Chapter Twenty – Resolution and Relocation

The last well-wisher was gone for the day and good riddance to the lot.

Elizabeth knew that was uncharitable, but she feared her teeth would be ground down to nubs if she had to clench her jaw shut one more time. These were the people, after all, who so quickly condemned her father as a heartless murderer. Many of them were quick to assert that they "never believed any of that for even a moment!" But Elizabeth and Lady Catherine had resided in Longbourn for a week while her father was incarcerated and not one of those neighbors except for the Lucas family had made an appearance. When Elizabeth had walked the streets of Meryton those same people had shunned her and whispered behind her back.

No, Elizabeth felt no strong attachments to these people anymore.

She looked over to where Jane held Lydia tightly to her as the youngest Bennet allowed the pent-up grief of the day finally escape. Though only Jane and Elizabeth knew the full truth, Lydia was the only daughter of the remaining three who still held her mother in any affection. Mrs. Frances Bennet had destroyed her relationships with Mary and Kitty long ago.

Kitty sat demurely on the divan next to the very angular and handsome Dr. Ian MacDonald, her betrothed. They had remained properly spaced apart during the interminable visits... it could not be named a "viewing" since Mrs. Bennet's body was not present. Now that the last neighbor was gone, Kitty was practically sitting in the man's lap. Nobody said a thing. Elizabeth smiled adoringly, Let them have their stolen moments. Mama never thought Kitty would live, much less marry. She was often cruelly vocal about her thoughts. You were wrong again, Mama.

Elizabeth shook herself to dispel such bitter thoughts. She gazed out of the window where a much more "proper" courtship was taking place. Mary was strolling around Longbourn's little park with Mr. Percy Griffin. Elizabeth allowed herself just one more spiteful thought, All of your girls will be happy now, Mama. A stray image of the gloriously handsome man sitting with her father in his office slipped into her thoughts. She remembered well the way he had held her hand in the constable's office and promised to return. The look in his eyes...

oOo

…though the heroic officers and men of the Royal Fusiliers moved swiftly and boldly, they were too late to save the poor victim of Donovan's latest scheme. Mrs. Frances Bennet, wife and mother, was gunned down in cold blood. Justice was prompt, however, as the Fusiliers fired from every direction and the scourge of Leeds and London was struck down forever...

Thomas Bennet tossed the Times away in disgust. "Congratulate me, Mr. Darcy, Lord Townbridge; I am now the widower of a tragic hero."

"It had to be done for your daughters' sakes, Mr. Bennet," Andrew reminded the man once again. He, his mother, and Lady Catherine had been in London for the past few days, carefully reshaping the story for public consumption. "We could not allow the Bennet ladies to suffer for the actions of their mother. None of us wishes to perpetuate a lie, but the the criminals are the only ones now who would not suffer from the truth. They are dead. Your daughters live on and are made vulnerable by their mother's actions."

Bennet waved his son-in-law off, "I know, Andrew. I am just being difficult. Believe it or not, I wish that Fanny had lived long enough to deliver the child. Were he a boy, I would gladly have given all this..." he waved his hand around to indicate estate and manor house, "... to him and be done with it. I am free, but this estate continues to feel like a cage to me."

Darcy leaned forward, "Then, Sir, allow me to offer a possible pleasant alternative."

oOo

"So you shipped Mr. Wickham off to the Canadas without telling him about Donovan's death?" Elizabeth prompted two days later as she rode in one of several carriages making up the Darcy caravan. Riding with her were her father, Lady Catherine, and Mr. Darcy.

The man she was interrogating offered her a wide smile that had a very uncomfortably pleasant impact on her insides, "Per our agreement. George begged me to see him safely out of Great Britain. I agreed with the proviso that I would pay his remaining debts... but only after he was departed from England's shores once and for all. He boarded the Maryanne in London. It sailed down the Thames with a stopover in Southend for cargo. Captain Baines was under strict instructions that no newspapers were allowed on board on this journey to the North Sea. Wickham was fearful of being recognized, so he stored himself safely below-decks. Before they warped out of harbor, Baines sent me a post to confirm that all was well. George Wickham is now permanently removed from our waters."

"Without ever learning that the man he feared could no longer harm him," Elizabeth prompted.

Lady Catherine huffed, "Good riddance to bad rubbish... though I doubt very seriously that Donovan was the only man that George Wickham had to fear. That boy was a crook and a gambler from the day he was breeched and only grew worse since. I have never understood why your foolish father insisted on making such a fuss over the cur, Darcy."

Darcy's eyes shot over to Elizabeth's for the briefest moment. She was the only one to whom he had revealed that his father, bereaved after the loss of his wife, had a prolonged affair with his steward's wife. This took place long after Wickham was born, so there were no claims of blood, but there had been an emotional attachment. The elder Mr. Darcy had been just as blind to that woman's actual character as he had been to her son's. Thankfully a brief surge of influenza had caught up with the woman in London while she was busy spending her lover's money. Otherwise she might have found a way to insert her son into the heir's role.

