Beginning, Previous Section, Section XIV, Next Section

Chapter 46. And more family

Posted on 2010-08-25

Both Elizabeth and William spent Friday trying very hard not to think of their jaunt to Longbourn the next day. Every time the idea of it popped into Elizabeth's head, she had to suck in a deep breath to calm her racing heart and sense of dread. She reminded herself that this visit would be different. The focus would be on Rupert and especially Jane and Charles' (anticipated) news. And, at least for the late afternoon and dinner, her aunt and uncle would be there; that always helped. She would be able to avoid her mother and shield William from her attentions.

William was also dreading the visit. How could he not after how horribly Elizabeth had been treated the last time? Many of his thoughts overlapped with Elizabeth's: their relationship would not be the focus this time and the Gardiners' presence would help. He was determined to protect Elizabeth from her mother and repeatedly comforted himself with the promise that if it got even a little bit out of hand, if he saw any sign of stress on Elizabeth's face, he would insist they leave. He even made a list of possible accommodations between Meryton and London should they need to leave too late in the day to comfortably drive the complete distance.

He recalled every visit he had made to the Bennet's, dating back to the previous autumn and the numerous times he had watched Elizabeth trying to ignore her mother's crass comments and her father's 'teasing'. She does not – will not – have to tolerate it any longer, he promised himself. Not with me there to protect her. She might not like the idea of him 'protecting' her, he knew, but she would have to accept it.

Friday afternoon Elizabeth went to spend time and play music with her friends in the late afternoon as usual. After they had played for a while, the idea of going for a drink arose. Elizabeth hesitated just slightly, knowing William would be waiting to hear from her. Inconspicuously, she sent him a text message saying she would be a little longer. She did want to spend time with her friends and knew he would understand. Usually, however, the four of them – Erin, Leah and Pauline, in addition to herself – couldn't stay longer and most of their socialising occurred during their allotted music time, unless they agreed beforehand to do something afterwards.

Quickly settling into a nearby pub, the conversation centred on catching up with each other's lives. As Leah was telling a story about work, Elizabeth's mobile beeped, signalling a new text message. She smiled apologetically and quickly looked at it, replying with a simple 'Okay. xo'. After she tucked her mobile back in her pocket, she looked up to find her three friends looking at her closely.

"Sorry," she said.

"Forget sorry," Erin the violinist said. "Tell us who it was." She smiled at Elizabeth expectantly.

Elizabeth tried not to look uncomfortable. She had spoken very little about William, keeping any mention casual. William was part of her private life and she had never been one to talk about men and relationships very much. She knew many of her friends, including Charlotte and Jane, felt she took the old adage 'don't kiss and tell' too far, but she wasn't comfortable behaving any other way.

"It was William," she said.

"Checking up on you?" Pauline teased.

Elizabeth laughed a little uneasily. "Hardly. I let him know we were doing this," she tipped her drink to them, "and he said to let him know when I was done. We have plans tonight," she added to justify his request.

Erin looked at her thoughtfully. Pauline's eyes flashed to Erin and then down to the table. She started to play with the packets of sweetener that were close to her end of the table.

Leah said, "So you are still spending a lot of time with him?"

"Yes," Elizabeth said, taking another sip of her drink and then looking between her three friends, smiling innocently as though she expected that was all the information they wanted and the conversation could now move on to something else.

Leah laughed, "Liz, that's not going to work. You know we want to hear more about him. We have been very, very patient so far."

Leah had known Elizabeth for a number of years and was well-acquainted with her reticence. It had been Leah who had arranged for her to join the informal club after her return to London two and a half years earlier.

Elizabeth laughed more heartily. "And yet, it is all I am prepared to offer!"

"Oh give us something," Pauline said. "He is a very fine looking man, I must say."

Erin and Leah mumbled in agreement.

"And…and," Elizabeth said, trying to think of something to say that would satisfy them, but not betray her sense of privacy, "he's…"

Leah laughed at her, joined by the others. "Liz, just blurt something out," Leah encouraged, fondly teasing her. "It can't be that hard!"

Elizabeth responded to her teasing with a mock-scowl before rolling her eyes. After an expectant pause, she finally said, "He's lovely. Everything is going well." The three other women continued to look at her so she added, "And I expect it will continue to do so."

"Thank you, Liz," Leah said exaggeratedly. To the others, she said, "Liz has always had a hard time talking about her private life. I was training her up well, but then she moved overseas and it was harder to keep it up. If we work on it, by the autumn she might even voluntarily tell us what they have planned for the weekend."

She gave Elizabeth a fond look as Erin and Pauline chuckled. Elizabeth returned the look, shaking her head. Elizabeth felt very comfortable with the group and knew they did respect her privacy; she also knew it wouldn't be such a bad thing to be a little more open.

They all resumed chattering. Elizabeth told them about the Saturday trip to Longbourn and this encouraged the others to ask her a few questions about William, none of which she found too intrusive. The others spoke about their lives as well. Elizabeth noticed that Pauline was a little quiet and seemed to be studying her, but she didn't think much of it.

The party soon broke up and the women headed in their separate directions. Erin and Elizabeth walked to the tube together, Elizabeth apologising in advance about her need to send William another message.

"We're just arranging when to meet."

Erin nodded pleasantly in reply; it really didn't bother her.

They had arranged to stay at William's house Friday night, their plan being to leave for Longbourn after breaking their fast the next morning. William was to drive to Elizabeth's to pick her up, along with her weekend bag, and she needed to let him know that she was now on her way back to her flat.

On the tube, the women quickly separated, heading towards their own homes. Soon after Elizabeth got to her place, William appeared, very happy to see her as she was to see him. After a moment spent greeting each other, which involved arms wrapped around each other and mouths meeting, he released her, encouraging her to gather her things so they could be on their way. William watched her contentedly, revelling in his feelings of love and knowing she was his. His thoughts were becoming almost too possessive – certainly if she had known, Elizabeth would have been unhappy. As it was, she was unaware of his growing desire to have her belong to him, be with him permanently so that he could keep close watch on her. Thinking ahead to the visit with her family only intensified these feelings; he could best protect her – physically and emotionally – if she belonged to him.

He was pulled away from that path by her voice. She told him about her music group, knowing he would appreciate more information on the pieces they had played. He laughed along as she explained some of the more interesting noises she tried to make with her flute when they played modern pieces, particularly her description of a 'grumpy pig awoken from a lovely dream of fresh mud wallows and sunny skies'.

When she was prepared to leave, he asked if she had brought the bracelet he had given her the previous weekend. She had, knowing it would please him. They gathered her things, and left her place, Elizabeth sweeping the flat one last time with her eyes before she closed and locked the door.

It was a quiet evening. Mrs Northmore made them dinner; afterwards they watched a video, both deliberately keeping thoughts of the morrow from intruding. After watching a bit of the news, they retired for the night. William finished his bedtime preparations first and was waiting for her in bed. She crawled in after him and was immediately aware of the expectant and even mischievous look on his face.

"What?" she said.

He moved his eyes to the table by her side of the bed. She followed with her own eyes and saw a little box that could only come from a jewellery store.

"Go on," he said, verbally pushing her.

She reached for the box while giving him a look that clearly told him she thought he should not be giving her another gift. Wordlessly, she opened the package to find earrings that matched her new bracelet.

"Will," she said her voice infused with love.

To stop her from saying anything else, he kissed her.

She pulled back after a moment and said, playfully, "You're not hiding anything else, are you?"

He smiled innocently and reached for her again. She laughed and allowed herself to be distracted.

The drive to Longbourn the next morning alternated between silence and the sounds of Elizabeth nervously fidgeting, beating out a rhythm with her feet or tapping her fingers on her knees. William quickly gave up trying to engage her in conversation and put on some music to try to soothe her and deflect his desire to ask her why she wanted to have anything to do with the Bennets. It would be so much easier, he would propose, for them to separate themselves from her family, seeing Jane occasionally as she was with Charles and perhaps Kate if her desire to mature was honest. He wouldn't deny Elizabeth this contact with her sisters, but really all of the other Bennets (and Lucases) could rot in Hertfordshire for all he cared.

They arrived just after 10 o'clock. The house was remarkably quiet.

Mrs Bennet greeted them by saying, "Well. You're here."

She said nothing to William, but did take the time to sweep his person with her eyes and look at him suspiciously. Fanny Bennet then turned her head and yelled over her shoulder to her husband who, a moment later, emerged from his library. The tension was thick, and Elizabeth had no desire to see it remain so or, worse, explode as it was only too capable of doing.

"Hello Dad," she said moving toward Rupert. "Happy birthday." She gave him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Mr Bennet," William said when Elizabeth stepped back from her father. "Happy birthday."

The two men shook hands and Rupert managed to say hello and thank you to both of them. Fanny watched them all carefully before looking beyond Elizabeth and William to the entrance.

"Well, a cup of tea would be nice, don't you think, Fanny," Rupert said loudly, drawing his wife's attention. She looked at him, grimaced and agreed. Elizabeth, out of habit, made an attempt to help her as she turned to go get tea, but Rupert demanded that both she and William join him in the sitting room. Seeing them seated, he went to the kitchen to help Fanny with the tea things.

The four sat and the mood was awkward. William's face was set in a stony expression. Elizabeth asked after her sisters. She knew Jane and Charles were not expected until later.

"Lydia stayed at a friend's last night," Fanny said and Elizabeth shared a quick look with her father. He rolled his eyes and Elizabeth shuddered inwardly, wondering if either of her parents had any idea what sort of mischief Lydia might have gotten up to.

"Mary and Kitty are doing some shopping for dinner," Fanny continued. "I expect they'll be back shortly. I'm going out soon. I've got errands to do and I'm meeting Connie Lucas for lunch."

Elizabeth nodded her thanks to her mother for the explanation and Rupert asked William how their drive was. As William replied in terse tones that it had been uneventful, Elizabeth felt her mother's eyes on her. Fanny was looking with displeasure at Elizabeth's outfit of jeans and a short-sleeved, casual buttoned top.

Knowing all too well how her mother's mind worked, Elizabeth said pre-emptively, "I'll change before dinner. I didn't want to risk my good clothes getting dirty."

