“I think it will finally be decided when he comes to Longbourn for his sister, but until then, I am as much in the dark as you are.”

*   *   *

When Mr. Bingley’s carriage pulled into the drive, everyone was expecting Jane and Charles to emerge, so no one came out to greet Elizabeth. But when Lizzy went into the drawing room, she was nearly overpowered by an exuberant Kitty and a squealing Mrs. Bennet. With Jane and Lydia married and Lizzy away in Derbyshire, Kitty had only Mary for companionship, and since the two sisters had nothing in common and no hope of that ever changing, evenings had been very dull for Kitty. The ruckus created by her welcome brought her father out of his sanctuary to welcome his daughter home.

“While you have been gone, not two words of sense have been spoken in this house,” Mr. Bennet told his favorite daughter and gave her a peck on the cheek. “I look forward to a return of intelligent discourse.”

Lizzy was delighted by the warmth of her homecoming, but then she turned around and saw her mother, who had been waiting for her daughter to burst out with the good news that she was to be married to the very wealthy Mr. Darcy. When Lizzy said nothing, she asked, “Well, are you engaged or not?” And the room went quiet in anticipation.

“Mrs. Bennet, she has only just walked in the door,” Mr. Bennet said, scolding his wife.

“What has that to do with anything? She is either engaged or she isn’t. So which is it?”

“I am not engaged, Mama,” Lizzy said, looking at her father rather than addressing her mother.

“But I told you that you should not come home until you were betrothed. Why are you here? Why was your visit so short? That is the problem,” she said, wagging her finger at her daughter. “You did not give him enough time.”

“Mama, Mr. Darcy was called away on a family emergency.”

“So what! You should have stayed at Pemberley until he came back. You may have lost him by leaving Derbyshire.”

“Mrs. Bennet, if it is Mr. Darcy’s intention to make our daughter an offer, then he will find Lizzy no matter where she is. If traveling the distance between Derbyshire and Hertfordshire is an obstacle to their becoming engaged, then I must say that I would be reluctant to give my consent to the match.”

“Mama, I could not possibly remain at Pemberley because Miss de Bourgh had to return to Rosings, and Miss Darcy came with her. They are both staying at Netherfield Park until Miss de Bourgh goes to Kent, and then Miss Darcy will come here.”

“Oh my goodness!” Mrs. Bennet exclaimed. “Miss Darcy? Here at Longbourn? Why didn’t you say that from the start? As long as we have her, Mr. Darcy must come here to recover his sister.”

“Mrs. Bennet, you make it sound as if we are holding the young lady hostage.” Mr. Bennet gestured for Lizzy to follow him into the study. After the door was closed, he poured a sherry for his daughter and a port for himself. She looked as if she needed it.

“What happened in Derbyshire?”

“A great deal,” Lizzy said after taking more than a sip of sherry. “It is a lot more complicated than I ever thought it would be. After taking into consideration the prestige of the family, their aristocratic neighbors, the size of the estate, the number of servants, etc., I was quite overwhelmed by all the responsibilities expected of the wife of Mr. Darcy.”

“Come, come, my dear. Those things are important, but if you love Mr. Darcy, it certainly should not deter you from marrying him.”

“Papa, please do not say ‘if I love him.’ I do love him—so very dearly. But he is a complex man, and there were times when I did not understand what my role would be. I thought that I might not be exactly what he needs because… Oh, I don’t know how to explain myself.”

“If you are trying to say that he is a difficult man to be around, maybe he does not deserve you.”

“Oh, no, Papa. He is such a good man, and he deserves a wife who will stand by his side through trials and tribulations.”

“Trials and tribulations? What does Mr. Darcy know of such things? He lives in a grand manor house on an estate of thousands of acres with servants at his beck and call. He has wealth, prestige, and rank. He wants for nothing.”

Lizzy looked away from her father, and tears filled her eyes. Mr. Darcy wanted for nothing—nothing except that he be wholly human, that he not live in fear of discovery, and that his every move not be dictated by the phases of the moon.

“My dear, something is bothering you. Please tell me what it is.”

“Papa, it is not that Mr. Darcy does not deserve me. It is that I may not be what Mr. Darcy needs to live his life to the fullest.”

“I do not understand you, child.”

“I know.”

