Darcy sighed with satisfaction as the carriage came to a halt at the front steps to Darcy House. It was good to be home again, even if the visit had turned out completely differently than he had expected when he left here.
When he had last walked out that door, he was a man bound for a visit he was truly reluctant to make. The headache that plagued him later that evening had already started. He was angry with himself for having agreed to go and even angrier at having to bring Miss Bingley and the Hursts along with him. He was also still carrying feelings of failure over his inability to completely protect Georgiana and Anne from harm or to track down the location of Jamison or Wickham after their attacks. After so many years of being hunted through the ballrooms by women who only lusted after his income and never lit any warmth of feeling in his heart, Darcy had begun to give up on the idea of ever finding a woman who could be a companion to him as well as a wife. His whole life had seemed to be closing in on him.
Now, he would reenter his home having the satisfaction of knowing neither Wickham nor Jamison would ever be able to hurt another woman again. Nor would they be able ruin honest shopkeepers with unpaid debts. Although Anne was too fragile to heal easily, Darcy had hope his sister might recover more of her confidence with the news that Wickham was no longer free. She would recover even more with help from Miss Elizabeth, who knew what it was to survive such an attack. Wickham could never hurt them again and whatever threats Jamison had made towards his stepsisters were now void.
Capturing Jamison and Wickham pleased him a great deal. That morning, the apothecary had stated that Jamison had only a matter of days, possibly even hours before his suffering would be permanently ended. Wickham and his friend Denny had been transported to London that day, with Richard along as one of the guards. Darcy's cousin would make certain they had no chance of escape. Richard was, in fact, hoping Wickham would try, giving him an excuse to kill the man. Since Wickham could barely see with the remaining swelling from his broken nose, Darcy suspected Richard's hope, and his own if he admitted it, was in vain.
Finding Miss Elizabeth, for his sake or Georgiana's, would have to wait one more day, however. Darcy hated to admit to himself he was allowing a simple convention of society to stop him from seeing her that very minute, but even a man in love could show some sense. He and Richard had discussed the matter that morning when it became clear their departure from Netherfield would be delayed. The two of them would call together the following morning, as early as it was polite to do so.
If he had been Bingley racing to find his lady love, Darcy knew he would have gone straight to the Gardiners, no matter what the hour, without even a stop at home to freshen up his clothing. And Bingley would have gotten away with it. Not under the excuse of a man in love, but because his background in trade put him on equal footing with Mr. Gardiner, the man who was now Miss Elizabeth's legal guardian.
If Darcy did the same, especially not knowing for sure if this man's family previously owned Oakbrook and under what conditions it was sold, ignoring the social conventions could be construed as deliberate disrespect towards a man of lesser social status by a man too proud to care that he was violating those conventions, instead of the act of a man in love seeking his beloved. Darcy had no desire to start off on the wrong foot with the person who could deny or delay a wedding with Miss Elizabeth. He had waited this long, he could wait one more day, difficult though it might feel.
Although Darcy had originally expected it would take several weeks to prepare Bingley for the role of master of his leased estate, his friend had surprised him on more than one occasion over the short visit. Bingley said his defining moment had arrived as he stood in Mrs. Parker's ballroom deciding whether to accept or deny responsibility for Miss Mary Bennet's reputation. At that moment, he ceased to be an overeager puppy and became a man. He did not magically acquire knowledge enough to be a good estate owner, but he gained confidence in himself and his decisions. That was truly all that was needed. He could learn the details either on his own or by way of letters to Darcy, and now he had his wife to help him as well.
Mrs. Bingley had also experienced a defining moment recently, Darcy thought. He did not know if it happened at the same time as Bingley's or later, but she was no longer a girl hiding under the shadow of a controlling mother. She had much to learn but she came to Netherfield with the confidence needed to become a proper mistress to the estate and the prior experience to guide her to do the job properly. The couple seemed well on their way to forging what would one day be a formidable team.
The acquisition of Mr. Bennet's library had been an unexpected benefit of the visit. Darcy longed for a chance to delve into the collection of books. Hopefully there would be time for that when he returned to Pemberley after the new year. Although, if he was able to return with Miss Elizabeth as his bride, he would probably have much better things to do on those long winter nights than read. Beyond all the other benefits and insights from his visit, Darcy now knew himself to be a man in love and he was determined to find, woo and wed the woman who had attracted him with her beauty and kindness from the start. All the aspects of building a strong future together would take time and were far more important than exploring new books.
