A Father's Sins: A Pride and Prejudice Variation (23 page)

“Certainly,”
Mr. Darcy replied. He gazed lovingly at Elizabeth. “If it would meet with Mr.
Gardiner’s approval, Elizabeth could stay this night at Darcy House with my sister,
Georgiana, and me. She would be adequately chaperoned and it would save her
from having to relocate to the same house after the wedding.”

Both
the lawyer and Elizabeth’s uncle smiled at the gentleman before them. Young
love! It had been many years for both of them, but they remembered as if it
were yesterday the interminable length of their own engagements and how anxious
they were to bring their brides home.

“That
is settled then.” Mr. Gardiner tapped the table with his agreement. “That also
takes care of the issue of Elizabeth’s parents. My sister, Fanny Bennet, is not
an early riser and neither is my other niece, Jane. Thomas Bennet and my
brother-in-law, Philips, have the habit of rising early but tend to withdraw
from company immediately after breaking their fast with the morning news, a
good book, and a cup of tea. My wife and I should have no difficulty sneaking
out of our home to attend the wedding. It would be my pleasure to escort my
niece down the aisle, even if there is no actual aisle.”

All
of them found the humor in his comment. Mr. Haggerston brought up one more
point. “Mr. Darcy, Miss Elizabeth, I am aware that it is the practice to have a
wedding presided over by a clergyman. However, with the potential for relatives
on both sides of this union trying to either stop the wedding from taking place
or having it annulled once they hear of it, I would ask two things. The first
is to have my friend, the Honorable Judge Pierce, conduct the wedding ceremony.
He was ordained by the church just out of University and continues to hold that
position even though he later studied law. That way, if the event is called
into question, it would be much harder for anyone to challenge. The other is
that the wedding takes place in secret. Invite only those that could keep the
knowledge of it taking place secure for at least one full day, until all assets
can be transferred to Mr. Darcy, and, please forgive my blunt speech, Miss
Elizabeth, until the marriage can be consummated. In that way, there would be
absolutely no basis for an annulment.”

Both
Darcy and Elizabeth blushed at Mr. Haggerston’s comment, but both could see the
wisdom in doing as he directed. The meeting concluded soon after, with Mr.
Haggerston indicating that he would arrive with the Judge and the wedding
documents before the appointed time in the morning. Mr. Gardiner left for
Gracechurch Street to secretly inform his wife of what would take place and Mr.
Darcy was able to take his Elizabeth home.

Darcy House, Grosvenor Square, London

Elizabeth
could not help but be impressed with her first glimpse of Darcy House. It was
the finest residence she had been invited into. The staff had been prepared for
the possibility of her arrival, the arrival of a friend of his sister, when Mr.
Darcy had stopped by to clean up from the horseback ride from Hertfordshire.
Darcy had not known that it would be this soon, but he was happy that Elizabeth
was here. His long-time staff was pleased to see their master so relaxed around
the young lady. Georgiana had arrived earlier with the Matlocks and was resting
after the journey.

Elizabeth
had gone straight to the attorney’s office once she had arrived in London, so
had had no opportunity as yet to change out of her traveling clothes. It was
good that neither she nor Mr. Darcy cared whether her gown for her wedding was
the height of fashion, as her valise contained the same simple gowns she had
worn at Netherfield Park. The maid that Mr. Darcy’s housekeeper assigned to
care for Elizabeth would have a difficult time cleaning and pressing them for
such an early wedding, but it was of little concern to Elizabeth. Her priority
was to become Mrs. Darcy. She lay back on the bed in her chamber and listened
as the maid directed the footmen to deliver the water to the dressing room for
a bath. By tomorrow, she would be Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy. How wonderful that
sounded. She had been a Bennet for the majority of her life and, until the
events that resulted from the smallpox epidemic; she had loved each and every
one of her family members. From the time she was young, she enjoyed wandering
the land surrounding Longbourn, observing the changing seasons and its effect
on nature. She loved reading and learning. Elizabeth knew that she only had one
life to live on this earth, so she had determined during her youth to be
content and find joy in whatever her circumstances would become. Even though
she had longed to visit exotic locales and experience life outside their small
community, Elizabeth never could have imagined the path her life had taken to
lead her to this point. Mrs. Darcy. How beautiful that sounded.

