{"id":6620,"date":"2020-10-26T09:08:32","date_gmt":"2020-10-26T13:08:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elizabethannwest.com\/author\/?p=6620"},"modified":"2020-10-26T09:14:20","modified_gmt":"2020-10-26T13:14:20","slug":"chapters-11-12-happy-was-the-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elizabethannwest.com\/author\/wip\/chapters-11-12-happy-was-the-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapters 11-12 Happy Was The Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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I am MOVED! And somewhat unpacked… the harder part was waiting for the novelty of returning home after 13 years away to wear off so I could find a new normal. And 2020… though I always homeschooled, my daughter and I are also getting that back up and running. The great news is I am unlikely to move from here until Catie is raised, so 7 or so years? Oh, we will still get traveling once it’s safe to do so again, but I am home in so many ways. Also, after 30 days of not being able to dictate, I finally CAN again thanks to troubleshooting 101 I should have done in the FIRST place… but whatever, it’s fixed now. That’s the important part.

Also, Chapter 11? Hotter than hot… you’ve been warned (it’s been on Fanfiction.net for 10 days, but Chapter 12 posted both places this morning.)<\/p>

-Love and safety to you all-<\/p>

Elizabeth Ann West<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Chapter 11 - Happy Was The Day, A Pride and Prejudice Sequel Novel<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Two mornings after the disastrous dinner at Netherfield Park, the eldest Bennet daughters lacked resolution. Despite a day and evening together since their falling out, a common ground failed them. Inching her way off the bed while Jane slept serenely, Elizabeth glared at her sister’s form. Practically angelic in her form, Elizabeth had never held such unbridled anger towards her closest confidant before in her life. Her muscles itched for occupation, exercise, and her early plans to privately meet Mr. Darcy up on Oakham Mount, depended on her quietly preparing for the venture. Any other morning she had taken her early walk, Jane might feign sleep or not wake at all, but now that they stood opposed in aims, Elizabeth took great care.<\/span><\/p>

Breathing deeply from rising anxiety as she collected her boots from the wardrobe, Elizabeth eased the squeaky door closed with the speed of a snail. She tied her boots hoping Mr. Darcy held a better understanding of Mr. Bingley’s plans. Jane had incensed her sensibilities beyond forgiveness at the moment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

All goodwill between the two sisters disappeared after Jane had returned yesterday from Netherfield Park. Without a word about her morning with Miss Bingley and their mother, Jane’s sour mood manifested in the least conspicuous way. She had entered her shared room with Elizabeth, who restored her own access, walked directly to their bed, sat down, and sighed.<\/span><\/p>

Elizabeth inspected a dictionary of Latin terms and frowned at the multitude of words available to express desire. When her sister did not greet her, she suspected Jane remained upset over the unpleasantness with Mr. Bingley, when in Elizabeth’s mind she was the one aggrieved as their dispute had forced her to sleep elsewhere. Still, Elizabeth wished for reconciliation with her favorite sister and to invite her to London as she felt confident Aunt Gardiner’s response would arrive soon. So she set down the dictionary as Jane sighed again, and turned to face her adversary.<\/span><\/p>

“Did your interview with Miss Bingley go well?” Elizabeth asked Jane, practically daring her sister to ignore her outright. Never had Jane held a grudge longer than one slumber.<\/span><\/p>

“She is perfectly amiable if you would just give her a chance. I do believe she has changed, Lizzy. You know she wished to marry Mr. Darcy, and it’s very generous of her to help with our plans.”<\/span><\/p>

Elizabeth shrugged and returned to her letter to Mr. Darcy. Her speech had been kind and still, Jane jumped to her quarrel with Caroline Bingley. Refocusing her thoughts, Elizabeth wrote that she hoped the gentlemen’s quest for a horse had been fruitful and then slipped in an innuendo their foreign letters offered about how the joining of a husband and wife might mimic a horse and rider. She clarified that she spoke from fantasy, of course, not experience. She begged his indulgence of any intelligence he may impart on such matters in his next letter. Then she froze as she perceived Jane moving behind her, closing the distance and finally standing just over her shoulder.<\/span><\/p>

“Why do you write Mr. Darcy in\u00a0 . . .” Jane squinted at the paper, but having never studied any of the modern or classical languages, could not make out the tongue.<\/span><\/p>

Elizabeth protectively covered her letter since many words in Latin did not well obscure their meaning. That was the chief reason why she used the dictionary to select a less obvious word for her most salacious thoughts. She considered following his lead and writing in French, but her Latin was stronger.<\/span><\/p>

“Do you and Mr. Bingley not keep private matters you do not wish to share with others?” Elizabeth asked.<\/span><\/p>

