Chapter One-and-Twenty
Both the Countesses of Alfreton and Matlock, as well as Helena Fitzwilliam, were by midday seated in the Gardiner's drawing room. Those gathered had been having the same discussion for over an hour and had made no progress beyond going around in circles. They had made such little headway that they decided to wait for the Earls and the Viscount to join them in the hopes that fresh ideas might give way to a solution. Unfortunately, they had left their respective homes for business meetings before the summonses from Mrs Gardiner had arrived, riders had been sent after them but no one knew when to expect them.
As the party were finishing up their lunch, a hastily put together affair and much to the credit of the Gardiner's cook who had originally anticipated feeding only half the number when she woke that morning, a knock at the door signalled the first arrival; Walker.
The Viscount was quickly brought up to speed with the situation and, when he saw the heartbroken sight of his beloved Jane, realised at least part of the solution. With as much subtlety as he could manage in a room full of on edge people, Walker approach Jane and led her by the hand out of the room. The parlour across the hall was their destination and the confusion at the change in location was plain across Jane's face.
Holding tightly to her left hand, Walker began, "This was not my intended way to go about things, and I do not wish you to think the time constraint we face is forcing my hand because it is not. In a perfect world, I would have done this long ago, but the world is not perfect and so I had been prepared to wait."
Jane's confusion deepened rather than lessened and after she told him as much, the Viscount continued, "I know you were concerned about your father's reaction to our knowing you, and by his actions you have been proven right. Given your concerns, I was willing to wait to ask for so much as a courtship until your sister was of age and your fears need not have been realised. But he knows now.
"I wish I could take your doubts, fears and worst-case scenarios and unburden your shoulders, but I cannot. At least not completely. I would, however, like to share the weight of them with you, Jane." Walker, keeping his eyes fixed firmly on Jane's, sunk onto one knee. "I have loved you for so long now, imagined this moment and a vision of a life together so very often, but I still have never ordered the words just right in my mind.
"Would you, Jane, do me the greatest honour, and allow me to become your wife?"
They both stared at each other for a brief second before Jane erupted into laughter, followed quickly by Walker. Well, he had warned her that he could not get the words right.
"I wish to say yes," Jane replied, and quickly continued when she saw the happiness spread across Walker's face, "I just do not know how –"
"If," came a familiar voice from behind the parlour door, "you are going to mention me in your refusal of a man you love, I shall disown you Jane Bennet!"
"Lizzie!" Jane moved to open the door but felt it held firm from the other side. "Lizzie, open the door."
"Not until you give Walker an honest answer, one solely based on your own feelings, your own heart, and not my comfort."
Jane let out a deep, frustrated sigh and turned back to see the Viscount doing a terrible job at holding back a smile. "She has been spending too much time with your brother," Jane complained.
"That may be so, but I find I am grateful for such at this moment. Jane, this is your choice, and it will not solve all of your problems but I believe wholeheartedly that we can make each other happy for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me?"
With a smile and a disbelieving shake of the head, Jane replied, "This may well be the most selfish decision I have ever made. Yes. Yes, I will gladly marry you."
The family soon joined them in a mixed state of joyful celebration and anxious anticipation. By the time they had settled back into the drawing room the Earls of Alfreton and Matlock had also arrived at the Gardiner household. The Peers quickly started to discuss the possibility of making an application to The Court of Chancery for a change of guardianship. Whilst the court usually presided over matters of estate or guardianship following a father's death, it was not unheard of for the rights of living father's to be challenged. The two Earl's remarked that they had seen an increase in such cases over the years and, with sufficient support, the outcomes often favoured the appealing party.
Elizabeth was nervous about what such a public display would do to her sister's acceptance by the ton as any hint of scandal could surely mar it. She was eventually won around, however, by those with more confidence and experience in such matters.
Together, they decided it would be more appropriate for Lord Alfreton to seek guardianship of his niece as he was Elizabeth's nearest male blood relative after her father. Matlock would provide his support in the case by way of additional testimony as to the unsuitableness of allowing Mr Bennet to remain Elizabeth's legal guardian. He was a selfish, negligent man, they would argue, who's most recent actions would have seen Elizabeth travel for several hours completely unchaperoned and unprotected had it not been for the kindness of her friend.
With their longer-term plan agreed, the party began to wonder what was to be done in the immediate future. Until the case was decided, Elizabeth should really have returned to Longbourn but nobody was keen for that to happen.
