Chapter 36

The Darcys lived up to their agreement with Lady Matlock attending various balls, parties, and other entertainments over the next several weeks. Elizabeth Tomlinson Darcy made quite a splash in society, with few not having some opinion of her, whether positive or negative. Most admitted that she was the perfect wife to the solemn and taciturn Darcy, as she was able to prob him into something approaching agreeableness. The first time the cats of London society noted a smile on the gentleman's face while speaking to his wife, many realised that the rare sight indicated the mutual love between the couple.

A few women continued to be jealous that someone else had won him, but these same ladies would have been upset at whoever had managed to achieve what they had not. In reality, they could find little to dislike about the woman, though a few attempted to despise her for her winning the prize they had sought. Those who thought to embarrass her quickly realised that she had a biting wit, and she was unafraid to use it to put these women in their place. Soon, it became apparent that the new Mrs Darcy was rather formidable, and most such attempts ceased.

Lady Matlock's Twelfth Night ball was Elizabeth's official introduction to the ton. Most had encountered her in some form by then, and her reputation was well known. Attempts to discredit her had ceased, and many were determined to befriend her. With the two estates joined, the Darcys would be a powerful family in England, with significant wealth in their control.

Elizabeth's dress for the evening was a sight to behold, making her appear a vision of elegance and grace. The dress was made of light rose-coloured silk and draped beautifully on Elizabeth's figure, enhancing her natural beauty. The bodice was cut in a daring style that hinted at the delights that lay beneath and tempted Darcy to refuse Elizabeth to attend. While it revealed nothing, Darcy did not want others to admire his wife's assets, as he insisted they were all for him.

"Ellie, must we attend tonight? I would much rather remain at home. My aunt's events are always a crush, and we have already spent more than a month in town. Everyone has already met you, meaning there is no good reason for us to attend tonight."

She laughed at him. "Will, I have noticed you only call me Ellie when you are trying to convince me of something. I will have to keep that in mind for the future. And yes, we must attend tonight as your aunt intends to announce our marriage officially. It is not a secret, but she intends to honour us tonight. We cannot miss it, as I feel certain she would send someone after us if we failed to appear. No, dearest, we will need to attend this final event, and then in two days, we will depart to Pemberley."

Darcy scowled. "But I will not be able to dance with you as often as I wish. We will dance the first together, but tonight, that will be all we are allowed."

Elizabeth moved to stand close to her husband and stood on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. "But I have managed to outwit your aunt, husband, and I have already penciled your name in for the supper and the last in addition to the first. Since this is our last event before we leave for home, I thought we would miss any uproar caused by our dancing those sets together."

"My brilliant wife," he whispered huskily before tilting his head down to kiss his wife.

As Darcy predicted, the event was well-attended, though not technically a crush. Lady Matlock was not happy when the two stood across from each other for the supper dance, and her expression was nearly a scowl when she saw them line up again for the final dance. However, most of the rumours about the couple were positive, speaking of their obvious love for each other as they flaunted propriety at the event to dance with each other three times, leaving Lady Matlock with little to be displeased about.

She did have a few words for the couple when they departed. "I am seriously displeased with you, nephew, but as it has not seemed to have had a negative effect, I suppose you will be forgiven. I think it is good that you are to depart soon, as I believe the two of you are too newly married to be in public."

"Aunt, you are the one who has insisted we remain. I would have left for Pemberley weeks ago had you not demanded we be seen in public," Darcy protested.

"Yes, well, you have been seen, and now it is best if you depart. Travel safely, and we will see you soon enough. Go, enjoy your time in the country, and I will see you again in the spring. Georgiana will remain with us at Matlock House until you return in a few months." Lady Matlock gave them both an imperious look and sent them on their way.

As planned, the Darcys departed from London two days later. The day after the ball, they slept late and visited the Gardiners one final time before leaving. Jane, Mary, and Kitty had decided to take the Gardiner name, which would be made official later that month, and Kitty was looking forward to attending school. A companion had been hired for Jane and Mary, who was also helping to instruct those two in some of the accomplishments they lacked.

In the last month, Jane already gained a suitor, a Mr Ayres, who was an investor in Gardiners's business. Like Mr Bingley, his fortune had been made in trade, and he sought to eventually purchase an estate, although he did not expect to do so for another decade. Jane liked the man, and he appeared to be interested in her for more than just her beauty. However, her experiences made her a little more willing to question the motivations of such a man. Without Mrs Bennet pushing her toward any man, she felt she could take her time and get to know him well. For the moment, and on such a slight acquaintance, she had little to say to her cousin about the man.

