Chapter 12

Darcy held his book open in his lap, but his attention was not on it. It was little more then a prop. Mrs. Wiffle had drifted off to sleep and so as to not wake her with conversation, him and Elizabeth had both chosen books to read. Elizabeth was engrossed in reading her book, and he was engrossed in watching her. He had never enjoyed travel more. He had made Elizabeth laugh more then once. She had even complimented him. His legs were long and at one point he had stretched them out in front of him, his own leg gently pressing against hers and she had not shied away from the physical contact. Feeling daring, he adjusted his position and was rewarded with a larger area of contact. Elizabeth glanced up from her book, smiled at him, and then resumed her reading.

It would take four full days of travel to reach his estate in the Scottish lowlands. Darcy considered what opportunities while traveling he could use to show her that she should consider marrying him once they reached Scotland. Mrs. Wiffle had ask inquisitive questions about Elizabeth to her as they had traveled earlier. Elizabeth had chatted happily with her, and had made sure to include him in the conversation. He recalled her commenting that she enjoyed meeting new people, so he decided he would exert himself to greet fellow travelers to afford her the opportunity of studying new characters.

When Mrs. Wiffle had begun to question her on what she considered traits a spouse should have, he had been careful to reiterate to Elizabeth that while marriage was a possible way to restore her reputation, if she did not wish to marry after they reached their destination, he would come up with another way to help her. Marriage had been his suggestion to her, and he ardently desired that she choose it and him, but he was adamant to her that it was just one possibility they could explore. Mrs. Wiffle, he noticed, interspersed the conversation later periodically with examples of how she felt he met the traits Elizabeth desired in a spouse. He had realized he should not be surprised. Before leaving his property this morning while Elizabeth was out of ear shot, Mrs. Wiffle had reached up, patted his cheek and said cheerfully, "Not to worry, Mr. Darcy, I shall help you win your heart's desire."

Darcy considered that if Elizabeth refused him he could seek out her uncle in trade and invest largely with him. If that uncle just so happened to take his niece in and use his extra profits for her care, well that would have to be acceptable, Darcy thought to himself. He would have to determine a way to fuel funds towards her care and protection that would not further birsmirch her reputation whether her family accepted her back at Longbourn or for the sake of her sisters' prospects, depending how much of her misadventure was found out, sent her away. Lady Catherine though had made a public spectacle of it and he imagined others gossiped about it after the post coach left, including the detail that after the first stop, unless other passangers boarded she would travel alone with two gentlemen after being thrown out of where she had been staying. Many would believe she had been thrown from a respectable household becuase of scandalous behavior on her part, even though she had done nothing wrong.

…

"Miss Bennet," Mrs. Wiffle said. "Have I told you about the Roberts? Some of Mr. Darcy's tennets at Pemberley. My cousin, Susan Reynolds, I mentioned before, wrote me of it last summer. The father was injured and the oldest child was 5 and his wife had just birthed the newest. Mr. Darcy paid for others to work the farm, lending a hand himself, and provided a maid to help the young mother out."

"That was very kind of him," Elizabeth said.

"You won't find a kinder master anywhere. He would never ask another to do what he is not willing to do himself."

"I did no more then what anyone else would have done," Darcy said, embarrassed to have his actions praised.

"Nonsense. Most young men are to busy rattling about to take proper care of those in their care. I imagine the lady that captures your heart, will never want for anything, be it affection or respect," Mrs. Wiffle opined.

"Miss Bennet, you mentioned that you anticipated traveling to the Lake District with your relations," Darcy said to change the subject. "Is there anything you are looking particularly eager to view if things work out that way?"

"Assuming I still am in a position to travel with them, I am eager to see the views that inspired the works of Coleridge," Elizabeth said. The fact Darcy had mentioned her travel plans with her relations, assured her that he believed she had other options then to marry a stranger. It reassured her that if the upright and superior Mr. Darcy thought things were not dire enough that she absolutely contemplate marriage to a stranger, that he must be considering other ways to deal with the stain on her reputation. He had assured her before that going to Scotland was only one possibility. From Mrs. Wiffle's comments, Elizabeth had discerned that Darcy was methodical and he likely would explore one possibility at a time. She knew some of her other options, but had thought it might be wise to meet the gentleman before rejecting him out of hand. If Jane and Bingley married and she relocated away from her family remaining unmarried, her other sister's prospects would not be damaged by her presence within the household. Darcy's careful questions about her uncle, his business and her relationship with him earlier, had suggested he was considering another solution already if this one did not work out.

…

Bingley cheerfully approached the Gardiner's door, the short missive Elizabeth had penned inside his coat pocket. A sudden idea occurred to him as he waited for the door to be answered. Elizabeth would like to have her closest sister at her wedding. He could escort Jane with her aunt as a chaperone to Darcy's estate in Scotland.

…

Col. Fitzwilliam eyed the manor house of Longbourn in front of him as he dismounted from his horse. He had never imagined he would be approaching a gentleman to tell him that Darcy had eloped with his favorite daughter.

When the housekeeper answered and showed him into Mr. Bennet's book room, Col. Fitzwilliam noted that it appeared Darcy's soon to be father-in-law was a bibliophile.

"How may I help you?" Thomas Bennet said rising from his seat, book in hand.

"I am Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam and I have recently spent some time in Kent with your daughter," Col. Fitzwilliam began.

"No," Bennet said quickly. "I am not parting with my daughter to a man she has only recently met. She has not mentioned you in her correspondence so I believe the aquintance is reccent enough that I cannot in good consciousness give my permission or blessing. Perhaps after you have known her longer then a week we can discuss a courtship."

His eyes going wide, Col. Fitzwilliam said, "Pardon me, Mr. Bennet, as much as I admire Miss Elizabeth I am here on behalf of my cousin and Miss Elizabeth."

"Well you can tell your cousin, that my answer is also no until he sees fit to introduce himself to me and ask on his own behalf. Just who is your cousin?" Mr. Bennet questioned him.

"Fitzwilliam Darcy, you are acquainted with him I believe."

"What does Mr. Darcy want with my Lizzy?" asked Mr. Bennet in confusion.

"Well he is eloping with her to Scotland," Col. Fitzwilliam began to explain.

"Impossible," Mr. Bennet interrupted him. "Elizabeth would never consent to an elopement and she dislikes your cousin."

"Well our aunt, Lady Catherine, put Miss Elizabeth in a compromising position and once Darcy had retrieved her, we discussed it and decided the best way to restore her reputation would be for him to marry her. So he set off for his estate in Scotland with her to do so."

"I think you have left out a few details, but you can fill me in on the way to Scotland," Mr. Bennet said gruffly. "He is not marrying my daughter against her will without so much as a by your leave. And you colonel are going to help me get there so that I do not need to turn my daughter into a widow."

"My cousin is in love with your daughter," Col. Fitzwilliam began.

"But is my Lizzy in love with him?" interrupted Mr. Bennet as he exited the room to see about having his trunk packed and his coach hitched. They might not make it more then a few hours before having to stop for the night but Bennet was not wasting any time.

"Hopefully she will be for my cousin's sake by the time we reach Scotland," Col. Fitzwilliam muttered to the empty room. It appeared his new role in aiding this elopement would be to persuade her father of the advatages of the match while enroute with him to put a stop to the elopement.