Author's Note: We have made it to Longbourn, and Mrs B and Jane are as terrible as you feared. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Also, in response to a few comments: kidnapping had not even crossed my mind as a plot device; I had always intended for Wickham to make an appearance, although what I will do with him is still somewhat fluid. I had an idea when I started for him, but it has altered somewhat as I have been writing. I confess I prefer writing (and reading) low angst stories where ODC come together early and face problems together, so I anticipate this going in that same direction. I also realise the improbability of extinguishing hundreds (thousands) of candles, or even gas lights if those were present in theatres in those days, but I like the idea of the darkened theatre to allow our couple to take a few liberties. Please, continue to let me know what you think!


Chapter 14

Two days after the ball, the newlyweds departed their cosy little home and headed on their way toward Longbourn. They had spoken with the Gardiners the day after the ball about the possibility of aiding the tenants, and Mr Gardiner had thought arranging for the steward to have access to the £100 that Elizabeth was owed by her father was a great way of ensuring their care while requiring her father to sacrifice something on their behalf.

Mary was also well settled in Elizabeth's old bedroom at the Gardiners and had brought with her papers granting her guardianship to their uncle. This pleased both girls as it could not be rescinded, and Mary would not have the care of attentive parents, as well as access to masters and tutors. Mary and Georgiana had gotten along well at the ball, and the two had arranged between them to share masters in some areas to further the friendship. Mary was sixteen, almost three years older than Georgiana, but they still had much in common, including a love of music.

Elizabeth had also discussed with her aunt and uncle the letters she had received from Longbourn. It would be difficult, she knew, to extricate them from her parent's drawing room when her mother was insistent on their staying, but Fitzwilliam and Gardiner discussed it in greater detail without the ladies to assure their departure could be arranged without any difficulties.

It was with these discussions in mind that the couple departed in their new carriage, a wedding gift from the Gardiners. The carriage was very comfortable and large enough that it was comfortable for Fitzwilliam. He was rather tall, and Gardiner had noticed that his legs were frequently folded in such a way as he was surely uncomfortable when he rode in most. Therefore, nearly as soon as the two had met, he had commissioned a carriage with a longer-than-normal body to allow Fitzwilliam to ride in greater comfort. This was much appreciated as much of the next month and a half would be spent travelling in a carriage.

Just before noon, the carriage arrived at Longbourn, and per Fitzwilliam's instructions, the horses remained in their traces, and their footman and carriage driver would not allow any luggage to be unloaded. This was perhaps not ideal, but the horses were allowed to rest while the couple visited Elizabeth's family, and they could not be coerced into staying longer than intended.

The Bennet family greeted the newcomers on the front step. Mr Bennet did greet his daughter warmly, and Kitty and Lydia seemed pleased to see her, although were mostly concerned with what gifts she had brought them. Neither Mrs Bennet nor Jane seemed particularly pleased to see Elizabeth and were nearly aghast to see the fine carriage she arrived in. They were even more displeased when they saw the handsome man who descended from the carriage and helped out an elegant and well-dressed Elizabeth.

Finally, after a rather pointed glance from Fitzwilliam, those two ladies greeted their daughter and sister with stilted congratulations on her marriage and asked for an introduction to "the gentleman who accompanied her."

Elizabeth nearly laughed at their words since the lack of a chaperone should have indicated that said gentleman was her husband if nothing else, but she did perform the introductions. "Family, I would like to introduce you to my husband, Mr Fitzwilliam Darcy. Mr Darcy, my parents, Mr and Mrs Bennet, my elder sister Jane, and my youngest sisters Catherine and Lydia." Bows and curtseys were exchanged, and then Mr Bennet indicated they should move indoors.

"But Lizzy, why is your carriage not being unloaded," Mrs Bennet cried as they turned to enter the house. "I told you in my letter that you must stay at least a sennight, although I would not complain if you stayed longer. There are entertainments planned for several nights in the next few days, quite in your honour, and you cannot leave."

"Mama, I told you and Papa both in my first letter that we could only visit for a few hours. Mr Darcy has appointments in the North that do not allow us to stay any longer than this afternoon," Elizabeth said. "I did not receive your letter until yesterday and was unable to reply further. I am sorry to disappoint you, and I apologise that you made plans on our behalf, but we cannot stay."

"But Lizzy, I told you …" she cried again and was quickly cut off by Mr Darcy.

"Madam, my wife informed you of our schedule, and you no longer have the right to place any demands on my wife. Our plans are fixed, and we cannot alter them," he stated.

His rather direct manner caused her to falter, and she did not speak again until they were settled in the front sitting room. "Now, Mr Darcy, tell us about yourself. You are a barrister?" Mrs Bennet inquired. "Do you earn a good living in such a profession? My brother Phillips is a solicitor, and he makes enough so that he and my sister live well enough, I suppose, although they have rather small rooms. But you are a barrister, not a solicitor, so surely you can afford a much better situation."

