Author's Note: It was time to return to London and see what is happening there. We will deal with a few other matters, but the story is winding down.

Chapter 35

In London, the newly married Darcys had put their foot down with their aunt regarding the number of entertainments they would attend. While that lady would have liked them to participate in multiple events per day, sometimes multiple events in one evening, neither Darcy nor Elizabeth desired that. Instead, they would be willing to attend no more than two dances per week and three other entertainments, leaving them Sunday nights and one other night each week with them on their own.

Of course, they also decided to leave a few evenings open to host a dinner party or two for some of their friends. A few nights after the Bennet girls had settled into London, the Gardiners were invited for dinner.

"Jane, Mary, and Kitty, is it so good to see you," Elizabeth greeted her cousins. "How are you adjusting to living in London? And Kitty, are you excited about attending school?"

The three cousins, particularly Kitty, had been feeling a little uncertain about their reception and were immediately put at ease by Elizabeth's cheerful greeting. The four ladies exchanged hugs as they sat near each other and then began to speak together about what had been happening while they were parted. While Jane and Mary had spoken to the Gardiners about Elizabeth's true heritage, Kitty still had several questions. The next hour was spent informing the entire party about things that had occurred in the last months, both in London and at Longbourn.

"Lydia did not want to go to school and opted to stay with Mama. However, I wonder how long she will remain at home, as she is determined to find a husband and be the first of us to marry," Kitty said. "Mama has always told her that she is pretty and lively and will surely attract a husband. Our Aunt Gardiner has been explaining to me how wrong that attitude is and how poor a match it would be."

"I think the Bennets will find their reception rather poor in Meryton now," Mr Gardiner said. "My brother writes to inform me that the news of your heritage has come as a surprise to most of the townspeople, and they are not at all happy with Mr and Mrs Bennet for allowing the lie of your birth to be believed for so long. Your mother was a great favourite in Meryton. Many there would like to tell stories of your mother, as now that they know the connection, they recall how she was like you. She also cared for the tenants and was known both for her kindness to others and her liveliness of mind."

Mr Darcy laughed. "I believe my wife would call that impertinence. I have also noticed that she tends to shy away from praise, ducking and blushing at any commendation directed towards her kindness. Despite our relatively short time in matrimony, I have observed that she prefers to operate quietly in her benevolence. Our stay at Pemberley lasted just a fortnight, yet it was evident that she had earned the favour of many among my staff. I believe that some already prefer her over me."

As expected, Elizabeth blushed and attempted to redirect the conversation toward someone else. Her family saw this and allowed the conversation to change.

"The Hursts are still in residence at Netherfield, although Mr and Miss Bingley have left for the north. They should remain there for some time as neither will be welcome in London for the present. Should we ever wish to visit Meryton to allow you to speak to those who knew your mother, they would welcome us, Elizabeth," Darcy told his wife.

Jane Bennet gasped at this. "What has happened to Mr and Miss Bingley, Mr Darcy?"

"I have cut the connection with them after Miss Bingley attempted to compromise me with her brother's full knowledge. He did nothing to prevent her, nor did he attempt to warn me. I did not make the attempt public, though I did inform my aunt in case any gossip reached the ton. I was content to let matters be, but then Miss Bingley attempted to approach me again and disparage my wife, though she was only my intended at the time. The cut became public knowledge then, though still not the reason for it. As I understand it, Miss Bingley returned to Netherfield with her tail between her legs. Mr Bingley attempted to seek me out to apologise when he finally realised what she had cost him, but I had already left town to marry Ellie by then. However, he and my cousin Jonathan had a conversation that finally persuaded him to leave town with this sister for good."

Elizabeth looked startled at this. "I did not know Jon played a role in his decision to depart. You did not tell me the entire story?"

Darcy coloured slightly then. "Yes, dear, well, there was part of the story I have not told you as I have only recently learned the entire matter. It is..." he cleared his throat awkwardly. "... it is not the kind of story one speaks to young ladies about."

The unmarried ladies coloured, feeling all the awkwardness of his words, while the two married ladies smirked at their husbands. "Yes, we will speak later, husband. This sounds as though it may prove interesting."

Mr and Mrs Gardiner chuckled, knowing their 'niece' would force her husband to tell her all later. The Lizzy they had known as a child was not only impertinent but also tenacious, which some might call stubborn. She would not allow her husband to keep this matter a secret from her for long.

Once again, the conversation shifted as Mr Gardiner asked Darcy about the Fitzwilliams and the de Bourghs. "Lady Catherine is recovering slowly, but she remains unable to speak. The doctors believe she suffered from a fit of apoplexy and that it is unlikely she will ever return to what she was. Her brain appears to have been affected as she can only make muffled noises and can only move slightly. As I said, there has been some slight improvement, but it is not much.

"Jonathan and Anne have remained at Rosings and are learning to run the estate. I have tried to teach them as much as I could over the last few years, as this plan for Anne to replace her mother had been in the works for some time, but my marriage to Elizabeth finally enabled her to put her plan in place. The last few years, we have secretly met so I could explain to her the workings of the estate, and she has slowly been taking over outside the house. Her mother was always far more concerned with what was happening inside."

"Your cousin has inherited the estate now?" Jane asked. "Is Jonathan her husband?"

