Page 28 of A Promise Made

1

December 1811

For Darcy and Lizzy, their betrothal period was…sublime.

In November, Darcy went to Darcy House in London to coincide with Lizzy and Jane visiting their relations, who lived near Cheapside. The ladies concentrated on assembling a trousseau, but Darcy also introduced Lizzy to most of his dearest relations, and she was happy to return the favour.

Lizzy immediately adored her intended’s younger sister, Georgiana, who told her that she had always longed for a sister. She found the Darcys’ favourite cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, a delightful and humorous man, and he returned her admiration in full. The colonel’s parents, the Earl and Countess of Matlock, were surprised at Lizzy’s confident and mirthful personality, but they soon grew to like her, and their eldest son, the Viscount Huntington, was sceptical that such a country “nobody” could do well with the ton…until he met her, at which time he said, “She is so unique that I believe she will do well, after all.”

As for Darcy, he learnt to treasure Lizzy’s Aunt and Uncle Gardiner in very short order. Watching his intended with her four young Gardiner cousins was an emotional experience, telling him just how ready he was to start his own family.

Both Darcy and Lizzy were interested to see that Jane and Richard—who were almost as different from one another as anyone could be—seemed to be interested in one another.

Lizzy and Jane were busy with fittings and meetings, and all four were busy with teas and dinners with their various relations, plus a musicale, an outing to the theatre, and even a ball. With all those activities, there was not much time for Darcy and Lizzy to find moments of privacy with one another. However, this couple was extremely clever and even more motivated. It is possible that the small conservatory at Darcy House had never before hosted so many kisses, and the most arcane of the library’s shelves may have never before been so unevenly faced—a result of random books being pushed during impassioned exchanges.

At the theatre, Darcy carefully seated Lizzy and himself so that they were in the most shadowy portion of his box and behind the others in their party. They could not take many liberties in such a public space, of course, especially given the fact that more people seemed to be training their lorgnettes at their box rather than at the stage, but Darcy did manage to intertwine their fingers, trace circles on her palm, and give her hand squeezes during particularly moving scenes onstage.

Halfway through the Dunsmoores’ ball, Darcy lured Lizzy into the dimly-lit morning room, which was far from the noisy crowd. There, behind the heavy velvet curtains of the window recess, he embraced her, whispering in her ear, “I need a rest from other people.”

“I wish we were on Oakham Mount,” Lizzy whispered back.

“Why did we agree to such a far-off wedding date?” he murmured.

“Six weeks from proposal to walking down the aisle is common enough, my love,” she responded.

But whatever else she might have meant to say was swallowed by his ardent kisses.

They were very, very careful with their hands behind those curtains. He never touched her hair, and she was equally circumspect about his cravat. They managed to get back to the ballroom without anyone noticing their absence or looking twice at their clothing, and every time they caught one another’s eyes while the countess paraded Lizzy around for more introductions or Darcy was questioned about investments, they would give each other tiny nods of approval.

Jane and Mrs Gardiner attended all the events to which Darcy escorted Lizzy. Richard seemed to wish to monopolise Jane’s time whenever they found themselves in the same place, but Jane firmly yet kindly ensured that they created no scandal and fostered no gossip.

Finally, the Bennet sisters returned to Longbourn, and Darcy, Georgiana, Richard, and the countess all travelled to Netherfield Park. Lizzy noted that her mother was so happy to be marrying off one daughter, she never scolded Jane for turning away Mr Bingley—and, surprisingly, the marriage-minded-mama never noticed the interest brewing between the colonel and Jane.

Darcy and Lizzy were, as always, early to rise and eager to walk or ride, and they often met in what may or may not have been planned assignations but which definitely pushed at the boundaries of propriety. They also toured the estate of Longbourn, checking on the progress of all the improvement projects they had so carefully nurtured, and twice they went to little James Thomas’s grave with wildflower offerings.

But the main focus, this close to the wedding, was appeasing Mrs Bennet’s desire to show them off around the neighbourhood and reining in her more ambitious ideas for the wedding breakfast.

Jane and Lizzy admired the fact that Mr Bingley welcomed the colonel to stay at his house even though he had been alerted to the beginnings of a courtship between Richard and Jane. Mr Bingley truly was a friendly and honourable man, and both sisters agreed that they wished him much happiness.

“Just not with me,” Jane murmured to her sister.

* * *

On the day of their wedding, Darcy was nervous until he first glimpsed Lizzy step into the church aisle with her father. He immediately stilled and silently watched her walk towards him, her hand on her father’s arm. He was so very happy to know this inestimable lady, and he was ecstatic that she loved him as much as he did her. It was impossible to be grateful for the dual tragedies that had intertwined their lives together, but Darcy was endlessly grateful that his father had made him promise to help the Bennet family….

As for Lizzy, she felt composed as she took her papa’s arm and walked towards her beautiful groom, but once she got there, and he smiled so lovingly at her and gained her hand on his arm with such evident happiness, she felt her eyes begin to fill with tears.

She decided not to worry about the no-crying rule. It was a special day, after all. And who would not cry when they thought about a man asking his barely-adult son to take on a huge task, to make a solemn promise, and to sacrifice his own interests for a family neither had ever met?

If the elder Mr Darcy had not asked his son to make that promise, she would not be standing next to the best man in the world, pledging her hand, heart, and future to him.

Epilogue

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March 1823

Elizabeth Darcy cried and hugged her children and especially her biggest supporter— Darcy—as she grieved the loss of her father. She did not like to admit, even to herself, that a portion of her tears were caused by her gratitude that her children would not have such fraught relationships with their father.