A/N: Characters belong to Jane Austen. Also, I owe a lot to the fantastic books written by Marsha Altman, because they have inspired me and gave me ideas for this fanfic.
Chapter 3: The Honeymoon, Week 1.
Netherfield, day 1.
Jane woke up. At first, she had no idea where she was. She was lying in a strange bed and a strange room. Then she felt someone moving next to her. 'Lizzy?', she thought. But it wasn't Lizzy. It was her husband, Charles Bingley.
She smiled and slowly the memories of yesterday came back to her. She still felt a little tired and, after recalling what had happened the past night, she knew why. She crawled close to Bingley and laid her head down on his chest, which slowly moved up and down. She fell asleep again, feeling as happy as ever.
Charles opened his eyes. Still a bit sleepy, he looked around and saw blond, curly hair. He smiled when he noticed that Jane was sleeping so close to him. 'She is so beautiful... What have I done to deserve an angel like her in my life?', he thought. Jane sighed in her sleep. Charles tried to minimize his movement, so he wouldn't wake her up.
After a while of lying still and thinking, Jane started moving more. She slowly raised her head with a sleepy look on her face. Charles looked at her and smiled. "Good morning, my Angel…" Jane blushed.
"Good morning, my True Love…" Now it was Bingley's turn to blush. He kissed her. "How does it feel to wake as a married woman?", he asked. Jane smiled broadly. "It feels very good, dear husband."
The two of them stayed in bed for quite some time and decided to rise for an early lunch. When Jane called for her maid, Bingley went to his own bedchambers, so Jane would have the room to herself. When Bingley was in his chambers, he called for his manservant.
After some time, Jane was ready and her maid left the room. She didn't know what to do next. 'Should I go downstairs? Or wait here, or go to Charles's room?' She was confused, but decided to stay in her room, to avoid weird mistakes. 'It is most save to stay here…If someone wonders why I am still in my room, I can say I do not feel well… But some awkward mistake in the hallway is not so easy to cover up… I hope Charles will come and get me…' She sat down in a comfortable chair and reached for her book.
After an hour, Jane's attention was drawn from her book to the door, because she heard someone knock. "..Yes?" "Jane, my love? Are you well?" Jane sighed in relieve that it was Charles, and not some servant she wasn't familiar with. She stood up, walked over to the door and opened it.
Charles came in. "Are you well?", he asked very anxious. "Yes, yes, I am well..", Jane said, scared by the tone of his voice. "Oh…" Charles said in relief. "Did I scare you, dear?", Jane asked curious. "Yes… I am sorry for acting so… ehh… ridiculous…" "No, not ridiculous, dearest… But it was a little frightening…" "Sorry… I am just so scared that something will happen to you…"
Jane looked him in the eye. "Oh Charles, that is so sweet..", she said and kissed him. "But love, if you are well, then why are you still in your chambers?" Jane blushed slightly. "I-I am sorry… I was afraid to do something wrong as the mistress of Netherfield.. So I thought it best to stay in my chambers…"
Bingley smiled. "You can do anything you want, Jane. You can enter every room, except for the guest wing, of course." Jane smiled when he said this. "Yes… but I know that now.." Charles kissed her and took her arm. "My Angel, may I escort you to our guests in the dining room?" "You may, my lovely husband."
After lunch, Jane and Bingley said goodbye to their last guests. "My sisters, my brother. It was indeed very good to have you with me these last special days.", Bingley said when he walked Miss Bingley and Mr & Mrs Hurst to their carriage. "I hope you have a nice time in London, with much parties and assemblies." Jane said to her sisters-in-law. "Oh, I am sure we will have a nice time, sister. We have so much connections in London that we often have more than one place to go to at night.", Miss Bingley replied. Jane smiled at her husband when Miss Bingley said this. Bingley smiled back and said: "Well, then I shall not hold you up any longer. I hope you shall have a nice time in town and we shall write to you when we come that way." Miss Bingley and the Hursts went in to their carriage and took off. When they were out of sight, Jane and Bingley walked back to the house.
Jane and Bingley had spent their time without guests in a relaxed manner. Jane went outside for a long walk on the Netherfield grounds and Bingley finished some business, so he wouldn't have to do it during his two-week honeymoon. When they finished their pursuits, dinner was ready.
