Title: Pride
Author: rooster dawn
Alternative Universe
Summary: Harm and Mac act out Pride and Prejudice
Disclaimer: JAG is property of Belisarius productions, no copyright infringement intended.
Pride & Prejudice is the property of Jane Austen
(First known as First Impressions)
: Warner Brothers 1940
: BBC 1979
: Arts and Entertainment Network/BBC co-production 1995
: Universal Studio 2005
no copyright infringement intended.
Please let me know what you think, it's the only way I can write better stories for you.
part thirty six Happiness All Around
Tuesday
3 November
The Golden Spindle
dress shop
London
A couple of weeks later Mrs. Mackenzie was in town again. This time she was with Sarah. They had checked out the different dress shops in Meryton. While there were a few decent gowns, none of them said anything to Sarah.
They didn't say 'look at me, I'm beautiful, I'm happy.' They might have been okay last year before she met Mr. Darcy, but not now. The gown had to be special. It had to say 'I'm in love, I'm happy.'
"There's nothing here Mama. Nothing looks like it was made for me." whined Sarah.
"That's okay Sarah, I know a few more shops in town. I just thought we should check the shops here first. I set aside a few gowns at the shop in town where we found Jordan's gown. I think you'll like them." consoled Mrs. Mackenzie.
"Are they like Jordan's?" asked Sarah.
"She looked at them, but they weren't exactly what she was looking for. I do think they say Sarah Mackenzie." replied Mrs. Mackenzie.
A few hours later they were at the Golden Spindle dress shop. They went inside and Mrs. Mackenzie asked the clerk to get the gowns she had set aside. Sarah examined the three gowns and liked what she saw. She took them into the changing room.
She tried each one on and showed her mother. She liked all three, but she wondered which one she looked the best in.
"What do you think Mama?" asked Sarah.
"You look beautiful in each one of them Sarah. I'm not sure which one of them is you. Which one of them do you like?" asked Mrs. Mackenzie.
"I kind of like this one the best." replied Sarah.
"You should look around Sarah, you might find one you like better." directed Mrs. Mackenzie.
"I don't have to Mama. I love the ones you have chosen, they are perfect." replied Sarah.
"Then we should let the clerk know which one you want. Mr. Darcy will be by later to pay for it. Do you want to visit your aunt while we're in town?" she asked Sarah.
"Yes Mama and thank you. It was so nice to spend the day with you. I miss spending alone time with you." smiled Sarah as she gave her mother a long hug.
Burnett Residence
Grace Church Street
An hour later they were at the Burnett's residence. Sarah was quite happy with her choice of a gown, she wanted to show it to Aunt Marie. She was surprised to see Allison and Louisa there.
"Aunt Marie, it's so nice to see you again. I have missed you." greeted Sarah as she gave her aunt a hug.
"You look so happy Sarah, what have you been up to." asked Aunt Marie.
"Mama and I have been shopping for my wedding gown. It's so beautiful." smiled Sarah.
"I thought you were going to take me with you Sarah when you went looking for a gown." Aunt Marie feigned a pout.
"I'm sorry, but it's not very often that I get Mama all to myself. We had a good time together." smiled Sarah as she saw Allison for the first time.
"I'm surprise to see you here Allison, did your driver get lost?" asked Sarah in a teasing fashion.
"Louisa and I have been visiting your aunt every few weeks since we returned from Pemberly this summer. She's a remarkable lady. I can see why you love her so much." explained Allison.
"We saw Mr. Darcy yesterday, he said you would be in town today though he didn't say why. Can we see your gown Sarah?" asked Louisa.
"I suppose if Allison helps me. It takes at least two people to put one of these things on." replied Sarah.
Sarah and Allison went into one of the other rooms to change. Aunt Marie was curious as to where they found the gown.
"So did you have a nice day with Sarah? Which shop did you find the gown?" asked Aunt Marie.
"It has been a very special and lovely day. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed spending time with Sarah. She's not as demanding like the younger girls. She's more affectionate, that is there are more tender touches and hugs.
It's hard to spend quality time alone with Sarah anymore. Usually one of the younger girls would interrupt us when we're at home. I've forgotten how loving she can be.
We picked up the gown at the same shop where Jordan found hers. It didn't take Sarah too long to find the one she liked. Her taste is so much different than Jordan's, but the gown is very beautiful." smiled Mrs. Mackenzie.
