Author's note: I am SO sorry for how long it took me to get this chapter up. My youngest child caught a bad cold and was on a nebulizer every few hours all week last week, and he's still super cranky this week (only 1 year old). I promise I am NOT giving up on this story! :) But with the school year starting, I will have less time to write (I homeschool my kids). So I won't be able to post at the rate I used to. But I will keep posting! :)

Chapter 24

The sun seemed to rise early on the day that Viscount Oakley was to arrive at Netherfield. Georgiana awoke with the sun and chose to breakfast downstairs, instead of taking her customary cup of chocolate in her chambers.

"Someone is awake early," laughed Fitzwilliam as he saw his young cousin enter the dining room.

"As is someone else!" she teasingly replied.

"Ah, but I am a military man! We are accustomed to such difficulties," he said with a sly wink.

"I admit, I am eager to see Oakley," Georgiana said as she helped herself to a slice of toast with eggs from the sideboard.

"As am I," Fitzwilliam agreed. "I am hopeful he arrives early, as I am afraid I must leave tomorrow for the barracks."

"What?" Georgiana asked in surprise. "You will not be staying here at Netherfield with us?"

"I'm afraid not, my dear," he said, sorrow in his voice. "A good commander endures hardships with his men. I would lose their respect if I were to stay in a manor house with the comfort of servants when they are spending the winter in tents and rented rooms."

Georgiana nodded. "I will be sorry to see you go. At least you will not be far, however."

"No, and I will call on you here and at Longbourn at every opportunity," he assured her.

"You mean, you will call on Miss Catherine at Longbourn?" she said with a smile.

Fitzwilliam grinned, which served to make his plain face almost handsome. "I mean on all the Bennets," he emphasized, "although it would not bother me if Miss Catherine were there when I called."

Georgiana sat her toast down and gave her cousin and former guardian a stern look. "I like Kitty Bennet; I consider her a friend. I will be very cross if you raise her expectations when all you are looking for is light flirtation."

Fitzwilliam's teasing smile left his face. "I would not do such a thing," he said soberly. "I enjoy spending time with Miss Catherine. I am not at liberty to make an offer of marriage at this time, but I will be resigning my commission and taking up the estate my uncle left me. I would like to begin that new step in my life with a wife beside me."

"Richard," Georgiana gasped, "are you planning to ask Kitty to marry you?"

Richard smiled and said, "I am considering the notion. I have not yet made a final decision, but I believe I shall."

"How wonderful!" exclaimed Georgiana, rising from her seat to hug her cousin. "She is a truly delightful girl, and I would be proud to call her family."

"Now, before you jump to matrimony too quickly, I must warn you that I am not in love with her," he said, returning her hug. "However, I have a deep regard and genuine fondness for her. She makes me laugh, and she listens to my stories."

"Ah, I see," Georgiana said with a sly smile, "a girl just needs a few smiles, a few compliments to the army, and you're a lost man!"

Fitzwilliam let out a surprised burst of laughter. "It is not quite that easy to catch me!" he protested.

"Who is trying to catch you?"

Both occupants at the table spun towards the door. "Oakley!" cried Georgiana, and she rushed to throw her arms around him. "How are you here?"

"Well, there is an incredible animal called a horse…."

"You wretch!" Georgiana giggled as she hit his arm. "How are you here so early? You were not supposed to arrive until this afternoon!"

"As much as I love my sons, riding in the carriage with them was a bit too much for me. I left early this morning to ride ahead of them; they will be coming with the nursemaids on the carriage once they have awoken and left the inn where we stopped for the night," Oakley explained.

He helped himself to a large plate of bacon, along with some toast, then joined his brother and cousin at the table. "Now," he said, before taking a bite, "who is trying to catch my brother?"

Georgiana smiled and answered, "Catherine Bennet."

"Ah, Jane's youngest unmarried sister," he said nonchalantly, before taking another bite.

