Longbourn
Darcy turned up the collar of his coat, another gust of wind blustering around the side of the stables to nip at his exposed neck, bringing with it a spatter of mist. He looked up to where Aaron and Alexander Gardiner were already mounted, braving the sullenly inclement weather to return home to Rockhill and their family. Mr. Gardiner adjusted his hat against the intermittent wind and gathered his reins before speaking.
"I will say this once again, Mr. Darcy," Aaron said, looking down at the tall master of Pemberley. "Thank you very much for your assistance in this matter. We are in your debt."
Darcy shook his head decidedly and said, "No, Mr. Gardiner, I am in your debt. I have allowed Wickham to prey on young ladies and merchants for far too long, held back by my father's love for the wretch. It was poorly done of me."
Aaron Gardiner placed a gentle hand on his steed's glossy neck and said, "Family is important, Mr. Darcy, and I believe most of us struggle with balancing our responsibilities toward our loved ones and the world at large. In any case, I hope you know that you are always welcome at Rockhill, though we will put you to work if you do come again. Perhaps you would prefer to avoid us."
Darcy laughed softly at this, "I may well take you up on your offer, Mr. Gardiner. Would you object if my sister Georgiana were to come with me upon my return? I miss spending time with her, and Rockhill is a very easy distance to Rosings, which is most convenient while the Fitzwilliams settle the disposition of the estate."
"I would greatly enjoy meeting your sister, Mr. Darcy. Alexander, are you ready?"
"Yes, sir," Alexander said with a smile, Kestrel dancing eagerly under him.
"We are off to Rockhill then," Aaron said. "Until we meet again, Mr. Darcy."
"Farewell," Darcy returned, and smiled inwardly. He had every intention of returning to Rockhill as long as Elizabeth Bennet dwelled there. He was drawn to her like a magnet toward the north.
/
Longbourn
"I cannot tell you how much we appreciate your assistance, Mr. Darcy," Bennet said gravely, carefully shifting his broken leg to a more comfortable position. "Hill, refill Mr. Darcy's glass and then leave us."
"Yes, sir," the butler replied, obeying his master's command and then shutting the parlor door behind him.
Darcy was growing uncomfortable with all this gratitude. He took a sip of excellent Madeira and said, "As I told Mr. Gardiner, I am partially responsible for Wickham's plotting against your youngest daughter, sir. I knew what he was, and I should have intervened to protect innocent girls before now."
Bennet shook his head and stated, "There are several people responsible for this near disaster, sir, but you are not one of them. The first, of course, is Wickham. The second is myself. The third and fourth are my youngest daughter and my wife, but since I am the head of the household, I am responsible for their folly as well. My leg aches a great deal at night so I have had much time to contemplate my life in the dark hours; I have long been aware of my slothful nature, but had no idea that my carelessness with my youngest would result in near disaster for her and her sisters. I am determined to change that now."
Darcy stayed silent, but his expression was apparently not as blank as he wished it to be.
"You clearly doubt me," Bennet continued, a wry twinkle in his eye, "and I understand why. I do love my children, but it has always been a careless, selfish sort of love. Mrs. Bennet and I are, regrettably, not as compatible as would be ideal, and I have not found the energy to guide her or the girls appropriately. I have failed in my role as husband and father but I am an intelligent man. I can change my ways and stand up for my children and their future."
"Even if currently you are not able to stand up physically," Darcy said with a slight smirk.
This provoked a startled laugh from his host, who lifted his glass in an amused salute, "Very good, sir, very good. So I understand you will accompany Wickham, his escort, and my brother-in-law Mr. Phillips to Marshalsea on the morrow?"
"Yes. Mr. Phillips has written up the official complaint against Mr. Wickham on behalf of Mr. Aaron Gardiner, and I have no doubt that we will have Wickham installed in Marshalsea without difficulty."
"Will Wickham's imprisonment be hard for you?" the older man asked shrewdly.
