Dear readers: I will frequently post chapters of this story. Stay tuned because once it's complete, I'll remove it in a few days.

Chapter 16

Elizabeth froze for a few seconds but immediately decided to introduce her sisters to Georgina. Regardless of what her husband would say later, it was the only option for her. Not doing so would have meant openly despising Georgiana, Lydia, and Kitty.

"I also missed you, Georgiana. I hope everything went well for you in Kent. Allow me to introduce you to my relatives. This is my uncle, Mr. Edward Gardiner, and they are my younger sisters, Catherine and Lydia."

Elizabeth preferred not to look at Mr. Darcy. She felt that his eyes were looking at her intensely, but if she looked at him and saw his disapproving face, she knew she could say things she would later regret.

For their part, Kitty and Lydia knew what to do. Without anyone noticing, Kitty gave Lydia a very slight poke to remind her of their promise to Lawrence a few months ago. When her brother-in-law hired the governess, he explained that he was doing it to help them grow and mature because he did not wish that anyone ever again had the excuse to despise them for how they behaved. Although Lawrence did not give them a specific name, they knew he referred to Mr. Darcy. Kitty and Lydia realized that this was the moment to show Lizzy's pompous husband that they had changed and that he and his opinion were inconsequential to them.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Darcy," Lydia and Kitty said, curtsied without adding anything else.

"It is nice to meet you, too, Mr. Gardiner, Miss Catherine, and Miss Lydia," Georgiana replied enthusiastically.

Kitty and Lydia felt sorry for the poor girl; she looked so pleased to meet them that they would have loved to be more open with her. But for nothing in the world, they wanted to give Mr. Darcy a reason to speak ill of them, so they just smiled.

Mr. Gardiner saw how uncomfortable Elizabeth was, but at the same time, he could see that Kitty and Lydia were behaving excellently. He was a little sorry to know that they did it to avoid being censured by Mr. Darcy. In order toprevent the situation from becoming even more tense, he decided to speak. "The pleasure is our Miss Darcy," and looking at Mr. Darcy, he added, "Mr. Darcy," and touched the brim of his hat.

Mr. Darcy replied in the same manner, and looking at Elizabeth's younger sisters, he just added dryly, "Miss Catherine, Miss Lydia," and made a slight bow.

Kitty and Lydia held hands and stared at him very seriously, curtsied, and they ignored him again after that. Elizabeth knew that her husband deserved no more than that. At least her sisters greeted him back because she would not have blamed them if they had completely ignored him.

"Lizzy, we must invite your sisters and Mr. Gardiner to dinner with us," said Georgiana happily. "If they cannot today, they can come tomorrow. We shall return to Pemberley the day after tomorrow," and full of emotion, she added, "Let us go inside the house, and we can talk more comfortably." Georgiana was delighted; Elizabeth's sisters looked very friendly and were her age. Maybe they could become friends.

Elizabeth was utterly overwhelmed by the situation. She felt a mixture of anguish, shame, and a lot of anger at the same time. She was usually resourceful under challenging circumstances but could not say anything this time.

Mr. Gardiner, noticing how Elizabeth was speechless, decided to intervene. "My dear Miss Darcy, we are very sorry, but my wife is waiting for us at home for dinner. Otherwise, we would have loved to accept your generous invitation."

"Tomorrow, we have an engagement, and we also return to our home in Meryton the following day, but thank you very much for your consideration."

Kitty was sad to see Georgiana's smile vanish and could barely hide her disappointment. Elizabeth had told them how shy and lonely Georgina was.

So Lydia decided to intervene so Miss Darcy would not think she was being slighted. "If you ever stop by Meryton, Miss Darcy, you can come to visit us. Our mother loves to have visitors, and she would be delighted to meet you. You can stay for a month or more if you desire." While Lydia spoke, Kitty held Georgiana's hands to make her feel better.

"I would love to visit you, and maybe you can visit us one day in Pemberley," Georgiana replied as she squeezed Kitty's hand.

"I believe it is time to go, girls, or Mrs. Gardiner will send us to sleep without dessert." They all laughed at Mr. Gardiner's witticism, and in that way, they said goodbye to Georgiana and Elizabeth. Then, Mr. Gardiner said goodbye to Mr. Darcy,

Kitty and Lydia added coldly, "Good evening, Mr. Darcy," and entered the carriage.

"Your sisters are beautiful, Lizzy, and so friendly ..." As they entered the house, Georgiana kept talking about Kitty and Lydia. She was glad to meet part of Elizabeth's family. Also, she had been invited to visit them, and she was very excited about the idea.

Elizabeth just smiled; she was unwilling to make her husband's life easier. If he did not want Georgiana to have anything to do with her family, he was the one who had to explain to her sister. Besides, she felt that if she said something, she would not contain her urge to cry.

"I am a little tired, and I am not hungry. So, if you excuse me, I shall go to my chamber. I shall see you tomorrow at breakfast, dear Georgiana." Elizabeth preferred to retire because she did not wish to continue the awkward conversation.

Georgiana felt that Elizabeth did not want to discuss her family or sisters with her. She began to suspect that she did not want her sisters to associate with her. If Elizabeth knew of her mistake, she would not have blamed her for wanting her sisters away from her.

Mr. Darcy was restless and only sat to dinner with Georgiana because he did not want to face Elizabeth yet. The situation with his wife's uncle and sisters had been very uncomfortable. During dinner, neither he nor Georgina said anything, each immersed in their own guilt.

