Not Long Now

Posted on July 10, 2008

The air was chill, although there was little breeze to rattle the trees' bare branches. Winter had come earlier to Derbyshire. But Fitzwilliam Darcy did not mind. Ever since boyhood, winter had been his favourite season; playing in the fallen leaves, or snow, and running to Lambton to go chestnut picking. And this winter was especially promising. From his place on the terrace, Darcy could see a carriage approaching, and fought to keep himself from running to meet it. It would not do to seem too eager; he should be embarrassed for Mr. Bennet to know just how desperately keen he was to see his daughter. He should be rather embarrassed for Lizzy to know, actually.

Elizabeth Bennet glowed as her gaze fell on Pemberley; the most beautiful and happily situated house in England, with the dearest master (in her entirely unbiased opinion). She resisted the urge to spur the driver on faster; not only would her family laugh at her for being such a silly lovesick girl, but it would be most inelegant to race up the drive to such a grand house. Besides, Fitzwilliam would probably tease her if he knew just how eager she was to see him again.

The period of their engagement had seemed an eternity, but the weeks and months had slowly passed, and now Mr. Darcy had invited the Bennet family to Pemberley a week before the wedding, so that they could see for themselves the home their Lizzy would be entering. Mrs. Bennet's excitement upon seeing the house was surpassed only by Lizzy's (although her daughter's excitement was of a much more subtle nature).

As the family piled out of their carriage, the master of the house was there to greet them. "Good day, Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Bennet. Miss Bennet, Miss Bennet, Miss Bennet and Miss Bennet."

Lizzy fought laughter at the boyish pleasure her fiancé expressed. She was overwhelmed with affection for him, seeing him for the first time in a month or so. Taking the arm he proffered, she gave him a warm smile as they made their way inside.

The Bennets were thoroughly impressed with both the interior and exterior of Pemberley. Lizzy was thoroughly impressed at her fiancé's patience with her mother's enraptured praises. She was also impressed with Jane, who put on a brave face despite being separated from Bingley, who had remained at Netherfield to prepare the house.

After a splendid luncheon, Darcy suggested that they all take a trip to Lambton, for those who had not already seen it. Of course, Darcy was coming too, and there was not enough room for them all in the Bennet's carriage, so he called for his own. The daughters protested that their own carriage was awfully crowded with the family of six, and suggested that Lizzy might ride with Mr. Darcy (solely for the purpose of giving them a little more room, of course). But Mr. Bennet insisted that Lizzy stay by his side to talk him through all the views, and instead it was Jane who accompanied Mr. Darcy in his carriage.

Taking a seat opposite him, Jane offered her sister's fiancé an apologetic smile.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Never mind. We shall all be in the company of our beloveds soon enough."

Jane smiled earnestly at that, for the first time feeling as though she shared something with her fiancé's oldest friend. "Yes, one more week. Lizzy's been so jittery, I've never seen her like it."

"Is that so?" Darcy smiled in amusement, then grew serious. "What kind of jittery?"

"Oh, a good kind," Jane assured him. "She's been all dreamy and distracted; reading the same book for nearly a month and hardly past the third chapter. She'd kill me for telling you this."

The man smiled, feeling justifiably proud at this revelation. "Well, just between you and I, Bingley has been expressing similar feelings in his letters to me."

Jane blushed a little, unable to check a smile. "Oh, well, that's...nice...Thank you. And, er, perhaps I might be able to organise more agreeable travel arrangements for the journey home..."

Darcy could not restrain a laugh at that, astonished to find a more mischievous side to this sweetest of girls. "I would be most grateful, Miss Bennet. Though I might add that travelling with you has by no means been less than agreeable."

Jane Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy shared a smile; happily surprised to have found an accomplice, and an unlikely friend.

Lambton was enjoyed by all, particularly Kitty, who solicited some young boys to pick her a basket of chestnuts (she being much too ladylike for such an occupation). They all agreed that it was a charming village, and enjoyed an afternoon tea at the inn. As darkness began to fall, so did gentle snowflakes. They resolved to make for Pemberley.

"Might I offer you my carriage, I believe it will be a little more comfortable for you all," suggested Darcy, "forgive me for not offering sooner."

"You are very kind," smiled Mrs. Bennet, as her Jane climbed aboard and secured a seat with unusual haste. She had just taken a seat herself when she realized that Lizzy and Mr. Darcy were the only two unseated.

"Oh...Shouldn't Lizzy join us? She hasn't yet ridden in this splendid carriage. Let Kitty or Mary ride in ours with Mr. Darcy."

"Now Mama," interrupted Jane, "It would be most unladylike for Kitty to climb over you to get out. Perhaps you might switch places with Lizzy."

It took a considerable effort for Darcy to hide the smile he shared with his accomplice, as he realized her plan.

"Oh no, we are all seated now. We should just hurry home before the snow gets any heavier," replied Mrs. Bennet, predictably reluctant to give up her seat in Darcy's fine carriage. Lizzy flashed her dearest sister a grateful smile as she and her fiancé left for their own carriage.

Once seated inside, they began to laugh.

"That sister of yours can be quite sly, despite her appearance of sweetness. I'm sure Bingley shall have his hands full."

