A/N - This chapter is unedited. Please let me know if you see any issues or where you think the story might drag on.
Let me know if you continue to see any issues with consistency, language/usage, or just too much information. This story will be published on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited at some point once it is finished (new target: September 10?).
Chapter 25
In the middle of December, Mary and Kitty travelled with Georgiana to Pemberley. They were accompanied by Colonel Fitzwilliam, which was much appreciated by Kitty, who had confessed to Georgiana that she had a crush on the officer. Georgiana was surprised by this, given that the Colonel was nearly twice her age, but did understand the appeal of a much older man. However, this interest was not returned, a point made clear during the journey.
Colonel Fitzwilliam had always treated Georgiana as a much younger sister. By virtue of their approximate ages, both of Georgiana's guardians were nearly as much of a father to the girl than a brother and cousin. As they travelled together, Kitty overheard a conversation one night while preparing for bed at the inn.
"Richard," Georgiana had begun. "What do you think is an acceptable age to marry? I ask because you and my brother intended for me to come out in a year or two, at seventeen or eighteen. You are nearly thirty and are not yet wed, and my brother married this year, just before his twenty-eighth birthday. Is it typical for the man to be much older than a woman?"
Her cousin laughed. "Georgie, there is no particular age where it is appropriate to marry. Darcy married at twenty-seven because he found the right woman, and she was twenty at the time. I do not know when you will meet the right man, but you still have a few years to mature and learn before you even consider it."
"But what about you?" Georgiana asked. "When do you mean to marry?"
"Never, Georgie," he replied. "I am a second son and would need to marry with the lady's fortune in mind were I to ever marry. As yet, I have never met a woman who might be able to tempt me to give up my soldiering."
"But if you met a lady who was interesting enough, would you sell your commission and settle down?" she persisted.
Fitzwilliam looked at his cousin for a moment. "Do you have a lady in mind?" he inquired.
"Miss Kitty is a sweet girl; I like her very much," she answered.
The Colonel laughed. "No, dear cousin, Miss Kitty would never be the girl for me. Beyond her obvious lack of fortune, she is barely older than you and still belongs in the school room. While she might be 'a sweet girl', I would infinitely prefer a woman already grown were I to ever settle down."
Kitty had been listening in the hallways during this conversation and could barely contain her gasp at his characterisation of her. When Georgiana returned to their shared room later that night, she found Kitty already in bed pretending to be asleep. Neither mentioned this conversation, as Georgiana did not want to injure her friend by telling her what her cousin had said, and Kitty was too heartbroken to bring it up.
When this group arrived at Pemberley, it was with mixed emotions. Kitty found herself relieved to be out of the company of Colonel Fitzwilliam and pleased to be back with her elder sister. Of all her sisters, Lizzy was the one who was best able to comfort the rest. Not long after their arrival, Kitty had begged Lizzy for a private conference and poured out her heartbreak.
"Oh, Lizzy," she cried when they were settled in her assigned bedchamber.
"What is wrong, Kitty?" Elizabeth asked, concern evident on her face and in her voice.
Kitty spent several minutes in tears before she finally spoke. "He thinks I am a child," she finally said.
Elizabeth was less concerned but now confused. "Who does?"
"Colonel Fitzwilliam!" Kitty whined.
Her sympathy waned, and Elizabeth became annoyed by her sister's dramatics. "The Colonel is nearly twice your age, Kitty, and you are almost the same age as his ward."
"He said I belonged in the school room," she whimpered.
"And that is precisely why you have a companion now. Although she sometimes acts as a governess for you, she was hired to provide you with the education you lacked. Yes, you are seventeen now, and our parents allowed you to be out in Meryton despite your immaturity. You are in no way ready for marriage," Elizabeth reminded her. "You are slightly older than Georgiana; she will wait another year. Part of that is due to my confinement occurring at the time she might have been presented, but she and her brother decided she needed another year before she would be ready. You will turn eighteen early next year but still have much to learn. Mrs Gardiner will help with that."
