April 16, 1813 – Gracechurch Street, London
To Mrs. Bennet's dismay, the Darcy carriage pulled away from Longbourn following breakfast and before any of her hoped for callers could arrive. The evening before had gone much as Elizabeth had predicted. Lady and Sir William Lucas called to extend their best wishes – Elizabeth noted to Darcy that her cousin Mr. Collins would shortly be aware of the engagement, as would Darcy's Aunt Catherine. A shrug of his shoulders conveyed his lack of concern since his aunt's displeasure was a foregone conclusion. Their most congenial visitor was Miss Thompson who called with her parents and her brother. Her pleasure at the engagement was obvious and she clearly wished to further an acquaintance with Elizabeth and Georgiana. Expressing her regrets that they would not be making a longer visit, she expressed a desire, since she herself would be coming to stay with her brother in London for the season, upon arriving to call on Elizabeth which was agreeable to them all.
Darcy could not altogether lose his reserved manner but he did make an obvious effort to converse with those around him and, if he needed the occasional encouraging smile from Elizabeth, he was deemed to be much less arrogant and prideful than in the past; and Elizabeth's happiness in the marriage was now thought to be more likely than otherwise by those who observed them both.
To everyone's amazement, Georgiana and Kitty improved their acquaintance to the point that Georgiana was talking about inviting her to visit in London. Mrs. Annesley's nod of approval did much to alleviate Darcy's concern and he did not dismiss the idea outright.
April 17, 1813 – Gracechurch Street, London
When Darcy entered the Gardiner drawing room the next day, he was greeted by the sight of Elizabeth reading to the Gardiner children who surrounded her and he stopped in the doorway to watch. Elizabeth was unaware of his presence so wrapped in the story was she. Her voice changed timber as she assumed the different characters in the story; only the oldest daughter _ was aware of his presence and, recognizing Darcy's finger to his lips as a sign to ignore him, she did so. It took but five minutes for Elizabeth to finish the story and the pleas of her cousins for another story were, however, interrupted by Darcy's appearance. Warmed by Elizabeth's welcoming smile, he greeted the children with a bow to the girls and a handshake with the boys and, taking Elizabeth's hand, helped her to rise and then bestowed a kiss on her fingers. Tucking her hand on his arm, he first addressed the children, "My apologies for interrupting your pleasure but I must borrow your cousin Lizzy for a while. If I promise to bring some special biscuits baked by my cook, will I be forgiven?" Receiving an enthusiastic response from Elizabeth's cousins, he turned to her and motioned towards the door, "I believe your uncle is expecting us in his study."
Elizabeth laughed, "I am not sure my aunt will appreciate your means of bribing her children, Mr. Darcy."
"It just shows how far I will go for the pleasure of your company."
Mr. Gardiner smiled warmly at them both as they entered his study laughing and took seats before his desk. "I am glad to see you both and, if I failed to do so yesterday in all the confusion, please allow me to offer my heartiest congratulations on your engagement. I am so very pleased for you both."
Looking directly at Darcy, he nodded his head, "I am glad that you were able to provide me with a copy of the settlement last week since it gave me an opportunity for a thorough review. It is, I must admit, extremely complete and my suggestions are mostly minor and intended for clarification."
"Thank you, sir. I confess that I followed the outline of my mother's settlement with some modifications as I deemed necessary."
Mr. Gardiner, seeing Elizabeth about to say something, quickly interjected, "Elizabeth, I intend to review the main parts of the settlement with you today. You can read the final document at your leisure should you wish to do so. Perhaps I can do that now and we can discuss my suggested amendments afterwards?"
Receiving a nod of approval from both Darcy and Elizabeth, he first wrote on a slip of paper which was then passed to Elizabeth and began, "The first number is the amount that Mr. Darcy will settle on you which will be invested in the Funds and augmented by the accumulated annual interest. Over the course of the next twenty years, the settlement could double in value. The second number is your annual allowance – your 'pin money' as your mother most inelegantly terms it."
Elizabeth was in a state of shock, "So much? William, surely I don't need that much? How can you afford it?"
"This is quite reasonable for a woman of your station, Elizabeth. I do not want you to have to ask me for money every time you need a new dress or buy a book."
Mr. Gardiner added, "I suspect that Mr. Darcy's income also exceeds ten thousand a year, Lizzy."
Darcy smiled, "True, Pemberley contributes that much alone. I have two other estates, albeit much smaller, and many other productive investments. I do not contradict the ten thousand a year claim to avoid even greater interest and speculation - which is bad enough as it is."
Elizabeth shook her head in disbelief, "I never realized or thought to inquire. I have never really thought about your income other than I knew I would not have to worry about the roof leaking or that we could afford our next meal."
