Chapter 20

Elizabeth volunteered to show Mr Darcy to her father's study and, heeding the many warning glares that were sent their way as they left the room together, satisfied herself with a soft kiss to his knuckles before they entered the room where her parents were in heated conversation.

"Here arrives our troublemaking couple," her father said wryly upon their entry.

She blushed and they both apologised simultaneously. Her father proceeded in his upbraiding until they were truly repentant. Even Mr Darcy appeared sheepish and was profuse in his apologising for his rakish behaviour. It took him more confidence than usual to look the older gentleman in his eyes. When he was able, it was to request that they proceed with the logistics surrounding their upcoming nuptials to enable a more rapid conclusion of their happiness, and an end to any rumours that may have been raised by Miss Bingley.

Within the quarter hour, her mother had been calmed down and dispatched to write first to Miss Bingley, and then to share the happy news with their interested parties. It was good to give her something useful to do whilst Mr Bennet and Mr Darcy discussed the particulars of the sum that the latter would settle upon Elizabeth. Her prospective husband was very firm over his assertion that she should be a part of the conversation, for they were to be partners in every sense of the word. Her actions in Ramsgate and then again in Derbyshire had formed between them a most sacred trust, and he was earnest in his high opinion of her intelligence and good sense. He was in a permanent state of anticipation for all of the good fortune he knew she would bring to his ventures and to his side.

Mr Bennet released a small hum in surprise at Mr Darcy's application for Elizabeth's presence but upon recovering, he gently smiled to see the respect his daughter would command in her upcoming marriage. The two shared a small and pleasant conversation as Mr Darcy walked to the front door, where he had left a draft of the settlement papers in his fine travel bag, just in case.

Happy expectations aside, there was a great deal of shock when Mr Darcy returned with the draft settlement papers.

"You cannot possibly settle this much upon me, Fitz- Mr Darcy," she exclaimed, uncomfortable with how little she had to offer in comparison to the very large sum that was written in his elegant hand. The fact that she had saved his name, his sister's reputation, and very likely his life seemed to evade her mind.

"I am more than able to, and I want to," he declared, with no room for opposition, silencing her when she made to object. "Pleasing my wife is a practice I intend to perform regularly." The second was said under his breath and in her direction only.

She blushed at his insinuation. He cursed himself. He had not meant to remind her of the pleasure they had shared the previous day. But now she was blushing so deliciously, it was all he could think of.

Mr Bennet looked straight at the papers and deliberately tuned out the calf eyes his companions were making at each other. He was not a man of the inclination to exert himself in his daughter's overeager behaviour, he would rather attempt to ignore any ardent comments than embark upon an awkward conversation with the two young people.

"I have no objections to your plans, Mr Darcy. Indeed, I am grateful to know that my darling Elizabeth will be so well cared for." He placed a fatherly hand on Mr Darcy's shoulder, which caused the younger man to choke up with emotion. "I could not be persuaded to part with her if that were not the case."

"Papa-" she cried with feeling, and rushed to his side to place a kiss on his cheek. Mr Darcy looked on with bittersweet happiness at the scene they painted. He could tell that she would miss her father a great deal, but it was a sacrifice he was willing for her to make.

"Perhaps we can send for our mutual lawyers, Mr Darcy, to ensure the water-tight nature of your work."

"Mr Smith is available at my command," came the response. Elizabeth admired the way he was in such control of all of his affairs. Such a powerful and influential man, and yet he would happily release it all into her care.

"And, let me be clear with my intentions in this room. I should like to be married before the month is out," Mr Darcy all but demanded in his most stately tone.

"Mrs Bennet had just been to inform me of as much," Mr Bennet said with a wry look to his daughter. "And given what she has shared-" he exerted himself to send a stern and warning look to Mr Darcy, "I think it would indeed be wise to have a short engagement."

"Perhaps we should make for London ourselves to meet with the lawyers. Indeed we may fill two purposes with one fell swoop - I shall also meet with the archbishop and procure a special licence. I do not wish for any impediments to a short engagement."

"A special licence, Mr Darcy?" Elizabeth responded, shocked. "Only if you are sure such a thing will not cause any further speculation on your name and reputation."

"No one who sees us together would think the reason behind such a request to be born from any reason other than our very real affection for each other, my love." He added, almost as an afterthought, "Although, I am known to be expeditious with all of my ventures, which also works to our advantage."

"To London we must go, then," Mr Bennet grumbled. He seemed to consider for a moment, before he huffed and spoke in an undertone, "I wish such a visit were not necessary, for I do so hate town."

