Author's note: thank you all for your very kind words about the last chapter. I really appreciate them more than I can say.
Ready for a lot of things to happen?
Chapter 31
A note was received at Netherfield that evening from Longbourn to inform Bingley that Wickham and Kitty would gratefully accept his offer. The plan, therefore, was for the happy couple to marry from the Meryton church at eleven of the clock the following morning, then take a week-long wedding trip to a place yet to be determined, and finally return to Netherfield until Wickham received orders to go to Brighton with his men.
Elizabeth could only imagine the chaos that was occurring at Longbourn at the moment, what with Kitty attempting to prepare for the wedding and Lydia being disciplined.
At least, she hoped Lydia was being disciplined.
To her surprise, Elizabeth was also given a note addressed just to her, written in Kitty's hand.
Dear Lizzy,
As I write this, I still cannot believe that tomorrow is to be my wedding day. Whenever I dreamed of this, I always imagined Lydia standing up with me. After her despicable behavior these last weeks, she is the last person in the world whom I would ever choose to be my bridesmaid.
Will you stand up with me tomorrow? Please?
Kitty
Elizabeth eyes stung as she re-read the note. When it came her time to marry Darcy, who would stand up with her? Jane would be gone; Mary was… well, Mary; Lydia was not an option; and Kitty might be following the drum. Would Georgiana have the courage to do so? If not, then who? Maybe Charlotte?
She shook her head. Now was not the time to think of these things. Aware of the time, she sat and wrote a quick note in reply.
My dearest Kitty,
It would be my great honor to stand up with you tomorrow. Just let me know what you are to wear, so I do not dress in something that won't match!
I am proud of you, Kitty. Jane would be so happy for you. I'll be there with bells on.
Lizzy
The sun rose the following morning bright and clear, and Elizabeth decided to take a quick walk before breakfast in order to rid herself of the nerves she felt on her sister's behalf. Things were progressing quickly, and there were too many things that could go wrong.
What if Jane were to pass on before Kitty can exchange her vows? What if Lydia misbehaves? What if Wickham's commanding officer decides not to give him leave from his duties for the wedding? What if-
"Oof!"
Elizabeth was jolted out of her panicked anxieties when she crashed into something hard along the path up to Oakham Mount. She looked up into the somber face and dark eyes of the man she loved most in the world.
"Darcy!" she cried in delight. "I didn't expect to see you this morning."
"I could say the same for you," he said, a wry smile on his lips. "Do you not have a wedding to prepare for? It is my experience that young ladies require hours of time at their toilette to prepare for a special event."
"Are you saying my looks are such that it's necessary for me to spend an extended amount of time in front of the mirror in order to appear well?"
The expression on Darcy's face reminded Elizabeth of a hare being caught in a trap. He stammered for a few moments before she allowed her humor to show with a grin. When he understood her to be teasing him, he sighed with relief, causing her to laugh.
"You will have to be more accustomed to being teased, Mr. Darcy," she said pertly, "for I dearly love to laugh."
"As it means you will be with me to do the teasing, I will gladly bear it," he replied with a wink.
Blushing slightly at his flirtation, which reminded her of her boldness from the other night, she said, "I am glad to hear it. I would hate to think I was not wanted."
"Oh, you are most definitely wanted."
The husky tone of his voice and the emphasis on his words caused her cheeks to burn, and she placed her hands up to cool them. In a shaky whisper, she said, "You are as well."
His stare seemed to pierce her soul, and for a long moment they gazed into one another's eyes. Then, the regret evident his tone, Darcy said, "I am glad to see you this morning… for more than this. I need to speak with you about something."
"Yes?" she prompted when he hesitated, her hands dropping back down to her side.
He pressed his lips together in a firm line, then said, "I'm afraid I must go to Pemberley for a few weeks, at the least. It's time for the spring planting, and I have been away for much longer than I usually am. I am needed there."
"Oh," she said in a small voice.
