The storyline, new character development, new events, and new characters are my intellectual property. Glorioux


Wedding preparations

Mr. Bennet made sure his wife and her family would attend the wedding. He thought Mrs. Bennet should be there, so he sent her money to buy whatever she needed for the wedding and whatever else she might need. He was happy to share the news with his Mr. Gardiner, his friend, and to invite him to his new home. Now, he would have funds to invest in Mr. Gardiner's warehouse since he was convinced that commerce was the future of finance. That way, he could ensure the futures of his daughters and sisters.

He would draw a will to protect his daughters and sisters' futures and Fanny's. He would not forget he had been in love with her and still cared. He was a forgiving person, but her words and actions hurt too much. He hoped he could influence Jane and his younger daughters; he would try his best to do so.

At Netherfield-

Darcy invited his uncle and aunt Fitzwilliam and his cousins. However, he asked them not to say anything to his aunt Catherine. He was worried she would make a spectacle since she expected him to marry Anne, not that he had ever promised to do so. Georgiana arrived with her Scot cousins early in the morning, the day before the wedding. Georgiana was in a foul mood. When she saw George, she ran to change clothes to look her best, but George barely greeted her. Now, she stayed in her room, grumpy because George ignored her and kept looking at Penny. Her past efforts to lure him with Mrs. Younge's help seemed to have failed.

When William, her brother, told her to stay away from George and to let him be, Georgiana fought with William.

Lately, William suspected Georgiana had been eager to follow Younge's advice, and he worried it might have been his sister's idea. Something was telling him that might been the case. Finally, he went into Georgiana's room after an exhausting hour since she had arrived, and they had not even had breakfast, "Georgie, George might be a close relative, so I want you to leave him alone; besides, he cares deeply for someone else. Why not Fergus? He likes you and is more your age."

Richard heard the arguing and came into the room, unhappy with Georgiana and her comportment. He was also suspecting Georgiana might have influenced Mrs. Younge. She needed to leave George alone.

"No, Fergus is my cousin and very closely related to me. Besides, he is too young. Is that person Penny? She has been flirting with George non-stop, knowing I care for him," Georgiana was loud and nasty.

William was final, not encouraging her to say more and ending the discussion. He told Georgiana not to say one more word. Richard said the same and threatened to send her to a school he had recommended before. They left the room before Georgiana argued more.

William was tired of all the arguing and conflict and was glad Lizzie would be helping. Mary, her sister, would come to visit soon. Richard was also coming and would be leaving the Army. They both agreed that Georgiana needed a maternal influence.

They just had breakfast, and George, who stayed at Netherfield, sat with the cousins, Richard, and William. He told Penny and her brothers about seeing their father and the message he sent. Penny said, "I believe it; Mama, who always looked sad, told me her parents forced her to marry our father because the one she loved was penniless. I think the man she loved was our tutor, who was handsome and a gentleman. He died less than a year after Mama died. I am glad she is happy, and he is too. I saw our father crying sometimes, and I understood once I heard about his tragedy; hence, I am glad he is with his love. It is so romantic." Penny sighed.

Angus, her brother, was doubtful, thinking George was lying. George pulled out his pocket a tin box, George opened it to pull the pony, "Penny, do you recognize this?" He stood to show it to her.

"Yes, William has one just like it, though he said my father made it out of a rare piece of wood, and this is new," Penny exclaimed, seeing the small pony.

When William repeated the ponies' story, the cousins were excited. They stood by George to touch the pony and sat again. A minute later, they sensed their father and looked up and around. "He is here. I can smell his cologne," Angus, the 19-year-old twin, exclaimed, and his siblings agreed.

Penny said, "I wish we could see him," her brothers nodded eagerly.

Everyone heard Gustav Darcy's laughter and heard him. "My dear children, hopefully not too soon. I am always with you, and life goes by fast. You should marry and have children; I want to see little ones. Penny, darling, do not wait too long. I am sure he loves you." Their father's voice said, laughing again. The three dogs, Penny's Mimi, Dee, and Polly went crazy; they jumped while `sniffing the air. Then the puppies sat together a few steps away from the siblings, wagging their tails and licking the air. After a while, they went back to their owners.

