Dear Mr Bennet,
I do not know what you shared with your wife, but obviously, it was not enough to prevent her from sending my wife a letter accusing her of being selfish and forcing her to live in penury. This was precisely why we avoided being at Longbourn when you acquainted Mrs Bennet with the details of what you had done, to prevent your wife from abusing mine. You do realise this violates our agreement and that I could call the loan, making it due immediately, do you not? When you cannot pay, you would be thrown into debtors' prison. Is that what you want? What your wife wants? Is she aware of the possible consequences of her actions? If not, you should make her so, to ensure this does not happen again.
Need I remind you that you approached me with a request for funds to pay your gambling debts? That if I did not pay, these men were threatening to take one of your daughters as payment? Would they have stopped with one?
I will warn you once, Bennet, do not violate our agreement again. Unless Mrs Bennet can hold her tongue, she should not write any additional letters to Pemberley. I will not tolerate your wife abusing mine any further.
From there, his letter went on to speak of arrangements that had been made regarding the governess for the younger girls and other practical matters regarding their agreements.
At Lady Matlock's recommendation, one had already been hired and would arrive at Longbourn within a sennight. Darcy had several people keeping an eye on Longbourn to ensure that the rest of their conditions were being met. The steward was reporting to Darcy, as would the governess and Mrs Hill, about the actions of those who were still at Longbourn. Bennet did not know it, but spies would soon infiltrate his home, reporting on his only move.
Georgiana arrived a few days after Darcy and Elizabeth had arrived there. With her at home, they began to make arrangements for their trip to Darcy Cottage in the Lake District for their wedding trip. After the bustle of the season and the trouble at Longbourn, the couple was looking forward to some time when they would not have to worry about anything but themselves.
They remained at Pemberley for another fortnight, and early in July, they boarded a carriage for their trip to the Lakes, accompanied by their personal servants. The fortnight was nearly perfect — they slept late, made love frequently, and explored the area around the cottage. Darcy had two riding horses transported to the stables in advance of their trip, and he spent time nearly every day teaching Elizabeth to ride. She had never learned as a child and had been a little afraid of the beasts at first. However, he was patient with her as he instructed her on the basics and provided her with an easy mount, and she came to enjoy the activity during their trip. He promised to continue working with her on her riding skills once they returned to Pemberley and to show her several places on the estate that could only be reached on horseback. This idea and the way he said it made Elizabeth's face flush, but she teased him back.
"And what would we do when we reach these far-flung locations," she asked him as he lifted her down from the saddle. In reply, he pulled her against her and kissed her deeply.
"Would you like a demonstration?" he growled.
She laughed merrily at him and darted away, silently encouraging him to chase her. With his long legs, he easily caught up with her and captured her. Lifting her into his arms, he strode into the house, carrying her into the first room he came across, and proceeded to show her exactly what he intended to do.
Their wedding trip went by quickly, and on the last day they were there, they celebrated their fourth month of marriage with a picnic in a nearby grove and a boat ride across the lake. Both Elizabeth and Darcy enjoyed this respite from their responsibilities — the season had been exhausting for both of them. Darcy had rarely participated so much in a season or stayed so long. Elizabeth had never participated in a London Season and found the constant activity wearing on her. Being in London for so long, with all the late nights that were required, Elizabeth found she missed the countryside and the freedom to explore that she had at Longbourn. That was one reason why she had so enjoyed this time at the Lakes, as they had chosen to have only the most important correspondence forwarded to them at the cottage, and so they had no concerns in all this time. Darcy's staff was tasked with caring for everything that might arise at Pemberley while they were gone and to only contact them in an emergency that required his immediate attention. None of that had occurred, and it had been a blissful fortnight of solitude, and following the pursuits they most desired.
When they returned to Pemberley nearly three weeks after they had left it, all those who greeted them were pleased by their appearance. They both almost glowed with their happiness, and it was clear that it had been an enjoyable trip. A few of the footmen spoke quietly after their return to take bets on how soon the heir to Pemberley might be announced.
Additionally, waiting for the Darcys was a flurry of letters that had arrived while in their absence. Many were notes accepting the invitation to the small house party they would be hosting during the first two weeks of September, but there were also several from Longbourn, London, and Matlock. These were of far more interest than the acceptances, and so the morning after they returned, Elizabeth and Darcy sat in his study and read through their correspondence.
"I did not see a letter from Papa in all of this," Elizabeth said after looking through her pile. "Did he send one to you? I do have one from Mama — I am almost afraid to read what it contains."
Darcy looked through his own stack. "There is one from Todd and another from the new governess, a Mrs Martin, but I do not see one from your father either," Darcy frowned as he looked once more through the letters in his pile. "It has been a month since his last letter, and he was supposed to write at least that often. Let us see what these other letters say." With that, Darcy opened these two first and began to read. Elizabeth watched his face as he read and grew concerned at the anger she saw developing.
