This story will be available until Dec. 30th!
Chapter 25
Mr. Darcy accompanied his solicitor to the door, satisfied with everything he had resolved. Everything would be ready in a few more days, and Elizabeth would have the marriage settlement she deserved. For Mr. Darcy, knowing that his wife was protected was essential; it made him feel pleased and at peace.
Once he said goodbye to Mr. Kane, Mr. Darcy went to the drawing room to say goodbye to the ladies and left for his uncle's house. But his contentment vanished when he heard how Caroline spoke to his wife. Mr. Darcy had to take a deep breath before intervening because, above all, he was a gentleman, and although that harpy deserved to be put in her place, he was not willing to descend to her level.
Caroline was speechless. She did not expect Mr. Darcy to speak so kindly to his wife. But her perplexity turned to rage when he saw Elizabeth possessively take her husband's arm. "Mr. Darcy, you will excuse me, but after learning about the details of your wedding, it is difficult for me to show respect…"
"Miss Bingley, you can believe whatever you want, but I want to understand something. My wife and I do not have to explain ourselves to anyone, least of all you. Furthermore, we know that in a short period, when everyone realizes how much we love and respect each other, those rumors will disappear."
Mr. Darcy paused to kiss his wife's hand to reassure her. Caroline felt humiliated and disgusted, but she knew that Mr. Darcy was her only connection to the first circles, and it would be her disgrace to lose his friendship and access to Pemberley. Louisa wanted to leave immediately and prayed that her sister would not say anything else.
"Furthermore, Miss Bingley, I find it extremely curious that you are the one who gives validity to that absurd gossip. Please remember that you knew of my admiration for my wife and her beautiful eyes. You even took the time to tease me about it," Mr. Darcy said with a wry smile.
"I understand. In any case, we came to visit our dear Georgina and have no intention of socializing with Eli… Mrs. Darcy," Caroline explained, and she looked contemptuously at Elizabeth again.
"I am very sorry, Georgiana, but you cannot receive your friends at this house. Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst are not welcome in Darcy House. They have not shown the minimum consideration for Mrs. Darcy, and I do not and will never allow anyone to treat my wife as you have done, Miss Bingley." Mr. Darcy was emphatic, and he did not want to leave any doubt about what he thought.
Georgiana approached Elizabeth and took her arm. Then she looked at Caroline and said in a trembling voice, "Miss Bingley, if you cannot respect my dear sister, I do not wish to be your friend."
Caroline felt like she was losing her balance and had to do something to defend herself against Eliza Bennet. "Georgiana, you should not let this… or anyone use you or put ideas…"
"Miss Bingley, you heard my sister. Please do not force me to ask you to leave our house. I shall ask you to please leave and never return; you are not welcome here or in Pemberley," concluded Mr. Darcy. Then he kissed his wife's hand again, smiled at his sister, and left the room.
Elizabeth saw how mortified Louisa and Caroline were and did not want to humiliate them even more. "We have something to do; if you excuse us, we shall leave."
Jane said goodbye to her future sisters and joined Elizabeth and Georgiana. A few seconds later, the butler appeared and asked Louisa and Caroline to accompany him. In less than a minute, the sisters left Darcy House mortified and insulted like never before.
In the carriage, Caroline could not help but vent her frustration. "Louisa, I swear that Eliza will pay for this humiliation. I shall not let her enjoy her new life."
"Caroline, I think it is best to forget about Eliza Bennet. Clearly, Mr. Darcy is bewitched and under the spell of that woman. Please do not create more trouble because Mr. Darcy can be a mighty enemy," Louisa said.
"I am sorry, Louisa, but I cannot allow that woman to think she is better than me," Caroline replied.
"And what do you plan to do? Do you not remember that a few days ago, you saw Eliza in the company of the countess?"
"Do not worry, Louisa; I know what to do. But you know Eliza adores her dear, foolish sister. Eliza Bennet can never be happy if dear Jane is suffering, and I shall make sure that stupid chit can never be happy with Charles," Caroline concluded, feeling satisfied with herself. If she were not happy, Eliza would not be happy either.
Louisa preferred not to say anything. She knew that when Caroline was angry, she did not listen to anyone. Besides, she was not so sure that keeping Jane away from Charles was such a good idea. Now, she was connected to the Darcys, which undoubtedly changed her circumstances.
P&P
Mr. Darcy could not believe that the last few days had been both his happiest and most unpleasant. On the one hand, he had finally managed to resolve all his differences with Elizabeth and was immensely pleased with her. Unfortunately, he had to endure the hostility of his father-in-law and Caroline Bingley's contempt towards his wife, and now, he would have to face his aunt.
