After a brief silence while she digested this information, Mrs Garth was all smiles. “Please give my congratulations to your sister, Miss Bennet. I know Mr Darcy banks with Drummonds but if there is any assistance my husband can provide, we would be most happy.”

The three of them were still chatting a few minutes later when Georgiana rejoined their group, having sent the two assiduous captains off to procure food and drink for herself and her friend.

Shortly after, Mr Darcy was wheeled into the vestibule of Matlock House by Finn. He was looking extremely handsome in an outfit very similar to the one he had worn to his wedding, with the addition of his rose-coloured glasses perched on his nose. There was a slight hush in the room as the earl’s nephew made his first public appearance following his illness, but everyone quickly realised their faux pas and resumed their talking to cover it. Of course, the majority of the conversations now diverted to the subject of Darcy, with those who had been ignorant of his recent illness being put in the know and others exclaiming on how well he looked given his brush with death.

By serendipity, it was at this moment that Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who was ignorant of her nephew’s entrance, saw her niece engaged in conversation with three strangers. Having noted Jane’s presence next to Georgiana in the church, Lady Catherine approached, thinking she had finally run to ground the interloper.

“Are you the hussy from Hertfordshire who has ensnared my nephew?” she said so loudly that, despite the hubbub in the room, several guests in their near vicinity turned their heads.

Jane stared at Lady Catherine in amazement. Aghast, Mrs Garth excused herself and pulled her daughter away, suddenly eager to find her husband. Darcy, who was some distance off but very attuned to his aunt’s voice, signalled his valet to push him closer.

Drawing herself up to her full height, Jane replied in the most innocent way, “I beg your pardon?”

“Aunt!” intervened Georgie, shocked by her relative’s manners. “This is my friend Miss Jane Bennet!”

Lady Catherine glared and prepared to launch her attack. “Do not think you can fool me with that false air of innocence, young lady!” she accused Jane.

“Aunt Catherine!” came Darcy’s voice.

Lady Catherine started and spun round to encounter her nephew. “Oh! So, you are finally out of your bed, are you?” she said with pompous sarcasm. “Is that a gout chair?”

“No,” said Darcy tersely. “It is not a gout chair. Would you favour me with a tête-à-tête in Uncle’s study?”

Thwarted from immediately giving the Hertfordshire harlot a piece of her mind, Darcy’s aunt ungraciously accompanied him, but not without giving Jane a backward glance that would have dried paint. At this point, Mr Collins, who had been sent off on an errand, approached the position he had last spotted Lady Catherine through the crowd, holding two glasses of punch. His mouth dropped open upon recognising Jane and he stood transfixed, alternately looking at her and his receding patroness who was accompanying Darcy and Finn to the earl’s study.

Jane smiled beatifically at him.

Realising his duty lay with his patroness, Mr Collins shot a questioning glare at his cousin before tearing himself away to follow Lady Catherine.

“What a ridiculous man my aunt’s parson is,” said Georgie, glad the situation had been taken behind closed doors. “Do you know him?”

“He is my cousin,” answered Jane calmly, “and the new squire of Longbourn.”

When Georgie’s hand shot to her mouth in horror at her faux pas, Jane merely laughed, “He is ridiculous, isn’t he?”

They both burst out giggling.

Seeing Darcy entangled with his sister, Lord Matlock bluffly excused himself from a knot of his friends and quickly followed his relatives. As Lady Catherine had already read and approved the marriage settlements between Robert and Anne, she had no reason to bother Darcy, but knowing her to be rather ungracious in defeat, the earl judged it necessary to intervene before his poor nephew received an ear bashing.

Arriving in the study, the earl found his wheelchair-bound nephew doing very well for himself and looked on in astonishment.

After assuring his aunt he was in full command of his faculties, Darcy apologised for not being able to notify her of his choice himself, wondering aloud how she had come by her information before he could personally inform her. Lady Catherine duly brandished the anonymous letter, which she drew from her pocket. Deploring all sneaks and gossips, Darcy then explained how he had met his match in the form of the most delightful bluestocking he had ever chanced to match wits with when he had accompanied his friend Bingley to his new estate in Hertfordshire. He knew his aunt would respect his choice and wished Anne and Robert every felicity.