After dinner, Jane and Bingley went to the drawing room to talk and sit by the fire. "Dearest?", Jane asked. "Yes, my love?" "I am so very happy that we are by ourselves now… Not that I do not like company, but it is very nice that we are not busy all the time with entertaining our guests." "I totally agree with you, my dear… But then I am always happy when I am alone with you.", he said and smiled.
Darcy's London Townhouse, day 1.
Lizzy woke up because the sunshine hit her face. 'Why are the curtains not closed? Did both Jane and I forget it? Surely not… ' She opened her eyes and blinked. Right next to her, Darcy was looking at her. Lizzy blushed and smiled. "Mr Darcy… May I ask why you are staring at me?" "You certainly may, Sunshine… I am staring at you because you look so adorable when you are asleep." With that reply, a mocking grin appeared on Lizzy's face. "Oh… I look adorable when I am asleep? Only when I am asleep?" "Well, not quite. You always look adorable… But when you are asleep I have the liberty of watching your adorable face as long as I can…", Darcy said, smiling.
After an hour of kissing and cuddling, Darcy got out of bed and called for his manservant. "I will go to my own room, so we can both dress.", he said. Then he kissed her and left the room. Lizzy got out of bed too, and called for her maid.
After a nice long bath, Lizzy got dressed. She was ready now, but was not quite sure what she should do next. 'At Longbourn I would go down to the drawing room… But where is the drawing room in this house? Perhaps I should go down and just start opening doors until I have the right one…'
Lizzy was wondering around in the hallway, when her lady-maid came out of a room. She bowed and Lizzy asked to be shown to the drawing room. Her maid quickly obliged, while Lizzy tried her best to remember the way from her chambers to the drawing room.
When Darcy entered the room, Lizzy stood in the drawing room, reading in front of the bookcase. She was so drawn to her book, that she did not even notice him, until he hugged her. She smiled when he did. "Hello, my dear. I see you have found the drawing room and its bookcase." "Well, yes I did. But it is not really my own merit, though. My lady-maid showed me the drawing room. But I dare say I did discover the bookcase on my own!", she said and Darcy smiled.
After an early lunch, Darcy went to his study to see to some business. "It is better if I do this now, rather than to wait a fortnight with it.", he said and left. Lizzy went to the drawing room and asked for tea. She picked up the book in which she started earlier this day.
After some time, Lizzy heard a rumour in the hallway. She put down her book and heard someone say: "Are my brother and sister down yet?" "Yes Miss Georgiana. You will find Mrs Darcy in the drawing room and Mr Darcy is in his study, but he wishes not to be disturbed." Lizzy opened the door and went in to the hallway. "My dear Georgiana!" "Sister!" Lizzy walked over to Georgiana and hugged her. "How was your journey here?" "Oh, very good. The roads were quite dry for this time of year." Lizzy smiled and noticed a lady standing behind Georgiana. "Oh, and Mrs Annesley, of course. I am sorry I did not greet you sooner." "No matter, Mrs Darcy."
"Georgiana, would you like to change your clothes?" "Yes, that would be nice." "Well, I suggest that you will go to your room and see to it, than I will be waiting for you with tea." "Oh, lovely. I long for a cup of tea." Georgiana went upstairs, leaving Lizzy and Mrs Annesley in the hallway. "Mrs Annesley, would you join me in the drawing room for a minute?" "Certainly, Mrs Darcy."
In the drawing room, they sat down. "Mrs Annesley, I understand you are a great comfort to Georgiana." "Well, I try and do the best I can, ma'am." "But as you may understand, I would like some time alone with my new sister today, for Mr Darcy and I leave tomorrow." "Yes, of course, ma'am."
"And now I wonder if there is a friend here in London that you would like to call on for some hours?" "Well, to be quite frank with you, there is a sick friend who could use my company. But I do not have free time today, Mrs Darcy." "Oh, you should not worry. I will sort it out with Mr Darcy. Your poor, sick friend has more need for you today than Georgiana does. And be sure to pass through the kitchen on your way out and fill a nice basket of food for your friend." "Oh, that is very kind of you, Mrs Darcy. I will leave the address, in case you might need me."
