Hi everyone. I hope you are all keeping safe. Work is very hectic this last term of school so I am unsure how often I can update this story. I will have piles and piles of test papers to mark soon. I now have quite a number of shorts as well but I will really try my best to write when I can. My fault for starting so many…
As usual, I will not forget to say thank you to all of you who are still with me and reading my mostly silly pieces of work. Special thanks to the readers who have left reviews. I love reading your comments. They really cheer me up so THANK YOU to:
liysyl, DW.618, pemsnowy, RHALiz, Mea, Deanna27, Cyn7Ann, Guest, roses0002, Maria Teresa C, lpinney, srhittson, Levenez, PDS1, Guest, eelarahs, Shelby66, PinkSlytherin
Here is the second part of the stint in London.
Stay safe, everyone. ;-)
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Mrs Craven and her daughter arrived for dinner as expected. The dinner guests were dressed in the latest fashion and comported themselves with grace. Mrs Craven appeared to be a refined lady in her mid-forties and her daughter Emma looked to be about 20 years of age. The Fitzwilliam family was pleased to welcome them into their home. The dinner party started off well as conversation flowed smoothly and the Fitzwilliams were quite content with how their guests conducted themselves in both speech and manner.
"Pemberley is such a grand and well-maintained estate, Mr Darcy. It is a credit to your good management," Mrs Craven said with admiration.
"I thank you, Mrs Craven. But I must acknowledge the great service and commitment shown by my staff and our tenants. Your family's estate in Yorkshire is also reputed to be doing very well," Mr Darcy humbly replied.
"Yes, we consider ourselves fortunate but it does come with hard work. Is Miss Darcy with you in town?"
"No, my sister stays at Pemberley. She is not yet out," Darcy curtly replied. He wondered what and how they knew about his family, more specifically, Georgiana.
"I see. My daughter is spending a season here. We hope to meet new and old friends while we are here."
"Miss Craven, are you enjoying your stay in London?" the colonel asked the young lady.
"Yes, Colonel. Unlike in the country, there is a lot of entertainment here and the society is quite engaging." Miss Craven felt honoured to be addressed by the distinguished colonel.
"Do you intend to attend the opera or watch some plays in theatre?" the colonel continued.
"I would love to. Mother will be looking at the scheduled shows and dates to see which ones would suit our availability."
"Indeed, we are looking forward to watching some shows. My daughter improves her mind by extensive reading and she has studied some works by Shakespeare. She would be delighted to see the stories come alive on stage," added Mrs Craven.
"My nephew here must have read all of Shakespeare's published work," the earl proudly stated.
Darcy merely nodded.
"Pray tell us what your favourite play is, Miss Craven." The colonel was curious to know.
"I very much enjoyed reading 'Much Ado About Nothing'. It has such interesting and well-developed characters," she confidently answered.
"Ah. A popular comedy. Would you care to share which part you liked?"
"I love the story of Benedick and Beatrice. But I also like the drama between Claudio and Hero. That part where Claudio believed Hero to be dead was cleverly crafted."
Hearing this contribution from the young lady caught the interest of the family. Her replies showed that she was knowledgeable and could discuss meaningful topics, not just the usual ladies' talk.
"You are satisfied then with how the story concluded." the countess remarked.
"I am happy with the eventual union of Benedick and Beatrice, after all the misunderstandings. Unfortunately, the other pairing suffered a tragic end."
"How so, Miss Craven?" Confused, Lady Fitzwilliam prompted her to elaborate.
"Didn't Claudio drink the poison, believing Hero to be dead? And consequently, when Hero awakens and sees Claudio dead, she then kills herself?"
Miss Craven sounded very convincing when she gave her last response. However, Darcy and the Fitzwilliams were familiar with the plays 'Much Ado About Nothing' as well as 'Romeo and Juliet'. They knew the young lady had mixed up the characters between the two Shakespeare masterpieces. The colonel eyed his cousin, as if gauging how they should react to their young guest. Darcy turned to Mrs Craven and saw that she was smiling smugly, seemingly proud of her daughter's performance.
"I do hope that you get a chance to see that play as well as 'Romeo and Juliet' while you are in town. The experience could prove very enlightening," Darcy safely answered. His uncle and aunt smiled politely while his cousin displayed his mediocre acting skills, pretending to cough in an attempt to contain his snigger.
After dinner, Darcy and the colonel were becoming increasingly impatient for the guests to leave so they could have the opportunity to discuss matters in privacy. However, the guests did not appear to be in any hurry to depart.
"Darcy, I must say you are looking quite tired. You still have an early trip tomorrow morning," the colonel hinted, much to the annoyance of his cousin. He did want the guests to leave soon but not for Richard to use him as a means to that end.
"Yes, I do. But do not forget that you are joining me on that trip," Darcy looked at Richard pointedly.
"Oh, we are very sorry to be taking up your time. We should be getting ready to leave soon," Mrs Craven finally stated.
After the farewells, Mrs Craven made one final appeal to the young gentlemen,
"We do hope to be in your company again soon. We will be happy for you to join us for dinner one time."
"I thank you, however, we will be away as you know."
"I understand, Mr Darcy. But Pemberley is not a huge distance from our estate. Perhaps there will a chance for a mutual visit in the near future. After all, what is 50 miles of good road?"
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When the earl returned to Matlock House that afternoon, Lady Fitzwilliam had relayed Darcy's brief visit to him. She likewise shared her concerns about their nephew. They had discussed this topic a few times in the past but they decided that the best thing to do is not to meddle in their nephew's affairs, or lack of. It was their view that their nephew was his own person and had grown up to be a highly respectable young man, and they would support him in his decisions.