Fanny scowled. "Where are your bags? I noticed you didn't bring them in."

William thought her voice sounded like finger nails being dragged down a chalk board.

Uncomfortably, Elizabeth replied, "In the car. I'll be staying at Charles' tonight. I believe I explained that already."

Fanny scowled again and was about to reply when Rupert did for both of them, saying, shortly, "Yes," and changing the topic to the weather.

Elizabeth joined him in the conversation. William sat back silently. Fanny looked on in obvious displeasure. In a few moments, she stood, said she would need to be on her way. She issued a few instructions to Elizabeth, making it clear she expected her daughter to assist Catherine and Mary in preparing dinner. Most of the food was ready-made, but there were still a few things to do, including, as it happened, making a suitable entrée for her and William. William clenched his jaw and Elizabeth nodded mutely; she had expected nothing different. If she had had time during the week, she would have made something at home and brought it with them.

As Fanny took her leave, William simply said, "Mrs Bennet." His cold tone did nothing to improve her opinion of him; yet he could behave no other way, given her treatment of Elizabeth.

Once Fanny was gone, the three who remained relaxed slightly. Elizabeth had forewarned William that she would talk with her father that morning and he had brought some reading to do. Elizabeth saw him settled in the small sitting room off of the kitchen, accepted his offer of support which came in the form of a kiss and a loving look, and went to join Rupert in his library.

"Well, Lizzie," he said as they sat across from each other. He was glad to have his daughter to himself for a while.

"Did you hear from anyone this morning?" she asked.

"Oh, the usual," he replied offhandedly. "Susie and David called their old uncle; friends and colleagues have sent messages. Edmund called to say they were nearby and would be here by 4 o'clock." He paused to study her face for a moment. "Your sister called as well. She wanted to find out what time your aunt and uncle were expected. I understand they would like everyone here when they arrive."

Elizabeth arched her eyebrows, but did not comment.

"Care to speculate why?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with mirth, no doubt prepared to tease Jane and Charles later that day.

Elizabeth was glad he was in a good mood. It would make her task a little easier. Elizabeth simply smiled.

Rupert continued. "I'm not sure they could be more obvious if they took out an advert in the local paper. Or more to the point," he laughed, "told your mother and Connie Lucas in confidence." He guffawed. "The whole of Meryton would know within the hour!"

Although Elizabeth wasn't really in the mood to laugh at his joke, she did to try to maintain his good humour.

"I suppose we will have to act a little surprised," Elizabeth said.

"Yes, yes," her father said waving a hand dismissively. "I'm sure your mother will put on quite a show, though, which will draw attention away from our reactions. I am rather surprised," he added, "that they've waited this long. I thought St. Valentine's seemed more likely. Your mother was hoping for Christmas."

"I'm not surprised," Elizabeth said matter-of-factly and he looked at her quizzically. "Jane has always believed that a couple should be together at least six months, preferably nine, before becoming engaged. February would have been too soon; it was only a half year at the end of the month. Fortunately, her birthday falls at just about the nine month mark."

Rupert had listened to her with his eyebrows arched. "Such interesting rules young ladies make for their beaux to follow. Perhaps I should inquire into your thoughts on this matter, Lizzie."

Elizabeth looked at him exasperatedly, asking with her expression if his question was serious, knowing it wasn't. "I don't have any. When the time is right, the time is right."

He looked at her penetratingly, trying to judge just how serious her feelings for William Darcy were. He was not ready to see her completely give herself over to another man. Granted, she had largely removed herself from her family years ago, but he felt when she committed herself to a man it would be the final string binding her to the Bennets breaking.

"As you know your sister's views on romance so well, care to bet on the wedding date?"

Without hesitation, she said, "Valentine's weekend. Fortunately for Jane, Valentine's is on a Saturday next year. It will be formal."

"You seem quite certain. Do you have any inside information?"

"She has not told me anything about her plans; it is all my own speculation."

Rupert sighed. "All right then. If you're wrong, the next time you visit, you stay here at home, not at Charles' or anywhere else."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, but acquiesced. She had other issues to address and she was confident in her guess.

"I had an interesting visit with Kate on Thursday," Elizabeth said, changing the topic.

"Kate?"

"Kitty; she would like to leave her girlhood nickname behind she told me."

Rupert looked at her with his eyebrows raised, ready to make funny of his younger daughter, even though she was absent. Elizabeth didn't look particularly amused, and so he remained silent waiting for her to continue. Clearly she had something she wanted to say.

"She came to see me in London."

"And why did she do that?" Rupert asked. "What could she need from you? Is she in trouble?"

He expected it was something serious given Elizabeth's stern expression. Elizabeth could not judge him for his conclusion; after all she had also thought Kate was in trouble at first.

"No. She wanted to talk about her future."

"Her future?" Rupert asked quite curious about this. He could not imagine what was to come and the unexpected nature of this conversation was diverting, he had to admit.

Elizabeth spent a few minutes explaining her sister's plan. Rupert watched her with his expression becoming harder. When Elizabeth was done, he scoffed dismissively.

"Dad, why do you do that?" Elizabeth said her frustration clear.

They started to trade rapid comments and questions, each barely leaving the other time to complete their sentences. Father and daughter often spoke this way especially when they were at odds.

"Honestly, Lizzie. Kitty doesn't have a serious bone in her body. You cannot believe this is anything other than a passing fancy. She'll see a new dress or something in some shop and she will forget all about it."

"You don't give her enough credit."

"Why should I? She's proven to be nothing more than a silly child just like Lydia. They are both very much their mother's children."

"Maybe if you gave her some encouragement..."

He interrupted her before she could finish, scoffing loudly once again. "Do you really expect me to turn over this farm, our family's heritage, to Kitty? Have you taken leave of your senses? She would drive it into ruin."

"First, you have not tested her at all; you are simply assuming she will fail. Second, no one is suggesting you hand over the reins immediately. You are being given the opportunity to help her develop into someone who can do the job, in the future. You can train her, oversee her education and make sure she knows everything she has to about the farm. She and..."

"No. You know what I want," Rupert said stubbornly.

"And you can't have it!" Elizabeth rejoined. "I've been telling you for years Dad; I will not, not ever, take over the farm. It is not my future."

"Elizabeth you are the only one I will trust with it. It is your family..."

"No! It is not my duty. You have four other children, two of whom would love the opportunity to be a part of it. I will not ever move back to Longbourn or Meryton."

"Because of your mother," he said, clearly angry with Elizabeth for her refusal. It was nothing new however and she did not feel he had any cause or right to be upset.

"I've told you, since I was sixteen at least, that I do not see this farm or this place as my future."

Rupert paused. "You'll change your mind."

"No, I won't."

"Not with William Darcy in the picture," he muttered.

"William has nothing to do with this. Kindly leave his name and my relationship with him out of it."

"A little sensitive about it, are you?" Rupert said his barb intentional.

"He's out of bounds. I will not discuss him with you." Not after the last time, Elizabeth thought, remembering her birthday lunch.

Rupert sulked and Elizabeth spent a moment calming herself down.

"Dad," she said, "I'm going to give you the best birthday present I can."

He wasn't foolish enough to think it was what he really wanted – Elizabeth's agreement to run the farm when he retired. He knew she would do a good job, but beyond that, he also knew it would tie her to him and the family. He did not know how else to affect that particular outcome.

"I'm going to tell you exactly what you should do to secure the future of Longbourn Farms. It will be my last piece of advice to you about it and I truly mean that. I will no longer discuss it with you, I will no longer help you with the books or anything else related to the estate."

Rupert did not say anything. He kept looking at her, glaring almost, trying to intimidate her into silence. It had worked when she was a young child, but his pushing her to think logically about her arguments and how they were presented had come to backfire on him. Since the day she handed him a complete paper outlining the reasons for her atheism – and he had accepted it – he had not been able to intimidate her into silence. By now they had had too many debates, ones in which she had either held her own or been the victor, for Elizabeth to be so easily thrown off. She had other incentives as well – this was for her sisters and for Longbourn. As much as the estate was not her home, she did love the land and the heritage it represented.

"You need to accept that I am not the person that will replace you. I would not be happy running Longbourn and ultimately it would not be good for the farm. If you are truly interested in doing what is best for it, you will accept that Mary and Kate are who you should be focusing on."

Rupert grunted dismissively.

"Mary loves this place and so does Kitty – Kate," she grunted angrily at her failure to remember to call her sister by the name she preferred and because of the frustrating nature of the conversation. "They consider this their home and they want what I don't."

"Mary is off studying God knows what; she is not interested..."

"Yes, she is! You've given her no encouragement. You've made it plain to her time and time again that you want and expect me to do it and she doesn't think she has a chance of being taken seriously by you. Neither does Kate."

"I do not have to sit here and be lectured by you, Elizabeth Annabelle," Rupert said his patience finally at an end. He stood intending to walk out of the room.

"Fine; don't," she said just as harshly. She too stood, prepared to go back to William. She had not expected her father to be particularly receptive. "Kate will be asking for your assistance. I hope before she does you think about what is best for her and for this place."

Pre-empting Rupert, she stalked out of the room and towards William's position. He looked up when he heard her approach, saw the look of frustration on her face and the way in which her jaw was clenched. Immediately he stood, his papers forgotten and reached out for her hand, pulling her through the kitchen towards the exit to the gardens.

They walked for about half an hour, Elizabeth telling him of the conversation with her father. He let her talk without commenting knowing she needed to let off some of her anger. He was glad she was talking to him so readily; at times it took her hours if not days before she would discuss something that had upset her.

When she was done he asked what she would do now. He had his own ideas, but believed she would rather try to sort things out on her own first.

"Tell Kitty, I mean Kate – that is going to take some getting used to – to talk to him and Mother about it. And hope that something I said sunk past his thick skull."

Hope he does the right thing for once, she added to herself; William had the same thought.

She sighed and went on. "And think of an alternate plan should they refuse to help her financially or insufficiently. Regardless of Dad's actions – whether he starts preparing Mary and Kate to take over the farm in the future or not – Kate deserves the chance. She can always work elsewhere and there will come a time when Dad will need help with the farm. I have to believe he will turn to his daughters before an outsider, especially if they've done something to prove themselves and their interest in the meantime."

