The wedding was in full swing. Laughter and music filled the air and everyone was having fun, well almost everyone.
"I really don't know what it is that you want from me," Mrs. Bennet complained to Elizabeth and Jane, she had left her table and joined Elizabeth and Jane at the bridesmaids' table, everyone else in the wedding party was on the floor dancing, "I think you're just waiting for me to drop dead in front of you, although even then I doubt that you would do a thing, you seem to take pleasure in tormenting me just like your father."
"Mother, please," Jane said to her.
"Don't you 'mother please' me," Mrs. Bennet turned to her oldest daughter.
"Can you at least pretend to be happy for Chaz?" Elizabeth asked.
"Why should I be happy?" Mrs. Bennet asked, "Why should I have to pretend to be happy?"
Elizabeth and Jane wisely kept silent. Mrs. Bennet was on a roll and there was no stopping her.
"At least Charlotte Lucas had the good sense to get married when someone asked her for her hand," Mrs. Bennet went on, "and this only two months after they met and knowing her, she's probably pregnant already and Mrs. Lucas is going to get a grandchild before me." That was really the thing that was bothering Mrs. Bennet that Mrs. Lucas was going to have one over her, yet everyone knew how plain Charlotte was; she had nothing on her girls.
"Mother!"
"What?" Mrs. Bennet glared at Elizabeth and Jane.
"Would you please lower your voice at least?" Elizabeth whispered.
"Why?" Mrs. Bennet asked, "Everyone's already saying such things and more, honestly girls you met Darcy and Charles long before Charlotte Lucas met Collins, why is she married before you?"
Elizabeth and Jane had already had this conversation or one very like it with their mother – numerous times – so they didn't bother to answer her now. Jane wished that Charles had been able to make it for Chaz's wedding but he was away on business as was Darcy, so they were stuck with their mother's complaints alone; Jane was certain that if one or both of her soon-to-be sons-in-law had been around this conversation would not have taken place, Mrs. Bennet would have been too busy showing them off.
"Mrs. de Bourgh probably disapproves of your engagement," Mrs. Bennet said, "and she certainly doesn't like Charlotte otherwise she would have made an effort to attend the wedding but no, she's not here."
Mrs. de Bourgh had gone with Darcy and his cousin Richard on the trip so she hadn't been able to attend Collins' wedding. The trip had been last minute otherwise Elizabeth was sure that Collins would have rescheduled to ensure her presence.
000
"You may go in," Collins told her.
Elizabeth smiled at him; she was a bit surprised to see him at Mrs. de Bourgh's office although Chaz had told her that they had decided to put off the honeymoon for another six months; Collins had to first finish the project they were currently working on before he could leave, still Elizabeth had thought he'd take a few days off at least.
Elizabeth had wondered at that and told Chaz when her friend had told her about it but Chaz had said that she was happy to wait, it turned out that they had finally managed to buy a house together and Chaz wanted to work on it especially since Mrs. de Bourgh had said that she intended to visit them soon. She had been 'kind enough' to send over certain designs –of the bedrooms, kitchen and conservatory, that she expected to find in the Collinses house so they were going to ensure that everything was just so before she graced them with her presence.
Elizabeth entered Mrs. de Bourgh's office and she had to say that she was impressed; it was very beautifully designed.
"I'm glad to see that you can recognise a tasteful design when you see it," Mrs. de Bourgh said by way of greeting.
"It is quite something," Elizabeth said.
"What it is, is magnificent," Mrs. de Bourgh told her. "It's one of my earlier designs."
"I've actually never seen anything like it," Elizabeth said.
"Of course not," Mrs. de Bourgh said. "I don't just let anyone into my office." The way she it implied that Elizabeth had sort of wormed herself into the office instead of having been summoned.
"Sit," she was commanded.
Elizabeth chose one of the chairs flanking the impressive bookcase and faced her hostess.
"Surely you must be in no doubt as why I invited you here," Mrs. de Bourgh.
"I imagine you want to talk about Darcy?"
"Darcy?" Mrs. de Bourgh asked. "You call him Darcy?"
"It is his name, isn't it?"
