Mr Darcy's Miracle at Longbourn Page 2

  “And until Lydia was fifteen, she had to stay in her room at nights, too. If you cannot abide by the rules, you will not be allowed to come without your siblings again,” Elizabeth said sternly.

  “But I wanted to spend time with you and Jane! All you did at dinner was sit with the others. Lizzy spent all her time avoiding Aunt Bennet and wouldn’t stop talking to Wixam or whatever his name is.”

  “Wickham,” Elizabeth muttered under her breath.

  Earlier that day, her aunt Gardiner had counselled her against paying him so much attention.

  “He is a very charming man, but I must caution you about any growing attachment to him,” Aunt Gardiner had said. “If he had the living he was promised, I could see no evil in the match.”

  Elizabeth sighed. It was true that Mr. Wickham needed a wife with a larger dowry than she had, and encouraging an attachment between the two of them was more than flirting with danger. He was just the sort of man who appealed to Elizabeth, their powers of conversation and wit equally matched and their opinions on most things nearly uniform.

  Jane took one of her cousin’s hands. “Cassie, what if I told you that I will be returning to London with you?”

  “Really?” Cassie and Elizabeth squealed at the same time.

  “Yes, Aunt Gardiner thinks it will be good for me. Mama liked the idea as well.” Jane blushed as she spoke.

  Elizabeth and Cassie grinned but for very different reasons. Elizabeth had hoped Jane would journey to London with the Gardiners. It was her hope that Jane might meet Mr. Bingley and renew their courtship, which was unexpectedly severed about a month ago.

  “Now, get to bed,” Jane said, and Cassie scurried away. “It is nearly seven o’clock.”

  After saying their good nights, Jane and Elizabeth shut the door and began to walk down the stairs. There had been guests for dinner, and some had remained for games and supper.

  “Do not look at me that way, Lizzy. I do not have any thoughts of seeing Bingley again,” Jane said. However, her heightened colour belied her true feelings.

  “I will say nothing about it,” Elizabeth vowed.

  The clock began to chime the hour just as they reached the bottom stair. Before Elizabeth could voice her opinion that the chime sounded strange, she suddenly felt dizzy.

  We Three Kings

  Hertfordshire

  December 23, 1811

  “There!” Bingley pointed out the carriage window, and Richard pushed aside a curtain. “Longbourn is to the west about where that star is.” Hope burned in his heart. While dining at Darcy House a few hours ago, he had told Darcy that he intended to return to Netherfield, and rather than the usual arguments, his friend decided to come along. As did Darcy’s cousin.

  “When Mrs. Bennet invited us to dinner, I do not think she meant we should arrive unexpectedly and a month after the invitation was issued. Christmas is in two days; they likely have family visiting! Additionally, they will have dined by now,” Darcy said while tugging on his cravat.

  “As if she will mind,” Richard said. “You and Bingley are as good as lords. Kings even, to her, I bet!”

  Bingley grimaced. He would rather there be as few reminders as possible to Darcy about the Bennet family’s standing in society.

  “You are the son of an earl,” Darcy cautioned. “Do not think you are exempt!”

  “Please, I bring only the experience of death as a soldier. No one wants their daughter married to an old soldier with little fortune or good looks. Everyone knows you’re rich Darcy; that’s why you are allowed to scowl so much.”

  “Bingley is far more popular than I,” Darcy said.

  “Yes, because he flatters everyone. They feel important and puffed up around him,” Richard laughed.

  “Most of the people we meet are more important than me,” Bingley said. Richard was a good man and as fond of a laugh as anyone Bingley had ever met, but sometimes he missed things. “You are a colonel in His Majesty’s Army. Darcy runs a large estate. Sir William Lucas had a prosperous business and was knighted by the king. Mr. Bennet is a magistrate. What am I? I’ve done nothing to deserve my wealth; I have no estate and no responsibilities.”

  Richard was silenced. For a moment. “So, tell me about your girl, Bingley,” Richard said with a waggling of eyebrows. For some reason, Bingley felt as though he had had this conversation with Richard before.

  Bingley chuckled as Darcy let out a groan. “Miss Bennet is the most beautiful creature I have ever beheld! I thought so upon first sight, and she has only grown in beauty every time I have seen her.”