Kitty sighed dramatically. "But I do not want to be an old maid and have to settle for someone like Charlotte did with Mr Collins or like Jane is doing with Mr Hastings, who as a barrister is still a gentleman, but she will never be wealthy. Mama constantly complained that none of her daughters married as early as she did — she was only seventeen when she married Papa," Kitty whined. "She does not like Mr Hastings and is frustrated that Jane has consented to marry him when she could have done so much better."
"Yes, and look at how well our parents' marriage turned out," Elizabeth retorted. Sighing, she took a deep breath before she continued. "Part of Mama's complaints were due to the entail and the fact that Papa did little to consider what would happen to his wife or children after his passing. She did not know what the heir would be like and could not be certain that he would not evict her from Longbourn immediately. Her marriage portion is not sufficient to care for her and her daughters. Instead of acting to do something about it or alleviating Mama's concern, Papa mocked or ignored her, hiding in his book room instead of taking an interest in the estate and allowing it to flounder. The lack of available men in Meryton made Mama worse, and Papa's refusal to go to London did not help matters.
"Charlotte chose to marry Mr Collins because she felt that, at her age, she would never have another opportunity and would become a burden to her family. Jane likewise has suffered from a lack of eligible men in the neighbourhood, but the fact that Papa did little to provide dowries for his daughters also made it more difficult for her, or any of us, to find the match Mama desired. I was extraordinarily blessed to fall in love with a man who would not suffer from my lack of a dowry, although it has made my reception amongst his set more difficult. Nonetheless, he loved me despite my lack of fortune or connections, and he would tell you that those made it more difficult for him to accept his feelings in the beginning.
"Jane is not 'settling' for Mr Hastings. She had the opportunity to meet other men, friends of my husband's, and even had a suitor or two from among them, but she did not feel for them what she wanted to feel for her husband. She does feel that for Mr Hastings, or at least was beginning to, and wanted to see where that would take her. There is no need to rush into marriage with the first man who offers for you. Jane was courted while at the Gardiners a few times when she was much younger, but it was not right, and again, her lack of fortune hurt her chances with those men. Your immaturity will prevent you from making a good match unless you are determined to learn from the examples you have, Mrs Martin and Mrs Annesley while you are here and Mrs Gardiner while you are in London. Do not be in a rush and wait to find someone who will love you as William and I love each other. Watch our aunt and uncle while you are in London to see what a solid relationship looks like, or even watch Jane and Mr Hastings — I doubt he will wait much longer to offer for her."
Kitty listened intently to her sister's speech and was quiet for several minutes when she finished. "So, I should not be bothered by the Colonel saying that I am too young for him because I am too young," she said finally.
Nodding, Elizabeth looked over her sister carefully before pulling her into a hug. "There is much to consider if selecting a future husband, Kitty. You might have had a crush on the Colonel, and he is a good man, but I doubt he is the man for you, certainly not right now. Just wait a little longer and do not be in such a hurry. Your situation has changed with my marriage to William, and you do not need to be so anxious to wed."
The morning the Matlocks were to arrive, the entire party, including Elizabeth, travelled through the snow in a sleigh with wagons attending them to collect greenery to decorate the house. Darcy had encouraged Elizabeth to remain indoors, which had nearly resulted in an argument within their rooms, but he had finally agreed when he saw the determination in her eye. She had decided to stay near the sleigh and not traipse through the woods but to direct the others in finding the greenery. Darcy remained near her despite her urging him to explore.
"Go on, Will," she told him at one point. "You are so tall; they need you to help gather the mistletoes for our kissing boughs."
He eyed her warily. "Kissing boughs, as in more than one?" he asked.
She grinned at him. "Pemberley is such a large house; surely you agree we need several — one near your study, of course, and another in the library. Of course, we will need one near our sitting room and another near the dining room. Perhaps a few in the hallways," she teased him.
He bent near enough to kiss her. "I do not need the excuse of a kissing bough to kiss my wife, Elizabeth," he growled. Having said that, he moved the half-inch required to capture her lips until his cousin approached and nudged the couple apart.