Ordinarily, Darcy would have planned on returning to Pemberley with Georgiana in time for Christmas. This year, the timing of everything depended on his success finding, wooing and winning Miss Elizabeth for his bride. If he had to stay until midsummer, he would, and beyond. Really, though, he was hoping to be married by Christmas. Thoughts of his desired bride brought a smile to his face that did not fade as he entered his London home.
The butler welcomed him back and, when questioned, informed Darcy his sister was in the music room with Lady Matlock. The music room was not a surprising location to find Georgiana, but Darcy wondered why their aunt was visiting. Instead of going to his rooms first, as planned, he turned his steps to their location.
"Brother! You are back!" Georgiana cried on seeing him in the doorway. She jumped up from the sofa she shared with her aunt and ran across the room to throw herself into his arms.
Darcy was both pleased and a little surprised by the enthusiastic greeting. Georgiana was not normally quite so demonstrative. He hugged his little sister tenderly.
Susan Fitzwilliam, Lady Matlock, rose from the sofa with much more grace, although her smile of welcome was nearly as bright as that of her niece. When Darcy released his sister from the hug, Aunt Susan stepped forward and gave the nephew she always called 'one of her boys' a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Welcome home, William," she said, using the short form of his name that all the Fitzwilliams used when they used his given name at all. "I was just suggesting to Georgiana that she come along with me to my modiste. They will be closing soon and I wanted to check on whether a special commission I placed with Madame Gaillard is complete yet."
"Madame Gaillard?" Darcy said, recognizing the name from Miss Bingley's jibes at the wedding. "Please, let me escort you. Is your carriage ready to go?"
"You? Escort us to the modiste?" Aunt Susan said, laughing in disbelief. "What has come over you in Hertfordshire that you would willingly do such a thing. You usually just wish us well on our way."
"I will explain in the carriage. We would not wish to get there after the shop is closed." Darcy was not quite sure why he wanted to speak with Madame Gaillard, but the origin of the embroidery on Miss Bingley's gown was yet another part of the many puzzles surrounding Miss Elizabeth. Why resist the chance to learn more when it appeared to fall into his lap?
On learning that his aunt had already called for her carriage, he insisted on accompanying the ladies down to the door where he helped them don the wraps the servant brought for them. Georgiana kept looking at him in bemusement. Darcy wondered if it was the smile that had not yet faded or his eagerness to accompany them on such an excursion that confused her so. Aunt Susan, from the looks she gave him, had already decided something unusual was afoot and was only biding her time before finding out what. To her credit, she waited until the carriage was rolling on its way to the shop.
"Well? What has happened to you, William?" she asked.
"Oh, nothing much except that I have found the woman with whom I wish to spend my life." He replied, trying to be casual about such a momentous statement.
"What?" asked both women simultaneously. Then they asked over each other, "Who?" "How?" "Tell me about her."
Darcy sat back and enjoyed the scene he had created. When they realized he did not intend to answer until they became quiet, both subsided. Aunt Susan gave him a look that clearly said he had better start talking or she would find a way to punish him.
"Her name is Elizabeth Bennet. She is the second of five sisters, although only she and her older sister, Jane, share the same mother. Her father's estate bordered Netherfield, the estate Bingley has leased and her next younger sister, Mary, is now Mrs. Bingley..."
"Mr. Bingley is married?" Georgiana broke in, her surprise evident.
"As of last Tuesday," Darcy told her.
"Since you had not mentioned the engagement before going to Netherfield, it must have been sudden. Compromise?" Aunt Susan asked.
Nodding, Darcy said, "Not the fault of the lady, but of her mother. The new Mrs. Bingley is proving herself worthy and my friend is settling in as a responsible man as a result of the events. The mother, unfortunately, is set against the older two daughters, her stepdaughters, and they have ended up being pulled back and forth between their father's home and that of their maternal uncle as pawns in a feud between Mrs. Bennet and an influential neighbor. Recent events have led them to flee to their uncle, here in London, along with the fourth sister. The youngest of all remains with their mother. Richard and I hope to call at the uncle's home tomorrow."