Mr. Gardiner cleared his throat, "I would hope those concerns have been eased, Lizzy? Shall I continue?" and did so after receiving an assenting nod from both Elizabeth and Darcy, "Mr. Darcy has been very generous to your family, Elizabeth. He has included a provision to provide a house in Meryton plus a living allowance for your mother, should your father die before she does. As well, he is settling a dowry of £5,000 each on Mary and Kitty."
Elizabeth could only look at Darcy in shock, "I never…"
"Elizabeth, I spent as much to protect you and your sisters by essentially dowering Lydia by a like amount even if it was not called such. With even these small dowries, your sister's prospects improve greatly. They will be my sisters after all and I want them to marry as well as possible. As far as your mother is concerned...well, let us hope that the security will calm her nerves to some degree."
Elizabeth could not suppress a grin, "And if she is living in Meryton, she is not living with us. Well played, sir! Well played!" Her smile gradually faded and was replaced by a more thoughtful look, "William, I seem to be in a continual state of shock this morning. I hope there are no further surprises or I might start experiencing my mother's flutterings!"
Both Darcy and Mr. Gardiner started to chuckle and continued until finally Mr. Gardiner wagged a finger at his niece, "Do not even joke about such, young lady…..but now that you mention it, there is one final important clause. In the event that Mr. Darcy dies before your eldest son reaches five and twenty years of …"
Elizabeth's distress at such a thought was evident as she cried, "I do not want to even think about such happening!"
Darcy grasped her hands, "Dearest, it most likely will not happen but we must allow for the possibility. This is included for my peace of mind. I will be assured that should something happen to me, the most important person in the world to me will be looked after."
Mr. Gardiner paused to allow Elizabeth time to regain her composure and then continued, "As I said, if Mr. Darcy dies before your eldest son is five and twenty years of age, you will be responsible for managing Pemberley and all of the other family assets. In the event that the eldest son is five and twenty, the jointure provides for a Dower House to be established for you, unless you chose to remain at Pemberley."
Darcy had retained his grasp of Elizabeth's hands, "Elizabeth, I wish for you to be a true partner and be involved in all of the activities that I engage in, at least to the extent you desire to do so. I would have you learn how to run Pemberley with me at your side. I have too much respect for your intelligence to not give you the scope to exercise it."
"William, at this point I am speechless and somewhat…no, not somewhat, but very intimidated by the responsibilities that I am expected to assume."
"Elizabeth, it will not happen overnight. I suspect that after the first fortnight your first priority will be learning the duties of the Mistress of Pemberley. There will be time to learn the others and I will be with you always."
"After the first fortnight, sir?"
"I wish for you and me to be free of any responsibilities for at least that long."
Mr. Gardiner hid a smile, "May I continue?...The rest of the settlement deals with dowries to be assigned to any daughters, allowances for sons until they reach their majority, your portion of your mother's dowry and so on. Let us review those elements with which I have some concern."
The ensuing discussion lasted for almost two hours. By the end of which Elizabeth felt herself to be in a state of utmost confusion. After several small amendments, to which Darcy agreed, they agreed to have final copies readied within a week for signature. She turned to her uncle, "there is little chance I will understand or grasp all of the details you have presented. Are you and my father satisfied with it?"
"Yes Lizzy, I wrote your father explaining the basic elements and he is in agreement and has given me permission to sign on his behalf. This settlement will protect you more than adequately." Mr. Gardiner rose, "I will leave you alone for a few minutes. Mr. Darcy, will we see you and your sister for dinner tonight?"
"I must visit my uncle to inform him of the engagement this afternoon but my sister and I will be delighted to dine with you tonight."
Elizabeth tightened her grasp of Darcy's hands which had held hers almost continuously throughout their discussion, "You are much too good to me, William! I can hardly comprehend such care and concern."
"Elizabeth, one of the responsibilities I gladly assume with our marriage is to protect you to the best of my ability. This allows me to do so even after death. It is something I do for myself as well as you. You will bring so much to our marriage, do not…"
Darcy was unable to finish when he found himself being fiercely hugged by Elizabeth who held him thus for several minutes. He eventually kissed her hair and roughly said, "We had best join your aunt and uncle."
Elizabeth waited for Darcy to arrive with little pretence of calm. She knew he was to meet with his Aunt and Uncle Matlock that afternoon and she could not but be apprehensive as to the outcome. It was not Darcy's commitment that concerned her but the possible severing of a family tie that she knew he valued was not something she could contemplate with any equanimity. Finally, she heard a carriage stop in front of the house and very shortly thereafter Darcy and Georgiana were shown into the drawing room. She looked at Darcy with a question in her eyes and his murmur, "All is well." as he bowed over her hand produced an obvious sigh of relief from her. Darcy looked at Mrs. Gardiner and asked, "May I have a few moments alone with Elizabeth to acquaint her with my meeting with my Aunt and Uncle Matlock this afternoon?"
"Certainly, the parlour is not in use at the moment."