Jane furrowed her brows. “He does not care to write. But when he speaks to me, his words are all that is loving and dear.”<\/span><\/p>

Elizabeth coughed, and Jane scowled, as, without a word, both sisters recalled that of late, Mr. Bingley had been prone to outbursts that were neither loving nor dear. Closing her eyes, Elizabeth prayed that her sister was not the recipient of his temporary melancholy. However, she had witnessed Jane desperately trying to placate and quiet him in larger meetings too often to believe otherwise.<\/span><\/p>

“He does read all of the same languages, though, as Mr. Darcy,” Jane said, defiantly.<\/span><\/p>

“I doubt Mr. Darcy shares my letters,” Elizabeth said, dryly, managing to scribble she was interrupted and could they meet in the morning at first light at Oakham Mount? She signed the letter, then sealed it. Not trusting Jane’s curiosity, she tucked the letter into her apron pocket.<\/span><\/p>

“It has been decided the ball will be on the eve before my wedding with Mr. Bingley and we will hold the ceremony in the parlor in the morning. This way those traveling from afar can drive home in the afternoon. We are to begin sending invitations today if you will help.”<\/span><\/p>

“Certainly I will aid, though I do not know the number of invitations Mr. Darcy would like sent out. I shall have to ask him,” Elizabeth said, thoughtfully, ignoring Jane’s stress on the wedding was hers and hers alone. Then Jane disabused Elizabeth of the hope her words were merely misspoken.<\/span><\/p>

“Papa has not agreed to a date for your wedding,” Jane reasoned. “The invitation list is complete.”<\/span><\/p>

“Jane!” Elizabeth pleaded, standing up to argue her case of a few days’ delay. She felt unnerved to be sitting below Jane’s tall frame, even if she was not so tall as her sister.<\/span><\/p>

Jane did not even offer the courtesy of appearing to consider her sister’s plea. “I’m sorry, but in this, I must make preparations for my wedding to Mr. Bingley,” she said, her tone and phrasing sound so similar to her future sister-in-law.<\/span><\/p>

Elizabeth’s heart ached from the continued marked difference in her sister’s language. It was no longer ‘their wedding plans’ but ‘her wedding plans to Mr. Bingley.’<\/span><\/p>

“Do you wish to no longer hold a double wedding?” Elizabeth asked, her voice cracking in the pain of the schism between her and her sister.<\/span><\/p>

Jane relented a small bit at her sister’s distress and placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort.<\/span><\/p>

“I have learned most painfully that life can easily drift from the planned course. Mr. Bingley and I are eager to share our happy day with the best sister and best friend.”<\/span><\/p>

“Then why do this Jane? Why must the invitations go out today and tomorrow?”<\/span><\/p>

June swallowed and walked away from Elizabeth to collect a writing box of extra quills and ink to take downstairs.<\/span><\/p>

“When Mr. Darcy is your chief concern, you’ll understand,” was the only explanation offered.<\/span><\/p>

Enraged, Elizabeth did not aid in the writing and addressing that night. She had made sure to retire before Jane, after sending her letter to Mr. Darcy, so that she was certain to sleep in her own bed and not the lumpy mattress once belonging to Lydia. The good night’s rest prepared her for her planned physical excursion the following morning. As she left her sister sleeping behind her, Elizabeth dashed out of Longbourn with nothing but haste.<\/span><\/p>

Each foot stomp failed to soften the pains of exclusion and indifference the Bennet family held towards Lizzy’s engagement. Her mind fogged as she took the inventory: her parents, uncooperative, Jane, unsupportive, Mary, in favor, Kitty, indifferent. Trying to recollect a single positive moment with each of her family members over her upcoming nuptials stalled, and instead, the sea of criticisms and obstructions repeated in a loop.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

She hastened her pace up Oakham Mount, huffing and puffing from the effort. Stopped short near the top of the trail, the sunrise brightened the entire sky. Squinting, she inhaled deeply the pure fresh air mixed with musks of forest trees and damp leaves. Tension in her neck and shoulders released as her skin warmed in the sun, and she finally felt the stress of her disagreement melt away. Then the sound of a horse behind her interrupted her connection to nature.<\/span><\/p>

She turned around to find two horses coming up the trail, with gentlemen upon both.<\/span><\/p>

“Whoa!” Mr. Bingley called, as his new mount, energetically neared Elizabeth. To protect herself, she dashed from the path to clamber up a small crag of rocks that jutted out into the open space below.<\/span><\/p>

“Careful!” Mr. Darcy called out as Elizabeth seemed much too close to the edge for his comfort. Elizabeth laughed and stepped a few inches closer to the path than she had been.<\/span><\/p>