"And which girl has drawn his admiration?" Aunt Susan asked sharply. "The oldest or the fourth sister."
Darcy suddenly realized his slip, but knew Richard could never hide anything from his mother either. It would have come out within minutes of their next meeting anyway so he could hardly be considered as betraying a confidence.
"The oldest. She is a lovely and intelligent woman and, from what I have seen, she is attracted to him as well. He has also agreed to purchase Oakbrook from me if he should be able to woo and win her. He will retire from the active service in that case. I am hoping we have a successful visit at the home of Mr. Gardiner tomorrow so we can both begin the wooing part of things. Their stepmother did not like anyone to pay attention to the older sisters, so we were a bit hampered in any attempts we tried to make before."
"Gardiner is their maternal uncle's name?" Aunt Susan asked. "And you said the family name of the daughters is Bennet? Do you know about Oakbrook and the connection with your family and theirs?"
"I suspect Mr. Gardiner may be related in some way to the family that owned Oakbrook before Father purchased it. Richard reminded me that the older men in the neighborhood often call it 'the old Gardiner estate' but I do not know of any other connection."
"William! Did your father never tell you how and why he acquired Oakbrook?" Aunt Susan appeared surprised by Darcy's lack of information. Georgiana looked at her aunt with complete confusion, but kept silent.
"He mentioned once that he bought it in expectation of a second son who never came. Another time he said something about having saved someone's honor. If he ever told me anything else, I do not remember it. Do you know the story? It is one of the many little puzzles I have come across during my time in Hertfordshire."
"I am surprised you had not already learned of it from the Bennets. If the maternal uncle is named Gardiner, then they must be the same family."
Now, it was Darcy's turn for surprise. "Few people in the village know anything about the first Mrs. Bennet. She died some eighteen years ago and Mr. Bennet remarried almost at once. Even Mrs. Bingley knew next to nothing about the Gardiners or their background. Mr. Bennet was very ill when I first met him and has since passed on. He did make a few comments that I now realize seemed a little odd in the context of the conversation, but that is all. I was expecting to learn more when I made my visit to the Gardiner home. Am I walking into a hornet's nest?"
"And Mr. Bennet never mentioned having met your father or about his visit to Pemberley?" Aunt Susan asked while Georgiana stared between the two.
"Mr. Bennet has been to Pemberley?" Darcy asked, he thought for a second and then added, "That explains his comment about the library. Before his death, I purchased the books in his collection. At one point he made a comment about them joining the others in my wondrous library. He also mentioned something about the Darcy men being honorable. What exactly happened during his visit?"
Aunt Susan explained about the compromise of Dorothea Gardiner and the purchase of Oakbrook that ensured her marriage to Mr. Bennet. Darcy thought his eyes must have been as wide as Georgiana's as he heard the tale. He never would have expected Mr. Bennet's story to have paralleled that of Bingley and his wife in so many small ways and he was amazed that all he had heard were hints about that long-ago visit to Pemberley. It suddenly struck him that if Richard married Miss Bennet, he would be bringing her home to the very estate where her own mother had grown up. From her expression, he thought Aunt Susan had realized the same thing. Once he got his thoughts in order, he spoke again.
"I am certain Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth knew nothing of this while they were at Longbourn, their father's house," Darcy said. "How ironic that I purchased Mr. Bennet's library on condition the money be set aside to support his family in the form of dowries for the young women in much the same way my father purchased Oakbrook to provide the first Mrs. Bennet with a dowry. It also explains his comment that he knew whatever price I offered would be fair. And yet, he never let on about any of this."
"Miss Gardiner's compromise was not of his making nor hers, as I understand it. The whole thing was manufactured by the older Gardiner brother. I hope the uncle you plan to visit is the younger brother. He was always known as an honorable man. Even his choice to turn to trade was an honest way to avoid the kind of financial trouble the older brother had. He married the daughter of a neighbor from an estate near Lambton several months after she and her mother were thrown from their home when her father died. The two women used to make and sell beautiful lace to keep from starving. I remember your mother setting a trend for it so they could sell more. I still have some of it at home."
Darcy smiled broadly. "And now you have cleared up another of my little mysteries. I know Miss Elizabeth makes a pattern of lace I remember my mother showing me when I was a boy. I never had the chance to ask her how she knew what my mother told me was a Derbyshire pattern. She must have learned from her aunt."