Elizabeth glanced out of the carriage window towards the carriage currently leading the pack. Mary and her beau, along with Kitty and her fiance, were riding in that vehicle. Just as he had seen to everything else, Darcy had arranged for his under-steward to travel to Longbourn and relieve Percy Griffin of his duties temporarily. The steward would have the freedom to court Mary properly in Pemberley, away from the watching eyes of Hertfordshire.

Mr. Bennet had been adamant, even including Lydia in his disclosures, "From all that any of us can tell, daughters, your mother lost her mind long ago and has gradually gotten worse. I am sorry to tell you this, Lydia, but the official story is nothing more than a fiction created to protect your reputations. Fanny left Longbourn of her own free will and consorted with that man to have me removed."

Lydia had surprised everyone by replying, "I think I knew that, Papa. Her letters she sent to me at school were... shocking. They were full of hate and accusations and promises of revenge. Frankly, they frightened me." Mary, who was seated the nearest to her, had pulled her close. Lydia continued, "I also think that I have seen this Mr. Donovan. I went shopping for some necessities with my new friend Lady Cassie and her mother one day. I cannot state for a certainty, but I thought I saw Mama and a tall man walking arm-in-arm out of a shop and boarding a carriage. I almost called out... but I was afraid that I was right and did not wish to humiliate myself in front of my friend..." she hung her head and said, "I am sorry, Papa. I should have told you."

Mr. Bennet stepped forward and cupped his youngest's face, "There is nothing for you to be sorry about. In fact, I am pleased that your eyes are opened to the truth, because what I am about to propose might be offensive otherwise."

Everyone had leaned forward in anticipation. Mr. Bennet paused for dramatic effect, causing his second eldest to roll her eyes, "Mr. Darcy has invited us to sojourn at Pemberley for the foreseeable future. To be quite frank, I have absolutely no desire to traipse around this neighborhood wearing mourning for the next year listening to condolences from the same people who were so quick to believe that I murdered my wife."

He saw Mary's expression and gently added, "Mary, Mr. Darcy has also sent an express to his estate requesting his under-steward to come here to oversee Longbourn. I have already given my hearty consent to allow Mr. Griffin to court you... He will reside with Pemberley's steward while that takes place."

Mary sucked in her breath but could not suppress a smile. Then she frowned and asked, "But how can he court me when I am in mourning?"

"That is precisely what I am trying to tell you. I will offer each of you your own choice in the matter, so long as you also respect your sister's choices, but it comes to this: Once we arrive in Pemberley, which is a three-day journey from here, I propose that we throw off mourning."

There were varying degrees of shock around the room. Jane, as the recently married Lady Townbridge, was wearing black already in respect for her husband's family. Since she had the least desire of any person to give honor to her deceased brother-in-law, she was actually the first to support her father's idea. "Father is right. The mother we knew has been gone for quite some time. I think... I wish to believe that she truly loved us once, but something happened long ago to change her. Andrew and I must wear mourning already for an unworthy man..." her husband nodded and squeezed her hand in support, "I, for one, will not stretch that mourning out any further than necessary.

"I am the only one of us who had seen Pemberley. It is vast and you may easily conduct yourselves their without putting on a false-front."

Mary, the most religious of the group, spoke next, "Mama never showed me even the slightest hint of love. I never felt like a worthy person until Lady Catherine and then Lady Miriam welcomed me into their homes. I will not mourn."

Kitty spoke up, "I was sickly and not good enough for Mama. I doubt she would have wasted much time mourning me. I could be bitter, but my sisters and Lady Miriam have taught me to forgive. Now I am engaged to the best man I know. We do not wish to wait for a year. I will not mourn."

Lydia frowned and asked, "Papa, will I have to go back to school?"

Her father regarded her for a long moment, "Lydia, Mr. Darcy has recently installed a new companion for his sister, Miss Darcy. If you will consent to sit with Miss Darcy and continue in your lessons with her masters under the authority of her companion, then you may remain at Pemberley. But I wish you to become an accomplished young woman."

Lydia nodded, "I will not mourn. I think that I have mourned enough since I began to understand her true character."

All eyes turned to Elizabeth. She found herself wishing that Lady Catherine... or perhaps Mr. Darcy... was in the room with her. She twisted her lips and then provided her answer, "Like Mary, I do not know that Mama ever loved me. In fact, I suspect that she hated me. Lady Catherine has been the closest thing I have ever had to a mother for the past few years. I am sorry for what Mrs. Bennet became, but she ceased to be my mother on the day she tried to give me to Mr. Collins. I will not mourn her."

Mary asked, "Whatever happened to Mr. Collins?"

Andrew, the only indirect family member in the room, furnished the answer, "Mr. Collins is currently on a ship bound for Von Diemen's Land. He stood trial in Kent for multiple charges of theft. His is life-sentence, so he forfeits any claim to Longbourn."

"Why was he here anyway," Elizabeth asked.

Andrew grimaced, "The magistrate there got that information out of him... Miss Bennet, he was lingering in the area seeking an opportunity to catch you unaware and compromise you." All of the young ladies except for Jane were shocked. Andrew had already confided in his wife.

