Collins’s passing was a blessing and freed Charlotte from a lifetime of regret that she accepted him. She only did so because at 27 she felt she was a burden to her family. Part of her calculation was that he had a good situation and had a home where she would be mistress, and she believed he was not vicious. In that, she was sorely mistaken. No, he never raised a hand to her, but there are many ways to cut one other than physically.
She is my perfect match. Without either of us knowing it, we each fell in love with the other. When I declared myself, she asked me if I was sure that she was right for me because my position would give me the pick of London’s well-dowered ladies.
I disabused her of that notion.
You met her parents before they departed Rosings Park. Remember, they are Sir William andLady Lucas (he is a knight) of Lucas Lodge in Hertfordshire. Their estate is less than a mile distant from Longbourn—the Bennet sisters’ home.
By the time you receive this, Charlotte and I (chaperoned by a maid) will have travelled into Meryton to receive her father’s blessing. Before you ask, no, we have not discussed a wedding date yet, but neither of us will want to wait too long.
As soon as I have a steward in place, I hope I will have the honour of reacquainting you with your future daughter.
With love and respect,
Richard
“It is what I always suspected when our younger son found his match. He has declared himself, and from the tone of his letter, he will hear no opposition to her—not that I intend to offer any,” Lady Matlock stated with a smile.
“Nor would I. All I ever wanted was for our boys to be happy, and it seems like each one found his other half,” Matlock agreed. “Do we make an announcement?”
“Let us wait until William and Gigi are here. Then, I will have the pleasure of learning more about Charlotte from Jane and Lizzy than I gleaned when we met her. Richard’s betrothed must be a good woman to be accepted as a good friend by those two,” Lady Matlock responded.
With that agreed, once their other discussions were completed, Lord and Lady Matlock rejoined the rest of the party.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
As difficult as it was to refrain from calling on the Gardiners and Bennet sisters atthe Rose and Crown Inn in Lambton on Wednesday afternoon, Darcy managed to restrain himself.
However, on Thursday morning, he made sure that they departed Pemberley a half hour earlier than planned so they could make a stop at the inn on the way to Snowhaven. Mrs Annesley remained at Pemberley. Even if it was too early to call, he would leave a note with the landlord, addressed to Mr Gardiner, welcoming him and his family to the area with a request to be able to call as soon as it was convenient.
Gigi’s eyebrows shot up when she saw where the Darcy coach had come to a halt.
“I will not be long; we will still arrive at Snowhaven on time. After all, it is but six miles from here,” Darcy assured his sister before he alighted.
Darcy entered the inn and made for the counter where the landlord was assisting one of his customers. As soon as the man was free, Darcy approached him. “Mr Whitford, good morning,” Darcy greeted.
“Welcome to the Rose and Crown, Mr Darcy. How may I be of service?” Whitford enquired.
“Have you seen either Mr and Mrs Gardiner or one of their nieces up and about yet? I know Miss Elizabeth has a penchant for early morning rambles,” Darcy stated. “If not, could I write and leave a message for Mr Gardiner?”
“They are not guests here, Mr Darcy. They will be guests at the inn for a few days starting in about a sennight,” Whitford revealed.
“Are you certain, Mr Whitford?” Darcy verified.
“Quite certain, Sir. When they took rooms here for a day or two in June, they confirmed the dates they expected to return,” the landlord explained.
“Thank you, Mr Whitford,” Darcy said almostabsentmindedly. He was most confused. Why would Elizabeth say she would be in the area from the previous day? It was not a sudden change of plans because Whitford had said the bookings were verified a month previously.
If it were not for the fact that he was expected at Snowhaven, he would have crawled back to Pemberley with his tail between his legs. Hence, he boarded the coach and struck the ceiling without thinking about it.
“William, what ails you?” Gigi asked concernedly. When they left the manor house, he had been as close to ebullient as she had ever seen him.
“Elizabeth and the Gardiners are not at the inn; they will not be for another sennight. Why would she say they would be there when they are somewhere else? I thought everything was good between us.”
“William, I love you, but you can be a cake at times.”
Darcy felt affronted, but he did not tell his sister that. He needed to know what she meant first.
“Do not look at me in that fashion, William. Firstly, did Lizzy say, ‘We will be at the Rose and Crown Inn in Lambton,’ or did she say, ‘We will be in the area?’ And more importantly, did you two not promise to make sure you understood one another, and neither of you would make assumptions and treat them as fact?”