Mrs. de Bourgh shook her head; things were obviously worse than she had thought, but maybe that would make her job so much easier.
"My nephew tells me that he has asked you to marry him," Mrs. de Bourgh said, her tone implying that she simply couldn't believe such a thing, "and that you have accepted him."
"Yes," Elizabeth attempted a smile.
"You cannot be serious," Mrs. de Bourgh told her.
"Why not?"
"Do you not see how his marrying you will sully his name?"
"I beg your pardon?" Elizabeth couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"You are common," Mrs. de Bourgh told her, "you couldn't be more common had your name been Smith or Jones, but common you are and it wouldn't do for a member of my family to consort with a person like you."
"I think I've heard enough," Elizabeth stood up.
"Not nearly enough," Mrs. de Bourgh said. "You seem like a sensible young woman which is why I decided to talk to you instead of Fitzwilliam, you will listen to reason and do what is right."
"Really?"
"Yes," Mrs. de Bourgh said, "if he marries you he will lose respect, and there are people who would never be able to associate with him. If you love him like he claims you do, spare him that."
"I'm sorry you feel this way, Mrs. de Bourgh," Elizabeth told her, "but honestly I couldn't care less for people I don't know; so if you feel that you won't able to associate with your nephew when he marries me, surely that it your loss and not mine, you do whatever you want but I am marrying him."
"You ungrateful girl," Mrs. de Bourgh, "you are shameless."
"Well that's what being common does to you, I guess," Elizabeth made her way towards the door, "have a good day."
000
"So how was the wedding?" Darcy hadn't been able to see Elizabeth since they'd arrived back in town the evening before – he'd been in meetings the whole day; he wouldn't even have managed to see her this evening had he not canceled another meeting.
"Fun, I guess," Elizabeth told Darcy. The wedding had been fun, well apart from Mrs. Bennet's complaining.
"The trip was no fun at all," Darcy told her, "but at least we got everything settled in the end."
Elizabeth leaned back against Darcy and sighed, this was just perfect. "This is nice." She thought about telling him about her meeting his aunt but didn't want to spoil the moment; they would talk about Mrs. de Bourgh's disapproval another time, hopefully never.
"Yes," he agreed, "very nice."
"My mother was in fine form on Saturday," Elizabeth told him.
"Isn't she always?" he teased her.
"Well this time I believe she went even farther," Elizabeth told him, "apparently Jane and I let another person get married before we did, and now they are going to have children and their parents will be grandparents before her and yet we've been engaged longer than they have been."
"I'm sorry I missed all that," he said.
"You're just saying that," Elizabeth told him, "and besides if you'd been there Mother wouldn't have said those things; she'd have been too busy showing you off to all her friends."
"And I would have told her that it's your fault we're not already married," Darcy said, "you're the one who wanted a long engagement not me."
"You're such a traitor," Elizabeth said, "we agreed, both of us did, that we would wait awhile before getting married."
"Fine, I agreed, then," Darcy said, "but maybe I'm having second thoughts."
"Too late," she quipped, "second thoughts cannot be entertained, once you decide on something that's it no takebacks."
"You're such a taskmaster or should I say mistress?"
"You can say whatever you want," Elizabeth told him, "as long as you know you can't change your mind."
"I don't want to change my mind," he said, "you're stuck with me."
"And you're stuck with me."
Darcy smiled at her and pulled her in for a kiss. The kiss deepened and would have gone on longer back Elizabeth pulled back.
"Can I tell you something?" she said.
"Of course."
"I love you," she said.
"That's what you wanted to tell me?" he asked, "I thought it was going to be this momentous thing."
"Nope," she smiled, "just plain old 'I love you'." And she did, much more than she'd ever thought she'd love anyone.
"Can I tell you something?" he countered.
"Of course."
"Until I met you I was convinced that I would never meet anyone I could ever marry."
"I'm glad I cleared that up for you," she teased him.
"Elizabeth I'm serious," he said, "when I met you I was bowled over, I felt like I could on air, I know this sounds sappy and ridiculous but it's true, I love you so much, Elizabeth Bennet, I can't wait for the day you'll become Elizabeth Darcy."
000