Once they were assured of some privacy, Darcy sat beside Elizabeth, took her hand in his and raised it to his lips. "Truly my love, you fret too much on this. I met my aunt and uncle this afternoon and they received the news much as I expected. They were disappointed that I will not marry someone from the 'ton' and with connections but they recognize that I am head of the Darcy family and entitled to make my own decisions. They will be cool but civil and will accept my choice."
"I am sure that they thought me the veriest fortune hunter!"
"I cannot deny my uncle said as much but I assured him I had absolute, incontrovertible knowledge that you were not. He did not press me on this but I have no reason to think I was not believed. He did warn me that Aunt Catherine would not take the news well and to expect some action on her part. He assured me that she would not speak for the Matlock family."
"How did your Aunt Matlock receive the news?"
"She seemed to take it better than my uncle and had many questions about you. She does wish to meet you soon. In that regard, they have invited us to dine with them Monday next. I believe my cousins will likely be there."
Elizabeth tried to hide her consternation at this news but was obviously unsuccessful since Darcy immediately tried to reassure her, "Do not worry unduly, Elizabeth. They will be polite; they will want to get to know you. If you are simply yourself, you will charm them I am sure. I cannot speak for my cousin's wife but she will be civil although I would not expect anything more."
Mrs. Gardiner knocked on the door and informed them that dinner was ready. As they took their places at the table, Elizabeth informed her aunt about the dinner invitation from the Matlocks and wondered whether she owned a suitable gown. After a few minutes discussion, Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth determined that none of her gowns was suitable and a visit to their modiste necessary. Darcy listened to their comments and when they had reached a conclusion, offered a few thoughts of his own, "Ladies, I make no observations about a gown for the dinner, only to note it is a family party; however, I know it is customary for a bride to acquire her wedding clothes. I am sure that Georgiana could assist your efforts. Perhaps her modiste would be appropriate. Georgiana can advise of the clothing most appropriate for Pemberley winters which are much colder than those in Hertfordshire although we could put off ordering those until the fall. As well, when we meet my aunt, she might be able to provide guidance on the clothing you will need as my wife. I suspect that you may well be underestimating what you will need."
Both Georgiana and Mrs Gardiner were quick to agree with Darcy and made plans to visit Georgiana's modiste the next day. Elizabeth's objections as to the cost were quickly overruled by Mr. Gardiner and Darcy. Recognizing the futility of continuing that argument, she beat a strategic retreat and changed the topic of conversation. "I will concede this matter but I would like to know where I will be married? London or Longbourn?"
"Elizabeth, I really think this is something you and I need to discuss privately after dinner."
Mrs. Gardiner nodded her agreement, "I agree. You can use the parlour and let us know what you decide."
So, after dinner Elizabeth and Darcy found themselves once more alone. Nevertheless, neither was inclined to push the limits of propriety and, as a result, occupied adjacent chairs. Darcy, without any conscious thought, held Elizabeth's hand and began the conversation, "I suspect that you would prefer a London wedding, would you not?"
'Yes, in many respects I would; however, I have been thinking about this over the last day or so and I now think that we should marry at Longbourn. I feel that it would be perceived as a slight to my family to do otherwise. It might appear that I am estranged from them even though they would attend in London."
Darcy considered her words briefly, "I can accept that. The only reason I would prefer a London wedding is that my Aunt and Uncle Matlock would be more likely to attend, but their presence at the wedding is not all that significant if they acknowledge us publicly on other occasions. So Longbourn it shall be. Am I correct in assuming that you plan to follow the same path as your sister and minimize your presence in Longbourn?"
"Indeed! I suggest a Wednesday May 19 wedding. We can travel to Longbourn Monday morning which allows my mother two days to show us off to the neighbourhood. Like Jane, I do not propose to call on anyone except the Lucas family, my Aunt Phillips and the Thompsons."
"Very well. I think it most unlikely that any of my relatives will travel to Hertfordshire for the wedding."
"I wonder …..?"
"Yes?"
"Well, I would like to invite the Johnson's to attend. They were, unintentionally, the reason we met again."
Darcy had a pensive look on his face. Elizabeth's first reaction was that he was concerned about their being in trade but realized he could have other concerns and raised a quizzical eyebrow at him and asked, "This troubles you. Why?"
"Oh … no … I was simply wondering where they could stay for a night. Does Longbourn have room for them as well as the Gardiners?"
"Probably not! But they could stay at the _ Inn. Or perhaps the Thompsons could host them. My Uncle Gardiner has become well acquainted with Mr. Thompson and might be able to request such a favour."
The Gardiners were apprised of the wedding plan and gave their wholehearted support. They had been somewhat apprehensive that Elizabeth would be so disenchanted with her family as to hold the wedding in London, which could imply an estrangement with them. They also agreed to solicit the Thompsons to host the Johnsons the week of the wedding.