Georgiana's mouth fell open as Richard started in surprise. "You know the Bennets?" Richard asked as Georgiana exclaimed, "Jane?!"

The viscount merely smiled and gestured to his full mouth. After several agonizing seconds of slow chewing, he finally swallowed and simply said, "Yes, Jane Bennet."

His two breakfast companions looked at him expectantly, while he focused very intently on his plate. After several more minutes of silence, Georgiana could not bear the suspense and demanded, "Oakley, how on earth do you know Miss Bennet?"

"Especially well enough to call her by her given name," Richard said suspiciously. "You haven't….you haven't, well…" Richard hesitated, glancing at Georgiana anxiously.

She looked blankly at Richard, then understanding dawned on her face. "No," she gasped in horror.

At this, Oakley's head snapped up, all traces of amusement gone from his face. "Never," he growled, giving his brother a fierce glare.

Richard sighed in relief. "I really did not think you would take the daughter of a gentleman as a mistress, but you must admit, your behavior was quite perplexing."

"Not to mention the damage that could have occurred to Miss Bennet's reputation had either of my sisters-by-marriage overheard any of this conversation," Georgiana added with a set-down.

Oakley sighed. "You both make excellent points. I should not have indulged myself at your expense when a young woman's reputation could have been so easily marred."

"Are you going to explain the situation, then?" Georgiana asked impatiently.

Oakley spent the next quarter of an hour relating his relationship with Jane Bennet. At the very end of the conversation, Darcy returned from his morning ride. After embracing his cousin, Oakley began the tale over again.

Darcy's brow was furrowed in concern. "I believe I am acquainted with Mr. Cartwright," he said at the end of Oakley's tale.

"What?!" exclaimed the viscount.

"If it is the same man, then he has a property somewhat near mine in Derbyshire. I must admit, I am not very surprised to hear that he behaved in a less than gentlemanlike manner. I am sorry to hear, however, that Miss Bennet was so importuned," Darcy said.

He then proceeded to share his experience at Cartwright's ball, finishing by declaring that he would no longer have any association with such a disreputable man.

"I find it interesting that you are courting Miss Bennet on such little acquaintance," Darcy said. "Why the hurry?"

"I am lonely, and she is kind to my children," the viscount answered simply.

Knowing his cousin's history with his first wife, Darcy nodded in reply. The three were silent, then Georgiana said, "I cannot wait to see Mrs. Bennet's reaction when she hears the news!"

Richard burst laughter as Oakley looked at his young cousin, perplexed. "How do you know that she doesn't know already?"

"Because the Bennet girls would have told me."

"How do you know Mrs. Bennet simply hasn't told them?"

Georgiana looked at Richard, who was laughing so hard he could barely breathe, tears streaming down his face. She, too, dissolved into giggles.

Darcy merely looked at them, then turned to the viscount with a sardonic grin. "You'll find out soon enough."

The merriment ended with the entrance of Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst, who quickly took over the conversation in an attempt to ingratiate themselves to the viscount. He donned an aloof look and rebutted their questions with single, one-word answers.

Desperate to change the conversation, Georgiana turned to her husband, who had entered the room shortly after his sisters. "Dearest, what do you think about hosting a ball to welcome my cousin to the neighborhood?"

"I think a ball is just the thing!" Charles cried with delight.

"Do you think a ball would be well-received in such a…quaint location?" Miss Bingley asked with a pained smile. "I would advise you, before you determine on it, to consult the wishes of the present party; I am much mistaken if there are not some among us to whom a ball would be rather a punishment than a pleasure."

"When our mother was alive, she hosted balls at Pemberley quite frequently," said Darcy, "and Derbyshire is far more removed from London society than Hertfordshire is. I think a ball to be an excellent choice."

With this lack of support from the party to whom she had indicated with her inquiry, Miss Bingley graciously – albeit reluctantly – withdrew her protest by falling silent.

"I will call on Longbourn today to consult on the best day for the ball," Georgiana said.

