A week after Mr. Bingley joined the ranks of gentlemen engaged to a Bennet sister, the London party returned to Hertfordshire. Mr. Darcy scowled as he played billiards with Mr. Bingley at Netherfield, annoyed that Elizabeth was three miles away.
Mr. Bingley laughed as he teased his friend. "You will marry in four days. You should be grateful for having spent so much time with Miss Elizabeth before you married. I have only just been able to visit for hours at a time, and every night I sleep here, dreaming of the day she would move here."
Mr. Darcy huffed. He had grown used to Elizabeth's nearly constant presence. They had even grown comfortable hiding from her father to share secret embraces. They managed to catch three more performances in the remaining two weeks in town. He even managed to enjoy his aunt's ball. Thankfully, it was relatively sparsely attended, and he managed to dance four times with Elizabeth so long as he also danced with the other unmarried ladies. The penance of dancing with so many ladies was worth the pleasure he felt dancing with Elizabeth. Having always said he disliked dancing, he was certainly enjoying the moments he could acceptably hold her close as he led her down a line or spun with her. His aunt even played a waltz at the end of the day, and he was certain he had never felt so alive at a ball before.
Now, however, he was alone with Bingley and not enjoying it. Miss Bingley had already retired, her presence grating on his nerves as she attempted to encourage his affections one last time. Her heart was not in it as before, however. It seemed she had accepted her fate and merely wished to not loose her position in society given to her by Mr. Darcy's friendship with her brother.
"You marry in four days!" Mr. Bingley stated, annoyed at the fact that Mr. Darcy would likely have nearly won before he could even fire his first shot. "In four days, you will be married to woman you love, and you will bring her here. The soonest I could marry is nearly a month away. I shall be your host while you enjoy the affections of your wife, unable to spend more than a few hours with my Jane every day."
Mr. Darcy knew not to reply, but he might have been less careful when he aimed his last shot, missing by a fair margin.
"Ha!" Mr. Bingley announced as he began his turn. His turn only lasted for a few hits, as he never could concentrate like his friend. "Oh well, I should know by now not to be upset at losing to you."
Mr. Darcy chuckled. "Should you prefer I lose on purpose?"
Mr. Bingley could not agree, despite his annoyance. "Well, I believe we shall retire early, if you do not mind. The sooner we fall asleep the sooner our marriages come."
With a small nod, Mr. Darcy agreed. He was certain he would not fall asleep so easily, but he ought to make the attempt. They would likely spend most of the time between breakfast and supper at Longbourn, but the nights were the hardest time to survive, knowing Elizabeth was so close yet so far away.
The morning came as quickly as it always does, and Mr. Darcy found himself on his horse before the sun had even risen over the horizon. He rode his horse carefully towards Longbourn, eager for a sight of Elizabeth. While she was unlikely to be out this early, there was always a chance. After an hour of riding over the fields and through the sparse forests, he returned to Netherfield to find the carriage ready to take them to Longbourn. Mr. Bingley was clearly about to leave without his friend, causing Mr. Darcy to laugh lightly as he insisted Mr. Bingley wait until he had brushed off the dirt on his trousers.
Mr. Bingley insisted he hurry, "or I might leave alone…again. You cannot keep me from my angel." He hollered up the stairs.
Mr. Darcy chuckled at his friends impatience, but he did hurry.
They arrived at Longbourn to find all the ladies hurrying to finish eating. Kitty and Georgiana took the time to inform the gentlemen that they would be walking into town to check on an order from the shops. "Elizabeth's new dress shall be done soon, and we must make sure all is in order. If the order is not ready, we shall have much to do to prepare without it."
Mr. Darcy declared that it would not matter which dress Elizabeth chose to wear on their wedding day. Realizing he would not remain long at Longbourn, he ordered the horses to be refreshed so that they would be ready as soon as the Bennet's were ready before he tucked into his coffee and eggs.
"Not only will you accompany us, but you will ensure we are comfortable with Bingley's carriage, will you?"
"Of course. I should not wish to see you over tired before the wedding. You must get plenty of rest," he paused as he leaned closer so that only she would hear him add, "for I intent to keep you to myself and busy for quite some time after we marry."
Elizabeth blushed prettily as she sipped her tea. They could not converse more as Mrs. Bennet piped up to exclaim how busy she was now that three of her daughters were to marry as soon as they could. One would think this was a complaint, but it was clear to all in the room that she was completely delighted. Every fifth sentence was a declaration that she would have three daughters married, causing her husband to roll his eyes and sigh while the rest either smirked with delight that they were to marry or laughed good naturedly and continued their own conversations.
In the carriage, Elizabeth sat between Jane and Kitty and across from Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy, her foot accidentally setting beside Mr. Darcy's leg. The gossip in Meryton was full of how lucky the Bennets appeared. This was a relief for everyone, as the gossip had clearly changed much faster than they had reason to hope. Lydia walked with them quietly, under direction from her father that her pin money would be lost should she not remain calm with her sisters, appeared completely transformed. After going through their shopping, they stopped at Mrs. Phillips for tea, where Mr. Darcy endured a half hour discussion of how grand every part of his house must be. While he enjoyed speaking of Pemberley, Mrs. Phillips wished to know the price of each item he mentioned. If Elizabeth had not been beside him, he might not have endured her aunt's entreaties.
On the return home, they found Mr. Denny waiting with Mr. Bennet in the library. Mr. Denny was not an accomplished chess player, so they played backgammon instead. Lydia and Kitty were called to the library as soon as they had refreshed.
At first Kitty was nervous, but she quickly realized it was Lydia who was being watched.
"How was your trip to Meryton?" Her father began.
Lydia quickly described four pieces of ribbon they had purchased before Mr. Bennet begged her to hold her tongue. He then turned to Kitty to ask how Lydia had behaved. Kitty took a quick glance at her sister before replying honestly that Lydia had behaved admirably.
"Very good. Lydia, we have news. Mrs. Forster has invited you to join the militia in Brighton."
"Oh" Lydia interrupted, jumping and clapping her hands.
She might have continued, but her father spoke over her, "However, I am disinclined to allow you to go with Mrs. Forster. You need more chaperonage than a young woman can offer."
"The colonel will be with us!" Lydia whined, her attitude completely crestfallen.
"I have a better option." Mr. Denny spoke quickly, loud enough to silence the room. Enjoying his temporary power. "I will return to marry in a week, and Kitty will be going to Brighton with me. I shall rent a home for us. Now, my home shall not be as lively as the colonels, however, it should do quite nicely. You may come with us, for Kitty values your company."
Lydia almost interrupted, but Mr. Denny continued quickly, "But you must behave with the utmost decorum. My superiors are considering me for a promotion, and we must all behave properly. Should you accept these terms, I will ensure we attend every ball and assembly the soldiers are invited to."
Her eyes glowing, she promised complete obedience.
As soon as Mr. Bennet approved the scheme, Lydia bounded out of the room before remembering her promise and slowed her pace to a quick walk as she returned to the drawing room to join the rest of her sisters. Kitty followed and announced their plan. Mrs. Bennet, not having promised decorum of any kind, began to flutter her fan and exclaim her distraction as she envisioned her youngest meeting her future husband. Lydia, fearing her father might change her mind, kept to Georgiana's side and continued learning to embroider roses on her dresses as she dreamed of how exciting Brighton might be. While she would not admit it, Mr. Wickham's desertion had affected her terribly. She hoped she would meet a kind man who would marry her.
AN: You all wrote such fabulous reviews, I just had to type out this first part of the last chapter of this story. I thought about a double or triple marriage, and decided this made more sense. Next update, let's get them married!