"Enough of that, Darcy," Fitzwilliam complained. Darcy merely smirked in response, although he did move away from Elizabeth long enough to gather large handfuls of mistletoe, tucking one spring into his wife's hair and another in the buttonhole of his coat while grinning broadly at her. When the Matlocks arrived later that afternoon, they found the house decorated with copious amounts of greenery decorating and kissing boughs in multiple locations. Their hosts, however, had sent word that they were resting for the afternoon, blaming the need on Elizabeth's condition.
Fitzwilliam greeted his parents and his cousin Anne on behalf of his hosts, along with the three girls and the two companions. If anyone noticed that Fitzwilliam paid considerable attention to the younger of the two companions, Mrs Martin, no one commented.
At dinner that first night, the announcement the Darcys had looked forward to fell rather flat. Elizabeth's condition was a poorly held secret among the staff at Pemberley. Lady Matlock had guessed at Elizabeth's condition during the houseparty in September, and the younger girls, despite their naivete in these matters, heard enough from the servants to suspect. When Georgiana discovered the nursery had been aired and refreshed, she spoke of her suspicions to Mrs Annesley, who only smiled and nodded at the young girl. She had shared her suspicions with Mary and Kitty, and they all squealed at the idea of a coming niece or nephew.
Richard Fitzwilliam was the only one in the party whose suspicions were certain, as he had asked his cousin soon after his arrival after seeing his cousin's pointed attention toward his wife. While his cousin had been obviously besotted since they stayed in Kent last April, he had been more cautious and protective of his wife during the houseparty, and the couple had 'rested' frequently. Fitzwilliam had teased his cousin for his overuse of this excuse to absent themselves from the party, and Darcy had used her pregnancy as the reason. With a knowing wink, Fitzwilliam had begun to tease his cousin relentlessly each time he escorted his wife for a 'rest' from that point forward. Darcy's smirk only confirmed his cousin's opinion that 'rest' was rarely accomplished without a bit of exercise first.
The Matlocks' stay at Pemberley was short; they would depart for London after a sennight to host their annual Twelfth Night ball. The Darcys had been invited, but with the weather and Elizabeth expecting, they opted to remain in Derbyshire. Colonel Fitzwilliam would also remain at Pemberley before escorting the girls back to London sometime in mid-January.
Several letters arrived at Pemberley from London and Longbourn just after the new year. The letters from Longbourn detailed what had been done for the tenants for Christmas. Elizabeth was pleasantly surprised to learn her mother had listened to her advice given through her housekeeper and equally pleased to note Lydia assisted her mother in his endeavour. Lydia had frequently helped to deliver gifts to the tenants, although she had rarely helped to work on them.
In Lydia's letter, she shared more about what she learned through this and found her mother appreciative of her sister's advice given through Mrs Hill. She was still unwilling to go so far as to pen a letter of apology to Lizzy herself, but she did at least verbally express some sorry for having treated her second eldest daughter as she had. One part of her letter read:
You would be surprised to see Mama's enthusiasm for helping the tenants since Mrs Hill told her you suggested it. When I arrived a few days before Christmas, Mama was visiting with the Millers – they had an illness the week before. Granted, Mrs Hill had given her directions for what to do, but she was doing what she could to help. She is as silly as ever — despite having only been at school for a few short months, I already have seen how foolish our mother's teachings have been — but she is genuinely trying to be a better mistress of Longbourn. She is unwilling to write an apology to you, but she does seem to lament that she has never taken up this duty herself. Apparently, some of what you have said about your duties as Mrs Darcy seem to have finally penetrated, and she realises all of her daughters have been actively involved in helping her tenants for several years now and that with all of her daughters from home, this practice has been sorely neglected in recent months. She is trying, Lizzy, even if she is unwilling to admit it.
Lydia looked forward to returning to school, and all were pleased at how much the girl enjoyed learning. Once again, Elizabeth wished she could have done more for her sister when she was younger but was delighted that she was able to help now.
Mr Bennet also wrote about the progress at Longbourn – including yet another report of Mrs Bennet's efforts, although with far more sarcasm and mocking in the rale than Lydia's version. Elizabeth merely shook her head at the account when her husband gave it to her to read. However, Mr Bennet was making strides with his estate, and they were retrenching considerably, especially since his children were from home and others were maintaining them. The payment due on the first of January had been sent to London in the full amount, plus some extra to make up the shortfall from October.