Her brother and both cousins eagerly announced they would join her. Miss Bingley sniffed and stated that she must send to Town for her best ball gowns, for she had "not thought them necessary in a such a wild place as this."

The ladies excused themselves to the prepare for the day. A short while later, Georgiana was escorted by her three male relations to Longbourn.

Upon arriving, they were announced, and they could hear immediate shrieks from the area of the drawing room, although they could not make out the words. Oakley raised his eyes in alarm, and Georgiana smilingly whispered an explanation: "Mrs. Bennet."

Oakley did not have time to react to this evidence of Jane's mother's poor behavior; they were quickly ushered into the room by the housekeeper and announced to the room at large.

Mrs. Bennet and four daughters stood and curtsied as introductions were made. The moment Mrs. Bennet met "his lordship, Viscount Oakley," she began a steady stream of warm effusions. Oakley just stared while Jane slowly lowered her gaze to her lap, blushing.

Finally, as Mrs. Bennet took a pause for breath, Lizzy interjected by saying, "Since it is such a fine day, we had been discussing a walk. Would you care to join us?"

"Yes," everyone responded at once.

Mrs. Bennet looked around the room, blinking in surprise at the chorus of eager voices. "Well, I shan't keep you young people from your exercise."

House slippers were exchanged for boots, and the entire company, save Mary, went out of doors. Oakley quickly led Jane to one side of the garden, while Darcy and Lizzy went to another corner to finish a lively debate about a book they had both read with different opinions.

Colonel Fitzwilliam began speaking with Kitty. Georgiana, in a desire to play matchmaker, pulled Bingley away from the conversation by pretending to ask his opinion of a plant in the garden.

"I'm sorry, my dear, but I have no idea what type of plant this is," Bingley said, examining the shrub she had indicated.

Georgiana laughed. "It's a neottia ovata, but that is not the real reason I called you over. I wanted to give Richard some time with Kitty."

"Ah," Charles said, waggling his eyebrows at her, "you are in collusion with Mrs. Bennet!"

Georgiana laughingly protested this accusation, but he continued, "No, no, there is no denying it. You are becoming a matchmaker in your old married state."

"I am not so very old," she said.

Bingley gazed at her warmly, his eyes moving from her face, down her body, and back up again. "No, my dear, you are not."

Georgiana blushed under his gaze, her stomach fluttering nervously. He took her hand and pressed a gentle kiss on it. Their eyes remained locked, and he leaned in somewhat closer.

A bark of laughter from Darcy startled the married couple, and they both blushed, looking around. Darcy had thrown back his head, laughing at something Lizzy had said in their debate.

"I've never seen my brother so happy. It's a beautiful sight," Georgiana said feelingly.

"Yes, it is," murmured Bingley, but his eyes were on his wife as he spoke.

Darcy's laughter over Lizzy's accusation that he chose an opposing viewpoint just so he could debate with her had interrupted more than just the Bingleys' conversation. The other two couples began moving towards them, and soon all eight were conversing in the garden.

"Have you chosen a date for your ball, Mrs. Bingley?" Jane asked. With Oakley at her side, she was quite confident in the presence of her former suitor's wife, displaying none of the awkwardness she had initially felt when the Netherfield party had first arrived that morning.

"The twenty-sixth of November," Georgiana said, "and I hope you shall all come."

Assurances of their attendance were made, and each young man solicited the first set from the focus of his attentions, before turning to the others and asking for a place on their dance cards as well.

That having settled, Oakley excused himself from the group, saying he had a matter to discuss with Mr. Bennet inside. Jane offered to show him to her father's study so the housekeeper would not need to disturb Mrs. Bennet with the news of the guest's request.

Kitty and Lizzy watched Jane lead the gentleman away with a soft smile. Georgiana gave a girlish squeal and said, "He told us this morning that he is courting your sister. I could not be more happy for her!"

"Is he a good man?" Lizzy asked bluntly.

