This is the second chapter for today. If I get enough reviews for these chapters, I will try to post another chapter tomorrow.

Chapter 40: Sharing a Pew

When the Miss Bennets were out of view, I set out to walk back to Netherfield. Without the distraction of Miss Elizabeth, I felt all the pain in my knees, a bit on my hand and in my arm near my elbow as well. It was a long walk back to the estate with hurting knees, but I did my best to distract myself with other thoughts. I tried to imagine the conversation the sisters would have with their father and their mother, but my imagination could not decide how either of their parents would react. Still, I was at least somewhat hopeful that Mr. Bennet might be convinced and then choose to call on me.

When I returned to Netherfield, Jeffrey attended to my knees, arm (it had a scrape as well) and hand. I had to mostly undress for him to do so, which I disliked. It was much less pleasant to have him tending to my wounds and bandaging them than it had been to have Miss Elizabeth care for me.

Doubting that Mr. Bennet could be quickly convinced, I decided there was no reason to remain at Netherfield. My knees would undoubtedly ache no matter what I did, and I had business awaiting me. Therefore, I refused the dressing gown Jeffrey offered and instead told him, "I must get dressed as I plan to go and see Colonel Forster right away. Have someone fetch the cognac we brought from town."

Jeffrey then offered me trousers, suggesting "These would be best so as to not put pressure on your knees, and would also help to conceal the thickness of the bandages." Therefore, I agreed, even though I disliked their rumpled, oversized appearance which bore too close a resemblance to sailors' slops.

I rode to the encampment with a bottle of cognac in my saddlebag and asked after Colonel Forster. His aide instructed that I wait for the Colonel at his rented house, and Colonel Forster joined me there a few minutes later. He was a bit sweaty and mopped at his face with a handkerchief, but when he saw the cognac, gave me a most friendly smile. Again, he offered to open it to share it with me then, and like the last time I deferred while he indulged.

After he half emptied the cup, Colonel Forster observed "You must be here about Lieutenant Wickham again, I wager."

"Yes I am."

"Remind me, you were worried about him why?"

I briefly expressed my concerns again and then added, "I certainly should not want a man like him around the Miss Bennets."

Colonel Foster nodded and scratched at his hair. "Captain Carter's report about Mr. Wickham was not too dire, though he is not up to snuff yet. He seems an indolent type of man, but there is time enough to sort him out. Training and drills, drills and training are what we will be all about at Brighton. We will give him more responsibility and test his mettle. And I would not worry about him stepping a toe out of line with the Bennet sisters. That Mrs. Pope keeps them in line. What a woman!"

Colonel Forster curved his hands as if he were holding some sort of round fruit in them. "If she were a few years younger and I were not already married . . . She is as handsome as my wife, but intelligent and thoughtful, too, but I suppose she has not a farthing to her name or else she would not be a paid companion. Ah well, there is nothing to be done about that now. I wish I could take Miss Lydia to Brighton, as my wife likes her so. Indeed, I would take Mrs. Pope and that other sister too, if I had the room, but the place I have found for the missus is too small.

"We shall be gone in just a few days, but the people of Meryton, or rather the Bennets are giving us a proper send off, for all of the officers are attending a dinner hosted by Mrs. Bennet the day after tomorrow. Then we shall decamp on Tuesday morning."

Colonel Forster gave me a long look, tapped his chin with a thin finger and opined, "I expect all your concern for the fair Miss Bennets must be matrimonial in nature though their dowries are rather thin. Which do you favor? Let me see if I can suss it out."

He scratched at his greasy head again before opining, "Miss Lydia and Miss Kitty are a bit too young and silly for a man such as yourself. Miss Mary is too boring and a bit plain; she prefers not to be noticed by anyone. Miss Jane is everything lovely, but I heard she wished for a match with your friend Mr. Bingley, which would leave Miss Elizabeth. Not a bad choice with her bright eyes and quick wit, though is she not a bit short to be matched up with a tall man like yourself? Ah-ha, Lieutenant Wickham has been hanging around her also; perhaps the green-eyed monster got to you, aye?"

I decided to be non-committal as I did not want to disrespect Mr. Bennet by bandying about my intentions before I secured his approval. I did not like hearing that George had been spending time with Miss Elizabeth, but now that she knew his nature and did not venture out alone, I imagined she was safe enough from his manipulations or any untoward intentions he might have.

"When there is something to announce, I will."

"Say no more, it was the very same with me and the missus before her father decided he would be willing to part with her."

Colonel Forster smiled broadly, showing a wide gap between his front teeth, which were stained rather brown, likely from frequent use of his pipe. Indeed, the scent of tobacco hung heavy in the air. He nodded before giving me a hard thump on my shoulder which, as I saw it coming, I was able to hold still for it (rather than flinching as I would have if caught by surprise). I expect this thump was meant to congratulate me.

