Author's Note: Hello, lovely visitors! This is my first attempt at writing Pride and Prejudice fanfiction; therefore, I'd welcome constructive criticism regarding my attempted use of Regency Era British English and my attempted understanding of Regency Era life. I am a 21st century American girl, and know that I will not have done a perfect, Austen-worthy job writing this little tale, but I do hope you enjoy it anyway! This fic begins just after Lizzy speaks with Mr. Bennet about her new engagement to Mr. Darcy. Thank you so much for reading!
Additional Note Added 12/29/2012: Due to the very constructive criticism's made by a reader named Penny, I've finally taken the time to edit this tale to make it more accurate. I greatly appreciated her comments and help and wish she had not been an anonymous reviewer so that I could thank her personally.
Elizabeth had just reappeared in the drawing room following her rather stressful conversation with her father. The poor man had meant well, to be sure, and simply wished that his most beloved daughter not leave him for something less than genuine love, but declaring her undying love for Mr. Darcy to her father had been awkward. Mr. Darcy looked up from his seat next to Mr. Bingley as Lizzy entered the room and met her eyes. His gaze was enquiring, anxious even. Elizabeth need not have voiced a response to Mr. Darcy's unasked question as the brilliant sparkle in her eyes, coupled with the teasing smirk playing at her lips were enough to let Darcy rest easy; and in fact, Lizzy's comment upon entering the room was not directed at her newly bethrothed, but rather at her mother. "Mama, Mr. Darcy and I would wish to speak to you."
"You and Mr. Darcy wish to speak to me?" Mrs. Bennet wondered at the unlikeliness of such a situation, and contented herself with presuming they must wish to speak of Jane's wedding. Perhaps Lizzy used her artful ways to convince Mr. Darcy to contribute monetarily to the wedding; really, she mused, why should he not wish to contribute to the finery of his most beloved friend's wedding, after all? "Well, whatever you may have to talk about can be discussed with the others in the room, I suppose?"
"Yes, Mama," Lizzy responded with an indulgent smile, "Everyone is especially welcome to remain in the room with us."
"Well, then, come child, out with it. What have you to speak to me of?"
Elizabeth glanced at Mr. Darcy, who rose to his feet, strode to his betrothed, and offered her his arm. Lizzy took it as she smiled joyfully. In that moment, Mrs. Bennet realized what was to be said. She felt her faintness coming on already, and nothing had yet been spoken. Lizzy arched an eyebrow at Mr. Darcy, who then directed his attention toward his prospective mother-in-law and announced, "Mrs. Bennet, your daughter Elizabeth has made me the happiest of men by accepting my hand in marriage."
That one sentence was quite sufficient to put all of Longbourn into a state of chaos for the rest of the day. Mrs. Bennet managed to plan the wedding dinner, declare which were the best warehouses for buying her favorite daughter's wedding clothes, and bemoaning the fact that there was no fish to be had for dinner and that Mr. Darcy was sure to withdraw his proposal because of it between fits of faintness, smelling salts, and flutterings of her heart. Mrs. Phillips was quickly summoned to Longbourn to celebrate with her sister, and Kitty soon made all of Meryton, as well as all of the Lucases, aware of the great fortune that had fallen on their family.
At some point amidst the chaos, Lizzy managed to find a moment to talk privately with Jane. She directed her sister to a seat for two nearest the fireplace and farthest from her younger sisters' ears, and commenced speaking in an eager tone, "Jane, I know the request I am about to make of you will go against your character, but I am compelled to ask anyway, and can only hope you will consider what it will mean to me should you be willing to acquiesce."
Jane could hardly resist such a plea from a most beloved sister, even before she heard the demand, and so replied, "Lizzy, you know I cannot deny you anything. What is it that you would have me say or do?"
"Miss Bingley has begrudgingly added me to the guest list for dinner at Netherfield tomorrow evening at the urging of your Mr. Bingley. She will, of course, be one of the dinner party, and I should dearly love to tell her of my engagement to Mr. Darcy myself. I know that you have already told Mr. Bingley our news, which is why he wished for me to dine at Netherfield as well as you. Now that our engagement has been made public, I am certain you wish to tell Miss Bingley of it as well, but I beg you, dear sister, to allow Mr. Darcy and myself to share our news with her. Would you be willing to withhold the truth and ask Mr. Bingley to do the same until tomorrow evening?"