“Where is Jane?” Mr. Bingley asked, as he turned his head all around and his horse spun around in frustration at the end of their brisk walk.<\/span><\/p>

Elizabeth mulled her choices. She could send Mr. Bingley back to Longbourn, where she knew Jane would not be yet awake, nor ready for visitors, just to throw the household in disarray. The action would also reveal her disappearance from the household, but the consequences of such information mattered not: she was already engaged to Mr. Darcy.<\/span><\/p>

“My sister is at home, you should ride there if you wish to see her.”<\/span><\/p>

Mr. Bingley frowned. He twisted in his seat to address his friend. “I thought you said the sisters would be here?”<\/span><\/p>

Mr. Darcy cleared his throat. “That is what Elizabeth’s letter intimated,” he said, dismounting from his horse and caring not that his friend was there. As Elizabeth approached him, he lifted an arm and then pulled her close to him bestowing a kiss her upon her cheek in greeting. “You wrote ‘meet us’ at Oakham Mount. Did you mean another sister?”<\/span><\/p>

“Oh! Forgive me, Mr. Bingley, I wrote in such a panic. I used the wrong tense!” Elizabeth blanched as Mr. Bingley’s face turned red, and she felt safer next to her Fitzwilliam by the minute.<\/span><\/p>

“Your carelessness has raised expectations! I never would have ridden such a distance under the circumstances. You must think this some keen joke to play upon me and your sister out of your jealousy. What do you have to say for yourself?” Mr. Bingley raged.<\/span><\/p>

Elizabeth felt her anger rise in her chest at such rudeness from Mr. Bingley! “Mr. Bingley-” she began as Mr. Darcy simultaneously yelled at his friend.<\/span><\/p>

“Charles!”<\/span><\/p>

“Do not Charles me, Fitzwilliam. You do not know the lack of support she has shown Jane.”<\/span><\/p>

“I beg your pardon?” Elizabeth countered.<\/span><\/p>

“Admit it, you have not assisted with any of the plans for the wedding, the ball, and even abandoned her in selecting a trousseau,” Mr. Bingley charged, knocking the substance out of Elizabeth’s defense.<\/span><\/p>

“Charles,” Fitzwilliam again warned, but Elizabeth patted his chest with the back of her hand as a motion to communicate she could speak for herself.<\/span><\/p>

“I do not deny the merits of your words, but challenge your context. Has your blushing bride confessed to you her silence when our mother has assaulted my character, or your friend’s? Has she crowed about locking me out of our bedroom one night in a fit of temper? Or that she conspires with your sister to exclude me for her convenience and Miss Bingley’s comfort? Ride to Longbourn, Mr. Bingley. Take your frustrations to Jane, for I am not obliged to humor you,” Elizabeth shook with rage that such gossip and tales were shared between Jane and Mr. Bingley.<\/span><\/p>

In disgust, Mr. Bingley steered his steed down the trail and Elizabeth leaned her head against Mr. Darcy’s shoulder.<\/span><\/p>

“My apologies, mon beau, forgive my outburst. He is your closest friend and I allowed my anger to rule me,” she said, softly.<\/span><\/p>

Mr. Darcy turned so that his Elizabeth faced him, a few inches taller courtesy of the rocky ledge. “I had no idea matters had been so difficult for you. I am certain if Mr. Bingley were more in his wits, he would have the compassion we all know him for.”<\/span><\/p>

“It does not excuse my behavior,” she reminded him.<\/span><\/p>

He nipped at her nose with his lips, making her giggle, and then he glanced to see his mount remained behaved. Blowing out a breath, Mr. Darcy again faced his Lizzy and pressed a kiss to her forehead, feeling her body relax in tension under his affections.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

“Perhaps he does not truly forgive me in separating them. What I wouldn’t do be done with all of this and away with you, my dearest, to our future together.”<\/span><\/p>

For a few moments, they returned to their favorite pastime of kissing, first gently, then deeper as their passions ignited. Elizabeth’s warmth stirred low in her body, and after all of the letters between them, found herself both curious and aching to feel his touch in a most private place. For his part, Mr. Darcy seemed just as aroused, as his body pressed closer to Elizabeth’s in a manner he had rarely risked, and she could feel a stark hardness just above where she felt an urgency for relief.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

“Follow me,” she said, breaking away quickly and leading him by the arm. The trees and a large boulder provided a small cove out of view of the main trail, and Elizabeth cared not for the slippery moss growing on the shaded side.<\/span><\/p>