William wasn't sure if Elizabeth realized just what an unflattering imagine she was painting of her father. He wasn't sure she cared and he was glad about this. He did understand the demands of family and why she might not want to completely disassociate herself from the Bennets, but he wanted her to stay away from them as much as possible.

Their walking path let them see that a car had returned and Elizabeth suggested they return to the house, saying it was Catherine and Mary.

William and Elizabeth re-entered the house to find her sisters in the kitchen unpacking from their shopping trip. The two younger women stopped when they heard the door open and looked to see who it was. Elizabeth greeted them warmly, trying to bury her frustration; William did so in his lower, more serious voice.

Catherine said a little nervously, "Hi Liz," studying her face carefully for clues about her mood, trying to determine if Elizabeth had yet talked to their father.

She had been jumpy all morning, positively babbling away to Mary, to whom she had confided her hopes. Mary had expressed scepticism that Elizabeth would really champion Catherine's cause. She held the opinion that Elizabeth enjoyed her position as their father's favourite and would not jeopardise it.

Elizabeth smiled at Catherine in return, mouthing the words, "We'll talk later."

She asked Mary how she was, receiving only a shrug in return. Catherine shyly asked William how he was and he replied politely if without much warmth.

Elizabeth raised the issue of lunch and found that Catherine and Mary had thought about it as well. They had picked up some things for a quick, light meal along with the other items Fanny had sent them out for. Catherine and Mary quickly arranged lunch, while Elizabeth put away the other things, doing a quick study of what was planned for dinner and what she would need to do that afternoon. Her chief task was to make an entrée suitable for her and William. Her sisters – one or both – had picked up some random ingredients that would be helpful.

After this task, Elizabeth went to tell her father that lunch was ready and he joined the others. He brought his book and a scowl with him and during the meal spent his time alternately looking at the pages of the former and directing the other at William, Elizabeth, Mary and Catherine.

William asked Mary a few questions about her summer plans, which she answered openly if tersely. She was planning to spend June on campus completing a research project for one of her professors, but would be at Longbourn for July and August. Catherine garnered her bravery and asked both Elizabeth and William about work and what they had been doing recently. Her attempts were stymied by Rupert glaring at her when she spoke and Elizabeth tried to subtly let him know he was being awful, but he was either insensible of or impervious to her looks. As soon as he had had his fill, he rose, said he would appreciate it if someone brought him a cup of coffee – it being his birthday and all – and strode out of the room.

William looked at Elizabeth who rolled her eyes in response. He was glad to see that she seemed only frustrated and not injured by his behaviour.

"I'll make it if someone else brings it in," she said standing up. "I'd like to toss together something for dinner first off, get it out of the way."

She looked at Catherine and Mary. Mary said she would take the coffee to their father when it was ready. Catherine let it be known that she and Mary were helping out with dinner as well.

The four of them buzzed around the kitchen and dining room for the next while. With Catherine and Mary waiting expectantly, Elizabeth organised their efforts so that everything got done efficiently and without them bumping into each other too much. The two younger Bennets were very surprised to find that William intended to help as well and even more taken aback to discover he was an active helper, rather than a hindrance. Neither would have expected it of the wealthy and serious-looking man. Beyond that, Rupert never helped with such mundane household tasks. It was clear from their interaction that Elizabeth was accustomed to William's assistance.

Noticing their shock, William further astonished Catherine and Mary by saying, "Your sister has trained me well. She even told your aunt I was 'quite handy' in the kitchen. High praise, don't you think?"

Catherine only managed a nod; Mary not even that.

After William's light-hearted comment, the atmosphere relaxed somewhat. Catherine tried again to ask William a few questions and William returned the effort. Elizabeth acted to extend the conversation and draw Mary in. She refrained from mentioning Catherine's school plan, not sure how much – if anything – Mary knew and not wanting to be inadvertently overheard by her father or mother should she return. Not very much was said by the group, but it was a reasonably comfortable couple of hours as well as a productive one. Other than last minute re-heating, dinner was ready and the dining room prepared.

Knowing everyone was expected soon, the four of them broke up to go wash and dress for dinner. Elizabeth and William retrieved the necessary things from his car, along with their gifts to Rupert and Jane, and went to the guest room. William watched Elizabeth closely, reading her growing tension easily. She felt his eyes boring into her, but was wary of saying anything lest he say out loud what he was clearly wondering – just how much was she dreading the evening?

William was happy to see Elizabeth don several of his gifts – the jumper he had bought her in Edinburgh and the bracelet and earrings which had been more recent gifts. She did it for him, knowing it would make him happy, but also for herself. She got some comfort from them, she found; they were reminders of his love. She felt a little silly for indulging in such sentimentalism – she shouldn't need such physical reminders of his affection – but as she intended to keep the thoughts tucked away, she didn't see any harm in them.

As they were just about ready to go downstairs, they heard Fanny's strident voice demanding to know where everyone was and reminding everyone that her brother and his wife and Jane and Charles would be there soon. Elizabeth opened the door to the hallway, only to find Mary striding past.

"I'll go," she said sounding resigned as she headed for the stairs.

William was grateful as it gave him a chance to pull Elizabeth back into the room and give her a reassuring hug before they dove into the battlefield that was time with Fanny Bennet.

They got downstairs to find Catherine had joined Mary to assure their mother everything was ready and to endure her inspection. Elizabeth and William joined them in time to hear Fanny deem them both 'passable'. Fanny caught sight of Elizabeth and William and narrowed her eyes as she took in her second daughter's appearance.

Any comment she intended to make was fortunately forestalled by Lydia's loud arrival. The youngest Bennet threw open the front door and yelled something over her shoulder to the person who had brought her home. They honked the horn in reply before speeding off.

"Well this is nice," Lydia said, laughing as she looked at her three sisters, William and her parents. Rupert had finally emerged from his library. "My very own welcoming committee!" She laughed again, tossing her bag on the floor.

"Lizzie," she added sweeping her sister with her eyes before smirking at William.

"Hello Lydia," Elizabeth said with a warning in her voice.

"No need to get snarky with me, Lizzie," Lydia said at the same time that Fanny started questioning her about her evening, haranguing Rupert to go get changed before everyone else arrived and exclaiming that she needed to dress as well – all in one sentence.

Seeking an escape from the madness, Elizabeth grabbed William's hand and pulled him toward the main sitting room in which she assumed they would all be gathering. Catherine followed, pulling Mary with her. They heard the sounds of Fanny's voice become dimmer and footsteps on the stairs as Rupert, Fanny and Lydia went to their bedrooms.

Elizabeth sighed heavily and Catherine looked nervously between her and William as he gently squeezed Elizabeth's hand before releasing it. After a moment's silence, Mary finally thought of something innocuous to say and asked Elizabeth and William if they had any special plans for the summer.

They continued with this topic for a few minutes. An idea popped into Elizabeth's head as she looked at Mary and, as Rupert joined them, she pulled her sister aside and said, "Mary, I don't think we're going to be able to come back to Longbourn next month for your birthday. I'd like to visit you instead – take you out for a meal."

Mary looked at her alarmed, surprised and suspicious. Elizabeth's firm look would brook no refusal however and Mary simply nodded when Elizabeth said she would email to arrange a good date. Mary could only assume it had something to do with Catherine's recent discussion with Elizabeth.

Everything became busy very quickly after this. The Gardiners arrived and it was not lost on Rupert that they both greeted William fondly. During the evening he would notice the ease with which William interacted with both Edmund and Madeline; it did not improve his mood.

Fanny soon joined them, her excitement and sense of expectation as the time of Jane and Charles' arrival approached was palpable and chaotic. When, about ten minutes later, she heard a car pulling up to the house, she leaped from her chair, confirmed it was Jane and Charles by looking out of the window, turned back to the room and announced, "It's them!" Noticing Lydia was not there, she hissed, "Quick, Kitty, go get your sister! Why are you just sitting there? Hurry, girl, hurry!"

Catherine did as requested and managed to return, Lydia behind her, before Jane and Charles appeared. Unknown to anyone, Jane was purposely taking her time, being sure her family all had a chance to gather before she and Charles made their entrance.

When they did enter the sitting room, all eyes were on them and, bubbling with happiness, Jane announced triumphantly, "We're engaged!" She held out her left hand which now sported a diamond solitaire ring. Charles stood by her side, grinning.

Fanny squealed and almost flew over to her eldest to take a closer look at the all-important ring and to exclaim loudly on her happiness.

"I knew it! I just knew it would be for your birthday! Oh, I am so happy! Finally, a daughter engaged! I knew you couldn't be so beautiful for nothing. Oh let me look at it again!"

She took a very close look at Jane's ring, hugged her tightly and even kissed Charles on the cheek. He looked a little embarrassed by all of the attention and quirked his eyebrows at William. William smiled at him supportively, truly happy as long as Charles was, in spite of his reservations about Jane.

Rupert interrupted his wife's exclamations in order to congratulate the couple and everyone else followed suit. They all politely looked at the ring Jane was more than happy to show off. Catherine felt a little jealous, not of Jane's happiness, but because she doubted she would ever find it herself. Mary thought it was all rather nonsensical and generally had a pretty low opinion of relationships, no doubt a consequence of witnessing her parents' marriage. Elizabeth was genuinely happy for Jane and warmly offered Charles an official welcome to the Bennet clan.

The remainder of the afternoon and evening passed as one would expect. Much mileage was obtained, conversationally, from the engagement. Fanny, having heard the story of the proposal, immediately jumped into wedding planning mode, wanting to know what Jane had in mind. She backed off somewhat when Charles said they had not yet had an opportunity to discuss it, but would let her know.

This resolution did not last through dinner, however. With Charles and Jane sitting on either side of her, Fanny dropped suggestions repeatedly and managed to get Jane to admit to what she would like – a February wedding at Netherfield. This was not news to Charles; he and Jane had talked about it, but had agreed to develop their plans further before announcing them. He shrugged it off though, dismissing Jane's admission to Fanny as the natural excitement a mother and daughter must share at such a time. He did want, and expect, to be part of planning the event though; this was after all the 21st century and a wedding was not just for the bride!