"Lizzy! I can only conclude that you wish to tell Miss Bingley of your engagement in person because you wish to gloat over her, and you know that is not kind." Jane smiled as she spoke, however, thus lessening the severity of her words.
Elizabeth could not deny the truth. "Jane, you know me well. I must confess that I do dearly wish to witness Miss Bingley's reaction to my engagement. I know it may be cruel of me to wish to delight in her discomfort, but you must remember the unkind words and actions she's taken against our family, me, and worst of all, towards you. I think it is justifiable, therefore, for me to wish to be diverted by her disappointment. Come Jane, tell me that you will keep quiet today."
Jane sighed, but smiled ever so slightly as she replied, "Very well, Lizzy. You shall have your fun, but you must promise me not to be cruel."
"Cruelty is not in my nature, Jane, as well you know. I will do nothing but impart the truth to Miss Bingley and enjoy her reaction. I must tell you I am asking this favor of you for my betrothed as well as for myself; surely you must agree that Mr. Darcy deserves to share the news of our engagement personally with Miss Bingley. She has tormented him with her expectations of marriage relentlessly from the moment she was introduced into society. My excellent Mr. Darcy has agreed to indulge me by allowing me to tell Miss Bingley our news. Surely you can do the same."
"Yes, Lizzy, I believe you need to offer no further justifications, as I've already granted you what you wish, but in return for my generosity, you must in turn promise me that you will not gloat over Miss Bingley after tomorrow evening. She will be mourning a loss and will not deserve to be laughed at."
It was now Elizabeth's turn to smile indulgently, and she answered, "Jane, you are truly too kind. I promise not to gloat. Are you quite happy now?" Laughing at the gaiety of the day, Lizzy watched as Mr. Darcy approached to escort her in to dinner.
Dinner was a joyous and noisy occasion at Longbourn that evening. No one could hear anyone else over the noise of Mrs. Bennet's continuous stream of delighted wedding chatter, and as everyone was in high spirits, no one was particularly inclined to be bothered by it; even Mr. Darcy remained graceful and polite toward Mrs. Bennet. Elizabeth had expressed great concern that her mother's exuberance may over stress him, but Mr. Darcy had assured her that he was equal to the challenge and in fact, intended to enjoy and appreciate her high spirits.
The ladies and gentlemen were both anxious for their separation after dinner to be as brief as possible, and so the gentlemen joined the ladies in the drawing room after indulging in only one glass of port. Mr. Darcy was quick to Elizabeth's side, and they were not to part for the rest of the evening. So engrossed in each other were they that they quite forgot their manners and ignored the rest of the family party completely. As was the case with Mrs. Bennet's jubilant noise, everyone was inclined to be indulgent and to forgive Darcys and Lizzy's lack of manners.
Eventually, Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley returned to Netherfield, and Longbourn's residents retired to their bedchambers. Sleep was not to come to Lizzy, and although Jane was content enough to sleep easily, she instead was happy to oblige Lizzy and talk into the early hours of the morning instead. It was during the night that the sisters agreed to ask their soon to be husbands if they would agree to a joint wedding. After all, they were all four of them to be the best of friends and siblings.
Morning dawned in Hertforshire, and Lizzy was heard to complain that it came rather too early. Jane, who had risen but a few minutes prior to her sister gently reminded Elizabeth that they merely needed to pass a few hours before they would hear Mr. Bingley's carriage crunching on the gravel drive come to take them to Netherfield for the afternoon and evening, and Lizzy felt her dour mood lighten considerably.
Those few hours Jane spoke of felt akin to a few centuries to Elizabeth's agitated mind. Never before had she trimmed a bonnet so poorly. Her mother was inclined to criticize its looks every five minutes or so, so that Lizzy finally threw it down in agitation, snatched up a prettier bonnet, and left the confines of Longbourn house to spend the rest of her morning walking about the grounds. As she rested in a peaceful little copse, she caught herself daydreaming about sharing that particular bench with Mr. Darcy and enjoying the beautiful surroundings with him as her husband. A bright blush crept to her cheeks when Lizzy realized the improper turn her musings had taken.
