Chapter 7

Georgiana hugged her brother with joy when she heard the news. With shining eyes, she insisted on going to Longbourn that very afternoon to congratulate her soon-to-be-sister. Darcy laughed at her excitement.

"I am certain Mrs. Bennet would not mind our imposing ourselves on them. She will probably even invite us to stay for supper!" he said with a smile.

Darcy's leg was feeing rather sore from all the walking and riding he had done that morning, so they took the carriage back to Longbourn, where they were welcomed with joy and warmth.

Georgiana hugged Elizabeth, and drew her over to a settee where the two could talk about all the things they would do as sisters. Darcy could see Elizabeth hiding a smile at Georgiana's excitement, but she seemed warmly amused.

Darcy had wanted to ask Elizabeth if she would be able to come to London sometime before the wedding, so that she could see Darcy House and make any changes she would wish in the mistress's chambers. He decided to approach Mrs. Bennet about the idea, sure he would receive encouragement.

He was correct. Mrs. Bennet was eager to do whatever he wished. "It would certainly be possible, Mr. Darcy. My brother and sister, the Gardiners, live in London, and Lizzy could stay there. Perhaps Jane might go with her. But you and Miss Darcy must join us for dinner tonight! We would be delighted to have you."

"And we would be glad to accept. Thank you, Mrs. Bennet," replied Darcy.

"I shall just go speak to cook, then," she said, and bustled away.

Darcy reflected with some amusement on Mrs. Bennet. She was certainly not the most proper lady, or the most intelligent, but she had a good heart deep down, he was sure. And she loved her daughters; that was certain. He had been too distracted by Elizabeth to notice her behaviour at the Netherfield Ball, but he knew she had gotten loud at times. He did not think there was any true harm in her. As for her connections to trade, he could easily dismiss those. They made no difference to him. In fact, he looked forward to meeting the Gardiners at Christmas, since Elizabeth had told him so much about them.

He and Georgiana enjoyed a delicious meal at Longbourn before they returned to Netherfield for the night. He was surprised when they arrived, to find that Miss Bingley and the Hursts were gone.

"They left a note for you, sir," said the housekeeper, and handed him a sealed letter.

Darcy opened it and scanned it. It was from Miss Bingley. She and the Hursts had gone to London to try to keep Charles there. They had left Netherfield open for him and Miss Darcy to use while they were there.

Darcy was relieved. It was clear that Miss Bingley had finally had to give up her pretensions towards him. He was not sure if they would be successful in keeping Charles away; but Bingley had never had much fortitude when it came to his sisters.

He could tell that Georgiana too, was relieved. Unfortunately, it left them without a hostess at Netherfield; but he supposed with a smile that Mrs. Bennet would not mind if they visited Longbourn every day.

The next morning he and Georgiana did set out for Longbourn during visiting hours. Darcy's leg was feeling better today after his valet had massaged his foot with oil last night and he had had a good rest. So they took the carriage to the Bennet home and were greeted warmly.

Mrs. Bennet seemed be looking around him for someone. "Mr. Bingley did not come with you?" she asked.

Darcy realized that they had not been informed of the Bingleys' absence. "Mr. Bingley and his sisters went to town. I think Bingley had business there for only a few days, but it is possible they might stay through Christmas time."

Mrs. Bennet looked put out by this news, but Darcy was interested to see a look of relief on Jane Bennet's face. It appeared she did not return Charles's interest, although Mrs. Bennet seemed oblivious of the fact.

Soon enough, Elizabeth suggested a walk, and Mrs. Bennet encouraged Jane to accompany them. So Elizabeth set out on Mr. Darcy's arm, and Jane walked ahead them some paces with Georgiana. The two ladies quickly outstripped the couple, and Darcy and Elizabeth were left for some private speech.

"How are you this morning, my dear Elizabeth?" asked Darcy.

"I am well, Fitzwilliam," she said with a smile. "And you?"

"I am doing very well now that I am with you."

Elizabeth blushed slightly, but he noticed that she seemed a little nervous. "Is something bothering you, my dear?"

"Yes. Rather, I have a request to make of you, Fitzwilliam. Or rather, not a request. I suppose I simply have something to tell you."

