Mr. Darcy's Proposal (39 page)

Most of all, Elizabeth was astonished that everyone played along. Darcy and Mr. Gardiner generously stood to offer toasts to the health and happiness of the couple, and they all raised a glass of champagne to the future. Elizabeth was certain that each person had something different in mind as they drank the bubbly liquid gold.

***

“I do not see why Wickham could not have worn his new uniform to the wedding. He looks so well in a uniform, and his new one is a much prettier color,” chattered Lydia as she was dressing for the journey to her mother’s house in Meryton. “Do you not think my dear Wickham is the handsomest of men?”

When Elizabeth did not respond, Lydia just continued on with her mindless babble. “I remember a time when you seemed to favor him, but the joke is on you. He is my husband now and your husband is such an unpleasant, boring old thing! I am the lucky one!”

Elizabeth, who was occupied with trying to gather Lydia’s clothing to pack into her trunk, pretended she did not hear. Marveling at how much chaos one person could create in a room in just two short weeks, she was dismayed to find Lydia’s dresses, hats, gloves, and shoes scattered carelessly about all over the room. The only saving grace was that she did not have too many belongings. “You should have packed before the wedding rather than leaving it to the last minute like this,” said Elizabeth as she neatly folded one of Lydia’s dresses that had been crumpled up in a chair.

“You could have loaned me one of your maids to pack for me, Lizzy, but you are just so selfish!” exclaimed Lydia as she sat in front of the dressing table trying on hats.

Elizabeth sighed but did not offer a response.

“Oh! I cannot decide! Which one of these do you think looks best on me?” asked Lydia.

“You look lovely in both. Just pick one for heaven’s sake!”

“There is no need to be such a grump, Lizzy. This is my day. You have had your turn.”

Elizabeth was appalled, but then she had never really understood her sister’s view of the world. Redoubling her efforts to get all of the new bride’s belongings into the trunk as expeditiously as possible, she kept reminding herself that the only way to get a rest from Lydia’s foolishness was to finish the packing quickly and send her on her way. Mr. Bennet had been right—Lydia was one of the silliest girls in all of England.

Despite her protests, Elizabeth had been unable to prevent her mother from inviting the Wickhams to visit her before they departed for their new home in Newcastle. Elizabeth was certain the sole purpose of their trip to Meryton was for Lydia to show off her new ring to everyone in town and gloat over what a handsome husband she had caught. She would surely want to visit all of their family and neighbors in order to hear herself called Mrs. Wickham by each of them. Elizabeth winced and concluded that it did not bear thinking about too much. She would be greatly relieved when Mr. and Mrs. Wickham were safely tucked away far from here. With any luck at all, she would not have to see them for a very long time.

***

While the ladies were thus occupied, Darcy, Mr. Gardiner, and Wickham were closed in the study with the Darcy’s solicitor finalizing all of the financial arrangements. The final signing of the papers had been left until after the wedding so that Wickham could not change his mind and flee. Even if he tried to leave Lydia now, at least they were officially married. If Lydia had to return to her family, she would not do so in shame. If a child had been conceived during their illicit time together, Lydia and the baby would now have the benefit of his name.

Wickham, of course, had wanted more than he could get in the settlement, but at length had been reduced to being reasonable. Wickham’s debts, which amounted to a little more than one thousand pounds, were to be paid. In addition to Lydia’s modest marriage settlement prescribed by Mr. Bennet’s will, Darcy had arranged to have a small monthly annuity paid to them, providing the marriage continued. Handing over a lump sum would have been an invitation to Wickham to gamble it all away or abandon Lydia and leave her with nothing. Another part of the arrangement had been the purchase of a commission for Wickham in the regulars. This post offered the distinct advantage of being located at such a distance as to prevent them from visiting family too frequently. There was always the possibility that if the country went to war again, he might be called up.

Ever since Darcy was a young man, he had tried to distance himself from Wickham, but circumstances had continued to put the man in his path. Now Darcy held his breath while Wickham put his name to the papers that tied them even more closely together. In spite of the fact that this situation was causing him great pain, Darcy could not help but appreciate the irony of it.

Even though Wickham should have been embarrassed, he continued to maintain a kind of good-natured congeniality as if what Darcy was doing for him was nothing less than his due. Darcy, on the other hand, had to fight to prevent himself from making uncivil remarks. As a result, he let his solicitor and Mr. Gardiner do most of the talking while he stood quietly at the window, wishing for all the world he could be somewhere else.

Darcy was pleased to have the matter concluded, with the outcome actually far better than he had expected. He was satisfied he had appropriately fulfilled his duty to correct the mistake in his judgment that had contributed to creating the situation in the first place. If only he had been more open about revealing Wickham’s true nature, he might have prevented this disaster that was causing pain to so many of the people he loved.

Initially, he had hoped to keep his entire involvement from Elizabeth, but her arrival in London had made that impossible. Even now, although she knew he had helped her uncle, she did not know how much Darcy had paid out to bring this marriage to fruition. She had assumed her Uncle Gardiner was standing in for her father by shouldering most of the financial responsibility, and Darcy had done nothing to correct her mistaken belief. If she knew the actual cost, it would undoubtedly make her feel even more indebted to him, and that was the very last thing he wanted.

When at last their business was concluded and their trunks loaded, everyone gathered to see the couple off. As they watched the carriage drive away down the street, they gave a collective sigh of relief and turned back to the house.

Fifty Two

During the two weeks between the time Lydia moved into the Gardiners house and the wedding, Darcy had frequently invited Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner to dine with them at Darcy House. Once the wedding was over, Elizabeth expected these invitations to cease but she was pleasantly surprised when Darcy continued to welcome opportunities to spend time with her aunt and uncle. Strangely, this comforted her. Surely, she reasoned, he would not invest the time and effort to develop a relationship with the Gardiners if he expected to abandon her.