At long last, Kitty cried out from her perch at the window that Bingley's carriage was arrived. Lizzy gladly set aside the book she had picked up after coming in from her walk; she had read the same sentence repeatedly and had not managed to make any sense of it, so lost in Mr. Darcy were her thoughts. Hill shortly arrived in the doorway, announcing to the two eldest Miss Bennets that the carriage had come to transport them to Netherfield. The sisters left the house with grimaces at their mother's behavior, as she giddily shouted such things as, "Jane dear, do not forget to hold your chest high; Mr. Bingley cannot help but notice the lovely figure you have" and "For Heaven's sake, Lizzy, you shall have 10,000 a year; do not forget to keep your family in Mr. Darcy's mind, for he is in a position to keep us from starving in the hedgerows when that odious Mr. Collins throws us out of our home!"
Lizzy sighed in relief when the footman latched the carriage door closed behind her. "Oh, Jane, Pemberley is so many miles away from Mama. I am ashamed to admit that I shall be glad to have some distance between us."
"Lizzy, I know you shall be glad to shelter your husband from our mother's exuberance, but remember, she is your mother, after all, and I am certain you shall miss her when you are away at Pemberley."
"As usual, Jane, you are a picture of sensibility. Of course I shall miss Mama, but I do believe I shall overcome my homesickness if I just but know the next time I shall see our parents, even if it is not for a se'enmonth. Lizzy and Jane lapsed into a thoughtful silence for the rest of the carriage ride as they each considered the benefits and drawbacks to living near or far from Longbourne.
Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy were both stood on the stairway leading into the front hall of Netherfield; Miss Bingley and the Hursts had elected to wait inside for the guests they were less than thrilled to receive. Miss Bingley had been heard at breakfast to say, "Dear Charles, I know you wish to spend time with your betrothed, but you can never have her to yourself if you invite her sister to share in our family party at every opportunity. I cannot understand why the two eldest Miss Bennets cannot be separated." Mr. Bingley had good-naturedly replied that she and Mrs. Hurst were rarely to be found apart for the same reasons- the bonds of sisterhood and deep friendship. Miss Bingley was left, as usual, to stew over Miss Elizabeth's impending arrival in silence.
Elizabeth felt much more anxiety upon arriving at Netherfield than she was wont to do; she had not felt this nervous the day she had arrived, covered in mud, to tend to Jane whilst she was ill. She took Darcy's hand as he offered it to step her out of the carriage, and she wished to not let it go. Darcy was silent until Jane and Bingley had made enough progress toward the doors that they afforded Elizabeth and himself a moment of privacy, then quietly said, "Good morning, Mrs. Darcy." Those few words sent a shiver up Lizzy's spine; to think she really was going to be Mrs. Darcy in a few short weeks was such a lovely thought. Each smiled contentedly and walked in silence to the doors. Mr. Darcy let go of Lizzy's hand, not only for propriety's sake, but also so as not to alert Miss Bingley to their engagement prematurely.
"Oh, Jane, it is so lovely to see you," Caroline Bingley was heard profusely and falsely cheerfully greeting her future sister-in-law all the way from the great hall where Elizabeth and Darcy were stood. As Jane mildly and sweetly replied to Miss Bingley, Mr. Darcy and Miss Bingley's frustratingly pretentious competition for his heart strode into the room. Miss Bingley's greeting to the second Miss Bennet was slightly less effusively kind. "Miss Bennet. I hope you are well."
Lizzy smiled widely and replied, "I've never been better, thank you. I am glad to see you in good health, as well, Miss Bingley. I must confess, I am rather looking forward to a day spent here in this beautiful house, and the day would be rather spoiled if any one of our party were not in good spirits and good health."
Mrs. Hurst interjected at this point, unable to keep her opinion to herself that the second Miss Bennet ought not to be present with, "Yes indeed, Miss Bennet, today promises to be enjoyable. I have longed to spend a day in conversation with my brother's future wife. It is important that we become the best of friends, is it not?"