Even if it was hard for him to admit it, Mr. Darcy felt very ashamed. Elizabeth had to introduce her sisters to Georgiana on the street. But what embarrassed him the most was remembering how kind Mr. Gardiner had been; he even greeted him warmly. He wondered if Elizabeth had told her family that he had forbidden her to invite them to any of their properties. Perhaps that was why her two sisters had been so cold when greeting him. He had to admit they had behaved politely and treated his sister respectfully. Of course, he would never allow Georgiana to relate to them. However, still, he could not feel comfortable with the situation. Although he was still far from admitting his mistake, at least that day, he was not happy to see how his wife had to say goodbye to her family on the street, as if she were part of the house staff and not its mistress.

With her maid's help, Elizabeth bathed and put on her nightgown. Claire had also helped her unpack and put everything away. She was looking at the three handkerchiefs her mother sent her husband as a present when she heard him enter her room. She immediately put them in the drawer of her nightstand. She knew that he despised her mother and would never wish to have a gift made by her.

"At last, we are alone, Elizabeth; I would like to tell you everything that happened in Kent and talk about other things if you are not very tired," said Mr. Darcy in a conciliatory tone.

"I am tired, but I wish to know how Miss de Bourgh is."

Mr. Darcy began to tell her about the Colonel and Anne's marriage and his cousin's reasons for marrying Richard. For a moment, he thought of talking about what had happened with Elizabeth's sisters, but he did not want her to believe that he had changed his mind about the Bennets. Lady Catherine had been so critical of Elizabeth's family because Mr. Collins had told her everything about them. Mr. Darcy did not wish his aunt to have motives in the future to criticize him for his decision to marry a woman so beneath his class.

So, he avoided that subject but decided to apologize for what happened before traveling to Kent. "Elizabeth, I think I owe you an apology. The last night we spent together, I acted... You did not deserve... The truth is that I missed you so much these days, my love ..." and without being able to contain himself for another moment, he took Elizabeth in his arms and kissed her.

Elizabeth knew it was best to forget everything that had happened two hours ago as soon as possible. She was tired, and she, too, had missed her husband. He was tender this time and told her how much he loved and missed her many times. Despite all his imperfections, Elizabeth could no longer deny how much she loved him. They made love twice and slept all night long, hugging each other.

When Mr. Darcy awoke at dawn the next day, Elizabeth was sound asleep. The night before, when he entered her room, he saw that she was quickly putting something in the drawer of her nightstand and was curious to see what it was. He quietly opened the drawer and saw three handkerchiefs with his initials. He was glad that Elizabeth had embroidered them for him as a surprise. He closed the drawer and hugged the naked body of his wife. When she felt him close to her, she snuggled into his arms, and he fell asleep again, thinking that no man could be happier than him at that moment.

P&P

The days after Mary's wedding were especially hard for Lawrence. Two shipments of fabrics arrived from the Orient, and he and his two assistants had many things to coordinate. He liked being personally involved in his business and knowing everything. That way, he learned much better what decisions to make. The day was particularly hot, so he only wore a shirt and pants. When he finally finished working, he went through the water pump and freshened up. Then he went to his office to change his shirt and dress appropriately. Jane, his mother, and Mrs. Gardiner would be arriving soon. He had told them high-quality silk fabrics had arrived and were in his warehouse, and they could choose whatever they liked.

When he removed his wet shirt to put on a dry one, he felt feminine arms hug him. "You are even more perfect than I imagined. You remind me of those museum statues my boring husband likes so much."

Lawrence was shocked to see Lady Isabella's hands touching a part of his naked torso without shame. "Madam, what are you doing here?" He said, horrified, as he pulled away from her and quickly pulled on his dry shirt.

"I came to see you, my love. Although I must admit, I never thought you would receive me like this. However, after what I just saw, I want you even more, and I have decided to forgive you for leaving me abandoned the other night." Lady Isabella was very amused to see how uncomfortable Lawrence was. She thought she had achieved what she desired and that Lawrence Clark could no longer live without her.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, madam. But I shall ask you to please leave my office and never return." By this time, Lawrence had managed to put on his shirt vest and was trying to put on his cravat.

"There is a huge list of men who want to be in your place. If I leave now, you will not have another chance. I do not beg any man; they are the ones who beg me," said Lady Isabella, annoyed. Since she was fifteen, men could not stop looking at her, and she would not tolerate that, at twenty-eight, that man rejected her. She had been the mistress of a duke and two earls, and she was the wife of a Baron. It would not be a simple merchant, the first man to reject her.

"I am sorry, madam, but I am not interested in begging for you. If you have such a long list of suitors, please find one of them and leave me alone. I love my wife; she is the only woman I am interested in." Lawrence was extremely nervous, did not know what to do with that woman, and did not understand why she had become obsessed with him.

Lady Isabella was furious. "You will regret turning me down, Lawrence Clark." Then, she left the office, planning how to take revenge on that man who was now her worst enemy. When she went out, she saw that the stupid blonde and other ladies were approaching. So she pinched her cheeks, messed up her hair and the gown's neckline, and just as they were about to enter, she decided to get out smiling, "Mrs. Clark." Then, she took her carriage and left.

In less than a minute, Jane, Mrs. Clark, and Mrs. Gardiner entered Lawrence's office. He was visibly uncomfortable, a little flushed, and trying to fix his cravat. The situation was awkward since everyone thought the same, but nobody said anything.

Jane saw a shirt on the floor and her husband nervously trying to fix his cravat. She remembered that woman's mocking smile and the familiarity in how she had spoken to Lawrence at Lord Fleming's house. At that moment, she wanted to be anywhere but there.

P&P

Thanks to everyone who leaves supportive comments and enthusiastically follows the story.

In the next chapter, Elizabeth returns to Pemberley with her husband, and Jane has an earnest conversation with an unexpected friend.

See you soon!

Saludos,

Yo