Back to Pemberley, the morning after. Family problems to settle and long suppressed passions coming out.
Chapter 13: Pemberley love
Pemberley, August the sixth 1801
Their meeting in the Hall had been accidental.
They saw each other at quite the same moment and they glided toward each other as in a dream.
Oblivious to everything else they found themselves embracing each other without even thinking that here, in the middle of the Hall, everybody could see them.
"Fitzwilliam" said she.
"Elizabeth" said he.
He was in heaven. When he awoke he had had doubts. Was it real or was it a dreamworld that would shatter in the next minutes?
He loathed the necessity to stand up.
What, what if if had been only a dream...
What if...
But no.
Their eyes had met and he had known that he was in that marvelous real world where Elizabeth Bennet had, finally, accepted to become Mrs. Darcy and where Mr. Darcy was the most content man in the world...
He was losing himself in a paradise of fragrance and happiness.
She was there against him and they were just happy to be one with the other.
At one moment he --she?-- let his/her lips seek hers/his and they had no problem to meet at midway. Another paradise opened up before them and the little they perceived of their surroundings just disappeared.
It was a rumbling, insignificant and distant, that brought them back on earth.
In fact, it was no rumbling but a cough. A very loud and sound and near cough.
They tore apart.
"Sorry to disturb...hmmm... Your conversation, Mr Darcy" said Mr. Gardiner. "But, first, as the Guardian of Elizabeth I could not not try to stop what could, in present circumstances, be considered as unseemly behavior on your part. And second, your manager Mr. Evans and your Caretaker, Mrs. Reynolds, are looking for you. There is a delegation of your neighbors who is in want to speak to you. I do believe that they had heard rumors about what was happening in the South and that they want to know what you are going to do about it..."
Mr. Gardiner paced in and had to make a real effort to get his niece out of the thorough embrace of her fiancé.
"If, as I fear, you have not yet have had breakfast, I can only give you the advice to let your staff bring you something in your study. It seems that this very day has everything in it to be an even more taxing day than yesterday..."
He took hold of Elizabeth's hand and had to pull her toward the Morning Parlor.
Their hands touched till the last second and it was only then that Darcy gave the impression of awakening.
"Please do ask Mrs Reynolds as to bring tea and rolls in my study. Not only for me but for my guests. I'm sure some of them had had no time to eat before coming."
He smiled at Elizabeth.
"I'll see you as soon as possible, dearest Elizabeth. But duty calls..."
With a last wink of the hand he turned away and walked briskly toward his study.
Only when he disappeared behind that door did Elizabeth take notice of her uncle and that he was holding her.
"What happened, uncle? Do we have a problem?"
"Not we, dear,' said he. "I have a problem and I fear it is a problem for which I do not have the proper skills."
He sighted.
"The only positive aspect of all this is that it could be considered as training. For when my own daughters are engaged. With a bit of luck I'll be better prepared then..."
He was quite satisfied when he arrived at the Morning Parlor to see that they were alone.
He lead Elizabeth to the table, helped her to sit and took his place in front of her.
"We have to speak, Elizabeth, I hope you agree about what..."
Elizabeth frowned. She was afraid her uncle would draw wrong conclusions.
"I had no idea, uncle. I really did not..."
He smiled at her and bent over the table to pat her hand.
"We know Elizabeth, we know... We were suspecting that Mr. Darcy had other reasons to call but we could not guess that he... you... would be so soon engaged and," he searched his words, "so engaged... We should, I believe, be aware that the wedding should take place as soon as possible."
Elizabeth frowned again.
"We did nothing, uncle, I swear you that..."
"I have not the slightest doubt about it Elizabeth. But we must be very cautious! I fear we cannot take for granted that the engagement will be sufficient..."
Elizabeth could only frown once more.
"I..."
"No more" interrupted Mr. Gardiner. "I do believe that your aunt is awaiting us in the guest library and it would be better if she assists to our conversation. Please go and join her while I ask Mrs. Reynolds to send us our meal there. She will understand that we have important and private things to discuss..."
Her aunt was there and she greeted her with one of those smiles who had always lifted her mood. She stood up and hugged Elizabeth in a friendly and maternal manner.
"How was your night, dear ?"
"Perfect" said Elizabeth slightly blushing. "I slept like an Angel. Never ever thought about the war and the invasion. Before going to bed I feared nightmares but none came..."
"God be blessed" aid aunt Gardiner. "It would have been a shame that your first night as a bride should have been polluted by fears and war rumors..."
"I was just happy..."
"The power of Love, dear, it has its good sides." She sighted. "But love also has its bad sides. I, for my part, slept very ill. Images of the children on the roads while war's erupted in the countryside do nothing to help you have a good night's sleep..."
"I'm sorry, my selfishness is..."
