The Engagement Read online

“I am sorry.”

  He pulled back, cupping her cheek. “We do not have to do anything you do not feel ready for.”

  “I barely slept last night.”

  “You cannot fret over everything that is happening. You will become sick.”

  “There is one matter especially...”

  “Yes?” Darcy waited patiently.

  “Mama received a letter from Lydia.”

  Darcy frowned. “And?”

  “Lydia does not understand why she and Wickham are not invited to our wedding.”

  “Is she that foolish, or simply pretending naivety, to even bother your mother with such enquiries?” Darcy asked harshly.

  “Mama wrote to her a long time ago that they were not invited, I assure you.”

  “Good.”

  “However, Lydia does not seem to accept it.”

  Seeing her troubled expression, Darcy wrapped his arms around her. “Do not concern yourself with this, dearest. Wickham is not that stupid to come here.”

  “Lydia is unpredictable.”

  “She cannot travel on her own, not from Newcastle.”

  “I dreamed last night that she showed up at the church on our wedding day with Wickham behind her.”

  Darcy kissed her forehead, pressing her to him. “Perhaps she arrived together with Lady Catherine de Bourgh?” he chuckled against her hair.

  “Do not jest!” she cried, pushing at his chest. “It is not amusing.”

  Darcy sighed, not letting her pull away from his arms. “You are tired and upset. You should rest.” With those words he knelt in front of her, lifting her dress and petticoats to remove her boots. As her feet were freed from the sturdy boots, he put them neatly aside. Then he stood up and began removing his coat, vest, neck cloth and tall boots.

  “Come,” he said, extending his hand to her as he climbed onto the bed behind her.

  “Fitzwilliam, I...” she began, hesitation in her voice, but he pulled her to him, her back to his front.

  “You are in dire need of a nap,” he announced.

  Elizabeth snuggled deeper in his embrace as he draped a blanket over both of them.

  “Sleep, my love,” she heard before closing her eyes.

  She felt safe and loved, peaceful for the first time in many days.

  ***

  Elizabeth woke up hours later. Darcy was sleeping on his side, one of his legs draped over both of hers.

  Sitting up, she yawned and looked around, searching for the clock to see the time. They should return to Longbourn. Not that their absence would be noticed in the commotion amidst the preparations.

  “Fitzwilliam, wake up.” She patted his chest. He murmured something before turning on his stomach, burying his head in a pillow.

  Elizabeth slipped down from the bed, stretching herself. There was a clock on the mantelpiece and it read three o’clock.

  She returned to the bed, shaking Darcy’s shoulder. “Fitzwilliam, it is late. Wake up.”

  Finally he groaned and opened his eyes. Seeing her leaning over him, he smiled. “Come here.” He tried to pull her back on the bed next to him.

  She resisted joining him. “It is late. We should go.”

  He sat up. “What time is it?”

  “Three o’clock.”

  He yawned into his fist, nodding his head. “You are right. I must return you to Longbourn. Your mother might think that I took you to Gretna Green.”

  Elizabeth sat down on the chair, putting on her boots. “I have begun to think that it would be quite a pleasant alternative.”

  “A few more days and it will be over. The next wedding celebration we will have to survive will be Georgiana’s.”

  They dressed themselves and walked downstairs. They did not expect to see anyone apart from the butler or perhaps the housekeeper.

  “Good day to you! I was about to wake you up.”

  “Bingley!” Darcy exclaimed. “I did not expect to see you today!”

  “I could not stay a day longer away from my Jane. My first intention was to go directly to Longbourn, but as I was riding a horse from London I preferred to step by at Netherfield to wash up and change my clothes. You may imagine my surprise when the butler told me that you were in the house. I started looking for you, and only found you sleeping like babes in Darcy’s room.”

  Darcy put his arm around Elizabeth. “We required some time alone.”

  Bingley laughed, looking at them with smiling eyes. “I can well imagine that!”

  “My sister will be so pleased to see you,” Elizabeth assured. “She missed you.”

  “As I missed her,” Bingley replied.

