AN: I promised the chapter today, I just didn't promise it first thing in the morning as is my normal habit. ;oD OK, for those who have been wondering, I'm in US Pacific time zone. You generally get the posts by around 6 am. my time because I have to leave for work by 6:30. When you get them earlier, it is because I am an insomniac and get a lot of my writing done between 2 am and 6:30 am depending on when I decide I am probably just not going to sleep anymore. This morning, I actually slept in very late-yet another sign that I am not feeling so great- and it has taken me a while to finish this and get it posted. It is also unlikely the posting will be first thing tomorrow either, but you will get a chapter sometime before I toddle off to bed tomorrow night. With any good luck, we will be back to morning posts on Monday. Enjoy!
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As the women returned to the sitting room, Jane appeared to be attempting to hide from their notice, not at all the reaction Lizzy had expected. Her older sister quickly took her original seat and drew her sewing from the basket without looking at any of the others.
"Jane," Lady Matlock said after exchanging glances with Aunt Madeline. "Do you not have news to share with us? I would have thought you would be excited if Richard asked the question that we all think he did. What is wrong?"
Jane blushed deep red as she threaded her needle to start a new seam. She quietly said, "He did ask me to marry him, but I requested an official courtship before I answer his proposal. I expect he is gaining my uncle's consent now."
Georgiana and Kitty squealed with glee at the confirmation of the proposal. Lizzy felt like joining them, but her long experience with Jane told her there was something wrong. From their expressions, Aunt Madeline and Lady Matlock felt the same.
"Yet you are not as happy as we would expect you to be about either a courtship or proposal, especially after what we have seen from Lizzy and my nephew," Lady Matlock observed. "Surely, after our discussions yesterday, you do not doubt your worth and ability to take your place in whatever society you choose? I will be plain, I approve of you as a match for my son, just as I approve of Lizzy for my nephew. You will have my complete support in the face of anything the Ton can throw at you."
Jane fixed her needle in the fabric and then let the work fall to her lap as she looked straight over to her aunt and Lady Matlock where they sat in chairs pulled near enough together for quiet conversation. Her blush had dimmed slightly, but she still looked very uncomfortable.
"Thank you, Lady Matlock. Hearing your approval and your offer of support so plainly voiced is both an honor and a great comfort to me. While I will admit that years of doubt over my social worth and station cannot be overcome in the course of a single conversation, no matter how much I respect your authority on the subject, that is not the primary issue."
Georgiana spoke up, her confusion clear. "Then why did you not simply accept Richard's proposal at once, as Lizzy did with my brother? Do you not like him? We thought you did."
With a renewal of her deep blush, Jane turned to the younger girl. "I do...like him," she almost stuttered. "I like him very much. Despite the short length of our acquaintance I feel drawn to him as to no one else I have ever met." She turned back to Lady Matlock and her words tumbled out in short gasps. "It is all too fast, that is all. Too public and overwhelming. And I am feeling pushed. I know you all expect me to marry him and I feel it is likely that I will. But agreeing to marriage is deciding how and with whom I will spend the rest of my life. I asked for a courtship because I need time to be certain that when I do say yes it is because I want to and believe it will be the best possible future, not because everyone expects me to do so."
"Quite right, Jane," Aunt Madeline said soothingly. "I know I have been pushing just as hard as all the rest and have not been subtle in expressing my belief that a match between you and the Colonel would be to the benefit of both. I had thought you and Lizzy needed some pushing to get beyond the self-doubt planted by Mrs. Bennet. I am sorry if you have felt that I was shoving instead of supporting you."
Jane nodded and offered her aunt a slight smile. "There have been moments when the teasing felt too pointed but I know you love me and want the best for me. I have not taken offense, but I still intend to take the time I need to be certain this is the right road for me and for the Colonel before I agree to marry him."
Lady Matlock nodded along Aunt Madeline. Lizzy could see both women understood and approved of Jane's reasoning. If anything, Lady Matlock looked even more pleased by Jane than she had before hearing her reasons to delay. Georgiana and Kitty still seemed confused.
"But, are you not happy to have accepted the courtship?" Kitty asked hesitantly.