Lizzy smiled and stood up. "Well, that's settled than. And give my blessings for her health to your friend." "Yes, ma'am. I shall.", Mrs Annesley said, and curtseyed.
When Georgiana entered the room, she saw Lizzy sitting down with a book. "Where is Mrs Annesley?" Lizzy looked up from her book. "She is visiting a sick friend here in London. I gave her the day off, for I am here to keep you company." Georgiana smiled. "Oh, that is very nice of you. Mrs Annesley was quite worried about her friend. How did you know that?" "I did not know that, actually. But I figured that she must have some acquaintance in town, so I asked her about it. Would you like some tea?"
They had sat comfortably for a while together, when Lizzy asked: "Georgiana, what is it like to live at Pemberley?" "Oh, have you never seen it, than?" "Yes, I did see it once… But I have, of course, no idea what it is like to live there. And you must have plenty of knowledge about it, for I am sure you live at Pemberley for the most of the year?" Georgiana looked to the ground. "Ehm.. I really do not, actually. I live in London for the greater part of the year. I stay at Pemberley around Christmas, but that is about it."
"Oh, really? And how so? Do you not like it there?" "Oh, I really do like it there.. I love being at Pemberley!" "But why live in London than?" "Well… Brother is not always home and travels a lot. He takes long visits to friends or has business matters in town. And I do not like to travel so much, so I live in London."
"You know, Georgiana, I am also not quite a traveller. And now that he is married, I do not think he will be staying with friends as much as he used to do. And as I will live at Pemberley too, perhaps you might consider living at Pemberley with us?" "I would love that! You are already very dear to me and I long to see my brother more often.", Georgiana said and smiled broadly.
Lizzy and Georgiana were chatting so passionately, that they did not even notice Darcy coming in. He stood there in the doorway and watched his wife and sister. 'I could not have chosen a better wife. She is a wonderful creature. I hope she will be able to convince Georgiana to come to Pemberley more often.'
"Georgiana! How soon you have arrived." "Brother!", she cried and jumped up to hug him. Darcy smiled at this. When Lizzy saw it, she was even more happy she had convinced Georgiana to come to live at Pemberley.
"Has Mrs Annesley not come with you?" "Well, she has, but…", Georgiana hesitated and looked at Lizzy. Lizzy took over. "She has, but I have given her the day off, so she could visit a sick friend. But I mainly did it, so Georgiana and I would have some time to get familiar with each other.", Georgiana nodded at this and looked at her brother. "Well… I think that it was a very good idea of you, Elizabeth."
"Oh, brother, you have no idea how many good ideas Elizabeth has! She said it might be nice if I come to stay at Pemberley for the greater part of the year. Would you approve of that?" Lizzy watched Darcy's face and saw a smile on his face as she said that. "Why would I not approve? I love the idea of seeing you every day. Elizabeth, you have a lot of very good ideas, indeed.", he said.
After dinner, Lizzy retired. Her reason for this was that Darcy and Georgiana would have the chance of talking to each other, without her being in their way. But she also wanted some time to herself to think about all that had passed in the last three days.
Lizzy sat down on her bed. 'My first day as a married women is coming to an end… I hope every day ahead of me will be like this day… And tomorrow I will be on my way to Pemberley with my beloved husband. I hope the staff will like me… How would Jane be? Was her day just as happy as mine? Oh Jane! I forgot to write her. Well, I shall do so tomorrow, before we leave.'
When Darcy entered his wife's bedroom, it was dark. 'She is already sleeping… Would she mind if I will lie down next to her? Or should I just go to my own room? …Well, I will take the chance and sleep with her.' Darcy quickly undressed in the room next to the bedroom and softly walked in to the bedroom again.
As he lay in bed, he could hear Lizzy turning in her sleep. He thought of all the happy things that had happened today and knew his marriage would be an enormous success.
Darcy's London Townhouse, day 2.
The next morning, they got up early. After breakfast, Lizzy went to the drawing room to wait until the carriage was ready to take them to Pemberley. After she had had a cup of tea and read a chapter of her book, the door opened and Georgiana came in. "Good morning, Elizabeth!" "Good morning, Georgiana."
"I wish I could come with you and Brother to Pemberley right now." "Well, seeing the size of Pemberley, I do not think it would be a problem… But Darcy insists that I get the time to get accustomed to Pemberley as my home, without other residents. That way, I will be a more confident mistress of Pemberley when you arrive."