"Do not be sorry for being happy! I forbid it! One day, you'll have your own children and you'll pay your own price for loving them and fearing for them. Now is your time for happiness and since the war won't stop very soon, I'm sure your days of perfect happiness will be short and few. So, never speak of selfishness. Do gain from it and do not think of others. Reality will soon ask for its toll."
At this moment Mr. Gardiner came with a maid carrying a tray.
She put it on the table and soon left them alone.
"I was just saying to Elizabeth that she must not think about others and revel in her happiness. It will soon be difficult for her, no reason to spoil her joy..."
Mr. Gardiner sat at his wife's side.
"She's right. Take what you can. I could be that it won't last..."
Elizabeth looked at her uncle.
"You're scaring me!"
"Don't" said her aunt, "but do not forget that the times are dire. We are very happy to know that our children will soon be able to live here in this haven that your link with Mr. Darcy is able to provide us. Without it we should have been obliged to all come to Longbourn and you know how the house is cramped when we and the children are there..."
"It's also your home and we would have..."
"I know it Elizabeth. You and Jane would have welcomed one of my daughters and the others would have shared with Lydia and Kitty... But thanks to your present alliance, this will never be necessary and, the truth to be told, I prefer knowing them here in Derbyshire then in Hertfortshire at two hours horse-riding from London. We were lucky that they were out of Town these last days and we are even luckier to have the possibility to see them coming to Pemberley."
Aunt Gardiner took her husband's hand in hers.
"I'm sure the children will soon be on their way North. Accompanying your parents and sisters."
Elizabeth made a doubtful face.
"Papa will not leave Longbourn. It's his whole life."
"Don't fool yourself, girl. He knows that Longbourn will, sooner or latter, fall into the clutches of Mr. Collins. I'm sorry to be so blunt but I do believe that the future of the Bennet family has just wandered to the North of England, and to be more precise, to Pemberley."
Uncle Gardiner made a face.
"It could even be that it is also the case for the Gardiners. If London falls we will probably lose everything. Cheapside is not where most looters will go first, but my warehouses will probably be emptied if not looted... In a few weeks, it is more than likely that the only wealth we'll keep is what is now invested abroad or on ship's cargo..."
"And that's a reason more to speed up the date of your wedding with Darcy. Our future could be based on that very precise event."
Elizabeth looked at her aunt and uncle, surprise in her eyes.
She was so sure they were going to rebuke her because of her behavior with Darcy that she was left speechless about their present proposal.
"What if Mr. Darcy is not interested?' asked she.
Mr. Gardiner's face was immediately covered with a huge smile.
"Do not fear such an event, dear," said he. "I'm sure Mr. Darcy would marry you within the hour if it could be done. Not even including the passion you seem to have one for the other, he has obvious obligations to his name. He is twenty eight years old and Pemberley needs a heir. It's more than probable that the war has triggered his proposal. He knows that he could be called to fight against the French and in a war one never knows if the next battle will not be the last."
Elizabeth lost all color in her face.
"Don't be scared, dear, but you must consider the prospect. And this should induce you to hurry with the marriage. And I'm sure he is quite conscious of the risks he will run in the future."
"But he does not belong to the army... He is not a member of the militia... He is not an officer. He won't fight, will he?"
Mrs. Gardiner stood up and took her niece into her arms.
"He went to Derby, dear. He did it probably to see how he could be of help in the defense of the County. He's a man of his word and a man who lives up to his responsibilities. He will do what is necessary. And if it's fighting the Crown asks for, he will fight! But before, he will surely want to secure his estate by providing an heir as soon as possible. That's why he asked in such a speedy manner yesterday. He needs to be sure, in case..."
Elizabeth could only hold her breath.
In case he died...
She lost all color and her aunt hugged her more firmly.
"It's God's will, dear. But we are a long way from such an awful ending. He's very much alive and very much in love. I'm sure he asks for nothing more that to be wed to you as soon as possible."
Mr. Gardiner stood up and came at her side.
"As your guardian" said he, "I'll see him this very morning in order to talk terms with him. If we agree, as I'm sure we will, he will probably come to you to chose the wedding date. I'm certain noon will see everything settled to everybody's satisfaction."
Her aunt let her go and took her hand.
"I know you dreamed of a more staid engagement. But we must do with what we got. Let's see the sunny side of this scurrying; we will be able to marry you in presence of your whole family. I'm quite sure there are a lot of families who will have problems to get together in the coming weeks. And do imagine the joy of your mother when she learns of your wedding with Mr. Darcy."
That remark earned her a smile.
Yes, Elizabeth could very well imagine how her mother would react.
"Miss Elizabeth?"
She turned around and faced a rather stricken Charles Bingley. What of her red eyes and defeated mien?
"Sorry, I did not want to intrude... I would understand if you'd like me to leave you alone."