“Elizabeth,” he said her name with so much meaning. His voice was hoarse and he desired her above all, but she also could hear a small plea in his voice of warning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Gulping, she lifted his hand and began to pull his gloves off of his hands, one finger at a time. Fitzwilliam closed his eyes to relish her ministrations. When at last his hands were bare, he tucked the gloves into his pocket and their hands clasped, skin to skin. They renewed their kisses, a heat rising between them as Fitzwilliam pressed Elizabeth to the rock, and she bucked her hips in return. Horrified at her reaction, she was unprepared to hear him moan.<\/span><\/p>

“Yes, my darling,” he began, and his hands left hers to reach up to her neck, gently stroking the bare skin there, before traveling down to her bosom. His thumbs rubbed circles precisely where her nipples poked strenuously against the stays and fabric of her gown, his kisses swallowing her moans. She looped her arms around his neck, allowing his hands to perfectly hold her ribcage as he tormented her breasts. She broke away from the kiss, focused on remaining quiet as he hushed her, still showing her the lengths of passion his mere touch could bring. A stronger ache for relief grew between her legs, and she began to pant as she had never experienced anything so consuming.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

His hands paused and she nearly cried from the sudden halt.<\/span><\/p>

“Would you like me to stop?”<\/span><\/p>

Involuntarily, her response flew from her mouth with a tenor to her voice she didn’t recognize.<\/span><\/p>

“No,”<\/span><\/p>

He kissed her again, keeping his hands still, and Elizabeth squirmed in his arms from the discomfort. Mr. Darcy chuckled softly, again saying her name, though he did not leave her frustrated for long.<\/span><\/p>

His hands did not resume their previous work and instead began to gather her skirts up one handful bunch at a time. The rush of cold air to her calves and thighs suddenly brought a burst of sense to her mind and she tensed, worried that he might mean for them to copulate for the first time right there. Asking herself if she would stop him and realizing she would not, her shame exhibited as a dark blush spreading across her skin, even as she shivered from the chill.<\/span><\/p>

“I shall not ruin our wedding night,” he explained, and she immediately sighed with relief, grasping tighter to his neck. Before she could continue her thoughts about why he did not desire her as much as she did him at that moment, as her body betrayed her good sense in that question, his hand began to stroke her bare thigh and she moaned into his shoulder. As his fingers pressed against her folds, there was no hiding the amount of wetness her body had already produced, in preparation for accepting an entirely different part of him.<\/span><\/p>

To her surprise, as his fingers hesitated on the precipice of disturbing her womanhood, she heard him groan and shudder against her. Fearing something was wrong, she again was unable to complete a coherent thought as his finger expertly slid down her sex, giving her the strongest feeling of desire yet with no comparison to what she felt earlier in her breasts.<\/span><\/p>

His mouth found hers, as he could not trust she’d hold her silence at this part. Closing her eyes, Elizabeth struggled to process all that she was experiencing. Fitzwilliam’s fingers slid up and down between her legs, making her twitch with delight, but still yearning for more of a feeling. His kisses kept her moaning minimal, but his own moans matched hers as his hips rubbed the hard part of him squarely into her right thigh. The force of his thrusting slightly hurt as her body was not accustomed to being squeezed between a rock and Mr. Darcy stiff member, but none of that mattered the moment his fingers slid further down and breached her opening.<\/span><\/p>

His hand stroked just a few times before she felt a rush of ecstasy release in her body, and for half a moment she froze, mortified, and believing perhaps she had lost control of her bladder. But she had not, Mr. Darcy had brought forth a new reaction from her body, stronger than any result of her own previous efforts in satisfaction. Her legs trembled, but his touching continued, his own thrusts against her hips becoming firmer and longer in each press.<\/span><\/p>

At last, his kissing slowed, they both caught their breath, and his hand slowed but he stopped with the two of them still joined. They stared into each other eyes, and Mr. Darcy smiled. Laughing, from the overwhelming joy and exhaustion she felt, she was afraid to move and disturb their position. But the laughter jostled her body slightly, and her body seemed keen on an immediate repeat performance. Sensing he would raise her arousal again, Mr. Darcy reluctantly removed his hand and released her skirts with the other.<\/span><\/p>

“That was,” she began, and he looked at her earnestly. She sighed and closed her eyes, not witnessing how he took care of his person. Suddenly, her eyes flew open and she grew alarmed. “I should like to give you the same pleasures you granted me. Is it possible?” she asked.<\/span><\/p>

Mr. Darcy crumpled the handkerchief in his hands and stared down at the fall of his breeches. “If I had worn silk, I would need to ride to Netherfield Park and change my attire.”<\/span><\/p>