Elizabeth had secured seats for her and William in the middle of the table and next to the Gardiners. She sat next to her uncle on one side, with William and Madeline across from them. Although their attention was drawn to others during the dinner, the four managed to interact a great deal. Madeline and Edmund were used to being on guard, ready to shield Elizabeth from Fanny if necessary or at least offer her support when their efforts to contain Fanny failed. Fortunately, there was little cause for it on this occasion; Fanny was far too busy with Jane and Charles.

After dessert, presents were given to the two birthday celebrants. William and Elizabeth gave Rupert a bottle of spirits and a rare book for his collection; these treasures helped mollify his hurt feelings. To Jane they gave theatre tickets for a romantic comedy and a pair of earrings Elizabeth had spotted and known her sister would like.

The opening of and exclaiming over gifts took quite some time. Fanny was by far the most ebullient, followed by Jane who was basking in the glory of her mother's approval. Rupert appreciated the spectacle of it all. Catherine sat quietly, watching everything carefully and not sure how to join in. She tried at one point to say something about the wedding only to be told by Fanny to be quiet and that she didn't know what she was talking about. Mary didn't even bother to try, but did have a short conversation with her Aunt Maddy.

Lydia yawned loudly several times and tried to draw someone's attention. Tonight, though, no one had time for her antics, not even her mother. Even Catherine rebuffed her attempts to gossip and make up stories about William, which made her even more petulant. Elizabeth did her best to stay out of her mother's sight and sat with Catherine for a while, chatting with Madeline and ensuring William was safely positioned with either Edmund or Charles when Fanny could spare him.

At one point, while people were chatting after all of the gifts had been opened, Madeline said, "Lizzie, that is a lovely bracelet." She hadn't expected to draw her sister-in-law's attention as Fanny was deep in conversation with Jane about everything they needed to do now that she was engaged.

"It was a gift from William," Elizabeth explained to her aunt as Madeline held Elizabeth's hand up to take a closer look at it.

"It's exquisite," she said. Looking at William she added, "You have excellent taste, and not just in women!" She smiled fondly and teasingly between him and her niece. William smiled at Elizabeth and Elizabeth chuckled.

None of them noticed that Fanny had overheard Madeline's comment. She watched as Edmund commandeered Madeline and William's attention and Elizabeth moved over to rejoin Catherine who was looking a little forlorn having just been told by Lydia that she was stupid and no fun.

Fanny intercepted her second daughter before she reached her destination and did as Madeline had done, but not as kindly; she took Elizabeth's wrist to draw it up and examine her bracelet. It was not lost on Fanny that despite its simplicity – most certainly not to her taste – it must have cost a great deal of money. She took a quick look for other pieces and saw the matching earrings. She had a very brief internal battle between habit and the thought that Elizabeth was involved with a very wealthy man. Habit won.

She hissed, "I can't believe you would wear this today of all days, Miss Lizzie! I suppose I shouldn't be surprised; it is just like you to try to upstage your sister."

Before the altercation could grow, Jane was there, closely followed by William.

"Mum," Jane said, "I wanted to ask you about holding a dinner. Oh Lizzie, what a pretty bracelet!" She smiled at her sister and physically pulled her mother away, chatting in just the right manner to re-direct her mother's thoughts. Jane did have considerable practice preventing unpleasant scenes between her mother and sister and did not want any such thing to mar this very special day.

William appeared at Elizabeth's side just as Jane and Fanny moved away. "Elizabeth?" he asked.

She turned to him and smiled reassurances although she did not meet his eye. Madeline and Edmund joined them and Elizabeth said succinctly, "There's no problem." She immediately asked about the inn her aunt and uncle were staying at, and called Catherine over to join them.

Madeline and Edmund made their exit soon afterwards. They were enjoying a little child-free time that weekend and wanted to get back to it. Catching William's stern, stony expression a couple of minutes later, Charles suggested to Jane that they leave as well; Elizabeth and William would return to his house with them for the night. Fanny agreed to release them after they promised to arrive early the next day to have breakfast before church (instead of just meeting at the service) and start planning the wedding. Charles had not imagined his mother-in-law-to-be would be quite so keen to get going with it immediately, but her excitement and the look of pleasure on Jane's face was enough for him to shrug off any discomfort he felt.

They drove to Charles' house, William and Elizabeth following in his car. They did not speak much during the short drive, but it was understood that they were both relieved the day was over and they had escaped relatively unscathed.

They arrived and William brought their bags up to the room he always stayed in when visiting Charles. Elizabeth joined Jane and Charles in the kitchen. Charles suggested they have a drink, making a joke about a quieter celebration that made Elizabeth laugh and Jane looked discomposed. She managed to smile good-humouredly by the time Charles looked at her and William returned. They moved into the sitting room, Charles bringing with him a bottle of champagne he had set aside for just this purpose.

Elizabeth again offered her congratulations to the couple as did William, saying he hoped they would be very happy. He had his reservations about Jane, but Charles was so happy, and was an intelligent adult; he didn't feel he could say anything. Today with the Bennets had been manageable and Jane had even moved quickly and decidedly to intervene when Fanny approached Elizabeth. He clung to these thoughts and sought comfort in them.

His attention returned to the conversation in time to hear Elizabeth ask Jane if Charles' proposal had been all she dreamed it would be. Jane replied it was, and spent some time gushing – in her gentle voice – about the romantic dinner, with flowers and candlelight and music, the ring cleverly hidden in her dessert. William thought it all sounded rather clichéd, but, he supposed, some people liked such things. He couldn't imagine Elizabeth would, however, and his mind drifted once again, this time to thoughts of how he and Elizabeth would decide when to get married.

He missed, thus, the start of Jane and Charles story, as the couple began to reminisce about their first meeting. Elizabeth's hand on his thigh and the very subtle eye roll she gave him recalled him to the moment and he listened politely. Jane and Charles talked about their meeting at a book convention Charles had attended on behalf of his company, CAB Books and Jane as part of her job. She had been on the lookout for new educational products for young children and Charles had been promoting CAB's new offerings. They had met, taken one look at each other, they claimed, and known they had found 'the one'.

William thought Elizabeth was trying to cover a smirk as she sipped her champagne. He knew she was no believer in fairytales. It was one of the many ways she differed from Jane.

Jane and Charles continued to wax poetic about their relationship for a while longer. How they had gotten to know each other, "although it seemed like we already knew everything there was to know, without needing to ask," Jane said smiling sweetly at Charles.

He countered with how easily they had fit into each other's lives, "Like two pieces of a puzzle, finding each other at last."

Jane further commented on how it was all so easy – romance, love, major life decisions and more Elizabeth assumed she meant – if you just stopped trying and just felt. She knew that if she waited for him, her one true love would appear and she would recognise him immediately and he had and she had and everything was just easy and perfect.

The lopsided conversation continued for almost an hour before they all decided they should go to bed. Jane and Charles were expected at Longbourn for breakfast before church so would need to be up and out of the house earlier than usual. Elizabeth and William would leave for London at the same time.

Elizabeth and William prepared for bed exchanging very few words, both sunk in their own thoughts. Elizabeth was relieved the visit was over and hoped, as she had in the past, that the moment when Jane and Charles emerged from their fairytale world was a gentle one. William pondered Charles' attraction to Jane and the Bennets. He knew what Charles most wanted – a loving, boisterous family. He had never had it, given the early death of his parents and his grandparents' cool attitude to raising Charles and his sisters. Jane's family was certainly large and he supposed boisterous would be an appropriate adjective. He understood from Charles that his visits with the Bennets – when Elizabeth was not there – tended to be pleasant enough. William knew Charles would find a way to fit into the family dynamics well, something he doubted he ever would.

They got into bed, snuggled, talked about being glad to get an early start the next day, and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 47. Moving forward – ready or not!

Posted on 2010-08-28

The next day the group gathered in the kitchen; they had tea and William and Elizabeth had a light breakfast. Charles and Jane would be eating at Longbourn. As Elizabeth and William were getting their food, Jane suggested they come to Longbourn for breakfast and leave for London afterwards. The kitchen fell silent and three sets of eyes – astonished and quizzical – turned to her.

She looked between them, then said softly and a bit chastened, "Oh, well, yes. I suppose it would be more prudent not to."

Elizabeth and Jane had had many such exchanges during their lives. Elizabeth laughed and said, "Not everything can be perfect, Jane!"

They all settled into a conversation of the coming weeks. Charles said they planned to hold a party in London to celebrate their engagement in a couple of weeks. He also let it slip that they had their eyes on a house. They had been looking for about a month or so and hoped they had found the right one. While Charles was telling them about it, Fanny Bennet called to ask why Jane and Charles were not yet there. Jane promised they would be on their way soon and the two couples got ready to depart, all reflecting on the weekend so far.

Jane was very excited. She was getting married! There was so much to think about and do and her mother had been so pleased. She had nine months to plan the perfect day. She had pictured it since she was a girl and remembered all of the times Fanny had stood behind her, both of them facing a mirror, Fanny brushing her hair and talking about Jane's eventual wedding. Fanny was so sure Jane would attract the attention of a wealthy man, perhaps even someone famous. She would be showered with jewels and go to exclusive parties and live the life of people like those she read about in the society pages. Jane knew she had made her mother happy and at long last; Fanny had been getting anxious about her continued single-status, especially after she turned 30 the year before. Beyond that, she was very satisfied with how Saturday had gone. Her family was there to celebrate her engagement and Elizabeth and their mother hadn't argued at all. She turned her thoughts to the teas and dinners she imagined her mother would want to hold in the coming weeks and months. It would all be very exciting.

Elizabeth was relieved to be escaping from Hertfordshire. It hadn't been especially pleasant between her frustrating talk with her father and the stress of being around her mother, in particular being sure Fanny stayed away from William. She thought a little bit about Catherine's situation and what was likely to happen when her sister approached their parents about her wish to go away to college. They should be pleased, Elizabeth thought, that their daughter had a plan for her future and one that involved more than working in a clothing shop as she had been doing. However, Elizabeth knew the most likely outcome was teasing by her father and her mother dismissing the idea as 'not practical' or otherwise unworkable. She was more likely to tell Catherine to focus on finding a husband than a career. Elizabeth was resolved to find a way to help her sister though, as long as she continued to demonstrate her seriousness.