"Oh, okay." "But you know, Georgiana?" "What is it?" "You will arrive at Pemberley on the 19th of November, which is very soon. And when you are there, we can begin to plan our first grand Christmas feast together!" "That is right! Oh, how I am looking forward to that!" "You see? It is really not so bad to stay behind for some two weeks."
They chatted for a while, until a servant came in and announced that the carriage was ready.
Netherfield, day 2.
Jane woke up, because she heard a noise. She opened her eyes and saw that Bingley was standing next to their bed, busy putting on some clothes, after which he went to the door to unlock it. A servant came in and bowed. "Good morning, Mr & Mrs Bingley." "What is the meaning of this? I thought I made it clear I did not wanted to be disturbed in the morning!" "I apologize, Sir. But we have guests waiting for you downstairs." "…What time is it?" "It is a quarter before nine, Sir."
At a quarter past nine, Jane and Bingley walked to the drawing room together. When they opened the door, Mrs Bennet and Kitty Bennet were sitting on a couch.
"Hello my darling Jane! Oh, and my dear Mr Bingley too!" "Hello, mother.", Jane said and smiled. 'Oh dear… What will Charles think! My mother being here during our honeymoon is one thing, but this is not even a decent time to call on anyone!', Jane thought, a bit ashamed of her mother.
"Oh, I can not get over the pleasant furnishings in this room! I must have cost a fortune, Mr Bingley!" Mrs Bennet exclaimed. Jane smiled a bit awkward, as Bingley replied: "I do not really have an idea what these furnishings cost… I did not purchase them myself, you know. They belong to the estate." "Oh, well then. But they really do suite the room very much!" Mrs Bennet said and Kitty nodded with a broad smile.
After a very nice dinner and what seemed ages of Mrs Bennet's company, Mrs Bennet and Kitty left for Longbourn again.
Jane was sitting in the drawing room in front of a nice fire. She called for tea and stared at the fireplace, thinking.
Charles came in and seated himself next to Jane. "Jane, my love?" Jane looked up in surprise. "Oh, Charles! I am sorry, I did not hear you come in." Bingley smiled. "Jane, no offence, but is your mother planning on more of these delightful surprise visits?"
From the way Bingley said 'delightful', Jane could tell that he did not think it delightful at all.
"I have no idea, Charles. I think she has not yet grown accustomed to Longbourn without Lizzy and me living in it, so she visits us. And of course she wishes to keep our Meryton acquaintance informed of our happy life together." "Well, that must be the reason, yes." "Well, Charles. I think I will be off to bed right now." He smiled and said: "I think I will join you."
Netherfield, day 3.
Jane was fully rested when she woke up. She opened her eyes and looked around, but she did not see Bingley.
She called for her maid and got dressed, after which she went to the breakfast room. When she was almost done breakfasting, Charles came in. "Good morning, dearest. How did you sleep?" "I slept very well, though I seemed to miss someone at my side when I woke. Do you know where he was?", Jane said, smiling. "Yes, he rode about his estate.", Bingley said, after which they both laughed.
"So the weather is good?" "Yes, it is. But forgive me, Jane. I really must attend some business with my steward, so I will not have to get distracted during the further course of our honeymoon." Bingley smiled and went to his study.
After Jane had finished her breakfast, she went to the drawing room and asked a servant to fetch her a table to write a letter. She wrote a considerable letter to Lizzy and after she had it posted, she went to the study, to see if her husband was finished with his business.
The door opened and a servant announced Mrs Bingley. She walked in and Bingley and his steward stood up to greet her. "Mrs Bingley", the steward said after bowing.
"Charles, are you almost finished?" "Yes, I will only need 5 more minutes. Would you like to wait for me in the drawing room?" "Yes, I will wait there.", she said, after which she curtseyed and left the study.
Bingley entered the drawing room, where Jane was reading. "I am all yours from now on, my dear. I will have no business to attend to for the next two weeks." Jane smiled. "How nice. Now I will have you totally to myself!"
They had sat in the drawing room for some time, when Jane stood up and walked over to the window. "It seems the weather is very nice this afternoon.", she said while she looked out the window. "Yes, so it seems.", Charles said, as he walked over to Jane and kissed her on the cheek.
