Copyright 2021 Elizabeth Frerichs

Bingley graciously drew Mrs. Bennet into conversation within a few moments of their arrival. Darcy noted Miss Lydia's presence though she was pale and wan. After waiting a moment to ensure Mrs. Bennet was engrossed, Darcy moved to sit near Elizabeth.

This morning she appeared tired and several times had glanced over at Miss Lydia as though checking her sister's welfare. Had they told Mrs. Bennet the truth of what had occurred? He suspected the sisters would keep it from their mother for the sake of maintaining secrecy, which left his heart even more burdened for them. He well knew what it was like not to have one's parents present. How much harder that they could not depend on their parents even though Mr. and Mrs. Bennet were alive!

"How are you today, Mr. Darcy?" Elizabeth asked quietly.

"I—I am well."

Elizabeth gave him a questioning look.

"I am already missing—Hertfordshire," he confessed, inwardly cursing his tongue. He just could not admit aloud that it was she whom he would miss.

"Are you leaving us so soon?"

Darcy grimaced. "Only for a short trip back to London. My uncle has located Mrs. Younge, and I am hopeful she may have further information about the Letter."

Elizabeth looked at him skeptically. "Perhaps."

"It will also give me the opportunity to inform Georgiana of Wickham's capture," he said quietly. "I—I considered waiting until I could bring back news of his sentencing, but I do not wish to miss seeing your drainage work on Monday—"

Elizabeth quickly motioned for silence and glanced over at her mother, who was still enthusiastically telling Bingley about the latest scandal of Mr. Wickham's arrest even as her daughter, Miss Lydia, shed a few tears.

Darcy frowned in confusion.

"My mother is not aware of our work in the fields," Elizabeth murmured. "Nor would she approve."

Darcy's frown grew. He had assumed that Mr. Bennet had left clear instructions and that, though Mrs. Bennet was not involved, she knew of their plans and was supporting them. As it was, it seemed even more likely that Elizabeth was running things entirely on her own. "I shall have to ask you more about that on Monday then."

Elizabeth hesitated before giving a short nod. "When are you leaving?"

"At once. I only stopped here on my way to London."

"You stopped—here," she repeated blankly.

"I did not wish you to think that I did not intend to keep my word," he said, looking deeply into her eyes. "And—" His chest felt too tight. "—and I wished to see you before I left, to ensure you are well."

"I am."

He studied her for a long moment. "It may be a difficult time, but I am confident you will get through it with flying colours."

Elizabeth looked down at the table modestly. "Thank you, Mr. Darcy."

"I also wished to ensure you are comfortable with me leaving before Wickham has been sentenced. I am certain you are more than capable of handling any trouble that he might stir up, but I—I wanted to ask before I left."

Elizabeth's gaze flew to his. "I—" She cleared her throat. "I believe we will be fine. I do not foresee any difficulties." She gave him a half-smile.

"Nor do I. The military will not be easily talked into or out of anything."

"His silver tongue will do him little good there," she agreed.

"And of course Bingley will remain here in Hertfordshire and is more than willing to assist should you require anything."

Elizabeth chuckled. "Mr. Darcy, you do know that I have been managing my own affairs for quite some time."

Darcy suppressed a blush. Courting was deuced hard! How was he supposed to make his interest plain without sounding like a ninny? "Of course. Well, I—I look forward to seeing you when I return."

"Safe travels, and I wish you success with Mrs. Younge, if success can be had," Elizabeth said.

"Thank you."

With that, Darcy signalled Bingley, and they took their leave. Darcy left for London, feeling as though for the first time he was leaving behind just as much as what lay ahead of him. Hopefully, his trip would be profitable and rapid.

"Lizzy," Jane called through the door to Elizabeth's room, where Elizabeth had retreated after visiting hours were over.

Elizabeth's thoughts would not settle, no matter how hard she attempted to distract herself. Why had Mr. Darcy come to speak to her specifically? She could not pretend it was otherwise; he had been so worried that she might feel abandoned that he had made a special trip.

"Come in."

Jane entered, softly closing the door behind her and sitting down on Elizabeth's bed. "Are you well?"

Elizabeth busied herself with papers. "I am fine."

"As he was leaving, Mr. Bingley assured me that he is available should we need anything, though Mr. Darcy will be in London for a few days," she commented.

"Mr. Darcy also told me to contact Mr. Bingley should we need assistance."