During the drive, Elizabeth and William agreed to go for a walk in one of the city's natural areas. It was a lovely day and both did enjoy the outdoors. It wouldn't be as satisfying as walking around Pemberley, but as Elizabeth said they were very lucky to have such a wealth of open spaces within the city. They would be at Pemberley the next weekend and could do more exploring then.

They made a quick stop by William's house so that he could leave his weekend bag and get proper walking shoes. Afterwards they did the same at Elizabeth's flat, and stopped at the deli nearby to pick up some food for a lunch on the go. Mrs Northmore was out, and without advanced warning, neither Elizabeth nor William wanted to ask her to prepare something for them in any case.

It wasn't until they were walking that the subject of Charles and Jane's engagement arose. They had eaten an early lunch, having had only a light breakfast that morning. Afterwards Elizabeth steered them towards less travelled parts of the park. She remarked on their surroundings, again saying how lucky Londoners were to have such spots to enjoy.

She said, "It isn't comparable to walking around Longbourn or Pemberley, of course, but it is a good substitute." She laughed. "It certainly wasn't worth staying in Hertfordshire just to go for a walk. I am very glad to have avoided breakfast at Longbourn today! I hope Charles has a strong constitution."

William looked at her quizzically. He had been enjoying watching her laugh. The brightness in her eyes always made his heart flutter.

"I have no doubt," she explained, "that my mother talked endlessly about the wedding. She has been planning for Jane's wedding day since Jane was a girl." She rolled her eyes. "It will be all about colours and themes and I do not know what else."

William smiled, but didn't say anything.

They walked in silence for some time before William replied, "I'm sure Charles will do fine. He's reached some level of comfort with your mother. He seems able to cope with her … enthusiasm."

"Is that why you didn't tell him about what happened at my birthday, beyond what Jane finally explained?"

William shrugged. "Yes, I suppose. Family, being a part of one, is important to Charles. He manages well with your family, apparently, and I just couldn't disrupt it. You seemed to feel it wouldn't repeat itself and didn't want me to dwell on it, so…"

Elizabeth took William's hand and gave it a squeeze. "I imagine everything is a lot calmer when I'm not there. The lesson is simple: my mother and I should not be in the same room. We only bring out the worst in each other."

William was about to argue this point, but Elizabeth's actions forestalled him. She pulled him over to point out some features of the landscape and explain the restoration work that was being undertaken. When she was done and had answered his questions, they moved on.

"I do sometimes worry about their bubble bursting, I have to admit," Elizabeth said with a sigh.

"What do you mean?"

"All of that talk yesterday evening," she explained, "after we returned to Charles' house. The love at first sight, just knowing someone is 'the one'. I worry real life will catch up to them and it will be a severe let down when they realise life is not perfect and that neither of them is perfect."

"You doubt them? Their relationship?" William asked, surprised. They had, in the past, bemoaned the almost cloying descriptions they had each heard from Jane and Charles, but Elizabeth had never expressed concern in this manner. He didn't necessarily disagree with her, but also told himself that Jane and Charles were both mature adults; they had to know more about their relationship than outsiders could.

Elizabeth shrugged in reply. "No, not really. I trust – I have to trust – they both know very well what they are about. Maybe I just don't understand it. They both talk about meeting and just knowing, almost immediately, and I don't believe that can happen. There has to be some rational element to it and I assume there is, but they don't think along those lines. There has to be some explanation that makes logical sense, some basis for knowing that your love will see you through all of life's trials. They will arise and there is no point denying it and if you are to make it through intact as a couple there has to be a stronger basis to your relationship than just some instantaneous attraction. People cannot just know," she concluded with some enthusiasm. "It is non-sense."

William had listened closely with a growing sense of hurt and dread. He heard a lot more than remarks about Jane and Charles' relationship in Elizabeth's words, although she meant nothing more. He stopped and looked at her intently.

"I know," he said, his voice serious. His words stopped Elizabeth's motions and she turned to look at him, immediately realising she had inadvertently created a situation, one that would require a serious conversation about their own relationship.

"I know," William stated again, disappointment infusing his voice, "that I want that for us, that I want to marry you, that I want us to spend our lives together. That cannot be a surprise to you."

"Yes," Elizabeth interrupted, trying to soothe him and explain her words and, she hoped, avoid having the conversation progress any further. "Yes, Will, of course, but you didn't just 'know' when you met me. There is a more rational, stronger basis for your feelings, one that developed over time as we came to know each other and spend time together."

"Of course," he said quickly and almost dismissively; this wasn't the central problem. "But I do know and…and I had thought – hoped – you felt the same."

Elizabeth felt awful for the pain she saw in his expression. She stood close to him glad they were on an unpopular path and had some privacy. She rested her hands on his arms and tried to catch his eye, hoping her words made some sense and wouldn't come back to haunt her. "Will, love, of course I do. We've talked about this before. I love you, I love being with you and I do…I do see us getting there, but…"

"But what?" he demanded.

"But," Elizabeth said almost desperately searching for a way to explain that she was just not ready, that the thought of moving forward frightened her. She thrust that feeling roughly aside, not willing to admit or examine it and fell back on an easier, if not entirely satisfactory explanation.

"But," she started again, "I want to wait…wait until it is at least possible to approach family events without as much stress as we've had just this weekend, or…or at the party for your cousin Anne. I don't need or expect us all to be best friends, but it would be nice to enter marriage with it being just about you and me and our being happy and not it becoming something that will only cause more tension with your family or mine. A seemingly quick marriage will do that; we've not been together that long. My father certainly made it clear that he would be unhappy; your Aunt Margaret was just last weekend trying to push other women on you. Let them get used to us before jumping ahead. Your Uncle Philip…"

"Then move in with me," William said, his voice hoarse and perhaps a little challenging, expecting her to find some argument against this as well, some further means of keeping her from being with him where he needed her to be. "It would show them that we are serious and that they have no choice other than to get used to it."

Elizabeth looked away, off to the side and down at the ground. Unseen by either of them, a group of walkers saw them and recognising the seriousness of the couple turned around to find another route.

"Will…" she said softly.

"What?" he demanded. "What would be the argument against that? You say you love being with me and I love being with you and I want more. It's been wonderful recently, knowing you were with me when I had to deal with… Or knowing you're nearby when you weren't feeling well so that I could be sure you got the rest you needed. To just know that, no matter what, we're together. It's want I want; what I need."

The last few words were said quietly and it was those three small words that overcame Elizabeth's hesitation. She could not deny him.

"You're right," she said softly, but still not looking at him. She took a moment to gather her thoughts and push the dissenting voices in her head into silence. She took a deep breath and then looked at him with a bit of teasing in her eyes and tone. "I can't think of a single argument against it."

If she sounded less than confident, William was too relieved and happy to notice. He smiled broadly, displaying his dimples.

"You will? You'll move into the house with me?"

"Yes," Elizabeth said nodding. His cheer and happiness helped dampen her discomfort.

William wrapped his arms around her for a quick hug. He was starting to remember that they were in public. After a quick look around he pressed his lips to hers for a gentle, loving kiss.

"You've made me so happy," he whispered.

Tears pooled in Elizabeth's eyes, but were quickly suppressed. The conversation and surprise decision left her feeling emotionally exhausted and anxious. She had to repeatedly quell feelings of anger and fear and told her inner self that there would be time to sort through it all later. She forced herself to think of William's happiness, focusing on it as proof that everything would be all right.

They resumed their walk, making their way back to their starting point. They didn't speak a great deal. William kept hold of Elizabeth's hand, even when they were back in more popular – and thus busier – parts of the park. This alone told Elizabeth how pleased he was; he was usually very reticent about such public displays as was she. She could see that he was happy too, and had no doubt that he was making plans. She didn't know or even suspect that he had been thinking ahead to her moving into his house for weeks already.

Back at the car, they decided to drive to a vegetarian restaurant that William located using a new application on his mobile. He was ready for an afternoon snack and Elizabeth did not object; she could use a cup of tea if nothing else, along with a chance to absorb the unexpected outcome of their simple walk in the park. Their attention was focused on finding the place, which proved to be straightforward fortunately.

As they sat and waited for their order, William said, "Why don't we go to your flat and you can pick up some things for tomorrow? I'll call Mrs Northmore to let her know we'll be there for dinner."

It was a bit much for Elizabeth, who felt he was pushing to make her moving in happen as soon as possible. She needed a little time and there were practicalities to consider.

"Will, there are a bunch of things I need to attend to, as I usually do." Before he could interrupt, she continued, "I know we agreed to… but I still have to go to work tomorrow and all of that." Life doesn't completely change immediately, does it? she wondered.

William had listened carefully and wasn't in a mood to argue. He did know what she meant; he had witnessed her buzzing around, organising herself for her work week. Knowing that soon all of her time would be spent at the house with him, and he wouldn't have to share her attention with mundane chores such as laundry or cooking, made him feel indulgent.

"Okay. Why don't we stop by the house, then? I'll get some things for tonight. We can have dinner out or pick up something; whatever you like."

Elizabeth nodded, taking a sip of her drink which had been quietly deposited in front of her during William's speech. How could she say no? Another server deposited their snack – pita bread with a selection of spreads and green salads.

"So, Pemberley next weekend?" Elizabeth said. It was a soothing topic; she was greatly looking forward to it and it had nothing to do with families or weddings or moving.

"Yes," William replied. "I'm looking forward to it."

He smiled lovingly at her. The last time they had been Pemberley they had spoken about not rushing their relationship and in William's mind they hadn't. This time there would be no talk of strolling instead of leaping; this time they would be in the midst of moving Elizabeth into his home.

"What time should we aim to depart? I don't think I have anything in particular on the go Friday."

"I'm not sure about my schedule," William said, trying to think ahead. He was adding items to his list of matters to attend to – all related to Elizabeth coming to live with him. He had plans, had had them for a long time. Now it was time to set them in motion. "I'll have to check with Derek tomorrow. We should try to leave early if we can. Maybe before lunch."