  “How can that possibly be?” Richard asked. “Oh, she must be dressing to impress,” he said in a knowing voice.

  “Hardly,” Bingley said. “She fell ill while calling on my sisters one time and had to stay in bed a week. When she finally joined us after dinner, her skin was pale and dark circles were under her eyes. Her nose was red. Still, she was lovely to me. The first night I met her, she was simply a pretty face. Now, I know her kind heart. I have heard her speak lovingly of everyone. She is truly beautiful inside and out.”

  Bingley glanced out the window, willing the horses to grow wings. Several minutes later, a hard jab to his rib alerted him to the fact that he had stared off with a grin on his face. “Yes?”

  “Richard asked you a question I find most pertinent,” Darcy said.

  His voice sounded slightly smug. Well, more smug than usual.

  “I asked if Miss Bennet returns your affections. Not that it matters. Good matches are seldom made with affection in mind.”

  “It can hardly be a good match when she has no dowry or connections. And the relatives!” Darcy shook his head. “You will regret coming along.”

  “They cannot all be bad,” Richard said. “Besides, did you not hear me before? I think a good match has more to do with the lady’s character and disposition. My parents married for advantage and could hardly be unhappier.”

  “Richard is correct,” Bingley said. “Just no more arguing with Miss Elizabeth. The younger girls are ridiculous but are easily ignored. Mr. Bennet is sensible.”

  Darcy scoffed but the carriage approached the house, and he said no more.

  The gentlemen climbed down from the carriage and wordlessly gathered outside the house. The housekeeper seemed surprised to see them. Instead of taking them to the main drawing room, as Bingley had expected, they were brought to a smaller parlour and announced.

  “Mr. Bingley?” Mrs. Bennet’s shrill voice asked and snapped to his face. “Oh! You have come to save us!” She collapsed into a chair and rent the air with loud sobs.

  “Save you! What can you mean?” Bingley cried, alarmed at the lady’s response.

  Darcy elbowed his side, and Bingley finally gazed around the room. No one was dressed for dinner despite it growing late, and the elder members of the Lucas family were present. In one corner, Miss Lucas sat with her eyes unblinking. Her mother cried quietly into a handkerchief in a nearby chair. Miss Elizabeth Bennet sat to the right of Miss Lucas, and Jane sat to the left. She, too, was crying. Elizabeth and the other daughters looked as though they were feigning concern.

  “Perhaps we should see Mr. Bennet,” Darcy said after a minute of listening to Mrs. Bennet’s loud wailing.

  Jane stood to her feet and approached them. She would not meet his eyes. “Forgive us for any rudeness. You see, you must not have heard yet. My cousin, Mr. Collins, was meant to leave a few days ago, but his departure was delayed due to illness. This morning, he was found dead. Mother is beside herself in fear. My father and Aunt and Uncle Gardiner are in the library. A new heir must be found…” Jane trailed off.

  “And the Lucas family?” Darcy asked coldly.

  Jane’s eyes revealed her hurt at his words, and Bingley inwardly groaned. He understood that Darcy had strong opinions about grief and death, but it was not his place to tell visitors to leave.

  “Miss Lucas was his betrothed.”

  The three gentlemen looked be
tween themselves, seemingly at a loss. Finally, Richard stepped forward. “Pardon me, I know we are not introduced. I am Darcy’s cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam. Is there anything we might do for your family at this time?”

  Jane sent a pleading look to Elizabeth, who left her friend’s side.

  “Mr. Bingley,” Elizabeth said with a smile that did not meet her eyes. “We are pleased to see you again. We had heard from your sister that you never meant to return to Hertfordshire. As you see, however,” she cast an arm about the room, “we are not in a position to entertain guests at such a time.”

  “What? No! Do not send them away!” Mrs. Bennet exclaimed from the nearby settee, immediately recovered. “Well, certainly Mr. Darcy could leave, but no, Mr. Bingley, you must stay! See how well Jane looks!”

  “Mother, please!” Elizabeth said as a deep blush overspread her cheeks.

  Bingley was surprised to hear Darcy speak. “If you will permit us, madam, I think a walk about the garden might be refreshing for the young ladies.”

  “Oh yes!” Jane’s youngest two sisters whom Bingley could never differentiate between shot out of their seats.