Fitzwilliam was rather taken aback at the barrage of words on such a highly inappropriate topic as his income. Elizabeth stepped into the breach. "We will live well enough, Mama; there is no need for you to worry about me. Mr Darcy's uncle has a small house in town that he will let us use, and it is quite comfortable." She had no intention of letting her mother know exactly who her husband's uncle was just yet or that the house was located in Mayfair, not far from Grosvenor Square.

"Oh, well, that was nice of him," Mrs Bennet replied. "Do you hope to purchase it someday?"

"It is unlikely, Mrs Bennet, as my uncle will doubtless leave that house to his second son. We do hope to purchase one of our own soon," Fitzwilliam stated. The couple were sitting next to each other on a sofa and had their hands tightly gripping each other's and hidden within Elizabeth's voluminous skirts. Fitzwilliam was already struggling to control her temper while Elizabeth was trying desperately not to show her mortification.

Mr Bennet seemed to see a bit of this and attempted to redirect the conversation. "What business takes you to the north?" he inquired.

"My uncle has some business he asked me to look in on, which requires our immediate attention, but this is also our wedding trip," Fitzwilliam explained. "My family owns a small cottage in the Lake District, and once this business with my uncle is done, we will travel there for a month."

"A cottage?" Jane cooed. "How quaint. Lizzy, you have always wanted to visit the Lakes, and it is so good of your husband to indulge you in this." A hint of bitterness crept into her voice as she continued. "I confess, I had expected an entirely different sort of man when you first mentioned a suitor. I am rather surprised that you managed to capture your husband's attention. Do you have other news for us, my dear Lizzy? Will you make our parents grandparents in eight months or less?"

The room was silent for a moment. Elizabeth's face turned white in mortification, while Fitzwilliam's was nearly purple in rage. Bennet also looked angry, but at Fitzwilliam, not Jane, while Kitty and Lydia giggled. Mrs Bennet appeared faint, and it was her cry that broke the dam of tension within the room.

Fitzwilliam stood and began to protest the accusation, while Bennet rose to attract his new son for taking advantage of his daughter. Mrs Bennet began to call for her salts while Elizabeth attempted to ensure her husband and father did not come to blows. Jane serenely watched the chaos around her and revelled in spoiling her sister's homecoming.

Charlotte Lucas, a good friend to Elizabeth despite their differences in age, was announced into the room at this moment. That lady took a good look at the primary actors in the room and quickly deduced that Jane had done something to cause this ruckus. Raising her voice, she managed to quiet the room while Mrs Hill hovered behind her.

"Welcome, Eliza," she said when she could be heard. "And congratulations on your marriage. This gentleman must be Mr Darcy?"

Elizabeth nodded and performed the introduction, and then addressed the room.

"You should all know that Jane's supposition is entirely wrong," she stated. "There was no impropriety that led to my marriage, nor did I 'capture' my husband in any nefarious way. We met at my uncle's house shortly after I arrived in London. We courted, which I told you in my letters, and fell in love. We did marry quickly, but that was because it was convenient due to my husband having business in the north, and he did not want to leave me behind. Charlotte, I apologise that you walked into such a scene, but I hope you will speak the truth should anyone else seek to darken my reputation by spreading lies after we depart."

"Of course, Eliza, and even had I not heard this during this visit, I knew it from your letters. It was obvious in those that this was a love match, and that fact is clearly written on both of your faces. Love has made you even more beautiful," Charlotte said. The two ladies hugged, and Charlotte whispered an invitation for them to visit Lucas Lodge before they left the area.

"I doubt my husband will be willing to remain at Longbourn much longer after this," Elizabeth whispered back."I cannot promise, but we will try."

Charlotte nodded her acknowledgement and then addressed the entire group again. "I did not mean to intrude on Eliza's homecoming as I know it must, by necessity, be brief. I look forward to continuing to recover your letters, my friend, and I wish you every happiness in your marriage."

After those words, Charlotte made her way from the house, leaving its occupants sitting and staring at the visiting Darcys. Fitzwilliam was still struggling to control his anger at his wife's mother and sister. Seeing this, Elizabeth rose, and her husband rose with her. "Papa, Mama, it was pleasant to see you for a few minutes, but it is painfully obvious that we are unwelcome here. I hesitated to even bother given the letters I received from my mother and elder sister since Jane had mentioned these thoughts in her letter offering her insincere congratulations on my marriage. I am still amazed that my sister can make such allegations about me, and I can only hope that she had not allowed her bitterness that I have married to allow her to share such thoughts in Meryton. Of course, when no babe arrives in eight months, it will be obvious it was a lie. However, it would still stain our reputations somewhat, especially were these suppositions to make their way to London."

Mr Bennet stared at his daughter, answering after a moment's reflection. "As this is the first I am hearing these allegations, I would hope that they have not been spread beyond our drawing room. I will do my best to counter any rumours that have been mentioned if I hear them," he said diffidently.