For the first time that evening, Jane smiled brilliantly. "Yes, Kitty. I am very happy about that. It just did not seem right to show it when I thought everyone would be disappointed it was not a betrothal."
"Silly, girl," said Aunt Madeline fondly as she got up to go pull her niece up out of her chair and into a fierce hug, pushing the sewing to the side to avoid any accidental needle sticks.
Now, Lizzy and the rest felt free to offer their congratulations and support of Jane's stance. Soon all memory of the earlier confusion and unease was smoothed away.
Once everyone was settled back into their places and all the younger women had their sewing out, Lady Matlock addressed them."While you and William are not yet married, Lizzy, I would like it if you and Kitty would anticipate a bit and refer to me as Aunt Susan, just as William and Georgiana do. Jane, until and if you marry Richard, I think that would be appropriate for you as well. Of course, once the marriage happens, I would then ask you to simply call me mother."
Lizzy and her sisters agreed to the request. The older two, at least, felt the full honor of being granted the privilege after an acquaintance of only two days. As Jane had said, everything did seem to be moving quickly. Unlike her sister, though, Lizzy had either resolved, or simply set aside, her doubts and felt at peace with her decision to accept William's proposal. Aunt Susan's request was part and parcel of that acceptance.
When the gentlemen joined them, neither William nor his cousin appeared in any doubt of where they wanted to be. Each quickly moved to resume their seats from earlier that day, right next to the Bennet sister of their choice. Uncle Edward came in just behind them and watched the two younger men with an evident smirk. He took his own seat near his wife before clearing his throat to gain the attention of the room.
"I am certain it is no surprise to any of you when I tell you that Colonel Fitzwilliam has requested permission to court our Jane. After due questioning and consideration, I have given him my consent, since he says Jane has already agreed. Jane, dear, congratulations."
"They say that with age comes wisdom," Aunt Susan said, her own smirk clear. "It seems that my younger son is finally growing old enough to show some in his choices. Richard, I expect you to treat Jane properly so you have some hope of convincing her to one day marry you."
"Yes, mother," the Colonel said, rolling his eyes comically. Everyone laughed.
As the group returned to their individual conversations, Lizzy turned to William. "Uncle seems rather pleased with himself. How did it go?"
"Oh, not too badly," William replied. "Your uncle seems to have given Richard some of the teasing he would have given me yesterday, in addition to a dose of his own, but Richard gave back a bit as well. If it had been a competition, I would have called it a draw. Well, perhaps your uncle had the edge, but it was close."
"And what about you?" she asked.
"I was primarily an observer, although I did get the chance to weigh in on both sides of the teasing."
"What were you able to tease Uncle about?"
"Ah, when he grilled Richard on how he would provide for your sister and where they would live, Richard retorted with the information that I was selling Oakbrook to him and when they marry he would be making your sister mistress of the home your mother and uncle grew up in."
"Oh, yes, you mentioned that possibility during our talk in the carriage. Does that mean he will no longer be in the Army?"
"He turned in his resignation this morning. It may take a little time for the paperwork to go through and for him to sell his commission, but he will not be going back to the war. I am very grateful to your sister. I have been trying to get him to do this for a few years now, including the purchase of Oakbrook. I think he can make something of it, where I have just found it a distraction for the work I want to be doing at Pemberley."
"So, if Jane marries him, they will be close to us. I am glad. I did not want to be so far apart we could not readily visit with one another as our lives become more full with our responsibilities and building families."
"They will be close enough that you could have tea with your sister any afternoon you chose," William said, "But, why do you say if she marries him?"
"Because she has not yet accepted his proposal. We discussed that while you men were talking. She asked for a courtship so she can be sure she is accepting him because it is the best thing for both of them instead of just being what everyone expects. Your aunt was delighted to hear it. She has asked that my sisters and I all call her Aunt Susan now, although she said that if Jane married your cousin she would then be allowed to call your aunt 'mother'."
"I am very glad my aunt approves of you both," William said. "It will make our introduction into society during our betrothal and marriage much easier and will pave the way for Kitty to join Georgiana when they both come out."