Elizabeth’s curiosity overcame her and she stepped forward with her hand brazenly outstretched. He had just explored much of her private area and she was certain she had felt his manhood exceptionally stiffened just before. But when her sudden movement to cup the area she had felt the poking member before was not anticipated by Fitzwilliam, he did not sway his hips away in time, and instead, she received proof that his body had indeed relaxed. She looked up at him in disbelief.<\/span><\/p>

“I had read that men needed touch and friction just as ladies,” she said, attempting a most civil discourse on a subject so wholly uncivil.<\/span><\/p>

Mr. Darcy folded the soiled linen in half and stuffed the handkerchief in his pocket. He gently moved Elizabeth’s hand away as his manhood grew equally intrigued in the possibility of another round of ardor between them. “Usually, yes. But I believe our passions for one another make short work of finding our releases.”<\/span><\/p>

“So that was a mutual release?” she asked, making him laugh.<\/span><\/p>

“Yes,” he answered, walking towards her so that she was pinned once more against the rock. He kissed her and then scooped her up to turn her out of the cove. To his surprise, Elizabeth did not retreat and instead pressed him against the very same natural edifice.<\/span><\/p>

“I find myself affixed to you, sir, my body does not wish to leave the proximity of yours,” she explained.<\/span><\/p>

Mr. Darcy closed his eyes as intrigue turned to genuine interest where he was concerned for another romp down Cupid’s path with his lovely Elizabeth. She could feel the difference growing between them, and looked up at him.<\/span><\/p>

“What we have shared is far better than anything I have ever hoped for, and still not nearly as good I believe, once we are man and wife,” he said. His eyes searched hers as tears began to glisten on her lashes. “Elizabeth?”<\/span><\/p>

“I love you.”<\/span><\/p>

He held his breath.<\/span><\/p>

“I love you,” she repeated, turning her face into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. “I cannot bear that we are to part,” she confessed.<\/span><\/p>

He leaned his head back against the rock, gazing up at the bright blue sky above him as the sun had not slowed its rise while they were otherwise engaged. By now, Bingley had reached Longbourn, and the longer they waited, the more awkward it would be when Elizabeth finally returned, that is if Mr. Bennet didn’t send a troop of sisters to look for her.<\/span><\/p>

“I love you, my dearest. If the wedding plans do not work out with Bingley and Jane, what if?” he left the question open, unsure how she would react.<\/span><\/p>

“But a special license is such an expense,” she said, her mind following precisely down his same thought trail as his.<\/span><\/p>

He chuckled, squeezed her form, and then gently nudged her away so that he might get them walking back towards his horse. “I can assure you, madam, we can afford it.”<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Chapter 12 - Happy Was The Day, A Pride and Prejudice Sequel Novel<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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By the time Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth walked to Longbourn, the household stirred with activity in the yards and gardens. Mr. Darcy handed his horse off to a stablehand’s safety just as Elizabeth’s stomach growled in a most unladylike fashion. Embarrassed, her forearms covered her midsection, and then Mr. Darcy’s stomach made a similar noise in kind.<\/span><\/p>

“You did not break your fast before walking?” he asked, surprised to learn such an intimate detail about his future wife outside the confines of them living together.<\/span><\/p>

“Neither did you,” she countered.<\/span><\/p>

“Touche,” he acknowledged and made a step towards the front door, but Elizabeth hesitated. Ever the gentleman now that they were within view, he stood stoically beside her, not risking a\u00a0 public touch. He clasped his hands behind his back and stood with his left foot slightly ahead of his right, his weight resting upon his back foot.<\/span><\/p>

Looking between the door and back at her beau, Elizabeth worried. She lowered her eyes to spy his boots, wishing she had stolen one more kiss before they arrived, or asked for another tryst amongst the trees.<\/span><\/p>

“I believe standing out here may become conspicuous,” he observed.<\/span><\/p>

“Do I appear differently?” she asked, earnestly, her fingers clutching the sides of her skirt.<\/span><\/p>

Mr. Darcy stepped forward, about to reassure her physically, then pulled back. The motion and sudden retreat afflicted Elizabeth in a cruel manner.<\/span><\/p>

“This is all just so wrong,” she said, turning about and half-considering leaving him and scurrying around the hedges to enter the back door of the house.<\/span><\/p>

His voice rang out in a strong baritone, making her pause.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

“Elizabeth,” he said, and she turned to him, but just two strides and he was already close enough to her person beyond the bounds of propriety. “I love you,” he whispered and leaned down to kiss her cheek. As he predicted, the front door swung open at that point, though no one materialized. “You look beautiful, and I believe whatever thoughts have put you at unease, all shall be well.”<\/span><\/p>

