The next day, the Gardiners arrived at Darcy House with Elizabeth, who introduced her uncle to the Darcys. They went into the largest sitting room, and Darcy began to talk to Mr. Gardiner about his business and business conditions in general. The three ladies sat together and Georgiana asked about the Gardiner children and their studies. Mrs. Gardiner also asked more questions about Lambton and the people she had met there four years ago. Neither the gentlemen nor the ladies had any trouble conversing about topics they found interesting.
When dinner was announced, Darcy escorted Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth while Mr. Gardiner offered his arm to Georgiana. The conversation at dinner ranged widely and everyone participated. One question that Darcy asked had been bothering him. "Miss Bennet, please tell me about your family as I have not heard anything about them for the past four years since we met in Kent."
"There is a lot to tell. First of all, Mr. Bingley returned to reopen Netherfield shortly after I returned from Kent. I believe that this was your doing, Mr. Darcy?" Darcy said that it was. "It did not take long for him and Jane to become engaged and they married that summer. They are still living at Netherfield as Mr. Bingley bought the estate. He has become quite good at managing it and the estate is doing very well under his care. They have a daughter and a son and are very happy.
"My youngest sister, Lydia went to Brighton as the guest of the militia colonel's wife. When my parents went there to bring her home, my father was killed in some sort of altercation with one of the officers. It is interesting that the officer who was assigned to escort my mother and Lydia back to Longbourn ended up marrying Lydia the next year. They live on his estate in Essex and have a daughter. They are also doing well.
"My mother found that she was increasing after my father died and she finally produced a son, Tommy, in May, 1813. The next year, mother married a gentleman from Reading, the brother of Mrs. Long, who lives in Meryton. Sir Albert Elford is a knight, so my mother is very pleased to be called Lady Elford. They live in Reading and do not come to Hertfordshire very often." Both Darcy and Georgiana realized that this meant that Tommy's mother was not raising him; thus explaining why Miss Elizabeth was looking after him.
"Last year, both my sisters Catherine and Mary married, Catherine to someone that Uncle Gardiner knew in town and Mary married the curate who had come to Meryton."
Darcy asked, "Does that mean that you are the only sister not married?"
"Yes, even though my relatives have tirelessly tried to find a husband for me. However, I have been kept busy looking after Longbourn and Tommy." She did not mention that she had found every one of those presented to her as wanting in some way.
"Are you managing Longbourn on your own?"
"Actually, my two uncles are the trustees of the estate and guardians of Tommy, but I am the person on the spot to look after any problems that arise. Jane and my Uncle Philips live so close that always have someone I can rely on if I need their help."
Mr. Gardiner said, "Now, Lizzy, you know that we rarely interfere with any decisions that you have made about either the estate or the raising of Tommy.
"Mr. Darcy, she has done a marvelous job with Longbourn. It is returning much more than it was under her father's stewardship."
"Is your brother's care left completely up to you? What about your mother?"
"She is so happy with her new husband that I believe that she did not want to disturb their life together with an infant. I cannot complain as I love having Tommy. He has been a very good baby, and now he is growing so fast; it seems as if I see changes in him almost every day."
Georgiana said, "Miss Bennet, it seems as if so much was thrown on you so quickly. It reminds me of when our father died and my brother had to take responsibility for managing Pemberley and me all at once. Of course, I was older than Tommy, so I was likely more trouble than he has been."
Everyone considered their two situations and realized that they were very similar with both having responsibilities thrust upon them at early ages. Darcy looked at Elizabeth with a lot of respect. He nodded and smiled at her when he saw that she was watching him.
Elizabeth asked, "What about your family, Mr. Darcy? Has much changed in the past four years?"
"Yes, there have been some developments. Our Aunt Catherine, whom you met at Rosings in Kent, died two years ago quite suddenly. Our cousin Anne was left alone to look after the estate that she inherited. As she had never been involved in managing Rosings, I had to go there quite often to help her, but I found a good steward who looked after the tenants and home farm for her. Then Anne died last year after catching a cold that went into her chest. She left Rosings to our cousin Richard Fitzwilliam, whom you met in Kent. I believe that she had always liked him even though her mother desperately wanted me to marry her to join the two estates. When the war ended, Richard had been promoted to general and was made a baronet for his service, but he has been learning how to manage the estate since he was released from the army. I have been helping him whenever he asked for my advice. He still has not married, but now he does not have to be so choosy as his finances are not a consideration as he has Rosings. We have seen him at a number of events this season, so I suspect it will not take him long to find a wife as he is still the same personable fellow that he was and is very popular with the ladies.
