The Resolute Suitor: A Pride and Prejudice Variation Read online

  “They are, mother. The enigmatic Mr. Darcy’s heart has been captured by Miss Elizabeth and they are now engaged. This is, in a sense, their engagement ball.”

  Lady Willingham clapped her hands together. “That is wonderful. Miss Elizabeth, do you mind if I announce your engagement when I introduce you and Miss Farnsworth for your performance during supper?

  ”I think that would be fine. What say you, Will?”

  “I would feel honored, Lady Willingham, if you would announce our engagement. I told my Aunt Matlock I wanted it announced to the world, so I will certainly not object if you wish to do it.”

  “I see the musicians are ready,” Interjected Lord Willingham. “I am about to announce the beginning of the dancing. Why do not you join our family as the first in line for the opening dance?”

  “Thank you, my lord, we will,” said Darcy and they followed Lord and Lady Willingham, Lord Vollenbrook, and Lady Penelope to the stairway, where the butler rapped his staff on the stair to quiet the crowd. When the room was relatively quiet, Lord Willingham announced, “The musicians are ready and the dancing is about to begin. Please join Lady Willingham and I, Lord Vollenbrook and Lady Penelope, and Mr. Darcy and Miss Elizabeth Bennet as we take our places for the first dance.”

  The room was all abuzz as they took their places in the line of dance, wondering why Lord Willingham had included Darcy and Elizabeth in his announcement, although most conjectured it must be because there was an understanding of some sort between them. For those in the line of dance who came close to Elizabeth and saw the ring on the ring finger of her left hand, it became apparent what the understanding between them was. Elizabeth was relatively certain that by the time she was to perform, everyone at the ball would know she and Darcy were engaged.

  At one point during the dance she passed by Margaret, who said to her “Congratulations, Lizzie. I want to hear about it.” And later she was briefly partnered with Mr. Farrington. “I see I did not move quickly enough, Miss Elizabeth. I congratulate you. However, I hope this does not mean I will not be able to have a dance with you this evening.”

  “I do believe I will have some sets open, Mr. Farrington and I will be pleased to dance with you. Meet us between this and the next dance and we can arrange which set you shall have.”

  During the fourth set, which Elizabeth danced with Mr. Farrington, he said, “I remember during our conversation at the tea at Dumont House, there was a mention by Miss Darcy you had danced with Darcy last November—I believe she said at Netherfield Park. Have you had a history with Mr. Darcy since then?”

  “I must admit I have, although it has been a somewhat unusual one. He was there visiting his friend Mr. Bingley, who is leasing Netherfield Park, the estate next to my father’s. We were thrown together many times as his friend romanced my sister. We then met again in Kent at Easter at his aunt’s estate and, of course, earlier this Season in London.”

  “Unusual in what sense?”

  She was silent for a moment, being glad the dance separated them for a while, during which time she could compose an answer, which she thought she might want to give others. When they were together again, she said, “Although initially attracted to one another, there were some serious mistakes and misunderstandings between us which threatened to separate us forever. We were in the throes of one of those misunderstandings when I first met you.”

  “So had I moved quickly, you and I might be in a courtship right now?”

  She smiled at him and shook her head. “Mr. Farrington, you are one of the best men I have met since my introduction to the ton, and I have no doubt I would have seriously considered a suit by you, but I am afraid Mr. Darcy and I have been, in our hearts, destined to be together. It was just at times the path was rocky and the way ahead was not clear. However, we are now convinced our engagement and eventual marriage was inevitable. That hindsight is better than foresight was amply demonstrated in our case.”

  “Darcy is a lucky man. You have been a refreshing addition beyond the usual covey of young women of the ton. Will any of your sisters be joining the fray?”

  “My eldest is already attached to Mr. Bingley and I believe only one of my younger sisters might be a candidate for the ton. I intend to take her in hand once Mr. Darcy and I are married.” She chuckled. “I will keep you in mind if you are still unmarried when she is ready.”