She seemed serious, so he drew her over to a bench in the pathway and they sat together. "I hope nothing is wrong with you or your family."

"Oh, no, nothing of that nature. It is only, well…" She floundered for a moment. "I suppose I should tell it from the beginning. After the… attack, it was found that I was with child."

Darcy let in a sharp intake of breath. He had never thought of such an outcome when she had told him of the assault, which just showed his innocence in such matters. Of course she could have fallen with child. Why had he not thought of it?

"How did your family cover up the scandal?" he asked.

"My father has a maiden aunt who lives in Northumberland. It was given about that she had become ill and that I was sent to tend to her in her illness. In truth, I went there for my confinement."

"I see. And what happened to the child? Was it fostered out?"

Tears came to Elizabeth's eyes. "She is living with the Tanner family, some of my father's tenants. He gives them some extra money each year for her upkeep, and they have treated her like their own daughter, but there is a hole in my heart where she should be. I go to visit them every week, and I always ask Mrs. Tanner how she is doing, if they need anything, but it is not the same. I wish I could – but, there has never been a way …"

She trailed off, but Darcy knew what she wanted to say but did not dare to ask him. The answer was perfectly clear to him however. "Well, that is easy to solve. We shall take her with us to Pemberley."

Elizabeth's face reflected hope, but she was clearly still unsure. "But how will we explain her presence?"

"I will take her on as my ward. We can tell her – what is her name?"

"Jessica."

"We can tell Jessica that we are her parents, but no one else need know. Society will no doubt believe that she is my natural child. No one would think she was yours."

"But I could not possibly put such a stain upon your name –" she protested, but he shook his head.

"These things are different for men, as you know, Elizabeth. It is a sad truth, but it is a truth all the same."

She nodded in agreement. "Are you sure about this?" She asked, her eyes shining with hope.

"Absolutely. Jessica should be with her mother. And I shall be her father. I can even provide her with a dowry."

Elizabeth threw her arms around him, and he found that she was shaking with sobs. He held her close to him, knowing that the tears were from happiness and not grief.

"Oh, thank you, Fitzwilliam. Jane told me to trust you, and she was right."

"Jane knows about Jessica?" he asked.

"Yes. Only Jane, Mama and Papa know. None of the others know about the attack. They were too young, and it was not deemed appropriate to tell them." She turned to him with eagerness on her face. "When shall Jessica come to Pemberley?"

"I think first we should hire a nurse, and then Jessica can travel with her nurse to Pemberley while we are on our wedding trip. That way she will be settled in when we return home."

Elizabeth suddenly looked doubtful. "The Tanners have raised her since she was a baby. I am afraid she may be sad to leave the only family she has ever known. Mrs. Tanner just recently gave birth to twins, so I know there is a financial strain on their household, but what if they do not want to let her go? Maybe it would be best to leave her there." Elizabeth looked at him uncertainly.

"Why do we not go to speak with Mrs. Tanner? She would know the answers to your questions."

"Very well. When would you like to go?"

"This afternoon?" suggested Darcy. "Georgiana and Jane get along well. I am sure our sisters would not mind entertaining each other while we are gone."

Elizabeth nodded. "Yes. But first we must speak to Papa about this."

They found Mr. Bennet in his study. He was astounded to hear what Darcy was willing to do, but agreed that it was feasible. He offered to visit the Tanners with them, but Elizabeth said she and Darcy would be fine on their own.

Elizabeth suggested they ride out to the farm, although Darcy was almost certain she always walked. She was once again being sensitive of his infirmity without making a big deal out of it.

He had some trouble mounting the unfamiliar horse; but Elizabeth waited patiently for him, neither staring nor speaking until he was ready to depart.

When they reached the Tanner home, there were three children playing in the yard. They looked up and saw the visitors. "Miss Lizzy! Miss Lizzy!" they cried, racing forward as she dismounted.

Darcy looked at the children carefully. There was a girl of about six with dark hair, a boy of about three with dark hair, and a little girl who looked nothing like her siblings. She was about four, which Darcy estimated would be the age of Elizabeth's child, and she had curly blond hair and bright, vivid green eyes. He was relieved; he had thought that the child might look like Elizabeth, and that would have made her presence in his home more difficult to explain away.

