Super sorry for this super late update. Yes, I'm alive and well. It's been a long time since I last opened my files for this story so I have to read it in able to write again. As I've mentioned before, this story has no actual written outline but I do know the major things that are gonna happen since I started writing this so I have to refresh my memory at some parts.
Anyway, I'm sad to say the obvious. I didn't reach my deadline for myself. That said, I'm just gonna write and not mention a deadline. It seemed that anything I planned with an exact date never seemed to happen while those I do spontaneously do.
Thank you for supporting this story by follows, favourites, reviews and giving it a chance by simply reading. I assure you, I have no plans on abandoning this story or "Proving Him Wrong". There might be some delay in updates when real life got in the way but I WILL finish this.
Now, without further ado, enjoy reading : )
Chapter 27 – Lizzy and Darcy tells their family about them and they all had different reactions.
© 2019 Zest Layne
Anthony Robert Leighton could only stare at his female relations in disbelief. As soon as his little sister exited the room with Aunt Anne and Little Georgiana, Mama and Aunt Cassie started their speech of how they should not give the betrothed couple a hard time and that none of them should approach either Beth or William until they have finally adjusted and somewhat accepted their attachment.
"Now," said Mama, "we are not saying you should just accept it immediately. You have every right to feel whatever you are feeling right now – be it shock, surprise, disappointment, or any other emotion – but all I am saying is: do not act rashly. William is your friend, your playmate since childhood. You remained in contact with him these past few years and you all knew him personally. Do you not trust him to be a good man for our Elizabeth? Do you not trust Elizabeth's judgement?" She asked looking at all of them in the eye.
Aunt Cassie's gaze also alternated on all of them as she continued the speech when Mama paused. "If anything I'd say he was a better choice than any other man out there because we all know him and he is a good and honourable man. The fact that he had fallen in love with our Elizabeth when she was still only a daughter of a small county gentleman should raise him in your estimation. That he had fallen in love with Elizabeth for who she is alone shall do him credit."
There was a moment of silence after that and only Godfather George broke by clearing his throat. "Leicester, Stafford, Manchester," he called, "why don't we play some billiards while waiting for Matlock and his family?"
Papa looked like he wanted to protest but soon nodded in agreement, kissed Mama on the cheek, and patted him and Alex on the shoulder before following Godfather George out of the drawing room. His Uncle Stephen, the Duke of Stafford did the same with Aunt Cassie and his sons before leaving. Lastly, Uncle Daniel, the Earl of Manchester, also kissed both his sister's cheeks and his daughter Beatrice's forehead before closing the door behind him.
"I would like to ride for a while, Mama," Tony finally said, after another moment of silence. He needed some time to adjust to the shocking news. He had sometimes joked about Beth's possible suitors but he did not think that she would have a fiancé before they – her brothers – had danced with her in a ball.
Not a second passed when his elder brother and all his cousins also agreed with his idea and decided to join him. Both Mama and Cassie kissed them on the cheeks after bidding them goodbye.
When it was only the twin Duchesses alone in the drawing room, they sighed in relief, before deciding to go to the pink room where their friend Anne had led Elizabeth. They were not much worried about the men in their family. The two knew that they would come around and accept the news eventually.
However, eventually was yet to come.
About two miles away from the Manor, in a part of the woods where they stopped their horses, the Leighton brothers along with their Bradshaw cousins, started discussing what they were going to do. Breaking the couple apart was out of their list. For one, they did not want to ruin the happiness of Elizabeth and William. The former being the babe of their family and the latter being their close friend.
Yes, they were all shocked and had a hard time accepting the news that Elizabeth would soon be taken away from them, but they did not want to come between the pair. They just wanted reassurance that their youngest family member would be settled well. Once they saw it with their own eyes, only then could they accept the match wholeheartedly.
"We should test them," Benedict, the eldest among them, suggested. "I remember Godmother Catherine telling the story of how they disapprove of Godfather George back then for Aunt Anne. It seemed that Godfather George used to be friends with the wrong crowd back then so Godmother Catherine and Aunt Sophia would instigate situations with Godfather Francis and Aunt Elinor to prove that Godfather George has changed."
"I remember that," chimed James. "They'll invite Uncle George's old gambler friends and they'll observe if Uncle George would join them in their card games and betting pools or not."
"I didn't know that," said Alex thoughtfully. He didn't know that his Godfather used to associate with gambling men. He had always thought that the Duke of Derbyshire was a man of honour because he was so strict and serious.
Adam only shrugged before going back on their original subject. "Maybe we could mention the ladies that were linked to him these past seasons…"
Alex frowned, "William was not interested in any of them. He just danced with them one time because it was necessary. It was his obligation. We did the same with some ladies in Town. It's not our fault that the gossip magazines had started false rumours." He pursed his lips in disgust, "Their imagination is very rapid; it jumps from a single dance into matrimony."