“London?” she asked as he linked his arm into hers.<\/span><\/p>

“You can rest assured,” he managed, under his breath as they reached the threshold.<\/span><\/p>

Inside, they both squinted before their eyes adjusted to the lower light.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

“Lizzy! Lizzy! Lizzy! You missed it!” Kitty’s voice burst from the darkness of the stairwell before her face appeared in the sunlight from the opened door. She pulled up short when she spied Mr. Darcy, confused. “Oh, good morning, Mr. Darcy,” she managed with a small curtsy.<\/span><\/p>

Elizabeth looked past her sister as it was clear Kitty had not opened the door, who had? But she spied no one in the near vicinity and the lower floor seemed eerily quiet.<\/span><\/p>

“What have we missed?” Mr. Darcy asked Kitty, trying to aid his future bride in her comfort lest her words still failed her. He managed a welcoming nod to Kitty despite feeling immeasurably guilty for pushing such intimacy with Elizabeth and leaving her no time to recover. Still, she was strong and despite his privileged knowledge, she appeared nonplussed now that they had entered Longbourn.<\/span><\/p>

Kitty opened her mouth to speak, but Mrs. Bennet came bustling into the foyer.<\/span><\/p>

“See to your sister, Kitty. Come back with what Jane needs upon a tray.”<\/span><\/p>

“But Mama,” Kitty started, not wishing to be a mere servant. But when she spied no aid would come from Elizabeth in thwarting their mother, she reluctantly turned back to the stairs in obedience.<\/span><\/p>

“Good morning, Mrs. Bennet,” Mr. Darcy said, bowing low and remembering his manners.<\/span><\/p>

“You have just missed your friend, though he appears to be in a high spirit today. My poor, sweet Jane was very upset, I tell you. And I put to you, sir, have you any care for our family’s poor needs? I have no fathom as to the game you play with my Lizzy, but I cannot say she is the better for it,\u201d Mrs. Bennet scolded the guest standing in her foyer in a sing-song, matter-of-fact tone that did not match the upbraiding she administered. Such a contrast in meaning and tone put Darcy in a confused stupor for a moment.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cMama! There is no game that I am playing with Mr. Darcy. We are engaged to marry!\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Mrs. Bennet continued to glare at Mr. Darcy as the man stood utterly speechless. She did not look to her daughter as she lobbed her next accusation, allowing her words to accuse the one she felt most responsible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cIt is not a respectable engagement that asks his friend to wait in his nuptials, refuses to draft a contract, and enjoys private audiences with a young lady.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

\u201cMama!\u201d Elizabeth complained, looking frantically to the door of her father\u2019s study for support, but none came.<\/span><\/p>

Mr. Darcy shuffled his feet and clasped his hands behind his back. \u201cMadam, you are only partly correct in your account. It was rather disrespectful of me to ask Charles to delay his wedding but a week so that I might travel to London to have a proper contract, one befitting my wife, drafted by my solicitors. Further, it was my very friend that you so highly esteem that abandoned your daughter, Elizabeth, so that she was quite alone with me, but we walked back along the public trail, as I am a man of honor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

He bowed low and the beginnings of anger in his mind clouded his earlier concern for Elizabeth\u2019s well-being. As he grew diverted by his thoughts, Elizabeth attempted to further distract her mother to no avail. Mrs. Bennet remained on a tear.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

\u201cI’m afraid the date of the wedding cannot be moved, as so many of the invitations have been written and some sent with this morning’s post. But my poor, sweet Jane, when Mr. Bingley asked for such a change, she was most fearful that once more you had convinced him to abandon her. Just as you did last autumn, did you not, Mr. Darcy?”<\/span><\/p>

Mr. Darcy nodded. Elizabeth wished to speak, but something about her intended’s quiet gave her pause.<\/span><\/p>

“Yes, I had heard a similar report and I am grateful for your honesty this morning, sir. Therefore, you will understand why I have changed my mind and can no longer support a double wedding for my daughters. It would appear inappropriate to have the man who very nearly divided their love to stand at the same altar,” Mrs. Bennet explained in a firm voice.<\/span><\/p>

“Perhaps I should speak with Mr. Bennet this morning,” Mr. Darcy offered, rather than addressing Mrs. Bennet’s edict directly.<\/span><\/p>

Mrs. Bennet stepped to block Mr. Darcy’s path to the Bennet study with her physical presence. “You have missed him.”<\/span><\/p>

“Mama, this is a serious matter! Are you and Papa withdrawing your support from my match? Where is he?” Incensed, Elizabeth stepped around her mother to confront the closed door and turned the handle rather violently. But the lock held secure, and she gasped at such a thing. Her father never locked the door!<\/span><\/p>

