October 1811
The last month had been the happiest of Darcy's life. To Darcy's surprise and delight, as the days passed, he fell even more in love with his beautiful, intelligent wife.
Darcy never tired of looking at her, either when she was sleeping or when she was awake. He never tired of caressing her hair and her body. He never tired of hearing her voice, hearing her laugh and kissing her until they were both breathless. Every passing day, he was discovering new fascinating details of his Elizabeth; from a small mole on her right hip to the faint smile she often had while she slept, and with each passing minute, he was even more under her spell. To Darcy's joy, they agreed on their first night together that, from that day forward, they would always share a bed.
They had a ritual every day where they got up together at dawn, walked for at least half an hour through the gardens and nearby forest, and had breakfast afterwards. Then, they would work for several hours, but always they found time to talk about their doubts and fears. Elizabeth knew her husband had a heavy weight on his shoulders, and she supported and helped him in any way she could.
Elizabeth had a small desk brought into Darcy's study so that she could read his correspondence and help him sort the letters. Also, the ones that were not as important, she answered herself under the guidance of her husband. In addition, she actively participated in her husband's meetings with Pemberley's steward since she wanted to be better informed of what was happening in Pemberley to help Darcy navigate difficult situations and make decisions.
Every night, before retiring to their shared bedchamber, she would play the pianoforte and sing for him. Despite the many obligations and the little time they had for themselves, they were both happy with the life they were slowly building.
One morning, just thirty days after their wedding - they were working in Darcy's study, when Mrs. Reynolds brought them their mail. Elizabeth saw a letter from Mary, which she happily opened and read it. Her face instantly darkened, and her eyes filled with tears.
Seeing the changes in his beloved wife's face as she read Mary's letter, he hugged her, "My love, what is it? Did you receive bad news from Longbourn?"
Elizabeth nodded sadly and handed him Mary's missive...
October 2nd, 1811
Longbourn
Dear Lizzy,
I hope you and Mr. Darcy are doing very well at Pemberley and that you are continuing to adjust successfully to your new life. From the detailed descriptions in your letters, Pemberley must be a beautiful place, and the library magnificent.
Fortunately, the new parson of Netherfield and his wife, Mr. Terry and Mrs. Terry, are kind and both wish to continue many of the charities and tasks Mr. Darcy started, including the school.
I take this opportunity to tell you the children of the parish have been asking me often about you and Mr. Darcy, and they have written you both a letter that I am going to attach.
October 3rd, 1811
Unfortunately, I just learned very bad news. We will not be able to visit you at Pemberley for Christmas, as we promised. My father is very ill, and according to Mr. Jones, there is nothing that can be done to cure him. He has little time left to live, at most six months.
As you can imagine, we are all extremely distressed and concerned about this terrible news and the implications it will have in our lives.
My mother is lying in her bed with palpitations; poor Mrs. Hill and Jane don't know what to do to comfort her.
I will write to you again soon.
Fondly,
Mary
"This is terrible news." He looked deeply into her eyes. "I am so sorry, Elizabeth. I know how much you love your family. Would you want to go to Longbourn now?"
Elizabeth sighed and shook her head. "No, for the moment I would rather stay at Pemberley. There are many things we need to do here, and we can go for Christmas or sooner if my uncle's health gets worse." She took a deep breath and looked pensive for a moment before continuing, "Also, your friend Mr. Bingley and his sister are arriving in a week…"
Darcy interrupted her, "Elizabeth, I can write to Bingley right now to explain the situation and cancel his visit. I am sure he will understand the reasons and not be offended."
Elizabeth gave him a tender kiss. "No, Fitzwilliam, you don't need to do that. I want to meet Mr. Bingley. For many years he has been your best friend and supported you when you were just a parson. Besides, there is nothing I can do at Longbourn. I will write to Mary …"
Darcy smiled tenderly, and hugged his wife tightly.
After Darcy discovered that Mr. Bennet had been taking the money from the interest on Elizabeth's dowry to increase his daughters' dowries and spending the money on himself, Darcy no longer felt any sympathy or compassion for him. He had read Elizabeth's father's will and was aware that legally Mr. Bennet could do it, but morally it was wrong to take advantage of his niece's money.