  “How is Miss Bingley?”

  “Much better. She eats almost normally, and answers questions even though she does not speak as much as she used to. She seemed quite happy when I left her with Luisa and Hurst.”

  Darcy clasped his arm. “You are an uncle then.”

  Bingley nodded. “They have a healthy, fine boy. After so many years without children it is indeed a happy event for them. I have not seen Hurst with a drink for the entire two days I spent with them.”

  “We are pleased that Miss Bingley is better,” Elizabeth said graciously. Her feelings towards Caroline were much more favourable now when Mr. Bingley was back with them.

  “Thank you, Miss Elizabeth. You are very kind indeed. Caroline would like to apologize to the both of you for her behaviour.”

  “It is not necessary,” Darcy said, glancing at Elizabeth.

  “She insisted.”

  “Does she intend to attend the wedding?” Elizabeth asked, fearing the answer.

  “She is not well enough yet to come. We decided that she will stay with the Hursts, helping Luisa with the baby, keeping her company. Nevertheless, I am certain the she will apologize to both of you at the earliest opportunity.”

  Darcy and Elizabeth exchanged knowing looks. They did not anticipate the next meeting with Caroline Bingley, no matter how changed she was, according to her brother.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Charles!” Jane exclaimed, running into the arms of her betrothed.

  Bingley embraced Jane tightly, not minding the company of the Bennet family as well as Darcy and Georgiana among them.

  As soon as Jane stepped back from her betrothed, Mrs. Bennet hurried to his side.

  “Dear Mr. Bingley! It is so good to have you here with us. I was so concerned that you would abandon us. I have had bad dreams for the last several nights.”

  Bingley began to assure his future mother-in-law that he had no intention of ever leaving his dear Jane, which managed to calm Mrs. Bennet’s nerves.

  As Bingley was in the centre of everyone’s attention, Elizabeth and Darcy managed to find a quiet corner for themselves by the window. Elizabeth stepped close to him, whispering, “I do not wish to see Caroline Bingley ever again.”

  “If she wishes to apologize, we cannot forbid her from doing so.”

  “Why?”

  “Elizabeth, dearest, Caroline is Bingley’s sister, this has not changed. We cannot pretend that she does not exist.”

  “You are ready to forget everything that she has done to Jane, to us,” she accused.

  “Charles thinks that she has learned from her past mistakes.”

  “You once told me that your good opinion, once lost, is lost forever.”

  “That has not changed. However, we should act civilly towards Caroline for Bingley’s as well as your sister’s sake.”

  Elizabeth crossed her arms over her chest. “I do not trust Caroline Bingley. I agree that she was ill that evening in London when she attacked us, but before that her actions towards Jane were cruel and calculated.”

  Darcy put his arm around her, bringing her close to him. “Caroline is not our concern, but Jane and Bingley’s. We will not see her often.”

  “Poor Jane.”

  “Your sister is a clever and sensible woman. She will find a way to deal with Caroline.”

  Elizabeth look
ed into his kind and calm face. He knew how to calm her down when she became agitated.

  “Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth, the tea is served!” Mrs. Bennet’s voice carried through the air. “Come, come, we are not going to wait for you. You have had the entire day to speak privately.”

  Elizabeth blushed slightly at her mother’s remark. Mrs. Bennet had noticed Elizabeth’s absence and rightly concluded that she had been in Darcy’s company for the most of the day. “Yes, Mama,” Elizabeth answered, taking a seat next to Jane with Darcy sitting not far from her.

  “Mama was worried about you when you disappeared in the morning,” Jane whispered in her ear.

  “I went for a walk.”

  “Not returning until four in the afternoon.” There was a slight accusation in Jane’s voice.

  “We fell asleep at Netherfield.”

  Jane smiled. “I see.”

  “We truly fell asleep,” she insisted, guessing her sister’s line of thinking.

  “Mama feared that you might have convinced Darcy into doing something foolish.”

  “Such as?”

  “Gretna Green.”

  Elizabeth’s eyes caught Jane’s blue gaze for a moment longer. “Certainly not now, a few days before the wedding.”

