Disclaimer: Hello all! This is my first ever Pride and Prejudice story so I would appreciate any feed back and reviews. (But please be gentle!) So of course I do not own anything to do with Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth yadda yadda yadda. If I did I would not have ended the story where it ends! Have a Great Day!
"Good morning Mother, Father, Kitty." Elizabeth said as she sat down at the breakfast table the morning after she had formally became engaged to Mr. Darcy. Truly she had never felt so happy in her whole life and believed her happiness was greater than Jane's who had been more radiant than ever when she had first been engaged to Mr. Bingley. Jane had always been the beauty of Longbourn, but when Mr. Darcy had proposed for the second time and called her the loveliest, Lizzy had felt more beautiful than any woman in all of England.
"Well my dear Lizzy and Jane what do you have planned for today? I am sure you would want to head over to Netherfield to see your intendeds." Mr. Bennett said with a little smirk on his face.
"Oh no my dear today we must go to town to see the dressmaker and find the fabrics for Jane and Elizabeth's wedding gowns." Mrs. Bennett said with a little giggle and glean that shown out of her eyes. "You must look absolutely splendid on your wedding days. We must spare no expense for you. Only the best so that Mrs. Lucas will have nothing to say when I meet here for tea about your weddings. Yes an outfit befitting a queen, to become Mrs. Bingley and Mrs. Darcy."
"Ooh!" Kitty suddenly let out a rather loud wail and cried into the porridge sitting in front of her.
"Why Kitty, whatever is the matter?" Jane asked alarmed by Kitty's sudden crying fit. Her sweet nature once again showing how she was concerned for others happiness above her own.
"Everyone is getting married except me" She wailed. "Even Charlotte Lucas has been married and Maria now has a gentleman visiting her and she is only 14, two years younger than me!"
"Oh hush Kitty, your whining is getting on my nerves." Mrs. Bennett scolded her and was met with a fresh wave of wailing.
Elizabeth not feeling sorry or concerned for her sister's well-being as Jane did, but more hoping to stop Kitty's incessant wailing said with false brightness, "Kitty do not worry so. Once Jane and I have been married you will have all of the young gentlemen to yourself."
Kitty's wailing quieted slightly.
"And as to Maria Lucas's beau, I happen to know that Lord Lucas has declared Maria cannot marry until she is 18 years old. I am sure you will have found someone by then."
"Really?" Kitty asked as she wiped away her tears.
"Yes Kitty." Elizabeth assured her and breathed a sigh of relief as her younger sister smiled. Elizabeth had hoped Kitty would change becoming more independent and self-confident once she was out of Lydia's influence, but her gloomy attitude since learning of her two eldest sister's engagements had Elizabeth's hopes quickly dropping.
"Oh all right enough of that fussing. Jane, Elizabeth hurry and finish eating we need to head out soon to go to the milliners." Mrs. Bennett interrupted showing her disregard once again for her second youngest daughter's feelings. Elizabeth knew her mother did not mean to be lax in her affection to her children, but after forty four years on the earth, Elizabeth knew she had a penchant for focusing on one thing at a time and was not likely to change anytime soon.
"Oh uh Mama, I am afraid Jane and I cannot accompany you today. We promised to meet Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy later to discuss a few details, but we can go the next day I am quite sure we have nothing to occupy our time tomorrow." Elizabeth quickly supplied once she saw her mother begin to protest her quickly made up lie.
"But…"
"Mama please?" Elizabeth asked and earned a chuckle from Mr. Bennett who knew what she was doing.
"Oh all right." Mrs. Bennett gave in and slumped down in her chair. "But you must be sure to remember every detail you discuss. We have so much planning to do the sooner everything is set the sooner you can be married and not let the two most handsome men in the county get away."
It was one hour later and a rant on the importance of securing their marriages quickly as Jane and Elizabeth made their way down the road to town that Jane finally let her feelings out at Lizzy's bidding. "Jane please talk to me. I am sorry you were part of my lie, but I wished it to be just you and me today."
"Oh Lizzy I am not mad. I just do not like lying especially to our own mother."
"I know Jane and I am sorry, but you must understand why she really wants to go to town. She wishes to inform everyone and anyone she knows or might meet what illustrious matches her daughters have made."
"Yes I know but…"
"Remember what happened at the Netherfield Ball? Her gossiping lead to Mr. Bingley quitting Netherfield, and you almost losing him forever. I for one do not want to chance loosing Mr. Darcy because of Mama's prattling."
Jane was silent a moment before she spoke. "All right Lizzy, I guess you are right. It just does not make me feel well to deceive her so."
"I thought today we can discuss with the milliner what we would like and convince him to disregard anything Mama suggests and hopefully we will not look like overdressed peacocks on our wedding day."
"As much as I do not like deceiving Mama, that is a good plan Lizzy." Jane agreed and then kept up the sisterly chatter she and Elizabeth had always so easily enjoyed because of their close bond.
When they finally reached the center of Meryton where the milliner's shop was located, they noticed that although it was still early, the town was full of people. Everywhere you looked there were townsfolk rushing back and forth in and out of shops making Elizabeth extremely grateful Mrs. Bennett was not with her and Jane.
