Chapter 29

I woke slowly the following morning, wrapped securely in the warmth of Darcy's arms. I could feel his hand gently combing through my hair, and I cracked my eyes open to look at him. His face was a few inches from mine and he smiled gently at me when he saw that I was awake. I smiled back, before stretching out.

I realized that I was in fact, quite hungry, and Darcy soon realized it too when my stomach growled in a very unladylike manner. He slipped out of bed, put on a pair of breeches and a shirt and headed downstairs. He returned soon after with a tray loaded with breakfast. We sat together on the bed while we ate and the warm food settled my stomach.

On an impulse, I suddenly pushed the tray aside and leaned over to kiss him. I heard his fork clatter on the plate as he dropped it so he could caress my face as he returned my kiss. I sighed happily against his lips, and then pulled back so I could pull the tray back across my lap. We continued eating as though nothing had happened, and I found myself suddenly unable to keep a straight face. Before I knew it, and for no reason whatsoever, we were both doubled over with hysterics.

When we were finished eating, Darcy took the tray from my lap, and as he stood said, "I thought you might want a bath, so I had one drawn for you in the adjoining room." He nodded toward the door that connected the rooms. "And I think that I should go check on Georgie. It is nearly ten and she is bound to be awake."

"Thank you," I said gratefully, and after Darcy was gone I pulled myself from the bed and made my way to the bath. The water felt wonderful, nice and warm and I was tempted to lean back and just go to sleep.

There was a towel near the tub, as well as a robe. When I was finished washing and the water had begun to cool, I managed to heave myself out of the tub, and dried myself off before wrapping up in the robe. Then, I went back into the bedroom and selected a dress to put on.

I then went on a search for Darcy and Georgie, and found them in the breakfast room, where Darcy was helping Georgie eat breakfast. They were both laughing, and Georgie was a mess. I couldn't help the giggle that escaped my lips, and they both looked up at me. Darcy rose and strode over to wrap his arms around my waist and kiss me once again.

He kept one arm around my waist as we walked back to Georgie. I planted a kiss on the top of her head and sat in the chair next to her high chair.

We spent the next hour merely laughing, talking some more, and playing with Georgie. Eventually, Darcy turned to me.

"What would you like to do next?" he asked.

"What are our options?" I inquired.

"We could either remain here for a while or go back to America. The next ship for Manhattan leaves in. . . four days now. The next one after that not for another two weeks."

I froze. Four days or two weeks? That was quite a drastic difference. Could I say my goodbyes in merely a day or two? But the thought of staying for another two weeks . . . .

"Let's take the next ship, Darcy, please," I almost begged.

He looked relieved, "I was hoping you would chose that one. We would have to leave for the dock in two days. Would that give you enough time for goodbyes?"

"I believe it would," I replied. "When shall we return to Netherfield?"

Darcy looked around the room almost longingly, "This place is my childhood home. I have so many fond memories of it, but I have just as many not so fond memories. I would prefer to return to Netherfield tonight, that way you have all day tomorrow to visit and then we could leave the day after for the docks. Is that satisfactory?"

"It is," I said with a smile, leaning closer to Darcy, "Very much so" I gave him a light kiss. We were pulled apart by the sound of Georgie's happy chatter.

I kissed Darcy quickly before saying, "I should go pack my things, but I believe that yours and Georgie's things are still at Netherfield?"

Darcy nodded, "They are."

I then rose and practically ran to the room. This time, rather than randomly throwing my things into the bag, I took the time to fold everything neatly. Once that task was completed, I scanned the room for anything else that we would need. I found the doll Georgie had been playing with in her crib the day before and tucked that into my bag as well.

I went back downstairs to find that Darcy was packing some items of his own. He was taking many papers out of his desk, and putting them into a bag. When he saw my questioning look, he told me that they were business papers and letters that he couldn't leave behind this time.

By noon, we were ready to go. Darcy left some instructions with the staff, several of whom seemed teary eyed to see him leave again. It spoke well for what kind of a man he was, and I was filled once again with love for my husband. The bags were placed into the same open topped carriage, but this time I climbed onto the drivers bench next to Darcy, Georgie once again tucked into my arms.

This time, I was awake to observe the ride to Netherfield. I leaned my head against Darcy's shoulder and we spent most of the ride in a peaceful silence. Georgie however, was wide awake and talking the entire trip. She observed the many rocks and trees along the way in a near constant chatter.

Almost as soon as the carriage stopped in front of Netherfield, Jane, Vivian, Charles, and Albert came running out the door toward us. Darcy jumped down and then helped me down from the bench. I was quickly embraced by Jane and Vivian.

"Oh, Lizzy! Are you alright?" they both cried.

I hugged them back fiercely, "I am fine," I assured them, "We just needed to get away for a while to think."

Beside us, Darcy shook hands with Charles and Albert. Finally, everyone calmed down and it was Charles who broke the silence.

"What are you going to do now?" he asked.