"How long will he be gone?"

"He is leaving today and will return sometime before Monday."

Jane's eyes widened. "Leaving today?" She smiled. "He must be invested indeed to have stopped by before leaving."

"His trip to London was unexpected," Elizabeth said, beginning to sort through her stacks of books—how in the world had she let them get into such disarray? "And he was somewhat apprehensive of leaving us while Mr. Wickham is still nearby."

"He takes too much responsibility for Mr. Wickham's actions," Jane said thoughtfully.

Elizabeth set down the book she was holding with a bit more force than she had intended. "He did allow Mr. Wickham to go on his merry way for years, despite holding a sufficient number of debts to send the man to debtor's prison."

"I do not disagree that he ought to have done something," Jane said mildly. "Merely that Mr. Wickham is more at fault for continuing in his wicked ways, and that Mr. Darcy has done his best to rectify the matter; if Mr. Wickham escapes the militia, it would not be Mr. Darcy's fault."

"I suppose not."

"And, after all, they were once playmates. I do not know that I could have acted as forcefully against someone like Charlotte as Mr. Darcy has, even if she were as bad as Mr. Wickham. I too would have put off the matter for as long as possible. It would be a heavy weight for anyone's conscience."

"Perhaps."

"That he has done so is testament to both his character and his interests," Jane pointed out.

"His interests?"

Jane held her gaze. "From the little I have gathered, Mr. Wickham was involved with Miss Darcy in some fashion." She held up a hand as Elizabeth opened her mouth. "No, do not tell me; I do not need to know. Besides, I would prefer to hear it from Miss Darcy herself if ever I am to know the truth." She took a breath. "I merely point out that even his sister's plight did not result in Mr. Wickham's incarceration. It was only here in Hertfordshire that Mr. Wickham threatened something valuable enough that Mr. Darcy bestirred himself."

"Jane, I do not know what you are suggesting, but I believe you lack key information: Miss Darcy herself urged Mr. Darcy to return to Hertfordshire and to protect the community from Mr. Wickham."

Jane smiled. "I am glad that she is also a person of character. I am sure the decision was not easy for her either. But I still think that Mr. Darcy suddenly seems very intent in his protection of Hertfordshire."

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around herself, trying to shield herself from the questions which Jane was raising and which she had been trying to escape for the past half hour.

"Lizzy, do you still dislike him so much?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "It does not matter, Jane. Mr. Darcy has made his feelings clear—"

"I thought you concluded that his insult at the assembly was out of character; is that not what you told Lydia?"

"It is, but—just because he would not normally have said it does not mean that he would not have thought it." She sighed helplessly. "Jane, you know that few gentlemen would prefer my own form to one like yours."

Jane walked over and pulled her into a hug. "You would not wish to marry someone who married you solely for your physical appearance anyway."

"But I do not wish for my future husband to find me unattractive," she muttered into Jane's shoulder.

"And that is as it should be." Jane pulled back to look her in the eye. "Even if Mr. Darcy felt that way sometime in the past, that does not mean he still does. In fact, given his attentions, I believe the opposite is true."

"I—I do not know what to say. The Letter-writer spoke of being run away with his feelings, but I cannot see this Mr. Darcy being so."

"Perhaps it is more visible to me because, like Mr. Darcy, my nature is not as open as yours. He has returned, assisted in protecting Lydia, volunteered to participate in your work with Longbourn, and just now postponed his journey long enough to assure you that he would return in time to observe something he is well versed in, simply because you are the one doing it. His actions have spoken far louder than any words he said last year."

Elizabeth stepped out of her sister's embrace and turned back to her desk, rearranging it once more in a bid for time. She was aware of Mr. Darcy's changed manner this year. And after Mrs. Hatcher's letter, she was convinced she had misjudged him from the first. But . . . she was unwilling to risk her heart.

For a moment, she let her thoughts wander into a world where Mr. Darcy was attracted to her person and to her as a person, where he could genuinely propose, rather than doing so and immediately regretting it. What would it be like to marry Mr. Darcy? His wife would not lack anything, and he would be an attentive husband. She had realised in the last hour that she enjoyed talking to him. Even last autumn, he had constantly challenged her and listened to her opinions, regardless of whether he agreed. She would not lack intellectual stimulation.