"Yes, that is true," Tony agreed, "besides, mentions of women – lack of relationship or not – could hurt Beth."
"So what could we do then?" Adam asked.
Beatrice rolled her eyes at the silliness of her cousins. "You could do nothing and let them be. Spend time with Liz and talk to Lord Ashbourne. Is that not why we are here at Pemberley?"
"You do not understand, Beatrice," said James. "We are your male relations. You and Liz are sisters to us. We shouldn't just sit back and relax when some man asked for your hands in marriage."
Beatrice was going to add that the Marquess of Ashbourne was one of her cousins' closest friends and not just 'some man' but Alex started speaking in support of James.
"We just got Ellie back. It's not fair that a man is just going to whisk her away when she's just starting to settle with our family. It's only been a month since she returned to us."
"So what test are we going to do?" Ben asked, and Beatrice crossed her arms at being ignored. She loved all her cousins but they were just too overprotective. She thought that Liz was lucky to already have a fiancé, but seeing as her cousins were reacting now, perhaps Liz wasn't so lucky after all.
'Fine, be that way,' she thought. Her cousins could ignore her advice as much as they'd like. But since they were too busy planning, they didn't realise that she was listening to them intently. She would tell their plans to her Aunts and to Liz. Goodness knew that testing Liz and Lord Ashbourne's relationship was senseless. After they narrated their love story, hadn't they been 'tested' enough?
Stubborn men!
-p&p-
When his friend, Derbyshire, suggested playing billiards, Augustus Arthur Leighton, the Duke of Leicester, did not want to agree. His daughter and his wife had just dropped a piece of big news on him and he had yet to fully process the information.
His babe daughter, Elizabeth, was engaged.
His babe daughter, Elizabeth, was engaged to Fitzwilliam Darcy.
His babe daughter, Elizabeth, was engaged to Fitzwilliam Darcy, his Godson.
He focused on the point his wife was trying to make. William was a man that their family already knew. He was not some stranger. The fact that William had offered for Elizabeth alone should also be a reason for him to approve of him as a suitor for her daughter.
While these thoughts did calm him down somewhat, it was still not enough to completely accept the news. Remembering that his friend, William's father, had asked them to play billiards, he nodded. He would ask Derbyshire about William. Yes, he knew William through regular letters despite not seeing him for years. Still, having second-hand information would be good.
His brothers-in-law seemed to have the same idea because they agreed too and the three of them followed Derbyshire into the Billiards Room, which was only a few rooms away from the drawing room where they were staying earlier. Once inside, Derbyshire poured a bottle of brandy into four glasses and handed it to each one of them.
For his part, Valentine George Darcy was determined. He wanted to make it up to his son and he knew that when he suggested a game, he was volunteering himself for interrogation. Their families might have known each other for years but he understood that the Leightons had just gotten their daughter back. If he was protective of Georgiana, who wasn't even separated from him, then he could only imagine how hard it was for these families to be presented by a suitor of their youngest member so soon after being reunited with them.
"Did you know that William is engaged?" Leicester finally asked, after taking a sip of his brandy.
Derbyshire nodded. "He told me about it a few days before Christmas. When he first mentioned it, I asked if he had been compromised. He was quick to say that he was not and that he had fallen in love with a woman so he proposed marriage."
He took a sip of his own drink before continuing, "I did not believe him and accused him of being caught with the arts and allurements of a woman. As soon as I said that, he stood up from where he was sitting and asked me not to speak about her betrothed that way. Then he started saying how he loved her and that he was sure our family would approve of her too even though she was a simple county girl."
He placed his glass down to grab a cue stick, an excuse to avoid meeting his friends' eyes. "You know me. I was never easy on William because of my past failures. So I decided to see how 'in love' he was with the girl he proposed to. I expressed my displeasure at his betrothed having no title, little money, and connections. I told him that many people depend on his choice."
"What did William say?" Manchester asked.
This time, Derbyshire looked at his friends in the eye as he spoke. "He said that he knew many people depended on him and it was the reason why she was the one for him. He started extolling her virtues. Apparently, she was good at the pianoforte, shares his love for reading among many other things, knows how to deal with estate management, and would be a good sister to Georgiana. I was thinking that he could find another woman like that who's not poor but he kept on talking. William said that his betrothed's greatest characteristic was that she makes him happy. She is not superficial, he said. She loves him for him. Not for his title or for his fortune but himself alone, despite his flaws. He even went as far as saying that he loved her like I love my Anne…"
Derbyshire shook his head as he continued. "I told him not to compare his mother and me to their situation. I said that Anne and I both came from noble families. We were different from him and the girl he was infatuated with. He got aggravated when I said that. He asked me: if Anne didn't have a dowry, if she was not born as a daughter of an earl, would I not marry Anne? Would I not love her? He didn't give me a chance to respond as he continued talking. He told me that if that was the case, then my love for Anne was superficial. He said that his betrothed was not like that and that he would continue to love her no matter what her connexions and fortunes are."