The cousins were quiet, looking at each other. Then Fergus spoke softly, "That was Da." His siblings nodded, agreeing.

Richard said, "I think, George makes it possible. Isn't it wonderful?"

William sighed, sounding disappointed, "I wish my father would also come. Oh, well."

Penny stood, walked to George and air-kissed his cheek, and her brothers stood to shake his hand. The three kept thanking him. Fergus, the most affectionate one, hugged George. Everyone dried a few tears, overcome with emotion. As strange as it was, everyone behaved as if this was not unusual or thought it was a hoax.

"George, I will buy the pony from you. Name your price; nothing is unreasonable." Angus, 19-year-old twin, asked him.

William chuckled, waiting for George's answer; he knew what George would say.

"Sorry, but I wanted to give it to Penny; I had already told William so. If she wants it, that is." George looked at Penny, hoping. Penny had been his impossible dream since he could remember.

Penny came, and air kissed his cheek again, making George's eyes dreamy, "Thank you so much; it is a treasure. I am sure nobody will believe my father gave it to you, but we do. I will put it in our family drawing room's display cabinet, where we keep things we love, like a couple of carvings Dad made long ago. One is a small pair, a pretty lady, and her groom who looks like our father. I wonder if we will ever find out who the bride was. We take out everything once in a while."

Angus applauded, "Thanks. Penny, you saved me money. I was going to do the same. But after you look at it, please let Fergus and I hold it. Thanks, George; I know it means a lot to you. Hmm, I have a great idea. You should marry Penny to be near the pony. I believe you must be the one Da mentioned." He said and looked at Fergus, who grinned and nodded, and both exploded in a rowdy laughter, sounding like young boys.

Penny blushed brightly and slapped Angus's hand, then Fergus's. They were happy ande playful, thinking their parents were around. When Mimi, Penny's puppy, jumped on George's lap, Richard winked at William, who nodded. Both knew Penny had not liked anyone since she was 15 when she had liked George.

Richard remembered that George was shy for the first time in his life when the 15-year-old Penny flirted with him, much to the other young men's amusement. He argued he was not good enough, considering her grandfather was a rich Laird and she lived in a castle. Penny had rejected every suitor since then; one was Richard's brother, who kept trying whenever he saw her. Richard's brother was also after Lady Antonia, who found him too young at 32. She was Penny's age. William and Richard believed that George was Penny's love since Gustav said the one Penny loved loved her.

George said, "Penny, I forgot, but I must hold on to the pony until later today. We need to show it to Lady Edna's parents."

Though it was early, they had champagne to celebrate the coming wedding, without Georgiana since she refused to come down.

William now had the rings, presents for the sisters and Mrs. Bennet, and taken the settlement to Lizzie's father, who approved it. Though Georgiana was surly the rest of the day, she quit chasing after George, though she refused to acknowledge Penny, who decided to ignore her younger cousin, whom she loved.

At Longbourn, the mood was festive; their Uncle Gardiner, his wife, and children arrived before breakfast. Now, they were waiting for Lizzie's grandparents to arrive. They were coming with his sisters and his widow sister's twins, a boy and a girl, a gentleman courting the widow, and a few other relatives; they would stay at Netherfield, where theyd had sufficient guest rooms.

Lizzie was nervous, hoping William's relatives would approve of his choice. She would meet some that evening since William was also coming for dinner with his cousins and maybe his sister. With their mother gone, the sisters and their aunt Gardiner helped prepare the house for guests and organized the dinner.

William was coming briefly after breakfast to bring a couple of things for the celebration. He would be arriving soon. At the last minute, Richard and George joined him.

Lizzie accepted Jane's help but preferred to be with Mary. The pain of Jane's betrayal was too recent. Her father had told Jane to give it time when he saw her mopping around about Lizzie and Mr. Bingley. Mr. Bingley was not his usual self, but it had nothing to do with Jane; he still hoped for her but was afraid his sister would do something, and Louisa was equally scared. He did not want to invite his sister's wrath.