Darcy sighed and admitted, "I confess it may be challenging for me, though I know that Wickham must be put away to keep others safe, and he is indeed entirely deserving of imprisonment. We were boyhood friends and my father regrettably could never see Wickham's aberrant behavior as a young man; Mr. Darcy loved him until the end. In any case, the judgement of unpaid debt against Wickham was instigated by Mr. Gardiner, not me, which has made the entire process easier for me. Indeed, I do not necessarily need to accompany Mr. Phillips, but perhaps …"
"Perhaps the word of the nephew of an earl will smooth the processing more quickly than that of a mere country attorney. You are quite right."
The two men lapsed into an oddly companionable silence for a few minutes, even as Darcy thought intently.
"Mr. Bennet," he said finally.
"Yes?"
"Sir, I admire, and am very attracted to, your daughter Miss Elizabeth, and wish to ask her for a formal courtship. Do I have your permission to embark on such a path?"
Bennet choked slightly on his brandy and straightened in astonishment, "Elizabeth?"
/
London
April 30th, 1812
Mrs. Jane Bingley, blushing and smiling, waved her hand at the well-wishers crowding the stoop outside the home of Edward and Madeline Gardiner, and then turned to be handed into the carriage by her new husband.
A moment later, that eager young man leaped into the seat beside her and tapped the ceiling with his cane. The carriage jolted into motion and with the cries of happy relatives ringing in their ears, they pulled away.
Alone at last.
Charles gazed in wonder at his bride. He had been awestruck with Jane's beauty from the day they first met, but today she was incandescent in her off white gown decorated with blue lace, and with a simple wreath of small white roses in her hair. How was it that he could be so very blessed?
She observed his intent gaze and blushed a little. "Did you enjoy our wedding breakfast, Charles?"
He chuckled at this and said, "Yes, your relations did a lovely job with little time to prepare, but I confess that my favorite moment of the day, so far, was the wedding ceremony itself. We are joined together before Almighty God now, dear Jane."
"We are," Jane replied, and blushed even more as she leaned closer to her new husband. "The ceremony was delightful, Charles, as was the wedding breakfast, but I am looking forward very much to spending the next several weeks alone with you, my dear husband."
There was but one answer to that. Charles Bingley pulled his new bride close to him and kissed her passionately.
/
The Edward Gardiner House
London
"Congratulations, Miss Bennet," Darcy said, his eyes focused on Elizabeth's glowing face. The lady was dressed in a pale pink gown and her hair was piled high with a few well placed flowers in her hair. She was glorious.
"Thank you, Mr. Darcy," she replied, her rosy lips upturned, her eyes sparkling with joy. "This is truly a blessed day for our family."
"And for Mr. Bingley," he agreed. "I have rarely seen such a happy bridegroom."
"Jane and Mr ... Charles will deal extremely well together," she agreed. "Thank you for attending the wedding and the breakfast here at Gracechurch Street, Mr. Darcy. I know it meant a great deal to Mr. Bingley."
"It was my honor," he murmured, and then cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Do you need some tea, Mr. Darcy?" she asked, gazing at him curiously.
"No, Miss Bennet," he assured her, casting a somewhat desperate glance around the parlor. The small wedding breakfast had been excellent and the conversation with the various Bennet relations and friends had been pleasant. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet and their youngest daughter had not traveled from Meryton, but the entire Rockhill party had arrived yesterday and attended both the wedding and the subsequent breakfast en masse. Now most of the guests had departed but he was reluctant to leave; he desperately wanted a few minutes alone with Elizabeth. He glanced at Mrs. Madeline Gardiner, who was instructing the servants to tidy up the parlor.
"Might you accompany me into the small garden behind the house?" he inquired. "I hoped to speak to you of a matter of some importance."
Elizabeth looked startled. "Of course. Aunt, Mr. Darcy and I will be outside, and you can watch us through the parlor window."
"Yes, you should get some sun and fresh air, my dear. You have been working hard preparing for Jane's wedding day," her aunt Madeline replied with a gentle smile. The woman carried paper and ink over to a small table near the window and sat down.