"So I was thinking," he said in a rush, "that I would stay until Mrs. Bingley's funeral and attend on your behalf. I would go to Pemberley, then return again in three months when your mourning is over. What… what do you think?"
Elizabeth blinked back the moisture that was forming in her eyes. "I think… I think I will miss you very much." She took a deep breath. "But I do understand. You have quite a lot of people whose livelihood depends upon you."
He reached out and took her hand in his. "But I do not want to leave with things as they are now between us. It is too vague, too uncertain. Elizabeth, I love you, most ardently. You are the most important person - nay, the most important thing - in the world to me. My affections and wishes for you have only grown in our time together, and I beg of you to relieve my suffering during our time apart and consent to be my wife so that we may write to one another."
She gasped, and he grabbed her other hand, holding them both together between his own large ones. "I will not be easy unless I can address you directly by letter every day, and read the words written in your own hand as to your comfort and security. But more than this - when I return, I will not want to waste another day with being apart; I will want to marry you immediately. Please, Elizabeth… do say you will marry me."
Her heart swelled as she looked up into his face. "Yes," she said quietly.
"Yes?" He bent his head down closer to hers, his voice with a tinge of disbelief.
"Yes," she said again. Standing up onto her toes, she brought her face up to press her lips gently against his.
"Yes," she repeated before kissing him a second time.
This time, he did not remain motionless. Dropping her hands, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into him, deepening the kiss. She moaned softly, and it was all he could do to keep from sweeping her off her feet and carrying her away to someplace they could be alone.
Aware of the time - and the fact that they weren't actually married - Darcy slowly softened the kiss until he was simply holding Elizabeth in his arms in a comfortable embrace.
"It's probably best if we return to Netherfield," he said. "You are to stand up with Kitty, are you not?"
"Oh, heavens, the time!"
Kitty's wedding was everything lovely. Elizabeth was pleased to stand up with her sister, and she shared that honor with Colonel Forster, who was acting as groomsman for his friend. While sorry that Darcy was not the one Wickham chose, Elizabeth understood the reasoning.
The enjoyment of the wedding ceremony was in no small part due to the fact that Lydia was not present. Elizabeth was quite surprised to arrive and see her parents in attendance without their youngest daughter.
Having come in the carriage with Bingley, who was attending for Jane; Hurst, who was attending for Louisa; and the Darcys, Elizabeth hadn't heard anything about her Lydia since the debacle in Jane's bedroom the day before. While she had hoped for some measure of discipline - not that she had anticipated it, if the past was any indication - she didn't think that the girl would be entirely excluded from the day's events.
"I was ready to tell Mama that if she wouldn't leave Lydia at home, I wouldn't allow her to come to the wedding, either," Kitty whispered to Elizabeth while they waited for the ceremony to begin.
"But you didn't need to?"
Kitty shook her head. "I've never seen Mama like that before. Not with Lydia, in any case. She actually threw out all of Lydia's gowns! Every single one! Then she told her that since she was going to act like a selfish child, she would be treated like a child and be put back in the schoolroom."
Elizabeth gasped. "No, she didn't!"
Nodding, Kitty said, "Lydia is locked in upstairs. I told Papa that it was easy to escape out the window, so he had the gardener tear down all the ivy supports! Hill has the only key, and Lydia is allowed only porridge, plain toast, and water until she stops screaming."
Mr. Bennet came to tell them it was time to begin, so Elizabeth only had time to respond with a raise of her eyebrows. She went to the front near where Dr. Fields stood, and her father escorted Kitty down to where Wickham waited for her.
The wording of the ceremony was nearly identical to that of Jane's and Mary's weddings, but this time, the vows held special meaning for Elizabeth. She listened carefully to each sacred promise, asking herself if she truly thought she could agree to them with regards to Darcy.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this congregation, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony… which is an honorable estate… and therefore is not by any to be enterprised, nor taken in hand, unadvisedly, lightly, or wantonly… but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God; duly considering the causes for which Matrimony was ordained…
"Thirdly, It was ordained for the mutual society, help, and comfort, that the one ought to have of the other, both in prosperity and adversity…
"Wilt thou have this Man to thy wedded Husband, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou obey him, and serve him, love, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?..