The Darcys also called frequently at Gracechurch Street, giving Elizabeth time to observe how much her husband seemed to enjoy her nieces and nephews. Around the children, he lost much of his formality, and a few times he had actually laughed out loud with them—something she had rarely ever heard him do. Apparently, Lady Matlock had been correct—Darcy was very good with children. While this made Elizabeth happy, it also made her sad as she wondered if they would ever mend their relationship enough to have children of their own. Once as he was reading aloud with two of the Gardiner children on his lap, he looked up over the book and caught Elizabeth’s eye across the room. When he smiled at her, she was surprised and thrilled. It was a genuine smile—just a small one but directed at her nevertheless.

To Elizabeth’s disappointment, it was an isolated incident. When they were alone at home, Darcy continued to ignore her. Frequently, he made excuses not to be alone with her. On the evenings when they did not dine with the Gardiners, Darcy went to his club and stayed very late. Elizabeth often heard him coming home, but he never stopped to say goodnight even when she knew he could see the light was still on in her room.

***

Darcy wanted nothing more than to reconcile with Elizabeth but had no idea where to begin. This was completely new territory for him, as he almost never had to apologize to anyone. As a result, he mostly kept his distance while he considered how to proceed. Finally, he had an idea he hoped would please her. After making all the arrangements, he was anxious to share his plan with her over their morning coffee.

“Elizabeth, I have made an appointment for you tomorrow at Georgiana’s modiste, Madam Desiree. I think you should have some new gowns made now while we are in town as I am not sure there will be another opportunity before your sister’s wedding. When we begin to entertain or go out, you will need attire that is suitable to your position as Mrs. Darcy and Mistress of Pemberley.”

The look on her face immediately told him that his suggestion did not have the desired effect. He heard a loud “chink” as she set her coffee cup down in its saucer. Those beautiful eyes flashed at him in anger, and a lump formed in his throat.

“So now you have taken it upon yourself to decide when I need new clothes? That is very presumptuous of you, sir. Are you saying you are ashamed of how I look?”

“Elizabeth, you misunderstand me.”

“Oh, yes, I remember you once said I have a tendency to willfully misunderstand.”

It took him only a moment to recall saying this during one of their more spirited discussions at Netherfield. “I thought some new things would please you,” he offered tentatively.

“I do not object to the idea at all. It is the manner in which it has been presented that concerns me.”

Darcy felt his head spinning with confusion. “Then if you do not object, why are we having this discussion?”

“Mr. Darcy, I seem to recall your telling me quite specifically that you would like me to speak up more, so I am simply attempting to comply with your wishes.”

“I do want to hear your opinions, but if you already agree…” Now Darcy was truly confused. He looked at the barely warm coffee in his cup and thought perhaps a glass of brandy would be more appropriate given the disastrous turn this conversation had taken.

“How is it you tell me to let you know when I have concerns, and yet when I do, you chastise me? You cannot have it both ways. Either you give me leave to speak my mind or you do not. Which is it?” she demanded.

Again he wondered how what he viewed as a form of apology had gone awry so quickly. “In my own defense, I thought a little shopping would be pleasing to you.”

“Very well, if you say so.” She gave her head a little shake.

“Then I must ask again—what is this conversation about?”

She sighed. “I am simply attempting to point out that regardless of your intent, it sounded like more than just a suggestion.”

“I thought shopping might be a pleasant diversion. My sister seems to enjoy the activity.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“And what I am trying to convey is that you have no idea of the effect of your words. Since you do not seem to be aware your suggestions often sound like orders, I believe I must point it out to you.” Her eyes flashed warning signals his direction.

Finally, he began to understand what she was saying. She must think I am an idiot to be so slow to comprehend, he thought.

“Very well, let me begin again.” He took a deep breath. “Elizabeth, I thought perhaps you might like to take the opportunity to do some shopping while you are in town. I would be happy to make an appointment for you with Georgiana’s modiste. I am certain she will be happy to accommodate you even on short notice.”

Elizabeth bit her lip as if she was taking her time thinking about his proposal and then to his amazement, she gave him a genuine smile that went all the way to her eyes. “Mr. Darcy, I believe a little outing would be very enjoyable. I will send a note to Aunt Gardiner to see if she would like to accompany me.”

By the time they had finished the discussion, he was exhausted with the effort. In the end, she seemed to be happy with the plans, so apparently his idea had been a success although he still was not clear how it had all become so complicated.

***

One afternoon after returning from a walk in the nearby park, Elizabeth sat down to her needlework in the small parlor where the light was best at that time of day. Just as she was threading her needle with a new color, she heard a commotion at the front door. Although she recognized the voice of Hawkins, their butler, there was another higher pitched voice that seemed somehow familiar. There were footsteps in the hall, and then Hawkins flung open the door. Before he could announce the visitor, Lady Catherine swept into the room. Elizabeth’s heart lurched.

Resolving to be as polite as possible, she stood and tried to welcome her aunt with all the deference she knew the older woman would expect. Lady Catherine began without so much as a greeting to Elizabeth.

“I understand my nephew is from home at the moment, but that is just as well as I have been hoping for an opportunity to speak with you alone, Miss Bennet.”

“Lady Catherine, you are welcome here. Please sit down. Mr. Darcy should return soon if you would like to wait for him,” she said as soon as Lady Catherine stopped to draw a breath.

Waving a hand dismissively in Elizabeth’s direction, the older woman added, “I call you Miss Bennet because I will never acknowledge you as Mrs. Darcy. It would simply be intolerable for me to do so.”