Darcy bristled slightly. "He is one of the best men of my acquaintance."

Lizzy raised her eyebrows at him and said, "Forgive the impertinence, but the question was kindly meant. I had an encounter many years ago with a man who hides his wickedness behind an amiable face. A woman gives up much when she marries and puts herself completely in the power of her husband."

Bingley blushed at this statement, and Georgiana said, "My husband was never wicked!"

Lizzy stared blankly at her for a minute, then laughed slightly. "Oh! No, my dear friend, I did not mean your husband!"

Kitty began to laugh, too. "She meant Mr. Cartwright!"

Lizzy hushed her sister, but Darcy latched onto the name. "The same man who assaulted your sister in Hyde Park?"

"Yes," Kitty answered. "He used to live here in Meryton years ago. He wanted to marry Jane, but Lizzy saved her."

"How did she know?" Richard asked.

"She saw him with a young tenant's daughter," Kitty said.

"Kitty!" Lizzy exclaimed in dismay, having found her voice. "I shared that with you in confidence."

Kitty stopped talking and looked at the ground, blushing. "I'm sorry, Lizzy," she said in a subdued tone.

"I suppose there's no help for it now," Lizzy said. She then proceeded to the relate the account of what she had witnessed with Becky.

"My goodness," Darcy said. "I knew I did not like the man all that well even before we heard of what occurred in Hyde Park. Now I feel ashamed for having ever been to his home."

Lizzy shot Darcy a sharp look. "I had understood the man to be a close friend of yours."

Bingley shook his head. "We once attended at ball at his home when he first came to Derbyshire, but other than that, Darcy rarely has dealings with him. Other than rescuing his servants, of course."

Darcy blushed slightly at this praise. "Who said I was friends with him?"

Now it was Lizzy's turn to blush slightly. "Mr. Wickham."

Georgiana gave a slight gasp, her hand tightening on her husband's arm. "What else did he tell you?" she asked in a tremulous voice.

"Nothing that was the truth, clearly," Lizzy said. "I had already suspected his story about a denied inheritance as false, but I was not entirely certain about his claim that you were friends with Mr. Cartwright."

Darcy looked at her in surprise. "You did not believe what he said about the living at Kympton?"

"No, as he had contradicted himself earlier in our conversation," Lizzy explained.

Georgiana sighed slightly in relief, and all eyes turned to her. "Perhaps we should return home," her husband said. "You look a bit faint, and it is almost time for lunch."

Shaking her head, Georgiana responded, "Not until I have told my friends the truth about Wickham."

Darcy began to argue with her, but she gave him a sharp look. "This is my story to tell, Brother, and I will share it with whom I wish."

She spent the next quarter of an hour relating her encounter with Wickham at Ramsgate and how her marriage came to be. By the end of the conversation, Kitty was in tears. Lizzy embraced her friend and said, "Thank you for being brave enough to share your story."

Georgiana began to sob into her friend's arms. "I was so worried you would despise me."

Kitty left the colonel's side and joined the hug. "Never."

As Darcy looked at the scene, he knew. He loved Elizabeth Bennet.

Warmth filled his chest. He looked at his cousin to see Richard gazing at three girls with a soft smile on his face. Bingley's eyes were suspiciously red.

The moment was interrupted by a loud squeal from in the house. The Netherfield party jumped and looked at the house in alarm. Lizzy began to laugh. "Oh, Mamma," she said fondly. "It appears Papa has given his acceptance and has informed our mother."

"We had best go in and congratulate them," Georgiana said, wiping at her face. Bingley handed her his handkerchief. As she returned it to him, he pulled her close and gave her a brief, tender hug. Kissing her hair, he said, "My brave girl."

As the group entered the house, they could hear Mrs. Bennet's raptures more clearly. Congratulations were issued from all sides, and in the midst of the chaos, Lydia arrived for a visit.