"Serves him right," Lydia muttered. "They should have hanged him."

Not even Mary confronted her about her words.

So now they were nearing the end of their three-day trek northward to Pemberley. Jane and her husband, along with Lydia and Georgiana, had veered off toward Matlock earlier in the day. Andrew had a particular horse which he thought might make a fine mount for the youngest Bennet. Since Georgiana was an avid rider, the viscount intended to make it possible for Lydia to accompany her in style. The two girls would rejoin the rest in a week.

"As soon as we pass this crossroads, the rest of the lands that you will see belong to Pemberley," Darcy proudly informed the passengers in his carriage, though his eyes were fixed on Elizabeth.

She felt his intent look and blushed. "And shall we reach your estate before nightfall, Sir?"

Beside her Lady Catherine smiled fondly at her charge and replied for her nephew, "We shall, Elizabeth... but it will be a close-run thing."

It was not even noon yet. Elizabeth glanced quickly from her beloved Lady Catherine to Darcy, but could not see even a hint of humor in their expressions, "Truly?"

It was Mr. Bennet who replied next, "Truly, my dear. Rumor has it that Darcy owns half of Derbyshire and his uncle the earl owns the other half."

At this Darcy coughed, then offered a denial, "I suspect that Arkwright might have a different view on the matter." Elizabeth knew that Richard Arkwright was the inventor and industrialist who perfected the water frame and built cotton textile mills all along the Derwent River. He was reputed to be one of the richest men in the world. Darcy added, "Of course, since both the Fitzwilliams and my father invested heavily in Arkwright, he might not be too vocal in his denials."

"And are you still invested in Arkwright?" Elizabeth asked with meaning. Reports of the long hours, dangers, and abuses in the mills were beginning to find their way into the news. Since Arkwright primarily employed women and children, this was a matter of some concern for the reformist Elizabeth.

Darcy was happy to be able to give the right answer, "No, I am not. I am one of the investors in the canal project, but I no longer support Arkwright's mills. We had a disagreement on some of his practices." The smile he received at that moment in the carriage more than made up for the monies he had lost by not continuing with Arkwright.

Lady Catherine chose not to inform her ward that she was still profiting from those investments. She determined instead to look into the matter. Perhaps it was time to take her investments elsewhere. Elizabeth had become so very dear to her and she would not lose the young lady's esteem for a few more pounds of profit.

It did not, in fact, take until the late evening for the caravan to reach Pemberley. In the early afternoon the carriages began ascending a long rise. At the crest, Darcy's carriage came to a stop. He had deliberately reordered the carriages so that his was rearmost. Now, as the other vehicles continued on, Darcy opened the carriage door and stepped out.

Elizabeth watched in confusion as the confusing man exited, then turned and looked directly at her, "Elizabeth, would you kindly join me?" Startled at his free use of her name right in front of her father and Lady Catherine, she hesitated. Lady Catherine prompted, "Go on, Child. It is an overly warm day and I am in need of a bath and a rest." Elizabeth looked at her father, who only smirked and nodded. She blushingly took Mr. Darcy's hand and allowed him to help her out of the vehicle.

Immediately after the pair were clear, the driver slapped the reins and the carriage continued over the crest. Looking at the departing vehicle and then Darcy, Elizabeth waited for an explanation. "I know of your great love of walking, Elizabeth, so I thought we might complete our journey on foot." He offered her his arm.

Once it was clear that no further explanation would be immediately forthcoming, Elizabeth tucked her hand into the crook of the tall, handsome, frustrating man's arm. They walked up the final rise together until Elizabeth finally had a view over the rise... and then she gasped in wonder.

Darcy watched adoringly as her gaze swept from horizon to horizon, and then began taking in the individual details of the house, the stream, the trails, and the lake. "Do you approve, My Dear?"

Elizabeth was too absorbed to notice the endearment right away, but it slowly sank in and she removed her eyes from the scene to lift them to meet those of the man who had become so very dear to her, "There are few who would not approve, I think."

"But your good opinion is never given carelessly, and is therefore more precious."

Her eyes were completely locked on Darcy's now as she replied, "I have never seen a place for which nature has done more, or where natural beauty has been so little counteracted by man's awkward taste... your Pemberley is truly wonderful."

Darcy took a moment to find his words, so lost was he in Elizabeth's beauty, "You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you, Elizabeth. Pemberley is wonderful, but it can never be complete for me until you are installed in it as its mistress... and my wife. Elizabeth Bennet, will you make me the happiest man in history by becoming my wife?"

With tears of happiness streaming down her eyes, Elizabeth nodded, then finally found her voice, "Yes! YES! I can think of nothing in this world that could make me happier than for you to be my beloved husband."

They were almost an eighth of a mile from the steps of Pemberley, but even from that distance the happy couple might have heard the cheer that arose when Darcy pulled Elizabeth into his arms and kissed her soundly... that is if anything else in the world existed for them at that moment.

oOo

Notes: I know that many of my readers were unhappy when I allowed the unborn infant to die. I had my own problems with this, but the story insisted on playing out like that.

The story is not over, but it will wrap up soon.