"I am afraid Kitty will need a good bit of coaching in proper behavior before she can be presented or brought out in London society. At least she means well and is willing to learn," Lizzy said. "I dread to think what it would be like to have to train Lydia."
William chuckled, "Probably much like the problems Bingley has had with his younger sister as he has moved in Society. I am hoping we can convince Bingley and your sister to join us in London for a few of these parties and other events Aunt Susan plans for us to attend near Christmas. Of course, that means we may have to acknowledge and even invite Miss Bingley to join us once or twice. Still, Mrs. Bingley needs to be introduced and the best time is when you and Ja...Miss Bennet are brought into society by my aunt."
"You really should just call her Jane, William," Lizzy said with a slight giggle. "You have already picked up the habit of calling Kitty by her nickname. After all, you will be her brother soon enough. And I love the idea of having Mary and Charles join us. It will take us a little while to make these first gowns and we really should not be out at parties so soon after Papa's death, but by the middle of December it will be more appropriate. We will have finished these and personalized a few of the gowns we plan to actually order from a modiste."
"Not Madame Gaillard?" William asked.
"That would be tricky. I do not think we could get away with walking into her shop as patrons. There would be no chance of stemming the gossip. Besides, with our skills, we can patronize a lesser shop to do the basic work and save our time to make the expensive-looking additions."
"You know that as Mrs. Darcy you will have no need for frugality. There is no need for you to do any of the work yourself."
Lizzy grinned. "It is all about professional pride, William. Even Aunt Susan admits that we cannot buy as good as we can make. I will not be seen representing you and you family in anything but the highest quality. Therefore, I will do the extra work to ensure that what I wear is the highest quality."
"And, of course, you also love the work," he said with a fond smile.
"There is that as well," Lizzy admitted cheerfully. "So, our plan should be to ask Aunt Susan if she will also take Mary under her wing and then you write to Charles while Jane and I write to Mary. Together we will get them here for a visit starting before the first of these parties with which your aunt has threatened us."
"An excellent plan, my dear," he said with a smile made her feel warm inside. He raised his voice. "Aunt Susan, Elizabeth and I have just been discussing how much easier it would be to show family solidarity if we could also invite their sister, Mrs. Bingley, to join us when we start going to public events together. Would you be willing to extend your mantle of approval over her, allowing the Bingleys to join us as members of our party?"
Aunt Susan smiled. "I had been considering that very idea. However, I want as little exposure to Miss Bingley and the Hursts as possible. Have you and Lizzy discussed possible dates for your wedding yet? I expect Mr. and Mrs. Bingley would definitely want to be here for that."
"We have not decided yet," William said. "Elizabeth and I want to consider that carefully. We do not wish to appear too hasty or give the impression that there was any kind of irregularity about the marriage that could make her acceptance by the Ton more difficult."
"I am glad to hear you are thinking things through despite your hasty betrothal," Aunt Susan said, nodding at Lizzy as if she thought that had been entirely her idea. "As you say, we want to show some family solidarity and get people used to the idea that you have found your perfect match. I must say, I am looking forward to meeting Mrs. Bingley. Do what you can to get them here soon."
Lizzy and William both agreed. They quietly agreed to discuss the possibilities for their wedding date a little later. The betrothal was new enough and now with Jane and the Colonel's courtship the excitement was running high. They would take a little while to let things settle in so the decisions could be made with a clear head and an eye to the best possible time.
~o~
The next several days settled into a comfortable routine punctuated with occasional excursions and shopping. In the mornings, Lizzy and her sisters would be joined by Georgiana as they worked on the fancy gowns. Georgiana turned out to have reasonably good sewing and embroidery skills and she helped Kitty improve her work so that Lizzy and Jane did not have to spend all their time teaching or supervising their sister.
Most days, in the early afternoon, Aunt Susan or Aunt Madeline would take the young women out to shop or would spend time giving the younger two lessons on how to behave at the limited events they would be allowed to attend. Lizzy suspected the lessons were mostly for Kitty's benefit, but it did not hurt Georgiana to review. Herself or Jane, either.