"Oh, Lydia! Can you imagine? Jane is being courted by a viscount!" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed when her daughter asked what all the fuss was about.

A sour expression crossed Lydia's face. It lightened somewhat when Charles issued her an invitation to the ball at Netherfield.

"Are all the officers invited?" Lydia asked.

The gentlemen exchanged concerned looks. Bingley quickly whispered to Georgiana, who nodded at him. "Yes," Bingley answered, "although I may be calling on your husband to issue the invitation in person," he informed her.

"What a jolly good time we shall all have! The officers are such fine dancers!" Lydia said with excitement. "Mamma, I shall need a new gown!"

"Oh yes, my love, all of my girls must dress their best!"

As the conversation turned to lace and sleeve lengths, the Netherfield party took the opportunity to bid their farewells.

The following days leading up to the ball were filled with calls between Netherfield and Longbourn. Discussions about gowns, decorations, food, and more were the topic of notes that flew back and forth between the two estates, and the footmen had formed a well-trodden path that cut off several minutes of their journey.

Bingley paid a call on Colonel Forster, where he formally invited the militia. He gave strong hints about his concern over Wickham's attendance considering "Wickham's ill-concealed contempt for my wife and brother." Colonel Forster assured Bingley that the man would be on duty the night of the ball and therefore unable to attend.

At last the day arrived. Poor Sarah, the lady's maid for all of the Bennet girls, spent the entire day pulling corset strings, mending shoe roses, and putting pins in hair. When Mrs. Bennet finally deemed them ready, the six Bennet residents boarded the carriage and headed towards Netherfield.

Darcy thought he had prepared himself for seeing Elizabeth, but as she entered the front doors at Netherfield, he stopped breathing. He stared at her for several seconds until Richard elbowed him in the ribs. Startled, Darcy turned to rebuke him but then realized he had been ignoring Mrs. Long, who was next in line to greet him.

"My apologies, madam," he said, giving a deep bow. "I fear my attention was elsewhere."

She gave him a knowing smile and said, "That's quite all right young man. Everyone proclaims Jane to be the jewel of Hertfordshire, but that little Lizzy Bennet is quite the beauty herself."

"That she is," he said in a strangled voice, slightly embarrassed that his emotions were so clearly on display.

The line continued to move, and at last she reached him.

"Miss Elizabeth," Darcy said, bowing over her hand a pressing a tender kiss on it, causing her to gasp. He rose, piercing eyes staring hers. "You are stunning."

Lizzy blushed deeply. "Thank you, sir. Handsome enough to stand up with you for the first two dances?" she teased, regaining her equilibrium.

Darcy leaned in towards her. "Oh, you tempt me," he said in a soft whisper, causing the blush to creep from her face towards the neckline of her gown.

Straightening, he donned an expressionless face to greet Mary Bennet, who gave him a severe look. "I hope whatever you said to my sister to cause her to blush so is with honorable intentions," she said in a stern voice.

Darcy's eyebrows rose. "Indeed they are. I would ask her to marry me tonight if I thought she would accept," he admitted, then cursed himself for his loose tongue.

Mary gave him a sudden smile, causing her plain face to transform. "I shall hold you to that, sir," she said. "Based on her response to you, I think you can assume a favorable reply should you choose so."

She moved on to greet Richard, leaving Darcy staring after her, jaw agape. He shook his head to clear the cobwebs, then continued greeting the remainder of the guests.

As the musicians began to play, Darcy looked for Lizzy. Spying her on the other side of the room with her sisters, he made his way across the room to collect her for the first two dances. He extended his hand to hers, and she gasped at the shock she felt when contact was made.

Darcy and Lizzy began to dance, content to simply gaze into one another's eyes. After a few moments, however, Lizzy smiled and said, "Come now, Mr. Darcy, we must have some conversation! Perhaps I should say something about the room, and you could make some sort of remark on the number of couples."

He smiled, and assured her that whatever she wished him to say should be said.