"Return to America," Darcy replied, "The ship leaves in four days. We shall stay here for two nights and then leave for the dock."

The various expressions on their faces ranged from relief, happiness, and sadness. I understood each one perfectly.

"Perhaps we should go inside and have some dinner?" Darcy suggested, "We can discuss it then."

We all filed into the house and into the sitting room. One of the servants began bringing the bags into the main entrance behind us. Then we were filled in on what had happened while we were gone. Apparently Lady Catherine had huffed and puffed and tried to restore her broken dignity before finally just sweeping out the door. She had ordered Anne to follow her, but Anne refused. Anne was with her now however, as they were staying at an inn in town. As a result, Mr. Collins had followed Lady Catherine as well and had dragged poor Charlotte along with him and were now staying at the same inn. Caroline had also left, but to return to her home in London.

Because the ball was in celebration of Jane and Charles's engagement however, everyone else had remained, even the Bennets, and the ball had continued far into the night.

Upon hearing this, I clutched Jane's hand, and whispered frantically in her ear, "I am so sorry! We ruined your engagement ball!"

She pulled back and looked me straight in the eye, "You didn't ruin anything. In fact, knowing that you are going to be happy now makes me even happier. Besides, everyone had a wonderful time."

I smiled. The butler then announced that dinner was to be served, and we went to the dining room. The entire meal was happy and light, and it was over all too soon. I found that I would truly miss the company of my friends. Afterwards, we said goodbye and Charles and Albert escorted Jane and Vivian back to Longbourne.

Darcy and I put Georgie into the crib, and once again retired to the room across the hall. This time, however, we merely climbed into bed, curled up next to each other, and then fell asleep.


The next day came with the difficult task of saying goodbye to everyone properly. We spent truly most of the day going from visit to visit. Mrs. Bennet, after throwing a slight fit at the sight of us, finally, with Mr. Bennet's persuasion, allowed us into the house. I pulled Lydia aside at some point during the visit to thank her once again for helping us, and she surprised me by hugging me tightly.

Jane and Vivian accompanied me the entire day. While in Longbourne, I hugged Mary and Kitty tightly, and then Mr. Bennet suggested that we go for a walk.

"So, you are returning to America," Mr. Bennet said in his gentle, quiet voice.

"Yes, sir," I replied, "I will truly miss you all, but it is just too much for us to stay here."

He nodded, "I understand. The people of this family and town can be quite difficult at times. However, there is something I would like to tell you before you leave. It is how you disappeared as a child."

He had my full and complete attention.

"When you were a child, we took a trip to the seaside to visit some friends. At the time, we only had you, Jane, and Mary. You were maybe three or four years old, and quite adventurous. A couple days into our visit, you were with your mother and sisters during an annual festival, shopping for ribbons in a store by the docks. You just . . . disappeared. We believe that you ran off because you saw something you wanted. There might have been a toy that we wouldn't let you have. Your mother had dressed you in a very simple dress because she had anticipated you getting dirty, for it was raining heavily, and we didn't have any of her high society friends to impress that day. As for you turning up in America, you were probably spotted by a police officer and mistaken for a street urchin and put on the first ship."

We had stopped walking by that point, and were standing in front of a pond.

"I want you to know," Mr. Bennet continued, "That your mother and I mourned your disappearance for quite some time, and it was not until after Lydia was born that your mother finally began to let go and tried to forget you, for she had four other daughters to worry about. I am sorry for all that has happened to you as a result, and you will always have a place here at Longbourne."

I swallowed back my tears, and on an impulse, hugged him. He hesitated, before gently wrapping his arms around me and patting my back. We then turned and walked back to the house in silence. I even hugged Mrs. Bennet before we left.

From there we went to the inn where the Collins' and the De Bourgh's were staying, and sent messages up to Anne and Charlotte's rooms. The two women came into the parlor arm in arm. Darcy said a brief thank you and goodbye to both of them before taking Georgie to give us some time alone. Jane, Vivian, Anne, Charlotte, and I sat there and talked for a long time.

All too soon, the day was coming to an end. We had another large dinner party at Netherfield, and the evening was filled with laughter and friends. Lady Catherine didn't attend, so neither did Collins. But Anne, Charlotte, and all of the Bennets did.

Over the course of the meal, we were asked once again what we were going to do next. Darcy and I said merely that we were going to return to the farm in New York and stay there for a while, as a family. That, of course, led into questions as to how big the farm was, what kind of animals were there, and what exactly we were going to do on the farm.

I did my best to describe a day on the farm, from making breakfast, tending Georgie and the animals, laundry and cleaning, and everything else. And then of course Darcy had to pipe up with a comment of how I was never able to tend the animals, and that led to more questions about what on earth he meant.

And so I was reminded and embarrassed all over again, as Darcy told the story of his coming home to find me holed up in the house with Georgie, scared of the pig and donkey. Everyone was laughing so hard the table shook, and even I had to crack a smile once again.