"Was it one of the gowns you set aside for her a couple of weeks ago?" asked Aunt Marie.
"I'll let Sarah tell you about the gown sister. It's her day to be happy." replied Mrs. Mackenzie.
It wasn't long before Allison came back into the room followed by Sarah.
"You look beautiful Sarah." smiled Aunt Marie.
"That gown is you Sarah, I'm so jealous. I wish I was the one who was getting married." whined Allison.
"You like it? I wanted something that said I was in love and very happy." replied Sarah.
"It's perfect Sarah. I understand why your mother told us a few weeks ago that you and Jordan needed something quite different in wedding gowns. This gown wouldn't be right for Jordan, but it is perfect for you. You have excellent taste Sarah." smiled Louisa.
"Mama picked it out for me when she was shopping with Jordan. I love it." smiled Sarah.
"She has excellent taste Sarah." offered Allison showing her that she didn't dislike her mother.
"Do you think Mr. Darcy will like it?" asked Sarah a bit uneasy.
"It's you he loves Sarah, he'll love anything you wear, but yes, he'll think you look beautiful." smiled Aunt Marie.
"Are you going to call him Mr. Darcy after you're married Sarah?" asked Allison with a smile.
"I don't know, he doesn't like to be called by his first name. I'm sure we'll work something out." replied Sarah. She really didn't know the answer to that question. She hadn't even thought too much about what she would call him. She would have to give it some thought.
Sunday
22 November
Longbourn Chapel
The day had finally arrived for Jordan and the Mackenzie family. Jordan was marrying Mr. Keeter. She would be taken care of for the rest of her life. He also was staying in an estate nearby, a plus for Mrs. Mackenzie.
If something were to happen to Mr. Mackenzie she and the girls would be taken care of. She wouldn't have to move very far. She would still be able to see her sister and friends who lived in Meryton.
Indeed the Mackenzie family fortunes were much improved. With Jordan marrying Mr. Keeter and Sarah marrying Mr. Darcy, Jennifer and Chloe would be meeting many more suitable young men.
They invited all their friends from Meryton and her family to partake in their blessed event. They also invited Mr. Keeter's extended family, his friends, and his business associates. Most of them came from town.
The wedding service was held at the Longbourn Chapel. It was a beautiful service conducted by the resident pastor, Mr. Johnson. The last thing Jordan wanted was for Mr. Collins to perform the ceremony.
She didn't mind if he attended the wedding with Harriet, she loved Harriet like a sister, but she didn't want Mr. Collins to perform the ceremony.
Sarah had told her about how uninspiring he could be with his monotone voice and the tendency to make gaffes as he used inappropriate words in the wrong manner and context. Sarah was happy to see Harriet though. It had been a long time.
She had a lot to tell Harriet. The last time she saw Harriet was last spring at Hunsford. She had told Harriet back then how Mr. Darcy had asked her to marry him and that she had refused. She had been very upset for many days afterwards.
Harriet had helped her to understand what had happened and to have put it all in perspective. When she looked back to that time now she almost had to laugh. She had always thought that she was wise beyond her years. Her father had told her so, many times over the years.
Which she probably was about many things, but not where love was concerned. Now, she realized that she knew very little about love. First her father had to explain to her that even though he and her mother seemed to bicker a lot, they really did love each other.
They loved being together raising five beautiful yet silly daughters. Their main concern over the last few years was worrying about whether or not their girls would be taken care of if something were to happen to him.
Then of course she had been blind to Mr. Darcy's attention. She had always thought that he was making fun of her provincial views of the world. He seemed to take great pleasure in getting her to dance with him at every opportunity even when she didn't want to dance.
Maybe she had been naive and hadn't understood him when he had told his friend that she was only tolerable. He had definitely made a poor first impression with her. She had thought she had done the same with him.
Allison had implied during the week that she had spent at Netherfield that she was not there to tend her sister, but to make a better impression with Mr. Darcy. She hated to admit it to herself, but there was some truth to that statement even though that hadn't been her original intent.
No wonder why he was always telling her that she misunderstood everything he ever said to her. He had tried to show her that he did indeed like her, but she was too spiteful to see it.
She thought he didn't like her, but Harriet had from the beginning told her that he was interested in her. His attention towards her was more than just for amusement. He was falling in love with her.