As they pushed their way into the shop, Jane and Lizzy were greeted with a barrage of female voices gossiping as they looked at different folds of fabrics. "Well here we go." said Elizabeth and taking Jane's arm in her own they made their way to the counter. They were almost there when Maria Lucas called to them and made her way over to greet them. "Lizzy! Jane! Hello can you believe how busy it is in here today?!"
"Yes it seems every mother and daughter in all of Meryton has come shopping today." Jane agreed as she looked at the women bustling about all around her like chickens in the henhouse looking for a morsel of corn.
"Hello Miss Bennett, Miss Elizabeth it is very good to see you." Lady Lucas then greeted Elizabeth and Jane.
"Good Morning Lady Lucas." Jane obediently said and dropped a quick courtesy as Elizabeth silently did the same.
"Jane I have to say I am so very happy to hear of your pending nuptials with Mr. Bingley. Such a fortunate match you make with each other." Lady Lucas exclaimed, seeming to portray her affection and happiness for the young woman she was speaking to. To those who knew her though, knew she was digging for information she could pass onto the next busybody she ran into.
"Thank you Lady Lucas." Jane answered back with a small smile. "I know we shall be very happy together."
Elizabeth had to bite her tongue to keep from speaking. She knew it would utterly mortify Jane if she made a scene in the middle of all those women, so she bit back the scathing remark she had in response to Lady Lucas's own "heartfelt" congratulations.
"Now Miss Elizabeth after Jane has been married it is up to you to next find a husband. It will be quite a task with the militia gone. All the handsome officers you could pick from." She said sounding briefly like Mrs. Bennett making Lizzy realize how Lady Lucas and her mother were not that unlike.
"Actually," Elizabeth said through strained even tones. "It so happens that the other day Mr. Darcy asked me to marry him and yesterday we became officially engaged." Elizabeth watched the reaction of Lady Lucas and Maria and was pleased to see the shock that quickly took residence. "In fact Jane and I were talking last night and we have decided that we would like to have a double wedding in the upcoming few months."
The next thing she knew there were whispers all around her as the news of the engagement of Elizabeth Bennett to wealthy Mr. Darcy spread like a wildfire through the brush.
"My very best congratulations to you Miss Elizabeth. I know you shall be very happy as well. Such a fine estate you shall be mistress of." Lady Lucas replied after her few seconds of astonishment left her with the inability to talk.
"You know of Pemberly Lady Lucas?"
"Oh yes! Of course I have never been there but the way Mr. Collins has described it to me it sounds absolutely heavenly."
"Mother!" Maria suddenly exclaimed. "Please control yourself."
"Yes yes my dear, well we must go. Again my congratulations to you and your mother. Tell her I will call on her soon. Come Maria."
"Elizabeth I think we better get home before word of your announcement spreads to Mama." Jane said after Lady Lucas and Maria had left.
"I think you are right we will just have to control Mama's decisions when we come another day." It was just as they were leaving the shop that they heard their names being called out.
"Jane, Miss Bennett!" The jolly voice of Mr. Bingley shouted out to them. Elizabeth and Jane turned to behold Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley coming to a stop and dismount the horses upon which they rode. Elizabeth couldn't help but admire the fine figure her betrothed presented as he got down from his mount. If only it wouldn't embarrass Jane, she would very much praise her fiancé as having the finest seat in all of England.
"What a fine coincidence this is. We were just on our way to pay a call on you weren't we Darcy?"
"Indeed." Mr. Darcy replied in his short tone which Elizabeth noticed had changed since yesterday. When she had first met Darcy there was disdain and a harshness to him, now he was still the same old formal gentleman but there was a definite happy tone to his voice and a slight smile that played on his lips.
"Yes we were, but now that we have found you perhaps we could all go for a walk through the Allen grove. The leaves are turning and it is quite a beautiful sight." Mr. Bingley suggested.
"That sounds lovely Charles but we must get back to Longbourn." Jane answered him in a tone that did not hide her nervousness.
"Nothing is the matter I hope?" Charles asked the worry laced throughout his voice.
"Oh no." Elizabeth quickly interjected glancing at Jane as she did. "We just promised our mother we would not be out to long and we have spent too much time already. Perhaps you two fine gentlemen would be so kind as to escort us home."
"It would be our honor." Darcy supplied and took Elizabeth's arm in his own as they walked down the road to Longbourn.
Elizabeth was very aware of the people watching their small party. She could hear the gossips now chattering back and forth trying to figure out how she and Jane had managed to become engaged to such rich men. Just as Darcy she detested gossip, but knew it would be some time before someone else caused such exciting news and she would just have to pray that that time came soon.
After they had walked about ten minutes keeping up a pleasant chatter as if they had always been this comfortable with each other, Elizabeth realized things were perfect. Here she walked with her sister who was her dearest friend and confidant, her very amiable betrothed who made her Jane extremely happy, and the most handsome man in all of England who she had lately learned was utterly devoted to her. Things were perfect and she knew they would only get better.
Ugh I hate endings! I always feel I do so poorly on them. Well that is it. I have to say this story went in a different direction than I intended but I am very happy with it. So please read and review and again Have a Great Day!