A/N - this has been updated to correct grammar and spelling - a big thanks to my beta reader Ann ( goclimbatree), who has begun reading through and helping me fix errors and ensure clarity.

Let me know if you continue to see any issues. This story will be published on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited at some point once it is finished (August?).


Chapter 6

The day of waiting progressed slowly for the three ladies, despite their various pursuits. It was nearly four when Lord Matlock returned from this club as the ladies gathered in the drawing room for tea. Elizabeth was aware that William and Colonel Fitzwilliam should be arriving at any time, and her anxiety was such that she was unable to eat much. What she needed, she knew, was a long, solitary walk outside, but that was impossible to achieve in London. An hour passed in easy conversation when the door opened, and, to their surprise, Colonel Fitzwilliam entered alone. Elizabeth paled, but she noted the Colonel's broad grin and attempted to calm her nerves.

"Pray, Richard, may I inquire about the outcome of your errand?" Lady Matlock inquired.

"I had no errand; I just accompanied my cousin on a long ride. He stopped at his house to bathe and change for dinner and will be here shortly," Richard said, a teasing glint in his eye. "Miss Bennet, I sat for an hour with your mother and your three younger sisters. We had a rather interesting chat about militia officers and, strangely enough, their pay and what they can afford."

Elizabeth coloured slightly before she regained her composure and said bravely, "I hope it was a successful conversation, and my youngest sisters are now less enamoured of the militia."

"Yes, I believe they are less inclined toward the militia officers now. Certainly, they are less interested in one militia officer in particular, especially with the gossip now abounding throughout Meryton," Richard said, raising one eyebrow meaningfully at Elizabeth. She drew in a deep breath and nodded her thanks.

The bell rang to signal that it was time to dress for dinner, and Elizabeth hurried to her room, where the maid assisted her with the dress she had pressed earlier. It was the best dress she had brought on this trip, although still not fine enough for dinner in the home of an Earl. With a sigh, she allowed the maid to fix her hair in a far more elaborate fashion than she usually wore.

She was the first to arrive in the drawing room, hoping Darcy would arrive soon. He was walked in a few minutes later, clearly tired from the hours in the saddle but clean and dressed for dinner. As soon as Darcy saw her, he smiled broadly as he strode to her, embracing her tightly before pressing a quick kiss to her lips.

"How did your interview with my father go?" she asked, wondering if his effusive greeting was due to his missing her or to a difficult meeting.

"Better than I expected, actually," was his answer. "I have a note for you from your father, who was frankly shocked at my arrival. He is very angry with my aunt and his cousin but appreciative of the steps I took for your protection. He has granted his approval for our marriage. In fact, he seemed rather relieved by it."

She squeezed him tightly. "I am so glad, William," she told him, pulling back slightly to look up at his face. "What did he say about my staying with your aunt for a time?"

"He wrote you about that," he said, frowning slightly. "He would not give me a direct answer but said he would answer in this letter. I am very hopeful you would be able to stay for a time, as it will be more difficult to see you if you are not in London."

"Speaking of your aunt, she is anxious to start planning our wedding," Elizabeth told him. "I insisted we wait to make any decisions until you returned and could be a part of the discussion, especially in regard to the when and where."

"I would not care for a grand society wedding, so I would prefer to marry in Hertfordshire unless I can convince you to marry from Pemberley. I would prefer a short engagement but will be content with a wedding date any time from tomorrow to three months hence," he smiled as he said the last, although privately preferring something far sooner.

"I told your aunt I preferred to give my mother a shorter engagement period so she would have less time to make elaborate plans. She suggested we marry in six weeks; we could stay in London for three and return to Hertfordshire for the last three to finalise the arrangements there," Elizabeth told him. "She would like to hold a ball to celebrate our engagement before we leave London."

Darcy nodded. "I will make inquiries for something I can lease in Hertfordshire for a month or so before the wedding. I do not relish the idea of staying in an inn for several weeks, and my aunt and uncle will certainly want to attend. I am uncertain Longbourn is large enough to house all my relations and yours."

"My uncle Phillips may know of some homes to lease in the area," Elizabeth suggested. "Did my father say when he intended to inform my mother about our engagement?"

"I hope the answers to your questions are in his note to you," he replied, releasing her before taking a note from his pocket and handing it to her. He escorted her to a sofa and sat down beside her. She opened the note, read it through quickly once, and then read it again. "Are you aware of what he wrote in this?" she asked after a moment.