"I, Catherine, take thee, George, to my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, cherish, and to obey, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I give thee my troth…"
The different prayers and blessings were offered, including the singing of several of the Psalms. Many minsters preferred to simply read them aloud, but Dr. Fields had a strong baritone voice that carried beautifully throughout the chapel, adding a sense of reverence and peace to the wedding ceremony. He then concluded the service by reading aloud from Colossians chapter 3 and 1 Peter chapter 3, where Paul and Peter counseled on the behavior of both husbands and wives in their duties towards one another.
Listening closely, Elizabeth felt a powerful conviction surged within her chest and seemed to radiate throughout her entire body. Despite her dislike for the word "obey," she realized that with Darcy, she could indeed embrace those vows wholeheartedly. The thought of standing by his side, making promises of eternal love and fidelity, no longer seemed daunting but rather a future she yearned for.
When the ceremony came to its conclusion, Kitty and Wickham were taken over to the registry. They signed their names, then Elizabeth and Colonel Forster signed as well as the witnesses. Kitty Bennet was no longer; in her place was Catherine Wickham, and the eighteen-year-old girl looked every inch the blushing bride.
As all were invited to a wedding breakfast at Longbourn, the crowd departed the church quickly in order to make their way to the Bennet estate. Elizabeth kept looking over at her mother, awaiting the customary flutter of nerves and panicked effusions that typically accompanied this sort of event, but - to her great surprise - Mrs. Bennet's enthusiasm was nothing to be ashamed of.
Her behavior continued to stay within the bounds of propriety - or only stray just slightly above it - for the entirety of the wedding breakfast. The only time Elizabeth had cause to blush was when Mrs. Bennet discovered that the Hursts had offered the Wickhams use of their townhouse in London for their wedding trip. Her expressions of gratitude were quite loud, but she soon moderated her tone after only a minute or two.
Elizabeth stared at her mother in awe, causing Mr. Bennet to chuckle as he joined her in a corner of the room with a glass of punch. "I daresay it's quite an improvement, is it not?"
"She honestly seems like a different woman," Elizabeth replied.
"To me, it seems like she's the same woman I first married."
Elizabeth looked at him in surprise, and he gave her a wry smile. "There was more your mother than just her looks, you know. But once she became a mother, she just… changed. With each confinement, her nerves became more and more delicate. I suppose I could have done more, but it was easier to mock her rather than help her."
He laughed at her widened eyes. "Perhaps I have indulged a bit too much today, Lizzy, for my mouth has quite run away with me. Never you mind the ramblings of this old man. What's done is done, and it is done for the best. Your mother has been well-provided for, as have you girls. Hopefully that knowledge should keep her satisfied for quite some time."
Before giving her a chance to respond, Mr. Bennet gave his daughter a small wink, then walked away with a slightly wobbling step. She reached out her hand to help him balance, but he waved it away and continued on.
Shrugging her shoulders, Elizabeth continued to move amongst the guests. She spent the majority of her time with Charlotte Lucas, who was enjoying pleasant conversation with Dr. Carson. The good doctor was still residing at Netherfield to care for Jane in her final days, and was such a such a release and peace that Elizabeth knew they could never have afforded on their own, even with Jane's portion of the dowry.
Occasionally, Elizabeth thought she could hear what sounded like stomping feet and shouting coming from upstairs in the direction of the nursery. Fortunately, all of the four and twenty families with whom the Bennets usually dined had been invited to the wedding breakfast, as well as most of the officers. The noise and conversation from so many people drowned out any tantrums that may have been coming from a spoiled fifteen-year-old upstairs.
When the last congratulations had been made and the last farewells had been said, the residents of Netherfield made their way back home. Elizabeth was relieved that everything had gone so smoothly, especially with Lydia's unpredictable temperament.