As I left it occurred to me that if they were leaving on Tuesday, the day of the dinner must be Monday, meaning tomorrow was Sunday. It was then that I felt a certain amount of hope. Mr. Bennet might be able to ban me from Longbourn, but if I could but encounter Mrs. Bennet at church again, certainly I should be able to finagle an invitation to the dinner they were hosting for the departure of the officers. Of course, even if I could not, any glimpse of my beloved would be worth the effort, and I was quite curious about Mrs. Pope.

Attending church the next day went far better than I could have anticipated. I arrived quite early, so early in fact that I was forced to speak with the priest for some minutes on the topic of christian charity (perhaps he was hoping that even though I did not live in the parish that I might tithe?) and after that stood about not knowing who to speak to. It felt an awkward business, but I did my best to bear up and ignore how my knees hurt. I was hoping to once again receive an invitation to sit with a local family near the Bennets, perhaps the Lucases again, but as the church continued to fill, feared I might need to simply find an open spot near the back.

However, when Mrs. Bennet bustled in with her daughters less than ten minutes before the service was to begin and saw me standing about, she hurried over toward me even as her older daughters proceeded to their pew, while the youngest spoke with Maria Lucas who had just arrive also.

"Oh Mr. Darcy, there you are!" Mrs. Bennet greeted me most effusively. "I began to be afraid you would never come back again. My dear Jane told me you were returned to Netherfield but did not bring your darling sister this time. What a shame as my girls are becoming quite accomplished; having a companion has been just the thing for them, your sister has a companion, too, does she not?"

Mrs. Bennet gave me no opportunity to answer as she just continued talking. "Are you alone here? You must come join us in our family pew this morning and dine with us tomorrow. It shall be quite a large party with the officers, with a well-dressed dinner to see them off." She seemed in great spirits, smiling broadly at me in a way that was not quite decorous for a church morning, even giving me a wink.

I was very happy to agree to join them for both things and even happier when she said "you must sit here," gesturing for me to sit at the end of the pew, "yes here," and "Lizzy, you must sit here," she said, patting the back of the pew right next to where I was now standing. We both stood next to one another. "Well, go on and sit down," she instructed, and so we did. My knees burned in a new way as the scabs were stretched again.

"Oh my!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed after we sat, "you look so well together. How lovely to see you, Mr. Darcy, sitting beside my sweetest Lizzy. I can imagine the portrait now."

I was so happy to be seated beside my beloved. In being in her presence, it was easier to ignore the ache in my back, the throbbing in my arm and my sore knees. We exchanged a few words and she asked how I was feeling, and then I held out my hand and she placed her hand in mine. Oh, what delight, how wonderous it was!

But very soon I was distracted by hearing whispers (and some rather loud comments) from those who observed that I was sitting beside Miss Elizabeth. I heard Mrs. Lucas say to Miss Lucas, "Do you see them, Maria? It is Mr. Darcy next to Eliza. I dare say it must mean they are courting and soon to be engaged."

Normally, I would not have liked to hear anyone talk about me in such a way. However, given the circumstances, I was almost certain that everything was proceeding according to Miss Bennet's plan, or perhaps in an even better manner than she had foreseen. For all this gossip would help make us eventually marrying such a foregone conclusion that Mr. Bennet would be hard-pressed to resist.

Mrs. Bennet apparently heard this comment, too, for she arose from her seat further down the pew and scurried over to Mrs. Lucas. I turned my face toward Miss Elizabeth again and tried to focus on the joy I felt in having her near, but I was unable to ignore Mrs. Bennet's voice as she talked with Mrs. Lucas. Perhaps it was because Mrs. Bennet's voice was loud enough for half the parishioners to hear.

She said, "You know Mrs. Lucas, I am so glad that Mr. Darcy has come again. He is so handsome and so tall. He is almost as good as a Lord, and do you not see how he fancies my Lizzy? I will have you know that they are indeed courting and are very soon to be engaged.

"Now I had thought after Lizzy declined Mr. Collins's offer, that she had done it just to vex me, but it seems that she had her eye on a bigger prize. If Mr. Bingley could but return and marry Jane as well . . . but given that he has not been back these many months, I believe he used Jane very ill.

"But all is not lost. As soon as Mr. Darcy and Lizzy marry, it is certain she will find Jane someone of even better consequence, maybe even Mr. Darcy's own cousin, who is the son of an Earl. I shall not mind Mr. and Mrs. Collins turning me out of my own house so very much then, as when that dreaded day comes, I shall get to live in an even finer house with my daughter."

That last comment gave me pause. I was not sure I wanted Mrs. Bennet to one day live with me.