"I must say I'm rather surprised at Jane myself; I cannot remember the last time she was so calculating."

"Your mischievous nature must be rubbing off on her," Darcy grinned, taking his fiance's hand in his own. Lizzy chuckled, inching closer to him in her seat.

"Well I must say I'm glad. I thought we'd never get a moment alone."

The journey continued, an eagerly awaited tête-à-tête. They had plenty to share; news of Georgiana, and Bingley, plans for the wedding and a great deal of laughter. Their discussion halted only with the carriage, which jolted violently and came to a halt.

"What was that?"

Darcy stuck his head out the door, to find the driver examining his horses.

"What happened?"

"I'm afraid the reigns have snapped sir, worn out. Can't drive on properly without them, I'll have to go back to Lambton for some new ones."

The gentleman nodded in understanding. "Of course. Take one of the horses."

"Thank you, sir."

Closing the door again, Darcy turned to his fiancé.

"There's been a problem with the reigns. We shall have to wait until the driver returns with new ones."

"Oh dear," sighed Lizzy, with a smile and very little remorse. The man laughed, then frowned. "Your father will think I sabotaged the carriage in order to spend time alone with you." His fiancé laughed, and shook her head.

"No, Papa knows that you are a gentleman. He'll think I sabotaged the carriage."

Darcy chuckled at that, momentarily surprised as she snuggled up next to him and placed her head on his shoulder. Then he couldn't help but smile; in little more than a week she would be his. Heaven knew he was already hers, he had been for a long time. Darcy lowered his head a little to murmur into her hair, "You're falling asleep on my shoulder."

"Mmm," Lizzy murmured sleepily, "And then you'll be forced to carry me inside in your arms."

There was a moment of silence, and then Darcy began to hum a lullaby. Elizabeth burst into laughter, lifting her head from his shoulder.

"Fitzwilliam Darcy, you are incorrigible!"

"I am merely human, and you are merely beautiful. In fact," he continued, admiring the eyes that twinkled in the darkness, "you are entirely too beautiful to be sitting in a dark carriage with a gentleman unchaperoned. It is tantamount to torture for the gentleman."

"Oh?" Elizabeth leaned a little closer.

"Yes, in fact, I feel it would be much...safer...if we sat on opposite sides of the carriage."

Lizzy's eyes sparkled as she reached for the door handle. "I have a better idea."

Following her as she climbed out of the carriage, Darcy had been about to ask whether he ought to be worried, but then he paused. The countryside was blanketed in fresh snow, still falling, dusting the trees with white and glistening in his fiancé's hair.

"I thought perhaps we needed cooling down," Lizzy grinned, coming to stand next to him. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"Breathtaking," Darcy agreed, and then his breath was taken from him as he felt cold snow slide down the back of his neck. She was already dancing away, bending to gather more ammunition, her breath turning to mist in the night air as she laughed. The refined gentleman stood there, stunned, and just as Lizzy began to fear that he had not liked the joke, his mouth curved into a mischievous smile.

"Why you little minx!"

Darcy swept some snow off the roof of the carriage, and the battle ensued.

Watching from a distance, one would have expected from their unruly behaviour that the pair were commoners, certainly not the future Mr. and Mrs. Darcy of Pemberley. By the time Fitzwilliam raised both hands in meek surrender, their hair was tousled, their clothes damp and their cheeks ruddy with cold.

"Come my dear, I think we ought to compose ourselves a little before the driver returns."

Accepting his hand as she climbed aboard, Lizzy was still laughing.

"If I catch my death, I will blame you alone," Darcy grinned, until his expression changed. "Quite seriously though, you had better not get too cold." As he wrapped an arm gingerly around her and drew her closer to his warmth, Lizzy smiled (both at the sentiment and at the feeling of his arm around her.)

"Oh, I do not think either of us are in danger of being cold right now."

The couple only drew apart when they heard the beat of hooves approaching, and the driver had righted the reign situation. They arrived back at Pemberley an hour and thirty minutes after the Bennets, and has quite some explaining to do. Darcy nearly had to resort to asking for the driver's testimony, but eventually all was settled and the group took hot chocolate before bed, gazing out at the snow-blanketed countryside.

As the sisters made their way upstairs to bed, Jane linked her arms with Lizzy's.

"Now Lizzy, if I had known just how long you would have taken, I would not have been so keen to help you and Mr. Darcy. Give an inch and you take a mile."

Her sister opened her mouth to reply in earnest, but then she saw that Jane's eyes were twinkling. "Oh Jane, you know I was telling the truth. The carriage got stuck, and we had to wait for the driver to come back with new reigns. We were not bored, though."

"Lizzy!"

"Oh, you mistake me, dear Jane," Elizabeth laughed. "We merely talked, and engaged in a little snowball fight."

"That would account for your wind-blown hair and dampened clothes."

"Yes, well, I thank you for affording us some time alone together. I would be only too pleased to repay such a service to you and Bingley."

The sweet girl blushed. "Well, within a week's time that shall scarcely be necessary."

"No," Lizzy smiled, closing the door behind them, "Not long now."

The End