Elizabeth nodded and continued to chew a mouthful of salad. William ate more heartily; she didn't have that much of an appetite.

"We can talk to Mrs Reynolds about the summer visits," William added and Elizabeth nodded again. "I'm trying to get firm dates from Charles. And we should talk about my family."

Elizabeth looked up at him questioningly.

"They usually visit every summer, too."

"Right; I knew that," Elizabeth said.

William went on, "I haven't spoken to my aunt about it yet, as I wasn't sure if it was a good idea. But after Uncle Philip's visit last weekend, I feel better about it."

Elizabeth nodded her agreement again. He was right of course. Philip's decision to support their relationship would help; it didn't mean Elizabeth would look forward to the time with the other Fitzwilliams.

An outsider might have found the reversal amusing. William, usually the quiet, reticent one was speaking happily while Elizabeth, usually the one shouldering the bulk of a conversation, remained largely silent.

"When Georgie is here would be best, I think."

"Of course," Elizabeth said quietly. "And Rebecca," she added.

William nodded, prevented from verbally replying as he was in the middle of eating.

"What about your aunt Catherine and Anne?" Elizabeth asked.

William shook his head and then said, "They rarely visit and I imagine this summer won't be any different, especially with the wedding in the autumn. I'll issue an invitation, but I doubt it will be accepted. If they do want to come, it will have to be when the others do. We don't want to be entertaining guests all summer. They should all come when Georgiana is here."

"Yes, you're right of course."

"Especially if we want to go away at the end of August."

"Um hum," she agreed then sighed softly and said, "We have to consider birthdays, too."

It was William's turn to look quizzical.

"My mother and Aunt Maddy both have birthdays in August. Aunt Maddy wouldn't want or expect us to plan around hers, but I imagine it would be a greater issue if we were to miss my mother's," she explained. Elizabeth didn't mention that she had missed Fanny's birthday celebration the previous year; she had been on her way to Hertfordshire for it when she had been in a car crash.

"I see," William said simply. "When is it?"

"Right at the end of August. We usually celebrate the last weekend of the month."

"All right. We can keep that in mind." He was willing to accommodate this, but only if it didn't seriously interfere with their own plans. Fanny Bennet, he felt, didn't deserve that much consideration.

Tentatively he asked if she thought they would have to visit her family before then. He was relieved when she said no. Elizabeth knew this and didn't blame him; she was glad about it, as well.

"Mary's birthday is at the end of June, but I've already told her we wouldn't be able to go to Hertfordshire then. Georgiana will be here, for one thing, and for another Mary does her best to make it as low key as possible. Our not being there will actually help."

William didn't expect Fanny objected to that at all.

"I've told her I'd like to visit her instead," Elizabeth went on. "She'll still be at school."

"Oh?" he asked, not aware that she was planning a trip.

"Just for the day," she clarified and he felt relieved. Partly it was because he didn't want her to be away from him, but also because he didn't think she got along that well with Mary.

"And what is left, birthday-wise?" William asked, trying to keep the various family members in order.

"Let's see," Elizabeth said. "Uncle Ed is in early September, Kitty in mid-September. Lydia in late October – you and Charles were in Hertfordshire around her birthday last year," Elizabeth reminded him and William nodded, smiling at her. "Davy is earlier in the month," she concluded, but then added, "And Georgie just before Kitty, I mean Kate."

William nodded again and then looked about for their server, trying to signal they were ready for the bill. He was starting to feel anxious to be alone with Elizabeth; they hadn't been since making their big decision.

As they left and drove to William's she asked about his week. He had been quite busy recently and she hoped his schedule would lighten up. If he was talking about leaving for Pemberley early on Friday, it seemed promising.

He replied that he expected it would be like most weeks. "Meetings; I think Tuesday and Wednesday are mostly filled with meetings of one sort or another. Other than that, it will be the usual."

Elizabeth nodded.

"And you?" he asked, thinking it would be a good opportunity to plan their week, confident it would involve spending most nights, if not all of them, together. After all she had agreed to move in with him.

"The usual," she said. Inwardly she grimaced before adding, "I'd like to arrange to see my aunt and uncle one evening. We've not had time for more than very quick lunches recently. My aunt and I, I mean."

She would need to break the news to them that she was going to move in with William. She would have to inform the Pattersons as well, the owners of the house in which she lived. Her uncle worked with Mr Patterson. Given her recent conversations with her aunt about William, she expected there would be a lot of questions to answer. Elizabeth didn't even want to think about that, let alone all of the other tasks involved with moving. Later, she told herself. There's no immediate rush.

"Oh," she exclaimed and William took a quick glance at her. She noticed and explained. "I'm going to miss my music group on Friday; I'll have to let them know." She grimaced again.

"Friday is an awkward day to meet," William stated.

Elizabeth shrugged. "It's usually worked out. We meet early enough not to interfere if someone has evening plans and it is a relaxing time otherwise. No one has to work the next day, we've sometimes gone for a drink or dinner so we can keep chatting and so forth. The issue is leaving town for the weekend.

William didn't respond and Elizabeth realised it might have sounded like a complaint so she added, "Not that I'm complaining; it is just the reality of the situation."

He nodded. "I'm having dinner with Charles on Wednesday. Maybe you can see your aunt and uncle then. If you can arrange it, of course." He gathered from the way she spoke she wanted to see them alone. It didn't bother him.

Elizabeth knew he suggested this so that they wouldn't lose an evening together. She nodded, not entirely sure how she felt about the implication that every other night would be spent together.

"Otherwise," he said, "I hope we can…oh damn!"

Elizabeth looked at him, surprised by the exclamation.

"I forgot I have a dinner meeting Tuesday with the board of directors." He groaned; they both knew it would be unpleasant.

Elizabeth rested her hand lightly on his leg in sympathy. "Is it about anything in particular?"

William shook his head no. "It is just to touch base, keep everyone informed of recent events and so forth. It will still be awful. Well, unless Lord Halsley can attend; he can't always, but it is more pleasant when he does."

Without his father's old friend there, the other board members would feel more at liberty to try to manipulate William into agreeing to any schemes or policies they had in mind, many of which would not fit his vision for BGD. These attempts invariably failed, but it didn't stop them from trying. They still had not adequately dealt with the issue of filling a board seat, vacated several months earlier, in part because they could not agree on a suitable replacement.

"Well," Elizabeth said soothingly, "it will give me two nights to suggest to my aunt and uncle. With luck, one will be all right."

"I suppose," he replied, not sounding at all mollified, "but we have our own things to do."

Elizabeth wasn't entirely sure what he meant. "We have plenty of time together. And if you're occupied two evenings, it is hardly that disruptive. I'll see the Gardiners and I have more than enough on the go to keep me occupied the other night."

"Perhaps, but we have plans to make," he said matter-of-factly, referring to redecorating and organising some spaces within the house and arranging for her things to be moved.

The conversation went no further however, as Elizabeth sat silently contemplating the growing number of tasks she had to undertake. She wasn't, in all honesty, looking forward to the extra work and the need to inform people of the change she was about to make. She didn't know how her father would react and didn't even want to speculate on her mother's response when she heard the news. She decided she would let Jane or her father tell Fanny.

Soon they were pulling onto William's street. Entering the house for the second time that day, they were greeted by Mrs Northmore who walked toward them from the back of the house. William told her that they would be staying at Elizabeth's flat that evening, but expected to be at the house Monday for dinner.

We do? Elizabeth thought. William assumed they would be, clearly, and she could hardly contradict him in front of Mrs Northmore. While he collected his things for the night, Elizabeth thought about it briefly and decided it wasn't worth arguing about. He would be occupied Tuesday and Wednesday, so she would have those evenings to herself. It would give her time to consider the move. She was sure she could easily settle her currently jumbled feelings on the matter if she just had a bit of time, if she could just sit quietly and think it all through.

On the way to her flat, they discussed dinner. Elizabeth suggested they could make something if there was anything in particular he felt like. They soon settled on pasta and baked tofu. They dropped William's car off and went around to the grocers and bakery near her place before collecting William's things and going up. They spotted her downstairs neighbour, Ms Anderson, and greeted her pleasantly. Elizabeth would miss her neighbourhood, her community although she knew the area around William's house was very nice and lively. She had no doubt she would come to love it, too. She was adaptable and would soon be very much at home in her new situation. It would just take a bit of time.

Elizabeth immediately started some necessary dinner tasks while William put away his things. She then unpacked the bag she had brought to Hertfordshire, smiled at him sitting on the sofa and went back into the kitchen. He followed almost immediately. He saw that she was getting prepared to chop some vegetables and took over the task for her. When she thanked him, he said it was no bother.

"It wouldn't be fair to leave all of the work to you in any case," he teased and she smiled. After working together in silence for a few minutes, he went on. "I rather enjoy it really. Doing it together, I mean."

Elizabeth chuckled a little. "Well, I can't see you volunteering to help Mrs Northmore make dinner. I can imagine her look of horror, however!" They both laughed.

"We'll have to make a point of cooking dinner together sometimes. When Mrs Northmore is away or off for the day," he stated and again Elizabeth nodded.

"You're being very quiet," he observed.

When she answered vaguely, "Am I?" he didn't reply, but watched her carefully for a few minutes.

He may not have said anything about it earlier, but he had noticed. Granted he had primarily been thinking of how happy he was that they had reached an understanding. When he thought about it though, she had really been very quiet all afternoon. Before his thoughts could get the better of him, he put down the knife he was using, removed Elizabeth's from her hand and turned her toward him. He held both of her hands in his and waited until she looked at him. She arched her eyebrows in question, but her eyes didn't display their usual lightness. Something seemed to be pressing on her mind.

Tentatively, he said, "Elizabeth, nothing is wrong, is it? I mean, you are…okay with everything? You are happy about…?"

"Yes," Elizabeth assured him, interrupting his last question. "Yes, of course."

She squeezed his hands before pulling hers out of his so that she could slide her arms about his waist. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly to him. He had looked, suddenly, so worried with that hint of vulnerability he sometimes displayed; she didn't like to see him feeling that way.

