"Phoenix seems to be healing well, Darcy," Richard commented as the two gentlemen stepped out of the stables and began walking briskly toward Netherfield.
"Yes, he will recover completely," Darcy agreed in a relieved tone. "Of course, he will always have a scar on that leg, but I only care that he is not weakened or in pain. I must remember to tender my personal thanks to Mr. Simon, the veterinarian, and the stable master at Longbourn; they did a marvelous job with him."
"They did indeed. And speaking of Longbourn, Darcy, I do not entirely understand your concerns regarding Mrs. Bennet and Miss Kitty. The lady is certainly breathless and enthusiastic, but she did not seem especially vulgar. As for Miss Kitty, she seemed a pleasant young lady."
"I have never seen either of them so restrained," Darcy admitted. "Of course, the youngest Bennet daughter was not in evidence at all, and she has always been the wildest of them all."
"Apparently Miss Lydia was indisposed today," Richard said.
"Indisposed? That is a pity. I hope no one else is taken ill."
"I do not believe the girl is truly unwell. Based on Mrs. Bennet's mutterings, which were always interrupted gracefully by Miss Bennet, I understand that Miss Lydia is confined to her bedchamber by her father for poor behavior."
Darcy stopped in his tracks and turned toward his cousin. "Truly?"
"Truly," his cousin responded with a grin. "Perhaps Mr. Bennet is not as indolent as you feared. But come along, Cousin, it is far too cold to be standing around in this wind."
Darcy shook his head in wonder but began walking toward the warm mansion. It seemed almost beyond belief that Mr. Bennet would take charge of his unrestrained wife and children after so many years of idleness as a husband and father.
"Darcy? Darcy?!"
Darcy jolted in surprise and said, "My apologies, Richard. I fear I was woolgathering."
"Yes, I can see that," his cousin responded with obvious amusement. "May I assume that you were thinking of a lovely young lady with fine eyes?"
Darcy fought against a beaming smile, and lost. "You can indeed."
"So your time together went well?"
Darcy thought of Elizabeth's slim hand on his arm, of the admiration in her eyes, of the saucy curl of her lovely lips.
"Yes, it went well. It went very, very well, Richard."
/
"I do like the Bennets very much," Georgiana gushed to Mrs. Annesley. "They are so very friendly and I felt easy in their company! Anne, do you not think so?"
Anne, who was laboriously toiling away on a piece of white tatting, nodded though she kept her attention on her fingers. "Oh, bother, that stitch went wrong ... oh yes, I do like the Bennets. I have not spent much time in company, of course, but Longbourn feels far less formal than Rosings. But then, my mother is always very high in the instep; I fear she does not wish for her guests to feel at ease."
"You have been in society far more than we have, Mrs. Annesley," her young charge commented. "What did you think of the Bennets?"
"They seem a very pleasant family, Miss Darcy," Mrs. Annesley said, reaching out to assist Anne in adjusting her tatting shuttles. "They are definitely not as particular as most of the aristocracy and gentry of the haut ton, but that is a fine thing. It can be uncomfortable to visit someone who is overly rigid about etiquette and rank."
"Oh!" Anne exclaimed again, frowning down at her work. "This is terribly difficult. I do not know how you can do it without even looking, Mrs. Annesley!"
"It is merely a question of practice," Mrs. Annesley responded soothingly, reaching out to adjust Anne's hands again.
"Thank you very much. Yes, I think if your brother marries into the Bennet family, we will be happy with our new relations."
Georgiana jerked in surprise and glanced with uncertainty at Mrs. Annesley, who bestowed a reassuring smile on her young charge. "I have noted Mr. Darcy's interest in Miss Elizabeth too, Miss Darcy."
"Oh, do you think so?" the girl demanded excitedly. "I do like her very much and would adore her as a sister!"
"There is no certainty that your brother will offer for Miss Elizabeth," Mrs. Annesley cautioned. "The Bennets, while members of the gentry, are not as highly ranked as the Darcys, the Matlocks, and the de Bourghs."
Georgiana looked downcast. "Yes, and I know everyone expects my brother to marry a woman with wealth and connections. But I do wish him to be happy in his marriage, and Miss Elizabeth seems like the perfect lady for him."
/
"My poor Lydia! How can you treat her so cruelly, Mr. Bennet! You have no compassion on my nerves, none at all!"
Mr. Bennet, who had retreated to his library for some much needed relaxation, carefully removed his glasses and set them on his desk. "You are entirely incorrect, Mrs. Bennet. I am most attentive to your nerves; have you not said, time and again, that your fears about the entail provoke you to worry?"
"Of course I do! What does that have to do with anything? Mary is now engaged to Mr. Collins. We no longer need to concern ourselves with the entail!"
"If Lydia brings scandal to our name in the next month, Mr. Collins will break the engagement before he weds Mary."
"He could not! A gentleman does not break an engagement."
"I have no doubt that he would do so at the behest of Lady Catherine, and excuse it by mail in a flurry of tiresome letters. Mrs. Bennet, these militia officers are not all good men, and some of them are eager to take advantage of young women, regardless of their rank. Lydia is reckless, flirtatious, untamed, wild, and noisy, and I have no doubt that more than one officer has pondered how he might get under her skirts."