"Closer to home, Georgiana came out last season and proved to be very popular with the gentlemen." He looked at this sister and saw her blush. "However, she did not find any one of them who meet her standards, so she has been enjoying her second season just as much as the first. I know that she could have her pick of any gentleman she meets, so I think it is just a matter of time."
Georgiana felt that she had to say something. "Fitzwilliam, you know very well that any gentleman that I might choose must pass your inspection first and you have been very particular about every man who approaches me. It might not be as easy as you say to find someone suitable. In any case, I am not in a hurry as I am enjoying myself." The Gardiners and Elizabeth had to smile at her words.
The conversation for the rest of the dinner was about more general topics. At the end of dinner, Georgiana rose and said, "Fitzwilliam, we ladies will leave you to your port, but please do not stay too long." She then led the ladies into the sitting room where there was a very fine piano.
"Miss Darcy," Elizabeth said, "I remember that Miss Bingley had praised your playing. Will you play for us?"
"I will as long as you will follow me. Fitzwilliam has said that he greatly enjoyed your playing and singing.
"Would you please call me Georgiana or Georgie? I want to be friends with you."
"I will as long as you call me Elizabeth or just Lizzy. That is what my family calls me."
Georgiana sat at the piano and found the music that she had been practicing recently. "I have not played as much as I used to as I seem to be much busier now with so many entertainments that I have been attending." In spite of her protestations, her playing was excellent. She played two pieces, then told Elizabeth that it was her turn.
While Elizabeth was playing, Darcy and Mr. Gardiner entered the room and Mr. Gardiner sat next to his wife. Georgiana immediately went to them and quietly said, "Mrs. Gardiner, please tell me more about Lambton. I much prefer living in the country compared to the city, but what was it like when you were there?"
Darcy saw that his sister was trying to give him time to talk to Elizabeth, so he went near the piano. Elizabeth looked up from her playing, "I know what you are about, Mr. Darcy," she said with a smile. "You mean to intimidate me as you did when you were in Meryton."
"No, indeed; I only came to admire you. You play just as well, or even better, than you did then. Will you sing for me? I remember what a lovely voice you have."
She blushed when he said that, but began to play a love song that she knew well. When the others in the room heard her begin to sing, they stopped talking and saw how rapt Darcy was. The three of them looked at each other and smiled. From their shared smiles, they all knew that they had identical hopes for Darcy and Elizabeth.
At the end of the song, Darcy said, "Miss Elizabeth, that was wonderful! I love to hear you play and sing. Will you come to sit by me? We need to talk." He led her to a sofa that was at some distance from the others in the room. "Miss Elizabeth, I am so glad that we happened on you in the park as I have to tell you that I have been looking for you everywhere I went for the last four years. I had begun to despair of ever seeing you again. I wanted to know if you read my letter that I gave you in Hunsford?"
"Yes, I did, dozens of times. I have long wanted to apologize for the very rude words that I used to reject your offer. You did not deserve my bitterness. I am truly sorry for what I said and how wrong I was to believe anything that Mr. Wickham had said. I did not want to mention this while your sister was listening, but it was he who killed my father in Brighton by pushing him down a flight of stairs at the rooming house where my parents were staying. He was arrested and quickly hanged for his crime by the army."
"What were they fighting about? And how did Wickham end up in the house where they were staying?"
"I am not sure what it was about, although I have my suspicions. It happened late at night after an officers' ball. My father returned home early as he was not feeling well, and Mr. Wickham escorted my mother back to the house. I understand that she had had a lot to drink, but I have not heard what happened when they got there. I know that my parents had separate rooms and the altercation happened at the top of the stairs that were just outside my mother's room.
"Mr. Darcy, you trusted me with the Ramsgate story, so I will trust you with my concerns. Tommy was born exactly nine months later and you noticed that his hair is much darker than any of ours. I cannot state my suspicions out loud, but I know that you will understand what I have been thinking. Whatever happened that night, Tommy is now the heir of Longbourn and it will be his absolutely when he reaches his majority."
When she said this, Darcy realized that Tommy reminded him of Wickham when he was younger. "Miss Elizabeth, I am so sorry about Wickham. It is my fault as I should have warned the people of Meryton how evil he was. If I had done that, he would not have done as much damage as he did. I cannot say that I am surprised how he met his end as it was well-deserved. He had many crimes to pay for."