"Very well. That reply will do for the present. Perhaps by and by I may observe that private balls are much pleasanter than public ones. But now we may be silent."

"Do you talk by rule, then, while you are dancing?" Darcy smiled down at her.

"Sometimes. One must speak a little, you know. It would look odd to be entirely silent for half an hour together; and yet for the advantage of some, conversation ought to be so arranged, as that they may have the trouble of saying as little as possible."

"Are you consulting your own feelings in the present case, or do you imagine that you are gratifying mine?"

"Both," replied Elizabeth archly; "for I have always seen a great similarity in the turn of our minds. We are each of an unsocial, taciturn disposition, unwilling to speak, unless we expect to say something that will amaze the whole room, and be handed down to posterity with all the éclat of a proverb."

Darcy let out a bark of laughter. Lizzy smiled in satisfaction at having finally broken through his stern façade.

"Marry me," he blurted out.

At these words, Lizzy tripped over her feet and stumbled into him. "Oh!" she cried in pain.

"Miss Elizabeth!" Darcy exclaimed, catching her before she fell to the ground. As he escorted her from the dance floor, helping her hobble to a chair, he cursed himself for being such a cad.

"You there, fetch some ice! At once, man!" he cried to a passing footman.

"No, no!" Lizzy contradicted. Darcy looked at her in confusion. "It is nothing, really," she whispered to him, "but I wished to continue our conversation without the distraction of dancing."

Understanding dawned in Darcy's eyes. The footman looked between the two of them, unsure as to which orders he should obey. At Darcy's shrug, the servant continued on his way.

"Are you much hurt?" Darcy asked with concern as she bent over to massage at her ankle. "Perhaps we should get that ice after all."

"No, I am quite all right. Your words took me by surprise and I misstepped, but there is no injury."

Lizzy looked around and saw her sisters and mother headed towards her, worry on their faces. "There is no time to speak, but my answer is…." she hesitated, then said, "I will consent to a courtship to last no shorter than six months."

Darcy had no time to respond, as they were soon surrounded by her family, asking after her. Lizzy reassured them all, going so far as to stand on her feet and bounce slightly without wincing.

"How could you be so clumsy, child?" Mrs. Bennet exclaimed in dismay.

"My apologies, Mrs. Bennet," Mr. Darcy interjected, "but I am the one at fault. I began to turn the wrong way, which forced Miss Elizabeth off-balance. It was only her quickness of foot that prevented both of us from tumbling to the ground."

"Oh yes, my Lizzy has always been an excellent dancer," Mrs. Bennet assured him, ignorant to the contradiction.

"In fact, Miss Elizabeth, I am very sorry that we were unable to finish the dance," Darcy said as the music came to an end. "Perhaps I might request the honor of the supper set to make up for it?"

Lizzy smiled sadly at him and said, "I'm afraid, sir, that my entire dance card is filled."

Darcy's face fell in disappointment. "I understand, Miss Elizabeth. A woman as an excellent dancer as yourself would naturally have all the sets spoken for."

"You could, however, ask one of the other young ladies for your open sets," she said. "So often in Meryton many women sit down without a partner due to the shortage of gentlemen."

"An excellent idea," Darcy responded, eager to please.

The music began the next set, and Darcy bowed before going in search of his sister. In between sets with the women from Netherfield and Longbourn, he sought out as many wallflowers as he could. He had never noticed before the transformation that overcame a young woman's looks when she was asked to dance.

The evening drew to a close. This has been the most enjoyable ball I have ever attended, Darcy thought with surprise. I can see why some enjoy the pastime so.

Mrs. Bennet cleverly arranged for their carriage to be the last to arrive. They stood talking in the foyer, waiting for the servants to bring their conveyance around. As the clip-clop of horse hooves came into hearing, Darcy bowed over Lizzy's hand, placing a lingering kiss on it, the sensation of which did not leave her until she arrived at Longbourn and drifted off into blissful slumber.