Bonus Chapter 2
It was Colonel Fitzwilliam who made the revelation not only to Darcy, but the entire dinner party. Bingley immediately froze. The servants' eyes widened, though they did their best to conceal other indications of their great interest. Kitty stifled her giggles by coughing; next to her, Mrs. Annesley wore an expression of concern. Mr. Hurst, who had been there for the meal alone, was curious enough to lift his eyes from his plate. Georgiana glanced nervously between Elizabeth and her brother. Mrs. Gardiner also looked worriedly at Elizabeth, while her husband saw the foreboding in Darcy's reaction. In a rare moment of abandoned refinement, Darcy had dropped his spoon. The fallen object rang loudly in the silence. It was, perhaps, a disadvantage of the tall ceilings.
Somewhere in the future, Lydia would discover what had been said and become vexed at Colonel Fitzwilliam for sharing what she ought to have revealed first. Meanwhile, Mr. Bennet made himself comfortable in his chair, watching everyone with a glint in his eye.
Attempting to salvage the evening, Bingley spoke, "My dear Mr. Gardiner, I had just remembered you telling me—"
"What is the matter?" Colonel Fitzwilliam asked the room, frowning. "Was I misinformed? Did Mr. Collins not propose to Mrs. Darcy when she was Miss Elizabeth Bennet?"
Darcy's hand formed into a fist. It was unbelievable! His aunt's toad of a parson—a man unworthy—it could not be—good God! He stared at Elizabeth, his dearest, loveliest, Elizabeth, and hoped to find some counter to his cousin's claim. Her embarrassment was clear, which did nothing to soothe the jealousy forming inside him. What nonsensical jealously it was, for he was the man Elizabeth had accepted, he was the man married to her, and he was the one recipient of her romantic affections. Her eyes told him that she would tell him all later, yet his jealousy persisted. Finding his voice, he spoke, rather indignantly and almost as if to reassure himself.
"My wife is selective in her choice of husband. One would have to be delusional to think that she would freely give her good opinion to such a man, let alone accept his proposal."
"Yes, I remember you telling me how you have experienced my daughter's selectiveness yourself," commented Mr. Bennet, picking up his glass of wine. "Perhaps you and my cousin might bond over that the next time you meet."
The reaction to this revelation was greater than that of the last. All heads turned to Darcy. Mouths gaped, gasps were heard, and eyes further widened.
"My husband and Mr. Collins have little in common," spoke Elizabeth. "I have always known them to be very different men."
Bingley nodded and remarked, "Indeed. Mr. Collins is a nice fellow, but I cannot imagine him and Darcy sharing any exact experience. Now, Mr. Gardiner, I believe I was asking you about your latest fishing adventure."
The conversation shifted appropriately. Yet as always with such intriguing tales, it stayed in the minds of everyone, no matter how courteous a person was, to later be discussed in private. Colonel Fitzwilliam and Kitty certainly had a fine time gossiping afterwards, and even Bingley could not help but occasionally join them. The Gardiners shared their surprise with each other when they retired. They had not known the depth of their niece's history with her husband. Mrs. Gardiner was desirous to ask Elizabeth about it, though she knew not to be too persistent in her inquiries. In the nursery, Georgiana talked to her nephew about the romance of it all. Bennet Fitzwilliam George Darcy gurgled in reply. Meanwhile, Mr. Hurst emitted a similar sound from his stomach. Though he had just feasted, he seemed to be hungry again. Naturally, he asked for some food to be sent from the kitchen to his rooms. He thanked the heavens that Darcy married Elizabeth, for once the chef had seen her in all her thinness, he had made it his objective to fatten her to what was, in his opinion, a healthy stoutness. Thus, the food prepared was robust, rich, and utterly delightful. As Mr. Hurst eagerly waited, he penned a letter about the evening's fare and revelations to his wife. Mr. Bennet's letter to Mrs. Bennet was much the same.
In the master's chamber, Elizabeth brushed her hair while she watched Darcy pace.
"He rejected your rejection?" exclaimed he. "The toad!"
