Chapter 6
The next morning, Elizabeth set out on her morning walk a little later than usual. They had all been up late because of the ball, and she and Jane had stayed up even later talking. She was deep in thought, pondering the night before when the gentleman uppermost in her mind appeared, riding his Arabian steed. Jones, the footman, at once came forward when Mr. Darcy alighted from his horse, but Elizabeth told him he could walk behind them ten steps. She knew and trusted Mr. Darcy. Jones agreed reluctantly, and went just out of earshot, where he could still see them.
"Good morning, Miss Elizabeth."
"Good morning, Mr. Darcy. I hope you slept well after the ball last night?"
"I did indeed. Georgiana had already retired by the time it was over, so I was spared her questioning."
Elizabeth laughed. "I understand. Lydia was up and waiting for us when we returned, and demanded all the details about the ball."
"May I join you for your walk, Miss Elizabeth? Where were you heading this morning?"
"I had no specific destination in mind, sir. I would enjoy your company."
Darcy smiled, and Elizabeth's breath caught at how handsome he looked when he smiled. She had noticed his dimples before, but his attractiveness struck her anew each time he smiled in true joy.
"I had hoped to speak to you of something of a serious nature," Mr. Darcy said, as he limped along with his cane on the grass. Elizabeth moderated her gait to his.
Her heart sped up at his words. Could he mean to propose, as Jane suggested? "Oh?" was the only word she could get out.
"Yes. I know we have only known each other for a couple of months, but I have found myself bewitched by you, Miss Elizabeth. In fact, I love everything about you: your wit and vivacity, your impertinence, your fine eyes, your beauty, your intelligence…"
"You – you love me?" Elizabeth asked in wonder.
"I do," he said. "I am afraid I cannot get down on one knee, for fear I should never get up again," he gave a self-deprecatory smile, "but I would be honoured if you would accept my hand in marriage. I wish to make you as happy as you make me, Miss Elizabeth."
Elizabeth's heart hurt with how much she wanted to accept this kind, noble, honourable man. But she took a deep breath and forced herself to say, "I am sorry, Mr. Darcy, but I cannot accept."
Mr. Darcy looked absolutely crushed. "You cannot accept? Do you not return my affections?"
Tears came to Elizabeth's eyes. "No, I – I do."
"You do? Then why can you not accept? Are you already spoken for?"
"No, sir. But I can never be a proper wife for any man," she said, looking away.
"Why is that?"
She finally looked back into his eyes. "I am not a maiden, sir."
Darcy drew in a sharp breath. "What happened? You were attacked?"
Elizabeth was relieved that he had come to the right conclusion on his own and had not assumed she was a loose woman. She nodded. "When I was fifteen. So, you see, Mr. Darcy, I can never –"
"I do not care about that," Darcy interrupted her fiercely. "Maiden or not, you are the lady of my heart, and you will always remain so, no matter what the circumstances."
Elizabeth's heart leapt with hope. "Are you certain, sir?"
"Absolutely. If you do not accept me, I shall never marry. So, you see, if you refuse me, you are condemning me to live a barren existence without you for the rest of my life. Why should we both be miserable over such a tiny detail?"
Now Elizabeth's heart was shining with joy. "If you are certain, sir…"
"I am," said Darcy firmly.
"Then I accept."
Darcy let out a cry of exultation. It seemed as if he wanted to draw her into his arms, but looking over her shoulder and seeing Jones, he restrained himself by only taking her hand and raising it to his lips. "Thank you, Elizabeth. You have made me very happy."
"Not so happy as you have made me," said Elizabeth with a joyful smile.
"There is only one thing I need to know," Darcy asked, suddenly turning sober.
"What is it?"
"Who was the man?"
A blackness came over Elizabeth's heart, as it always did when she thought of the attack of five years ago. "I will not speak his name. It is over now; he is gone from the area."
"You will not tell me?" asked Darcy, looking at her carefully.
"No, sir; it is all in the past."
Darcy let out a sigh. "Very well. But one thing must change: you cannot call me 'sir' any longer. My name is Fitzwilliam."