He paused, taking another sip of his brandy. "It seemed like he was surprised with his own outburst because he tried to calm himself down after his speech. Finally, he begged me to give them a chance. I told him that I'm happy he experienced that kind of love. However, before I could speak further, we were called by Mrs Reynolds to join Anne in the drawing room."
"Did you get the chance to tell him that you approve?" Stafford asked. "I knew you wanted a love match for your children and you would soon accept William's choice – even if she was a county girl with no connexions – because you wanted him to be happy."
Leicester and Manchester looked at Derbyshire curiously as well. All of them, including Matlock, had talked about wanting their children to marry for love just like they did.
"No," Derbyshire answered, "our next conversation ended in an argument – hence, my wife's invitation for your families here – so he does not know." Not wanting to elaborate, for now, Derbyshire said: "Let me just add this, gentlemen, William never once talked back to me. Not even when I chose Wickham's side over him. He always complied with my wishes and does his duties as best as he can. Only my disapproval with his choice of the bride did he talked to me like that. Whether I approved of the match or not, I knew that he would still marry her."
They were all silent after that, each man thinking about what had just been revealed, taking a sip of their brandy from time to time.
-p&p-
In the pink sitting room upstairs, the Duchess of Derbyshire was happily watching her Goddaughter, who was also going to be her future daughter-in-law. Lizzy looked so much like her friend, Sophie, when they were younger, and looking at Lizzy talk to Georgiana, who favoured Anne's looks and was tall for a girl her age, made Anne reminisce of the past. Looking at Lizzy and Georgie felt like she was looking at herself and Sophie back then.
It was such a wonderful feeling having her friends back here at Pemberley. She couldn't wait until Elinor and Cathy arrived, then their group of friends would be complete… almost. Marjorie's death had devastated their group. She might have come to their life a little later and only became a part of their friendship circle when she entered a courtship with Manchester, but she was their friend nonetheless.
At least, Marjorie's daughter was still with them. Beatrice might have her father's colouring and looks but she had Marjorie's smile and mannerisms. Closing her eyes, Anne shook the melancholic thoughts out of her head and tried to focus on the conversation between her daughter and soon-to-be daughter.
"My brother misses you very much," Georgie told Lizzy, who blushed. "He likes hearing me play the same song on the pianoforte. He told me that it was special to him because you were singing it the day you met."
Lizzy smiled. "I am glad that he missed me, for I missed him as well. Do you think we could play that song in a duet to surprise him?"
"Really?" Georgie asked excitedly. "I would love that, Lizzy. I rarely have anyone to practise with except my mother."
"And she was tired of my company already," Anne teased.
Georgie, however, did not take it as such for an alarmed expression crossed her face. "Oh, no, Mama, I could never get tired of your company! It is just that I have longed to have a sister."
"I was only teasing, daughter," Anne smiled at Georgie, who smiled in relief, before turning to Lizzy. "I knew I already said it twice, but let me say it again, I am so glad to finally meet you."
Lizzy smiled. "I am very happy to meet you too. Fitzwilliam has spoken about you and Georgie before. He loved his family very much."
Anne nodded, "William has written so much about you and I have shared it with Georgie these past few days. We feel as if we've known you already."
"And here I thought I could make a decent impression to you both."
"William being in love with you and smiling every time he spoke of you was enough to make a good impression," Anne replied. "I was starting to worry for him, you know? But then he started writing about 'hypothetical' arguments and situations that I knew he finally found a lady that caught his interest."
"I cannot believe that he has offended you so many times though," Georgiana said thoughtfully. "I suppose that is why Richard teases him that he acts like an ogre at balls, with people he was not familiar with."
Elizabeth laughed, "Yes, your brother can be an 'ogre' at times. But now that I think about it, he is an adorable ogre."
"I am neither adorable nor an ogre," said a familiar masculine voice from behind her, making Elizabeth's heart leap. Turning around, she faced her fiancé with a wide smile. Though they had been sitting with each other earlier while explaining their story, she had yet to have her fill of him. After being separated for so long, she thought that it was only reasonable that she could not get enough of his presence.
He smiled back at her as he approached and placed the tray he was carrying on the coffee table. Since his mother was sitting diagonally from the settee where Elizabeth and Georgie were sitting, Fitzwilliam settled himself on the other side of his betrothed.
He knew that he had to face her family – especially her male relations – soon. As of now, he would enjoy watching the three women he loved most bond with one another. His plans, however, were interrupted not even half a minute of being with them.
"Oh, dear!" exclaimed his mother after accidentally pouring some tea on herself.
"Mother, are you alright?" he asked instantly coming to her aid, which she dismissed with a wave of her hand.
"I shall be fine once I get a change of clothes." His mother said, standing up. "Georgie, dear, won't you help me pick a new dress?"
Georgiana, realising what her mother was doing, let out a little giggle before standing up on her feet and agreeing to come with her.