"Yet again, your father has failed to keep up his end of the contract," Darcy told her after reading the first. "Todd reports that he has not taken a single step toward making the improvements we agreed upon. Nor has he made any efforts at riding out on the estate a single time. Not only that, but he received a crate of books from a London bookseller, and Todd had to help him open it a few days before he wrote this."
Elizabeth sighed deeply. "What can we do if he continues to refuse to do as he agreed? Do we wait for the quarter day to see if he makes the first payment, although if he is ordering books from London, he is unlikely to have the funds to do so? I am angry at Papa for putting us into the position of having to threaten him with prison if he fails to pay and more so for acquiring such a substantial debt in the first place."
"He does not believe we will act against him," Darcy said quietly. "As much as I hate to make this comparison, it seems as though, like Wickham, he believes that I will not take action against him because of his connection to someone I love."
"That is taking a ridiculous risk," she replied heatedly. "If he can acquire that much debt in a few months, what is stopping him from doing it again and then attempting to demand more money to pay off these future debts? Is there some way to make him understand how serious all of this is?"
It was Darcy's turn to sigh. "I do not know your father well enough, Elizabeth. Is there someone he listens to, someone who could speak to him about the seriousness of this situation?"
"I do not know," Elizabeth admitted, scowling when she noticed her mother's letter again. "Read the letter from the governess to see what is going on in the house, and I will read Mama's, and then we may decide how to act."
He agreed, and it was quiet again for several minutes. When he was finished, he looked up and observed Elizabeth's face as she finished her mother's letter. She was clearly angry.
"My mother is still complaining about 'living in penury' because we are forcing them to repay the debt," Elizabeth said. "It is obvious she either does not know or care about how the debt was acquired but is angry that she has been 'replaced' by a governess. She asks what in my own education was so lacking that I felt my sisters needed someone else telling them what to do. Given that she had little role in my education, I cannot imagine what she means, but she has never been able to see any fault in her own behaviour, and even less so in Lydia's. She does not like Mrs Martin and calls her an 'interloper' several times in this letter. I gather that Papa has restricted her spending and had put a stop to Kitty and Lydia attending events, but even Mama is aware of the books he ordered."
Elizabeth paused to think for a moment before a wicked grin appeared on his face. "I know how to get his attention," she said, sitting up and looking rather pleased with herself. "My Uncle Phillips is an attorney in Meryton, and he and my father have never been the best of friends. Papa has violated our agreement several times now, most especially by purchasing a crate of books from London. If you sent a copy of the agreement to my uncle, could he not confiscate some of the books as a penalty of sorts? Did we not have the option to assess a penalty for any failure to comply with the terms?"
Darcy, who had been rather surprised to see the grin on Elizabeth's face at first, but as she spoke, he began to smile in response. "I believe that to be an excellent idea, Elizabeth. His new books can be paid as a forfeit for his failure to comply with the conditions in our agreement. Will Phillips do as you have suggested?"
Elizabeth grinned at him. "He will, and Mrs Hill will assist in ensuring it is done." Elizabeth held up a letter. "She has written to me as well, and her letter expressed displeasure with my father's actions. Mama is aware that Papa owed a significant debt, but Mama does not know the extent of the debt, nor does she know how the debt was acquired or of the threat to Jane. Mama complains to Mrs Hill any time she is upset, so she knows all of what Papa has said. The girls do not know, and they are also upset about the restrictions Papa placed on them. Lydia is particularly frustrated by the governess requiring her to attend lessons, as she believes she is too old for such 'nonsense'." Elizabeth rolled her eyes at her husband as she told him of that of the letter.
Elizabeth stood and moved to the small writing desk he had added to his study for her use. She began to write a letter replying to Longbourn's housekeeper and then wrote another to her uncle outlining their plan. She imagined the look on Mrs Hill's face when she read the letter and had to hold back a laugh.
Darcy likewise began to compose letters to his own informants from Longbourn. When he finished those, he turned back to the rest of his correspondence, although he frequently looked up to watch Elizabeth. Each time he did so, he smiled, happy that he could share his office with the most beautiful woman he knew.
It was several hours later before they finished responding to the most pressing letters. There were more to deal with the next day, but both had tasks to do that required them to separate. Elizabeth went to speak to Mrs Reynolds about the Gardiners' upcoming visit and the house party that would follow a few weeks after. She found Georgiana and Jane on her way to find the housekeeper and encouraged both ladies to join her, as she thought they would both have ideas to add.
That meeting lasted nearly two hours, and finally, the entire family gathered for tea in one of the smaller family sitting rooms that afternoon. Georgiana peppered her brother and sister with questions about their trip to the Lakes, and Jane asked a few of her own. Although the two women had got along well in the others' absence, they had both missed Elizabeth. Georgiana had also missed her brother, but she was still enjoying the novelty of having a sister, and found she sought Elizabeth out more often than her brother lately. Darcy and Elizabeth answered all the questions patiently, although the frequent glances between the two silently expressed their desire for more time alone. They had thoroughly enjoyed the time they had spent at the Lakes, and it was proving difficult to return to Pemberley, where privacy was far more difficult to find.