Elizabeth soothed her father by suggesting that she accompany them, and visit the Gardiners whilst the men were about their business. Her aunt had promised to take her shopping for her trousseau when she had heard the news in Derbyshire.

"Such a feat, perhaps we should spend the remainder of the week there, and we can make all of the relevant public announcements when we return, at Mr Bingley's ball as we had originally intended," reasoned her father. "Perhaps some distance from Miss Bingley will aid her in recovering from her disappointment."

This was agreed to, and they quickly made arrangements for a meeting of the lawyers on the following afternoon. Mr Darcy wrote to his connections in the clergy to request a visit with the archbishop and, satisfied with his chaste yet honest description of his love for his intended, he showed the woman in question and was gratified to feel a slight pressure from her gentle palm on the small of his back.

When their London planning was complete, they at last proceeded to pull together the text for the announcement to be dispatched to the newspapers upon their return to Longbourn. Once they had done, and with a great deal of Elizabeth's input in the penmanship, they let it sit in silence for a moment.

Elizabeth broke into a dazzling smile, allowing herself to finally believe that their marriage may at last happen as she saw it written clear as day on the piece of parchment nestled in the centre of her father's desk. There, she read;

Mr & Mrs Bennet of Longbourn, Hertfordshire are proud to announce the upcoming nuptials of their daughter, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, who is to be married to Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy, of Pemberley, Derbyshire, within the month.

He returned her happiness wholeheartedly, and permitted the weight to release from his shoulders. Later, he would have the joyous and yet arduous task of sending correspondence to his family and friends. But for now, he simply basked in the truth on the paper, that he would have her as his. And only one month to wait.

~.~

Their trip to London had concluded with great success on all accounts.

The meeting with the lawyers was brief and ended with an agreed-upon marriage settlement. Mr Bennet was certain he would remain in disbelief of his soon-to-be son-in-law's staggering wealth for as long as he were to live. Truly, his daughter would cut a formidable figure from their wedding day onwards. She had such wit, and now would gain the means to truly apply it. He choked on his pride at the thought.

Mr Bennet promised himself that he would see to it that Fanny did not hear of the ten-thousand-a-year figure that covered only his estate in Derbyshire, lest the whole world know. Readily totalling the other investments and smaller properties was almost too much for Mr Bennet to bear, for he knew he had very little to settle on his favourite child. But he took comfort in knowing the consequence such a marriage would bring to his brightest daughter. She would be given access to masters and resources he would have never been able to give her.

Elizabeth had delighted in the chance to see her favourite relations again. Her cousins were overjoyed to see their dear Lizzy, and they spent an hour or so playing in the garden for good measure. Her aunt managed to find a quiet moment of solitude to respond to her written request for information about the marriage bed, which was a great deal more reassuring - and educational - than her brief torture with her mother had been.

Having seen the way Elizabeth and Mr Darcy looked at each other during their stay at Pemberley, Mrs Gardiner gave herself the slightly improper task of purchasing a wedding gift for their attentive Derbyshire host, and for her niece. In so doing, she promised to take her to more than one dressmaker in the afternoon, including one who specialised in silken corsetry, nightwear and rather daring lingerie. Mr Darcy would not know who to thank, but it pleased her to know that Elizabeth would be happy in her marriage bed. For his sake, there were some advantages to having some relations who were not as constrained by traditional expectations as the landed gentry. Elizabeth had been wholly scandalised at first, but upon feeling the array of sensual fabrics on her skin, she had acquiesced. And then she thought about what he would think of her body displayed in such a provocative manner, and found herself rather at a loss for words.

The remainder of her shopping trip with her aunt was fairly brief, but enjoyable. Georgiana had made some wonderful sketches for the modiste, designing a whole wardrobe full of fashionable frocks that would befit her sister's new title. She felt quite beautiful in the fine dresses in their fashionable styles and elegant materials. She had at first questioned Mr Darcy's demand to cover the costs of the entire new wardrobe, but then he had told her that the new dresses were mostly for his benefit, for he could not wait to see her figure complimented by the cut of the fabric here and the way her neckline would dip there. She did not protest at all after that.

Mr Darcy had managed to secure the special licence, and took a great deal of pleasure in accepting hearty congratulations from his friends at his club. There had been a great deal of shock when he first shared his happy news, for most had assumed that the proud Mr Darcy would find his bride within the heaving crowds of the ton. That he had stumbled upon a woman for whom he was so evidently besotted with, and chosen her from relative obscurity, was a surprise to them all. But upon seeing a small likeness of her, a gift that Georgiana had painted for him which resided in his breast pocket, many of the gentlemen understood at least part of the reason why he had so chosen.