"We shall be right back in a few minutes, you two. Use your time wisely."
With that, Lady Anne and Georgiana left the room, leaving Elizabeth alone with Fitzwilliam. The two of them looked back at the closed door before looking at each other and burst out laughing.
"I cannot believe my mother would do that," Fitzwilliam said amused before taking hold of Elizabeth's hands. "I cannot say that I am unhappy with the outcome, though."
She pulled her hands away from him to remove her gloves, placing them on the other side of the settee so that there was no barrier between them when she squeezed his hands. "Me neither."
They looked at each other for a few seconds before Elizabeth broke the eye contact to look around the room and back to him. Then, without warning, she launched herself into him, her arms encircling themselves on his neck and her head resting on his shoulder. They were so close that their thighs were practically glued together. "I missed you."
Though surprised, Fitzwilliam didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her waist and lean his own head on her shoulder. He had to hunch over to do the latter, but he did not mind. Having Elizabeth in his arms was worth any slightly uncomfortable position. "I missed you too. I wanted to have you in my arms since I saw you earlier."
She only hummed in reply and tightened her hold on him. He smiled and tilted his head a little to kiss her temple. They stayed together like that, basking in each other's comfort, a few moments, before murmuring, "I brought you some biscuits."
At his words, she pulled away from him and looked at the tray he bought. He was a little disappointed that she let go and he silently cursed himself for bringing up the biscuits.
"Thank you," she smiled but furrowed her brows when she noticed his frown. "What is wrong?"
He shrugged nonchalantly, "Perhaps the fact that the woman I love chose to let me go over some dessert."
She laughed, pinching his cheek. "You really are an adorable ogre."
He only crossed his arms in silent disagreement.
"Oh, do not be like that, my dearest love. How about I share the biscuits with you?"
He shook his head. "I brought it up for you. It was the only ones left." Sheepishly he admitted, "I requested it as treats after breaking my fast these past few days." One of his hands flew to caress the wayward curl that bounce on her right cheek. "I remember sharing it with you at Oakham mount so eating it by myself reminded me of you."
Biting her lip, she looked up at him warmly. "If you do not want to share, I suppose I should thank you some other way then."
"I do not need your gratitude, Elizabeth. Having you with me is enou–"
Before he could finish, her lips were pressed on his. So surprised was he, that he stiffened. Feeling him freeze, Elizabeth pulled away not a second later and looked down at her lap feeling embarrassed. Had she been too forward?
"Forgive me, I should not have –"
"Never apologise for kissing me, my love. However, do apologise for pulling away so quickly before I could even respond."
The last part was said with a smile in his tone that she couldn't help but take a peek at him through her lashes. "You are not upset?"
"I am upset now that the moment is over. However, your kisses could never upset me."
Finally raising her head, she couldn't prevent the little smile on her lips. "I suppose as your fiancée I should help you not to be upset…"
Leaning his head closer to hers, he answered, "You should."
The intensity of his gaze made her shiver. Her eyes flickered back to his lips only a breath away from her. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks as her own breath mingled with his. Closing her eyes and placing one hand on his neck to steady her, she erased the final distance between them and savoured the press of his soft lips against her.
Finally, after being separated for so long, they were now together.
Elizabeth felt one of Fitzwilliam's hands took hold of her free arm, while his other encircled her waist, drawing her closer to him. She gasped when his hands started making circles on both the middle of her back and her inner wrist. Goosebumps erupted on her skin.
Accomplishing his task, Fitzwilliam took advantage of Elizabeth's slightly parted lips to suck on her bottom lip. Mimicking his actions, Elizabeth did the same to his top lip. Her hands slid down from his neck to his chest, clasping the lapel of his coat. She could feel his racing heart beneath her fingers, echoing her own.
Her head was heady. She meant what she said when she told him she wouldn't let him remain upset. So when he was about to pull away, she took the chance to clamp her mouth on his bottom lip, switching their positions. She kissed him softly, her hand releasing his lapel and moving his thumb up to stroke his cheek.
When they let go, she smiled at him sweetly, "I love you."
He leaned his cheek further into her hand, "And I love you." He took the hand caressing his face and kissed her inner wrist before entwining their fingers.
"So…" she started, still feeling a little lightheaded from the kiss. "You've been holding out on me, my Lord. I do not remember our first kiss, as wonderful as it was, being like that." She meant to tease him but there was also truth to her statement. While she treasured their first kiss, there was something about this recent kiss that… tickled something within her.
Fitzwilliam blushed, looking down as if he was caught doing something wrong. "I might have, uh, taken to reading some books that contain information about er, intimacy..." He paused, meeting her gaze. "I wanted to kiss you senseless when we meet again… if you noticed any improvement in the, er, skill, then I am on my way to succeeding."
Wanting to get over his embarrassment, he decided to tease her. "If our first kiss was not enough to make you stay, I thought that I needed to do better. I couldn't let my lack of experience get in the way between us."
