For ten minutes, Jane and Charles had been watching Mr. Darcy pace back and forth in front of a window in the breakfast room. Jane had twice offered to prepare a plate for him, but he had declined and resumed his pacing. After seeing the look on Darcy’s face when Lizzy entered the breakfast room, Charles jumped up, went over to his friend, and started to pump his hand.
“You are engaged. I am sure of it. When you said you would not ride this morning, I knew it was because you were waiting for Elizabeth. Welcome to the family, Darcy,” Charles said and then slapped his friend on the back.
“Lizzy, is this true?” Jane asked. She had been anticipating this event for months, and she was not going to count this chick before it hatched.
“Yes, it is true.” Lizzy hugged her sister. “Mr. Darcy and I are engaged or will be as soon as he can talk to Papa.”
“Is it too early for champagne?” Bingley asked.
“It is never too early for champagne,” Darcy answered, grinning from ear to ear, and a bottle was sent for.
“Mama will be very pleased,” Jane said. “I daresay she will be ecstatic.” She raised her glass to toast the happy couple.
Lizzy looked at her betrothed to see his reaction to Jane’s reminder that Mrs. Bennet would soon be his mother-in-law. She still blushed with embarrassment at the memory of her mother’s performance at the Netherfield ball, and she would never forget the look on Mr. Darcy’s face when her Mama had blurted out that Jane’s anticipated engagement to Mr. Bingley would throw her four daughters into the path of other rich men.
“Perhaps it would be best if I went to Longbourn alone and spoke with my parents. In that way, it will not be such a surprise.”
“It can hardly be a surprise, Elizabeth. I have been sitting in your parlor for the past six months. My attentions were too marked to be interpreted in any other way, and since I was not asked by either parent to leave Longbourn at any time during that interval, I imagine I will have their blessing. Besides, I want to share our good news with everyone. So shall we go to Longbourn this morning?”
“Yes, but you do know that my mother will be…”
“Exuberant,” Darcy said, finishing her sentence. “Yes, I expect as much, and I have come prepared. If your mother grows too shrill, I have little pieces of cotton in my pocket to protect my ears,” he finished in a whisper.
“Shame on you for saying such a thing about my mother.” But Lizzy started laughing. “All right then. We shall go to Longbourn, but you cannot say I did not warn you.”
***
When Lizzy got into the carriage, she sat in the middle of the seat, forcing Darcy to sit opposite to her, and he asked her to make room for him.
“I shall let you sit next to me, but first you must promise that you will not try to kiss me as you will knock my bonnet off, and my hair will look a mess. We cannot have a repeat of last night, and a lot can happen in three miles.”
“I would never knock your bonnet off,” he said, as he moved over to her side, forcing her to move over. “That would be inconsiderate. Instead, I shall do this.” He pulled at the bow under her chin, and after Lizzy stopped laughing, she took her hat off.
After giving her a chaste kiss, Darcy took her hand, kissed it, and promised to be good. “There will be no repeat of last night. The next time I start something, I intend to finish it as last night’s performance was a damn frustrating exercise. I have been waiting for so long; I can wait a little longer.”
Lizzy wondered what Mr. Darcy meant by that remark? Because he was nearly twenty-eight years of age and a man of the world, she assumed that at some point he had had a physical relationship with a woman. It would be wonderful to think that he had not, but Lizzy had read too much to be naïve about what went on in the top tiers of London society.
“Are you saying that you have never…? I mean I have read about you in the newspapers. On a number of occasions, your name has been mentioned along with several young ladies and some not so young.”
“If you are referring to Mrs. Clement, I did befriend her because the Prince of Wales treated her abominably. She had just come out of mourning for her husband, and the prince took advantage of her in order to make Lady Jersey jealous. I took particular offense at such a heartless act because he used his position as a royal prince to seduce her. It would be the same as me going to Granyard Hall, in human form, and subtly letting Lady Helen know that I would be pleased if she would tend to my needs. What the prince did disgusted me, and because Mrs. Clement was being snubbed by everyone in Lady Jersey’s circle, I introduced her to another group of people.
“Honestly, if I so much as bump elbows with an unmarried lady, I am in the next day’s paper as being in love with her,” an exasperated Darcy complained. “And since you have admitted to reading such drivel, I am sure you have read about the boiling-hot romance I am having with the venomous Alexandra Banbury. At balls and breakfasts, I engage her in the most insipid conversations, and she acts as if I am reciting poetry. But I never call on her.