"No. He gave his consent for our marriage and said he would give you more information in his letter. Why?" he asked. Her response was to hand the note to him. Darcy took it, looking her in the eye to ensure she wanted him to read the note from her father and then began to read. What it contained surprised him.

Her father's note told them to go ahead and marry as quickly as they wished and not return to Longbourn right away. He provided no explanation but wrote that it was best she did not return home unmarried. "Do you think that Mr Collins or Lady Catherine has had something to do with this?" she asked. "Could they have done anything that would make this necessary? Is it possible news spread so quickly to Meryton? But my mother was not aware of anything, according to Colonel Fitzwilliam."

"I do not know, Elizabeth," he said as he embraced her tightly again. A moment later, he released her as the rest of his family began to enter the room.

"Was your errand successful, William? Richard refused to say," Lady Matlock said, giving her son an annoyed glance.

He smiled then and, at Elizabeth's nod, handed the note to his aunt. "He granted his permission for us to marry." His smile faded briefly as he continued. "Although he suggests we marry immediately, and Elizabeth should not return to Longbourn unmarried at this time." He was inordinately pleased to be married sooner than he expected but wondered about the reasoning behind it.

The others in the room gasped. "Catherine?" the earl asked.

"The note is vague and does not offer any explanation," Lady Matlock said. "Mr Bennet simply says it would be wisest to marry from London as soon as they like, and they should delay a visit to Longbourn for some other time. That is all."

They looked at each other without speaking for several moments. The earl broke the silence first. "It seems a special licence will be required, Darcy. You should send a note to your great uncle and ask if he can aid you obtain it more quickly than the usual sennight. You and Miss Bennet should marry soon, apparently, although I doubt that troubles you much." The earl grinned at Darcy as he said the last.

"Elizabeth, we can begin shopping tomorrow for your trousseau," Lady Matlock said. "It will be my gift to you."

"Mr Bennet gave me a bank draft for wedding clothes," Darcy interjected. "Might I have a moment alone with Elizabeth before we make too many plans? We had just read her father's note when you all arrived and have not had a moment to discuss what this may mean. I prefer to give Elizabeth the time she requires before we take this step."

The countess nodded. "You have five minutes," she told them. "And leave the door open."

Darcy escorted Elizabeth into the nearest chamber. "Pray, Elizabeth, do you find yourself at ease with this arrangement? While I understand what your father wrote, I am cautious of hurrying you into this step if you are not prepared. It was only this morning that our engagement was formalised, and it has been scarcely a week since I sought your permission to court you."

"I do appreciate your concern, dear William, but I assure you, I am wholeheartedly in agreement with our marrying soon," Elizabeth replied, smiling. "I had already determined I wanted to marry you, as you recall, and while it may happen sooner than I had expected, I do look forward to being your wife. Quite frankly, I dreaded the thought of Mama's reaction to our engagement and what she might do – she has never understood me and would not understand my desire for a simple wedding. This eliminates many battles with her, beginning with the timing of our wedding, and will be easier all around. I hope the quick wedding will thwart any plans your aunt may have, and your aunt's ball could announce our marriage instead of our engagement. "

He sighed into her hair. "I do not want you to have any regrets, my love. I will not repine that this will make you mine much sooner than I could have anticipated, but I do not want to push you into anything you do not want or are not ready for. I feel certain you never envisioned a rushed wedding with minimal time to prepare."

Tenderly, she caressed his cheek. "I greatly prefer a modest wedding, William. The shorter timeline necessitated by our circumstances ensures a simple wedding which is exactly what I wish, and I believe you do as well. Jane and the Gardiners should be able to attend, so with the exception of my father, all those dearest to me will be able to join us for our wedding.. I must confess that I ardently anticipate being married to you. Nonetheless, I find myself wondering if there is a scandal brewing that necessitates haste.

"In truth, I rarely indulged in envisioning my wedding. My mother constantly told me I was not pretty enough, far too educated, and too much the hoyden to entice a man to marry me, and the men around Meryton only served to make that point clearly. They were put off by my intelligence and lack of appropriately 'ladylike' qualities and preferred Jane to me. I never dreamed that I would meet a man like you who could love me for my intelligence and wit instead of in spite of them."

"I do so love your intelligence and wit, Elizabeth. And let us not overlook your impertinence, liveliness, remarkable kindness towards others, and the numerous other splendid qualities you possess," he said teasingly before turning more serious. "Never did I envision crossing paths with a woman of your calibre, and I am profoundly gratified to have met a woman who not only matches but exceeds me in every aspect. In truth, one of the reasons I initially resisted our connection was the realisation that you are not merely my equal but my superior in every way that matters," William punctuated his words with tender kisses across her face and, finally, her lips.