After the guests had left, the family assembled in the earl's study to have privacy, expecting that the conversation will involve some sensitive information.
"Fitzwilliam, I hear that you have some pressing matters to attend to," the earl opened, coming straight to the point.
"Yes, uncle. I am afraid Wickham is again very likely to cause some trouble. This time in Hertfordshire."
"That scoundrel is relentless. I can never forgive him for what happened with Georgiana."
"I should have dealt with him sooner, then it would have put a stop to him damaging more innocent lives."
"It is not your fault, Fitzwilliam. He is who chose to become. He had the fortune of enjoying privileges when he was growing up that could have provided him a successful path. It is entirely his choice to be the man he turned out to be. He alone is responsible for his actions. You are a good and generous man and you have afforded him more chances that he deserves. Do not blame yourself."
"But now I think it is high time that he is held accountable for his wrongdoings. He cannot go on like this forever."
Darcy recounted what he knew of Wickham's recent activities and the threat he posed to the villagers in Meryton.
"Fitz, I have already pledged my assistance to you and you can surely count on my support. Like father, I find I could not ever find it in myself to forgive that cad for almost ruining Georgiana."
"Thank you, Richard. I appreciate your willingness to help, especially at such short notice."
"You almost never ask us for favours so I realise that this must mean a great deal to you. I just wonder why you suddenly decided to do this. I used to get very frustrated whenever you prevented me from giving him his just desserts. So, why now?"
"I… there is… ah…"
"Fitzwilliam, you can tell us. We are not here to judge you," his aunt encouraged.
Darcy resolved that he might as well confess his connections with the Bennet family. If he became successful in gaining Elizabeth's hand, he would want his family's blessing. In the event that they would not approve, he would still uphold his choice of wife but he would certainly prefer for the people he loved to develop harmonious relationships with each other.
"In Meryton, I have become acquainted with the Bennet family. They live on a modest estate called Longbourn. The family consists of the parents and their 5 daughters. The second eldest daughter, Elizabeth… ah… I… she…"
They all waited for him to elaborate but he was clearly hesitating.
"You are in love with her!" the colonel boldly exclaimed.
All heads turned to face the colonel. The earl and the countess were stunned to hear this pronouncement, then they slowly switched their attention back to Darcy. They all noted that he used the lady's given name.
"Well? Am I correct?" the colonel persisted.
"How… how did you know?" Darcy stuttered.
"You never speak that way about other women. You hardly even talk to them unless they address you, excluding your family and close friends."
"I do converse with other women."
"Barely. And then again, you are always just civil. Just like how you were tonight with Miss Craven and her mother."
"They were not my guests. I have no particular interest in them."
"Oh, but they were definitely interested in you. I have no hope of attracting a potential bride when you are around."
"Most of them only want to gain access to Pemberley and the Darcy name, while they actually spend time discussing various topics with you."
The earl and the countess were very much surprised to learn about this development. Their nephew had now finally found someone. They wanted to know more about this Elizabeth.
"Fitzwilliam, do tell us more about your Elizabeth. I do not believe I have heard of the Bennets from Longbourn," his aunt said.
"She is not my Elizabeth, aunt," Darcy replied in a quiet voice.
"Why not? Have you not yet entered into a formal understanding with her?" his uncle asked.
"No, I have not, uncle. I… I am afraid I have created a very poor first impression."
"How could that be? You are one of the most sought-after bachelors. No woman would find you wanting," the earl added.
Darcy then told them the story of their acquaintance starting from the assembly. As he expected, they were horrified by his ungentlemanly behaviour in Meryton. But they all knew that Darcy felt strongly for this Miss Bennet, listening carefully to how he described her features, her character, her family, her accomplishments and her imperfections.
"This is almost unbelievable," his uncle quipped, "to have a lady of her station shun your attentions."
"Fitzwilliam, do you truly love her?" his aunt gently asked.
"Yes."
"And do you believe she can make you happy?"
"Most certainly."
"Then you must do everything you can do win her. You need to make her see the real you," his aunt said in a firm voice. She then turned to her husband, expecting him to voice his opinion.
His uncle was silent for a while, still absorbing all the news they received.
"Fitzwilliam, since you lost your parents, I have always worried for you. But I did not interfere with your personal decisions. Your mother, as well as your father, would have wanted you to have a partner in life whom you can love and respect. You have no need for more material wealth nor connections. This lady, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, despite her status, seems to be someone worthy of esteem. She is not enticed by your affluence and standing in society. Quite extraordinary."
"And she has already turned down the heir presumptive to their estate. I think you have met your match, Fitz. She will not take any nonsense from you or anyone," the colonel remarked favourably.
"So do you all approve of my pursuit of her?"
"Your aunt and Richard have already made their sentiments known. Prior to meeting her, I admit I can raise no objections. She is a gentleman's daughter and by your description, an honourable woman. You have attended the London season for years and have not found even one woman worthy of consideration. Perhaps this Miss Bennet is indeed the one who will prove to be your equal," his uncle explained.
Darcy heaved a sigh of relief. He was very grateful that he has the support of the Fitzwilliam family. He is confident that once they get to know Elizabeth, they will be charmed. It was up to him now to win her hand and heart. If only he knew how…
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Darcy and the Colonel are due to leave London after this chapter.
Are you all happy to return to Longbourn?