  “Mama guessed right, then.”

  Elizabeth shook her head in denial. “Mama does not know Darcy as well as she thinks.”

  Jane sent her a questioning look but said nothing more. It seemed that Mr. Darcy could do nothing wrong in Mrs. Bennet’s eyes.

  ***

  “I was told that you had five daughters, Mrs. Bennet,” Lady Matlock said, her eyes wandering around the room, stopping on Jane and Elizabeth, then Mary and Kitty.

  Mrs. Bennet blinked before replying in a quiet, rather distinguished voice, “Yes, your ladyship. My youngest daughter was married this summer. She resides together with her husband in Newcastle.”

  “Quite a busy year for you it must have been, with three weddings in the family.”

  “We have been truly blessed, your ladyship. I cannot be more pleased for my daughters’ happiness.”

  Elizabeth breathed out in quiet relief as she listened to the conversation. Her mother was calm and collected. She had not mentioned Wickham’s name. Was it an accident or a conscious effort? Did Wickham not present himself as favourably as before now that he could be compared to much wealthier and more illustrious sons-in-law?

  “You have a lovely home, Mrs. Bennet,” Lady Matlock praised graciously. “Rather small, but I imagine quite comfortable and easy to upkeep.”

  “We enjoy it, although I would prefer for the park to be larger,” Mrs. Bennet noted.

  Reassured with her mother’s performance, Elizabeth stepped closer to the other end of the room, where the Earl of Matlock sat in the company of Darcy and her father. From what she could overhear, it seemed that they were comparing the changes which Oxford university had undergone throughout the years, as Darcy finished it six years ago, Mr. Bennet thirty years ago and the Earl of Matlock forty years ago.

  “Are you nervous, Miss Elizabeth?” she heard a male voice say. Turning around, she faced Colonel Fitzwilliam.

  “Why should I be?” she enquired archly.

  “Because you are marrying my cousin in merely four days’ time.”

  “Not in the least.”

  “Oh? I heard that wedding nerves are a natural state that both man and woman find themselves in before their wedding day.”

  “To be entirely honest, Colonel Fitzwilliam, other matters overshadowed any nerves that I might have had. The concern over my family’s performance on the wedding day as well as today when my father and mother are meeting your parents was constantly on my mind.”

  “I find your family very pleasant,” he retorted. “Your father is a reasonable man, and your mother seems very much devoted to you and your sisters. It is all that she talks about. As for your sisters, they are very pleasant as well; the two youngest have taken to Georgiana.”

  They both looked across the room where Mary, Kitty and Georgiana stood by the window, smiling and whispering some secrets to one another.

  “When it comes to your elder sister, Miss Jane, she is stunningly beautiful. Much too handsome for Bingley.”

  “Mr. Bingley is a handsome man!”

  “Still, you have to admit that he is not as attractive as your sister.”

  Elizabeth smiled proudly. “It would be very hard indeed to find another person, man or woman, who could match my sister’s beauty.”

  “True, true. I still cannot understand why Darcy tried to convince Bingley that your sister was not suitable for him.”

  “As you may remember, Colonel Fitzwilliam, it was not my sister who was found lacking, but rather my family.”

  “Which I cannot understand, either.”

  Elizabeth looked into his light-coloured eyes. “You are very gracious, sir. I love my family, my mother, father and all my sisters. However, I am not blinded to their faults.”

  “Their faults are the same as the faults of any other family in England, I assure you.”

  “My family lacks connection and the standing in the world, though,” she commented, “which makes their personal faults much more recognizable.”

  “I daresay that the position of the Bennet family has changed due to the excellent matches made by the two eldest daughters.”

  “Both Jane and I were fortunate enough to meet men whom we care for. My reasons for accepting your cousin were very selfish and personal. I thought about my happiness, not my family’s fortune.”

  “Ah, yes. Darcy will never have a reason to think that you married him for his fortune.”

  “Only a year ago I was certain that I would never marry.”

  “A handsome, charming, intelligent and spirited woman like you?”

