As George Darcy was making his way through Hyde Park he spied his niece, Anne Neeley neé De Bourgh, walking in front of him. She was with her husband Julian, second son of the Earl of Milland. He lengthened his stride in hopes of catching up with the couple. Though he had sent his felicitations, along with his regrets for missing the wedding, he had not yet had the opportunity to congratulate them in person.
He was soon upon them, for their pace had slowed as Mrs. Neely appeared to be reading a letter. Just as he opened his mouth to hail them, he heard her squeal in a most unladylike manner. He was stopped in his tracks by her words.
Oh, how wonderful! William is courting a young lady, a Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Why, her father's estate neighbors Netherfield Park. Is that not splendid?" She continued to read as Mr. Darcy dropped back a bit so his presence would not be felt, but not so much to be unable to hear what else Anne had to say. "Miss Bennet sounds perfect for William."
She offered the letter to her husband, who took it reluctantly. Lady Catherine's letters were bold and nosy and 'helpful', and she did not take into account that her daughter might share her letters with her new husband. After a missive filled with 'tips' for conceiving an heir, Neeley henceforth decided Anne could inform him if there was anything he needed to know.
"Good for Darcy," Neeley said as he scanned the letter. "It sounds like Lady Catherine approves. To impress Darcy and your mother is quite a feat. I wish him luck."
"Perhaps our wedding inspired him. William has always been so focused on other things that he has barely glanced at a woman. I shall credit our happiness in encouraging him to finally pursue matrimony."
"If it pleases you to think so, I am sure Darcy will not begrudge you that flight of fancy. Your mother seems quite confident that a proposal is only a matter of time. This letter was written two weeks ago, before our return from Ireland. Did you receive any other letters from your mother?"
"There are always more letters from my mother, but I have only made my way through the first few dozen since we have been home. She must have written every day we were on our wedding trip. I shall go straight to the last one once we return to the house."
Bennet, Mr. Darcy had heard that name before. It took a moment, but he finally recalled William mentioning the name to that mill owner, Bingley. Mr. Darcy cursed his inattentiveness during his conversation with his son before it came back in a rush. 'Good luck with your Miss Bennet,' William had said. To which Mr. Bingley replied, 'Good luck with yours.' Then he remembered…Gracechurch Street. Egad! At least her father had an estate.
His concentration was such he missed that Anne and Neeley had turned the conversation to the planned renovations to the De Bourgh townhouse. He no longer wished to speak to anyone and changed course as soon as he could, heading for his own home to pack. With luck he could be in Hertfordshire before dark. Anne may go to her letters, but he would go straight to the source.
~~PoR~~
Unaware they would soon have an unexpected guest, the Darcys were playing host to Elizabeth and her parents at Netherfield Park. The families were frequently together these last few weeks. Mrs. Bennet had conceded defeat but while she was no longer actively trying to shift William's interest to Jane, she barely rejoiced in Elizabeth's happiness.
Lady Catherine found she had greater patience with Mrs. Bennet than the other members of the household. Part of that was the enjoyment she took in poking at the mistress of Longbourn's odd discontent with Elizabeth's relationship. Lady Catherine made it a point to rave about how well the courtship was progressing. On that afternoon, she observed Mrs. Bennet as she watched the courting couple from the sitting room windows as they aimlessly wandered the gardens. If Lady Catherine were more sentimental, she might have deemed the other lady's expression as wistful.
It was just before tea when the housekeeper interrupted, "Mr. George Darcy is here. He would like to speak with Lady Anne and Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy.'
"Please show him in, Mrs. Nichols," Lady Anne said. She only just managed to keep a sigh from escaping.
"I knew we would be graced with his sorry presence sooner or later," Lady Catherine remarked. "I wrote Anne of William's courtship, and she has not an ounce of discretion."
"Yes, Anne is the indiscreet one, as opposed to her dear mother who shared the information in the first place."
"I am never indiscreet; I was simply sharing exciting news amongst family."
"Of course, how could I think otherwise." Lady Anne and the others remained silent until Mrs. Nichols returned with their guest.
"Anne, news of most alarming nature has reached me." Mr. Darcy stopped short when he noticed there were others in the room. He had expected to see only his wife and son, perhaps his daughter if he was lucky, but luck was not with him that day. "May I speak to you alone? I must speak with William as well."
"George, allow me to introduce my guests." He suffered through introductions and his annoyance grew when he realized who those guests were. He tried to take measure of the Bennets and saw naught that impressed him. They were obviously not of the first circles, with little fashion or charm. He did not bother to disguise his displeasure. He believed their daughter would be no different. However, Elizabeth Bennet was not present nor was his son. He assumed this was not a coincidence.
"I must speak with William," he repeated.
"William is currently occupied," Lady Anne nodded toward garden beyond the windows. Mr. Darcy studied the young couple for a moment.