He was introduced to the children one by one, but the older and younger seemed shy, while Jessica came forward with innocent gregariousness to greet him.

"Hello!" she said. "What is your name?"

"Hello, Miss Jessica. I am Mr. Darcy."

"You hurt your foot," she noted.

"I did," he said, hiding his smile.

"What happened to it?"

"An accident, many years ago," he said.

She seemed satisfied with that response, and turned back to Elizabeth to tell her about her day. She was interrupted by Mrs. Tanner's coming to the door, holding a baby. "Miss Elizabeth! How nice to see you!" Then she saw Mr. Darcy and straightened. "Forgive me, sir. I did not see you."

"All is well, Mrs. Tanner," said Lizzy. "This is my fiancé, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy."

Mrs. Tanner's eyes grew wide. "Your fiancé? Well, congratulations are in order then, Miss Elizabeth! Won't you come in for some tea and biscuits?"

Darcy followed Elizabeth inside, and the children came after, clearly enticed by the idea of biscuits. Darcy saw another baby lying in a cradle in the kitchen, and realized how small the house was, and how difficult it must be for the parents to raise five children in it. He knew Mr. Bennet gave them some extra money every year for Jessica's upkeep, but it must be a burden to have so many mouths to feed.

"We have come to speak to you on a private matter, Mrs. Tanner," said Darcy, after they had sat about eating and chatting for a quarter of an hour.

"Of course. I will send the children out to play again. Daniel and Ethan will stay with me."

After both twins were asleep in their cradle, and the children engrossed in a game of marbles in the front yard, Mrs. Tanner looked at them both shrewdly. "I suppose you have come here to talk about Jessica."

"I know you have raised her as your own, Mrs. Tanner," Elizabeth said earnestly. "And I know she loves you and your family. It may be hard to take her away from a family that loves her. Mr. Darcy is willing to take her in as his own, but you must tell me if it would be too much of a hardship for you or Jessica."

Mrs. Tanner let out a breath of relief. "It is true, we do love her, but to be honest it has been hard for us with so many children. Mr. Bennet has been generous, but I also know that Jessica loves you more than anyone else in the world, Miss Elizabeth. If she knew you were her mother, she would be so happy. Besides that, I know that you and Mr. Darcy can give her a much better life than we ever could here. She could have a proper lady's education, maybe have a dowry, make a good match once she is grown."

"That is very true, Mrs. Tanner," said Darcy. "I could and will provide all of those things."

Mrs. Tanner nodded. "That is very generous of you, sir. It is also a fact that she is young enough that the memory of her time with us will fade. She may remember some things when she is older, but not enough to make her sad. She will be so happy to have a real mama."

Elizabeth looked intensely relieved. "In that case, Mrs. Tanner, we were thinking of marrying in early March, then going on a wedding tour for three weeks. We were hoping that we could hire a nurse, and have Jessica travel to Pemberley once we return."

"When do you want to tell her?" asked Mrs. Tanner.

Elizabeth and Darcy shared a look. "Perhaps right before the wedding. That way she will have a couple of weeks to accustom herself to the idea, but not so long that it seems too far in the future," said Darcy.

"What about new clothes?" Mrs. Tanner asked.

Mrs. Tanner was right, Darcy realized. Jessica could not live at Pemberley in the clothing of a tenant's child. "We shall order her a new wardrobe once she reaches Derbyshire. In the meantime, I shall give you a little something to have two nice dresses made, for her to travel in."

"Thank you very kindly, Mr. Darcy."

"I would also like to give you and Mr. Tanner a gift of £50 for your generous and kind care of Jessica over the years."

"That is exceedingly kind of you, Mr. Darcy," said Mrs. Tanner, her eyes filling with grateful tears, "but we only did what anyone else would do, I am sure."

"I am not so sure," said Darcy.

Once they had settled everything, the couple went out to say farewell to the children. Jessica clung to Elizabeth for especially long, entreating her to come back soon. Elizabeth smoothed back the blond hair on her forehead, and Darcy could see the love reflecting in her face. It was a touching scene that he would never forget.