She never believed what Harriet had told her until the day he asked her to marry him. It was a shame that he had waited a day too long to ask her, by that time his cousin had told her about his interference with Jordan and Mr. Keeter.
Now she would be able to tell Harriet that she was going to marry Mr. Darcy after all. She would tell her about how he took care of Mattie when she ran off, how he fixed things for Jordan and Mr. Keeter, and how he asked her to marry him again at Pemberly.
Pemberly, she would have to tell Harriet all about Pemberly, how beautiful it was. Seeing Pemberly helped her to understand Mr. Darcy much better. It was there where they reconnected and fell in love.
She understood why he was so proud of himself. He really did live in another world far better than the one she had lived in all her life.
"You look very beautiful today Jordan. I'm so happy for you." offered Harriet.
She was pleased that Jordan had finally married Mr. Keeter. Everyone in Meryton knew last year that there was something quite special between them. They were destined to be married. They had all wondered what had gone wrong, but no one knew the reason.
"Thank you Harriet. This the happiest day of my life." smiled Jordan.
"Are you going to live here at Netherfield?" asked Harriet.
"For now, I think Jack would prefer owning his own estate, but I don't mind. Netherfield is grand enough for me and it's not very far from Longbourn. It's also not very far from town. Jack can make the trip in the morning and still be home by dinner.
On the other hand Netherfield isn't nearly as grand as Pemberly." smiled Jordan as she looked over at Sarah.
"Pemberly? Isn't that where Mr. Darcy lives?" inquired Harriet. She knew about Mr. Darcy and Sarah. She wanted to know if anything had changed between them since last spring.
"Yes it is, and soon it will be where Sarah lives." smiled Jordan as Sarah blushed.
"What does she mean Sarah? I thought you didn't like Mr. Darcy. You didn't want to marry him last spring when he asked you. What changed?" asked a very confused Harriet.
"She saw Pemberly." smiled Jordan.
"Sarah?"
"After our talk last spring I did a lot of soul searching. I took another look at Mr. Darcy's actions from a point of view that he was in love with me. Everything he did began to make more sense. I began to understand why you said he was in love with me.
This summer I went on a trip with my Aunt and Uncle to Derbyshire. My Aunt wanted to visit Pemberly. She had grown up not far from Pemberly. I didn't want to go there because I didn't want to see him.
I didn't want him to know that he was right, that I had misunderstood everything that was between us. Then I saw Pemberly. It was the most beautiful place on earth. It is so much grander than Rosings.
I could understand why he was so proud and a bit arrogant. He has a right to be proud. But an interesting thing happened while I was there. Mr. Darcy acted like the perfect host. He was the perfect gentleman. He was everything I hoped he would be when I saw him for the first time." answered Sarah.
"He must have heard you when you told him 'if he had behaved in a gentleman like manner.'" smiled Harriet.
"In fact he did. He pointed that out to me. We talked, he invited us to dinner several times. I met his sister Georgiana. We went for rides in the country. We talked some more. I began to fall in love with him. I never wanted to leave.
Jack and his sisters came to visit while I was there. I think it was then that Jack decided that he wanted to be with Jordan. Though I don't know why it took him so long to come to Longbourn to see her." continued Sarah.
"Did Mr. Darcy ask you to marry him again?" asked Harriet.
"He didn't last summer, it was much too soon. Besides we were interrupted by Mattie's misadventure. He came with Mr. Keeter to Netherfield in September for a month to hunt quail." replied Sarah.
"That's when Jack asked me to marry him, though it did take a few visits for him to get up his nerve." smiled Jordan. "Papa made him squirm a little when he asked him for permission."
"Mama invited Mr. Keeter and Mr. Darcy to dinner. Mama was on her best behavior. Mr. Darcy then invited the family to Pemberly for Michaelmas. It was there that he asked me to marry him." concluded Sarah.
"I'm so happy for you Sarah. When are you going to get married?" asked Harriet.
"We're going to get marry at Longbourn Chapel at Christmas." replied Sarah.
"Your mother must be very happy about now. My mother told me your mother was quite upset with her for a long time because I married Mr. Collins." sighed Harriet.
"She was. Six months ago she was telling me her biggest worry was having five unmarried daughters. It affected her nerves gravely. Even Papa is happier than I have ever seen him. He seems to tolerate Jennifer's singing." smiled Sarah.