"That is Miss Bennet, I suppose." Mr. Darcy spoke more to himself than the others in the room. He continued to look upon the garden well after he lost sight of them as they made their way back to the house. "She is tolerable I suppose, hopefully she possesses some modicum of wit-"
Those assembled in the room raised their objections in an instant. However, Mrs. Bennet's voice rang out the loudest as she gasped in outrage, "Tolerable? TOLERABLE? HOW DARE YOU, SIR? There are but few in the county who surpass my Lizzy in beauty. But make no mistake about it, there are none who rival her in intelligence, understanding, good-humor, and just plain common sense. Why, I find myself quite jealous of all the fine attributes she possesses."
"Mama?" Elizabeth stood in the doorway with William, their faces still pink from the brisk air. She was stunned by her mother's words. William was equally surprised, but he wondered what precipitated such a declaration. Seconds later he registered his father's presence.
"Father, I had not thought to see you again so soon. To what do we own this pleasure?" The indifference in his son's tone only served to anger Mr. Darcy.
"We have much to discuss, William. Alone. Surely, you understand that."
"Any discussion will no doubt include an apology for whatever you said before we entered the room. It is only fitting that those you offended hear it directly from you."
"I have said nothing for which I must apologize. I merely stated an opinion."
"I presume it was an unpopular opinion based on the uproar we walked into," William looked at Elizabeth and mouthed an apology of his own. He hated that she would have to encounter his father in such a manner. He also hoped his cold way of handling his father did not influence her to end their courtship. Ana had once told him his icy demeanor was scary.
"He had the nerve to call my Lizzy tolerable. Any one with half a brain can see what he cannot." Mrs. Bennet said indignantly.
"My dear Mrs. Bennet, how perceptive you are. On such a short acquaintance you have discovered one of my brother's greatest failings," Lady Catherine praised Mrs. Bennet. "He often cannot see what is before him."
"Tolerable? You dare to call this lovely woman tolerable?" William clenched his fists as he stepped toward his father.
"That is just what I said," Mrs. Bennet nodded emphatically.
Elizabeth stepped in front of William to stop him from advancing toward his father. "I thank you for your defense, but it is not needed for I do not give his words any credence. He is nothing to me."
"Miss Bennet, you cannot expect me to stand by when my father insults you. I respected your wish to address the challenges within your own family, I ask that you do the same for me."
Mr. Darcy was not pleased to be called nothing by this country miss, nor was he pleased that William openly opposed him in front of the Bennets. "William, you need to calm down. My interest in your courtship should come as no surprise to you. I only want what is best for you."
William scoffed and shared a look with his mother that expressed both disbelief and astonishment.
"I do. I know I have given you little reason to trust me but decisions about your courtship and marriage are not yours alone to make. I am entitled-"
"Yes, you are, and it is not becoming," Elizabeth interrupted. "Your family are not pawns in a game for you to move around as you see fit." She had not intended to address Mr. Darcy as she wished to adhere to William's earlier request but sometimes her emotions got the best of her.
"You are a very rude young lady." Mr. Darcy did not appreciate Elizabeth interfering with his role as head of the Darcy family.
"Oh, good, you recognized that. It is my understanding that you are quite blind to the behavior of others. We shall consider that a triumph of sorts."
"Do you think it wise to antagonize me? Do you know who I am?"
"I am well aware of who you are and that is why as much as I wish to laugh at your arrogance, I fear tears will win out. I do not understand you. Considering your son's misery never bothered you, it seems incomprehensible that his happiness does."
"If you think I will allow my heir to involve himself with a harridan such as yourself, you are greatly mistaken."
"You are so many different kinds of fool it is quite amazing that your mortal frame can house them all." Elizabeth turned her back on Mr. Darcy, dismissing him handily. In truth, she was a bit overcome by her brazenness. It was not her habit to speak to an acquaintance so disrespectfully.
"Excellent turn of phrase, Miss Bennet. I look forward to using it liberally in conversation." Lady Catherine's cackled, her admiration for Elizabeth having grown exponentially over the last few minutes.
"George, you will stop this." Lady Anne took charge. She would not let her husband jeopardize her son's future. "William is his own man. He does not answer to you. And he certainly does not need your blessing to court Miss Bennet. I am afraid you have wasted a journey, coming here in this manner. You should leave."
"Nonsense, this is between William and me. And I will have my say."
His son did not appear inclined to speak to him. He was gazing at Elizabeth with emotion shining in his eyes. "Elizabeth, you are magnificent. I love you." Ignoring those around him, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her with everything he was feeling. He would have been happy to let the kiss linger but an amused 'ahem' reminded him of his surroundings.
"Young man, I believe you and I will need to have a conversation as well," Mr. Bennet chuckled.
William looked at Elizabeth. She was completely still, her eyes closed. She smiled shyly before capturing her lower lip with her teeth.
"Welcome to the family, Elizabeth." Lady Catherine said pointedly, smirking at Mr. Darcy. "The Fitzwilliams are a good lot. I am sure you will like us all."
"No, this is not happening. I am certain we can rely on the discretion of everyone in this room. What happened need not be known by anyone else. There is no need to act rashly."
"Oh dear, you forgot who you were talking to George. For I love nothing more than sharing exciting news amongst family." Lady Catherine could not remember when she last spent such a delightful afternoon in the presence of George Darcy.