Elizabeth and Darcy were pleased to learn this, and their letter from Mr Gardiner confirmed this. These funds would be deposited into an account to provide dowries for the girls, particularly the youngest, since the letters from London also included the announcement of Jane's engagement and wedding plans. Elizabeth was saddened that she would be unable to attend but accepted it as a matter of course. She and Darcy had discussed Elizabeth travelling after the new year, and both believed it possible but unwise since the weather in Derbyshire in winter was unpredictable at best. They both desired to be at home for the birth and would wait for Mr and Mrs Hastings to visit them in the summer.
Colonel Fitzwilliam soon returned Georgiana, Mary, and Kitty to London, along with their companions. Mary had asked to stay behind to assist her enceinte sister, and it had been briefly considered. Still, ultimately, they decided she needed to return to London for their sister's wedding, especially as Elizabeth could not attend herself.
Mary and Georgiana went to Darcy House while Kitty returned to the Gardiners. Jane shopped for her trousseau while the other three girls attended lessons with masters. Kitty was frequently at Darcy House with the other two, and the three girls benefited from their friendship. Lady Matlock had once more requested that Georgiana come out this year, but with the confirmation of Elizabeth's confinement, she gave up on that idea and began planning for all three girls to be introduced to society in the coming year. This year, she was to introduce Anne de Bourgh, a woman with a thirty thousand pound dowry and the ownership of Rosings, to the ton. She was challenged to overcome Anne's shyness and her absolute certainty that she never intended to marry.
Early in February, all the Bennet sisters returned to Longbourn to finish preparations for Jane's wedding. Mr Bennet had given Mrs Bennet a strict budget for the wedding breakfast and Jane's trousseau. The Gardiners and Darcys had also contributed funds toward Jane's trousseau, and it was as complete as possible. Darcy had also settled five thousand pounds on Jane to supplement the thousand pounds she would receive from her mother. This, combined with the inheritance Mr Hastings had from his grandparents, had enabled the gentleman to purchase a small house for them to set up housekeeping. This was all communicated to Elizabeth through letters, and she felt a pang at not being able to participate.
"William," she opened one morning as they sat in breakfast in their sitting room, "are you certain we cannot travel to Hertfordshire for Jane's wedding?"
He looked up from where he sat, reading a letter. "You cannot be serious?" he stuttered.
"I am serious," she informed him. "I would like to go to Hertfordshire to celebrate my sister's wedding."
"No," he stated simply, somewhat taken aback by her request. "We discussed this weeks ago. We agreed that it was too difficult, not to mention dangerous, for you to travel at this time. Nor do you want to stay at Longbourn, meaning we would be forced to stay at the inn in Meryton."
"Would you want to miss your sister's wedding?" she asked petulantly.
"Of course not, and I understand you do not wish to miss it, Elizabeth, but we have discussed the reasons for this already. We had agreed that it was best to remain at Pemberley," Darcy replied, attempting to be patient with his wife, who had become increasingly irrational of late.
"We should consult the doctor to see what he thinks," Elizabeth suggested. "He is due to visit me in a day or two."
Darcy stared at his wife for a moment. "Elizabeth," he began.
"No, Fitzwilliam," she said. "You will not cajole me into changing my mind. I do not want to miss my sister's wedding. It is so difficult to read about all the shopping and planning they have been doing and not be able to participate. I am hearty enough — a little travel has never bothered me."
"This is not a 'little' travel, dearest. The weather is against us, potentially adding days to our travel. You were extremely affected by our return from Longbourn in October — you ached for days afterwards and were exceedingly tired. It took a week to recover, and I can only imagine it would be worse now," he reminded her.
She brushed off his concerns. "I will be fine," she insisted.
Darcy scoffed. "I will allow you to speak to the physician when he calls, but I will express my concerns regarding this travel to him as well," he stated before striding off to his study. He was frustrated with his wife, recognising that her growing irrationality likely resulted from the rapidly growing child within her. He sat to write a note to the physician asking him to call sooner and requesting an audience with him before he visited with his wife.
Copyright 2023 Melissa Anne