"You're not intruding, Mr. Bingley. I'm just a very silly girl who, finally, thought of what could happen to the man she is loving in such a dire epoch. The idea of Fitzwilliam dying in a battlefield just got to me..."
Bingley paced toward her and took her hand.
"I know it is not much, but let me assure you that he will always find me at his side. Here or on the battlefields..."
She shot him a shy smile.
"It's more than I'm allowed to hope, Mr. Bingley. The presence of a friend is often very important in dangerous situations..."
He thanked her with a smile of his own. He still had very sunny smiles.
"I'm sure you'll spend your time saving each others lives. Jane will be happy to know that you are side by side... She was the only one in my whole family who believed that Mr. Darcy was a good man. He was your friend, he could only be perfect. It seems she was right..."
His eyes became troubled.
"You believe Miss Bennet could still think of me in favorable terms?"
Elizabeth smiled at him. He was late but, last time she had seen Jane, he was not too late. She was still crying at her lost happiness.
"Why not, Mr. Bingley. She has spent the last eight month trying to convince me that Mr. Darcy was a perfect gentleman and I do believe that the fact that he was your friend played a great role in her steady opinion. And at the same time she was trying to convince me that she had forgotten you, that your image no longer roamed her dreams and that, given another encounter between you, she would not fall back into the blackest depression one could imagine..."
She saw his reaction. All happiness has fled and she had a very depressed man in front of her.
"I know she lied to me, Mr. Bingley. You were in her heart all these lonely months."
He raked his hair with his fingers.
"I didn't know, Miss Elizabeth. I really didn't know. I was a fool and an idiot but I was pushed into believing that she was only acting on behalf of your mother. That she was trying to secure my fortune for the future safety of her family..."
Elizabeth took hold of his arm.
"Don't fool yourself Mr. Bingley. That's exactly what she was doing. Had she not loved you, she would have been all smile and tenderness. In either case you would have had the same Jane. But the fact is that she was madly in love with her Mr. Bingley. The night after the ball at Meryton she was excited as I had never seen her. She was glowing like never before, her smile was so intense we were able to see each other even without a lamp. Pray, she had just encountered the perfect gentleman --her own word-- a man she could love and who was bringing to the family what mama was demanding of her... These days, she was the happiest creature of the world."
The image of Jane speaking about Mr. Bingley came to her.
"You must know that Jane is a very altruistic creature. She had dreams but she knew from very young that those dreams would come second to the necessities of the family. She knew that she had to sacrifice herself in order to insure the survival of her sisters who would lose everything the day our father died. And so she was perfectly ready to marry the first rich bachelor who would have wanted her. And then you came, Mr. Bingley. Rich, handsome and, and that's the more important for Jane, kind Mr. Bingley. She fell like a log! But there was that other part of her duty: to insure the husband the family was needing. So she played the role she wanted to get through: that she was the perfect young Lady. Not impertinent as myself, not boring as Mary, much better mannered than Lydia and Kitty and --the more important-- not as mercenary as our mother. So, she chose to be as she imagined a perfect Lady should be. Distant and smiling and uncommitted... As she believed you would want her to be..."
This time it was Bingley's turn to suppress tears.
Jane had loved him. And she had loved him the very same day he fell in love with her.
Fort the thousands time in his life he cursed himself for his lack of confidence. Never had he been able to take a decision without asking some others for an advice. And that time, that very important time he should have done what his heart was shouting him to do: propose her, there and then...
He had not and his sisters were able to convince him that his love was not returned...
"God" said he. "What a fool I have been!"
He looked at Elizabeth.
"Do you believe I still have a chance to correct my mistake?"
She laughed at him and took his hand.
"Last time I saw her she was still unable to hide the longing and the hurt in her heart when speaking of you. I see nothing that could have changed her so radically as to make her forget you..."
He looked at her and she knew that guilt was going to push him into very foolish actions.
"Don't forget, she on the road to join with us. If, at this moment there's nobody else in her life, it will still be true two days from now. If I can give you an advice, the second she climbs out of the carriage, there should be a certain Charles Bingley ready and eager to fulfill all her wishes at her side..."
She glanced at him and there was steal in her eyes.
"And if Jane is the most compassionate, the most loving and the most forgiving creature in the world, that is not the case of her sister who is strong minded, impertinent and rather unforgiving."
She pointed a finger at him.
"Be aware that said Charles Bingley had already spent all his rights to make her suffer. Should it be a mere more second."
He tried a shy smile.
"I promise, she will never more suffer on my behalf..."
"After what she already suffered on your behalf, it will only be justice!"
She squeezed his hand.
"One last thing, Mr. Bingley. Dying in battle is a very foolish way to show your love to a woman. Please do not forget it..."
And while saying it she knew that it was not only on his behalf that she was speaking.
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