"Oh, I look forward to meeting this young woman," Aunt Susan said. "Hopefully, Richard's choice will be just as surprising."
"I suspect she will," Darcy said. "I just did not pay very much attention to her once I had met her sister."
"So, then, why the visit to Madame Gaillard. Are you clearing up another little mystery?" his aunt asked with a chuckle.
"Perhaps I am. Perhaps I simply wanted to be in your company after so long apart."
"Teasing boy!" his aunt laughed. "Well, we are here now, so I will learn your business soon enough."
They descended from the carriage a little way back from the main entrance due to two other carriages already waiting there. Aunt Susan led the way, with Darcy and his sister following just behind. As they neared the entrance, a smaller side door opened and two young women stepped out. Darcy stopped in his tracks as he recognized them.
"Miss Elizabeth!" he cried, causing her to turn from her companion and look up at him. To his delight, she smiled brightly as she recognized him.
Aunt Susan had just passed the spot, but at the sound of his voice she turned as well, watching the interaction with an interested smile. Miss Elizabeth and Miss Catherine both curtsied to Darcy.
Trying to make sure they stopped to talk, Darcy felt a little embarrassed by how quickly he babbled out, "Oh, Miss Elizabeth, I am so glad to see you. I just arrived in town and intended to call on your uncle tomorrow. And Miss Catherine, it is good to see you as well. May I introduce you both to my sister and aunt?"
The surprised delight on Miss Elizabeth's face turned to a look of what he could only describe as panic. She stammered out a few words.
"I...uh… well, it would not be best done here."
Darcy was not sure what to think of her response. Aunt Susan apparently understood immediately.
"I take it you do your work for Madame under a different name," she said softly.
Darcy had not thought about that in his joy at seeing her. As Miss Elizabeth nodded her confirmation, he realized he could have caused trouble for her if he had started asking questions of Madame Gaillard about the embroidery. He really looked forward to one day brushing away all the layers of secrets surrounding Miss Elizabeth and her family so he could talk with or about her without this sense of uncertainty and danger. With his aunt's hint, he could at least recover the situation.
"My aunt is already aware of your family name," he said, "and that you are both younger daughters. Aunt Susan, Georgiana, may I present Miss Elizabeth and her younger sister, Miss Catherine. Miss Elizabeth, Miss Catherine, I would like you to meet my aunt, Lady Matlock, and my sister, Miss Georgiana Darcy."
The ladies offered each other the appropriate courtesies. Miss Elizabeth still looked nervous about standing there talking to them. Again Aunt Susan came to the rescue.
"I was just heading in to see if Madame Gaillard had word on when a special gown I ordered would be ready. I want to check before they close for the day. I believe my nephew would very much like a few words with you, Miss Elizabeth, and Georgiana would enjoy a discussion with Miss Catherine. Perhaps you two ladies would be willing to join them in my carriage for the short time it will take me inside. There are enough of you that no more chaperonage would be needed."
Miss Elizabeth curtsied. "I would like that," she said. "May I ask, Lady Matlock, is your gown one patterned similarly to that of one owned by Duchess Montgomery?"
"Ah! You know something of it?" Aunt Susan looked like she had solved a tiny mystery of her own.
"I believe you may find it is ready."
From her expression, Darcy could tell she had been working on his aunt's gown and had probably just delivered it. Aunt Susan smiled brightly, obviously thinking exactly the same thing.
"I cannot wait to see it. You four go have your talk, but I expect you will not leave before I get back and have a chance to join you for a short time. I insist on learning more about you, Miss Elizabeth, and about your sister as well."
Miss Elizabeth and Miss Catherine both curtsied again. Aunt Susan turned back and quickly made her way to the main door of the shop. When she disappeared inside, Darcy decided to take charge to the extent that he could.
"The carriage is just there," he said, gesturing to where it stood a dozen or so feet behind them.
They reached it quickly and he handed the three young women in. After a word with the coachman to let man know he was to stay in place until further orders, Darcy joined them. He was finally getting his chance to have a nearly private talk with Miss Elizabeth. Better yet, he had beaten Richard out and found his Bennet sister first.