  “I knew that I would not be able to marry someone for security. I would not be able to live with a person I did not love, share my everyday existence with him. Thus I thought that Jane would marry well, as she is so kind and beautiful, and I would live with her, helping her to raise her children.”

  Colonel Fitzwilliam watched her for a moment longer with a thoughtful expression written on his face. “Excuse me, Miss Elizabeth, but I find it rather difficult to believe.”

  “I am a realist, even a pessimist. I always envision the worst of what may happen, the dreariest scenario. I never thought that I would meet someone like Darcy, and as you know, at the beginning of our acquaintance I did not think very highly of him.”

  Their conversation was interrupted when Darcy walked over to them. “Tell me, Cousin,” he spoke casually. “What is the reason that every time I see you, you seem to concentrate your entire attention on my lovely bride?”

  Colonel Fitzwilliam smiled. “It is always a great pleasure to speak with Miss Elizabeth. You must have noticed that she is an interesting companion.”

  “Indeed she is,” Darcy agreed, putting his arm around Elizabeth, pinning her closely to his side. “I cannot agree with you more, Cousin. I fully appreciate her company, I assure you. After all, most of her days and all her nights belong to me.”

  Elizabeth’s mouth fell open as she stared at Darcy. She could barely believe her own ears.

  Colonel Fitzwilliam seemed much less shocked with his cousin’s retort. He smiled with good humour, bowed and walked away to talk with Bingley and Jane.

  “How could you?” Elizabeth whispered furiously.

  “He heard what he deserved to hear.”

  “You provoked him in the first place. You could have simply asked what we discussed.”

  “You are defending him, then?”

  “I am trying make your realize that you made a fool of yourself. Moreover, you humiliated me.”

  “I told him clearly and openly what I think about him paying too much attention to the woman who will become my wife within a few days.”

  Elizabeth took a calming breath, then spoke in a well-measured tone, “Fitzwilliam, Colonel
Fitzwilliam is more like a brother to you than anyone else, you told me this yourself. He is your friend and mine as well, he supported us from the beginning.”

  “Let me remind you that it was partially of his doing that you rejected my first proposal.”

  “He had nothing to do with it,” she protested.

  “Truly? Nothing? He told you that it was I who convinced Bingley to abandon Jane the same day that I planned to propose.”

  “He never gave me any names. Even before, I had my suspicions when it came to your involvement with Jane and Bingley. Colonel Fitzwilliam only confirmed them.”

  “What a happy coincidence indeed! Right on the day of my proposal.”

  She stared at him in astonishment. “Fitzwilliam, you cannot possibly believe in what you are saying.”

  “I do believe that if he had my fortune, he would not hesitate even a moment to ask for your hand. I can see how he looks at you. He seeks your company. I will not tolerate that.”

  “You cannot forbid me from speaking to other people.”

  “But I can demand some respect from you. You should not be flirting with a single man who is enamoured of you right in front of both of our families and in my presence.”

  Elizabeth opened her mouth to answer such ridiculous accusations, but perhaps for the first time when in Darcy’s presence she lacked the right words.

  ***

  “Can you believe it, Jane?” Elizabeth cried, pacing the room as Jane sat on the bed.

  “Calm down, Lizzy.”

  “How can I be calm? Your Mr. Bingley does not forbid you from talking to other people.”

  “Perhaps you misunderstood Mr. Darcy.”

  “I understood him perfectly well. He said that he would not tolerate Colonel Fitzwilliam seeking my company and me flirting with him in front of both of our families. Those are his exact words, Jane.”

  “It must have sounded harsh to you, Sister, but I believe that Mr. Darcy said it when he was overwhelmed by strong emotions. Keep in mind that he is deeply in love with you and may feel jealous of another attractive man who has your attention.”

  “Colonel Fitzwilliam belongs to his family, and is more like a brother than a cousin to him. Darcy even mentioned to me about the possibility of a marriage between him and Georgiana in the future. He trusts him with his sister but he does not trust him to speak with me for longer than a short moment. It does not make any sense.”