However, Darcy was fond of Mrs. Bennet and Elizabeth's cousins, and he was concerned for their wellbeing, as they would have to move to another place and live on less income.
October 1811
After reading his brother-in-law's somber letter, Mr. Gardiner immediately made his way to Longbourn to collect the books and valuables. Within a few days, Mr. Gardiner managed to efficiently sell most of the books and valuable objects through his network of £800 raised from the sale were equally distributed among Mr. Bennet's four daughters.
Furthermore, Mr. Gardiner spoke to Fanny and Mr. Bennet about a gentleman, Mr. Jameson, who had recently returned from America with a modest fortune and had been interested in Jane years ago. He had even written Jane some poems, but at that time, she was still very young, and Mr. Jameson did not have the means to marry, so it all came to nothing. Now, the situation was different, Mr. Jameson was 30 years old and had a prosperous business. He had recently bought a nice house in London where he lived with his mother, and he had managed to save more than £10,000 in the last few years.
At first Fanny hesitated, hoping Jane would marry a wealthy gentleman or even an earl's son; but when Elizabeth's letter arrived saying that there were no wealthy bachelors nearby Pemberley, she thought it was better to have a bird in your hand rather than hundred that are flying.
For his part, Mr. Bennet was much more realistic than his wife; he was aware it was unlikely for an earl's son to marry the daughter of a minor gentleman who had such a small dowry.
Finally, in mid-October, Jane went to London to spend a season with the Gardiners. Two days after her arrival, Mrs. Gardiner invited Mr. Jameson and his mother to dinner.
At first, Jane's conversation with her former suitor was relatively awkward and stilted. Both of them were quite nervous and didn't know what to say. Mrs. Gardiner saved the situation by asking Mr. Jameson questions about America, and urging her niece to participate in the conversation.
"…it is a shame our Kingdom is once again in conflict with America. For many years I have wondered what it would be like to live in America; especially in Boston." Mrs. Gardiner said.
Mr. Jameson smiled at Mrs. Gardiner. For several minutes, he had been trying to converse with Jane with little success. "It is certainly different from the life we lead in London." He paused and added, "Although in the last twenty years thousands of people have settled in and around Boston, the city is much smaller than London. Yet, it offers great opportunities for people who want to work hard and succeed. One of the things that really caught my attention is that there are many women who work alongside men, doing the same type of job."
A surprised Jane looked at him and asked, "What do these women do?"
"Several of them run shops with their husbands, fathers or relatives. There are even women who own their own shops. But of course, there are other women who prefer to stay at home and take care of their children, and they don't get involved in their husband's, father's or brother's business."
"How interesting!" smiled Mrs. Gardiner. "When I was young, I enjoyed being in my father's bookshop in Lambton, and I am convinced that if I had not gotten married, I would probably still own the bookshop and run it myself."
Mr. Gardiner commented gallantly. "I am so happy I could convince you to marry me."
They all laughed, except Jane, and Mr. Jameson looking at her asked, "and you Miss Bennet? Would you like to own a business?
Jane didn't know what to answer. Until then, as the daughter of a gentleman, the idea of working or owning a shop had never crossed her mind. She always thought that one day she would marry a wealthy gentleman, they would have a beautiful house, a few servants at her disposal, and she would take care of raising her children... But, was that what she really wanted in her life? Or was it just what was expected of her, based on her upbringing and family?
She answered honestly, "Until now the possibility of owning a business or working had never crossed my mind…"
Mr. Jameson interrupted her, "It's normal that you wouldn't have thought about that." He smiled slightly. "I forgot for a moment that you are the daughter of a gentleman, and as such, you were probably taught from birth that a young lady should not work."
Jane wanted to deny such a statement, but she knew what Mr. Jameson said was true. So, she only limited herself to answering, "Taking care of the children and doing household chores like sewing and embroidering are tasks someone must do …"
They continued discussing various topics, and the Jamesons left around 10:00 PM. Neither Mr. Jameson nor Jane were satisfied with their first meeting; but they would see each other again in three days.