  During supper, Darcy and Elizabeth sat with Lord and Lady Willingham, Lord and Lady Denby, Margaret Farnsworth and her escort, Lord Vollenbrook, and Lady Penelope and her escort, one Lord Peter, who was the second son of a Duke. When most had eaten their suppers, Lady Willingham arose and motioning to Margaret and Elizabeth to follow her, moved to the piano and harp that had been moved into the middle of the dance floor.

  The crowd became quite when she rang a little bell sitting on the piano and she said, “Now comes the time I know many of you, who have seen them perform before, are anticipating. Miss Margaret Farnsworth, granddaughter of Lord and Lady Denby, and Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn in Hertfordshire and sponsored by Lord and Lady Denby, will perform on piano and harp and, of course, Miss Bennet will be singing. Before they start, it is my pleasure to announce, although most of you already know it, that Miss Elizabeth has this very day become betrothed to Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, who many of us believed might never marry. I am assured by Mr. Darcy he has been waiting all these years for Miss Elizabeth to appear in his life. As you look at her and hear her sing, I am sure you will know in part why he was waiting for her.”

  After applause had subsided, Margaret and Elizabeth played a piano/harp duet for the first piece, followed by a harp solo by Margaret. Elizabeth then sang the two songs she had rehearsed with both Georgiana and Margaret—a classical song and a rousing Irish song. Margaret then arose and moved in front of Elizabeth and spoke. “You are now going to be given a treat few have had. Miss Elizabeth is going to sing one of the most beautiful ballads you have ever heard without accompaniment. It is a French ballad unknown to most of us and she will sing each verse in French and then follow it by singing her own translation of the verse. Ladies, I suggest you have your handkerchiefs ready.”

  The ballad that Elizabeth sang was of a young French maiden whose betrothed went off to war and was killed. The song started with her remembrance of all the joy they had shared as young lovers and finished with her lament of all that could have been. The audience’s appreciation was given by the silence that followed the song before the applause began.

  When Elizabeth and Margaret returned to their table, Lady Willingham was still in tears. While wiping her eyes with her handkerchief, she said, “I hope that with marriage, you will not stop giving us the pleasure of hearing you, Miss Elizabeth. That was one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard and you have helped make our traditional Grand Ball one of the grandest ever. Thank you.”

  “My lady, I love to perform and to give pleasure to those who listen. I am happy it pleased you and I assure you I will be happy to perform even when I am married. I think Peggy and I, with the eventual addition my new sister, Georgiana Darcy, will be playing and singing for many years.”

  “I say,” said Lord Peter. “I am one of those who had not heard the two of you before and I must say you are truly magnificent. I had been told you were an excellent singer, Miss Elizabeth, but I had no idea of how excellent you are. I envy you, Darcy, to be able to hear such singing every day. I certainly know that in the future if I am invited to an event in which it is known that you might sing, I will certainly accept the invitation.”

  Darcy and Elizabeth thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the ball and were approached and congratulated by several that Elizabeth thought had avoided her at earlier events. It seemed that being the betrothed of someone as highly regarded as Darcy was a distinct advantage and any worry he and she might have had about her acceptance as his wife because of her low social standing could be mostly forgotten.

  Chapter 19: Hertfordshire

  Because of the la
teness of the hour when they left the ball, Darcy and Elizabeth, along with Georgiana and their three servants, did not leave London for Hertfordshire until noon, after an early lunch at the Gardiner’s. It was a reasonably nice day, so Morris, Darcy’s valet rode on the seat with the driver while Leila and Ellie sat facing each other on one side of the coach, hugging the side as closely as possible to ensure their master and mistresses had plenty of room. The conversation was at first about the ball, but eventually was a discussion by Darcy and Elizabeth about how her parents would take the news of their engagement. Elizabeth was sure her mother would be ecstatic, but had no idea how her father would react. Mr. Darcy was carrying a letter from Elizabeth’s Uncle Gardiner explaining he had blessed the engagement in accordance with Mr. Bennet’s letter, but Mr. Bennet had to make the decision about when the wedding ceremony would occur.

  When the Darcy carriage pulled into the front drive of Longbourn about five o’clock, they could see what Darcy recognized as Bingley’s carriage parked in front. As their carriage was pulling to a halt, the entire Bennet family, along with Bingley, emerged from the front door.