"It's just…" she said, her words a little muffled as she rested her head on his chest. "It's just a lot to think about. Moving, I mean. There's a lot involved – notifying people, including the Pattersons, putting in change of address requests; it seems yet another place or person I need to notify pops into my head every five minutes. Let alone having to think about dealing with my things." Adjusting to a new life…

William pulled back and pressed his lips against hers, kissing her lovingly and softly. After a long moment, he again pulled her tightly to him, resting her head on his shoulder. He placed soft kisses on her hair.

"All of that is easily dealt with," he said dismissively, "and we will. I'm just so happy you've agreed. It will be wonderful to be together, to really start building a life together. It's what I've wanted for so long."

Elizabeth tightened her grip on him, holding back the tears that had welled in her eyes. "I love you," she whispered.

They kissed again for a few minutes before Elizabeth disentangled herself and said, laughingly, that they had better get back to making dinner or they would be eating at 10 o'clock.

At dinner they spoke about books and nature walks. William told Elizabeth stories about sleeping out on Pemberley's grounds in the summers with his father and Charles. They were happy memories, but ones he didn't talk about very much. It was almost as though if he spoke of them, they would be diminished or devalued in some way. Elizabeth enjoyed listening, however, and he relished the loving looks she gave as he talked about his childhood.

After they ate, Elizabeth did some chores, tossing in a load of laundry and ensuring she was prepared for the work week by pre-packing snacks and preparing her lunch for the next day. William suggested she put together whatever she needed for Tuesday and he would take it with him in the morning, allowing her to go directly from work to the house. He also raised the possibility of meeting after his dinner on Tuesday. Elizabeth demurred, saying they should wait until she had made plans with her aunt before deciding.

Elizabeth spent some time sitting at her dining table-slash-desk looking through papers while William read through some files he had with him, preparing for an early phone call. He finished first and spent some time watching her, thinking of the future. It would be the two of them; together, happy and having many times like this – quiet, companionable and supportive.

He stood and walked over to her, bending down by her side. Kissing her jaw and cheek he whispered, "Are you almost done?" He resumed his task, now moving his kisses to her neck.

"Soon; a few more minutes," she replied, her voice catching as he sucked on her earlobe.

"Okay; hurry."

With a final kiss just at the corner of her mouth, he stood, let his hand linger on her back in caress and then went to prepare for bed. As he did so, he thought that he would miss her flat, in some ways at least. It was a place they could be truly alone and he liked that. He wouldn't miss the cramped – compared to his house – spaces though, such as in the bathroom. He trusted his plans for their bedroom suite would help recreate the sense of privacy and give them a place to not only retire at night, but a place to relax together, separated from the rest of the house.

When he was done, he got into bed to wait for Elizabeth. He thought about his plans, creating a list in his head of tasks to do; he would get Mr Mallon to find an acceptable company to pack and move Elizabeth's things. He had an idea for her furniture he would talk to her about. Tomorrow night he would outline his plans to her, showing her the rooms he was thinking of modifying and get her feedback. They would talk about what they needed to get and on Thursday perhaps they could start shopping. He grumbled about the delay, but he couldn't avoid the board dinner and he and Charles made a point of not cancelling their dinners unless it was unavoidable; Elizabeth wouldn't want him to in any case.

Elizabeth was not too long. For a little while at least, all of her fears were chased away.

Monday morning Elizabeth sent Jane a message letting her know that she would be at William's that night. They tried to speak every Monday evening to stay in touch, but it would be better this week to do so on another night. After calling her aunt, Elizabeth sent her sister another message suggesting they speak Tuesday night. Jane replied this was all right, her email message ending with the statement:

We have a lot to talk about! I'm getting married!!!!!!!!

Elizabeth worked solidly all day and did her best to think of papers and schedules and not the practicalities of changing house. Rebecca, William's cousin, sent a message to ask if they could have lunch on Thursday and Elizabeth agreed. She had arranged with William, who had been too busy to think of anything other than meetings and reports all day, to meet him at his office so that she could get a ride to the house with him and Mr Mallon. William had suggested they stop by her office, but her counter proposal, offered during an afternoon text message exchange, would save them some driving – and in rush hour – and give her a chance for a walk. It would help her shake off the bit of migraine and general discomfort that accompanied the first day of her cycle.

She left the office, stopping first to give Dani, her assistant, some papers to copy. They talked a little about Dani's developing plans to visit Scotland with friends while Elizabeth was occupied with Georgiana's visit and spending time at Pemberley.

At the BGD building, she was greeted by name by one of the security members. She was given a security pass with her name on it, told that she should keep it for future visits, and let through to the lifts. Up at William's office, Derek greeted her warmly, telling her that William was just finishing an overseas call. He offered her a beverage, which she declined, and they filled the time chatting. Given her conversation with Dani, Elizabeth thought to ask Derek about his summer plans and he mentioned visiting family in the north of England and perhaps taking a jaunt somewhere with friends before the busy autumn period started.

She joined William in his office when his call was completed. In between closing the door and collecting his things for the evening, he gathered her into his arms and kissed her happily. He asked, seriously, how she felt and she reassured him she was fine and no worse than she usually was. His tendency to worry warred with his glee over being able to plan her move; the latter won. Within a few moments, Derek rang through to say Mr Mallon was approaching the building and the couple made their way back down the lifts and into the car.

During the ride, they talked about their days. Elizabeth told William she would be spending Wednesday evening with the Gardiners and having lunch on Thursday with Rebecca. Once at the house, they went upstairs to change out of their work clothes. William received a phone call from his cousin Richard that took some time. When he was done, he joined her on the sofa in the bedroom.

"How is your cousin?" Elizabeth asked politely. She didn't particularly care for Richard, but that didn't mean she couldn't be polite.

William shrugged. "He wanted to talk about Georgie."

"Oh? Is there a problem?" she asked naturally more interested in this question than her previous one. She had been in regular, if infrequent, contact with William's sister, via email, and as far as she knew, Georgiana was doing well.

"No. Richard has decided he wants to know exactly what plans I'm making for her visit." And how much of that time will be spent in your company, he added to himself. Richard felt that Elizabeth was a bad influence on Georgiana; William felt the opposite. He has no explanation for Richard's belief and it seemed completely insensible to him.

"Did you mention Pemberley?"

William and Elizabeth had decided just the day before to extend an invitation to the Fitzwilliams to visit while Georgiana was in England.

"No. I didn't have a chance to talk to my aunt today."

Elizabeth nodded.

"Richard also wanted to ask about Sterling. He said his brother has been acting odd recently and wondered if I knew anything about it."

Elizabeth arched her eyebrows and looked at him questioningly. "Well, do you?"

William shook his head no. He pulled out his PDA to look at the dates of Georgiana's visit and they talked about their schedules during that time. William wanted to determine the best dates to suggest to his aunt before calling her and also before issuing an invitation to his cousin Rebecca.

Having settled some details, they headed downstairs. Dinner wasn't quite ready and they went into the music room in the interim. Elizabeth thought she had left some flute music behind, mixed in with her with growing collection of piano books, and wanted it to practice. She soon found it and at William's request sat down to play for a while until Mrs Northmore came to tell them it was time to eat.

William was in a very good mood. He loved having Elizabeth with him and it seemed so normal, so settled-couple like, meeting up at the end of the day and having a regular evening at home. It was certainly preferable to the lonely life he was living before Elizabeth entered the picture, although he had never realised how much was missing. Now this was to be the norm, not the exception and it was brilliant.

Elizabeth was doing rather well, too. She certainly enjoyed being with William, but also felt she would need more time to get used to waiting for someone else to make dinner. She wasn't sure how William and Mrs Northmore managed things, but she hoped Mrs Northmore (and William) didn't expect her to start arranging menus or anything like that. Mrs Northmore had several times asked her opinion on what she had planned and had asked Elizabeth about her likes and dislikes, but apart from that Elizabeth rightly had had little to do with the operation of the household. In fact, she realised, she had little idea how the house did operate. This line of thinking led to other questions, such as how she would contribute. She was used to taking care of her own needs – not only in terms of shopping, cooking and cleaning – but also financially. It was easy to picture how the former aspects would change, even if becoming accustomed to them seemed challenging; she really had no idea how they would arrange financial matters.

Just as her thoughts could start to worry her, William's voice recalled her attention.

"I thought we could do it after dinner," he finished.

With an apologetic look, Elizabeth asked him to repeat himself. She offered a vague excuse for her inattention. He smiled, partly too happy to wonder at her behaviour and partly assuming it had to do with work.

"I have some ideas for reorganising things now that you will be moving in and of course there are a few matters we need to settle. I thought we could take a look around and make some decisions after dinner."

Elizabeth wasn't necessarily surprised at his enthusiasm. She knew he was happy, very happy, they were taking this step; he had been ready for it for some time. And yet part of her wished they were going to have a simple, quiet evening, maybe watch a video or do some reading. Instead she found herself agreeing to his suggestion. She asked if he had told anyone yet and he replied that he had not.

"But as we will be recruiting their assistance, we should tell Mr Mallon and Mrs Northmore. Tonight, perhaps, or tomorrow morning."

Elizabeth wasn't entirely sure what he meant by 'recruiting their assistance', but her moving in would certainly affect them most directly and she nodded her agreement.

When they were finished eating, William suggested they have tea a little later. He was almost bursting with anticipation and wanted to get to the important part of their evening – planning for her move. He pulled her upstairs, first directing her to his suite and into the study which adjoined the bedroom.

"I thought we should remake this room into a sitting room. We sit in here sometimes, but it is very much a working space. If we move out my desk and work things, get some new furniture, it could be a very relaxing space and one of our own, more removed from the rest of the house. We'll need more seating, some different shelving perhaps. We could paint if you like."

He stopped abruptly and looked at Elizabeth for a response. His enthusiasm reminded her of his attitude at her birthday when he had been almost bouncing with excitement. He rarely was in such a light-hearted mood.

Elizabeth shook her head no, saying, "I don't see why. It seems fine to me. But where would you work? I don't…"

He gave her a quick kiss, stopping her words, and said, "It's all part of the plan!"

Taking her hand, he pulled her into the bedroom.