In truth, the reason why he started reading those books was because he wanted to rebel against his father in a way and the first thing that came to his mind was the section of the library on the uppermost shelf that his father had allowed him no access to until his father deemed that 'it was time.' After finding out that his father had been testing him all his life, he had little guilt sneaking in the library and browsing those forbidden shelves.
His surprise was so great when he realised those hidden books were written by his ancestors and it contains information about intimacy!
"I-I'm your first kiss?" Elizabeth's wide-eyed stare and small voice brought him back to the present.
"Yes." He nodded. "I could never even be persuaded to do a second dance with anyone, much less kiss them or anything more. Besides, my father taught me that Darcy men entered marriage as pure as their wives. It shows love and respect for our future bride. Due to this principle, one of my ancestors had taken time to write books filled with instructions and lessons regarding… intimacy… that way, we, Darcys, would still know how to please our partners in the physical aspect of our relationship. I believe that some of my other ancestors also added their own knowledge in the last books, so it was…" he trailed off, waiting for her reaction.
She surprised him again with another enthusiastic hug. "I love you!" She said, kissing him on the cheek. Backing away, she felt the need to explain her reaction. "I know it is not uncommon for men to visit… certain establishments… to…" she blushed, pausing at the implication, "and I would not hold it against you if you did… since we haven't met, then, yet. But now that I know that I'm the only woman, who has experienced your kisses and your touches, brings me joy." Almost shyly, she added, "You are my first in these things too."
He smiled and kissed her forehead, "I know and I am honoured, Elizabeth."
"Perhaps you can lend me these books of yours so I could make things better for you too?"
He shook his head, stifling a groan at the thought of Elizabeth reading that specific set of books and practising its words on him. "The wife of my ancestor who started writing the book also wrote equivalent books for future Darcy brides, however, perhaps I can share it with you after we get married, my love. You are tempting enough as it is. Any better and your male relations might be lining up to have a duel with me." 'And perhaps I should stop reading those books as well,' he added silently.
"I see your point." She nodded thoughtfully before flashing him a teasing smile, "but I suppose I can discover things on my own. Maybe I can learn a new thing or two and contribute some knowledge to the book. What say you, care to experiment with me?"
As thoughts of what said 'experiment' might entail, he didn't bother to hide his groan, "Minx."
Her response was to laughingly eat a biscuit. He shook his head. Once she finished pouring tea for the two of them, she turned serious and asked, "When can we get married?"
"I don't think your family will let us do it anytime soon, dearest," he sighed. Taking hold of her hands, he said, "But I can understand them. You have just returned to them and it is not fair that I will be taking you away so soon. Besides, I know how much you've longed for the family that you have now. I could never take away that from you."
"You are still going to marry me, are you not?" She knew he was, but she needed to hear it from him. She didn't quite like the resigned tone in his voice.
"Of course I am," he answered fervently. "I wouldn't let you go, Elizabeth, not for anything else in the world. This is why I have thought of a solution but I will only act on it once you approve of it too."
-p&p-
Her Graces, Sophia and Cassandra, confirmed with a servant that their children had indeed gone riding before walking towards the billiards room. Asking another servant, they had confirmed that the other male members of the family were there with the Master of the House.
Secured in this knowledge, the sisters finally made their way upstairs to the pink room. While they haven't been to Pemberley for some years, the pink sitting room always served as a private room for their group of friends back then and Annie had told them that it hadn't changed and still waiting for their circle to be completed.
When Sophie opened the room, she expected her only daughter to bond with one of her dearest friends, Annie, and her Goddaughter, Georgiana. Instead, the sight that greeted her was one where a young couple was locked on an embrace in the settee facing away from them, and they were kissing! She instantly closed the door as gently as she could.
"You aren't going to stop them?" asked an amused Cassie beside her.
"No," she answered. "The poor dears hadn't seen each other for a month and their reunion was cut off by them having to explain their story to us. Besides, I am sure they wouldn't let themselves be compromised. If the reactions of the men in our family were anything to go by, this might be the last chance they got to be alone."
Cassie only nodded and led her sister to the next door to enter. The reason why their group of friends loved this pink sitting room was because it resembles their favourite rooms to use in their family houses, back when they weren't married yet. The pink sitting room here at Pemberley also had an adjoining room where a smaller sitting room was secretly located. The smaller sitting room had a hidden wall so while they could not overhear conversations, they could at least see what was happening in the other room.
That way, they could easily come to their friend's rescue when needed.
Back then, their group used it to the catty women of the ton who decided to pay a call on them or when there was a persistent suitor that wouldn't leave one of them alone. That way, while some of them were receiving a call, the others could observe what the visitors were doing. This time they were doing it to act as chaperones while giving the couple enough privacy.