Guests

It was a little after breakfast when Mary saw three carriages driving in. She ran to tell her father, and he gathered his daughters and those serving in the house. Lizzie picked up Dee, and everyone went outside.

Lydia and Kitty admired the elegant carriages, which were not much different from Mr. Darcy's. The sisters noticed their father smiling happily. "Lydia and Kitty, behave and remember what I told you; I stand by it." He reminded them that nothing had changed, and they were in trouble. Mary elbowed Lizzie, smiling, and Jane smiled as well. They all winked at each other.

Kitty answered, "I remember, but don't worry because I will watch Lydia." Lydia harrumphed but was quiet. She and Kitty were not on speaking terms, something their father and other sisters welcomed at this time. Kitty had told her father everything that had happened, but Lydia heard and was angry and fought with Kitty, who did not care. Kitty said she did not want to lie again.

The sisters looked lovely wearing the new gowns their mother had sent them. Though the gowns were already half made, she sent Elizabeth the gown intended for Jane, with modifications to fit Lizzie's smaller bosoms. The light blue empire cut gown had an embroidered top and a dark blue velvet bow. Jane knew better than to complain about it since after she saw the gowns, she had recognized her dress. Some weeks earlier, she and her mother had chosen the finest batiste fabric for her gown and the expensive velvet ribbon. Lydia fixed Lizzie's hair with hairpins adorned with small topaz gems, a gift from Mr. Darcy her. He gave each sister and Mrs. Bennet similar hairpins with small stones.

Her father thought Lizzie looked exactly like Edna that day, probably because of her new hairstyle and the pearl bobs he gave Fanny for their wedding. She sent them to Lizzie, and though the sisters recognized them, they were happy for Lizzie. They did not know more gifts were coming their way.

The first to come out of the carriages was an older version of their father, whose blond hair had gone gray. He waited for a much smaller lady, still pretty, wearing an elegant travel dress, her bonnet hanging from her back. The sisters soon discovered she also did not like bonnets, like Lizzie. They saw her resemblance to Lizzie, Mary, and Kitty. The father helped two children get down from the carriage. They were around four years old and ran to the waiting Bennet family. Dee struggled to get down. She had not been around smaller people and wanted to greet them. To their dismay, the children sat on the wet tiles to greet Dee. It made the grandparents laugh, delighted.

A lady, who must have been the mother, came down another carriage and ran to tell the children to stand up, but the children were already running with Dee. The last to come out was someone who resembled Mary and Elizabeth; she was quite pretty; she had the same color hair, a light brown with gold highlights.

From the second carriage, another older couple and two gentlemen came out; one stopped to stare at Lizzie. The older couple also stopped, and the lady exclaimed, "Edna?"

They heard the husband, "No darling, not Edna."

Mr. Bennet walked towards the guests, holding Lizzie's hand. His mother walked to greet him, and he held her with great affection. Once he introduced Lizzie, they were at ease. One gentleman, Edna's younger brother, could not stop looking at Lizzie, remarking how much she looked like his sister. He did not remember her since he had never met her; he was around Lizzie's age but had often seen many of Edna's portraits.

As they were going into the house, Mr. Darcy, George, and Richard arrived riding their horses. They carried Polly and Mimi, who was stuck to George, keeping the twins and Richard amused. When they unmounted and Mr. Darcy walked towards Lizzie, Edna's parents looked at the couple in consternation. Mr. Bennet said, "Yes, I know. But Lizzie does not know everything, though she knows she looks like Edna and her groom looks like his uncle, but not to what extent. We can talk inside." His parents were also quite worried when they saw the uncanny resemblance.