"No, Jonathan is our cousin, Lord Matlock's second son and a colonel in the regulars. Or he was a colonel, as soon he will have to come to London to resign his commission officially. Anne does not intend ever to marry and will leave the estate to him, as he would not have one otherwise," Darcy explained.

Gardiner explained matters more to his nieces, including the chase across England that had given Anne de Bourgh time to displace her mother as mistress of the estate and, ultimately, Lady Catherine's collapse when she finally learned that her edicts were widely ignored.

"What of Mr Collins?" Mary asked. "He was a fervent admirer of Lady Catherine, and Mama had wanted Lizzy to marry him, but once it became certain she would not, she had fixed on me as his partner."

"Mr Collins will not marry any of you unless you wish it. You three have a home for a lifetime with us, and your cousin has graciously given each of you five thousand pounds as a dowry. That money will support you to live independently should you choose never to marry, though you will never be asked to do that," Gardiner explained.

"Lizzy, you must not do that," Mary cried. "Our mother and father have taken so much from you; you should keep what is yours for yourself. We will be well without it."

Elizabeth smiled at her cousin. "Truly, Mary, it is no burden to give these funds to you. William and I will have plenty to settle on any future children, as we already have two estates between us, and you are all welcome to reside at either of those homes any time you wish. You are my cousins, and what your parents did—the lies they told and the money they spent—does not reflect on you. It would not be right for me to take out my anger at them on you three. Lydia has chosen to remain with her parents rather than take the opportunity to better herself, and the three of them will have to live with the results. I will forgive them, as is my responsibility as a Christian, but that does not mean I will ever speak to them again or recognise them as a member of my family.

The others nodded in recognition of her words. Jane might have wanted to persuade her cousin to forgive the Bennets and someday receive them but recognised that, at the moment, such an effort would be fruitless. At the moment, her own thoughts regarding her parents were too unsettled for her to do such a thing, as she was uncertain if she would ever want to see her parents again.

Just the night before, the Gardiners had spoken to their nieces about legally adopting the name Gardiner in place of Bennet. Jane was of age and could decide whenever she wished, but Mary and Kitty were legally wards of the Gardiners. The paperwork that Bennet had been forced to sign gave Mr Gardiner complete control to make any decisions regarding the girls and ensured they would have their share of their mother's dowry when she passed. Despite Lydia's thoughts otherwise, each of the girls still had their dowry of £1250 and were entitled to one hundred pounds per annum from Longbourn for their father's lifetime.

Mary returned the conversation to a previous one. "How has Mr Collins adapted to the change in his patroness? I cannot imagine he would respond well to the change in circumstances."

Darcy laughed. "I had a letter from Jonathan yesterday. He is not impressed with the clergyman and has threatened to contact this bishop to have him removed as, legally, Anne should have appointed him, not Lady Catherine. It is astounding that such a foolish man could even manage to pass the ordination exam."

"But he will still inherit Longbourn someday, will he not?" Kitty asked again. "What will happen to us when that occurs?"

"Nothing will change, Kitty. You are no longer dependent on the Bennets and will not be reliant on them for your care. You will have a home with us for as long as you wish," Mrs Gardiner reassured the girl. Something in how she said it told Elizabeth this had been a repeated conversation over the last few days.

The butler arrived to announce that dinner was served, ending this conversation. The conversation over dinner was far less fraught as they discussed the various events the Darcys would attend. Elizabeth invited her family to attend the theatre in a sennight, hoping the three girls would have appropriate clothing by then.

Kitty hesitated, asking to remain behind with Georgiana. As the evening progressed, Kitty and Georgiana gravitated toward each other since they were of a similar age. Soon, the two were converting happily to each other, with Georgiana sharing her experiences regarding school with a much relieved Kitty.

When the evening ended, all felt a little more comfortable than they had earlier. Jane, Mary, and Kitty felt that nothing had changed between them and their cousin, which they had feared, given how their parents had mistreated her. However, they were pleased to learn that Elizabeth did not hold a grudge against them for their parent's actions.

When their guests left, Elizabeth and Darcy retired. As soon as the couple were in bed, Elizabeth began to ask Darcy more about what had happened with Mr Bingley.

"Bingley was caught with a gentlewoman, well, a married gentlewoman, and Jonathan used this as leverage to encourage him to depart London. Between the matter with Wickham and this, it truly was best that he not be anywhere near London for a time," Darcy explained.

"When you say 'caught', you mean he was caught in flagrante, do you not? With a married woman? That is terrible. And did I know of Bignley's connection with Wickham?"

"I believe I told you that Wickham had crossed Bingley in Hertfordshire, leaving my former friend responsible for fifty pounds of debt at the inn. Bingley threatened him when they encountered each other in London before Wickham fled. Jonathan told me that when Wickham left England, he was fleeing retribution by Bingley and others he owed substantial sums to. In fact, two of Bingley's men had caught up with Wickham a day before he boarded the ship and beat him quite severely. It was one of the reasons Wickham was so willing to leave and join the navy, not to return to England for some time. As I understand it, Wickham was rather battered. While I should not be pleased with such a result, I cannot be disappointed in the result. I confess that I am a little sorry that I was not able to participate in the beating, and I know Jonathan feels the same."

Elizabeth laughed a little at this. Like her husband, she felt that Wickham likely got what he deserved, as she had heard many tales of his treatment of women, especially of Georgiana. While she would not want to see anyone deliberately harmed, she could not help but feel this was no less than he should have gotten.