They settled themselves on the settee facing away from the other room, so even though there was a space in the wall between the rooms that could allow them to see if they wanted, their backs were still turned away from the couple. They would only intervene if they heard improper noises, but seeing as there was none of that happening and the only thing they heard was a happy exclamation of "I love you!" from Elizabeth, the two Duchesses relaxed.
Soon after that, Annie entered the room with Georgiana and smiled at them. "I take it that you're here because our children miss each other very much."
Sophie only shook her head with a smile, "How much longer before we enter?"
"They've been alone for about ten minutes so just another five minutes and we'll break their moment."
"Let me guessed, you did the spill-the-tea trick?" asked Cassie, motioning to Annie's gown, which was of the exact same colour but with a slightly different style on the sleeves and hem.
Annie only grinned at her, which they knew was a 'yes'.
"I'm glad that was still useful," Sophie, the one who instigated the first use of said trick among their group, smiled.
"How long have you known that William was engaged?" Cassie asked. "Elizabeth only told Sophie about it yesterday and Beatrice and I only found out on the carriage on our way here. The men in our family, as you know, have no clue until earlier."
"I knew they were secretly engaged by the end of November. However, I suspected that he had finally started liking a woman back in September." Smiling, Annie added, "He talks about a 'hypothetical' woman in his letters with 'hypothetical' situations."
Sophie raised a brow. "And may we assume that those situations are some of the problems they encountered throughout their relationship which William bravely confessed to the men in our family earlier?"
Annie nodded, "Those, along with some of the subjects they have debated about, I believe."
Cassie giggled, "I still couldn't believe it. Remember before the 'incident'," Cassie trailed off unsurely at the word used when the Earl of Dorchester attacked them in the forest, but then cleared her throat to share her pleasant line of thoughts. "Sophie, do you recall that you declared that if you're going to have a daughter, she would marry William? When we were making matches back then, it was just for fun. Who would have thought that William would really be Elizabeth's love, even after the circumstances that happened to our families?"
Georgie, who was sitting quietly beside her mother, gasped and could not stop herself from asking, "You arranged their marriage?"
"Not truly, Georgie," Annie answered. "Of course, we would want them to be together so that our families could have a true familial connection, but we would never arrange a match for our children."
"It started with our mothers, you see," Cassie smiled, taking over the narration. "Our mother was a close friend of your Grandmother and your Aunt Elinor's unmarried Aunt. It was not that surprising since our families' estates were very close to one another, despite being in different counties. We," she pointed at Sophie, "were from Manchester. Your Aunt Elinor was from Cheshire and your mother's family from Derbyshire. Naturally, we visited each other often and soon some matches developed."
Cassie's smile turned into a sentimental look as she continued speaking. "You see, my mother has another friend aside from your grandmother and your Aunt Elinor's unmarried Aunt. It was Stephen's mother. However, since their estate was farther away than my mother's other two friends, they rarely visit. But when they do, I'd always hoped that Stephen would come with them. Thankfully, he never came as much as I'd hoped too or else he'd probably see me as a sister. Long story short, the two of us fell in love eventually and we were the second one among our friends to get married."
"Who was the first?" Georgie asked curiously.
"Your Aunt Elinor and Uncle Francis, of course!" Cassie answered enthusiastically. "I still remember when Elinor would get worried whenever Francis would say that he'll be supporting a friend as a second for a duel and she'd ignore him after. Then, when we tease her, she'd get really mad and say," Cassie paused and pinched her brows, pursed her lips, and crossed her arms before imitating Elinor's voice "'He's my friend, of course, I'll care for him.'"
Georgie laughed and clapped her hands, "I didn't know you could do Aunt Elinor's voice, Aunt Cassie!"
"I have many talents. I'm the talented twin, after all."
"And you wonder why your sons talk the way they do," Sophie commented, amused.
"But did you just say duel? I didn't know Uncle Francis participates in that kind of thing."
Annie looked pointedly at Cassie for mentioning duels in front of Georgie and Cassie smiled sheepishly at her friend. Then, Annie looked at her only daughter before explaining, "He never actually participated in a duel, Georgie, dear, but he was always chosen by his friends as their second and your Uncle couldn't find it in him to say no."
"That is," Georgie paused as if looking for the right word to say, "kind of him to be there for his friends."
"More like he just wanted to show off how good he is with a pistol," Cassie said half-jokingly. "His ego was bruised that Sophie was a better shooter than him so he always joins his friends as support."
Georgie looked at Sophie with wide eyes. "You know how to shoot?"
"And she's good at it," Cassie answered proudly, as she took hold of her twin sister's hand when she saw her flinched. Cassie knew that pistols and shooting were a sore topic for Sophie but she would not let some horrible man stop her sister from joining a conversation about it. It was enough that Sophie had already given up shooting after the 'incident'. Cassie would not let her sister be affected by the mere mention of it.
Squeezing her sister's hand back, Sophie gave a shaky smile to Georgie said, "My brothers taught me. Speaking of, my brother, Robert, was supposed to make the third match in our group of friends."
