Chapter 26

"But mother! It's mine!"

Not again, I thought. The Netherfield ball was that night, and the house was in chaos once again.

It had been two weeks since Charles had proposed to Jane, and it had taken her a full day to decide. Everyone knew that she was going to say yes, of course, but in a surprising spurt of backbone, Jane had insisted that Charles give her time to think about it and told him that she wasn't going to be heartbroken for a second time. Charles had respected her wishes, but remained in our garden for that entire day. I had gone out that evening to bring Charles some food before he starved right in front of us before Jane even had a chance to say yes.

"I'm sorry for how I treated you those last couple days when we were on the ship," Charles said just as I was turning away.

I turned around, "Knowing what I know now, I believe I understand why you did it. Not that I was happy about it, but I understand. And you have made up for it quite a bit by making things right with Jane, so you are forgiven."

I smiled reassuringly at him then, "She truly does still love you. Do not give up hope no matter how long it takes her to say yes."

He smiled back, but I could still see the nervousness in his eyes and stiff stance. I turned away and smiled to myself as I walked back to the house. Served him right. But it also showed how dangerous an opponent Caroline could be, if she could deceive her own brother so thoroughly for an entire year, as well as Lydia and who knew how many others.

I was snapped out of my thoughts and back to the present to see Mary running down the hall with a wailing Kitty right on her heels. Hm, this was unusual. It was usually Lydia and Kitty at each others throats, but in the past week Lydia had been unusually silent and calm. I had caught her looking at me several times, as though she were trying to figure out a puzzle. I did not know whether she was still scheming with Caroline or was feeling some remorse for her actions, but either way it unsettled me slightly.

Mrs. Bennet bustled out of her own room in her underclothes, and I could not help but marvel how she had been stuffed so effectively into her corset, not that it helped her figure at all. Poor Betsie was being run all over the place, having to iron dresses and ribbons and help fix hair and pull corset strings.

It had been like this for the past two weeks, preparing for this ball. It was only an engagement celebration but Mrs. Bennet was treating it as if it were the wedding itself, which wasn't for another several months. A specific date hadn't even been set yet. As happy as I was for Jane, I was also suffering my own type of misery; I hadn't seen Darcy at all for the past two weeks. I had gone to Netherfield to see Charlotte and Georgie nearly every day, and Jane and Vivian often accompanied me. Albert and Charles still remained at Netherfield, but Caroline had gotten fed up with all of them and had swept off back to her home after Charles had told her of his engagement to Jane.

Darcy had also been gone for two weeks as well, for he left on the same day Caroline did to return to Pemberley to sort of some paperwork and business he had to attend to here in England, as well as arrange for our return to America. It was all such a tedious process, but it was necessary if he was to continue to support us in America.

I sat in mine and Jane's room, staring out the window, absentmindedly flipping the pages of the book I was holding. At the next shriek from Kitty, I shut my eyes as tightly as I could, as though that would somehow shut out the sounds of the quarreling Bennet girls and the gaping loneliness that I couldn't seem to be able to get rid of.

The door opened and I opened my eyes to see Vivian looking at me with a concerned expression as she shut the door behind her.

"Are you alright Lizzy?" She asked, coming over to me and taking the book from my hands.

"I miss him, Vivian. I want to go home so badly, how on earth do you put up with us so well? You are an angel," I said with a slight disparaging moan as I dragged myself from the chair to flop onto the bed.

I was acting like a spoiled child and I knew it but I was in no mood at the moment to try to act happy or nice. Yet I owed it to Vivian to be both, for she had stayed with me diligently for the past two weeks through my ups and downs, through Marry and Kitty's bickering, through Mrs. Bennet trying her utmost best to impress Vivian and her aunt. As well as coming with me and Jane to visit Charlotte and Georgie, and as a result having to put up with Collins. It was in fact, Vivian herself who often steered Collin's away from us to give us some peace. And on top of everything else, she also kept her aunt occupied. Her aunt, Mrs. Marple, was as much a busy body as Mrs. Bennet was, except she was even better at it and didn't miss much.

"Oh darling," Vivian said, as she flopped down beside me, "He will be home soon. Very soon in fact," she said with a mysterious smile.

"What news do you have?" I cried, sitting up. Vivian and her aunt had gone into Meryton that morning for some last minute shopping for the ball.

Vivian handed me an envelope. "This was in the post for you, the coach driver asked me to give it to you when he saw we were at the same address."

I quickly scanned the letter and saw that it was from Darcy. I tore it open and read it greedily.

"He's coming!" I cried, exuberant.

"Shh! Or your mother will hear!" Vivian cautioned, but she smiled nonetheless.

"Ah," I cried in a whisper as I told Vivian what the letter said. "He sent this yesterday, and he will be here this evening. He says he has good news—Oh Vivian, we can finally go home!"

I threw my arms around her and hugged her as hard as I could. At that moment Jane walked in and paused at the door, before quickly shutting it. "What news?" she asked.

"Oh Jane, he's coming! He will be at the ball tonight," I cried.

"Will he come here or to Netherfield?" Jane asked.

"Netherfield, but he says he will wait for me at the door so he can escort me inside. Oh Jane! Vivian! He's going to be here. I am going to see him!"

I didn't miss the indulging, almost motherly look that Jane and Vivian shared before they steered me toward the chair to sit down properly. "Don't treat me like a child," I said, "Imagine if Charles or Albert got taken away from either of you."