Nor would Mr. Darcy require his wife to be a fainting miss—he had supported her work with Longbourn. Of course, that might change once she was married to him. But their conversations about Longbourn had reinforced that he cared deeply for his tenants and that he was conscientious in all he did. He was not a man who would be careless of his life or ignore problems the way her father did.

Elizabeth sighed. It was that very conscientiousness that would prevent him from pursuing her. Mr. Darcy would not shirk his responsibilities, particularly to his sister. And he needed a wife who would be able to help launch Miss Darcy into the ton, not one who would require such launching herself.

"Lizzy?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Mr. Darcy will never offer for me. He has his sister to think of, even if he were willing to accept someone as penniless as I. I cannot provide connections for Miss Darcy, nor tutoring in how to navigate the ton—not to mention that Mr. Darcy is utterly disgusted by our family." Her breath caught in her throat, and she cleared it. "I shudder to imagine his opinion now that he knows Lydia was on the verge of eloping with Mr. Wickham—"

"It would be extremely hypocritical of him to judge us for that, since Miss Darcy was taken in by Mr. Wickham as well."

Elizabeth hesitated. "That is true. But, Jane, surely you can see that the gulf between us is wide."

"Not too wide for two intelligent people to bridge, particularly if they choose to love one another."

"His family would never approve."

Jane's brow creased. "Miss Darcy would disapprove?"

"No, Lord and Lady Matlock and Lady Catherine—" Elizabeth gasped. "Lady Catherine! His future mother-in-law!"

"Mr. Darcy told you that he is engaged to his cousin?" Jane asked with confusion.

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, Mr. Wickham did."

"Do you believe him?"

"At the time I did not—his story was so full of holes that it was easy to attribute his information as yet another lie, but . . . ." She bit her lip. "If Mr. Darcy already has an understanding, even if not yet a formal engagement—"

"Then the letter-writer would not have proposed to you in April. He is too serious and intentional a person, too much a gentleman, to trifle with a woman that way."

"But if the Letter—if Mr. Darcy—we have already established that this Mr. Darcy did not write the Letter," she said, turning away.

Jane put a hand on her shoulder. "I still do not believe an engagement between him and Miss de Bourgh to be likely based on his behaviour. Regardless, I was not trying to suggest more feeling on his part than I have observed. I do not know if he will someday propose. But I wish you to consider whether your happiness may lie with him; you have a few days of his absence to consider your feelings."

"I do find his company congenial," Elizabeth admitted quietly.

"Then I shall ask Mr. Bingley if he knows about Miss de Bourgh. And in the meantime"—she squeezed Elizabeth's shoulder—"examine your own heart."

Elizabeth sighed. That was what had gotten her into this tangle in the first place! Well, technically, it was trying to discern Mr. Darcy's feelings for her and whether he was perhaps interested in more than mere friendship. But the principle was the same. The man had been causing upheaval in her life since weeks before she'd met him; why should his absence cause anything else?

And how could she already miss him even though she had not expected to see him before Monday next?

Somewhere, amidst interacting with him last autumn and seeing him no longer fettered by his mask of pride, her fickle heart had inclined itself towards the man without her even realising.

"No luck then?" Lord Matlock asked from behind his desk.

Darcy shook his head as he took a seat across from his uncle. The visit to Mrs. Younge had been singularly unproductive. She had seemed resentful that she was reduced to running a boarding house in London instead of accompanying young ladies as a genteel companion. Darcy could not repine his choice, however; he did not wish to be responsible for unleashing yet another menace upon the young ladies of society. Mrs. Younge had chosen to turn a blind eye to Wickham's campaign for Georgiana, had aided and abetted him in fact, and who was to say that she might not, for the right price, repeat that pattern with another young lady?

At the beginning of his call, she had tried to blackmail Darcy, but he had pointed out that she would only implicate herself if she told anyone the truth, to which she had grudgingly agreed. When he had requested further information about Wickham and about letters, she had bargained for money. He had agreed to pay her a small sum if her information was good, and she had admitted bitterly she did not know where Wickham was at this point as he had abandoned her at Ramsgate, nor did she know anything about letters, since Georgiana had not written to Wickham that she knew of. Even when he mentioned a letter detailing the whole of Georgiana's missteps, Mrs. Younge had denied all knowledge and suggested he go after Wickham.

Only after he had threatened withholding payment because she had not added to his information had Mrs. Younge spewed everything she knew about Wickham. Darcy then paid her.

"A dead end," Darcy summarized.