"Supposed?"
"Unfortunately, he died in a carriage accident so he and our friend who was paired with him," Sophie was careful not to mention Cathy's name, for it was still Cathy's story to tell, "did not get married. They got engaged but he died before any public announcement was made."
Georgie frowned but didn't ask any questions. She could tell by her companions' looks that they were still sad about it.
"While the third match that was supposed to wed didn't get to the altar, guess who married third in our group of friends?" Sophie asked, wanting to lift her Goddaughter's mood.
"You and Uncle Leicester?"
"You are half-right," Sophie with a smile.
Catching Anne's eye, Sophie nodded her head and together they said, "Both of us!"
"It was a double wedding," Anne explained, making Georgie smile. "The next one to marry was your Aunt Cathy. When we started having children, we started to predict their matches too like our mother's once predicted us. Granted, mine and Sophie's husband were not our childhood friends but it was fun to jest about which of our children will end up together in the future. And it seemed that two of them came true."
"You made other matches? Who are they?"
"My Goddaughter and Godson," Cassie answered cheerfully, "Anne and Richard."
Sophie rolled her eyes, "You didn't always pair them, you know? You and Cathy thought it would be Ben and Anne."
Cassie scoffed. "That was when they were babes. But when they were toddlers, Anne would fall from trying to walk and Richard was the first one there to help her. Ben always chose to play with his brothers. And up until now, he's unmarried! As much as I love my sons, I wanted a daughter too, even in the form of a daughter-in-law."
"Who knows?" Annie mused, looking at Cassie teasingly. "Maybe Matilda and James will get along well? Elinor did say that once she finally has a daughter, her daughter would marry one of your sons."
"Oh, yes," Cassie smiled hopefully. "It has been so long since I have last seen my Goddaughter. Having her as my daughter would be great."
Annie smiled. "I knew that both Anne and Matilda had been writing to both you and Sophie regularly, but would you like me to enlighten you on the things she likes so we can see which one of your sons would match her best?"
"I'll help," Georgie smiled, enumerating the things her cousin Matilda liked. Sophie was happy to listen to her Goddaughter. She had spent time with Georgie a couple of months ago when they were still staying in Scotland searching for her daughter and she was glad to see the young lady again.
While Cassie continued to compare notes with Georgie, Sophie turned to Annie. "Are Elinor and her family not coming?"
"They are," Annie answered, "I received a letter from a rider before Lizzy, Georgie, and I went to the pink sitting room earlier. Their carriage wheel broke on the way so they stopped at a nearby inn to rest while it gets fixed. Cathy and Anne are with them too. My sister and niece started travelling to Matlock the day after New Year. It seemed that Richard and Anne couldn't bear to be apart any longer."
Sophie smiled, "It seemed that we'll be doing a lot of chaperoning these days."
"Yes," Cassie chimed happily, joining the conversation. "However, with the way we keep leaving them by themselves, I cannot say that we are the best of chaperones."
All three of them laughed at that. After all, all five of them – including Cathy and Elinor – had been the most lenient of chaperones to one another. Only when one of them got mad at their suitors (who had now become their husbands) would they suddenly become strict so that they could avoid them.
"Am I supposed to leave them alone too?" Georgiana asked.
"Not all the time, Georgie, and not too often," Annie answered. "Speaking off, we should join them now."
With that, the four of them left the adjoining room and went to the pink sitting room where they saw William drinking tea while he gazed tenderly at Elizabeth, who was delightfully munching on biscuits.
"I see that you two behaved," Annie commented, her lips curling upwards when the pair startled at their presence before colouring at the implication of her words.
"Thank you for giving us some time to talk, Godmother Anne," Lizzy said after kissing Sophie and Cassie on the cheeks in greeting. "Fitzwilliam has come up with a plan."
-p&p-
After their talk with their friend, Derbyshire, the brothers-in-law – the Dukes of Leicester and Stafford, Arthur and Stephen, and the Earl of Manchester, Daniel – left the billiards room to visit the Pemberley library after their friend said they could talk there privately. Becoming close friends of the Duke of Derbyshire during his courtship to Lady Anne, the three was familiar with the place even though it had been years since they had last seen it. However, despite knowing the way to the library, the three of them asked the housekeeper, Mrs Reynolds, to show them where it was.
On the way there, Arthur started inquiring about his Godson, William. He knew about him from his letters to both him and his sons, but we wanted to see if what he thought of his Godson fitted with how the servants of the house see him. Manchester and Stafford seemed to be of the same mind as him for they also asked the footmen stationed by the library and the maid who delivered their tea about William.
When Mrs Reynolds and the other servants they had asked had nothing to say but praises about William, Arthur was both happy and sad. He was happy because he was proud of his Godson. William grew up to be a good, intelligent, and responsible man just like his letters implied him to be. At the same time, he was a little sad because there was little reason for him to complain about William being his only daughter's fiancé. Not only was William a good man who had the means to provide a wealthy life for his daughter, but William also loved his daughter.