  Darcy exited first and offered his hand to Georgiana and then to Elizabeth. As he did so, Mr. Bennet said, “Good afternoon, Mr. Darcy. This is an unexpected pleasure. May I ask why you have brought our daughter back to us?”

  “Good afternoon, Mr. Bennet. Before I answer your question, may I introduce my sister to all of you? Georgiana, this is Mr. and Mrs. Bennet; this is Miss Jane Bennet, this is Miss Mary Bennet, and this is Miss Catherine Bennet. To all of you I present my sister, Miss Georgiana Darcy.”

  Apparently speaking for the family, Mrs. Bennet said, “It is so nice to meet you, Miss Darcy. We have heard good things about you from your brother. I regret my youngest, Lydia, is not here. She is visiting a friend at the moment.”

  Georgiana very quietly greeted each of the Bennets and then Darcy continued. “We have come because I have something I need to discuss with you, Mr. Bennet, and I thought it would be a good time for me and my sister to pay a visit to Bingley.” Turning to look at Bingley, who stepped forward, he took his hand and said, “I hope you do not mind Bingley if we impose on you for lodging for two or three nights.”

  “Of course not, Darcy. I would be pleased to offer you my hospitality.” Turning to Georgiana and Elizabeth, he said, “It is good to see you again Georgiana. And Miss Elizabeth, I am certainly surprised and pleased to see you.”

  After Elizabeth and Georgiana had exchanged greetings with Bingley, Elizabeth went to her mother and siblings and hugged them and finally to her father. “Papa, would you allow Mr. Darcy to have a moment with you in your library while the rest of us go into the sitting room?”

  Mr. Bennet looked at Darcy apprehensively, believing there was only one reason he would want to speak to him so immediately and he was not sure he was happy about it. He had thought Darcy and Elizabeth were not the best of friends, and he was worried his daughter had somehow been coerced into something she really did not want. However, he could hardly refuse his daughter’s request, so he said, “Certainly. Right this way, Mr. Darcy” and led Darcy through the front door and into his library.

  The two men were followed closely by the women, with Mrs. Bennet grabbing Elizabeth’s arm and whispering, “Lizzie. Is this what I think it is? Are you to be courted by that unpleasant man?”

  “No Mama, I am not to be courted by Mr. Darcy. Please, let us first go into the sitting room and I will explain.”

  At the same time, in the back of the group entering the sitting room, Bingley whispered to Jane, “Jane, do you think your sister would accept a courtship from Darcy? I know Darcy favors her, but the last I knew, he was very uncertain of her feelings for him.”

  Jane whispered back, “I have no idea, Charles. The last I heard from Lizzie, she admitted she had misjudged Darcy in many ways and no longer disliked him, but she certainly did not lead me to believe there was any affection for him. Perhaps she finally decided it was too advantageous a match to pass up, although that goes against all that I know about her.”

  When they were finally situated in the sitting room, Elizabeth, who had not sat down, finally took off her gloves. No one could miss the absolutely beautiful ring she was wearing on her left hand. “Mr. Darcy will not be courting me, Mama, because I have already accepted his marriage proposal. In accordance with a letter from Papa, giving Uncle Edward the right to approve or disapprove any proposal I received, Uncle Edward approved the engagement, so we are officially betrothed. Mr. Darcy is in the library seeking Papa’s blessing and discussing a wedding date, for Papa retained the right to decide how long the engagement must last. Of course it cannot last much past my 21st birthday.”

  “But Lizzie,” said Kitty, “I thought you did not like Mr. Darcy.”

  “Kitty, I have misjudged Mr. Darcy and we have had many misunderstandings over the last several months, but they have been cleared up. Fate seems to have determined we should be constantly thrown in each other’s path until we both realized in our hearts and minds we are forever linked. I tried to convince myself I disliked him, but it was only my defense against the thought he did not approve of me. These past few weeks, we have learned more about each other and have discovered we are a perfect match and have a mutual love that cannot be denied. We were engaged yesterday and you cannot believe how happy I am. No matter what Papa says, within a year I will be married to the most wonderful man I have ever known and I will be the happiest woman in England.”