In the later afternoon, Lizzy and Jane would go to the Gardiner home for chaperoned visits with William and Richard while Kitty and Georgiana spent time together. By the end of the first evening, they had all been granted the right to call Jane's suitor by his given name as the cousin of Lizzy's betrothed. It certainly made the visits less formal. The two couples would take places at opposite ends of the sitting room to talk and get to know each other under the moderately watchful eye of Aunt Madeline.
Two days after the courtship of Jane and Richard had come about, Aunt Susan asked Jane and Lizzy if they agreed it was best not to do any more work for pay. "I know Madame Gaillard very well," she said, "and if you consent, I will speak with her about your situation. Her shop is one of the best, so we do not want to avoid her or burn any bridges."
"We cannot go in as customers," Lizzy said, repeating the objection she had made for William. "The assistants all know us as the Gardiner sisters. As soon as we are addressed by other names, the gossip will begin to spread."
Aunt Susan nodded. "I am aware of that. For a little bit extra, we can confine the knowledge of your actual circumstances to Madame and her primary assistant, and have them attend you personally in my home."
"A little extra?" Lizzy asked in disbelief.
"In relative terms," Aunt Susan laughed. "You cannot make all of your own clothing. There is too much else for you to do."
"We had intended to go to Aunt Madeline's modiste and then add our own personalized touches to what we purchase there," Lizzy told her.
"I see no problem with that for the day dresses and some of the other items, but you will need more evening gowns than just the ones on which you are currently working, along with a few other types of gowns and I still say they should be the best."
As a result, one of the excursions at the end of that first week was a trip to the Fitzwilliam townhouse. Madame Gaillard and her assistant joined them for tea, treating Jane and Lizzy as if they had never met under other names. There was a twinkle in the modiste's eye, but she knew very well that having the future Mrs. Darcy as a customer was worth keeping her mouth shut about the connection between the Miss Bennets, who were young ladies about to be triumphantly led into society by her best and most influential customer, and her former seamstresses who went by the name of Gardiner. Since her source of the unusually beautiful embroidery had dried up, she would just have to find a new signature mark for her fashions and having the newly introduced young women as her clients would help carry her through while she worked out the best way to do that.
Under Aunt Susan's guidance, after the tea at which they discussed the kind of gowns they intended to purchase, Madame and her assistant measured their newest clients and prepared the orders that covered the range from simple morning gowns to another evening gown for each of the young women. Madame was delighted to hear that she would also gain the custom of two more sisters at a slightly later date. She expressed no surprise at the lack of decoration requested on the evening gown and one or two of the others. Lizzy knew from her expression that Madame was perfectly aware that when the gowns were worn in public they would be well-decorated in a manner that would do her shop proud.
They took both Kitty and Georgiana along on the trip to Aunt Madeline's modiste, making sure the younger women also ordered a few day gowns of the proper quality that could be customized by the younger women. Lizzy and Jane had insisted on paying for their own improved wardrobes, although it hurt a bit to see their saved funds drained in that way.
When she discussed it later with William, he was sympathetic despite being amused because he knew they were still spending far less than women of his station normally would while preparing for a good marriage. Lizzy could tell he understood the way the expectations of her past and the expectations of her present and future tore at her. That helped even if he was still inclined to chuckle over her frugal ways.
In one of their afternoon discussions about a week after the betrothal, they finally settled on a wedding date towards the end of January. Both had whispered their hope that it might become a double wedding, which is why they did not choose a date closer to the beginning of the month.
As planned, both of them had written to the Bingleys. They received their responses the same day they had decided on the wedding date. Mr. and Mrs. Bingley planned to arrive in town the coming Saturday afternoon and would be able to attend the first of the parties with Aunt Susan the following Tuesday evening.
Both letters hinted at events unfolding in Meryton, combined with the teasing note that it would be better to talk them over in person. After seeing Charles' handwriting when William showed her the letter, Lizzy could not help but agree that was probably the best plan in his case. Mary could have told them a little more, though. Her handwriting was perfectly legible. Still, they just had to hold out for a few days more and then they would learn all about the news from Netherfield Park.