Elizabeth let out a laugh, partly of relief that he had not pressed her. "Very well, Fitzwilliam."
"Shall we go back to Longbourn to speak to your father?"
Elizabeth smiled at him. "Yes, Fitzwilliam."
Mr. Bennet was in the study when Darcy and Elizabeth entered the house with Jones behind them. Mrs. Bennet looked excited to see them together, and eagerly led Mr. Darcy to her husband's library.
Mr. Bennet stood to greet him, offering his hand. Darcy shook it, and they both sat.
"How can I help you today, Mr. Darcy? I am glad to report that Mr. Wickham left Meryton two weeks ago and has not been seen since. I must thank you for your assistance in this matter."
"It was no trouble, sir. I have come this morning on a more personal matter." Suddenly he felt nervous, and sat up straight. "I have asked Miss Elizabeth for her hand in marriage, and she has accepted."
Mr. Bennet's eyes lit up. "Well, that is wonderful news, I must say. And you want my permission?"
"Yes, and your blessing, sir."
"You know she has almost no dowry?"
"That matters nothing to me, sir. I have an income of £10,000 per annum at Pemberley, plus two more estates in Derbyshire and Staffordshire, which add up to £6,000 more pounds a year. Of course, our eldest son shall inherit Pemberley, and the smaller estates shall go to younger sons, should we be blessed with them. If not, the lesser estates will go to daughters. In my investments, I have planned for £20,000 dowries each if we have two daughters or less. Naturally, the sum could be expanded if we have more daughters. For Elizabeth herself, I will set aside a settlement of £30,000 for her own use, should she outlive me, whether we have children or not."
"That is very generous, Mr. Darcy." He paused. "I assume Lizzy has told you of her past?"
"Yes, sir."
"And it makes no difference to you?"
"None at all, sir."
Mr. Bennet gave a pleased smile. "Well, I can see that you love my daughter, Mr. Darcy. I am happy to give my permission and my blessing. When would you like to wed?"
"I have discussed it with Elizabeth, and would like to take her on a honeymoon to the Lakes. She says she has never seen them. It would be best for us to go when the weather turns warmer. Perhaps we could be married in March, and I could take Elizabeth first to the Lakes, and then on to Pemberley?"
"I think that is a fine idea. You are very thoughtful, Mr. Darcy."
"I have never been in love before, sir," Darcy said seriously. "It is still a matter of wonder to me that Elizabeth returns my affections."
"Lizzy has always been my favourite, so perhaps it is a bias of mine, but I think she is more full of love than any woman I have ever known."
"I think so too, sir," said Darcy solemnly. "But there is something of a more serious nature I wish to discuss with you." He swallowed as Mr. Bennet sat up straight, listening. "I wish to know the name of the man who assaulted Elizabeth. She would not tell me."
Mr. Bennet's shoulders sagged. "She would not tell me either, Mr. Darcy. I think she feared I might call him out and possibly be killed. She was right about one thing: I would have called him out. I was negligent of the care of my daughters before Lizzy's attack, but both Mrs. Bennet and I have taken it very seriously since then. Only I, Mrs. Bennet, and Jane know of the attack. Mrs. Bennet brought Jane and Elizabeth out at age fifteen, but after the tragedy, she insisted that the other girls wait until they were at least eighteen. I think the assault also gave Mrs. Bennet a fresh love and appreciation for Lizzy, who previously would have been seen as her least-favourite daughter. So some good has come out of the atrocity at least."
Darcy would not like to think that anything good could come from a brutal attack, but did agree that God could bring blessings out of the darkest evil.
In the meantime, Mrs. Bennet had cornered Elizabeth and demanded to know what was going on. "What were you doing out with Mr. Darcy? And why has he gone in to see your father? Did he propose?" she asked excitedly.
"He did," Elizabeth said in a low voice. "He has gone to ask Papa's permission."
"Oh, Lizzy! I knew how it would be! You could not be so witty and beautiful for nothing! I knew a good man would see how wonderful you are!"
"Thank you, Mama," said Elizabeth, unable to keep from smiling at her mother's praise.