Darcy took her hand in his and looked into her eyes. "If I might return to my earlier statement about meeting you at long last, I had thought that after four years, my feelings for you would have faded out entirely, but at least an ember must have remained lit in my heart. When I saw you with Tommy, I immediately thought that he was your son and that you were lost to me forever. When I learned that he was your brother, my heart came alive again. If your feelings about me are still as they were in Hunsford, I will say nothing more to you ever again about my hopes and dreams. However, I still esteem you as the most wonderful lady I have ever met. If you have changed your opinion about me, I only ask that you might give me another chance to win your affections. This time I do not want to make the same mistakes that I did before, so I humbly ask if you will accept a proper courtship with me? I do not care how long it might last; I only ask that you take as long as you need to decide one way or another."
While she had thought in the back of her mind that he still had some regard for her, his statement surprised her at its coming so quickly after they had just met again after four long years. Then she realized that she would be leaving London in the morning and that he must have decided that this might be his only chance to ask her this important question. She thought that she should not take too long before giving him an answer. "Mr. Darcy, I am not the same person that I was four years ago and I suspect the same about you. So much has changed for me that you may not like what I am now. However, I know now, and have known for a long time, that you are a very good person, so good that I cannot believe that I am good enough for you. However, I am willing to find out if we might be compatible, so yes, I will enter into a formal courtship with you, very happily.
"I am not sure how we will do this as I am leaving town tomorrow and have no definite plans on when I might return. I have so many responsibilities with Tommy and Longbourn that I do not like to be away from home too much."
"What if I go to Hertfordshire with you? Miss Elizabeth, I am very serious about this and will do anything needed to help us decide."
"If you go there, I will welcome you most heartily. However, you know that I cannot ask you to stay at Longbourn. Just your following me there will raise many suspicions among the gossips."
"Would it help if Georgiana came as well? She is not committed to anything important for the next two weeks until the Matlocks' ball. We cannot miss that as it is one of the highlights of the season and they are our closest relatives. She told me that she would like to see Hertfordshire."
Darcy looked up to see that the others were watching them. "For now, I think that we should tell everyone what we have decided. From the way they are all watching us, they obviously want to know what we are talking about."
Elizabeth agreed, so they rose and went to where the others were. Of course, they had all noticed that Elizabeth and Darcy were having a serious discussion and had left them alone by an unspoken agreement. Darcy said, "I have an announcement to make. I asked Miss Bennet if I might court her and she agreed. As she is leaving for Longbourn tomorrow, I asked if I might go as well so that I can court her properly." They received very warm congratulations from all three when they heard these words.
"Georgie, you talked about seeing Hertfordshire. Would you like to go there? You said that we have no important engagements in town until the Matlock ball, so that will give us the next two weeks to be there. I will be staying at the inn in Meryton, but I am not if it is suitable for a lady."
Elizabeth exclaimed, "That will certainly not be necessary. Georgiana is very welcome to stay with me at Longbourn. There is plenty of room as only Tommy and I are there now. We can easily house your maid as well."
Georgiana said, "Thank you Lizzy. I will gladly accept your hospitality.
"Fitzwilliam, I know that we both have to attend the Matlocks' ball, but perhaps we can persuade Lizzy to return here with us to attend as well. I believe that we should introduce her to our relatives. We can easily ask for an invitation for her as I am sure our aunt will oblige us."
"But I do not have a ball gown that would be suitable for such a prestigious event! I do not want you to be embarrassed by me."
Georgiana dismissed her concern, saying, "We have two weeks before the ball, so we can get you a new gown. First thing in the morning, I will come for you and we will go to my modiste. She will easily have it ready for when we return. That will mean not starting for Hertfordshire as early as we might, but it is not a long trip. Lizzy, is that all right with you? And please accept the gown as my gift to you; Fitzwilliam has been very generous with my clothing allowance since I have been out and I have not spent nearly all of it."
Even though Elizabeth protested at such a generous offer, she was secretly delighted to have been asked to attend this ball as she knew that if she did end up as the wife of Mr. Darcy, she would need to become comfortable at such events. They decided on the details of their shopping and departure, then the Gardiners and Elizabeth left for Cheapside. Somehow Darcy was left to see Elizabeth to the door with no others around. "Miss Elizabeth, I am so happy about everything that we decided tonight. I only hope that you are satisfied with it as well." He looked deep into her eyes and kissed her hand. For a moment, she wondered if he had thought about kissing her properly and she realized that she would not have objected if he had.