“William proposed to me, and I have accepted him,” Elizabeth reported what was already obvious.
This time there were two squeals from the hallway as both Tiffany and Giana entered the room and threw their arms around Elizabeth. Elizabeth returned their hugs in kind.
“A sister, at last! No,fivesisters,” Georgiana gushed.
Remembering her brother was present, Giana threw herself in his arms.
“You seem almost as happy I am marrying Elizabeth as I am,” Darcy teased his sister.
“I am so very pleased to be gaining sisters, especially one like Lizzy,” Georgiana enthused.
“When, my soon to be cousin, will you marry?” Tiffany enquired.
“I need to ride to Hertfordshire to see Bennet first,” He looked at the man who would be his brother. “I assume you do not have permission to consent to an engagement?”
“My husband does not, but Papa had the foresight to give me this letter.” Mary handed the missive to her future brother.
Darcy broke the seal and read the words. His smile grew wider with each word he read. He handed the sheet to his fiancée.
“We are officially engaged!” Elizabeth exclaimed as she handed the note to Mary.
Her father had guessed there would be a proposal in Kent and had given Mary the letter to be used if Lizzy accepted Darcy. He decided to save his future son-in-law an almost one hundred mile roundtrip.
As soon as Anne was informed of her cousin’s good news, she sent a note to the parsonage inviting them for dinner that very evening.
Chapter 37
Letters were received from Longbourn conveying Elizabeth’s parents and two youngest sisters’ heartfelt congratulations on her engagement.
For the first few days Elizabeth could be seen pinching herself at random times. When Mary asked her why she was doing so, her older sister had told her she was still coming to accept the reality she and William were in fact betrothed.
For the rest of January and into the first weeks of February a routine of sorts was established. Weather permitting of course, Darcy would arrive each morning, other than on the sabbath, to walk with his fiancée. If either or both Giana and Tiffany were not with him, then a footman accompanied him. By February the days were getting a little longer which gave the walkers that much more time together before they broke their fasts.
If there was precipitation, one of the de Bourgh coaches would collect Elizabeth after the morning meal, and she would spend the day with Tiffany and Giana at the great house.
In the late mornings, Darcy and Richard, and often Anne, were usually busy with estate business as they continued to unwind the mess the late Lady Catherine had left behind. The midday meal, much to the approbation of the engaged couple, was a time when everyone at the manor house would be together. Usually there would be an hour after the meal when the men would remain in the ladies company.
There were exceptions. Some days the two men would ride out on the estate seeing to tenant and other concerns. Nearly a month after the previous mistress’s death, all the tenant farms were filled once again.
When word made its way around the area about the changes at Rosings Park, some of the former tenants took new leases and for the few who were happy where they had relocated, it had been easy to find replacements. Something which increased the confidence of the tenants was when Miss de Bourgh had—at her cousin William’s recommendation—lowered the rents to where they should have been all along. She also sacked the steward who had only parroted anything her late mother had said, and had not the requisite experience to know what the late Lady Catherine had been doing was wrong.
A new man, a former under-steward at Snowhaven, the Earl of Matlock’s primary estate, had been employed. He had more than enough knowledge needed to be an effective man for the job and the tenants were already singing his praises. Thanks to the new steward’s capable efficiency, it seemed to Darcy he would be able to depart Kent almost a month earlier than he had previously estimated.
When the men were out on the estate with the steward, they would return between four and five in the evening, well in time for dinner. Mary and William Bennet ate dinner at Rosings Park three or four times a week.
On Sundays after services, the Bennets from the parsonage visited the residents of the manor house. That way there was not a day of the week the members of the engaged couple did not spend time in each other’s company.
Mary was heard to comment what an easy guest her sister was. She slept at the parsonage, after her walk she broke her fast and then was away for the rest of the day until after dinner.
The truth was when Mary was not busy with visits to parishioners, she would be found with Elizabeth, Tiffany, and Giana at the mansion.
The love between Elizabeth and Darcy blossomed and deepened. During the walks they took in the mornings, they would be silent at times just revelling in each other’s company. At other times they would discuss anything and everything. The one subject neither tired of was finding out about their betrothed’s childhood, especially the mischief each would get up to—Darcy was fascinated to find out his future wife was a little imp as a child. Neither could wait until they would no longer need to part one from the other at the end of the day.
To that end, one afternoon, a week after the engagement, they had borrowed a calendar from the study and selected the eighth day of March for their wedding, only three days after Elizabeth reached her majority.
A letter was dispatched to Longbourn and the reply from Fanny carried the endorsement of both herself and Bennet.
Darcy had sent one to the rector of the Pemberley parish as well so the banns would be called in the appropriate parishes.