Lord Matlock studied him. "Are you certain that Mrs. Younge spoke the truth?"

"Reasonably so. I agreed to pay her if her information was sufficient. She told me a great deal about Wickham, including that he was making advances towards her even while he pursued Georgiana." Darcy grimaced in distaste. "But she was not aware of any letters."

"You know, m'boy, I still do not understand how you came into possession of a letter that contains threatening information without knowing who wrote it."

Darcy sighed. "A lady found the Letter while out walking. Due to the sensitive information in the Letter, she kept it. She was concerned that it might fall into the wrong hands. Later, when she had the opportunity to return it without raising questions, she did so."

"A Miss Elizabeth Bennet, wasn't it?"

Darcy's eyes widened. "Yes."

"Richard spoke to me before he left and recently sent me a letter of his own." Lord Matlock held Darcy's gaze. "And you trust this woman?"

Darcy nodded.

"Hmm. It was deuced principled of her to return it . . . . Must have been an awkward conversation!"

Darcy suppressed a flush. "Awkward" did not even begin to cover it. "I am afraid that I believed her to be the Letter-writer; I was not in the mood to listen to reason considering how detailed the information was."

"Oh?"

The flush broke loose. "It detailed my dealings with Wickham, as well as Georgiana's."

"I always told your father he should not dote so on a boy who would never be in our set," Lord Matlock said, shaking his head. "Richard said the letter also contained something about your personal life?"

Darcy nodded again.

"Well, you do not have to enlighten me," Lord Matlock said graciously. "But it seems like the solution would be to determine who had access to all three pieces of information and then investigate those people."

"That was my thought as well," Darcy said stiffly. "Unfortunately, the only person who was aware of all three, save for Miss Elizabeth after she read the Letter, is me." Looking back, even Elizabeth had not seemed aware of his flirtation. Of course a servant might have guessed the truth. But the only servant he had brought with him was his valet, and Darcy had not told anyone about his conversation with Sir William. More and more he was beginning to wonder if Miss Elizabeth was correct that the Letter had appeared through supernatural means.

Lord Matlock's eyebrows shot up. "That is curious."

"Indeed. That is why I broadened the search to those who knew of our dealings with Wickham. I do not know who Wickham may have told, but the number is unlikely to be large. Of the servants in Ramsgate, only my valet knew of my correspondence with Wickham. Wickham himself was a suspect, but after interviewing him, he appeared utterly ignorant of the Letter."

"He is a slippery one," his uncle pointed out.

Darcy studied the man. He had not thought that anyone in his family, save himself and Fitzwilliam, had seen Wickham's true nature. "Yes. When I asked about a letter, he tried to deceive me with claims of possessing correspondence from Georgiana. He also mentioned remuneration for his silence regarding her behavior, but once I acquiesced to paying for Georgiana's letters, he tabled the issue until her coming out."

Lord Matlock grimaced. "You paid the man for forged letters?"

"Not at all. Wickham's story did not remain consistent, so I merely kept him on the hook until I had sufficient proof of his debts to arrest him—"

"I thought he was arrested for being a deserter?"

"He was. Miss Elizabeth's youngest sister caught wind of his intent to desert; Miss Elizabeth then informed me, and I was able to enlist Colonel Forster."

"Miss Elizabeth seems to feature heavily in this story," Lord Matlock said, watching him closely. "I am surprised she would come to you."

Darcy hesitated, unsure what his uncle was worried about. Did he suspect Darcy's feelings for Elizabeth? Or was he concerned about Elizabeth trying to entrap him? "Due to the Letter, she was already aware of my feelings towards Wickham and believed me to be a useful ally."

"Why did her father not come to you?"

Darcy nearly made a face. "Mr. Bennet is away at present."

"And he would not return if he knew the facts?" Lord Matlock asked incredulously.

"He seems to be—disinterested in his family, and I am not sure how quickly he can return regardless."

"Hmm. Well, her mother appears to have raised an honorable young woman."

Darcy suppressed a wince. "I believe Miss Elizabeth is more influenced by her father than her mother."

"I see. Richard did say there was something objectionable about the young lady," he muttered.

"Pardon?"

Lord Matlock straightened. "Richard wrote to me about your Miss Elizabeth. Said he has never seen you so intrigued by any of the ladies of the ton, and that Miss Elizabeth appears to have returned valuable information to you without any intent to utilize it further. She had the opportunity to damage the Darcy family and instead chose to protect your name before becoming well acquainted with you."