Elizabeth led the way out the back door and into the small plot of land attached to the house. It was more of a lawn than a garden, with only a few well-tended rose bushes along one wall. There were a few balls scattered haphazardly and two bats, causing Darcy to nod with approval. Given the youth of the Gardiner children, it was sensible to allow them to run and frolic instead of insisting on more stately grounds.
"Is it about Lydia and Mr. Wickham, Mr. Darcy?" Elizabeth asked anxiously. "I wish to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your initial service to our family in this dreadful manner, and for your willingness to assist in finding a companion for Lydia and Kitty. It is very kind of you."
Darcy shook his head slowly and took a cautious step forward. "No, Miss Bennet. I wish to tell you that I admire and love you very much, and I would like to enter into a courtship with you."
Elizabeth froze, suddenly lightheaded, her lips parted in astonishment.
Darcy waited in agonized suspense until she managed to choke out a few words. "Is this ... I cannot believe ... Lydia nearly ruined us all, Mr. Darcy. Are you certain that you can bear my sister's horrific behavior?"
"Miss Elizabeth," Darcy said tenderly, "my own dear sister was also deceived by the very same rogue."
Another minute went by while Elizabeth stared at Darcy, and then she said, "Yes."
"Yes?" he repeated, his eyes lighting up.
"Yes," she repeated, looking up at him shyly. "You are a diligent, intelligent, kind, and devoted man, and I would be delighted to enter a courtship with you, Mr. Darcy."
His mouth widened into the most enthusiastic smile she had ever beheld. He was a good looking man at all times, but now, with joy suffusing his face, he was quite the most handsome man she had ever seen. She then added archly, "And you are rather easy on the eyes, especially when you smile."
"Thank you, Miss Bennet," he said, and was surprised to feel tears pricking his eyes. "Thank you."
/
Longbourn
"But Jane and Mr. Bingley are married now, so he cannot break the engagement," Lydia whined, sullenly taking a bite of toast at the breakfast table. "Why can I not walk to Lucas House and visit Maria, or to Meryton to buy ribbons?"
"You may not leave the house and grounds of Longbourn for the next month, Miss Lydia," her mother stated sternly. "There is still hope that Elizabeth, Mary, or Kitty will snag either the young Earl or his younger brother. You must have seen your cousin Alexander; such a fine, handsome young man and your Uncle Gardiner is doing well in business. He would be a good catch for one of the girls. After your idiocy regarding Mr. Wickham, I am no longer foolish enough to allow you to run amok. We have managed to hush this whole regrettable affair up, but I do not trust you to hold your tongue."
"It is not fair!" Lydia screeched, causing her mother to wince. "Mr. Wickham is handsome and brave and charming and you always said that we should marry as soon as possible! I will not stay here, bored out of my mind! I will run away if I have to!"
"If you do," Mr. Bennet declared glacially, stumping carefully into the dining room on crutches, "we will retrieve you and send you off to a restrictive boarding school, Lydia. It is entirely your choice, but if you do such a witless thing, you will not enjoy the consequences."
Lydia began crying in earnest, her face turned toward her mother. Mrs. Bennet had always favored her, and she was certain that the sight of her tear stained face would soften the matron's heart.
"No, Lydia," Mrs. Bennet said firmly, though her chin quivered slightly, "I will not relent, and neither will your father. Now if you are going to act like a child, you may go to your bedchamber. Neither your father nor I wishes to listen to your howls."
This provoked even more howling and Mr. Bennet, exasperated, called for Hill and said, "Hill, Miss Lydia is overwrought. Please escort her to her chamber and if she refuses to go, I am quite certain that Sarah and Zachary would be glad to help you."
The butler kept his face calm and said, "Yes, sir."
Inwardly, the man was absolutely delighted. Miss Lydia had been running wild for far too long, and it did Mr. Hill's heart good to see the girl's parents finally waking up to their responsibilities.
/
/
Author Note: Two chapters again today - cheers! :-)