  Mrs. Bennet stood and went to Elizabeth with tears in her eyes and took her hands. “Oh Lizzie, that is so romantic. Who would have ever guessed that Mr. Darcy, who we all thought was so terrible, was a man that you could love and marry? Just think how rich you will be. And, Miss Darcy, it will be very nice to welcome you into our family. I hope you are happy with the match and can be good friends with my girls.”

  Georgiana smiled and replied, “I am almost as happy as my brother, because I have come to love Lizzie very much and can hardly wait to start life with her as my sister and mistress of Pemberley. I also look forward to having all your daughters as my sisters.”

  Bingley shook his head. “This is an extraordinary development. I was just telling Jane when I last talked to Darcy, he was very unsure about your feelings, Miss Elizabeth. I can tell you that you could not have found a better man in all of England. I am very happy he has finally found someone he can love.”

  While this was going on in the sitting room, in the library Mr. Bennet had offered Darcy a glass of port, which Darcy accepted, and then said. “It is with some apprehension I ask you what your business is with me, Mr. Darcy. I can only imagine one reason for which Lizzie would have requested we have a meeting and I must admit I am not inclined to favor it. I will be frank; the impression of you I and my neighbors have is that you are somewhat arrogant and unfriendly and not the kind of man my Lizzie would favor, although I am aware some of that impression is derived from the falsehoods Mr. Wickham spread around the area once you left.”

  “Mr. Bennet, I hope over the coming years, your opinion of me will improve, for it is certain I will become your son-in-law within a year. Mr. Gardiner has already approved our engagement and Elizabeth is wearing my engagement ring. I have come to ask your blessing and to discuss when we may be wed. I believe you gave Mr. Gardiner the right, over two years ago, to approve offers made to your elder daughters, but you retained the right to decide how long any engagements should be. If you want further clarification of that statement, I have a letter here that Mr. Gardiner wrote for us to give to you, in case you questioned his right.”

  Darcy handed the letter to Mr. Bennet who took it without opening it. “I remember what I did and have often wondered if I might come to regret it. Mr. Darcy, you are a man of consequence and had you solicited me for her hand instead of Gardiner, if she truly wanted to marry you, I would have granted her wish, because I trust her judgment. However, you must realize it comes as a shock to me. Would yo
u please tell me how all of this came about?”

  For twenty minutes Darcy acquainted Mr. Bennet with the history of their undeclared courtship and ended it with much the same kind of statement Elizabeth had made to those in the other room—that in retrospect, they had felt connected for months, but had only recently been able to clear up all the misunderstandings existing between them. They had come to the realization they were deeply in love and perfectly matched. Now they were anxious to become husband and wife. Darcy then pulled from his pocket the settlement papers prepared by his solicitors weeks before, when he began to hope he would be successful in his suit with Elizabeth, and gave them to Mr. Bennet.

  Mr. Bennet took his time looking over the papers, occasionally looking up in amazement at Mr. Darcy. “Mr. Darcy, I did not know such magnanimous amounts were ever given in a settlement. You must be even wealthier than is rumored. This certainly implies that you have a very strong commitment to my Lizzie. Has she seen these?”

  “No, she has not. I offered to show them to her on the way down and she told me they were not important to her. She says all she wants is me and the life I promised her. I hope these papers will make you understand the depth of my love for her and the seriousness with which I approach this marriage. I want nothing more than to make her the happiest woman in England, and she has said much the same to me.”

  “You are a very persuasive man, Mr. Darcy, and I believe I will have to admit I have badly misjudged you. I was going to have Lizzie come in and corroborate that she loves you and wants this marriage as much as you do, but somehow, remembering how she looked at you when you helped her out of the carriage, I do not think it will be necessary. I am sure Gardiner told you I might want to delay this marriage until she is twenty-one, but that is not so. My only wish for Lizzie is that she be happy and from what I could see, she is. Therefore you have my blessing, and you and she can set whatever day you want for the ceremony. I would request, however, it not be a large London wedding, but a smaller one here or at Pemberley.”