He broke the kiss a moment later. "I will ask my uncle and Richard not to visit Aunt Catherine until after the wedding. I should have the licence in a sennight unless my great-uncle assists us in getting it more quickly. We could marry as soon as we have it, if that is acceptable to you, from Darcy House or Matlock House, whichever you prefer," William continued.

"Tell me, William, did everything seem well at Longbourn? Was everyone well? Happy? Do you think there is a particular reason Papa wants us to rush the wedding," she asked.

Darcy shook his head. "Not that I could discern," he replied. "All seemed as it ever was, although I did not sit with your mother or sisters for long. Richard was with them far longer than I," he replied.

She thanked him and kissed his cheek, and then he turned his head and pressed another lingering kiss on her lips before the butler arrived to inform them that dinner was served.

"So, what was the decision?" Lady Matlock inquired when the first course was served, and the servants exited the dining room.

Darcy, who was seated next to Elizabeth, took her hand as he responded. "I will send a message to my great-uncle first thing in the morning and request his assistance with the special license," he informed his family. "Then we will marry as soon as we have the license in hand. We intend to invite Elizabeth's aunt and uncle and her sister, who should all be returning to London in the next day or so. We were considering marrying from either Darcy House or here."

Elizabeth spoke up. "Although Darcy House is lovely, I think it may be best to marry from here. It demonstrates your acceptance of the match; in case anyone seeks to challenge it later," Elizabeth said, looking toward Lord and Lady Matlock.

"You, of course, are speaking of Catherine," said the earl. "Richard recommends we postpone our visit to Rosings until after your union has been solemnized. Once you are wed, her attempts to interfere will be ineffectual."

The dinner conversation drifted back to the wedding. Lady Matlock was happy to host the wedding and wedding breakfast, keeping the guest list limited to family. A definite time and date would be set once the licence was acquired. The couple would honeymoon for a week or two in Darcy House before participating in the remainder of the season, after which they would go to Pemberley. They would wait on news from Mr Bennet to determine if they would stop at Longbourn on their way.

Once dinner was complete, they moved to the music room and were surprised when Georgiana and Elizabeth entertained the group with the songs they had rehearsed earlier that day. The entire Fitzwilliam family and Darcy were pleased with Georgiana's willingness to play in company, as she usually would not play for any audience larger than one or two people. Lady Matlock thought happily, "Elizabeth is already working miracles on these two."

All too soon, Georgiana and Darcy rose to return to their own home. Elizabeth walked them to the door, and William gently kissed her fingers as he said good night. "I am pleased we have only a sennight or less to wait before we are married, Elizabeth. Then I will not have to leave you at the door of someone else's home."

She coloured slightly. "Good night, William. Rest well, as you have a busy day ahead of you."

"I love you, Elizabeth," he told her as he exited.

"And I love you, William," was the reply. He quickly led Georgiana to the waiting coach, knowing that if he did not, he would drag out their goodbyes. Less than a sennight, he thought to himself.

Elizabeth excused herself for the evening, as did Lady Matlock, but Richard and the Earl retired to his study for a glass of brandy. "What do you suppose is behind this rush to the altar?" Lord Matlock asked his son.

"Mr Bennet gave Darcy no indication of why they should marry quickly or why Elizabeth should not return if she was not married. Mrs Bennet was unaware of any gossip regarding her daughter when I spoke with her. The youngest is an unrepentant flirt; it is possible she could be in trouble, and they hope Elizabeth's marriage will offer the family some protection. However, it seems more likely that Aunt Catherine is somehow behind this. If she knew or suspected Darcy sent the carriage that carried Elizabeth to London, she would have shown up here by now, so I believe she does not know where Elizabeth is and is making threats, possibly even blackmailing or threatening Bennet. However, she would have worked fast to accomplish that so quickly, but it would explain why he was so pleased that Darcy offered for her and does not want her to return unmarried."

"I also suspect Catherine," the earl said. "Were you able to speak to anyone who will keep you notified of any gossip in Meryton?"

"I spoke to several people at Longbourn and in Meryton who promised to send word about any gossip in regard to Miss Bennet or the Bennet family in general," Richard replied.

"Good," the earl said as he finished his drink, then stood. "Good night, Richard. I have no doubt that we will find out soon enough."


Copyright 2023 by Melissa Anne