Mrs. Bennet wrung her hands and her voice raised half an octave. “He has gone to Meryton to visit our Brother Phillips, and I’m afraid they are quite indisposed today.”<\/span><\/p>

Mr. Darcy nodded again, and Elizabeth winced as she tried to understand what was happening. Her mother had ended all hopes of a double-wedding. While she had just made plans with Mr. Darcy to wed in London, she suddenly realized it was not precisely what she wanted. Truthfully, despite their plans to procure a special license, she still very much depended upon marrying amongst her family and friends, with the license merely working around the banns requirement.<\/span><\/p>

“But if Mr. Darcy purchased a special license–” she began to explain to her mother, hoping the distinction of a Bishop would distract her from the decision.<\/span><\/p>

Mrs. Bennet gave up her staring contest with Mr. Darcy and rounded to consider her wayward daughter. The ire she had kept under good regulation in front of company unleashed the moment her ungrateful daughter offered cheek. “How could you dare to petition to marry with Jane when you have engaged in dangerous and reckless behavior that at times I cannot claim lacked malice? Mr. Bingley explained how it was you who wrote a letter intimating that you two would meet Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley in secret up on Oakham Mount. How could you spread such lies, Elizabeth?”<\/span><\/p>

“You sent us there just last week,” Elizabeth gambled, her voice low. Her father being out of the house significantly lowered her allies in the household, but she was no longer a naive maiden; her mother could not intimidate her with threats and neglect.<\/span><\/p>

Mrs. Bennet threw her hands up in frustration, and Kitty reappeared at the top of the stairs to witness the end of the argument.<\/span><\/p>

“Another manipulation! Have you lost all sense, child, that you provide further guilt as a defense?” Mrs. Bennet asked, and Elizabeth faced her mother’s gaze with her chin slightly tilted up to meet it.<\/span><\/p>

The words did not sound like her mother, they sounded like her father. This discussion had been held before they arrived, and she involuntarily looked to the study door, suspicious that her father was not gone at all.<\/span><\/p>

Mr. Darcy interjected to distract Mrs. Bennet away from berating his beloved. “I believe we are at an unfortunate impasse. Perhaps at dinner this evening we might all discuss,” Mr. Darcy began, heavily fishing for an invitation to dine at Longbourn that evening.<\/span><\/p>

“Impossible. Mr. Bennet, Jane, and I will dine at Netherfield Park this very evening, at the invitation of your friend,” Mrs. Bennet explained, finding absurdity in the word, but lacking another description for the now strained connection between Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy.<\/span><\/p>

Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth exchanged glances at the news of her exclusion.<\/span><\/p>

Mr. Darcy cleared his throat. “I shall look forward to seeing you all tonight, and you, Miss Elizabeth,” he added, bowing his head low once again.<\/span><\/p>

“No, not Lizzy. Mr. Bingley and Jane are resolved that we should not have a repeat of the last dinner. My daughter will remain home and aid me in the many tasks I have to complete. It would also be best, Mr. Darcy, if you visit again once you have a marriage contract for my husband’s consideration. It has been some weeks since you applied for my daughter’s hand, and surely you do not wish to tongues to wag.” Mrs. Bennet added, taking a step towards Mr. Darcy as though to usher him to the door.<\/span><\/p>

Infuriated, Mr. Darcy stood to his full height and considered his adversary for half a second, and then the needs of his Elizabeth as he spied her paled face in his peripheral vision. Changing tacks again, and catching Mrs. Bennet by surprise, he addressed Elizabeth.<\/span><\/p>

“May I have the pleasure of the first dance tomorrow evening at the assembly?”<\/span><\/p>

“You may,” Elizabeth answered, with a curtsy that was all but proper.<\/span><\/p>

Mrs. Bennet began to fluster and talk about the work she and the girls needed to tend to and shoo Mr. Darcy towards the front door. He walked backward from her advances and never lost his connection with Elizabeth. He studied her lips closely as they appeared to mouth words to him with an “L” sound, but whether she sent her love or invoked their plan for London, he was unclear as Mrs. Bennet grew quite distracting.<\/span><\/p>

“Goodbye, Mr. Darcy! We hope to see you soon after you have seen your solicitor you speak so highly of,” she said, cheerily while the content of the message held the most menacing threat to his heart.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

“I wish you and your family well, Madam,” he managed as Kitty came down the stairs.<\/span><\/p>

“Goodbye, Mr. Darcy! Don’t worry, Jane has stopped crying!” Kitty called out, brightly, earning a glare from Mrs. Bennet and a tip of Mr. Darcy’s hat to acknowledge the family drama he had somehow become entangled.<\/span><\/p>