I could not hear what Mrs. Lucas's reply was, but the gist of it was clear enough from Mrs. Bennet's loud rejoinder. "No, Mr. Darcy's cousin whom Jane has met is not the heir. But no matter. Undoubtedly Jane can marry very well if exposed to the right society."

Mrs. Lucas said something in reply and Mrs. Bennet answered, "Yes, the only difficulty is that Mr. Bennet seems not nearly as impressed with Mr. Darcy as he should be! In truth, I think he would be happy if Lizzy ended up a spinster, might refuse Mr. Darcy on her behalf despite their obvious affection for one another just to spite me, but surely your husband can talk some sense into him?"

It was then that I heard Mr. Bennet, "Come now Mrs. Bennet, it is time to sit down as it is almost time for the service to begin." I turned around again, wondering what Mr. Bennet would do.

He saw me looking at him and stared back at me. And the expression on his face, well I do not know exactly what it meant, but it was obvious to me that he was greatly displeased and the look in his eye . . . why if I had been his child, I would have feared I was to get a thrashing.

Mr. Bennet then began walking down the aisle, straight toward me. I felt Miss Elizabeth give my hand a final squeeze and then she released my hand. I glanced back at her and saw that she had demurely rearranged her hands in her lap, so I placed my hands upon my thighs.

But then, I could not help myself, I had to turn and look at Mr. Bennet again. Now he had almost reached me, and I could see that his eyelids were narrowed, his lips were pressed together, there were little wrinkles between his eyebrows, and he carried himself stiffly. He paused by the end of the pew, perhaps just a foot away from it, just by where I was seated next to his daughter and softened his lips enough to quietly say, "Good day, Mr. Darcy. I am quite certain that there is somewhere else you should be sitting."

Before I could respond at all, Mrs. Bennet (ignoring what her husband's pronouncement) said from her position a few paces behind him, "Oh Mr. Bennet, are not we fortunate! Mr. Darcy is joining us this morning and tomorrow evening, too. What a fine thing for our dear, dear Lizzy!"

Mr. Bennet sighed, and just like that his shoulders slumped a bit. His next words were less forceful. "Will you not find another seat?" he quietly asked me.

"No, he shall not," Miss Elizabeth answered.

I was not sure I liked Miss Elizabeth answering for me, but I rather agreed that I wished to stay right where I was.

Mr. Bennet then said, "I still have my rights as her father. If you must sit here, it will be next to me." He gestured for Miss Elizabeth to move over in one direction and me in the other. I moved a few inches as then the side of the pew blocked further movement, while my beloved slid perhaps two feet away from me, tight in toward her sister Jane, with Jane and indeed the whole row of women sliding over, perhaps filling in the gap which had previously been reserved for Mr. Bennet at the other end. Mr. Bennet then seated himself between us. We were so tightly pressed together that his thigh was against mine. Then he crossed his arms and leaned back, pressing his upper arm into mine, and sat in silence. The entire service, he did not look at me. Instead, his face was turned to look at the rector the entire time.

As for me, I was terribly disappointed, to have had my beloved so close to me and now be blocked from seeing more than a bit of her skirts. The thought that she was so near, yet denied to me, distracted me from paying much mind to the service.

I kept trying to get a glimpse of Miss Elizabeth, but it was hard to do so with her father between us. Even when we stood for the songs and knelt for the prayers (oh how it hurt to kneel upon my scabbed knees, and I rather think it hurt worse without the distraction of being next to Miss Elizabeth), the bulk of Mr. Bennet kept me from seeing more than little flashes of her. I kept wishing Miss Elizabeth was still beside me, that I could look over to catch her expression, study the sheen on her curls, feel her breath, smell her soap. I had briefly considered whether, had we still been seated next to each other, I might have continued holding her hand. But instead, there was only Mr. Bennet who smelled of musty books, horseflesh and just a hint of sweat.

When the service was over, Mr. Bennet showed no inclination to move from his seat. He turned toward me, his face solemn, with no hint of a smile, and said, "I will come see you tomorrow morning; you had best not be anywhere near my daughter before then. Now, off with you." There was an edge to his voice, and I was not sure whether his upcoming visit boded well or ill. I considered whether he meant then to warn me off attending the dinner the next day or, perhaps, wished to discuss whether the Earl's threat was indeed gone.

Not wishing to poke a proverbial bear, I inclined my head, said "Very well," and rose to depart.

I began to make my way toward the nave, impeded occasionally by someone who wished to have a word with me. I tried my best to be friendly, while not delaying overly long, for I wished to respect Mr. Bennet's request. It was only after I was outside the doors that I realized I had not so much as noticed the much-lauded Mrs. Pope.