~.~

On the second day of their stay, they managed to visit Mr Darcy's Uncle Edward Fitzwilliam, the Earl of Matlock, at his townhouse on -street to announce the happy news. The Lady Eleanor and their second son, his cousin Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam were also in residence. The news of Mr Darcy and Elizabeth's engagement was met with a mix of cautious speculation, delighted happiness, and warm anticipation respectively. All three were extremely curious to meet the "jewel of a woman" who had so clearly captured the heart of their relative.

His uncle did pull him aside for a conversation on rank and social standing - for he had not heard of the woman in question in any of his circles. But he soon relented when given a promise from his nephew that he could meet Elizabeth as readily as he wished. Having understood that the special license had been procured and that the announcements to their relations were very much in motion, Lord Fitzwilliam recognised the unpleasantness that would follow an outright rejection, and instead decided to reserve his full judgement until he had managed to get a sense of the woman in question and what she could bring to such a union.

And in spite of considerable nervousness, Elizabeth made a wonderful impression when Mr Darcy returned with her and her father the following morning. She withstood all of their lines of inquiry with grace and aplomb. Their mutual affection was so clear in their demeanour that they - his closest family aside from Georgiana - sensed that she would bring a great deal to the upcoming marriage. For she would bring him out of himself, indeed they could tell that she already had. Yes, she would help to recover him from the place he had receded into upon the loss of his parents. His demeanour was so altered from when they had seen him last, before he had rushed to Ramsgate. And they were delighted to see him becoming more of himself again.

Mr Bennet enjoyed watching his favourite child triumph in such esteemed company. Pride was the foremost of his feelings as she commanded the attention of the room. And for her command, she was not at all conceited. She held herself with such poise, grace and warmth that her companions all felt drawn to her conversation.

When Mr Darcy had applied for her presence with his uncle, Elizabeth had mentioned her desire to become acquainted with his cousin. She was delighted to find the colonel in residence when they arrived to the Matlock's parlour. A short while after the party broke into two over tea, Elizabeth and Darcy found themselves engaged in conversation with young Richard, the closest relation Mr Darcy had to a brother.

Mr Bennet was soon engaged in a lively conversation with the Earl, who was a talented debater for all of his unpretentious wealth and experience in the world.

About three minutes into this conversational arrangement, the Lord and Lady Fitzwilliam heard a sound they had once committed to the history books. Their nephew, the sombre Mr Darcy, unleashed a guttural laugh, which was accompanied somewhat harmoniously by the quieter chuckles of Elizabeth and Richard.

"-do I require any heroic services?" Richard had laughed. "Now let me think…"

"Please do make it something faintly realistic, Colonel. I have a very high success rate where concerns my heroic services are concerned and I should like it to remain so."

Mr Darcy had laughed loudly at her playfulness, and in so doing captured the attention of the party. Richard spoke his next words in a low enough voice that they would not be widely overheard, or perhaps he was merely worried that his cousin would not take too kindly to them.

"And there I was, about to ask if you would pose as an interested party for my next conference with our aunt, the Lady Catherine de Bourgh. In so doing, you would shield me from her ridiculousness and her flagrant attempts to matchmake her daughter with any one of her cousins."

"That, I am heartbroken to inform you, is the one heroic service I am not able to provide," she smiled, placing a restraining hand on her fiancé's arm, sensing his unfounded jealousy.

The colonel was happy to have gotten a rise out of his cousin, and did not push the matter any further.

"Perhaps when you are married, the two of you could join me in visiting Lady Catherine at Rosings Park, and you may use your feminine wiles to protect me from her outbursts, Miss Elizabeth."

"I would defer to my husband when the time came, but if our visits should happen to coincide, you will find a happy ally in your crusade against forced marriage. For I do not wish anyone into an unhappy partnership."

Mr Darcy smiled like a cat with a lavish plate of cream. She truly was a jewel of a woman, and he could not wait to parade her around as such. One glance at Richard, and he could see that his jealousy was not entirely unfounded, for his cousin appeared to admire Elizabeth a great deal. From even a half hour conversation, he had seen the true and enchanting measure of the woman. Mr Darcy could not blame the man, but he was glad to have the knowledge of her hearty promise to be his, lest he worry about Richard stealing her from him.

He was incredibly touched that his relations made such an effort with both Elizabeth and her father, and knew that their acceptance of her would soften any shock, surprise, and rumour-gathering that would have otherwise been rife. His uncle spoke with such influence that very few would directly oppose him and so he had great confidence that when the time came, she would be announced and accepted as a true Darcy. He could not wait for the day.