She gave her aunt and uncle quick hugs before falling into Jane’s arms. “How I missed you!” Elizabeth exclaimed with moist eyes. She stepped back and looked at Jane. “You look so much happier. To see you like this makes my heart sing. Did Mr Bingley call? Is he courting you?” Gushing was not something Elizabeth was wont to do, but on this day she did.
“It is good to see you too, Lizzy. I promise you will hear all, and I suspect you have much to relate as well,” Jane replied as she looked at her younger sister with an arched eyebrow.
“You are not wrong, Jane,” Elizabeth allowed.
While their aunt and uncle led Maria into the house, Jane and Elizabeth followed, their arms interlinked. “Uncle Edward sent a note to Mr Darcy; he was not able to come himself, but yester-morning he sent a trusted man to collect the letter. Before you say he did not want to visit the house of a tradesman, he has asked when it is convenient to come speak to me. He mentioned something of amends,” Jane revealed.
If only to herself, Elizabeth admitted that her first thought had been that Mr Darcy did not want tolowerhimself. She admonished herself that she had to stop looking for the worst with regard to Mr Darcy. “Have you seen Mr Bingley yet?” Elizabeth was hopeful Mr Darcy had told Mr Bingley the truth of Jane’s presence as well as his erroneous conclusion about her feelings.
“We will talk inside,” was all that Jane was willing to say. “Go wash and change; you and I are sharing the large guest bedchamber, and then come meet us in our aunt and uncle’s private sitting room.”
“And Maria?” Elizabeth wondered.
“Lilly will keep her occupied,” Jane shared.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“That woman is dead, metaphorically, in society,” Lady Matlock angrily insisted.
The other three Fitzwilliams had just heard the tale of William’s behaviour in Hertfordshire and Kent, which had culminated in a lady with no connections or fortune rejecting his proposal of marriage. Thereafter, he had revealed what Miss Bennet had told him about the shrew’s letter.
Seeing the incredulous looks on his aunt’s, uncle’s, and Andrew’s countenances, Darcy had produced the letter, the reading of which had led to AuntElaine’s outburst. She was normally calm and soft-spoken, but not now.
“I ask for a little patience before you act. I need Bingley to confirm it is his sister’s hand, and then he will be told what is to occur,” Darcy stated. “If, as I suspect, he refuses to acknowledge his sister’s horrendous behaviour, I am afraid he will have to suffer along with her. It is long past time that he finally checks her. I ask for a fortnight. Bingley is in Scarborough with family, but he, his younger sister, and the Hursts will return to London by the final Friday of this month.”
Lord Matlock looked at his wife and sons; they all nodded. “So be it. We will not move against that harpy until you have spoken to her brother,” Matlock agreed.
“After we are through with her, she will never bother William again,” Lady Matlock vowed.
“But, William, no matter how much that young man begs, I will not relent. I will finally excise that blight from the body of polite society,” Lady Matlock said firmly. “Now, young man, what have you to say about your behaviour? That is not the way your late parents taught you to act towards others. You have been in the company of Catherine and Miss Bingley too much, and you have begun to ape their behaviour.”
Darcy’s ears burnt red. He felt like he was on the carpet in the headmaster’s study at Eton and about to be caned, except this was worse. It was his aunt who had stepped into the role of surrogate mother when his own mother had passed away almost sixteen years past. “Aunt, Uncle, Andrew, and Richard, even though I said this to Rich on the return journey from Kent, what both Aunt Elaine said now and what Miss Elizabeth said in Kent regarding my behaviour was correct. I have no excuse. All I can do is work to amend my character and be a better man. My arrogance has cost me heavily already. Miss Elizabeth is, I believe, the only woman I will ever love.”
“Then work to win her, you fool,” Hilldale shot back.Andrew Fitzwilliam, Viscount Hilldale and heir to the Matlock earldom, was the eldest of the two Fitzwilliam brothers. “You know,” Hilldale added, “like you, I am also hunted, but I am a little more polite about dissuading them and do not throw insults around when I am flustered. I wish I would meet a lady who would reject me if I do not measure up. I cannot wait to leave London in May. I am very tired of being seen only for my title, wealth, and connections. Then again, I do not have that shrew, Miss Bingley, uninvited, mind you, constantly attaching herself to my arm. I have, however, lived through two attempted entrapments.”
“I doubt Miss Elizabeth will ever see me again,” Darcy opined sadly.
“Did you not say you are to call at Mr and Mrs Gardiners’ house to make amends to the eldest Bennet sister?” Lord Matlock verified.
“Indeed, Uncle. I will call on the morrow. Why do you ask?” Darcy returned.
“Because both Andrew and I invest with him. It is where Richard’s money, including the legacy your late father left him, is invested. Damned good returns. Sorry, Elaine.” The tips of Matlock’s ears took on a red hue.
“I have heard far worse, Reggie. You seem to forget I lived for many years with three males in my house,” Lady Matlock responded with a smile.
“Thank you, my dear.” The Earl bowed to his beloved wife. Then he turned to his nephew. “Now, William, as I was saying. Not only do we invest with him, but your aunt and Mrs Gardiner are well known to one another. The lady serves on a charitable board your aunt chairs. Gardiner always speaks of his two favourite nieces, so as long as your apologies are sincere and complete, it will ease your road to be in the younger Miss Bennet’s company again.Just do not repeat your behaviour or be an arrogant horse’s arse a second time.”
Darcy hung his head. He had always thought his behaviour was that of a gentleman, and here Uncle Reggie was telling him it was anything but. On top of Aunt Elaine raising the fact that his late parents would not have been proud of the way he behaved, Darcy did not think he could feel worse.
“Did you collect Miss Bingley’s pack of lies yourself, or did you send an underling?” Hilldale enquired.
“I would have gone myself, but I was dealing with a number of business issues which made it impossible, and I wanted the letter in my hands as soon as may be,” Darcy explained.
“That is understandable, but do you not think that the Gardiners, or when they hear from Miss Elizabeth, might think you did not want to lower yourself to call on them and sent a servant in your place?” Hilldale suggested. “Although you should be able to dispel that opinion when you go and eat humble pie before them at Gardiner’s house on the morrow.”
“You had better be completely sincere,” Fitzwilliam added. “You and I know that with her intelligence, Miss Elizabeth, who should be returned from Kent by now, will be able to detect any insincere speech.”
“I made sure my man told Miss Bennet that I was unavoidably detained and I would come see her to make my apologies. To your other points, the sincerity of my begging their pardons will not be doubted,” Darcy stated firmly. “I need to begin right here. I was so proud of my name and my family, but my behaviour tarnished both. I am very sorry. I have been properly humbled in learning that my pretensions were greatly deficient. I need to be able to please a woman well worthy of being pleased. In that my arrogance led me to fail spectacularly.” Darcy paused and cogitated. “I think that my opinion of my self-worth had become over-inflated by theway I was seen by the ladies of theTonwho hunted me. It is why, no matter how insulting my proposal was, I expected Miss Elizabeth to fall over herself at recognising the honour I was bestowing on her. I did not believe she would do anything other than accept me. Now the question I need to ask myself is not if she is worthy to be my wife, but am I worthy to be her husband?”