After introductions, Mr. Bennet asked George and Richard to follow him with his parents, Edna's parents, and her brother while Lizzie took everyone else to the dining room. The Bennet sisters were happy to know more family, particularly since the aunts were more like cousins. The three puppies were playing with the very dirty twins, who were running and screaming. Though their mother was embarrassed, her fiancée, an older gentleman, was laughing at their antics, telling her they were children. It was clear he cared about them. They would later find out that he was unable to father children because of a childhood illness, so he doted on the twins.

In the library, George stood to talk; he told them what happened, raising their concerns, though Richard assured them there were many precautions taken to make sure Lizzie was safe and explained Miss Bingley was gone. When George showed them the pony, Edna's mother opened a dainty jewelry box to show them a wooden dog pendant. They could see Gustav had carved the dog and the pony out of the same wood. It was identical workmanship. The couple held each other smiling, believing George, and asked them to describe Edna, which he did. The son was jubilant seeing his parents' eternal mourning gone.

George was baffled because the lady he saw wore the dog pendant, but he did not say anything, wondering how it was possible. Edna's family thanked him profusely and asked him if he would sell them the pony. When he gracefully declined, Richard explained that George had already promised the pony to Gustav's daughter.

Edna's mother showed them a small portrait her husband had in his travel satchel. George exclaimed, "Dear me, she does look exactly like Miss Elizabeth, that was her. But she wore that little dog you have, hanging from a black velvet ribbon around her neck." He pointed at the small dog.

"Yes, she wore it like that at the ball. Oh, I am now sure you saw her," The mother said, drying tears of joy.

The day had ended Edna's parents' long mourning, knowing Edna was with Gustav. Mr. Bennet asked his parents to stay in the library for a few minutes, when he was alone, he told them he had separated from his wife, indefinitely. But he did not elaborate other than to say, she was attending the wedding.

After that, they joined the small celebration in the dining room where the travelers were serving food from the buffet. Lady Edna's mother had a present for Lizzie, Edna's wedding dress made out Belgium lace. They had stored the dress, and she knew Lizzie had not time to plan, so it would please her if Lizzie would wear it with the tiara worn by many Bennet brides; the one her grandmother had brought. Lizzie could not believe it; she ran to her room to bring her daybook to show them the drawing she had made.

"That is Edna in her wedding dress. She was telling you she wanted you to wear her dress. Could you make that drawing for us? We would like it much. I want the same with the groom and the dog. Edna's dog, Nero, looked like the puppies here." The father asked. Lizzie said she would do it gladly.

Mr. Darcy heard and was unhappy since Penny brought the small tiara in his family for a couple hundred years, but he knew better. Penny and Georgiana could wear it. He knew that was nothing, and he was getting Lizzie. But when he saw them looking at the daybook and talking about the groom; he was dying to peek. He stood up to get a drink and moved closer. There is no harm in looking. I want to see it. I hope that Lizzie does not notice. Goodness, hopefully the groom is not holding a broom. I would not like that.

But Lizzie saw him and noticed his eyes, so she closed the daybook, and put it in her pocket. She did not want him to see she had printed her name as Lizzie Darcy. She suspected he was still after her book but hoped not. Unfortunately, there was something Mr. Darcy did not know about his bride, she treasured her privacy, and her sisters knew not to pry, or look at her drawings, or notebooks without permission, since it was a sure way to make her mad at them for days.

Mr. Darcy had decided he would find the daybook, eventually; he would ask Miss Nancy to help him. He thought, lying to himself, I only want to see what she was showing them. However, he wondered if it might be better if he would ask Lizzie to show him the picture, but he might want to see more.


A/n There we go again; he got Lizzie and now he wants trouble. We shall see. Behind his serious facade there is a mischievous Mr. Darcy..

I have another story I wrote parallel to this one, a similar theme but two different takes, it is five chapters. I might publish here. It is part of the Netherfield series.

By the way other than trifling annoyance of anonymous troll comments, I fail to see what is the purpose to be so nasty. I understand whoever doe not like my writing, it is fine with me, but why be so ugly? It is the reason I quit writing in FFnet. Other than that, thanks to everyone out there. I hope the stories take your mind away from all the disasters, wars, and all that is wrong. Much love to everyone.