*   *   *

The days passed quickly. With Anne’s return to Rosings Park, Georgiana had come to stay at Longbourn. After much discussion, the final accommodations were that Georgiana would sleep in Kitty’s room because both were close in age, Mary would share Lizzy’s room, and Mrs. Brotherton would have Mary’s bedroom.

“Lizzy, it is so funny,” Georgiana said, giggling. “I have such a big house with so few people in it, and you have a small house with so many people. Isn’t that odd?”

Lizzy chuckled to herself. She had never thought of Longbourn as being a “small house,” but to someone who lived in a grand country manor, the Bennet homestead probably did look small. Despite so many people living in tight quarters, Georgiana loved it. Having lost both of her parents by the time she was thirteen, and having only the one brother, who was ten years her senior, she was enjoying the energy and closeness of the Bennet family.

Georgiana was a perfect fit. Because Miss Darcy had access to an impressive library at Pemberley and had been educated at one of London’s finest seminaries, she had a broad base of knowledge that Mary eagerly tapped into. Better yet, a friendship had developed between Kitty and Georgiana, and Miss Darcy was a more suitable companion for her than Lydia ever was.

When the young ladies walked into Meryton to pick up the mail at the inn, seventeen days had passed since Mr. Darcy had left Pemberley. In addition to letters from Mrs. Gardiner and Mr. Bennet’s sister, there were letters for both Lizzy and Georgiana from Mr. Darcy that had been forwarded to Meryton by Mr. Jackson. Lizzy quickly tucked the letter into her reticule, but Georgiana broke the seal on hers, and when a smile appeared on her face, Lizzy knew that all was well, and she handed the letter to Lizzy.


My Dearest Georgiana,

We made excellent time and arrived a day earlier than expected. Rupert and Teddy are both well and send you their regards. However, there were some difficulties in arranging schedules, and so I must remain until those problems have been worked out. But I am confident that they will shortly be resolved, and I anticipate being back at Pemberley well in advance of my scheduled appointment. So there are no concerns on that account. Please give my best to Anne and Miss Elizabeth.

Yours, Will (writing from Carlisle)


“My brother thinks we are still at Pemberley,” Georgiana said. “He will be disappointed when he finds that we are not there, but what could one do when Aunt Catherine sent a carriage for Anne?”

“Well, he will learn from Mr. Jackson the reason for our departure, and all will be well. Shall we go to the circulating library and see if anything interesting has come in on the London coach?” Lizzy asked, hoping that Georgiana would not mention that she too had received a letter.

As soon as Lizzy reached Longbourn, she went to the sitting room so that she might read Mr. Darcy’s letter in private.


Dear Elizabeth,

All is well here. Things went much better than expected. I look forward to seeing you when I return to Pemberley.

Yours, F. Darcy


Lizzy could hardly believe it. Three sentences! That was what she had been waiting for all this time? Such brevity was a message in itself. He had asked her to reconsider her decision to marry him when it was obvious it was he who was doing the reconsidering. She went to her father’s study, and with fire in her eyes, she announced, “Papa, you were right. Mr. Darcy does not deserve me.” She turned on her heel and left.

Chapter 21

The same weather that had delayed Georgiana, Anne, and Lizzy’s departure from Ashton Hall had caused problems for Darcy as well. It had been necessary to take a detour around a washed-out bridge, and time was lost when they came upon an overturned wagon and a flock of sheep that had to be convinced to leave the road. By the time the village of Lambton came into view, all of Darcy’s energy was spent, and he was looking forward to visiting with his sister and cousin, but most especially with Elizabeth. Had she changed her mind while he had been in Scotland? He would soon find out.

Part of a wolf’s survival depended upon his ability to quickly assess his environment, and when the carriage pulled up in front of Pemberley, Darcy guessed that the house was empty. From the look on Jackson’s face, he knew that he was right.

“Good day, Jackson. I shall be with you in a moment,” Darcy said. “Metcalf, I will have no need of a carriage tomorrow, so please feel free to see to your personal affairs.” He stepped back, indicating that he could proceed to the coach house.

“Mercer, please see to the trunks, and I shall want a bath. But after that, I do not want to see you for the rest of the day, and you may hear the same thing from me tomorrow. Apparently, the ladies are not in residence, so I can go one day without shaving,” he said, rubbing his scruffy chin. And although he had said that with a smile on his face, Mercer knew that his master was sorely disappointed to come home from such a difficult journey to find everyone gone. “Oh, one more thing. Please see that some of that whisky we bought in Jedburgh makes its way into my study.