“As to your question of whether I have been with another woman, I shall tell you that I have, on occasion, been tempted to engage in sexual congress with a woman. But when it came to act on it, I could not do it. I attribute this to the fact that I am part wolf, and remember, wolves mate for life.
“As far as marriage is concerned, whenever I considered the subject, I thought that I should look for a wife from among the lupine population, and because we would have our other incarnation in common, I imagined that I would be content. But then I met you. You were the surprise that scattered my plans to the four winds. After the assembly, I could not stop thinking about you. When I finally decided to take the risk of courting someone fully human, I did not know how to win you, and I performed badly. I had just about given up on our ever being together when you came to Pemberley, and I could sense that you cared for me and that gave me hope. So I began again. And when you told me that you loved me…” Darcy paused because he had started to tear up, and he drew Lizzy to him. “I cannot tell you what that meant to me, and since you have seen my tears, I shall tell you that werewolves cry. In the wild, there is no shame in it. It is only when I am in human form that I am embarrassed by shedding tears.”
Lizzy gave Darcy a long and deep kiss. “If you feel things deeply, why should you not cry? I do. You need never be embarrassed in front of me.”
“Thank you for that, but I must change the subject.” Because the next topic was one that cast him in an unfavorable light, he hesitated, but there was something that needed to be said. “In consideration of what you now know about me, you must find my reaction to your mother’s… to your mother’s…”
“Exuberance.”
“Yes, your mother’s exuberance to be a shocking example of intolerance, but I had never seen such a public display of…”
“Exuberance.”
“Exactly. But in my defense, I did not know about the entail, which you must admit does explain a lot. Regardless, I was rude, and I apologize to you and hope that your mother did not notice my harsh looks.”
“Oh, she didn’t. That is the wonderful thing about Mama. Although Jane and I are often mortified by her behavior and have been embarrassed by her outrageous attempts to secure a match for us, she is oblivious to everything around her that does not concern the getting of husbands. And here we are at Longbourn, so you should go and sit in the parlor, and I will find Papa.”
***
Mr. Bennet was not at home, but Mrs. Bennet was in the kitchen going over the week’s menu with Mrs. Smythe, the Bennets’ cook. When her mother saw her, she gave Lizzy a sour look.
“You will never get a husband, Lizzy,” she said, shaking her head in disappointment. “You only went to Netherfield yesterday, and here you are back again.”
“But, Mama, you said that I could come home if I were engaged.” Lizzy waited for that bit of news to seep in.
“What? Lizzy, what are you saying? Did Mr. Darcy propose?” When Lizzy nodded, she asked where he was.
“He is in the parlor, waiting to speak to Papa.”
“Oh, no! Your father is meeting with the surveyor today. Isn’t it just like him to be out on the farm when I need him the most,” she said with her hands on her hips. “Lizzy, you must go into the parlor, and no matter what, you must keep Mr. Darcy here. You must not let him go away until he speaks to Mr. Bennet. Oh, here is Mr. Hill. Hill, you must find Mr. Bennet and tell him to come home at once. There is no time to lose, as we have a serious situation here that must be seen to immediately. It cannot wait one hour.”
Lizzy stood behind her mother, shaking her head, so that Hill would know that the family was not in peril, and after the servant had gone in search of the head of the household, Mrs. Bennet went into the parlor with her daughter. Considering the way their courtship had gone, she was not taking any chances.
“Mr. Darcy, how good it is to see you again. You honor us with your visit,” Mrs. Bennet crooned. “We always enjoyed it when you came to Longbourn. As soon as you went away, I always said to Lizzy, I wonder when Mr. Darcy will come back as he is such good company, and here you are.”
It was at that moment that Kitty came into the parlor, but before she could sit down, her mother told her to leave. No one would be allowed to say a word to Mr. Darcy until Elizabeth was officially engaged.
“You have that piece of embroidery you have been working on for ever so long. Today would be a good day to finish it, and I insist you finish it in the sitting room.” Kitty, who was used to seeing Mr. Darcy visiting Lizzy, was exceedingly puzzled. There was something going on here, so when she did leave, she sat on the stairs waiting for events to unfold.
“Now, where were we, Mr. Darcy?”
“I was about to tell you that I am happy to be here today, and if I may be so presumptuous…”
“Oh, go ahead. Presume all you want.”
“I think you can guess the purpose of my visit, and since I am confident that Mr. Bennet will approve, I feel comfortable in speaking freely.” After taking Elizabeth’s hand, he continued, “I have asked Elizabeth to marry me, and she has accepted my offer.”