That loved proved in the story the pair alternated telling them. It was not perfect, no love story was, but it showed how far the couple had come. It seemed that his daughter kept his Godson on his toes while his Godson invigorated his daughter's spirit. They seemed to be what each other needed and there was no doubt by the looks they bestowed on one another that they were in love.
Arthur might be a protective father but he was wise enough not to let his protectiveness cloud his judgement. If he did not allow the betrothal, his daughter would only be separated from their family even more. Not only that, but it would also hurt both his daughter and his Godson. He would not be cruel to both of them. He already saw his Godson as another son, what hurt would it do if he actually became his son-in-law?
None, he thought. If Elizabeth hadn't been separated for them for so long, Arthur knew without a doubt that he'd agree wholeheartedly to the match. William was exactly the kind of man he'd wish for his daughter. His worry only stemmed from Elizabeth being separated from them so soon.
His daughter loved their family, he knew that. But his daughter also loved William. It would be unfair to separate her from the one of that just so she could be with the other. They could meet in the middle. He'd tell William that he could not marry Elizabeth until after six months. That was a reasonable time, was it not?
He let out a heavy sigh.
Daniel Wesley, Lord Manchester, who was watching his brother-in-law drum his fingers on the arm of his chair, chuckled, "I take it that you are now resigned to the match?"
If he was being honest, he was the same as Leicester. Elizabeth might not be his daughter but she was his one and only niece by blood, and even though he only got to see her again a few days ago, he loved her and he wanted the best for her. And it seemed that the 'best for her' might be being with William. He'd seen his niece laugh and smile at their family, but it was no match for the bright smile that appeared on her face when she saw William for the first time after getting out of the carriage.
Arthur nodded with a resigned look. "How can I possibly deny my daughter or my Godson the person who makes them happy?" With a small smile he added, "If they grew up together, I knew that William was my wife's chosen match for our daughter regardless."
"Are you implying they are always meant to be together?" Stafford asked with a light smile.
"Though I kept on pushing the thought away, I am convinced that they are made for each other," Manchester confessed.
Stafford placed his teacup on the table. "Now that I think about it, I believe we are both right, brother." He said to Manchester. "In the short time that I've known my niece, she needed someone who's going to challenge her intellect. And all the time that I knew William, I've always known that his partner in life should be someone who isn't as serious and taciturn as he is."
"Well, gentlemen," said Arthur, looking at both of his brothers-in-law in the eye. "I think we have just made our decision."
"So… are we going to say it?" Manchester asked.
Stafford smiled at them, "What? That we approved of the match?"
"No," Arthur said, "At least, not until William truly asked us for her hand."
Before either Manchester or Stafford could reply, loud feminine shrieks startled them. Without a word, the three of them hurried out of the library and into the source of the sudden noise.
So the Father and the Uncles approve while the women are conspiring and matchmaking. The brothers and the cousins are still being stubborn and we'll see what they'll do in the next chapters.
If you noticed, yes, I've changed my user name.
I didn't mean for this story to have such a long hiatus but real life made me very anxious and anxious I can't really write well because my brain is busy thinking all sorts of things to worry about so no time for creating stories.
Graduating high school went very well and I'm satisfied with what I've accomplished in school. College, however, was the problem. I didn't really plan ahead because I was also considering taking a gap year. However, being one of the model students, gave me pause. My insecurities were popping out left and right to the point that I don't even know what to do with myself. Like, what would my friends and teachers and classmates and family say if I take a gap year? The stress of an uncertain future is what made me take a break from writing.
My pride can't take the blow of people talking about things like 'hey, she's an honor student how come she didn't go to college right away?' I know there's nothing wrong with taking a gap year but it's not really common here in my area so I know people will talk. In the end, I went with it and applied to some school with the thought that if I get accepted I'll enrol on college and if not, I'll take a gap year.
So present day, I am now in my first year of college. Since my life is now somewhat stable, I decided to resume writing again. Since the first semester had just begun, I haven't adjusted to my schedule yet. Despite that, I'll update whenever I can maybe once a week like before, but only once I've stored enough chapters. I will finish this book one way or another.
The two or three chapters will be the last one focused on family stuff and then the characters will be facing the music a.k.a. the Bennets, Samuel Paxton, the Ton etc. Resolutions will come as we do these and soon we'll approach the end of this story. After that, I'll be posting another story as I finish "Proving Him Wrong."
The next stories that I will be posting will (hopefully) not have the same problem (irregular and slow updates) like this one and PHW. Unlike OEAL and PHW, my next stories will not be a work in progress but a posting in progress. Also, the next stories will not be as long or as slow-paced as this one.
As for now though, I'll finish the two stories I posted.
Thank you for reading and giving this story a chance. Have a great day or night!
