Before Elizabeth could respond, Mrs Bennet's voice rang out again from below. "Girls! Mr Bennet wishes to speak with us all in the drawing room. Come down at once!"
They descended to find the family already assembling. Mr Bennet stood near the window as he observed his wife directing the servants in yet another rearrangement of the furniture. Lydia and Kitty occupied the sofa, whispering behind their hands. Even Mary had abandoned her musical interests to join them.
"Ah, there you are," Mr Bennet said as Elizabeth and Jane entered. "I thought we should have a family discussion before Lizzy departs tomorrow. There are a few matters to address."
"What sort of matters, Papa?" Elizabeth asked.
"Practical ones, mostly. Your mother has been so occupied with packing and arrangements that we have neglected to discuss some important points." He picked up a note from the side table. "I received this from Mr Darcy this morning. He writes to confirm the departure time and to assure us that every comfort has been arranged for your journey."
"How considerate of him," Mrs Bennet said with satisfaction. "Though I still maintain it is odd that he declined our invitation to spend the night here at Longbourn. I had arranged such a lovely room for him—our best bedchamber, freshly aired and with new linens."
"Yes, well," Mr Bennet said dryly, "I can understand his preference for Netherfield. As a man who has lost a considerable portion of his memory, Mr Darcy relies heavily on familiarsurroundings for comfort and stability. Spending the night in an unfamiliar location might prove distressing to him, particularly on the eve of such a significant journey."
"I suppose that makes sense," Mrs Bennet conceded, but she still looked disappointed. "However, it still seems peculiar."
"Mr Darcy has promised to call later this afternoon," Jane interjected smoothly, redirecting the conversation. "I am certain he is eager to ensure all arrangements for tomorrow are in order."
"Indeed." Mr Bennet said with a wry smile. "And Mr Bingley has promised to visit later this week to make a formal request regarding Jane's hand in marriage. It is a shame you will miss that occasion, Lizzy. I suspect it would provide considerable entertainment."
Jane's cheeks coloured prettily, and Elizabeth felt a wave of pleasure cut through her own anxiety. "Jane! I am so very happy for you both."
"Thank you, Lizzy." Jane's eyes shone with barely suppressed joy. "I shall miss you dreadfully. It will not be the same without you here."
"You won't be sad for long," Mary interjected from her position near the pianoforte. "You'll see Elizabeth again at your wedding. Assuming Mr Bingley proposes this week, as Papa suggests, the wedding could take place within a few months. That is hardly any time at all."
"A few months!" Mrs Bennet pressed a hand to her bosom. "Two weddings in one year! Oh, I shall be quite overwhelmed with preparations. The expense alone—but no, Imust not complain. Two daughters so advantageously married! Who could have predicted such fortune?"
"Can we visit Pemberley, Lizzy?" Lydia burst out suddenly, unable to contain herself any longer. "After you are settled? Kitty and I have been discussing it, and we are quite dying to see such a grand estate."
"And to meet the gentlemen in the village nearby," Kitty added with a giggle, having gotten over her earlier heartbreak. "Are there handsome gentlemen near Pemberley, Lizzy? As there are in Meryton?"
Elizabeth could not help but smile at their enthusiasm, even as she wondered whether Pemberley would survive an invasion by her younger sisters. "Yes, you may visit. But you must promise to behave with proper decorum. I will not have you embarrassing me before the entire county of Derbyshire."
"We shall be perfect angels," Lydia declared, even though the mischievous glint in her eye suggested otherwise.
The morning passed in a flurry of activity. More neighbours arrived to pay farewell visits—Charlotte's younger sisters, Mrs Phillips, Mrs Long, accompanied by several of her gossip-hungry acquaintances. Each visitor offered congratulations and advice, most of it unsolicited and unhelpful. Elizabeth smiled and nodded and accepted their well-wishes with as much grace as she could muster, all the while counting the hours until she could escape to the relative peace of Pemberley.
It was nearly noon when Cassandra Rochford arrived.
Elizabeth spotted her friend—former friend, perhaps, given their previous argument—as soon as she entered thedrawing room. Cassandra wore a gown of pale yellow that complemented her fair colouring, and her expression was schooled into polite neutrality. But Elizabeth had known her long enough to recognise the tension in her shoulders, the tightness around her mouth that betrayed suppressed emotion.
Cassandra made the requisite greetings to Mrs Bennet and the assembled company before making her way to Elizabeth's side. "Might I have a word with you? Privately?"
Elizabeth's stomach tightened with apprehension, but she nodded and led Cassandra to the relative privacy of the entrance hall. Once they were alone, Cassandra's composure cracked.
"I suppose I should offer congratulations," she said, her voice tight. "You have achieved quite the coup. From country nobody to mistress of Pemberley. You must be very pleased with yourself."
"Cassandra—"
"Do not 'Cassandra' me." Her friend's eyes glittered with barely suppressed tears and fury. "You knew I was courting Mr Darcy. You helped me write the very letters that secured his interest. And yet somehow, you managed to ensnare him for yourself."
"I never meant for this to happen," Elizabeth protested. "We were merely speaking that night at Netherfield. Mr Darcy was not in the best of moods, and I decided to reassure him. Mrs Long discovered us and made a huge ruckus.”
Cassandra's laugh held no humour. "And you seized the opportunity. Do not pretend innocence with me, Elizabeth. You always were too clever by half, always reading those books andthinking yourself superior to the rest of us. You saw your chance and took it."
"That is not what happened! I did not scheme to trap Mr Darcy. The situation was thrust upon us both through unfortunate circumstances. Please believe me."
"What I believe is that you are a conniving, deceitful creature who betrayed her friend for personal gain." Cassandra's voice shook. "Do you know what else I believe? That you knew exactly what you were doing when you helped me with those letters. You were learning what he valued, what he responded to, so you could present yourself as the perfect match when the opportunity arose."