As soon as he entered the house, and before he could talk to his aunt, Richard asked his cousin to accompany him to the study. He urgently needed to speak with him.
Richard briefly explained what was happening in Hertfordshire and everything John Carter had informed him in their last letter.
"Nothing you tell me surprises me, Fitzwilliam. Elizabeth's youngest sister is a spoiled child who does whatever she wants," Mr. Darcy said, concerned.
"Darcy, I want you to know that my contacts will not let Wickham elope with that silly girl. I shall travel to Meryton in a few more days to put a definitive end to all this. I want to know if you want to contact your father-in-law or would prefer me to talk to him."
"I believe it is best to keep that gentleman out of this matter. If we notify him of what is happening, it is very likely that he will do nothing or tell his wife and daughters, and they will put Wickham on alert. I shall speak to Elizabeth, but I am sure she will not want her family to know what is transpiring either." Mr. Darcy told his cousin how his father-in-law had reacted to the news of his wedding to Elizabeth and a little more about the Bennet family's behavior.
"What a peculiar man, Darcy. First, he tries to marry his daughter to a fool, and when she marries Prince Charming, he is offended and angry," Richard said to prevent his cousin from getting more angry.
"It is not something to laugh, Fitzwilliam. Please keep me informed, and let me know when you intend to travel to Hertfordshire. Bingley can offer you accommodation; he will return to Netherfield in a few days and told me the house is now open again."
"What good news. There, I can hide and plan what to do. Now, I shall write to Captain Carter to let him know I shall be there in a few days. Good fortune with Lady Catherine; you will need it."
"I know," replied Mr. Darcy, resigned. Then, he said goodbye to his cousin and headed to the drawing room. He knew his aunt was there because he could hear her loud voice.
"This is all your fault, Theodore. If you had forced your irresponsible nephew to do his duty to his family, none of this would have happened."
"Darcy is not under my guardianship and is a grown man who can do as he pleases with his life," the Earl replied. He was reading the newspaper and tried to ignore his sister. She had been repeating the same thing for many hours.
"You have always been weak, Theodore. That is why no one respects you, not your children, not your wife, and even less so your nephew," Lady Catherine cried, enraged when she saw that her brother was practically ignoring her. She planned to continue accusing the Earl but just saw her nephew enter the room. "Darcy, how dare you marry that horrid woman…"
"Lady Catherine, I shall not allow you to denigrate my wife again. Precisely for that reason, I have come to tell you that if you do not cease insulting her and do not show respect for my family, I shall be forced to cut all ties with you. Needless to say, my Lady, I shall not help you solve any of your problems again, let alone provide you financial assistance."
Lady Catherine felt uncomfortable and nervous. She knew she could not manage her estate without her nephew's help. She looked at her brother and noticed how he ignored her, so she knew she would not get support from him. Therefore, she decided to change her strategy and face the matter differently.
"You do not realize, Darcy, that I am concerned for your well-being, legacy, and family name. Perhaps you do not know, but that woman first tried to entice my priest to save her family from ruin. However, Mr. Collins was not enough and decided to marry someone richer and more prominent. Nephew, I know you are honorable and that after that woman put you in a compromising situation, you probably felt obliged to marry her. But do not worry, I know my solicitor can find some legal loophole to end this farce of a marriage." Lady Catherine continued to speak for several minutes in a more conciliatory manner, and seeing that her nephew said nothing, she thought that her statements were having an effect.
For his part, Mr. Darcy preferred to let his aunt say whatever she wanted. He did not want to discuss that topic again and wanted his aunt to say whatever she desired. When he was sure his aunt had nothing else to add, he finally spoke. Do you have anything else to tell me, Lady Catherine?"
"I just want to add that you should think about your family's future and that we shall be by your side to assist you in resolving this unfortunate situation." Lady Catherine was convinced that her remarks had made her nephew rethink and that in a few more months, Anne would be Mrs. Darcy.
"Lady Catherine, I want it to be clear to you that I shall not discuss this matter with you again, so I ask you to listen to me well so that you understand that this ends after I share my thoughts." Mr. Darcy looked at his uncle to let him know that what he said was also directed at him.