"I—yes, she did protect the Darcy name."

"And what of your intentions?"

Darcy squared his shoulders, hanging for a moment on the precipice. It was one thing to admit his intentions to himself; it was another thing entirely to speak them aloud, let alone to his uncle. "To convince her to marry me, if I can."

Lord Matlock frowned. "If you can?"

"Miss Elizabeth is—unimpressed by position or wealth. She values character above all else, and I am afraid that I did not make the best showing last autumn. When I blamed her for the Letter, I was quite vehement in my denunciation and vocal that I would not be forced into a compromise founded upon lies and forgeries. She—" His heart fell as he once again recalled how strongly she had rejected him. "In return for my accusations against her, she said that I was the last man in the world she would marry due to my pride and selfish disdain for others' feelings."

Lord Matlock leaned forward. "She what?"

"I thought it was merely the desperate attempt of a guilty woman to prove her innocence, but now that I know she is innocent . . . ." He swallowed hard. "I am not sure how to convince her to allow me to court her. I have tried to assist her with the improvements she is making at her family's estate, but I am not sure that will do anything towards wooing her other than, perhaps, lessening some of her dislike towards me."

Lord Matlock blinked at him before his lips turned up in a small smile. "She preemptively turned you down? I wager there are not many women in the ton who would turn you down regardless of what they think of your character."

"That is because none of the women of the ton see anything other than my wealth and position," Darcy said hotly. "Miss Elizabeth sees me."

"Now, what is this about her improving her family's estate? I thought her father was gone. And what was Richard referring to when he said there are objections against her?"

Darcy hesitated for a moment, trying to decide how much to share with his uncle. Finally, he concluded that he might as well tell the whole truth as it was likely to become known at some point (if he succeeded in wooing Elizabeth). Better not to present the appearance of concealing pertinent information. "Mr. Bennet left the running of the estate to Miss Elizabeth during his absence."

"No sons then, I suppose. How large of an estate are we talking about?"

"No, there are only the five girls—"

"Five?!" Lord Matlock exclaimed incredulously. "No wonder Mr. Bennet is away! Even your aunt would be miserable in a house with so many females."

Darcy did not know what to say, and so he continued with his uncle's second question. "The estate is not large, but Miss Elizabeth has done a great deal of research on how to improve it and has begun enacting Horton's crop rotation as well as Martin's drainage methods." Lord Matlock appeared interested, so Darcy continued. "She and her sisters visit the tenants, and Miss Elizabeth intends to begin digging the drainage system on Monday."

"So that is why you need to return by then. I thought it might be something to do with Miss Elizabeth. And what are the objections against this lady, other than that she is a bit forward for a woman?"

"She is not forward," Darcy said stiffly. "In point of fact, her manners speak of friendliness and kindness rather than putting herself forward or attempting to take over duties for which she is not fit."

Lord Matlock chuckled. "No need to get your back up, William. Damn if Richard wasn't right; he'll be insufferable for months," he muttered to himself. "So then why have you not told your Aunt Peg about her?"

Darcy nearly ground his teeth at his uncle's attitude. He almost felt like a child again—but then he often felt so around his uncle. "Mrs. Bennet's brothers are not gentlemen. Mr. Phillips is a lawyer in Meryton, and Mr. Gardiner is a tradesman here in London—"

"She is related to Edward Gardiner?"

"I do not know the man's first name."

"He owns Gardiner's Emporium."

Darcy frowned. Elizabeth had mentioned it only in passing when they had been discussing drainage and where to procure various tools. "That sounds correct, but I cannot be certain without speaking further with Miss Elizabeth."

"Well, if it is the same gentleman, I can see where Miss Elizabeth gets her principles. The man is the most honest merchant I have ever met, and one that I have worked with several times. You would never know he is a merchant unless he told you. So her family lacks connections to the ton, is that correct? Or does she have others on her father's side?"

"I do not believe Aunt Margaret would approve of any of her relatives," Darcy said. "Nor would Miss Elizabeth bring money to the marriage. The Bennets' estate is entailed on a distant cousin—" He suppressed a wince. "Who is Aunt Catherine's rector."

Lord Matlock burst into laughter. "Can you imagine Cathy's reaction if you rejected Anne in favour of Miss Elizabeth and became related to her rector?"

"I shudder to think of it," Darcy said, feeling a bit green. Lady Catherine's temper was legendary.