"I think it only reasonable," Lady Rebecca stated, "that given the day's happy event, we host a celebratory dinner at Matlock House tonight. Naturally, Elizabeth cannot be expected to miss such an occasion when she could delay her journey by a day or so; any rational person would agree. And, it is getting so late in the day already it would surely be dark before she was even half way home!" The last was very much an exaggeration but no one in the room thought it necessary to correct her ladyship.
"Oh," added Lady Sarah, "and then we ought to plan and host an engagement ball for Jane and the Viscount. Elizabeth surely would not be expected to miss such a happy occurrence."
Elizabeth laughed and, turning to her cousin, said, "I think, Walker, you should insist upon a short engagement period, lest the two of them start planning even more events in yours and my dearest sister's honour."
"I have no argument against such a scheme." The smiling Viscount said, thinking a short engagement was exactly what he had been hoping for.
A note was dispatched not long afterwards to Longbourn. It detailed Jane's joyful news and expressed Elizabeth's wish to stay on in Town to share in the happy couple's celebrations. As Edward Gardiner penned the note, with the assistance of Lord Alfreton and Lord Matlock in a scene reminiscent of teenage girls in a seminary, Lizzy could not help but wonder whether they were not playing with fire by sending such a taunting missive. However, she could not bring herself to ask them to be more tactful in their choice of language as she did not actually believe her father deserved such consideration.
A few hours later, Darcy's exhausted horse came to a halt in front of a quiet townhouse on Gracechurch Street. The weary gentleman felt the optimism, which had compelled him to begin his journey, turning to despair as he knocked on the door only to be informed that the Gardiner's and Bennet's were not at home. The footman who opened the door provided no other details, for starters it was not his place to disclose his employer's whereabouts to a dishevelled looking traveller without prior instruction. Additionally, he had no way to know how heart-breaking Darcy would find the scant information he supplied.
Darcy's spirits were crushed. As he had ridden from Rosings he had considered that he might not arrive in time, but he had quickly wiped those thoughts from his mind and clung blindly to hope. It was unlikely, he had reasoned with himself, that Elizabeth would have set off immediately for Meryton. She would surely require time to refresh herself, the horses would need to rest, and Miss Bennet's trunks would take time to be added to the carriage. Furthermore, if his Aunt Rebecca learnt of Mr Bennet's summons then she would no doubt delay his beloved further with tearful farewells.
As he rode, rarely giving his mare a break from the fast pace he demanded of her, he argued with himself that he had every reason to be confident that he would arrive in London in time. He would speak with Elizabeth before she was snatched away from him for the year.
Therefore, the disappointment he felt at learning she was no longer at the Gardiner residence, that presumably they had all gone into Hertfordshire together to speak with Mr Bennet, that he was too late, was devastating. Knowing it would be dark in a couple of hours, and that his horse would not do well to push onto Meryton that night, Darcy decided to head back to his own home to refresh himself. From there, he would seek out his cousin, Walker. Given that the eldest Miss Bennet appeared to have left Town also, he would not be the only one in need of consoling and distracting that evening.
The party who had earlier been gathered in the Gardiner's drawing room were that evening gathered around the Fitzwilliam dining table. Georgiana Darcy was also present, much to Elizabeth's discomposure though she tried hard to hide it. Miss Darcy had been staying with her relations at Matlock House whilst her brother was in Kent but had not thought it her place to intrude on the emergency family gathering which had taken the rest of the household to Gracechurch Street. She was thrilled, however, when her aunt returned with the happy news of Walker's engagement and the information that everyone would be joining them for dinner.
They had not long been sat down when Lady Sarah commented, "As much as we jested before, we really should come up with a plan to protect our Lizzie from being forced back to Longbourn before the case can be presented in court. I would hate to think of you there, my dear," she said to Elizabeth, "so unprotected. Heavens, he still has the power, and probably the malevolence now, to impose a marriage upon you."
"You forget, Aunt," said Jane, "it was Lizzie who gave me the belief in myself to refuse Mr Collins. She will have no problem rejecting as many suitors as our father dares to put before her."
"If you need somewhere to hide away, you would be welcome at Pemberley, Miss Elizabeth." Offered the timid voice of Miss Darcy. Georgiana Darcy had, over the previous months, become quite familiar with every person present in the room with the exception of Miss Elizabeth Bennet. The stories and descriptions she had heard from all of the others, including her own dear brother, gave her the confidence to make such a suggestion in spite of her nerves. She understood Miss Elizabeth to be a happy, disarming and compassionate person, one whom Georgiana could not bear to think of potentially suffering when she could help.