"Here, too," he said, "we could paint if you like."

Seeing Elizabeth's expression which was clearly communicating a 'no', he went on.

"Both rooms were done just over a year ago; as long as you don't mind the colour?"

"Not at all," she said and smiled although she was starting to feel that he had leapt a few miles ahead of her with his planning.

"All right. I do think, however, that we should select some new linens and perhaps window coverings. Get something that is ours, our choice. And if there is anything you want to change, you just need to tell me."

He looked at her very earnestly until she nodded her acknowledgment and acceptance of his terms.

"Working," he then said, and directed her out into the passageway and down towards a door at the other end. "You will need some office space as will I and I thought," he paused while he opened a door, "that we would convert these rooms."

They entered what was currently a guest space. It consisted of two rooms, open to each other, but which could be separated by closing a set of sliding wooden doors. One room was a bedroom, the other a living space with a small desk and sofa.

William continued. "We could each take a room. If needed, we can close the doors for privacy, otherwise, we can just leave them open. We'll have to get you a proper desk and so forth."

"I suppose," she said weakly, feeling she had to contribute somehow to the conversation. "I do have some furniture," she muttered, but he didn't hear.

"These rooms will need more work," he went on, walking around. Truthfully, Elizabeth thought the décor was dated and she would be happy to see the colours changed and so she did not argue with his suggestion.

"We can think about what we want," William continued, looking at her from across the room. "The sooner we decide, the sooner we can have it done." He smiled happily.

"There's no big rush," Elizabeth said. She understood he had a tendency to want to get things done and settled once he had made a decision, but couldn't agree they needed to put everything in motion immediately.

"No, but the sooner the better," he said not realising how contradictory that sounded. He walked back towards her. "It will be good to just have you settled in the house, especially with Georgiana arriving in a few weeks."

Elizabeth was just about to suggest that later that month, when they would mostly be at Pemberley, would be an appropriate time to have any work done; they would be gone so it would be less disruptive surely. It would give them – her – a few weeks to consider everything that needed to be taken care of and accustom herself to the idea of moving, slowly – but not too slowly – effecting the change. There were people and places that needed to be notified, she had to think about packing, and what she would do with her furniture and other household items…

"If we can get everything done before she arrives," William said, startling Elizabeth and preventing her from offering her vision, "then we won't have to worry about it over the summer."

Finished with their perusal of the to-be-office rooms, William suggested they go down to the sitting room to keep talking about what needed to be done. Elizabeth agreed and, on their way, asked Mrs Northmore for tea, which she quickly brought to them, having thought they would want some soon and thus already having things prepared.

Sitting on the sofa, facing him, Elizabeth said, trying to sound reasonable and realistic, "William, there is a lot to arrange. I can't see how we can possible get it all done quite so quickly."

William chose to interpret her words as a request for reassurance that it was possible.

"Don't worry. Mr Mallon and Mrs Northmore will do most of the arranging and oversight once we've made some decisions. I thought we could do some looking around Thursday after work for furniture. Some of that will be special order and may take some time, but all of the basics can be in place quickly so that the rooms are functional. Once we tell Mrs Northmore, she'll make arrangements for having the rooms painted and the furniture moved."

"I do have some things in my flat," she offered.

"And I've had the perfect idea," he said rapidly. "Your sister will, I imagine, require furniture when she starts her new programme in the autumn. We can put what you no longer need into storage until it is needed and then see her well settled when the time comes."

Elizabeth looked at him once again feeling rather like he was steamrolling over her. She didn't want to argue; he was so happy and she knew no way to explain her feelings that wouldn't potentially result in disaster – at best hurt feelings and at worst a fight that left them damaged. She had agreed to move in with him, and was perfectly accepting of that even if it was sooner than she had imagined they would take this step; she loved him and did, really she did, want to be with him. But wished she felt like she had more of a role in the decision making process. She decided on a new approach.

"William, you have obviously thought this through. Why don't you just tell me what you have planned?"

This was fine with William and he was more than prepared to accede to her suggestion.

"Once we tell Mrs Northmore, as I said, she will arrange matters around the house. We will have to select colours for the office, but that shouldn't take long and I think she even has paint chips or whatever they are called. I imagine moving things around and painting can be done very quickly; she has regular workers she uses to do that type of thing. Thursday we can start to look for furniture, but until we've made decisions and items can be delivered, we can use what is around the house. It's not perfect, but it will do for the short-term if needed."

Elizabeth listened with a neutral expression as he continued.

"Mr Mallon we can put in charge of arranging the removal of your things. He'll find a company to pack up your flat and he can ensure what is bound for the house is brought here and that the rest is properly stored. You'll just have to make sure he knows what needs to go where. If you draw up a list of places that need to be informed of your change of address and give it to him, he and Mrs Northmore can take care of it very quickly. We can easily have everything arranged – all of the wheels in motion to use a cliché – before we leave for Pemberley on Friday."

"By Friday!?"Elizabeth exclaimed. "Don't you think that's awfully fast?"

"No. It's all manageable," he replied misunderstanding her question. "The timing is really excellent, if you think about it," he went on enthusiastically. "We'll have you settled in before Georgiana arrives. Once she does, we'll be back and forth to Pemberley much more frequently and it will be summer; we'll want to enjoy ourselves, not take care of all of this. And Mrs Northmore and Mr Mallon both have holidays scheduled over July and August, so it would be harder to arrange everything."

Elizabeth didn't know what to say. So many different thoughts and feelings were flooding through her it was hard to make sense of them, let alone try to explain them. Rather than try, she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I love you," she whispered and tried to compose herself without him realising she needed to.

William tightened his grip on her and kissed the top of her head a few times. "So you see, my darling, really there won't be that much for you to worry about. We don't even have to rush to get furniture really; if we don't find what we like immediately, we can just take our time."

Elizabeth nodded her head against his shoulder and he gave her a squeeze again.

Tentatively he asked, "Are you worried about telling people? Your parents?"

He felt Elizabeth sigh and gently pushed her back so that he could look at her expression and get a better sense of her feelings. He took her anxiety to be an answer to his question.

"How do you think they'll react?" he asked.

She sighed again. "I don't really know." Truthfully she didn't.

"They can hardly object," William said with some vehemence. "Jane practically lives with Charles now. She always stays at his house in Hertfordshire and I know they spend time together during the week as well."

Elizabeth nodded as he spoke.

"And," he went on, "it will show them that we are serious about each other. We know your mother's words were complete rot and after this, she will have to accept that I am, in fact, very, very serious about you."

Elizabeth reached out and caressed his cheek gently. "Yes," she agreed. She sighed again and, with some effort, spoke. "I'm not sure what my father will say. It doesn't matter," she said quickly, emphasising the point, "but after all of the nonsense recently, I'm not particularly looking forward to telling him. I thought I'd let him or Jane tell my mother."

They looked at each other and William slowly nodded.

"I know it's cowardly of me," she started to say.

"Not at all," William interrupted. "You have no idea how she might react and, as we have recent proof, she could be…harsh. Avoiding that is not cowardly." She doesn't deserve your consideration, he felt like adding.

Elizabeth smiled and gave him a light kiss. His comfort – having been in his arms, his continued closeness – was soothing.

"I have to let the Pattersons know – the owners of the house."

William nodded. "Yes, it will be sudden from their perspective. You can offer to keep paying rent until they let the flat," he suggested. "I doubt it will take long, in any case."

Elizabeth nodded. She didn't think it would take long to find a new tenant either. It was a great flat, really, and a wonderful location.

"But it won't be so much to do," William stressed. "Not as much as you thought."

"You're right," she said bravely. She had moved house many times since leaving Longbourn shortly after her sixteenth birthday and had no doubt that this would be the easiest one yet. But there was something about the process of moving – of seeing to the various matters yourself – that helped with the transition from one phase of your life to another. Wasn't there?

"Good!" William jumped up. "Why don't we tell them now? I'm almost certain Mrs Northmore has those colour paint bits. We had some rooms done last year. We can have a look. And you can make arrangements with Mr Mallon."

Elizabeth stood and faced him. She thrust her jumbled emotions aside and focused on his enthusiasm and confidence. "Okay."

William took her hand, but before they exited the room, he extracted several kisses, which Elizabeth was more than happy to relinquish.

They found Mrs Northmore and Mr Mallon in the sitting room that was located off of the kitchen. The two staff members used it as their space and William rarely intruded. He assumed they would be there, together, and he was right. They were playing a game of cards and looked up, surprised at the sudden appearance of the couple.

"Mr Darcy, Dr Bennet, can I get you anything?" Mrs Northmore automatically asked.

"No, no," William waved her back into her seat.

He apologised for interrupting their game, but explained it was for a good reason. Upon hearing the news, both Mrs Northmore and Mr Mallon expressed their honest delight and it was very gratifying for Elizabeth. Congratulations were offered and accepted. William explained the assistance they would need from both of them and they were, of course, more than happy to help. Mrs Northmore knew exactly where to find the colour chart they used to select paint. While she fetched them, Elizabeth and Mr Mallon made plans for him to stop by her flat the next evening.

William and Elizabeth decided to get ready for bed and look through the paint options afterwards. It didn't take very long to come to agreement and they selected a 'stone' colour grouping, deciding to let the painters suggest how best to use the various shades in the new double office space. Unless they objected, they would go with the recommendation.

They chatted a little longer, kissing occasionally. William told Elizabeth some of his thoughts for decorating the sitting room. After a while, they settled down to sleep, William's arms wrapped tightly around Elizabeth. She soon fell asleep, but it took William longer. His thoughts were too active, centering on how happy he was. It meant so much to him to know that he would have Elizabeth with him – permanently – in his house, under his protection. They would be together and he would never have to be alone again. The last step and what would truly unite them, truly make her his – marriage – could not be that far away. There was the issue of Charles and Jane's wedding; that might affect their own plans, but he was sure they could work something out. He doubted Elizabeth would want a fancy wedding such as the one Charles and Jane were planning and he certainly didn't. But, he reminded himself, one step at a time; they could talk about getting married in the autumn, or maybe in the late summer when they planned to take a holiday abroad. With that in mind, he turned his thoughts back to his plans for making his house their home.