Darcy
was ecstatic to have Elizabeth in his home, but even more so knowing that he
would not ever have to be without her again. The past several weeks had been
trying and in all honesty, the bullet wound was a mere pittance compared to the
letter from his father that he had read in Mr. Haggerston’s office earlier that
afternoon. Darcy’s heart ached with the memory. That his father went to his
death believing that George Wickham was the better man hurt Darcy to his core.
He thought of the impact that Wickham had had on his life, especially since his
father died, and wondered if George Darcy would have still felt the same about
his eldest if he had to be faced with the dissolute behaviors and their
fruitage. Darcy would never forget the memory, which was clearly imprinted in
his mind, of his own brother pointing a loaded pistol at the head of his sister
with the intent to do harm. He understood that Wickham had resentment toward
himself. He had displayed his bitter jealousy and hatred repeatedly, to the
point that it frustrated Darcy more than angered him. To have Wickham desire to
harm his own sister, the daughter of his father, was outrageous. Wickham’s
wanton disregard for the sweet innocence of a young girl that longed to be
loved and cherished by both her brothers pained Darcy in the extreme. Selfish,
selfish Wickham! Blind, blind George Darcy!

After
Elizabeth bathed and rested for a bit, it was time to go downstairs for dinner.
As she dressed carefully in what she had available, she looked forward to
seeing Georgiana and pondered how the young girl would feel knowing she would
be getting a sister, and so soon. When Elizabeth entered the drawing room, they
hurried to each other and warmly embraced.

“Elizabeth!”
Georgiana’s excitement was palpable. She almost bounced as she hugged her
friend. “William just told me the good news! I could not be happier!” They
released each other and clasped hands. Darcy watched the two females that he
loved more than all others and a sense of completeness and contentment filled
his pained heart. Earlier thoughts of his older brother and his father
vanished.

When
his butler, Ramsey, announced that dinner was ready to be served, Darcy
extended each arm and had the immense pleasure of escorting the women into the
dining room. The room was all that was elegant and lovely. Elizabeth had been
impressed with the few rooms she had seen of Darcy’s house. Absent was the
ostentatious display so favored by the elite in society. Mr. Darcy had no need
to announce his wealth; his bearing and demeanor indicated to observers that he
had reason for pride. There was no need for pretentiousness, and Elizabeth was
grateful. She had come to the conclusion, during her travels, that grandeur and
wealth did not guarantee happiness. A simple life filled with simple pleasures
was her desire. She knew, with what she already knew of the Darcy’s lifestyle,
that the brother and sister’s definition of simple may not be the same as her
own, yet she understood that both Darcy and Georgiana eschewed the preening and
finicky posturing of most of the members of the first circles.

Elizabeth
was seated on Mr. Darcy’s right, while Georgiana was across the table on his
left. The meal was deliciously prepared and formally served, and the
conversation was light and refreshing.

At
Georgiana’s inquiry as to who would be attending the wedding service, her
brother responded, “Uncle and Aunt Fitzwilliam and our cousins, Bingley,
Elizabeth’s Uncle and Aunt Gardiner, Mr. Haggerston, our attorney, and Judge
Pierce, who will be performing the ceremony. It will be a small gathering.”

“This
does not bother you, Elizabeth, to have such a small wedding?”

“No,
Georgiana, it does not bother me at all. The people that mean the most to your
brother and I will be in attendance.” She reached over and grasped her
beloved’s hand. “It will be everything I have ever wanted or desired in a
wedding.” She was pleased to see Darcy’s smile.

“It
suits me as well, Georgie.” Darcy kept Elizabeth’s hand in his as he looked at
his sister.

After
dinner, Mr. Darcy joined the ladies in the music room. While Elizabeth sang
some lovely Irish ballads, Georgiana accompanied Elizabeth on the pianoforte.
It was the first time he had heard her sing. At Netherfield Park, Miss Bingley,
in her determination to impress the gentlemen, was quick to display her talents.
Since Elizabeth had been in residence to nurse first her sister and then Darcy,
she had not had opportunity to play or sing. Her beautiful soprano voice filled
the room and he was not surprised to look to the doorway and see servants
standing and listening, clapping in pleasure at the end of the song. Darcy
joined in the applause, realizing that this was what his future would be; music
and laughter filling the halls of Pemberley.

Georgiana
excused herself soon after to prepare for the busy day on the morrow. A wedding
at Darcy House! She was not surprised that Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley had not
been issued an invitation. Their conduct at Netherfield Park had been beyond
the acceptable rules of society, and they could not be trusted to act well on
the morrow.

