Amelia Carleton declared herself to be utterly delighted that she had been responsible for the introduction which had resulted in such a felicitous match.
Lady Matlock, who insisted on being called Lady Eleanor by the younger generation, teased, ‘You will soon change your tune when you are reviled by all those matchmaking matrons with marriageable daughters that you have deprived them of their prize.’
By the end of the evening, all the sisters invited Deveril to use their given names when in private as he would soon be the brother to two of them, to which he readily agreed. He was even more delighted not having to address his Jane as Miss Bennet.
~T~
Elizabeth watched Jane and decided that love was exceedingly becoming to her sister. Jane had always been beautiful, but tonight there was a glow about her which enhanced her already spectacular looks.
What Elizabeth did not realise was that the happiness she felt for her sister also enhanced her own looks, a fact which Darcy did notice. He had always considered her pretty, even while uttering that fateful insult, but now he thought that compared to Miss Bennet, Elizabeth was devastatingly stunning. She was alive with happiness and her earlier pensiveness was forgotten.
‘You are happy for your sister?’ he asked quietly.
Elizabeth turned to him with her brilliant smile. ‘Oh yes. I am ecstatic that my dearest sister has found what appears to be her perfect match. I realise that it is unfashionable to marry for love, but I am happy to see her so much in love and being loved in return.’ She glanced back at her sister as she said, ‘Many years ago my sisters and I swore that we would only ever marry for love and respect.’
‘All your sisters?’ Darcy asked in astonishment.
Elizabeth turned back to him and smiled with a hint of a challenge. ‘Indeed.’
‘Did your mother agree with your plans?’ Darcy asked, careful not to sound sceptical. While he had learnt to mistrust Miss Bingley’s evaluations, even without her assertions that Jane would accept her brother for his fortune, it seemed strange that five sisters would only marry for love.
‘Indeed,’ Elizabeth repeated and added, ‘Mother was particularly firm in her opinion that respect was even more important and advised that we should never marry a man who did not respect us.’
‘Please, Miss Elizabeth, understand that I mean no offence, but it seems unusual that in a family with an entailed estate which is blessed with five daughters but no son, the mother would only wish her daughters to marry for love and respect. Is she not concerned about your security in the future?’
Elizabeth was amused by the carefully worded statement. It seemed Darcy had learnt his lesson and was trying not to make assumptions. ‘The answer is very simple. Mother is fully aware that her Aunt Mary arranged for us to have use of her cottage for as long as we need it, and that she also provided each of us with a small but adequate dowry. Pardon me for being so gauche as to speak of money, but the interest of our dowries is adequate that we can live quite comfortably without needing to find a husband to provide for us.’
Understanding dawned on Darcy. ‘You have a comfortable independence which allows you to be particular in your choice of partner.’
‘Precisely, Mr Darcy. And you picked exactly the right word. We are looking for partners. We do not have to settle for just any husband to lord it over us in exchange for a roof over our heads.’ She visibly shuddered at that thought.
‘I congratulate you on your good fortune. Very few ladies have the luxury of such a choice,’ said Darcy, thinking that any man would be lucky to win one of the sisters since he could be certain that they accepted him for himself and not for any putative fortune.
He wondered…
~T~
As it happened, Mary and Fitzwilliam were having a similar discussion.
‘I suppose that when you see a member of your family become engaged, it causes people to think about their own situation,’ Mary said wistfully. The better she had come to know Colonel Fitzwilliam, the better she liked him. Or to be more accurate… the more she had fallen in love with the elusive gentleman.
For a while she had the impression that he had tried to gain her interest. Now she was not so certain anymore since in recent days, while he still sought her company and seemed to enjoy their conversations, he had become somewhat more reserved. Mary was getting confused wondering what might have happened.
She would have been astonished to learn that the reason for Fitzwilliam’s newfound reticence was that he had fallen in love with her.
In the early days of their acquaintance, after his mother had suggested he should consider one of Elizabeth’s sisters as a potential match since Lizzy was too highbrow for his taste, he had quite happilycourted the interest of Mary. He had always known and admitted that he needed to marry an heiress since as a second son his resources were limited and had thought that Mary fit the bill perfectly.
He thought she was beautiful, intelligent to the right level for his comfort, and a charming companion. While no one knew the exact level of the sisters’ dowries, he had estimated that it would be an amount adequate for the two of them to live comfortably.
The problem was that the more time he spent with her, the more he fell in love with the lady. That was not something he had counted on. Now he felt like he would be taking advantage of her if he took their friendship any further.
In the past he had had no compunction about being a fortune hunter, after all it was only sensible, but that was before his emotions were involved. Now it seemed dishonourable. It was a conundrum, and he did not know how to solve it.
~T~
Nearby, Lady Henrietta sat, unobtrusively watching and listening. As her cousin hoped that the sisters could all be presented at the same time, Lady Henrietta was glad of the opportunity to observe them all since she had no wish to be embarrassed by her recommendation.
The more she saw of the family the more impressed the lady was, which was unusual since, due to her position and connections, she was not easily impressed.