Now all there was left to do was wait.
Wait for Jane to die.
Less than two days later, Elizabeth and Georgiana were in the music room playing a duet. Rather, Georgiana was attempting to play, and Elizabeth was performing as poorly as possible on purpose in order to make her soon-to-be sister laugh.
Georgiana's brow furrowed as her fingers flew effortlessly over the ivory keys. Beside her, Elizabeth struggled to suppress a mischievous grin as she watched her friend's concentration. With each passing measure, she found herself growing more determined to break through Georgiana's serene composure.
As they reached a particularly intricate passage, Elizabeth seized her opportunity, deliberately playing a wrong note. Georgiana glanced at her in surprise, but quickly regained her focus and continued playing.
Determined, Elizabeth did so again. Then again. Then again.
"Lizzy, are you twying to wuin our duet?"
Elizabeth feigned innocence, her fingers hovering over the keys. "Me? Sabotage our duet? Perish the thought, dear Georgiana! I am simply adding a touch of spontaneity to our performance."
Undeterred, Elizabeth pressed on, her fingers tripping over the keys in a playful imitation of the melody. She shot Georgiana a mischievous look, hoping to elicit a smile or a laugh from her normally reserved friend.
Georgiana pursed her lips and fixed her eyes on the sheet music as she tried to ignore Elizabeth's antics, her fingers moving swiftly across the keyboard in an effort to maintain the rhythm of the piece.
But Elizabeth was relentless, her determination to break Georgiana's composure only growing stronger with each passing moment. She played louder, more boldly, her fingers dancing across the keys in a flurry of playful dissonance.
Finally, unable to contain herself any longer, Georgiana's lips twitched in a small smile, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she glanced at Elizabeth. "You are tewwivle!" She threw her hands in the air, declaring, "I give up!"
Mrs. Annesley smiled over at the two girls from her place near the fire where she was stitching a sampler. "I'm afraid that Miss Bennet is a terrible influence on you, Miss Darcy. I'll have to speak with your brother about this."
"Oh, no, don't speak to Mr. Darcy! He's so frightening!" The mock terror on Elizabeth's face set all three women off into another peal of giggles.
The door opened, and the housekeeper rushed into the room. "Miss Bennet, Miss Bennet!"
Elizabeth shot to her feet. "What is it, Mrs. Nicholls?"
"Mr. Bingley says to come to the missus's chambers immediately. It's time."
All humor instantly faded from Elizabeth's face. She turned to take her leave of Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley, but she was shooed way. "Go to your sister, Miss Bennet," the companion said.
Lifting her skirts, Elizabeth dashed out of the room, through the halls, and up the stairs. She arrived panting at Jane's room and entered through the already-open door. Inside were already Bingley and Dr. Carson, and the room was filled with a somber silence.
Going to her sister's bedside, Elizabeth sank to her knees on the floor. She clasped her sister's hand gently, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. Jane's hands felt like ice, and the tips of her fingers were entirely blue. Her breathing was shallow and labored, with her chest rising and falling in a slow, uneven rhythm
On the other side of the bed, Bingley sat in a chair, his face lined with grief as he stroked Jane's hair tenderly, his heart heavy with the impending loss. Dr. Carson was at the foot of the bed, his expression grave as he made notes in his book.
And then, in the quiet stillness of the room, Jane took one final, shallow breath, her chest rising for the last time before falling back, still and silent. Elizabeth gasped, her hand flying to her mouth in shock as she realized that her most beloved sister was gone. She laid her head down the bed and began to weep silently, her body shaking with her sobs.
Mr. Bingley's shoulders sagged with grief as he buried his face in his hands, his heart wrenching with the pain of loss. Dr. Carson, his own gaze heavy with sorrow, wrote a few final words, then closed the notebook for the last time.
In the dim light of the room, surrounded by the two people she loved most, Jane Bingley had slipped away from this world, her gentle spirit finally at peace after her body's long and valiant struggle.