Lord Matlock waved away his concern. "You are of age. Cathy may prattle on about how you are 'destined to marry Anne,' but no one in their right mind believes such nonsense. Anne cannot bear you heirs. Your aunt has simply always dreamed of possessing Pemberley, and it will be a difficult pill to swallow that not only did your father choose another but so have you."

"My father?" Darcy asked with a frown.

"Oh, Cathy set her cap for him before your mother came out, but nothing ever came of it. I do not believe John even said more than ten words to her before your mother's coming out."

"I see."

Lord Matlock leaned forward. "Well, what else? Better get it all out so we can decide what to do about Peg."

Darcy straightened, surprised that his uncle was prolonging the conversation instead of lecturing him about the type of woman he ought to be interested in or recoiling in horror at his statement that he intended to pursue Elizabeth. What had Fitzwilliam told him?

"Her family is—" He paused, trying to come up with a diplomatic way to explain the Bennets. "Miss Elizabeth and her older sister, Miss Bennet, are models of propriety. Even her two younger sisters are somewhat tolerable, or at least they have been over the past few weeks. But her youngest sister, her mother, and at times her father, lack all concept of proper behavior."

"How so?"

"Mrs. Bennet is desperate to obtain husbands for her daughters—"

"As any woman would be! Five of them! What were they thinking? And with the entail she must be desperate indeed."

Darcy's heart sank—how had his uncle comprehended in a moment the reasons behind Mrs. Bennet's behavior when he had spent months around the woman without once giving thought to what must be underneath her rapaciousness?

"Is she worse than Mrs. Mathers?"

"I believe she is on par with that lady," Darcy replied after a moment's thought.

Lord Matlock studied him. "And the youngest sister?"

"She is—thoughtless. They have allowed her to be out in society, but she is still just a willful child."

"How old is she?" Lord Matlock asked with a frown.

"Fifteen."

"Good Lord! Out at fifteen? No wonder none of the daughters are married yet if they are all out at once—or at least that's what Peggy says: you have to launch them one or two at a time; otherwise, you will never find husbands for any of them. Men are intimidated by too many females all out at once."

"Er, well—yes. And Mr. Bennet is, as I have already said, uninterested in his family."

Lord Matlock frowned down at his desk and steepled his hands. "No money, no connections to the ton, and an embarrassing family. Is that it?"

Darcy hesitated. "I have reason to believe that Miss Bennet may soon marry Mr. Bingley."

"That is the one with the sister that Peg is always ranting about?"

Darcy nodded.

Lord Matlock held out his hands as though he were weighing his words on a balance scale. "So, on the one hand, your Miss Elizabeth will not bring wealth or influential connections to your marriage, but on the other, she is knowledgeable in estate management, and thus likely to be an excellent mistress to Pemberley, and she will accept or reject you based on your character. And she is not afraid of speaking her mind and has already protected Georgiana's reputation. What else do you value in this woman?"

"Miss Elizabeth is kind and witty. She does not cower in the face of difficulty. She cares deeply for the people around her—her family and friends, but also her tenants and neighbors. She approached me about Wickham's lies because she believed I would wish to know the story he was spreading and because she desired to learn whether Wickham was a threat to the people of Meryton. She is industrious and intelligent and one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance. She has made me laugh, and I believe she would bring joy to Pemberley once more."

Lord Matlock leaned back in his chair, frowning. "Society would never accept her—at least not without some intervention from one of its leaders. Would you be prepared to give up your position?"

Darcy opened his mouth, but his uncle continued, one hand raised to halt Darcy's response.

"Think carefully before you answer; you have always enjoyed the privileges of unopposed access to any event you wished to attend. And what of Georgiana—how will your union affect her coming out?"

Darcy swallowed hard. "I believe the loss would be a small price to pay. I spend far more time outside of social events than in them. Purely from a practical standpoint, I would prefer that Georgiana and I both be happier during the majority of our time than pursue momentary acceptance from a fickle society."

"And if your aunt does not accept your choice?"

Darcy suppressed a shiver. He neither wanted Aunt Margaret for an enemy—she could eviscerate a person so quickly that they would remain unaware of their condition until the deed was done—nor did he wish to lose her care and assistance with Georgiana, but . . . he was a grown man and, if he succeeded, Elizabeth was his future.

