Chapter 11
Darcy frowned at his cousin's suggestion that they make other calls around the neighborhood in Bingley's absence. He had no desire to call anywhere other than where Elizabeth was. Col. Fitzwilliam reminded him that by calling on other family's they could begin to turn the tide of Wickham's lies. Darcy had scowled and told his cousin he did not care if the rest of the neighborhood thought him a fiend for placing Wickham in debtor's prison, Elizabeth knew the truth and it did not matter what Meryton thought as long as Wickham could not harm the neighborhood. Before the colonel could convince Darcy to be more sociable a note arrived from Mr. Bennet requesting their presence at Longbourn.
…
Upon arrival Mr. Bennet quickly ushered Darcy into his study while leaving the Colonel to be entertained by his wife in the parlor, where there was no sign of any of his daughters. Gravely Mr. Bennet addressed the younger man and said, "I am afraid I should have taken more precautions than I did yesterday. I allowed my wife's sister to visit with her. I had assumed she would rant and rave to her about how her poor Lydia was back in the school room and seek sympathy from her for her nerves. I was correct, but my wife also told her gossipy sister that you had compromised Lydia, embracing and kissing her in the parlor. She then proceeded to tell her how you were in my study with me arranging the marriage and how I intended to keep Lydia under lock and key until the wedding so that you could not compromise her further. Mrs. Philips proceed to go and share this story around the drawing rooms of Meryton. The first I heard of it was when Mrs. Goulding arrived to offer her congratulations. It was then that I sent a note to you. Mrs. Bennet attempted to release Lydia from her room, but I successfully over ruled her. I am afraid though that your name has been linked to my youngest daughter's."
"So your wife and her sister have ruined Miss Lydia's reputation, and by default your other daughters will suffer, and called into question my honor?" Darcy asked icily.
"That sums it up, " Benner said helplessly. "I cannot imagine that you will wish to marry Lydia and preserve her name."
"Certainly not. I assume Elizabeth is aware of this current situation?"
"She is. She was quite angry at her mother. I have never seen her so furious. Jane hustled Lizzy out of the drawing room and is somewhere attempting to calm her down."
"I need to speak to Elizabeth," Darcy said quietly.
"I shall see if Hill knows where the girls have gone."
…
"Engaged to that child?" Col. Fitzwilliam said with derision to the matron in the drawing room that had just congratulated Mrs. Bennet on Lydia and Darcy's betrothal. "You mistake the matter, madame. My cousin Darcy is pursuing Miss Elizabeth." Then showing that he could be just as arrogant an intemprant in his words as his cousin when pushed to far, as had been the case as he listened to Mrs. Bennet while Darcy met with Mr. Bennet, he said, "Miss Elizabeth is a treasure. What gentleman would settle for a sow's ear over a silk purse?"
Mrs. Bennet gasped in outrage over the insult to her youngest. The other matron, a Mrs. Hess asked, "Pursuing Miss Elizabeth? He compromised her not Miss Lydia?"
"My couisn has compromised no one," Col. Fitzwilliam said. "He is a gentleman."
"But it is all over Meryton that he compromised Miss Lydia, embracing her with ardour, and then him and Mr. Bennet retreated to Mr. Bennet's study to sign the marriage contracts," protested Mrs. Hess.
"A baldfaced lie," Col. Fitzwilliam spat. He was aware that Mr. Bennet had discussed marriage with Darcy but knew that his cousin had refused for Elizabeth's sake. He was not about to let his cousin's honor be called into question because of a spolied child's actions.
"It is not!" exclaimed Mrs. Benent. "I was there, I saw it all. He compromised her and now must marry her!"
"I was there as well and I remember things quite differently," Col. Fitzwilliam said coldy. "My cousin did not compromise your foolish child. I suggest you recant your lies or you may find yourself sued for slander. My father, Lord Matlock, will not stand for this affront to his nephew's honor from a woman such as yourself."
Quelling under the Colonel's glare and threat Mrs. Bennet waved her handkerchief in distress and finally timidly admitted, "I may have been mistaken in the matter."
"May have?" Col. Fitzwilliam demanded as Mrs. Hess listened avidly.
"Well Mr. Darcy did not perhaps kiss Lydia as ardently as may have been reported," Mrs. Bennet said hesitantly. "But he did embrace her and then spoke to my husband in his study," Mrs. Bennet finished stubbornly, her voice rising.
"The only part of that statement that is true that Mr. Darcy spoke with me in my study," Mr. Bennet said as he entered the room. "He will not be marrying Lydia and intends to leave her to the ruin you and your sister have wrought Mrs. Bennet. Did you honestly think you could compel a man of his consequence to marry where he did not wish with a pack of lies?"