Mrs. Bennet clapped her hands in joy and let out a squeal of delight. “Oh, I will confess that I suspected that you had an interest in Lizzy, but then I thought, that is Mr. Darcy of Pemberley, who has a great estate in Derbyshire, a house in town, fine carriages, and ten thousand a year, if not more…”
While her mother continued to list all of Mr. Darcy’s many assets, Lizzy stared straight ahead, humiliated—again. But wishing to reassure Lizzy that all was well, Darcy squeezed her hand and made no attempt to interrupt the itemization of his property, even when Mrs. Bennet was wide and short of the mark. But then the gossip about Bingley had been wrong as well. He was supposed to have inherited a hundred thousand pounds, and because that was such an outrageous sum, when Bingley discussed the marriage contract with Mr. Bennet, he had to explain that although he had a generous yearly allowance, the lump sum settlement of his father’s estate had been shared with his eight siblings.
“Mama,” Lizzy interrupted, “I think it would be a good idea if we talked about the wedding breakfast. Because winter is upon us, Mr. Darcy and I have decided that we should have a simple…”
“Oh, the wedding breakfast,” Mrs. Bennet said. “I had not thought about that yet. Because Mr. Darcy is so rich and is such a prominent figure, there will probably be hundreds of people coming from London and Derbyshire and who knows where else.”
“Mama, please listen to me. Mr. Darcy and I are to marry on December 24th, and because of the season, we have decided to have a simple wedding breakfast with the family, but we shall return in the spring and have a great feast.”
“December 24th! But nothing can be planned in such a short time. I thought… Lizzy, don’t you want everyone to know how well you did in securing Mr. Darcy’s affections?”
Sensing Elizabeth’s suffering as a result of her mother’s lack of decorum, Darcy decided to intervene. “Mrs. Bennet, there is a good reason for the delay in having an elaborate reception at this time. I want my dear cousin Miss Anne de Bourgh to be at the celebration of our marriage, but she will not be able to attend as her mother Lady Catherine will not permit her to travel in the winter. Furthermore, it is more likely that my aunt will attend if the date is pushed back until April or May.” Darcy was hoping that delaying the wedding breakfast until the spring would give Anne and Georgiana ample time to work on his aunt.
Lizzy was spared any further embarrassment because her father had finished with the surveyor.
“Mr. Bennet, you have come,” his wife said, and from her joyful expression, he understood that Mr. Darcy had finally asked Lizzy to marry him.
“Yes, Mrs. Bennet, I have come because I was led to believe that some disaster had befallen Longbourn. I am guessing that the cause for raising the alarm is a fire in the kitchen or perhaps one of our milk cows has died or Magic has gotten out again and is chasing the chickens. Which of these terrible events occurred in the short time I have been gone?”
“Mr. Bennet, how you do jest. Mr. Darcy has requested an audience with you.” She arched her eyebrows to indicate that romance was involved.
“An audience. Well, then I shall receive the gentleman in my study. Allow me to lead the way.”
In the past, Darcy had wondered how a man as sensible as Mr. Bennet could have such a silly wife, but if that was a typical exchange between them, then it was obvious that Mr. Bennet was amused by Mrs. Bennet’s natural exuberance.
“Mr. Darcy, may I offer you a glass of wine?”
“No, thank you, sir.”
“Then I shall not have one either,” he said, sitting down. “I can tell that you are eager to get to the matter at hand, and knowing you to be of a taciturn nature, I suspect there will be no speeches. Mr. Bingley felt compelled to deliver an oration. Perhaps you prefer a simple declaration. Either way, you have my attention, sir.”
“Thank you, Mr. Bennet. As you said, I am a man of few words, and so I shall get right to the point. I am very much in love with your daughter, and I am fortunate to have secured her love as well. Therefore, I have asked Elizabeth to marry me, and I have been accepted. However, I would be greatly honored if you gave your approval for the marriage.”
“You have my approval, Mr. Darcy, because in these past few weeks, while you tended to your family’s affairs, I have been a witness to Lizzy’s unhappiness when deprived of your company.”
“I experienced the same thing, sir.”
“But I do have one reservation. You have been coming to Longbourn for the past six months, and each time you visited, my wife was convinced that you would ask our daughter to marry you. Instead, you departed, only to return a few weeks later, and the scene would be repeated. Something kept you from making Lizzy an offer. I would like to know what it was.”
