Mrs. Bennet clapped her hands in joy and let out a squeal of delight. “Oh, I will confess that I suspected that you had an interest in Lizzy, but then I thought, that is Mr. Darcy of Pemberley, who has a great estate in Derbyshire, a house in town, fine carriages, and ten thousand a year, if not more…”
While her mother continued to list all of Mr. Darcy’s many assets, Lizzy stared straight ahead, humiliated—again. But wishing to reassure Lizzy that all was well, Darcy squeezed her hand and made no attempt to interrupt the itemization of his property, even when Mrs. Bennet was wide and short of the mark. But then the gossip about Bingley had been wrong as well. He was supposed to have inherited a hundred thousand pounds, and because that was such an outrageous sum, when Bingley discussed the marriage contract with Mr. Bennet, he had to explain that although he had a generous yearly allowance, the lump sum settlement of his father’s estate had been shared with his eight siblings.
“Mama,” Lizzy interrupted, “I think it would be a good idea if we talked about the wedding breakfast. Because winter is upon us, Mr. Darcy and I have decided that we should have a simple…”
“Oh, the wedding breakfast,” Mrs. Bennet said. “I had not thought about that yet. Because Mr. Darcy is so rich and is such a prominent figure, there will probably be hundreds of people coming from London and Derbyshire and who knows where else.”
“Mama, please listen to me. Mr. Darcy and I are to marry on December 24th, and because of the season, we have decided to have a simple wedding breakfast with the family, but we shall return in the spring and have a great feast.”
“December 24th! But nothing can be planned in such a short time. I thought… Lizzy, don’t you want everyone to know how well you did in securing Mr. Darcy’s affections?”
Sensing Elizabeth’s suffering as a result of her mother’s lack of decorum, Darcy decided to intervene. “Mrs. Bennet, there is a good reason for the delay in having an elaborate reception at this time. I want my dear cousin Miss Anne de Bourgh to be at the celebration of our marriage, but she will not be able to attend as her mother Lady Catherine will not permit her to travel in the winter. Furthermore, it is more likely that my aunt will attend if the date is pushed back until April or May.” Darcy was hoping that delaying the wedding breakfast until the spring would give Anne and Georgiana ample time to work on his aunt.
Lizzy was spared any further embarrassment because her father had finished with the surveyor.
“Mr. Bennet, you have come,” his wife said, and from her joyful expression, he understood that Mr. Darcy had finally asked Lizzy to marry him.
“Yes, Mrs. Bennet, I have come because I was led to believe that some disaster had befallen Longbourn. I am guessing that the cause for raising the alarm is a fire in the kitchen or perhaps one of our milk cows has died or Magic has gotten out again and is chasing the chickens. Which of these terrible events occurred in the short time I have been gone?”
“Mr. Bennet, how you do jest. Mr. Darcy has requested an audience with you.” She arched her eyebrows to indicate that romance was involved.
“An audience. Well, then I shall receive the gentleman in my study. Allow me to lead the way.”
In the past, Darcy had wondered how a man as sensible as Mr. Bennet could have such a silly wife, but if that was a typical exchange between them, then it was obvious that Mr. Bennet was amused by Mrs. Bennet’s natural exuberance.
“Mr. Darcy, may I offer you a glass of wine?”
“No, thank you, sir.”
“Then I shall not have one either,” he said, sitting down. “I can tell that you are eager to get to the matter at hand, and knowing you to be of a taciturn nature, I suspect there will be no speeches. Mr. Bingley felt compelled to deliver an oration. Perhaps you prefer a simple declaration. Either way, you have my attention, sir.”
“Thank you, Mr. Bennet. As you said, I am a man of few words, and so I shall get right to the point. I am very much in love with your daughter, and I am fortunate to have secured her love as well. Therefore, I have asked Elizabeth to marry me, and I have been accepted. However, I would be greatly honored if you gave your approval for the marriage.”
“You have my approval, Mr. Darcy, because in these past few weeks, while you tended to your family’s affairs, I have been a witness to Lizzy’s unhappiness when deprived of your company.”
“I experienced the same thing, sir.”
“But I do have one reservation. You have been coming to Longbourn for the past six months, and each time you visited, my wife was convinced that you would ask our daughter to marry you. Instead, you departed, only to return a few weeks later, and the scene would be repeated. Something kept you from making Lizzy an offer. I would like to know what it was.”
“I can easily understand how mystifying my coming and going must have been to you and Mrs. Bennet. So I shall explain as best I can. I had a recurring family situation that demanded my presence. That situation has been resolved—permanently. I cannot say anything else as it would be an embarrassment to the parties involved. If it were not for that, I would have proposed much sooner. I know that Lizzy has suffered as a result of my erratic attendance upon her, but I can assure you that she has suffered no more than I have.”
Before saying anything further, Mr. Bennet mulled over Mr. Darcy’s explanation, and after seeing the sincerity in the man’s face, he said, “I find your answer to be satisfactory, and I will not pry into your private affairs.” Even so, Mr. Bennet suspected the reason for his frequent absences might be that Mr. Darcy had a natural child hidden somewhere in the country. It would certainly not make him unique among the gentry. But how would such a situation be permanently resolved? It was all so puzzling, but knowing his daughter to be an excellent judge of character, he decided that since she had consented to the man’s offer of marriage, surely she had deemed him to be a worthy partner.
“Thank you, sir. As for the marriage contract, I am to go to town shortly, and I will meet with my solicitor at that time. I can assure you that I will be generous and that you will be satisfied with the terms.”
“I have no doubt of it, sir. So when is the happy day?”
“December 24th,” Darcy answered, grateful that Mr. Bennet had not pressed him for the reason for his absences. “We are to see the vicar this afternoon.”
“My goodness! That is just three weeks from now. Will you not have a courtship?”
“To my mind, the purpose of a courtship is for the couple to get to know each other better so that they will be sure that it is a good match for both. There is no question of our being well suited to each other, and I know that Elizabeth would agree with that statement. Thus, there is no reason to delay the marriage. We shall have a simple wedding and a breakfast with the family, but we will return in the spring and have a reception for all our family and friends.”
“It seems that the matter was decided before I walked in the door, and since there is nothing left for me to say, I wish you joy. I do not know you well, Mr. Darcy, but I can take the measure of a man. Although you can be a snob,” he said with a chuckle, “you are a decent man, and I believe you will take care of my little girl. I could not have parted with her to anyone less worthy.” After shaking Mr. Darcy’s hand, he concluded by saying, “That was the easy part. Now, we must go and share the good news with Mrs. Bennet.”
The house erupted in a joyous celebration. Kitty came out of hiding, and Mary put down her book. Every time Mr. Darcy looked at Elizabeth, he was smiling, even when he was talking to his future mother-in-law. However, it was necessary to leave this merry scene as there were things to do.