"Charles, I am going to take a walk about the grounds now, I think. A nice afternoon such as this should not be wasted indoors." "You are quite right, my love. Would you mind if I join you?"
After a lot of fussing over Jane from Bingley, about her clothing, which should be very warm, the Bingleys finally found there way outdoors and walked the grounds.
After a while of walking in comfortable silence, Bingley stood still, turned himself to Jane and said: "Jane, I love you so much. We are married for three days now and already I can not imagine how I made it through life before I met you." Jane smiled and blushed, but the only reply she gave was a long kiss.
When they arrived back at Netherfield again, their bodies were cold, but their hearts were glowing with warmth. After they had sat by the fire to warm themselves, dinner was announced.
Jane sat by the fire and was knitting something. Bingley walked over to her and stood behind her, looking over her shoulder at her knit work. "What are you doing, dear?" Jane looked up to him and smiled. "I am knitting little socks, Charles. I am planning to make a lot of baby clothes, so there will be enough when the time comes."
The road to Pemberley, day 4.
Lizzy and Darcy were in the carriage for two days now. Lizzy was not at all comfortable, for the bumping was not beneficial to her back. The only thing that kept her from protesting about it, was Darcy, who sat beside her and did the best he could to make the journey more pleasant.
"My love?" "Yes, Sunshine?" "Will we be there before long?" "Well, it is still some time. I believe we will ride for another three hours, before we arrive at the inn. And then tomorrow, we will arrive at Pemberley around four o'clock. So I think there are still nine hours of travelling to go."
Lizzy sighed. "I can not wait to see Pemberley again… Last time I saw it, I dare say I looked at it with other eyes." Darcy raised his eyebrows. "How so?" Lizzy smiled. "Back then I was falling in love with you, and while Pemberley was very pretty, the only thing on my mind was you."
Darcy smiled and counted himself lucky with such a wife. Then, he kissed her.
Netherfield, day 4.
Jane and Bingley were not even finished with their breakfast, when a servant came in to announce that Mr Bennet, Mrs Bennet, Miss Bennet and Miss Bennet had arrived.
Upon this announcement, Jane blushed in shame. 'Again! Oh, why is mother the way she is? Oh, but this is ungrateful. I must not think like this.'
'Has my mother-in-law no respect for our honeymoon? It must be Mrs Bennets doing, for Mr Bennet is not as reluctant as she is when it comes to visiting. But at least I may retire with Mr Bennet to the library for some quiet reading.'
"Come, my dear. We must go and greet them.", Bingley said.
After an hour of decent talks, Mary Bennet stood up. "Mr Bingley, I wonder if I might use your music room for my piano practise." "Of course you may, Miss Bennet. I will show the way." Bingley turned to Mr Bennet. "Mr Bennet, I wonder if you might take the trouble of accompanying me in the library after I have showed Miss Bennet the music room?" Mr Bennet rose. "I would like that very much, Sir."
With that, Mr Bingley, Mr Bennet and Mary Bennet left the drawing room and escaped a full afternoon of Mrs Bennets chatter.
After a dinner full of praise from Mrs Bennets side, the carriage arrived and the Bennets went back to Longbourn again. Jane and Bingley sat in the drawing room with tea, enjoying the silence.
"Love? I am tired. I will go to bed, now.", Jane said, as she stood up. "Okay, dear. I will be with you in a minute.", Bingley said and he rose to kiss her.
'Oh, I must do something about this. However much I love Jane, I can not even bare the thought of all the visits we will have from Mrs Bennet. She may be my mother-in-law, but I will not stand for her ruining our privacy!' Bingley thought, as he walked to their bedchambers.
Pemberley, day 5.
The carriage drove in to the park that belonged to Pemberley and there was so much to be seen, that she had no idea where she would look. "Oh, this is beautiful! How much pleasant walks I can take here!", Lizzy said, her voice overflowing with joy.
After a rather long ride through the park, Pemberley itself came in to view. "Ooohhh! It is even more beautiful than I remember!" Darcy smiled. "Welcome home, Sunshine." Lizzy smiled and hugged her husband.
