"Lizzy!" screeched her mother, causing her to flinch and then begrudgingly groan. Thankfully, she had already moved back to her proper seat before they had reached Hertfordshire, for fear of causing a scandalous gossip topic. When she had moved, Lucy had conveniently awoken. At that point, Elizabeth mad a mental note to tell her friend to pay the girl more.
At the sound of reality, Elizabeth caught the gaze of her fiancé, and blushed from embarrassment. While she had never thought his initial proposal was anything to appreciate, she couldn't deny that some of his accusations were accurately founded.
Once the carriage had stopped, the trio exited, reviling themselves to the Bennetts that were present. Mrs. Bennett was bubbling and fretting over her daughters as usual. Mary had her nose shoved deep in the binding of a book, something proverbial most likely. Lydia and Kitty were screeching at each other of the finery of the carriage and how they could never understand why Mary would wish to read her sermons. Off to the side, Mr. Bennett had an uncommonly joyful expression, obviously thrilled to have his favorite daughter back home.
Before anyone could say anything, Mr. Darcy addressed the elder gentleman, presenting a reason he had accompanied Elizabeth. This explanation was given at the prior request of Elizabeth, as she wanted her fiancé to have a chance to speak with her father before being ambushed by the flustering of Mrs. Bennett and the abrasive flirtations of the younger Bennett girls. He said that he had some business about his own estate that he had wished to discuss with the patriarch, and that he had offered to bring Elizabeth for convenience sake. The excuse had been decided upon because it seemed the most believable, it would never provide any indication of intentions to Mrs. Bennett, and it was not inherently a lie.
Once everyone was settled and the luggage had been unloaded, Elizabeth was escorted off with the women. They bombarded her with questions of finery and gentlemen and their dear friend, the new Mrs. Collins. When she had been asked about Charlotte, Elizabeth could hear the accusation in her mother's voice, but she decidedly ignored it. The young woman was too happy with the knowledge of what Mr. Darcy and her father were truly discussing to be truly bogged down.
After an immeasurable segment of time, Elizabeth received a summon from her father. She joyful escaped the raptures of her mother to enter the familiar sanctuary of her father's study. What she found there, however, surprised her. The two men she most cared about were far too tense for the results of the conversation to be pleasant.
Bracing herself, Elizabeth sat down in her favorite armchair and waited patiently for her father to speak. After several moments, the elder gentleman turned to face his daughter, a melancholy, stern expression on his face.
"Why, Elizabeth, would you not tell me?"
Surprised, Elizabeth immediately grew defensive. "Whatever do you mean? I was wrong upon my initial impression of him, and once I realized I had been so ignorant, I then changed my opinion of him greatly. I could not have told you any sooner, sir."
"No, my dear, you misunderstand me. Mr. Darcy has explained everything to me, and I know exactly how you must see him now. I have granted him my blessing, as I can tell that for you my darling, the only option of such intense hatred is an even more valiant affection. Besides, who am I to deny this man anything he asked? No, I am mad because You never told me about that monster, Mr. Wickham."
Instantly, Elizabeth turned her head to face her fiancé, agitation clearly on her face.
"Why on Earth would you tell him that?"
"Because, my dear, at the moment, you father is still your protector. He needs to know of any threats that face you and your sisters. I know that you are mad, I suspected you would be. And I understand why. You trusted me with a secret, and I immediately tell someone. But the thing is, my dear, I care about you too much to not tell your father."
Agitatedly, Elizabeth gave a curt nod in understanding. She might not like it, but she understood why he did it.
"So, we have your permission?" she asked her father, trying to change the topic.
"Yes, but stop changing the subject. You should have told me. What if the something had happened to your sisters? I realize that I might not always be the most present father, but I would not wish any of my children to experience that. God forbid, I fear some of your sisters would have even encouraged the rake!"
Resigned to the conversation, Elizabeth nodded gently.
"I'm sorry father. It all happened so fast, and I felt so lost. I just wanted to forget about it, pretend it never happened. By telling you, it would have been real. I would have had to think about it. So I hid it from you so I could hide it from myself."
"Alright, well we can discuss this all later. Go enjoy the company of your gentleman, with a chaperone of course. I must tell your mother about the union, and I suspect you would not want to be anywhere near here when I do."
"Yes, father," sighed Elizabeth as she got up to leave. She was silently followed by Mr. Darcy, who gave Mr. Bennett a bow before exiting. Elizabeth directly found Lucy, a preferred chaperone. The two women then met Mr. Darcy in the gardens, where they began their long walk towards Oakham Mount.
They had been walking in silence for about two minutes when they heard the bellows of Mrs. Bennett. With a grown, Elizabeth apologized for the behavior of her mother and gave her fiancé a knowing smirk.
It was only moments after this exchange that Elizabeth realized that it was the first time since that fateful day that she had walked this path. At this realization, her breathe caught and she grew unsettled, losing her bearings.