Okay, I promise, promise, promise a thousand times over that at this very moment I'm writing about the terms and conditions that Darcy wanted to marry Elizabeth on. Promise.
I find this chapter here a very suitable lead-in to the conditions and such, and it also starts to outline Georgiana's (perhaps unwanted) involvement with the Lizzie/Darcy marriage.
Etc, etc, you've heard this all before: Jane Austen owns the characters, and I own the actions they are currently taking. If a person can own the actions of a literary character.
As always, feedback and reviews are much loved and appreciated by all of you! :)
*Note: I edited this a bit, because it was pointed out to me it was strange for Darcy to ask Lizzie if she knew Wickham. He is, after all, married to her sister! I totally didn't even realize.*
The sounds of the pianoforte flowed through the house, delivered by the very capable hands of Miss. Georgiana Darcy, with a captured audience in Elizabeth.
A rather accomplished girl of nearly seventeen, Miss. Darcy played beautifully, fingers moving over the instrument with decided mastery; her audience leaned against its polished side and listened intently, occasioning some praise once she finished her piece.
Georgiana closed the pianoforte, broadly smiling at her sister-in-law.
"Oh, Miss. Elizabeth, I am truly glad you liked it."
"How could I not? You play exquisitely. It is always a pleasure to hear you."
Overjoyed at her praise, Georgiana stood and embraced Elizabeth, then quickly exited the room.
Miss. Darcy was the only such Darcy with whom Elizabeth had good relations and a positive regard. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Darcy entered as Elizabeth sat to play a piece herself.
"Pardon me. Am I interrupting?"
"Not at all sir," said Elizabeth, neither in an icy nor warm voice, but rather one of unattached emotion.
"I wish to speak with you on something."
"As you wish."
"If I am not mistaken, you have the acquaintance of George Wickham, yes?"
"Clearly, you forget that he is married to my sister."
In hindsight, it was fairly a stupid question to ask, but unfortunately, Darcy wasn't quite thinking logically after Wickham's appearance; he was thinking more on emotion, if he thought at all.
"Right, right. Of course. When have you seen him last?"
"More than two months previous, I believe. When we last traveled to Longbourn, in Meryton."
Darcy was silent, as well as Elizabeth, who gently plucked a key or two on the pianoforte. After a moment, she questioned, "Why do you ask?"
"He called upon you earlier," said he, with even Elizabeth hearing so possessive a tone in his voice.
"Indeed? Then do you know of his lodgings in Derbyshire? Perhaps I shall return the kindness now."
"No," said Darcy, with far more force than he had hoped. This quickly angered Elizabeth, replacing her indifference with the return of her cold contempt of him.
"No?" said Elizabeth with pure incredulity.
"I do not wish you to be in the company of Mr. Wickham absent of myself."
The former Miss. Bennet stood abruptly, utter despise of her companion visible.
"Excuse me, sir, but what right do you hold to instruct me on who I shall and shall not be in company with?"
"I am your husband. That is my right."
"Then, with all due respect to your husbandly rights, I decline to comply with your wish."
"Perhaps I did not make myself clear enough: I forbid your seeing Mr. Wickham on any account." The force of his voice caused Elizabeth to recoil slightly, but by no means did she back down.
"Husband or not, Mr. Darcy, you have no right to forbid me to see anyone. Does your jealously of that man know no bounds?"
That struck a cord within Darcy, and his escalation of anger reached no end.
"My jealously of George Wickham, you say," said Darcy, surprisingly calmly for the length of anger that resided below the surface.
"Do not believe for a moment that I have forgotten your actions toward him."
For a brief moment, Darcy considered confessing the whole of the truth to Elizabeth then and there, but quickly thought the better of it.
"Do not take me for such a fool, Mrs. Darcy."
For the first moment in the whole of their marriage, Darcy felt scarcely more than irreversible guilt. Quite surely, if any such dreadful thing were to occur to Elizabeth while in the company of Wickham, the blame would fall upon him for having not confessed the truth.
"I believe I have nothing more to say on the matter," said Darcy, to company who had long previous stopped listening.
Darcy exited, walking out into the hall. A sound of music followed him out, or rather, more angry plucking than actual music. He scarcely noticed his sister following him until she tugged on his sleeve. Taking his arm, she asked, "Why do you and Miss. Elizabeth fight so?"
"Georgiana, dear, were you listening at our door?"
"Yes."
"You well know that it is wrong to do so."
"Brother, you are avoiding my question."
Darcy was silent as he lead his sister down a flight of steps, hoping such silence would put a stop to Georgiana's curiosity. That wasn't the case, however.
"Do you not love Miss. Elizabeth?"
"Quite the opposite, my dear sister. Very much the opposite."
"Then why do you fight so?" asked Georgiana again. "Hardly a day goes by when you two do not."
"I appreciate your concern Georgiana, but it is not a matter in which you should involve yourself."
"It is a shame, when two people who love each other as much as you say Miss. Elizabeth and yourself do..."
"Georgiana, please. That is quite enough."
"I apologize, but it really is such a shame. Soul mates should not fight."
"Now I never said any thing such as soul mates."
"But when two people so well matched..."
"I'm not speaking further on this matter with you."
Georgiana let go of her brother's arm, and skipped ahead a few paces before turning around again. "I still say you should make more of an effort to not fight, rather than making excuses to fight."
Luckily, that was all Georgiana had to say on the matter, and her last words echoed through Darcy's thoughts, which, of late, seemed to make him their slave. Immoveable from the spot, he dwelt hard on what his sister had to say. He concluded she shared her opinion far too readily for a girl of sixteen.