"Indeed it is, Mrs. Hurst. You are quite right. And as Mr. Bingley is soon to be my brother, I imagine it is also of crucial importance that I get to know him better." Then, before she could stop herself, Lizzy added, "We are to be married alongside one another; I think it necessary for us to be the best of friends if we are to share the intimate setting of our nuptials together."
Miss Bingley's face was a picture of confusion. "What can you mean, Miss Bennet? My brother is marrying Jane, not you. What can you mean by saying you are to be sharing nuptials?"
Elizabeth's smile grew, and Mr. Darcy was fighting to contain a grin, and she replied, "I apologize for not making myself clear, Miss Bingley. I did not mean to suggest that I was marrying your brother. While he is an excellent man, I am convinced we could never have a happy marriage, because he is in love with my sister. The fact that I am in love with another man would also lessen the chances of your brother and I enjoying a successful marriage. No, I simply meant to have you understand that I am to be married to another alongside my sister and your brother as they celebrate their nuptials."
Lizzy fought the urge to laugh at the sight of Miss Bingley's horrified face. Mrs. Hurst's was only slightly less horrified. The sisters seemed to understand the meaning of Miss Bennet's esoteric speech, but did not wish their conclusion to be true. Surely it could not be.
Miss Bingley regained the power of speech momentarily. "Am I to understand, Miss Eliza, that you are to be married?" At Elizabeth's nod of assent, Caroline continued, "Who, pray tell, is the lucky gentleman? I have heard that you received an offer, which you refused, from the clergyman staying with your family, but I have also heard that he is now married to the Lucas girl, so surely he cannot be the gentleman we are to wish joy. Has another country parson come to take your hand?" She sneered triumphantly at Lizzy; her hope that the odious Bennet was to marry a lowly countryman, probably not even a gentleman, temporarily hid the fact that she knew in her heart which man Lizzy was truly to marry.
"Oh no, Miss Bingley. You are correct that Mr. Collins made me an offer, but surely you can easily see that he could never have made me happy, and that my dear friend Charlotte's calm, sweet disposition is of much greater use to Mr. Collins' ministry. No, I simply cannot imagine being a parson's wife at all. Can you not guess who I am to marry?" A small laugh did escape from Lizzy's lips as she enjoyed Miss Bingley's evident distress.
Mrs. Hurst's eyes darted between the faces of Miss Bingley's, Elizabeth's, and Mr. Darcy's. Her suspicion was confirmed. She nudged her sleeping husband in the ribs and urgently whispered to him, "Wake up, Love, you will not wish to miss hearing this." Mr. Hurst awoke with a start, and his loud grunt diverted the attention of the others to him.
Mr. Hurst asked what he had missed, and Jane replied (though Lizzy had been certain Jane would not take part in such wicked teasing of Miss Bingley), "My sister is ready to share news of her engagement. Can you not guess who she is to marry?"
A scowl was the only reply to be had. In the silence of the tense moment, Mr. Darcy held his hand out to Lizzy, who took it and cheerfully declared, "Mr. Darcy has made me an offer, and I have accepted him. He, of all men, will make me happiest."
"No! It cannot be! Mr. Darcy is in love with me!" Caroline lost her composure and shouted out in dismay. "It cannot be. It simply cannot be." Caroline glared at Elizabeth and raved, "You have no connections, no fortune, and your country manners are appalling. What reason can Mr. Darcy have for proposing to you?"
Elizabeth opened her mouth to answer, but was swiftly cut off by Mr. Darcy, who loathed nothing more than to hear his abhorrent words to Elizabeth repeated so similarly from another's mouth, and who firmly answered, "Miss Bingley, I have proposed to Elizabeth because I love her. Her lack of fortune is of no importance to me, her manners are nothing but appealing and engaging, her beauty is exquisite, and if it were not for her connections, we should not have had the fortune of recognizing our feelings for each other, and therefore, I shall never be anything but grateful to Elizabeth's connections, regardless of their rank in society, and I shall not tolerate you profaning my future wife."
Caroline fled the room, and therefore missed hearing Elizabeth whisper, "Thank you" to Mr. Darcy and seeing them gaze intently and affectionately at each other for quite some time. Mr. Darcy eventually brought Elizabeth's hand to his lips, kissed her hand softly, and whispered, "I love you," and all was well.