“I can easily understand how mystifying my coming and going must have been to you and Mrs. Bennet. So I shall explain as best I can. I had a recurring family situation that demanded my presence. That situation has been resolved—permanently. I cannot say anything else as it would be an embarrassment to the parties involved. If it were not for that, I would have proposed much sooner. I know that Lizzy has suffered as a result of my erratic attendance upon her, but I can assure you that she has suffered no more than I have.”
Before saying anything further, Mr. Bennet mulled over Mr. Darcy’s explanation, and after seeing the sincerity in the man’s face, he said, “I find your answer to be satisfactory, and I will not pry into your private affairs.” Even so, Mr. Bennet suspected the reason for his frequent absences might be that Mr. Darcy had a natural child hidden somewhere in the country. It would certainly not make him unique among the gentry. But how would such a situation be permanently resolved? It was all so puzzling, but knowing his daughter to be an excellent judge of character, he decided that since she had consented to the man’s offer of marriage, surely she had deemed him to be a worthy partner.
“Thank you, sir. As for the marriage contract, I am to go to town shortly, and I will meet with my solicitor at that time. I can assure you that I will be generous and that you will be satisfied with the terms.”
“I have no doubt of it, sir. So when is the happy day?”
“December 24th,” Darcy answered, grateful that Mr. Bennet had not pressed him for the reason for his absences. “We are to see the vicar this afternoon.”
“My goodness! That is just three weeks from now. Will you not have a courtship?”
“To my mind, the purpose of a courtship is for the couple to get to know each other better so that they will be sure that it is a good match for both. There is no question of our being well suited to each other, and I know that Elizabeth would agree with that statement. Thus, there is no reason to delay the marriage. We shall have a simple wedding and a breakfast with the family, but we will return in the spring and have a reception for all our family and friends.”
“It seems that the matter was decided before I walked in the door, and since there is nothing left for me to say, I wish you joy. I do not know you well, Mr. Darcy, but I can take the measure of a man. Although you can be a snob,” he said with a chuckle, “you are a decent man, and I believe you will take care of my little girl. I could not have parted with her to anyone less worthy.” After shaking Mr. Darcy’s hand, he concluded by saying, “That was the easy part. Now, we must go and share the good news with Mrs. Bennet.”
***
The house erupted in a joyous celebration. Kitty came out of hiding, and Mary put down her book. Every time Mr. Darcy looked at Elizabeth, he was smiling, even when he was talking to his future mother-in-law. However, it was necessary to leave this merry scene as there were things to do.
During the short walk to the church for their visit with the vicar, Darcy mentioned that he would be leaving to go to town and then on into Kent. Lizzy was dumbfounded. Was he actually leaving her again? From the look on his betrothed’s face, he knew that he had better explain—and fast.
“I have to leave, Elizabeth. The next three weeks are going to be awful for me. Because everyone will know that we are engaged, they will all be watching our every move. I will be fortunate if I can hold your hand.”
“I am to be deprived of your company for three weeks because you cannot kiss me whenever it pleases you?”
“There are other reasons as well,” Darcy quickly added as he watched the muscles in her jaw clench. “I want to visit Anne. She writes that she is well, but I would like to see her nonetheless. I shall be taking Georgie with me because Aunt Catherine behaves better when my sister is in the room, and I shall need an ally when I tell my aunt that we are to marry.”
Lizzy had to agree with that statement. While she was in Kent visiting Charlotte, nothing she said or did pleased the august personage of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. For someone as conscious of rank as she was, her nephew marrying a “nobody” could possibly end with her refusing to see him again. As much as she disliked the lady, she was the sister of Mr. Darcy’s mother.
“After I visit with my aunt and cousin, I will send Georgie back to you as I must go to Herefordshire. When I reprimanded Nell, I told her that because of her poor judgment if and when she chooses to marry her husband must be a werewolf. Since she is a member of my pack, I feel it is my responsibility to go to Herefordshire so that I might be in a position to recommend a prospective suitor. I can assure you that I do not want to do this, but as the alpha male, it is my responsibility.”
“That is fine. I have no objections.” Lizzy’s mood lightened immediately. In fact, she was smiling.
“You have no objections. Really?” Darcy found it difficult to believe that she could change her mind so quickly, but if she were angry, he would have sensed it. What accounted for the sudden change? “I am beginning to suspect that you will not miss me at all. You seem happy to have me gone.”
“Oh, I shall miss you. Be assured of that. But far be it from me to interfere with the affairs of the pack, and if you say it is necessary to find Nell a husband, I certainly shall not stop you.” And now Darcy understood.