Darcy
led Elizabeth to the library. It was her first glimpse of a room that would
quickly become her favorite. Shelves and shelves of books lined the walls. The
fire in the fireplace was roaring and drew Elizabeth like a moth to a flame. How
he longed to close the door, to be alone with his beloved, to give expression
to what was in his heart. As he stood with his hand on the door, debating,
Elizabeth turned to look at him, love, affection, and trust shining in her
beautiful eyes. Darcy knew then to leave the door open. He was a gentleman and
she was a lady. He would never behave in an inappropriate manner in his own
home nor with the woman that he loved.

Joining
Elizabeth on the sofa placed in front of the fire, he spoke first, “Elizabeth,
when you left Netherfield Park… when you were found to be missing, I thought
back to the times you spoke about your desire to see America and I was afraid
that you had gone. I… I wanted badly for you to believe that your future was
not in some far, distant land, but with me. Though I had not said the words,
Elizabeth, I knew that I loved you.” Darcy was wearing his heart on his sleeve,
exposed and vulnerable.

Elizabeth
recognized that this was not the time for levity. “Mr. Darcy… William.” She was
not yet used to uttering the name that many times she had heard from his
sister’s mouth, and she could see that he was appreciative being addressed by
her in such an intimate manner.  She continued, “It felt to me like so many
weights came crashing down upon me. My father accusing me of being a liar and
keeping wealth from him, the bitterness of your aunt, Lady Catherine, and the
conniving jealousy of Miss Bingley, and to be honest, even your statement that
we would marry coming hot on the heels of learning of the shares from the
Honorable East India Company, was just too much to comprehend at one time.” He
started to protest, but she held up her hand to stop him. “Yes, I needed time
to think things through and decided to leave. I felt my best choice was to go
someplace where my circumstances would be unknown. The Americas would have done
well for that.”

“William,
I had not been gone long when I thought of your actions and conduct towards me
and to your family and friends. Truly, I found nothing to indicate that you
would offer marriage if your only inducement was wealth. With your position in
society, you would have had ample opportunity to do so in the past. I can
imagine that rich women, young and old, have pursued the most handsome,
eligible bachelor in all of England.” She smiled at that and noted that a smile
graced his face as well.

“That
sounds suspiciously like something Miss Caroline Bingley would have said.” He
chuckled.

“You
are, in fact, correct William.” It pleased her to realize that he was humble
enough to laugh at himself and his circumstances. “William,” how much she
enjoyed saying his name. “There were three reasons that I journeyed to London.
One reason was to see my family, the Gardiners, again before I left England. I
needed to gather items from their home and say my goodbyes to a family that had
welcomed me with loving affection and treated me as they treat their own two
children. I owed them the respect they deserved for the care and attention they
have given me. The second reason was to find out about my guardianship and the
shares. If my father had been deemed as having authority over me, I knew that I
would not be able to return to English shores until I became one and twenty in
June of this next year. At that time, I could freely determine where my future
lay. The last and most important reason, William, was that I could not leave
matters unsettled between you and I. Even though I never conceived of you
offering me a proposal, I feel that our friendship deserved the same respect
that the Gardiner’s deserved, a proper goodbye.”

“Why,
Elizabeth? Why would you think that I would not offer for you? You are my
beloved, my life.” William was confused and a bit hurt.

“William,
my position as the daughter of a country gentleman, who lived with family in trade,
is so far below you in status. When you add to that the problems with my father
and his estate and that I had been cast off, I truly felt it impossible.” She
reached up to him and put her hand on his cheek just as she had done to comfort
him after caring for his wound. “Just because I love you and want to be your
wife did not signify that it would happen.”

He
reached up and held her small hand to him, closing his eyes to allow her touch
to soothe him. Darcy thought of his own struggles. Overcoming their differences
in position and her relationship with her family had been a mental challenge.
When he thought of not being married to her, it made his heart ache. He opened
his eyes and responded, “I understand your reasoning, my love, and undoubtedly
would have done the same. So much has happened in the past two weeks that it is
commendable that you were able to think these events through. It is a testimony
to your intelligence and strength of character, which bodes well for our future
and the future of our children, if we are so blessed.”  He brought their hands
down to the sofa and entwined her fingers with his.

So
many things were going through his mind. Darcy knew that others thought him
proud, arrogant even. From the very beginning with Elizabeth he had wanted to
be a good man, someone that the delightful girl that he spoke with in the
bookstore so long ago would want to converse with; to laugh with. He had not
realized until he saw her again at Netherfield Park how much he longed for
laughter, for companionship, for passion.
Passion!
Darcy needed to
change the subject of his thoughts as he could feel his self-control starting
to slip.