Author's Note: Hi, so I'm back to this story. R&R releases tomorrow on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited - feel free to let me know here or there what you think.

Anyway, this is a short chapter, but I wanted to get Charlotte sorted. I know where I want to take this story, and I'm working on it. I still hope to finish and publish by the middle of next month, but we'll see how that goes.

As always, let me know what you think or if you see any errors. This has been edited to a point but not read by anyone else. Let me know if you see errors, issues, etc. UPDATED to correct issues that some of you pointed out! I appreciate your help and feedback.

Chapter 20

Charlotte arrived in London less than a fortnight later carrying news from not only Lucas Lodge but also Longbourn. After receiving Elizabeth's last letter, Charlotte encouraged her younger sister to help her meet with the youngest Bennets to speak of the situation there. Mr Bennet was as he ever was, but Mrs Bennet was still upset by her second daughter's marriage—mainly because it did not benefit her at all. Although Elizabeth married well, the estrangement between them meant Elizabeth would not introduce her other daughters to wealthy men. It was unfathomable to her that the daughter she had always disliked had managed to marry a wealthy gentleman and one who was connected to no less than an earl.

Jane remained haughty and convinced of her superiority and was frequently overheard speaking of the excellent match she would make when she arrived in London. She had been livid when she heard of Charlotte's courtship with Mr Livesay but quickly excused it by stating that Mr Livesay was not worthy of her anyway. Both Charlotte and Mr Livesay laughed at this comment, but until he met Charlotte, Jane had been very interested in him.

Charlotte shared all of this with Elizabeth soon after her arrival. Elizabeth was not terribly surprised by it but wondered a little what trouble Jane might attempt to cause. It was unlikely she would come to London, and she had managed to ostracize her former friends in Meryton.

The day after Charlotte arrived, Elizabeth took her shopping for new clothes for her stay in London and their trip north. The modiste promised a few dresses could be obtained quickly and the rest would be ready in a fortnight before they were to leave for Derbyshire.

Accompanied by the Williams, Mr Livesay escorted Charlotte to several events upon her arrival in town. The two gentlemen found they enjoyed each other's company, although they readily admitted preferring the company of their particular lady. Together, they attended the theatre twice and dinners with friends. Lady Anne hosted the couples one evening and the Gardiners another. At the end of their fortnight in London, Mr Livesay seriously considered proposing to Charlotte and spoke to Fitzwilliam one afternoon in the latter's study.

"How long did you know Mrs Darcy before you proposed?" he asked his friend.

"I had only known her a few days before I was convinced she was the one," Fitzwilliam admitted. "The Gardiners spoke of her often, so I knew much about her even before we met. When I first saw her, it was … almost like a bolt of lightning that went straight to my heart. I will not say it was love from that first moment, but it was something like it. The first time I spoke of marriage … I believe we had known each other less than a fortnight at that point; however, I did not propose and merely spoke of it as an inevitability. Elizabeth was upset at first"—here Fitzwilliam chuckled—"I likely frightened her as her mother had her convinced she was nearly unmarriageable. I do not understand her parents—I know you have also met them—but that mother…" Fitzwilliam took a deep breath to calm his rising anger at the mention of his wife's mother. "Well, you met her and know what she is like. My Elizabeth put up with that for most of her life, at least whenever her grandmother or the Gardiners could not shield her from that woman's vitriol. If I have my way, we will never again return to Hertfordshire."

"Would you be willing to return to the area for my wedding to Miss Lucas?" Mr Livesay asked. "My friend still has the lease on Netherfield until Michaelmas, so perhaps we could arrange for your family and mine to stay for a time."

Fitzwilliam scowled as he considered this. "Elizabeth will likely want to attend her friend's wedding, and the Bennets are unlikely to be invited. I suppose we could avoid them easily enough." He paused as he continued to think. "When do you intend to propose? We all intended to head north to Oakridge soon."

"Yes, well, I thought about taking a page from your book. If I propose before leaving town, we could go to Netherfield and stay there while the banns are read. Then we can head north as a married couple."

"Have you already spoken with Sir William?" Fitzwilliam asked.

Mr Livesay grinned. "I sent him a letter a few days ago. I hope to speak to Charlotte privately this afternoon."

Fitzwilliam laughed. "Yes, I think we could arrange that. Perhaps a common license would be better than waiting for the banns to be called? We would not have to remain at Netherfield as long that way."

"That depends on Miss Lucas, I am afraid," Mr Livesay replied. "I would not want to rush her into a wedding if she prefers something different."

"I suppose not every woman is like my wife; it was she who suggested we marry a fortnight after I proposed. Granted, it ended up being longer than that, but that was because of my mother's insistence," Fitzwilliam shared. "Although my wife and Miss Lucas have many things in common, so perhaps …"

"But you are forgetting the influence of the mother," Mr Livesay relied. "From what I know of Lady Lucas, she will not be happy with a mere week to plan. She may try to insist on a much longer period, but I do hope I can convince Charlotte to make it a short engagement."

Fitzwilliam laughed at his friend. "Good luck with that," he said. "Let us join the ladies, and I will see what I can do to help you find that time alone to propose."

Elizabeth was pleased to leave her friend alone with her suitor for a few minutes. Upon their return, Fitzwilliam whispered in her ear what Mr Livesay had asked, and she quickly invented a reason for the two to leave the room. The Darcys stood in the hallway just outside while Fitzwilliam shared with her what had been discussed regarding a possible wedding.

"Oh, Fitzwilliam," she whispered. "I am so happy for Charlotte. I hope she can be persuaded to have the wedding quickly though, as I would not like to stay in Hertfordshire long. I am certain Mama will try to pretend a relationship exists between us, and I do not like the idea of you being that close to Jane for any length of time."

"Would Miss Lucas agree to a short engagement?" he asked.

"She will, but Lady Lucas will not acquiesce," Elizabeth sighed. "She will want to make it a big celebration and will likely want to rub it in Mama's face. Perhaps, though, we can convince her that we can only remain in town for a short time and use that to encourage a quicker wedding."

Hiding his face in her shoulder, Elizabeth felt more than heard his laugh. "What is so funny about that?" she demanded.

"I imagine your mother and Lady Lucas battling it out. I can imagine the two of them trading barbs as they attempt to get the advantage over the other," Fitzwilliam teased. "Can you imagine what would happen if one of her daughters were to marry her son? That would be a wedding to remember."

Elizabeth chuckled quietly at the image his words created. "They would perpetually be trying to outdo the other, and the wishes of the children in question would be ignored entirely. It would be a cacophony of sights and sounds."

Fitzwilliam leaned down and kissed her for a long moment. When he released her, her eyes slowly opened, and she stared at her husband for a moment. "Not that I do not appreciate that, my dear Fitzwilliam, but what was that for?"

"I am inordinately pleased to have found you, my love, and more so that you have married me. I love your wit and wisdom—you are my perfect match," he whispered huskily.

She sighed into his arms. "Fitzwilliam, as much as I would love to continue this, I believe we have left my friend alone with her suitor long enough. Should we return and allow them to share their news so we might send them all away?"

He laughed, loud enough this time to be heard in the room. This noise was enough to break the new couple apart, and when the Darcys entered, Charlotte and Mr Livesay had just separated, but their happiness was clearly written on their faces.

"So, what have the two of you concluded?" Elizabeth asked as they entered the room.