Out of nowhere, Charles asked, "How did you come to be on the farm with Darcy in the first place? I've never been able to get a straight answer to that."

Darcy and I looked at each other and smiled slightly. And so I told them briefly of my life as an indentured servant, and Darcy summarized how difficult it was to tend Georgie and a job at the same time and that it was easier to take someone on to tend her full time. We told the story together easily, each of us telling our own point of view. I told them how I had slept with a knife under my pillow the first few nights, and of my walks in the woods and contemplation of running away, and Darcy explained that he had no idea how to deal with me, or whether to trust me, but that he didn't have much of a choice at that point.

And then we came to the part of Collins forcefully convincing us to marry. At that point in the story, I saw Charlotte cringe slightly, and I sent her a reassuring smile over the table and piped up.

"But of course now I am very grateful that he was as persistent as he was," I smiled at Darcy.

Then, Anne spoke. "My mother didn't exactly tell me how she found out who you were, so I am curious as to what happened there."

I explained Lady Catherine's inquiring letters to a "friend", who I realized now must surely have been Caroline, and how Lady Catherine and Darcy had matched me with the picture and birthmark, proving my identity.

"And from there, one thing led to another and I ended up at the Bennet's front door step," I concluded.

"For which, even though some of us may not have expressed too well, we are quite thankful for, Lizzy," Jane said, "When you disappeared as a child, I was only six years old, but I remember it clearly. Everyone was so heartbroken, mother especially."

I looked up at Darcy and noticed that his head was down and he was studiously looking at his plate.

"Yes," I replied quietly to Jane, "So Mr. Bennet told me. I hadn't realized."I looked down at my own plate, somehow, just knowing that Mrs. Bennet must have loved me at some point made me feel . . . better, somehow. She may be a silly, flighty woman, but I knew that she truly did love her daughters, and I realized now how much my reappearance must have disrupted her life and brought back painful memories.

After that, the rest of the evening was quite happy and light, with much laughter and many more stories. And all too soon, it came to an end.

Once all of the guests had departed, we retired to our room. That night, we didn't stop at innocent kissing and touching. Afterward, Darcy held me close and tight, and I sighed in blissful happiness. Suddenly, Darcy spoke.

"You mentioned earlier at the dinner table that you spoke with Mr. Bennet about your disappearance."

"Yes," I said, "He told me everything."

Darcy rolled over to face me, and I could tell that he was troubled. "What is it?" I asked.

"Mr. Bennet didn't tell you everything, because he didn't know everything," he sat up, and so did I, realizing that what he was about to say would require my full attention. "The truth is, Lizzy . . . I am the reason you disappeared." He looked me in the eye as he spoke, and I could see how pained he was. But I was stunned.

"How . . . why, " I couldn't speak.

Darcy rushed to finish, "We were playing together near the docks during the festival and I ran off into the crowd, thinking you were behind me," He took a deep breath, "But you weren't. And because I didn't look back to make sure you were still there, you got lost. The Bingleys were there as well, and the first person I could find was Caroline. We were both just children, and scared, and we didn't say anything to your parents. They didn't realize you were gone until at least an hour later. If we had spoken up, said something . . . " he trailed off.

I could hear the anguish in his voice. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" I asked, and then I realized that that was why Darcy had reacted so strangely when he saw my birthmark.

"I'm not sure . . . I believe I still had that childhood fear of . . . well, I'm not sure what anymore. I felt like I had you, and I didn't want to lose you again. My involvement in your disappearance was also part of Caroline and Lydia's scheming. But when I first realized who you were, it took so much for me to let you leave again, but I felt that I owed it to you and your family to allow you to be reunited since it was my fault in the first place that you disappeared."

"Darcy, William," I interjected, placing my hands on either side of his face, "It wasn't your fault. You were only a child, probably seven or eight years old?"

"Eight," Darcy said miserably, "Plenty old enough to know better, and I did know better. And it is my fault that everything has happened to you, because I didn't own up to the fact and tell your parents immediately that you were gone."

"It's fine" I murmured, "It isn't your fault. Do you hear me? It's not your fault. Besides, what if . . . we hadn't fallen in love? Things might not have turned out this way between us. I love you, and I wouldn't trade you or Georgie to go back and change what happened."

I kissed him again, and soothed what remained of his crushing, and mostly imagined, guilt.

The next morning, we continued packing everything, and put all of the bags into a larger carriage. Everyone turned out once again to see us off, and I found myself engulfed in hugs and goodbyes. Finally, Darcy spoke up and said that we needed to get going if we wanted to reach the dock by nightfall. I hugged everyone one last time, especially Jane and Vivian, with promises that we would write and visit each other soon. With that, we climbed into the carriage and I settled Georgie onto my lap once more. Darcy snapped the reins and we were off. I turned at the end of the drive to wave to everyone and then settled into my seat and hooked my arm around Darcy's. We were finally going home.