"And don't you worry," Mrs. Bennet's voice dropped to a whisper. "The marriage bed, with a man who loves you, is nothing like what you experienced. There is no need to fret."
Elizabeth had not been fretting about that, since she had not even thought of it yet. Her mother's words encouraged her a bit, but she was still apprehensive about sharing a bed with a man, even if it was Mr. Darcy. She decided to put it out of her mind until another time.
When Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bennet came back into the drawing room, Mr. Bennet made the announcement. "Mr. Darcy has asked my permission to wed Lizzy, and I have given my blessing."
All the Bennet ladies, who were gathered in the drawing room (Mr. Collins had left that morning for Hunsford), exclaimed with joy. Jane came over and hugged her sister. "I am so happy for you, Lizzy," she said.
"Thank you, Jane," she replied. "I hope you may be just as happy as I someday."
Mrs. Bennet was already swept up in wedding preparations. "A summer wedding would be perfect! It will be the grandest wedding Meryton has ever seen!" she cried, apparently forgetting that Mary would be marrying first.
"Mama," Elizabeth interrupted her, "Mr. Darcy and I have decided on a March wedding. He wants to take me on a tour of the Lakes for our wedding trip."
"I am sure you will be able to order anything you need from London," Mr. Darcy told Mrs. Bennet. "Simply order what you need and I will take care of it."
Mrs. Bennet's enthusiasm grew at this pronouncement. "Oh, how kind of you, Mr. Darcy. See, what a generous man you are to marry, Lizzy! March would be the perfect time for a wedding, yes!" She continued on her theme, but Darcy and Elizabeth were able to ignore her, smiling at each other.
Darcy stayed a quarter hour longer, but then decided to return to Netherfield to inform Georgiana of his engagement. He knew his sister would be happy for him; she loved Elizabeth like a sister already.
When he arrived at Netherfield, Charles had already departed on his short trip to town, and Miss Bingley cornered Darcy, demanding that he and the Hursts come with her to London to prevent Bingley from returning to Jane Bennet.
"I am not convinced that Miss Bennet holds any affection for Bingley," Darcy replied. "It could be if he proposes, she will refuse him. Besides, it would be deceptive to depart in such a way."
When Miss Bingley continued her aggravating appeals, he said, "You may do as you wish, Miss Bingley. I certainly have no authority over you or the Hursts. But if you depart Netherfield, Georgiana and I shall move to the Meryton Inn."
"Really, sir! What possible reason could you have to want to remain in such a barbarous place?"
Darcy really could not take any more of her. Without thinking, he said, "I am engaged to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and Georgiana and I are going to remain here through the holidays."
Miss Bingley looked like a gaping fish, her mouth opening and closing. Then, with a lurch, she staggered from the room, calling for her sister.
Darcy did not really regret his impulsiveness. He had wanted to tell Georgiana first, but he could find her now; and at least he had finally put Miss Bingley in her place.
It was after the house had settled that Jane finally found some time alone with Elizabeth.
"I am so happy for you, Lizzy!" she said again. "And I am sure that Mr. Darcy made no issue of your past."
"He did not," said Elizabeth with a smile.
Jane suddenly turned serious. "Did you tell him about Jessica?"
Elizabeth gaped at her sister. "Of course not!"
"Why not?" asked Jane. "I know you have wanted to have Jessica with you on a more permanent basis, and Mr. Darcy is such a good man. I know he would not mind –"
"Jane! A respectable man simply does not take in his wife's bastard child!"
Jane looked at her disapprovingly. "I think you do Mr. Darcy some injustice. He clearly loves you. He would love any part of you, including your child."
"But, how in the world would we explain it?"
"No one need know she is your child, Lizzy. Only you, Mr. Darcy, and I suppose Jessica who must be told. She has been happy at the Tanners, but I know you are her favourite person in the world. Besides, with the new twins born, the Tanners are under a financial strain with so many children. I am sure they would be relieved to have her in better hands."
Lizzy pondered this. "I will think about it, Jane. I suppose it would not hurt to ask Mr. Darcy. Perhaps he will think of some solution that we have not."
Jane beamed at her. "I know he will. He is a very intelligent man, and he loves you. He will do anything to make you happy."