“Jane dear, do you want to go shopping in London before or after your wedding?” Becca enquired.
“After!” was Jane’s succinct and definitive answer.
“You have more than enough wonderful gowns, some never worn and others hardly ever, which would be more than appropriate for a wedding,” Becca stated as she hugged her firstborn to her. Regardless of whose blood flowed in her veins, Jane was as much her daughter as Lizzy, Mary, and Ellie. Not for the first time since she had begun to grow up, Becca gave thanks to God that Jane was nothing at all like her late birthmother in character, honour, or honesty.
“The rest of the family are impatient to share in your good news,” Bennet reminded those in the study. “I suggest we go and join them.”
None of the other three disagreed with him.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Where were you?” Miss Bingley demanded when her brother arrived back at the mansion. “Why did you not tell me what you were about?”
“I discovered that Mr Bennet was well within his rights to evict us. We must vacate the estate before eleven on the morrow,” Bingley related dispassionately. “Before you blame meagain, this was all your doing, and I followed you like a lamb to the slaughter. You have cost me thousands of pounds; now go pack.”
“How can you speak to me in that fashion?” Miss Bingley shrieked. “I will not pack; they cannot…”
“Yes, they can. Furthermore, it is perfectly legal. I am going to have my man pack, and I will depart on the morrow at exactly eleven in the morning. If you have not had your trunks filled, then they will remain here. If you are not ready to depart when I am, I will leave you behind, and then you will be the one arrested for trespassing.” Bingley stood and marched out of the drawing room.
While he went to issue orders to the housekeeper and butler to close the house and inform them of his departure, his sister was sitting very still in the drawing room.
Caroline Bingley did not like that her brother had not allowed her to control him. One thing of which she was sure was that Charles would not waver on the departure time, so unless she wanted to remain at Netherfield Park, be arrested, and end up in the town’s gaol, she needed to have her maid begin to pack her many trunks.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
On entering the drawing room, the family members within managed to restrain themselves until Bennet made the announcement that all of them expected. As soon as it had been made, the newly engaged couple were mobbed by the younger generation. The females, as would be expected, all admired the ring after they had wished Jane happy.
“You will be my bridesmaid when I marry, will you not?” Jane whispered next to Elizabeth’s ear.
“As if you even need to ask me; of course, I will be honoured,” Elizabeth replied and then kissed her sister’s cheek. She had questions about the wedding being held on Friday upcoming, but she would ask them of Jane when they had time alone later in the day or that night. Elizabeth moved to hug her cousin, soon to be brother at the same time Cousin Liam was about to congratulate Andrew. Elizabeth’s hug ended up catching both Andy and Cousin Liam. She blushed furiously.
Darcy relished the feeling of Elizabeth’s arm around him, even if it had been for an instant. He could see she was fighting to bring her embarrassment under regulation and was about to apologise. “You have nothing to apologise for; it is, after all, not unheard of for cousins to hug,” he assured her.
Elizabeth sensed the heat leaving her face. She felt very grateful that her cousin had gone out of his way to make her feel comfortable. She noticed that Giana Darcy was holding back from joining the celebration, so she made her way to the younger Darcy’s side. “Giana, it is very good to see you again. What has it been? Ten years since we met at Snowhaven?” Elizabeth asked cheerfully.
“Yes, it has been that long,” Georgiana agreed. “Even though I was not yet five, I always remembered how kind you and Jane were to me there. For obvious reasons, I have never forgotten your second name.”
“As I could never forget yours. Not only because of my name, Grandmama Anna is another Georgiana,” Elizabeth noted. “Do you remember Mary and Tommy from Snowhaven? She would have been eight, and he was six at the time. Ellie was only three, so she remained in the nursery most of the time.”
“Do you not have a twin brother?” Georgiana verified.
“Yes, that is correct,” Elizabeth confirmed. “You know Will the younger and Ian, do you not?” Georgiana nodded itwas so. “You see the four young men around Andrew and Janey now?” Another nod. “The tallest is Tommy. He is a month or two older than Felicity and Harriet. Between Will and Ian is my twin, Henry. When you see him close to my papa, you will see how much they look alike.”
“May I call you Lizzy as I did at Snowhaven?” Georgiana requested.
“Of course, you may,” Elizabeth allowed. “Have you not heard that I refer to you as Giana, unless you object?”
“No, no, not at all, Lizzy. I do have a question with regards to names. I have heard yourself and others call Fitz ‘Liam’. Why is that?”
Elizabeth explained why they had begun to call her brother Liam. Giana looked mortified. “I never asked him if he enjoyed being called Fitz. I should have enquired of him about his preference like you did.”
“Do not berate yourself, Giana. There was no reason for you to think there was aught wrong. You grew up with Andy and Rich addressing Liam in that way. He never indicated his true preference, and as intelligent as you are, you are not a soothsayer who has the power to read minds. It was easier for me to see as I was not used to the other name my whole life.”
“Thank you for putting Giana at ease about my name, Cousin Elizabeth,” Darcy interjected after hearing most of the conversation. “It is an unfortunate Darcy trait to attempt to take responsibility for that for which we have no blame.” He smiled widely, this time revealing two dimples.
Seeing the dimples made the heat rise in her cheeks all over again. To bring herself under regulation, Elizabeth turned to look at Jane and Andrew. Grandmama Beth had just reached them.
Once all of the hubbub had died down, Jane and Andrew announced that their wedding would be on Friday upcoming.