"Mr. Bennet, how can you say such a dreadful thing! Lydia would never permit a man to..."
"I do not believe we can trust her to act so sensibly," Mr. Bennet interrupted, "nor do I trust the officers to hold the line if they arrange to get her alone. No, my dear, I have turned a blind eye to the reckless behavior of our younger two daughters for far too long. But that has come to an end. I am quite determined that our children will not bring shame to our name. Indeed, I am making inquiries and will soon hire a governess to oversee Lydia and Kitty's education."
Mrs. Bennet's eyelashes fluttered dramatically at this announcement, and she collapsed onto a handy chair. "A governess! Surely that is not necessary!"
"It is entirely necessary. Now, Mrs. Bennet, unless you wish to throw a tantrum like Lydia and destroy everything in my library, would you be willing to give me some peace? I need to look over the accounts to make certain that there are sufficient funds available for Mary and Jane to have truly remarkable wedding breakfasts. Unless, of course, that is no longer important to you?"
Mrs. Bennet was not a sensible woman, but she knew a threat when she heard it.
"Oh yes, Husband, I am very much looking forward to ... yes, I will leave you in peace then."
/
"Well, Lizzy? It seems that your conversation with Mr. Darcy was a pleasant one?"
Elizabeth, who was laboring over Jane's wedding gown in her elder sister's bedchamber, blushed rosily at this and said, "Yes, we enjoyed our talk very much. More than that ... oh Jane, I am quite certain he does admire me."
"How could he not?" Jane demanded.
Her sister laughed and shook her head. "Oh, I do not know. I am not as beautiful as you are, my manners are not those of the fashionable world, I am impertinent, I am..."
"Intelligent, kind, and very brave," Jane finished for her, and then lowered her voice to add. "My dear Lizzy, if I had been the one attacked by Wickham, I would have frozen in terror and been quite incapable of assisting Mr. Darcy when that horrible villain was threatening him with a knife. You are an amazing person, and I can tell from the look on Mr. Darcy's face when he stares at you that he agrees."
Elizabeth swallowed and said, "I do hope you are correct, Jane, because I love him."
/
"Darcy!" Charles Bingley exclaimed, striding into the library where his friend was reading Macbeth.
"Bingley! I did not expect you to return so soon from London!"
"Well, I was intending to return to Netherfield tomorrow, but there was no need; Stokes will send the final papers for the wedding settlement by express. Besides, I did not want to spend any more time with my whining sisters."
"I assume they have not accompanied you then?" Darcy asked, shooting an uneasy glance at the door.
After a dramatic pause, Bingley laughed and wandered over to the fire to warm himself. "No, no, I told them they were not permitted to accompany me. They are allowed to journey to Meryton to attend the wedding, but only if they are willing to put aside their pride and prejudice. I will not permit them to criticize Jane or her family in any way. Since Caroline's dowry is still under my administration, she was prevailed upon to recognize my authority on the entire matter."
Darcy considered his friend with surprised respect. "That was well done of you, Bingley. I confess to being surprised at your determination in taking your sisters in hand."
"I have come to realize that I have been rather too yielding in the past concerning Caroline and Louisa. Under that façade of superior manners, they have gossiped and criticized and lambasted their neighbors, and I have ignored it. That ends now. But enough of me – tell me, how is your arm?"
"It is improving every day. I am most grateful."
"I am pleased to hear that," Bingley said heartily. "I hope that Miss Darcy, Miss de Bourgh, and Colonel Fitzwilliam are well?"
"Yes, very well. We visited the Bennets this morning and they enjoyed meeting Mrs. Bennet and Miss Kitty."
"Oh, how I wish I had been here to accompany you! I have missed Jane very much."
"Well, Bingley, in a few short days you and Miss Bennet will be joined together as man and wife."
"We will, and I am counting the hours. Would you care to accompany me again to Longbourn tomorrow?"
"Mrs. Bennet informed us that her brother and his family are arriving tomorrow for your wedding. I daresay you will be welcome as Jane's fiancé, but we should not impose."
"That is true enough. I look forward to meeting Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner; Jane has spoken of them with affection and admiration."
"Perhaps you could invite the Gardiners to Netherfield for dinner the day after next? I too would like to meet them."
Bingley, who had been wandering vaguely around the library thinking about his upcoming wedding day – and wedding night – came suddenly to earth.
"You wish to meet the Gardiners, Darcy? Why? Mr. Gardiner is in trade, you know."
Darcy chewed on his lip as he considered how to answer this query. He had been reluctant to tell Bingley of his passion for Elizabeth because he feared that his presence would always remind her of Wickham's attack. Now he knew, from Elizabeth's own lips, that she enjoyed his company and felt safe with him. There seemed few barriers in the way now to offering for the woman he adored, so...
"Do you remember that you gave me advice on how to court a lady properly?"
"Yes?"
"My request for information was not based on some nebulous woman, Bingley. I am in love with Elizabeth Bennet."