Author's note: I'm the worst I'm sorry. I've been super busy at school with papers and exams and problem sets and club stuff. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
With Jane's help, Lizzy planned a dinner to welcome the new vicar from her bed. Mr. Wilkins was a man aged five and twenty. He was a younger son of a family of decent means and he was highly educated. Though she could not go down to dinner and meet him, she wanted to make a good first impression through the planning of the meal. She had cook prepare the best dishes Pemberley had to offer. She was sure it would make a good impression; Pemberley was known for its excellent cuisine.
He arrived at the house to meet with Fitzwilliam in his study before he was to be their guest for dinner. Jane caught a glimpse of him on his way into Darcy's study and informed Kitty and Lizzy was he was very handsome indeed. Both Jane and Lizzy saw Kitty's face light up at the news. She was, extremely excited to meet the man. It was not often that she met new gentlemen. At home, she was still being punished for Kitty's running away and did not get to enjoy the company of men.
When Fitzwilliam came up to change for dinner, he informed her that he liked the man very much. He was sensible, highly intelligent, and bore not even the slightest similarity to Mr. Collins. Elizabeth told him to pass on a warm welcome to Mr. Wilkins. She also reminded him to ensure that Mr. Wilkins was seated beside Kitty.
"Lizzy," he quirked an eyebrow at her as if to scold her for her attempts at matchmaking but she was having none of it.
"I am not forcing them to marry, I just want them seated beside one another." Although she was aware she was acting a bit like her mother, she was bored out of her mind and this diverted her.
"Elizabeth, you do not even know if Mr. Wilkins and your sister will get on well."
"I know," she sighed, "but I have a feeling they will. Call it a maternal instinct, but I have a very good feeling about this."
He chuckled, "very well. I shall make sure to give you a full report of their interactions."
"Thank you, I expect full reports from Kitty and Jane as well. Would you tell them as much?"
"Of course," he smiled. He squeezed her hand and kissed her temple before heading down to dinner.
He introduced everyone to Mr. Wilkins. He observed Kitty closely during the introduction and saw a blush rise in her cheeks. Mr. Wilkins was a tall man, nearly the same height as Darcy himself. He had light eyes, dark hair, and an open countenance. He was a handsome man; there was no denying that.
During the meal, he spoke of his family. He parents were deceased and his older brother was running the estate. His brother was married with children and he confessed that he loved to spoil them. His younger sister Mary was three and twenty. She lived in London with her husband and they had no children.
He and Bingley spoke of mutual friends. He was closer in age with Bingley than with Darcy and the two had briefly been at school together.
Darcy was not unaware that Jane was attempting to steer Wilkins' conversation to Kitty. She was, unsurprisingly, successful.
"Miss. Bennet, tell me of your sisters."
"You have already met Mrs. Bingley, my eldest sister. In a few months time you will meet Mrs. Darcy, my second eldest sister. After her is my sister Mary. She has just gotten engaged to be married to my uncle's law clerk. They are to wed in November in hopes that everyone can attend"
"Three sisters married or soon to be married, your mother must be very pleased."
"She is very pleased, but you are mistaken. I have three sisters married and one sister soon to be married. My younger sister Lydia, Mrs. Wickham, that is, is married and currently living in London."
"The last remaining Bennet sister, what could be wrong with you?" The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them.
"There is nothing wrong with me!" Kitty reddened.
"Yes, of course," he stuttered, "I did not mean it in that way. I did not wish to cause offense."
The two then passed the meal in an awkward silence. Both Bingley and Jane attempted to get a conversation going between them again, but they were unsuccessful. Darcy could tell, perhaps in part to his own social discomfort, that both felt uneasy after Mr. Wilkins' unfortunate question.
Until now, he thought the two of them were getting on well. As far as he could tell, the two were attracted to each other. Lizzy would surely be disappointed at her failure of matchmaking.
Following dinner, the sexes did not separate. Darcy excused himself to check on his wife. When he got to her chambers, he was promptly scolded for not doing more to ease the situation between Kitty and Mr. Wilkins and was sent back down directly.
On his return, he found Kitty and Mr. Wilkins sitting next to each other talking quietly.
"It seems I have missed something," he remarked to the Bingleys.
"You have," Jane said, "it turns out that they both enjoy Derbyshire more than their homes. They think it is so diverting here. They plan to walk tomorrow and I am to chaperon them."
"How did this come about?"
"They began speaking about a book that Kitty was reading to Lizzy last week and things progressed from there."
Darcy took a sip of his drink, chuckling internally that his wife's instincts were right all along.
"I told you so," she remarked to him an hour later as he climbed into bed beside her.
"You did. I do not know why I ever doubted you. Your maternal instincts appear to be spot on."
"They are. I dare you to give me a subject I cannot properly predict."
"Alright. I believe that is a challenge. Tell me, my dear wife, when am I to receive another letter from my sister?"
"Hmm," she wrinkled her nose, "tomorrow. Tomorrow, we shall both receive letters from Georgiana."
"And when will our child be born?"
"Hmm, now you are really testing my instincts. I believe our babe will come early, in but two weeks."
"Surely that cannot be good!"
"Fitzwilliam, I sense strongly that all will be well. You must trust me on this. The babe kicks constantly. He is restless like his mother. I think he wants to enter the world early, and I would not be opposed to it either."
"Well," he said, "we shall wait and see."