The couple made it through dinner and sat with their sisters for some time after dinner before claiming fatigue and retiring to their rooms.
For the next few weeks, each day fell into a similar pattern. Darcy and Elizabeth continued their habit of breakfasting together in their sitting room before adjourning to his study to review correspondence together. Then, they would separate to pursue individual tasks — Elizabeth to meet with the housekeeper and her sisters and Darcy to meet with his steward or conduct other business. If she could, Elizabeth would join him in the study again after where they would remain until joining their sisters for tea and then dinner.
Occasionally, this ritual was disrupted when the steward needed Darcy's attention, and he would ride out on the estate. A few times, Elizabeth had been able to accompany Darcy on these rides, and after completing his business, they would go for a ride to one of those locations Darcy had wanted to show her. When Elizabeth was able to accompany him, he always arranged for a picnic lunch and a blanket for the two of them, and Darcy would demonstrate for Elizabeth once again his purpose in seeking out these locations.
They had been at Pemberley for almost a month when the Gardiners arrived, bringing their children and Mary with them. Almost immediately, Mrs Gardiner noticed a change in Elizabeth and determined to speak with her privately as soon as she could manage it.
It took Mrs Gardiner a few days to manage an entirely private conversation with her niece. "Elizabeth, you look very well," she began. "Tell me, though, how are you finding married life?"
"It is wonderful, Aunt," Elizabeth replied. "Fitzwilliam is such a good husband, and despite all of the trouble with my family, he has been incredibly patient and generous. I know I wrote you about Papa's reaction to our claiming his books as a forfeit for his failure to comply with the conditions of the loan. The letter he sent my dear husband after that was almost contrite, although it held an undertone of bitterness.
"Fitzwilliam has not been happy about Mama's letters to me either, as she is still angry with me for all the changes at Longbourn, but now at least, Papa is making something of an effort on the estate. I do not know if he has realized that there are several people at Longbourn who are reporting to us of the goings on there, but he has begun to take more of an interest in the estate and is attempting to restrain Mama's vehemence toward me."
"I truly hate that you must endure this," Mrs Gardiner told her. "It was good of your Mr Darcy to loan your father the money, and I am very glad he made it a loan and not a gift. I know the two of you came up with these conditions for the loan and that your intent is to make things better for them all in the long run, even if they do not understand it right now. Mary is doing very well with us, and the music master has done much to help her. Her playing is much improved, and I think you will enjoy hearing her while she is here."
"Mary just needed someone to pay her some attention. I know I did not do enough, but she craved the attention of our parents, not her sisters," Elizabeth admitted. "She told me she appreciates your allowing her to live with them for now, and hopes to be able to stay there for as long as you will let her."
"We are happy to have her with us," Mrs Gardiner replied. "Now, I do not know how long we will remain alone, so I want you to know I had a particular topic of conversation I wanted to broach with you."
"Yes, Aunt, what is it?" Elizabeth asked, growing concerned at the tone of voice.
"It is nothing to worry about, my dear girl. I just had a few questions to ask you," Mrs Gardiner said. "I have noticed that you are only picking at your food lately, especially at breakfast. You are sleeping later than usual, and I have noticed that you appear tired in the afternoons."
Elizabeth sighed. "Fitzwilliam has noticed the same, and he is worried about me. I think I am well, although I have noticed at times my stomach does not seem to tolerate food well. A few times, I have felt like I needed to cast up my accounts, but I have not done so, and the feeling eventually passes. Dry toast sometimes helps with that feeling."
"Elizabeth, I think you are forgetting some of our conversations before you wed. Can you tell me, when is the last time you had your courses?" Mrs Gardiner asked gently.
Elizabeth thought for a moment. "Not since before we left for the Lakes. We deliberately chose to wait until after that event so we could enjoy ourselves fully." Elizabeth smirked at her aunt. "That was nearly two months ago, which means I have entirely skipped a month. Do you think …?" she trailed off.
"Yes, I do," her aunt replied.
"Oh, Fitzwilliam will be so happy!" Elizabeth cried. "But how will I know for certain? Should I tell him now, or is there something I should look for so I can know for sure?"
"Right now, you only suspect it, but it is likely," Mrs Gardiner told her, then thought for a moment. "If what you say is correct, you will likely give birth in April. In another two months, you should feel the quickening. You can wait to tell him then, or you can go ahead and let him know what you suspect. He may begin to notice changes to your body, especially if you are intimate as frequently as you hinted."
Elizabeth blushed. "What changes should I anticipate? Other than the obvious, I mean."
They spoke for a little while longer before their conversation was interrupted by the others. Elizabeth had decided not to wait and intended to tell her husband what she suspected that very night.