Elizabeth rushed to the window, throwing off her mother’s haphazard grasp of her arm by jerking the limb free. She saw Mr. Darcy ride off on his horse and felt an immediate pang in her heart.<\/span><\/p>

“You are restricted to this house,” Mrs. Bennet pronounced, believing her daughter would comply without argument.<\/span><\/p>

Elizabeth whirled around on her heel, ignoring Kitty’s presence entirely. “What have I done to this family to deserve such censure?” Elizabeth asked, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.<\/span><\/p>

Mrs. Bennet clucked her tongue. “It was a mistake to even consider a double wedding! Had I known that Mr. Darcy was instrumental in separating Mr. Bingley from dear, sweet Jane, why . . . I would have never allowed him in this house!”<\/span><\/p>

“But he paid penance for his mistake; he righted his wrong. He is the one who brought Mr. Bingley back for the shoot!”<\/span><\/p>

“Which wouldn’t have been necessary if he hadn’t separated them in the first place,” Kitty added, earning a scowl from both her mother and her sister.<\/span><\/p>

In unison, they yelled at her, “Go upstairs, Kitty!”<\/span><\/p>

Highly offended, Kitty crossed her arms and refused, and she was ignored just as swiftly as she had been banished.<\/span><\/p>

“Your sister is not wrong. Jane ran to London, only to be humiliated, humiliated I tell you, all because of that man,” Mrs. Bennet argued. “And I will not risk her union again, no, no, you have had your fun, Lizzy. What meddling and mischief you play at will no longer interfere with your sister’s future.”<\/span><\/p>

Mrs. Bennet turned as though the conversation were over, but Elizabeth had not finished.<\/span><\/p>

“And Miss Bingley, shall you rescind her right to visit Longbourn as well? She was just as guilty as Mr. Darcy, perhaps even more so. She is the one who never returned Jane’s visit!” Elizabeth yelled as her mother started to quit the room and threw her hands up in dismissal.<\/span><\/p>

Standing in silence, Elizabeth fumed at the incredible inequity of the situation. The only reason Jane even entertained the suit of the spineless Bingley was that she had confronted Mr. Darcy in the first place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Feeling pity for her sister, Kitty approached Elizabeth with a handkerchief. Her elder sister accepted the offering of peace and dried her face.<\/span><\/p>

“Miss Bingley is just as guilty,” Elizabeth repeated and Kitty reluctantly grimaced.<\/span><\/p>

“Don’t you think, I mean, isn’t Mr. Darcy’s station rather ahead of even the Bingleys? If his opinion had been different, I believe everyone would see it your way.\u201d Kitty scrunched up her nose as she thought deeply about the social statuses of the parties involved. \u201cMiss Bingley is never going to disagree with Mr. Darcy,” Kitty explained, using her hands to refer to the faction above stairs.<\/span><\/p>

Elizabeth stared at her sister in disbelief, then to keep from crying anew, she laughed at the utter folly of the whole mess!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

“You don’t know Mr. Darcy as I do, nor Miss Bingley. None of you do,” she stated with finality and walked away, keeping Kitty’s embroidered handkerchief.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Thank you for reading and for your comments below. \ud83d\ude42 -EAW<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Continue Reading...<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tChapter 1-4 Happy Was The Day\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\tAugust 5, 2020\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t2 Comments\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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I should like to tell you when this book will come out, etc. but I can’t tell you what I don’t know. I do know<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tRead More \u00bb\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tChapters 5-8 Happy Was The Day\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\tAugust 7, 2020\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t4 Comments\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Over 2,000 readers have devoured Chapters 1-4 between my site and fanfiction.net. I am astounded and humbled by the interest even though it’s been a<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tRead More \u00bb\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tChapters 9-10 Happy Was The Day\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\tAugust 13, 2020\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t3 Comments\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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What a week! These two chapters were an absolute brat in the writing process. I wrote them weeks ago, but I became stuck because in<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tRead More \u00bb\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tChapters 11-12 Happy Was The Day\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t
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I am MOVED! And somewhat unpacked… the harder part was waiting for the novelty of returning home after 13 years away to wear off so<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tRead More \u00bb\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tChapters 13-15 Happy Was The Day\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\tNovember 17, 2020\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t2 Comments\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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I apologize for the week+ in between the chapters, but remember when I said somewhat unpacked? I am much more unpacked now. And one reader<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tRead More \u00bb\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tChapter 16 Happy Was The Day\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t
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There was a post I shared this week on Facebook called “Wash the dishes twice.” The premise is anytime there’s something difficult mentally to process,<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\tRead More \u00bb\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t

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