"It was truly awful. Until now, I have repressed the memory of the horrid event. I do not like to think about it."
"My poor girl." He stopped in front of Elizabeth and placed his hand on hers. She stilled the movement of her brush as he caressed her soft skin, persuading her to relinquish the item into his hold. Carefully, he began to take over the duty. He had been fixated on her hair since he had first seen it down and thought it a privilege to touch and comb through. "Did he make you feel uncomfortable at the Parsonage, when we were all in Kent that Easter?"
"Not at all. He only tried to show me what good fortune I missed by not accepting his offer."
"Ridiculous. He is a ridiculous man with ridiculous sentiments. If I had known he had proposed to you, I would have convinced my aunt to give you a room at Rosings."
"I wonder how she would have responded to such a request."
"I cannot believe he proposed to you."
"My dearest Fitzwilliam, you cannot be jealous. In no world would I have accepted him."
"He thought you his, Elizabeth! Your mother pushed for the terrible match! I do not like to admit it, but I am jealous."
"But to this extent? I have never felt any jealousy at Anne, who I think, in this context, is an acceptable comparison to Mr. Collins. Lady Catherine was certainly equal to my mother in wishing, speaking, and acting. Though I admit that Anne never chased you, even if she would have married you if her mother asked it of her. Perhaps Caroline or another could be likened to Mr. Collins in that regard."
"It is different. Men may be forward with their intentions, but propriety dictates that ladies must refrain from imposing on gentlemen—something which I am most thankful for. You were also not of age. Your father could have forced a marriage between you and any man, if he was inclined."
"Fortunately he was not inclined, and that was the end of it," replied Elizabeth. She turned to Darcy and led him to lay his head on her lap. Bending to kiss his forehead, she said softly, "You have me, always. You know it."
He smiled. "I know."
"You were very successful in making me Mrs. Darcy."
"Was I? Do you look back on my first proposal with disgust, as you do with Mr. Collins's proposal?"
"You at least told me that you loved me," said Elizabeth. "You ardently admired and loved me—that is what you declared. Since then, you have showed me that your declaration was of the truest nature. To look at the past now, and at those words specifically, it gives me not pain, but pleasure."
"So his proposal was not better than any of mine," stated Darcy, feeling a little better.
"His was truly the worst; and remember, he went on to propose to Charlotte very soon after."
"The lecher."
Elizabeth laughed.
"I am serious," said Darcy.
"He and my friend make a comfortable pair. I did have my concerns, but he seems to treat her well enough. Charlotte does not deserve such a rakish term applied to her husband."
"Very well. I will endeavour not to insult him the next time we meet."
"You really have no need to. I birthed a child who has your nose, your eyes, your lips, and your name. You are stuck with me forever."
"That is right!" Darcy suddenly flipped them so that she was underneath his body. He pressed himself into her, gentle enough so that she was not crushed, but very firmly. Quite smugly, he smiled and kissed her eyelids. When the fine things fluttered open, he stared into the loveliness that existed before him and spoke, "Our son might have inherited my eyes' colour, but in shape and in lashes, his eyes are all yours. It pleases me. I love your eyes."
Unable to resist her blush, he kissed her. Any jealous feelings he had went away; he only thought of Elizabeth and their love. They were connected most strongly, most deeply, in body, mind, and soul. Marriage to his dearest, loveliest Elizabeth was a fine, delicious thing.
Note: And that is all for now! Of course, Volume II might be written one day . . . so I will leave this marked as incomplete here; I'll probably update under this story if I decide to write more. I know Darcy and Elizabeth have plenty of fluff about them, and there are the futures of Bingley, Kitty, Georgiana, Lydia and Deny, the children at Pemberley and Longbourn, etc.
Thank you to everyone who has purchased the ebook and paperback versions of Volume I! (It is published as 'His Offences Absolved' by F.D. Woods.) And thank you to all the kind reviewers here! It has been fun writing this story.
Up Next: Volume II?
In Other News: Another story is in the works . . .
