“We discussed this already, dearest.” Mr Bennet said. “We agreed to depart in two days.”
Mrs Bennet’s chin lifted. “Youagreed, whereas I merely failed to continue objecting at sufficient volume. We have only been here three days, that is scarcely enough time. So, I have reconsidered, and I believe we ought to remain at least another week.”
“We have already imposed upon the Matlocks’ hospitality long enough. Remaining longer risks overstaying our welcome considerably.”
“Overstaying? They are family now, not strangers we met at an assembly! Lizzy is married to Mr Darcy, which makes us connections to the Earl of Matlock himself. Surely family may extend their visits without causing offence.”
“We became family less than a week ago,” Mr Bennet observed dryly. “Prior to that, we were indeed strangers. The transition from stranger to relation does not automatically confer unlimited visiting privileges.”
“How terribly old-fashioned you are! As though family connections operate by such rigid rules.” Mrs Bennet turned to her daughters for support. “Girls, surely you agree that another week or two at Matlock would be delightful?”
The response divided precisely as Elizabeth had anticipated.
“I should prefer to return home,” Jane murmured. “My garden requires attention. I left several plants in delicate condition, and I worry they may not survive continued neglect. And there is mending to complete before winter truly sets in.”
“And I wish to resume my music lessons,” Mary added. “Papa paid the new teacher a considerable sum. Missing additional weeks seems wasteful of both money and opportunity.”
“But there is still so much to explore here!” Lydia protested. “We have barely seen half the estate grounds, and Lady Matlock mentioned a folly with the most remarkable views. In addition, we haven’t visited the village just yet!”
“Precisely!” Mrs Bennet seized upon this support with evident satisfaction. “The girls require proper opportunity to experience everything Matlock offers. Rushing them away after mere days seems almost cruel. If you will not agree to another week, then at least until the weekened.”
“I hardly think returning them to their own comfortable home constitutes cruelty. And if you must know, I long for Longbourn. For my own study, my own chair and my own books arranged according to my own peculiar system. I have lived in Hertfordshire for most of my life. The pull of home grows stronger daily.”
“You and your study!” Mrs Bennet’s exasperation crackled through the words. “Honestly, one would think you werechained to that dreary room. There are perfectly adequate studies here—”
“Adequate, yes. But not mine.” Mr Bennet adjusted his spectacles with finality. “I am grateful for the Matlocks’ extraordinary hospitality. But gratitude does not require eternal residence.”
“A week is hardly eternal!”
Elizabeth observed this familiar marital sparring with detached amusement. Her parents had perfected such exchanges over decades of marriage. The push and pull, advance and retreat, neither truly expecting to convince the other but both enjoying the theatre of disagreement.
Mrs Bennet turned her attention towards her second daughter. “Lizzy, you have been remarkably silent. Surely you wish for your family to remain longer?”
All eyes fixed upon her as Elizabeth considered her response. Truthfully, she held no strong preference for either direction. Her family having longer acquaintance with their new relations held appeal. But she had begun to crave the relative privacy that her family’s departure might provide, the chance to know Fitzwilliam without constant observation from their families.
“I remain neutral in this debate. I can perceive merits to both courses.”
Her mother’s mouth opened, no doubt to press harder, when Kitty suddenly bounced forward with irrepressible excitement.
“Oh! I forgot to mention Colonel Fitzwilliam has invited Lydia and me to watch a horse race in the village tomorrow afternoon! He says it is quite the spectacle, with considerable local rivalry and tremendous excitement. The viscount and Miss Darcy will attend as well. May we go, Mama?”
Mrs Bennet’s entire bearing shifted to purposeful organisation. “You shall certainly attend. And I shall accompany you. One cannot be too careful about proper supervision. Kitty, you must wear your blue muslin as it flatters your complexion. Lydia, the sprigged gown, I think. We must ensure you both appear to advantage before the Colonel and the Viscount.”
“They are family now, Mama,” Lydia said with an impish grin. “Surely we need not dress to impress family?”
“Family or not, one always appears to advantage. Now, we must consider arrangements. Will there be refreshments? What time does the race commence?”
Her mother launched into detailed logistical planning, with Kitty and Lydia contributing enthusiastic if contradictory suggestions. Mary had retrieved her needlework, stitching with focused concentration. The room hummed with separate preoccupations, the comfortable chaos of a family gathered without particular purpose beyond proximity.
Elizabeth’s mind remained stubbornly fixed on a gentleman who was somewhere in this sprawling house.
The drawing room’s conversation continued swirling around her, but the need to speak to Fitzwilliam, to continue what they had begun, grew with each passing moment until remaining seated felt physically impossible.
She rose, excusing herself with a murmured comment about needing air. Jane nodded understanding, but the others barely registered her departure, too absorbed in their respective concerns.
The corridor outside the drawing room offered blessed quiet. She was going to find her husband, the man whose praise made her feel valued in ways she had not fully recognised she craved. Whose company she now deliberately sought.
When had that shift occurred? She could not pinpoint the precise instant when tolerance transformed into interest. Perhaps it had been gradual, accumulating through small gestures and unexpected kindnesses. His defence of her before Lady Catherine, the way he had carried her sleeping form and countless tiny moments that collectively created the foundation for something more substantial.
