“Speaking of hurrying into matrimony,” said Darcy, “there appears to be little of that happening at present. Bingley, old chap, I might have thought you eager to take my example and hurry your lady to the altar.”
“To say it was hurried misses the mark, Darcy,” said Mr. Bennet, “for as I recall, I endured wedding talk for almost a year, and then it was delayed anyway!”
“Ah, but in the end, it was most hurried,” retorted Darcy. “Bymyrecollection, I appeared on your doorstep one fine spring morning and demanded to be married that very day!”
The company laughed, even Miss Bingley, who knewshehad been at least part of the reason for their hasty nuptials, joining in the merriment.
“Aye, and for that I am forever grateful; it prevented me from enduringanotherweek of such talk! Then again, when young Bingley here gets to the point, I must endure it.”
“I shall hear no complaint from you, Mr. Bennet,” was Mrs. Bennet’s prim reply. “If you consider it, when Jane is married, Mary will be next in line, and the younger girls will follow them soon. Why, I declare we may spend the nextten yearsin such talk!”
The look of utter horror that adorned Mr. Bennet’s face set them all into gales of mirth again. The man in question appeared ready to depart on the spot for the most remote place he could find in England, but then he ruined it by winking at Elizabeth.
“In response to your question,” said Bingley over the company’s merriment, “I am not in a rush. I am quite enjoying the chase.”
“What chase do you call it?” asked Elizabethsotto voce. “My sister appears most willing to be caught.”
“Lizzy!” cried Miss Bennet, her cheeks the color of a ripe apple.
“Come now, Jane,” said Elizabeth, “do not suggest you are at all taken aback by this teasing. Unless I am much mistaken, you have enjoyed the chase as much as Mr. Bingley.”
“I hope so,” said Mr. Bingley, assuming a pitiful expression, “for your excellent sister would break my heart asunder if she claimed to remain unmoved by my struggle to please her.”
“There is no danger of that, Mr. Bingley. I know my sister like no one else—if she will not accept you this very moment should you choose to propose, I will eat my cap.”
The glare Jane directed at Elizabeth might have been fearsome coming from anyone else. Jane Bennet was so mild and angelic that no one could mistake her for a lioness, though Darcy had seen her rise to defend Elizabeth, her dearest sister, when occasion demanded it. Before anyone could speak another word, the four girls joined them, breathless and faces flushed with pleasure and exertion.
“Oh, this has been such fun!” exclaimed Lydia as she collapsed into a chair. “We have not had such a day as this since last summer at least!”
“I think we have had other times of enjoyment,” said Elizabeth, diverted by her sister’s declaration.
“We have, but we have not run or laughed with such abandon.”
“May we do it again, William?” asked Georgiana. “Pemberley has long been a house of solemnity—I think my father and brother would love to know it has become a place of laughter again.”
“Of course, we can,” replied Darcy with a smile for his young ward.
“Perhaps notevery day,” said Bingley. “I echo my sister’s sentiments—while I am yet a young man, I cannot keep up with young ladies determined to run about.”
“This was a means of releasing pent-up restlessness,” said Mary, showing unusual perspicacity. “The next time, I doubt we will be so eager to run.”
Kitty, Georgiana, and Lydia exchanged glances and burst into laughter, exclaiming together in sing-song voices: “Do not be too certain of that!”
Mary did nothing more than smile at her sisters and shake her head. If Darcy were to guess, straightlaced Mary would not be so carefree as she was that day the next time they ventured out of doors. On the other hand, he thought it as likely as not that the girls would pull her in, unwilling or not, and Mary would not protest much.
It was some time before they entered the house, for they remained in the summer’s warmth, speaking of many things of little consequence. In time, the younger girls again rose, though this time their games consisted of more sedate activities such as horseshoes or pall mall. Their laughter still echoed off the house, filling them all with the joy of the occasion.
At length, they entered the house in time to prepare for the evening meal, which was a simple affair. They did not remain long in the sitting-room after dinner, for the girls, so energetic during the day, now showed signs of fatigue from their exertions. Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Darcy rousted them from their languor, chivvying them up the stairs to retire early, and before long, the entire company made their way to their bedchambers.
“I agree with Lydia,” said Elizabeth when they were ensconced in their quarters, the house falling into the silence of the oncoming night. “Today was so enjoyable that I believe we should do it more often.”
“With that, I cannot disagree, my love,” said Darcy, pulling her close to him. “Itiswonderful to have our families so close at hand.”
Elizabeth turned in his arms to regard him, one eyebrow raised in apparent disbelief. “Would you not prefer to have Pemberley to ourselves?”
Again, Darcy pulled her against his chest, playing with a lock of hair escaped from her loose braid. “While I would never object to time alone with you, it is lovely to have all the family with us.We may eschew the company altogether, for Pemberley is large enough to accommodate it whenever we wish.”
A sigh was her response as she settled in close to him. “Netherfield is a handsome estate, William, but Pemberley is something else entirely. I do not rejoice in the death of a good man, but I now love Pemberley as much as I ever loved Hertfordshire.”