"The first thing I shall clarify is why my wife and I decided to get married. Mrs. Darcy indeed received an offer of marriage from Mr. Collins, but she rejected him, and when her parents wanted to force her to accept him, she decided to look for employment. It was there that we met again, and upon knowing what her situation was, I proposed to her because I had admired her for a long time. Precisely because she did not have the support of her family, we decided to get married in Scotland. But even though we did not have the wedding we deserved and the beginning of our life together was a bit atypical, I hope there is no doubt in your mind that my wife and I love each other very much and that we are happy together. Finally, I want to add that I shall not allow you or anyone else to try to interfere in our lives and even less to pretend that you can disrespect my wife without facing any consequences. Good day, Lady Catherine, my Lord," said Mr. Darcy, bowing. Then he exited the room, leaving his aunt even more angry than she was before.
"You heard the boy, Catherine. I hope you will not continue to make a fool of yourself and return to Rosings tomorrow," said Lord Matlock.
""NEVER! I shall not rest until I see my nephew free from that harpy," said Lady Catherine, storming out of the room in a rage.
"Do as you wish," said Lord Matlock and continued reading the newspaper.
P&P
Over the next few days, Lady Catherine spent most of her time speaking to solicitors about how she could claim her daughter's rights and have her nephew's marriage annulled. Unfortunately for her, all of the solicitors gave her the same answer: if the engagement of Miss de Bourgh and Mr. Darcy was not stipulated in a contract, it was impossible to claim rights.
Lady Catherine was so obsessed with the subject that she practically forgot about Anne. She preferred that she remain at Darcy House and even sent her a note giving her express instructions on how she should proclaim her rights and make the staff understand that she would soon be the legitimate mistress of the house.
Anne knew her mother well, so she sent her a note explaining that she did not want to stay at her cousin's house because she did not want to interfere with his new life as a married man. That was enough for Lady Catherine to forbid Anne to leave Darcy House.
Anne felt free and used her time to do everything she had always dreamed of. She walked around the city, visiting parks and museums accompanied by Georgina, Richard, Jane, and Mr. Bingley. She had never enjoyed life so much and wished to stay in London or anywhere other than Rosings. She wanted to be as far away from her mother as possible.
That evening, Mrs. Gardiner organized a dinner to thank Georgiana for being kind to her two nieces. Richard would be in charge of accompanying Georgiana and Anne, who was also invited. The idea was to allow Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy to spend the evening alone. They felt sad that the young couple had not had the opportunity to spend more time together due to all the problems they had faced since they married.
Jane took the opportunity to invite Mr. Murray. She had shared Anne's poems with him, and he was very impressed with them. He gladly accepted the invitation, curious to know the author of those poems.
Considering that everyone was entertained listening to Richard's amusing anecdotes, Mr. Bingley approached Jane to converse in private. He would return to Hertfordshire in two more days and Jane by the end of the week.
"My dear Angel, you do not know how glad I am to know I shall be close to you and that you have given me another opportunity to court you. As soon as I arrive in Hertfordshire, I shall speak to your father to formalize our engagement."
Jane felt like she could not breathe from so much happiness. In recent weeks, Mr. Bingley had shown her the strength of his feelings, and she was sure that nothing and no one could separate them.
"My mother will be delighted to see you again. I hope she does not make you uncomfortable with her praises and constant attention," Jane said, a little embarrassed.
"Do not worry, my dear. Your mother's effusiveness does not bother me," Mr. Bingley said and kissed his betrothed's hand. "Jane, I do not want to ruin this beautiful evening, but there is something I have to tell you, and I need you to listen to me carefully."
Jane was concerned but told Mr. Bingley he could trust her. Then, Mr. Bingley shared with her what Mr. Hurst had heard and how Caroline, with Louisa's support, had planned to separate them, telling lies to make her doubt his regard.
"Charles, please do not worry. I do not believe anything your sisters tell me, and after how they behaved with Lizzy, I doubt they would be interested in having any relationship with me. In any case, I know they are your family, and I shall do everything possible to get along with them."
"They will come to visit you tomorrow because they know you have a noble heart," said Mr. Bingley.
"Will they come to visit me here? I know they do not enjoy coming to this part of town."
"Yes, my dear. They will come tomorrow to tell you that despite what happened at Darcy House, they still adore you and want to be your friends, but in reality…" Mr. Bingley told Jane everything his sisters were planning and how he, Mr. Hurst, and Aunt Amanda planned to end that. "That is why I need you to help me."
"I understand, my dear Charles. Although it will not be easy to do what you ask of me, I will do it."
"I shall inform your aunt and uncle later about our plans." Mr. Bingley continued chatting animatedly with Jane for several minutes until it was time for dinner.
After dinner, Mr. Murray approached Anne to speak privately with her. He watched her throughout dinner, trying to imagine who she was. Someone who could write about such intense and deep feelings must have a very complex personality.