"I must be going," Mrs. Hess said as she bustled out the door, eager to go spread the news that the whole story had been a lie, confirmed by both Mr. Bennet and Mr. Darcy's cousin. The Bennet family would lose much of their standing and invitations when word got out how they tried to trap a gentleman.
"But, he called Lizzy beautiful. Surely he must have recognized that Lydia is so much prettier and lively," Mrs. Bennet protested. "If he does not marry her, we are ruined! What about Jane and Mr. Bingley? "
"And who's fault is that? Our ruin could be much worse. Instead of the town thinking our youngest is a loose woman at least they will only think we are a pack of conniving scheming liars. Mary and Kitty may join Lydia back in the school room. Time will hopefully allow our family's reputation to be rehabilitated. I intend to ask that the Gardiners take Jane and Lizzy to town to distance them from the disgrace that our family has wrought. They do not deserve to suffer with us."
"Mr. Darcy has compromised Lizzy!" Mrs. Hess exclaimed loudly bursting back into the sitting room.
"We are ruined! I will never speak to that girl again," Mrs. Bennet wailed. "You should have demanded he marry Lydia after he compromised her! If he didn't want my Lydia as his wife he would never consider offering for Lizzy!"
"He did not compromise Lydia!" Mr. Bennet bit out harshly. "And I highly doubt he has compromised Lizzy. It is more likely that she has accepted a proposal from him and that is what Mrs. Hess witnessed."
…
Darcy reluctantly released Elizabeth's lips as high pitched shrieking reached his ears. A glance revealed one of the neighborhood matrons disappearing back into Longbourn. To Elizabeth he simply said, "Assure me that now that you have compromised me, you mean to marry me, Elizabeth."
"I do intend to, Mr. Darcy," Elizabeth said impishly. "I was so unbelievably angry when I heard what my mother had done. I knew then that being married to you was the future I wanted. I finally realized I loved you and have for some time. I did not plan on throwing myself at you just now but when you apologized for my distress, I knew I could not let you do so, the fault was not yours to claim and I acted impetously to stop your words."
"So you sought to silence me with a chaste kiss?" Darcy asked wryly. "If I apologize for turning your tender kiss around on you, will you seek to silence me in the same way again?"
"You will find I am a quick study and now that you have shown me how to go about it, I shall do much better kissing you next time, " Elizabeth said archly.
"Then I am heartily sorry my love," Darcy said with a grin. When Elizabeth did not go up on her tiptoes and kiss him again, he raised an eyebrow at her.
"I said I was a quick study, not that I planned to implement the lesson you taught this second," Elizabeth said primily.
"Then it is up to me. I did warn you yesterday what would happen if you ever ended up in my embrace. If I am to be considered a man of my word, I must kiss you until your father demands our immediate marriage," Darcy said tenderly before capturing her lips with his again in a deep kiss that proclaimed his every feeling for her.
After and undetermined amount of time passed in such an enjoyable manner a delicate cough finally got the two's attention. A red faced Jane, her back to them, was relieved to hear her sister's giggle, confirming that it was now safe to turn around. Doing so Jane addressed Elizabeth and Darcy saying, "Papa has accused me of abandoning my chaperoning duties and requested I retrive you and Mr. Darcy, Lizzy, to his study."
"Oh Jane," Elizabeth said with a giggle. "I am sorry father sought to embaresses you. Did you not tell him that I had requested to speak to Mr. Darcy alone?"
"I had not realized I should object to the errand he sent me on when he found me," Jane said. "Though he did seem to be more amused then I would have expected after this morning and Mrs. Goulding's visit."
…
Once in Mr. Bennet's study, Darcy kept a firm grip on Elizabeth's hand, held within his own. Now that she had granted it to him, literally and figuratively, he was loath to relinquish it. "Well Mr. Darcy?" Bennet said amusedly.
"Elizabeth has done me the great honor of accepting my offer of marriage," Darcy said happily.
"You have given your consent to your suitor, Lizzy? I must verify this since yesterday a very determined young man demanded I never give you away in marriage against your will."
"I have papa," Elizabeth said with a smile. "He is the best man I know and I love him."
"I imagine the fact that the Bennet's have gained a reputation for scheming to entrap wealthy gentleman within the neighborhood will not cause you to wish to withdraw your suit?" Mr. Bennet asked sarcastically. The glare Darcy directed at him was answer enough and Mr. Bennet said, "Nevermind. Clearly your engagement to Lizzy is not something you find to be a joking matter. Well you have my consent and blessing."
