Edited by nanciellen
December 1812
A hired carriage pulled up in front of a two-story house on Gracechurch Street, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and a footman were greeted by Mrs. Gardiner and Jane.
"Lizzy, how much I have missed you," Jane said with tears in her eyes, giving Elizabeth a big hug. The two sisters hadn't seen each other for four months, but they wrote to each other very often. "Jane, I am very happy to see you. I have missed you so very much these past months."
"Auntie, thank you for inviting me to spend a few months with you, and also for sending John to find me." "I'm glad you're with us, Lizzy. We had better continue our conversation inside" Mrs. Gardiner said. "John is going to take care of bringing your trunk to your room. A few minutes later the three ladies were sitting in the dining room drinking tea while talking about everything a bit and especially Jane's future husband...
"I never thought that after what happened with Lydia I could be so happy, Lizzy. Mr. Stevens is intelligent, kind, considerate, and a hard worker. He meets all the qualifications I want in a gentleman." Jane smiled sweetly, "He's coming to dinner tonight, and you're going to meet him."
"I am very happy for you, Jane. You know that I've been hoping to meet him for many years." With a playful smile, she added, "Is he still writing poetry to you?"
Jane blushed and shook her head, "Lizzy, back then Mr. Stevens was only 21 and I was 16..."
Mrs. Gardiner smiled and looked at Lizzy, "Lizzy, I have some very good news for you. An acquaintance of ours owns a bookstore and also a publishing house Your uncle showed him the draft of your novel. He read it and liked it very much; he wants to read it again when you have finished it. He told us that with a few small changes, it would be likely that he would publish it. Did you finish writing it?"
Lizzy opened her eyes very wide in surprise. She knew her uncle was trying to help her get it published, but she thought she wasn't going to succeed. "Auntie, this is some of the best news I've heard in a long time. Yes, I just finished writing it a few days ago. In fact, I have it in my trunk for you to read and give me feedback. I added all the suggestions you both made."
"Excellent, would you like us to read it again before we send it to Mr. Shaw?" asked Mrs. Gardiner.
"Yes, I would very much like you to do that." She said with a smile, "You know you two and Uncle Gardiner are the three people I trust the most..."
That night, Lizzy did indeed meet Mr. Stevens and was pleasantly surprised. The gentleman was visibly in love with Jane. He was attentive and considerate of Jane as well. He wasn't particularly handsome, but he was pleasant and polite. His import and export company was similar to Uncle Gardner's. His home, which he inherited a few years earlier, was just 5 blocks from the Gardiners. He had an income of £800 to £1,000 a year. They were planning to marry in two months, which was long enough, according to Mr. Stevens. He explained that he had already waited almost seven years to marry Jane.
The conversation during dinner was quite interesting. They talked about trade and the difficulties that existed on the continent and in America. Towards the end of the evening, Lizzy was asked to play the piano and she was quite happy to do so. Later that night, Lizzy was watching Jane as she slept so peacefully. Lizzy thought back to all that had occurred in a little over a year… She thought about Mr. Bingley, and especially about Mr. Darcy, and all the other things which could never be…
It had been four months now, and Lizzy had grown accustomed to ignoring the scorn of her neighbors in Meryton and how her mother constantly complained about how unfairly the neighbors treated them, Mary's lectures on the virtue of women, her father's indifference, and all the while telling herself not to think about things that she could not change. Her refuge was going on her morning walks, reading, and writing. She finished her novel and had begun writing a new one.
Elizabeth didn't hold a grudge against Mr. Darcy. The budding tender feelings she had begun to feel for the gentleman were fading completely. She knew in time that Mr. Darcy would become a vague memory. Elizabeth was happy that Jane was married to a wonderful man like Mr. Stevens who had withstood the test of time by waiting seven years for another chance to win her hand. She would have not had a very good chance of happiness with Mr. Bingley and what would have been constant annoyance from his sisters.