After chatting about nothing in particular for a few minutes, Mr. Murray dared to ask Anne a more personal question. "Miss de Bourgh, all of your poems are complex but beautiful and easy to read at the same time. But the ones that caught my attention the most are those you wrote about loss and pain and how to overcome hopelessness."
"I wrote those poems when I turned fifteen, Mr. Murray. A few months earlier, I lost my father. He was the most important person in my life, and when he was gone forever, I thought I would never be happy again. But I learned to live with the pain. I know that if my father could see me, he would have been devastated to know that my life had ended with his. So, I chose to live for him and be a better person to show him that his time on this earth was not in vain. That is what inspired those poems."
Mr. Murray looked at Anne for a long time without saying anything and thought of his dear wife. He felt that his beloved Beatrice was speaking to him through the words of that delicate lady. " "Thank you very much, Miss de Bourgh."
"Why are you thanking me, Mr. Murray?"
"Because you told me something I needed to hear long ago." Mr. Murray described to Anne a little about his life since he lost his wife and that he was finally putting his grief behind him. Anne felt very sorry for Mr. Murray, but especially for two children who had lost their mother.
By the end of the evening, Anne and Arthur had managed to speak about many topics, and everyone was surprised to see Mr. Murray's beautiful smile. Additionally, Richard offered to be Anne's legal representative, and Mr. Murray would begin editing Anne's poems. If everything went well, Louis Nelson's first book of poems would be published and promoted in the leading London bookstores in about six more months.
P&P
Mr. Darcy had planned an intimate dinner in the small dining room near the garden window. In addition, he had asked that part of the garden be illuminated so that they could observe it while they had dinner.
"Thank you, William, for this delicious dinner. The garden looks beautifully illuminated, even though it is winter. The night is clear, and the stars shine like never before," said Elizabeth as she looked through the window.
Mr. Darcy approached his wife, took her by the waist, and kissed her cheek. "My love, you do not know how happy I am to have you all to myself. I wish we could return to Pemberley and go on our honeymoon."
"Although my aunt and Georgiana did not tell me anything, they agreed to leave us alone this evening."
"I truly appreciate your aunt; she is an intelligent, educated, and very kind lady."
"My aunt and uncle Gardiner are exceptional people, and I have always been very proud of them. In fact, they are my favorite relatives… along with Lady Catherine, of course," Elizabeth laughed.
"You have never been told, Mrs. Darcy, that it is not good to tease the family of your beloved husband," said Mr. Darcy, tickling his wife.
"William, please be still… Do not do that," Elizabeth said, laughing.
"Only if you let me kiss you," replied Mr. Darcy.
Then, he hugged his wife, and she could not escape his embrace. So, he kissed her for several minutes. At first, it was a tender and innocent kiss, but it gradually transformed into passionate kisses full of desire.
"My love, let us go to my room…" Mr. Darcy said between kisses.
"No…" Elizabeth replied.
"No? Why? Did I do something wrong?" Mr. Darcy asked worriedly.
Elizabeth smiled and replied flirtatiously, "I just prefer that we go to my bedroom."
"This time, you have gone too far, Mrs. Darcy. I shall be forced to teach you a lesson so you never tease your husband again, especially when he shows you how much he loves you." Mr. Darcy took Elizabeth in his arms and left the small dining room.
"William, put me down; where are you taking me?" Elizabeth asked, unable to stop laughing. "William, what shall the servants say if they see us?"
"I am taking you to my bedroom, Mrs. Darcy. And the servants will not say anything. They are very well trained and know how to be very discreet," Mr. Darcy replied, smiling.
"Sir, please…" Mr. Adams said. The butler knew that his Master had planned an intimate dinner with his wife and that he did not want to be interrupted. But that gentleman seemed not to understand.
"I am very sorry, sir, but I need to talk to my daughter," said Mr. Bennet. Without paying attention to the butler, he entered the house and headed towards one of the rooms.
"William, do you intend to go up the stairs with me in your arms?" Elizabeth asked, amused.
"Of course, I shall. You are petite and light, and it is no effort to carry you in my arms," said Mr. Darcy. He felt so happy that he thought nothing and no one could ruin it. Unfortunately, just when he was going to kiss his wife, he heard an apologetic voice.
"Mr. Darcy, I am sorry; I tried to explain to this gentleman…" Adams was trying to say.
Elizabeth could not help but blush when she saw the butler, but she was even more surprised when she heard someone speaking to her.
"Elizabeth Bennet, you and I have much to talk about. Tell this man to stop pestering you and come with me to your uncle's house," Mr. Bennet said displeased.
P&P
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In the next chapter, Caroline and Louisa will have a big surprise.
See you soon!
Saludos,
Yo