"That is so very generous of you," replied Elizabeth, "but perhaps I shall defer my acceptance until you have spoken to Mr Darcy and gotten his approval of the scheme." Elizabeth held only a little hope that his response to such an entreaty would be favourable given their most recent encounter with one another. "In all likelihood however," she continued, "my father will not bother to stir himself for a few weeks at least. We may receive letters and demands but he will not come in person. I am quite safe for the time being, I am sure."
As Elizabeth was finishing her speech, a footman entered and approached the Viscount with a folded note. Those at the table quieted. It was impossible for it to be a reply from Mr Bennet but many at the table held their breath expectantly all the same.
"You need not wait so long to make your appeal, Georgie. Darcy is here, in the study apparently. Let me go find out what business could have brought him here and see if he will not join us."
Walker exited the room quickly and, as a servant began to set another place at the table, Elizabeth started to feel the first bites of her meal turn in her stomach. She did not know how to feel at his being there. Had he followed her? Why was he alone, had something happened to Richard? Would he want to see her?
The answers to Elizabeth's internal questions would not be got for several more minutes as just at that moment Darcy was helping himself to a finger (or rather three fingers) of his Uncle's finest brandy.
"Darce, I was not expecting to see you so soon. What brings you back to Town?" Walker suspected one stubborn, impertinent occupant of the dining room was responsible for his sudden arrival but did not want to presume aloud.
"You are in better spirits that I foresaw finding you in Cousin. Our ladies are gone and I for one was not on the best of terms with mine before her sudden removal from Kent." Sulked Darcy.
"Gone? The Bennet's are not gone Darcy. They are here, in the dining room, and we are celebrating. Come, you must join us and raise a toast to me and my lovely bride to be." Walker said not attempting to contain the joyful laughter which bubbled forth.
Darcy stood dumbfounded. His fatigued brain took longer than usual but eventually he was able to process the new information. He took a breath and finished his drink before he could allow himself to believe it. To trust in the happiness, the relief, which flooded his system.
"You and Miss Bennet shall make a fine couple, my friend. I offer you my hearty congratulations. But tell me, is Eli- Miss Elizabeth really here also? I thought I had understood from Mrs Collins that her father had demanded her immediate return."
"Lizzie will not be returning to Longbourn if we can help it," Walker stated with a fierce protectiveness, "but come, sit and eat with us. We shall fill you in."
Suddenly, Darcy felt incredibly self-conscious. How was he to explain his unplanned arrival to everyone? He did not wish to declare himself in front of an audience, especially given he had yet to resolve the earlier dispute he had had with Elizabeth. Nobody queried him when he walked into the room and took the newly laid spot. It gave Darcy a quiet confidence that he would escape any awkward questions - that was until he noticed the looks being exchanged by the older occupants of the table and realised that his inquisition was only being delayed, not avoided. When his eyes met Elizabeth's though none of that mattered, and when she offered him a small, tentative smile he nearly beamed in response.
"Your timing could not have been better brother," said Georgiana once Darcy had been given an overview of the day's events and decisions. He was quite certain his timing could have been better, but did not argue the point as she continued, "I was just suggesting that Miss Elizabeth stay with us at Pemberley this summer. That way she will be away from her father until the case can be decided."
"I would not wish to inconvenience you however." Caveated Elizabeth at the same time Darcy provided his wholehearted approval of the plan and sincere wish to show the grounds to her. Both blushed, she more noticeably than him, and he forced his attention from her glowing eyes and back to his sister in time to hear her expanding the invitations and turning it into a family house party.
Darcy could not very well decline his consent to that variation of the plan, especially given the only reason he would be able to state for doing so would have been that he wished to keep Elizabeth to himself and not share her attention with others. It was agreed upon quickly that all but the Earls would travel to Pemberley in a few weeks' time; they would stay to manage the legal challenge for Elizabeth's guardianship.
Georgiana would have had them all travelling north the next day her excitement was so great, but had to content herself with remaining in Town at least a fortnight. Not only did the Derbyshire house need time to be readied for that many guests, there was also an engagement ball to plan. It was generally agreed this would be best to do soon as it would enable them to combat the growing rumours surrounding Jane and nobody anticipated Mr Bennet doing anything more bothersome than sending letters and carriages for at least a month.