After a change of clothes, Lizzy and Darcy walked down the stairs arm in arm, to be greeted by the entire Pemberley staff in the hallway. Mrs Reynolds, the housekeeper, stepped forward and curtseyed. "Mrs Darcy. On behalf of the whole Pemberley staff, I would like to welcome you and I shall express the hope that your life here in Derbyshire will be very pleasant."
Lizzy, not yet entirely accustomed to be the mistress of a grand manor, also curtseyed and said: "I thank you all for this warm welcome. I will do my best to deserve your respect and approval."
When all the welcoming was over, Lizzy and Darcy went to sit in one of the drawing rooms. When they had sent the servant out for tea, they were alone. "And, my dear. Do you think they might like me?" Darcy grinned. "I know they do, dear. The way you thanked them, expressed your modest nature. You have made it clear that you do not fancy yourself a better person, because you are now mistress here."
After a grand dinner to welcome the newlyweds, Lizzy almost immediately retired. She was so tired of the carriage ride to Pemberley, that all she wanted was to sleep in a comfortable bed. Darcy walked with her to her bedchambers, because she had no idea where they were located.
"Good night, my love. I will go downstairs to settle some things for breakfast.", Darcy said and he kissed her passionately, before leaving her in her new room.
Pemberley, day 6.
Lizzy woke up in the best bed she had ever slept in. She had a lot of energy and she was excited about her first day at Pemberley.
After she was dressed, she went downstairs to the breakfast room, where Darcy was already waiting for her. "Good morning, Sunshine." "Good morning, love.", she said and walked over to kiss him.
"Lizzy, would you like to see Pemberley? I mean, the inside?" "Oh yes, I would love that. But, indeed, only the inside. However much I like being outdoors, rain is not my favourite type of weather."
As a start, Darcy walked with Lizzy to their apartments. "I know these… Why are we here?", Lizzy asked, wondering. "Well, because these are your chambers now and I want you to feel comfortable. So you have the liberty of changing anything you want."
After they had walked through Pemberley for another hour, Lizzy said: "Is it okay if I do not want to change anything?" "Of course. But if you change your mind when you are fully accustomed to living here, you only have to say it." Lizzy smiled. "Okay then." She kissed him extensively as soon as they entered an empty room.
After a long, but wonderful tour of Pemberley, Lizzy enjoined her cup of tea in the drawing room. When it was almost time for dinner, Mrs Reynolds entered the drawing room.
"Mrs Darcy?" "Mrs Reynolds.", Lizzy said, smiling. "Mrs Darcy, I wonder if you have the time to discuss some household matters with me?"
'How nice of her, but this must be to test me. She has been the housekeeper for 24 years. Surely, she knows what she is doing!'
"But of course! Shall we sit here or in the study?" "I think this room will do very well, if it is comfortable for you, Mrs Darcy." "Okay then. Please, be seated, Mrs Reynolds."
"I would like you to look at this weeks menu to decide whether it is to your liking or not." Lizzy took the list with menus from Mrs Reynolds and read it. "It is very much to my liking, Mrs Reynolds. The menus are more extensive then what I am used to."
"Only one last thing, Mrs Darcy." "Yes?" "Would you like to take on the responsibility as the mistress now?" "If you do not mind, Mrs Reynolds, I would like to do that when I am somewhat more familiar with Pemberley. And after the tour around the house Mr Darcy gave me today, I can do nothing but conclude that you do a marvellous job as the housekeeper." "Oh, thank you, Mrs Darcy."
As Mrs Reynolds left, she mentioned to herself that Mr Darcy had found the perfect wife, that she was happy to work for her and that she was looking forward to get to know her new mistress better.
After dinner, Lizzy went to her new study, to read Jane's letter, which had arrived earlier today.
Lizzy got a smile on her face as she read Jane's letter:
Oh, my dearest Lizzy!
Can life get any better than this?
This is my third day as Mrs Bingley and it is great!
I love Charles so much and he loves me. Oh, I hope you are just as happy as I am.
And is Pemberley all I imagine it to be? It must be very grand indeed.
I wonder what Pemberley is like, of course! And I am looking forward to see you again at Christmas.
For I must admit, even though Charles is truly the loveliest man in the world, I miss you so much. It is almost as if I miss a part of me…
I think you are laughing by now. But yet this is how I feel.