  “No,” Elizabeth said firmly. “No, thank you. We will remain where we belong.” She cast a scolding look at her sisters, who slumped back into their seats and pouted. “I do hope we will see you again when our grief is over.”

  “Eliza, I would welcome a respite.” Miss Lucas approached their congregation at the parlour door.

  “Yes, surely there is nothing inappropriate about a walk in the garden with such good family friends,” Bingley said while searching Jane’s face. Why would she not look at him?

  The young people sedately entered the hall, and the ladies gathered their outerwear. Night was falling fast, and only a few minutes of setting sun remained. Bingley formally introduced Richard to the ladies. He offered his arm to Miss Lucas, who took it after a minute’s hesitation. Bingley extended his arm to Jane, who blushed but took it. A feeling of rightness permeated his heart.

  Darcy did not offer to escort anyone but seemed to trail closely behind Elizabeth. Richard spoke quietly to Miss Lucas, and Bingley could not help but notice that Jane remained mute.

  “I am exceedingly sorry if my sister’s mistaken impression that I would not return to Netherfield caused you any distress, Miss Bennet.”

  Jane gave him a small smile. “Certainly not. A gentleman may come and go as he pleases.”

  Did he imagine it, or did her voice tremble? “A gentleman keeps his word.” Jane shuddered next to him, and he pulled her closer. “Are you getting cold?”

  Jane whispered something while looking at her feet.

  “Pardon, I could not hear you. Perhaps we ought to return inside.”

  Jane slowly raised her head and met his eyes. Tears glimmered there. “No, I am not cold and do not wish to go inside.”

  Bingley took in a deep breath, filling his lungs to capacity and feeling as though he could breathe again at last. Jane’s subtle rose-water scent was an innocent but heady aphrodisiac.

  “Jane! Lizzy! We’re cold!” the taller of the young ladies called from the door where three of them were huddled.

  “Mary says it is nearly seven o’clock. I’m famished,” called the other one.

  Bingley put his other hand over Jane’s and gave it a squeeze. “It seems our walk is over.” He dropped his voice and leaned closer to her ear, breathing in her scent again. “I will call again in a few days. Do you believe me? Will you trust me again?”

  Jane shuddered once more and nodded but remained silent as Bingley escorted her back to the house. Behind him, he heard Richard and Miss Lucas whispering and what sounded like Darcy and Elizabeth having another dispute. As he helped Jane out of her pelisse, the clock chimed seven. Suddenly, he felt unaccountably dizzy.

  It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

  Longbourn

  December 23, 1811

  Jane woke up with a smile on her face. She went to sleep downhearted and nursing wounded feelings over Mr. Bingley leaving the area. She tossed and turned for two hours before falling asleep around midnight. Then she had the most splendid dream.

  The sky was filled with angels. They held harps of gold and floated near the earth. They searched over the towns and countryside to find people like her, who felt dismayed about the cares of life. Some had mighty needs—a sick loved one or no food for their table. Others had smaller needs. All were immediately soothed by the angels’ presence and their song. “Peace on Earth, Goodwill towards men,” they sang in soft, gentle voices. The notes reminded Jane of waves lapping on the beach. They arched forward and then crept back. Jane allowed the melody to wash over her. At last, the angels came towards her, directing their song at her. In the dream, she had closed her eyes and raised up her arms. There were too many she could blame. Too many unanswered questions. However, she did not need answers. She chose to let her pain go.

  In the morning, she awoke with uncharacteristic lightness. Jane allowed feelings of disappointment, anger, bitterness, and resentment about Bingley’s absence leave her. All would be well; she was sure of it.

  Throughout the day, she felt as though she carried the song in her heart. She loved Christmastide and gloried in the Saviour’s birth and the arrival of her dearest aunt and uncle. The Gardiners would arrive today. There was much to do. Her cousin and father’s heir, Mr. Collins, had left two days earlier. He had recently become engaged to a neighbour, although he first proposed to Jane’s closest sister, Elizabeth. Their mother could not contain her anger at Elizabeth and never let her forget that she might have “saved them all” by marrying the heir to the estate. Jane was left to soothe Mrs. Bennet’s frail nerves, and Elizabeth spent as much time as possible away from her mother. Most of the housekeeping now fell to Jane.