"How will you do that, Papa, when you rarely leave your study?" Elizabeth countered, still upset at the callous treatment from her family. "What motivation does Jane or even Mama have to keep quiet about this? I am fortunate that it was Charlotte who visited, as I know she will not speak of what she heard her, but what of the servants who may have heard Mama and Jane spouting this nonsense? What will keep Kitty or Lydia from sharing what they have heard with the neighbours?"

"Young lady," Mr Bennet began, drawing himself up in indignation at being addressed so by his daughter, "who do you think you are to speak to me in such a way."

"I am Mrs Darcy, sir, and I will not allow my husband's name to be slandered and dragged through the mud by thoughtless speculation," she retorted before taking her husband's hand and began to lead him toward the door. "By the way, now that I am married, I am entitled to receive £100 per annum for your lifetime. Please ensure that my husband received these funds each quarter. You can forward them to Mr Gardiner when you send Mary's portion to her."

Mr Bennet sputtered in his anger at being reminded of his obligation to his daughters, having already begun to make plans to use those funds for his own purposes. He had his eye on some books the bookseller in St Albans had managed to acquire but needed the funds from both Elizabeth's and Mary's portions to purchase them. To learn that they were expected was a great disappointment to him. He wondered how he could avoid having to send the funds but thought that since his new son-in-law was a barrister, Darcy could make things difficult were he not to do as required.

While Charlotte had been in the room, Mrs Bennet had not visibly reacted to anything that had been said, but as soon as she realised that her daughter and son were leaving, she immediately rose to her feet. "You cannot leave, Lizzy," she yelled at the couple's backs. "You must say so I may take you around. Your aunt has planned several teas and things so that we might introduce your husband to the neighbourhood."

Elizabeth turned from where she stood by the front door. She and her husband had already been handed their outerwear by a servant and were preparing to leave the house. "We have both told you we cannot stay in the neighbourhood, Mama. And why would we stay where we are so clearly not wanted? You only want to parade me around to your friends, and neither of us desires such treatment. Perhaps we can come again after our wedding trip and could stay long enough for one evening entertainment, but I cannot be certain. My husband's mother may have plans for us by then, as I know she hopes we return before the Season is over. Of course, our return hinges on the business my husband has in the north."

"What is this mysterious business that prevents your remaining here?" Mrs Bennet probed. "You keep saying 'business' like it is something important, and I do not see anything more important than your visiting your family, especially when you were so unkind as to marry from London. I was not given any of the privileges I should have had as the mother-of-the-brides, as I was not even informed about the wedding until it had occurred." Her voice became increasingly petulant as she spoke and rose in volume.

"Madam, you were not included in the plans as you laughed at the very thought of my having a suitor. When I wrote to tell you that I was being courted, you failed to even respond to such news, and my sisters told me of the frequent comments you made that it could not last as I had little to attract or keep a man's attention. I wrote you several times when I first went to London, and you never responded to a single letter until I sent the letter announcing my marriage. Then you wrote, but only to complain that I did not allow you to plan the event or to help me with my trousseau, and then to insist that we change our plans entirely to suit yours. You have little concern for me except for when you can show me off now that I am married. Do you see anything wrong with the clothing my mother-in-law or aunt helped me to obtain? Have you ever known Aunt Gardiner to steer me wrong when you sent me to her to obtain clothing, as you did not want the bother of arguing with me about clothes? Yes, Mama, I have heard and seen those words you have written in the past. I know that you regularly sent me to London to get me out of your sight when you were angry with me. I know how you banished me to the dower house to stay with my grandmother for the first six years of my life and how frequently I stayed all day with Grandmama to avoid your anger at me for some reason or another. Forgive me if I do not wish to subject myself to your insincere crowing over having a married daughter, especially when that daughter is the one you have always proclaimed as your least favourite."

"Well, I never," the matron exclaimed, sitting down heavily in the chair in the hall and calling for the housekeeper to bring her the smelling salts.

"Exactly, Mama, you never," Elizabeth retorted before stepping out of the open door.

"While my wife said she may be willing to return as a favour to you, her mother, who she honours simply because you bear that title, I owe you no such respect. I doubt we will return to Meryton at all, and I can guarantee you we will never spend a night in this house when my wife is treated this way," Darcy added. "Thus far, my wife has chosen not to reveal all to you, but I will so you might know exactly what your daughter has gained and recognize what you will never benefit from. We are travelling north to investigate two estates, one of which will become ours, as a part of a legacy from my grandfather, the former Earl of Matlock. My mother, Lady Anne Darcy, has been far more of a mother to my wife in the month since they met than you have ever been. If I have my way, we will never cross the threshold of this house again, but because my wife is such a kind and forgiving woman, I doubt I will be able to convince her of that. We may, therefore, return for a visit, but I will not relent on my decision to never sleep in this house. And I would not expect that my wife will ever issue an invitation for you to visit us at our home."

Mrs Bennet affected a slump, but it was evident from the flush on her cheeks that she was angry, not faint, so Darcy ignored her and followed his wife out the door and into their waiting carriage.