Gardiner and Darcy spoke for a time in the study. Gardiner had received a letter from his brother Phillips regarding the Bennets, including Lydia's attempt to escape, which he had thwarted. Mrs Bennet kept Lydia very close to home, as she did not want to lose her companion any time soon, especially as none of the women near Longbourn wanted anything to do with Mrs Bennet after her infamous treatment of her niece. The anger of that had still not faded, and Mrs Bennet and Lydia's actions when they went into town had done little to cool it.

"They remain as foolish as always and seem incapable of learning their lesson. My sister still speaks of coming to London and having Lizzy purchase her, and Lydia's clothing, but Bennet has thus far been able to prevent her from coming. He has managed that by keeping the carriage unusable, and Mrs Bennet needs more funds to carry them to London in a coach. Since the Hills left, Mrs Bennet has had to take far more of an interest in the running of the house, including directing the servants, as they truly cannot afford to pay a housekeeper what she would deserve. My sister says they are getting along well enough, though they expect Lydia to attempt to escape again soon. So far, she has been prevented from ruining herself, but I fear it is only because she has lacked the opportunity."

"Is there someone who could be persuaded to marry her so she does not? She is young and foolish, but she is a product of her environment. What she wants most is to be married, and were she to marry someone who could teach her to behave, perhaps she could be saved." Darcy and Elizabeth had discussed the girl, and while Elizabeth was disinclined to do too much for her as she had been rather cruel to Elizabeth at times, she knew that the influence of her parents had made her so. Had Mr and Mrs Bennet told the truth about Elizabeth's heritage from the beginning, Lydia might have been nicer to her cousin and not taunted her with the lie about her birth.

"Lydia is insistent that she will marry an officer. I suppose one might be persuaded, but neither Phillips nor I are inclined to invest the funds that would be required," Gardiner replied. "No, the officers in Meryton have been warned and will not touch Lydia, not even for a roll in the hay."

Darcy frowned. "Then perhaps she is safe enough for now. Her family are social pariahs, and she is, presumably, learning how to run a house and maybe a few other useful skills. If she matures through all of this, she may be fit to marry someone in a few years."

Gardiner merely shrugged, and the two discussed some investment opportunities for the rest of the visit.

The journey to Pemberley took longer in early January than it had in November due to the condition of the roads as they travelled. Darcy and Elizabeth enjoyed being in each other's sole company for several days and not having to interact with others as they had in town.

When they arrived home, they were again greeted by their staff, who welcomed them home with alacrity. The winter months passed peaceably as the couple learned more about each other and came to love each other more deeply. During this time, they did pass the occasional week at Briarwood, and Elizabeth had been delighted the first time they travelled to her estate.

With her marriage, she was now officially in charge of the estate, and they had gone there the first time to help get the Hills settled into their new role as the housekeeper and butler. Briarwood was larger than Longbourn, which meant Mrs Hill had different responsibilities. The admiral, who had been in residence for six months, departed shortly after Christmas, and the estate was once again uninhabited. Elizabeth and Darcy had discussed possibly leasing it again or keeping it available for their visits. Still, they had yet to determine the best course of action.

"If we lease it, then we will be unable to visit. I would like to see the estate in the summer to see if it spurs any memories from the time I spent here as a child. Bits of the house seem slightly familiar, but since I seem to recall pieces of the summer I spent with you more vividly than others, I wonder if we spent a few weeks here in the summer —near our birthdays — if you would not mind." Elizabeth whispered these thoughts to her husband on the last night of their stay at Briarwood as they lay in bed.

"I would be delighted to spend the month of our birthdays here at Briarwood, especially if it sparks memories that have been long hidden. I remember more than you do of that time, and perhaps my memories will help to inspire yours." He moved his head down to kiss her, and soon, that kiss deepened until any discussion about the estate was forgotten.

The following day, they sat next to each other in the carriage that would take them back to Pemberley. "We will wait before we make any decisions about leasing Briarwood. I think the Hills are doing well with their new duties, and I hope you are pleased with how the estate is doing," Darcy observed to his wife.

She nodded, an action he felt more than saw, as her head was tucked beneath his chin as they sat snuggled together — for warmth, he had claimed. "Thank you for agreeing, William. It is not as though we need the money from the lease. Everything about the house seemed to be in good repair, and the tenants were just as content as those at Pemberley. You have done well in managing the estate over the years."

Elizabeth felt her husband shake his head. "My father put it all into place, and I merely continued what he did," he returned.

That caused his wife to laugh, and he smiled despite knowing she was laughing at him. "You have often said I take compliments poorly, sir, but you are the same. You cannot accept praise any better than I."

Once again, he used the most effective method he had for silencing his wife when she teased him, so he kissed her, keeping her silent for some time after that, hoping she would forget what they had been talking about.

A/N: When I began this story, I had a thought about using the line from Twelfth Night about "music being the food of love". However, that never quite worked out, and now the story needs a title. Any suggestions are welcome!