"Charles did get taken away from me," Jane said quietly, "For an entire year."

I immediately felt bad, "I'm sorry, Jane, I didn't mean it like that."

"Lizzy, honestly," Jane said, smiling at me, and I could see that I was forgiven.

I felt as though I was walking on air for the rest of the afternoon, but that didn't help the annoyance that Kitty caused left and right. It appeared that every ribbon in the house was Kitty's, and even though she was only to wear ONE, she laid claim to every single one and guarded them like a mother lioness protecting her cubs.

Mrs. Bennet had finally stuffed herself into a dress, and Mrs. Marple wasn't far behind. I do not know how they managed it, but by the time we were ready to leave, everyone was dressed and their hair was done up. Because we were such a large party, and Albert and Charles were coming all the way here only to escort Vivian and Jane back to Netherfield, we ended up taking two carriages. I rode with the two young engaged couples, and somehow the five of us persuaded Mrs. Marple that I would be chaperone enough and that she should ride with Mr. and Mrs. Bennet.

Once we were all seated and on our way, I couldn't hold in my question any longer.

"Is he back?" I asked Albert and Charles. They knew immediately who I spoke of, obviously, with my permission Vivian and Jane had told them everything. Or at least most of it.

"He is, he just got in a few minutes before we left so he wasn't able to come with us. He said he would meet you in the gardens, that you were to 'go where you were before', whatever that means. He said you would know, though."

They both looked at me curiously, and I couldn't help but blush. At that, they both laughed knowingly and then turned their attention back to their ladies.

The three mile carriage ride seemed to take forever, and we finally saw Netherfield through the trees. They stopped the carriage and let me out outside the gardens, before continuing on to the door, where guests were just beginning to arrive.

I picked up my skirts and ran as quickly as I could to the cover of the hedges surrounding the gardens. I made my way to the same stone bench that we had been at before, and was disappointed to find it empty. I turned around, searching the shadows, but to no avail.

Someone swooped in behind me and picked me up. I let out a shriek, but it was silenced by Darcy's lips on mine as he cradled me against him. I threw my arms around him, needing to feel him. He managed to sit down on the bench, while still holding me and kissing me. I wove my fingers into his hair and didn't let go until my lungs ached from lack of breath.

He felt so good, his mouth was hot and persistent and his hair was thick and had a slight curl to it. He needed a haircut but I found that I liked it this way. His hands were up and down my back, until finally one hand wrapped around my waist and the other curled under my legs as he crushed me to him.

We stayed like that for seemingly forever, only pausing momentarily to breathe and for him to murmur my name. I finally just curled up against him and held back the tears of past loneliness, frustration, and anxiety, as well as current tears of joy. I failed, and they came forth and I found myself sobbing against his chest. He murmured soothing noises and his hands gently rubbed my back and stroked my hair.

Eventually, he said quietly, "We should go in before they send a search party."

I let out a small, sniffly laugh and reluctantly slipped off his lap. I saw then just what a mess we were, and we spent the next quarter hour at least, tidying each other up, straightening clothes and hair and laughing and planting small kisses on each other whenever and wherever we could.

At some point I asked, "What news do you have?"

"It is good news, I assure you, but it can wait until later tonight when we have more time to talk," Darcy assured me.

Finally, we made our way out of the garden and toward the house. Guests were arriving in a steady flow, and I realized then just how many people there were. Not only the citizens of Meryton, but all of the Bennet's and Bingley's friends as well from out of town.

We made our way up the drive, being careful to dodge the many brown droppings the horses left behind. At long last, we reached the entrance way, and I gripped his arm a bit tighter. He smiled reassuringly at me before leaning down to kiss my cheek and whisper, "You look beautiful."

We then crossed the threshold and the staring and whispering began with a gusto. I saw Mrs. Bennet staring at us with wide eyes, and even at the distance we were from each other I heard her say almost frantically to Mr. Bennet, "What is she doing with him?!"

Somehow, that caused me to drop my nervousness. I stood up straighter, and instead of trying to hide behind Darcy, I stood beside him. If all these people wanted to do was gossip then so be it.

Darcy led me to the refreshments table and got me a small glass of wine, which I downed in one gulp. He chuckled and murmured to me, "This seems quite familiar, does it not?"

I smiled and laughed quietly at the memory of our first ball together in Manhattan. Darcy then took my hand, "Would you care to dance?" He asked with a smile. I nodded, and he led me out to the other couples who were lining up for the next song.

The dance was light and cheerful, and I found myself laughing. Jane was a few couples down from us, across from Charles, and we looked at each other and laughed. We danced the next three dances as such, and eventually Vivian and Albert, Jane and Charles, and Darcy and I were all next to each other. It felt wonderful to be surrounded by friends and family and my husband like that, despite the obvious gossip that was swirling around us. And for that half hour, I was perfectly happy.

Suddenly, I noticed that people near the entrance were falling silent and moving aside, and that it was spreading through the room. We stopped dancing and craned our necks to see what was happening, and the quick music stopped. I heard Darcy give a sharp intake of breath, and he was suddenly beside me, gripping my arm.

It was then that I saw what was happening. I stared, as though in some horrible nightmare, as Lady Catherine De Bourgh herself walked down the path that the bowing people had created for her. Straight toward us.