Our mother and Kitty have delighted us with a visit yesterday.
You may scarce believe that they arrived at a quarter before nine!
I was so ashamed.
But then again, our mother means well.
If I would be telling you this in person, you would say:
"I believe it at once!" And then you would burst out in laughter.
Lizzy, I hope you will write and tell me everything that is going on in your life!
Your affectionate Sister, Jane Bingley.
P.S. How odd to sign my name Jane Bingley!
Lizzy felt very happy and had laughed a great deal while reading Jane's letter. She took up pen and paper and wrote a reply to Jane.
When Lizzy finally finished her letter, she went straight to her bedchambers. 'I will post my letter in the morning… I do not think Jane will blame me for it.'
She had not even fully opened the door when she saw it. On every table and bed stand there were candles and there was a trail of rose petals that led to the bed, which was also covered in rose petals. She knew who had made this happen, but she did not see him. "Darcy?"
There was no answer, so she decided to close the door. When she walked over to the bed, she saw a note lying on the sheets between the rose petals.
'Make yourself at home, Sunshine.', it said.
Lizzy decided to follow the advice on the note and walked over to her folding screen.
When Lizzy was busy putting on her nightgown, she heard the door open and close. She looked around the corner of the screen and saw Darcy stand by the bed in a shirt and his pants.
"Mr Darcy, were you outside the chambers with those clothes on?", she said with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Yes, I was, Mrs Darcy. Why?" "So you, Mr Darcy of Pemberley in Derbyshire, the very model of tidiness, were seen by your servants in those clothes?"
Darcy smiled. 'I can not believe it, but I love her so much when she is making fun of me!' "Yes." "Bravo! Very good. I like it."
She walked over to him. "So, how do you like my surprise, Sunshine?" She gave him a long kiss, after which she said: "How is that for an answer?"
Netherfield, day 6.
Jane woke up and noticed that Bingley was still asleep. While she normally would not dare to disturb her husband while he slept, she just could not hold back now. She decided to wake him. She threw herself upon him and started to cuddle him.
When Bingley felt his wife cuddling him, he smiled. "What are you doing?"
"I am loving you!"
After a long time of cuddling and some breakfast, Mrs Bennet arrived and Jane wished she had the nerve to ask her to leave.
"So, I think Elizabeth will be at Pemberley by now. I can scarce imagine what Pemberley must be like! Have you seen it, Mr Bingley?", Mrs Bennet asked. "Yes, I have visited it every summer for the past years. I must admit I have envied Darcy."
"You have, Mr Bingley? And what did the fireplace in the main drawing room cost? Because I dare say, they will have more than one drawing room!" Bingley blushed a bit and Jane joined her husband. "I have never asked Darcy that, I am sorry."
When dinner was over, Mrs Bennet finally left. There was a silence as Bingley and Jane sat in the drawing room.
After a while, Jane broke the silence. "Charles?" "Yes, my darling?" "I am sorry." "Sorry for what?" "I am sorry for having such a mother. But I do not want to be ungrateful. It is nice of her to take such an interest in our happiness, is it not?"
"Yes, it is nice of her. But she can be a bit overpowering in her company." "I know, but I do not want to say her we do not wish her company." "Dear? I might have an idea." "What is it?"
"What would you say, if we would move house?" "What? Charles! How can you think that? What reason would we have to move, except for the visits from my mother. Then I would rather just tell her. No, we shall not. I am going to bed."
Jane went to her bedchambers and left Charles sitting in the drawing room. 'Our first fight.. But this is absurd, our first fight is about her mother! We are so happy together… The only thing I can imagine us fighting over, is her mother. There has got to be a way to move away from Longbourn…'
In her bedchambers, Jane thought about it too. 'My mother caused our first fight.. But moving is such a big step… And I do not wish to go to our house in London… Were would we go? The only parts of England I know are Hertfordshire and London… Dear God…' Exhausted, Jane went to sleep.
Next up:
Chapter 4: The Honeymoon, Week 2.
A/N: The titles like 'Netherfield, day 1' are to tell you where this part of the story takes place and the day shows which day of the honeymoon it is. The honeymoon goes from day 1 to day 14. Day 7 to 14 will follow soon!
And as always: If you like, please review!
Thanks!
~Mrs Nomau.