Page 115 of Shields and Roses

The younger men returned to find that Mrs. Bennet had insisted on taking Lady Sheldon, Mrs. Damask and Mrs. de Bourgh along with her to make visits and announce the happy news to several of her neighbors. They had left shortly after Sir William arrived and would probably be gone all afternoon. Lizzy, Anne and Mrs. Cathcart had the sitting room to themselves when the men entered it.

"Mama tried to drag me along," Lizzy told him, “But I told her you would not be best pleased if you returned from your walk to find me gone for the rest of the afternoon. She had to concede the point, especially after Lady Sheldon agreed with me and offered her carriage for the excursion."

"I like Lady Sheldon," Darcy said.

"I think she likes you as well," Anne offered. "Or, at least, she approves of you for Lizzy."

"Well, that is something, anyway," replied Darcy, "What happened to the rest of the women?"

"Jane and Lucy went upstairs to talk in Jane's room. Georgiana, Kitty and Lydia went off to the music room."

"Yes, we passed by them on our way inside," Darcy said. "Georgiana is on the pianoforte, but your sisters are still fascinated by the new chessboards. They appeared to be much more interested in arranging and rearranging the men in a variety of configurations than in listening to the music."

"They have new toys. I am certain my sisters will enjoy them for some time to come," Lizzy laughed.

"Should I have had Georgiana bring one for you as well?" Darcy asked.

"No. After all, once we are married, I will be able to ask you for one at any time."

"What do you say, Bingley," asked Sir Phillip, interrupting the teasing between the two, "Shall we go to the music room? If the young ladies will play in turn, we could get in some dance practice."

Knowing Sir Phillip just wanted to spend time with Kitty, Bingley agreed, "I suspect we will end up playing more chess, but I am fine either way. Come on."

Bingley gestured to the door. With a wide grin, Sir Phillip hastened out ahead of him. As he left, Bingley turned back and rolled his eyes slightly at Darcy and the others.

"I suspect there will be another announcement to excite Mrs. Bennet soon," said Martin once the two had left.

"There might be a courtship announced soon," Lizzy said, "but nothing more. According to Papa, and I agree, Kitty is still too young to marry and has not had enough experience in society yet. Before she marries, she needs to spend some time with Aunt Madeline and possibly the Damasks to learn how to interact in broader sphere than what she has dealt with in Meryton."

"That would make sense," Martin agreed. "Especially if she is to be the mistress of Rosings Park, she would need to at least feel confident in broader society. Has she learned how to run an estate from your mother?"

"All five of us have learned the duties of a mistress towards her estate, but less from Mama than from our governesses," Lizzy said with a slight grimace.

"Your governess was chosen by Mother, was she not?" Anne asked.

"Yes, and she spied for your mother as well, but she was not all bad as a governess. I just did not care for her very much," replied Lizzy.

"I was fortunate that my uncle picked my governess," Anne said, "although he did it in a way to make Mother think it was her idea. Mrs. Jenkinson has gone to live with her sister and help raise her nieces and nephews now that I no longer need her as a companion. Before she left me, I gave her a sum that will leave her comfortable if she chooses not to work anymore. That is neither here nor there, of course. What I want to know is, how was your walk? The neighbor, Sir William, said you were taking the river path that Lizzy told me is her favorite."

"I can see why," Martin replied. "Perhaps you and I can take a walk there together during our visit. It was very pleasant. We saw some trout in the river and several promising places to catch them. I would love to try my luck fishing there at some point if I could borrow the tackle."

"That will not be a problem," Lizzy said. "When Uncle Edward arrives, he will be happy to go out with you and share the gear he keeps here. He loves fishing and knows all the best spots. Trout is frequently on the menu during his summer visits."

"I look forward to meeting him," Martin said before turning the conversation to other matters that kept them occupied for some time.

~o~

Although they had made no firm plans, Darcy was determined to arrive at Longbourn the next day early enough to spend some quiet time with Lizzy in the garden. He knew the day would be filled with family arrivals and plenty of company. Before he could handle that, he needed a little private fortification.

Because he did not want to oversleep, Darcy excused himself early that evening. The whole party from Netherfield had returned there for dinner and used the meal as an opportunity to talk over all their various experiences. After the separation, Darcy declined to join the rest to talk some more or hear the ladies play, hoping to get enough sleep to avoid a repeat of his late morning.

Of course, because he was concerned, he woke up even earlier than he had intended. He did not let that bother him, instead taking time over his clothes and easing into the morning until he felt it was time that he could leave.

Darcy had asked one of the grooms to have his horse ready just before dawn. The groom was just finishing checking the tack as Darcy came out. Thanking the man for his trouble with a small monetary tip, Darcy mounted and headed off to Longbourn using the now-familiar path over the fields.

As he had hoped, by the time he had left his horse in the Longbourn stable and walked around to their favorite bench in the garden, Lizzy had just arrived. He smiled broadly as he realized she must have expected him that morning to judge by the second cup she carried.

Knowing they could be observed, he settled for a quick, chaste kiss in greeting before accepting the cup of hot coffee she offered. They sat side by side on the bench, a little closer than was strictly proper.