He bowed his head. "I would be deeply pained by her disapproval." He met his uncle's eyes. "But, as you pointed out, I am of age. I would prefer that you and Aunt Margaret meet Miss Elizabeth before rejecting her, but I cannot demand your approval. And I must do what I believe to be best for Georgiana and for myself. Aunt Margaret is determined that I marry this year so that Georgiana may have a sister to help guide her. Heaven knows that I lack the necessary skills to ensure she grows into a proper young lady during this difficult time in her development. But none of the young ladies Aunt has suggested will aid Georgiana in becoming a woman to be proud of. Miss Mathers would fulfill the role of sister-in-law by forcing Georgie to become someone she is not. Any ton miss would harden her and shift her priorities to match those of society's. Though those qualities may help a person navigate the ton, they do not help one navigate life.

"I have seen Miss Elizabeth's kindness in action dozens of times. She would encourage Georgiana to come out of her shell without suggesting that she become someone else entirely. She would manage the ton without losing herself because she has strength of character—much like Aunt Margaret. Miss Elizabeth recognized Wickham as a liar; she will not be taken in by someone like him, nor would she allow Georgiana to fall prey to such people.

"In addition, with three younger sisters, she is well-practised at encouraging a younger sister. I believe she is the perfect person to benefit Georgiana and to bring life back to Pemberley. More than that, she pushes me to be a better man. She has her own opinions and ideas, and she does not change them simply because I have a differing one." He smiled reminiscently, thinking of all the times she had debated him over some point or another. "I have always wished to marry someone like her. I just did not realize that the ton breeds those qualities out of young ladies," he said thoughtfully.

Though the truth had flowed from his lips in an impassioned plea, it was almost as though he were speaking primarily to himself. He had not realized how perfect Miss Elizabeth would be for him and Georgie, nor had he realized how much he had considered the matter. All those bits and pieces of time engaged in smatterings of musing had added up to a clear whole.

Lord Matlock had remained silent, studying his nephew throughout. Finally, he nodded to himself. "If you tell Peg all that, she will come around eventually. She wants you and Georgiana to be well, most of all. Georgie's brush with Wickham scared her more than she wishes to admit. I would prefer you married someone who could bring influential connections or wealth to the family, but your Miss Elizabeth sounds like a treasure, and perhaps—" His eyes took on a faraway cast. "Regardless of what our society believes or how hard they cling to the past, times are changing. It may be that a connection to the Gardiners will do us well in the end anyway."

Darcy gaped at his uncle.

Lord Matlock chuckled before sobering. "I am proud of you, Darcy. You stood up for your beliefs, and you have changed in the past few months. It is a wise man indeed who can admit his faults and rectify them."

"I—thank you, Uncle Stephen."

"Now, Richard instructed me to remind you that he expects you to obtain your sister's approval of Miss Elizabeth before you propose."

"Fitzwilliam told me as much, but I hesitate to bring her to Meryton due to Wickham's presence," Darcy admitted. And perhaps that of the Letter-writer, if such a person existed. Tendrils of cold wove down his spine as he seriously considered whether he himself might have written it in some alternate future.

Lord Matlock leaned back in his chair, studying the ceiling as though searching for answers. Finally, after several moments, he shifted his attention to Darcy. "Wickham has been dealt with; I highly doubt that he will escape military justice."

"Still—if Georgie is on hand, he may believe he can appeal to her, or utilize her to blackmail his way to freedom."

Lord Matlock waved this objection away. "Wickham will attempt blackmail whether she is present or not. And Georgiana has learned her lesson; she will not be taken in by him again." Lord Matlock tapped the desk thrice. "Besides, if Georgiana is taken with Miss Elizabeth, you will have a much easier time convincing your Aunt."

With that argument, Darcy acquiesced.

Thanks for all the reviews and engagement last week, y'all! I so enjoy reading your thoughts about the story :) I hope you guys enjoy Lord Matlock-he's consistently one of my favorite characters, so I'm excited to have him show up :)

Thanks to my betas, Arendelle, Dawn, Roberta, and Roxey who caught all manner of mistakes in the chapter and did an amazing job of pointing out and rewording things!

And I probably don't say this often enough, but thank you to the readers who point out the mistakes that slip through our net. I really, really appreciate it! As you can probably tell, I am not at all a Regency era expert, so I rely on others to point out when I'm saying something chronologically ridiculous :) Please do continue to point things out! I do my best to fix them (if not on here then in the final edits version).