  She did not mind. She always enjoyed being of use to her loved ones. What did hurt was her mother’s constant wailing over what might have been, not just with Elizabeth but also with Jane. Her mother did not understand how her continual mentions of Mr. Bingley kept the wound fresh in Jane’s heart. However, after her dream last night, nothing could shake her sense of peace.

  The Gardiners arrived an hour before dinner. Mrs. Bennet regaled them with a summary of their autumn. “Two daughters so close to marriage! I do not blame Jane, for Jane would have got Mr. Bingley if she could. No, I blame Elizabeth!”

  Mrs. Bennet paused to blow her nose and then wag a finger at her most ungrateful daughter. “She might even have been Mr. Collins’s wife by this time! He proposed to her in this very room!”

  Mrs. Bennet continued railing against Elizabeth for a few minutes, but at the earliest opportunity, Mrs. Gardiner turned the conversation. “It must have been some trial for your nerves, Sister, but could you tell me who is to dine with us tonight?”

  Mrs. Bennet immediately straightened, her previous misery nearly all forgotten. “Several of the officers from the militia, which is quartered in Meryton. Did the girls write to you? My daughters are quite favourites with them all. Mr. Denny is coming.”

  “You were certain to invite Mr. Wickham as well, weren’t you?” Elizabeth asked in an anxious voice.

  Mrs. Gardiner scrutinised her niece’s face. A sudden chill filled Jane’s heart at the mention of Wickham even as a slight blush spread across Elizabeth’s features.

  “Yes, of course,” Mrs. Bennet answered.

  Jane watched as her sister smiled and seemed to bear their mother’s effusions and wailings better than usual. All the while, alarm grew in Jane’s breast where she had once known peace. Soon, the dinner guests arrived, and Wickham showed Elizabeth as much favouritism as ever. At the first opportunity, Jane stole away to speak with Elizabeth and tell her about her dream.

  “Do you not see?” Jane asked Elizabeth when she was finished.

  “See what, dearest?”

  “At midnight, it all became clear. I am not to fret about Mr. Bingley, and you should not dwell so much on Mr. Darcy.”


  “Mr. Darcy!” Elizabeth cried in astonishment. “No, I never dwell on him if I can possibly help it.”

  “Do not pretend your fascination with Mr. Wickham is about anything other than your displeasure with Mr. Darcy,” Jane said with a frown.

  “Ah, there you are, girls,” Mrs. Gardiner said as she rounded a corner and found them speaking in a hallway. “Did I hear the name Wickham? I had wanted to speak with you about him, Elizabeth.”

  “Do you like him, Aunt?” Elizabeth could not conceal her hope.

  “He is a very charming man, but I must caution you about any growing attachment to him. If he had the living he was promised, I could see no evil in the match.”

  Jane had an odd sensation, feeling as though she had heard these words before. Elizabeth was arguing with their aunt when the clock began to chime seven times. Growing dizzy, she groped the wall for support and clutched her head.

  O Little Town of Bethlehem

  Hertfordshire

  December 23, 1811

  “So, this is Meryton?” Richard asked as he gazed out the carriage window. He had the strangest sensation of having been here before. “It looks familiar.”

  “Of course, it looks familiar!” Darcy snapped. “It is just like every other small English town. Here’s the square, there’s the market. Down the street is the dressmaker.”

  At Richard’s side, Darcy’s younger sister, Georgiana, stifled a giggle and elbowed him. He knew that meant she did not think he should tease Darcy for his foul mood. It was so difficult to resist, but he would try.

  “Meryton has its own beauty to offer,” Bingley said with a nervous smile. “I’ve never been more taken with a county than I am with Hertfordshire.”

  Richard rolled his eyes. The man was too far gone. In love with a whole county just because a lady he fancied lived there? Ridiculous! Richard had little use for romance. He believed love to be the greatest, and rarest, thing in the kingdom and something he could never attain or deserve. Who would want a poor soldier when they could have his brother’s viscountcy, Darcy’s Pemberley, or Bingley’s flattery and five thousand pounds per annum. Granted, each came with familial drawbacks, but ladies often marched men to the altar faster than they knew what was good for them.