A Wife for Mr. Darcy

Bingley’s carriage coming down the drive, she went out to meet Jane because she would have the bridal dress with her. After placing it in Betsy’s capable hands, the two sisters followed their maid upstairs to their bedroom.
    “Where are Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley?” Lizzy asked.
    “With every member of the family and Mr. Darcy at Netherfield, George Bingley called a business meeting this morning. I swear that man is all work and no play. But after the meeting, everyone will go home, and to that I say, ‘Amen!’” Jane let out a puff of air to show her relief at their departure.
    “Did something happen?” Lizzy asked.
    “I found an acorn in my coffee cup this morning, and when I looked at Athena, she had a look of victory written all over her face. But enough about the Bingleys and Crenshaws. You are to marry on Friday. What happened to your courtship? How did all of this come about?”
    “It was because of what happened in London that I shall have no courtship. Mr. Darcy went there for the purpose of talking to his solicitor about the marriage contract, but while dining at his club, he said that he felt as if everyone was staring at him. Finally, his good friend, Andrew Baring, the banker’s son, came over and said, ‘Sorry, Darcy. Better luck next time,’ explaining that he had heard from Sir John that morning that Miss Montford was to marry Jasper Wiggins.”
    “My goodness! That was fast!”
    “Indeed! While Mr. Darcy was doing everything he could to ensure that Miss Montford might be spared any embarrassment, her father was making arrangements for her to become engaged to Mr. Wiggins. It seems that Mr. Wiggins Sr. is very rich and very ill, and when he dies, Jasper will get it all. With so much money at stake, Sir John thought he needed to move quickly. Once Mr. Darcy heard about the engagement, he thought, if she is not waiting, then I am not waiting. After purchasing a special license, he rushed back here to ask me to agree to move up the wedding date and to speak to Papa.”
    “Well, this cannot come as a total surprise to you. You have often said that Mr. Darcy is a man who likes to have his way.”
    “Yes, he does. But this time, I am in complete agreement,” and Lizzy smiled at the memory of Mr. Darcy’s proposal. “You would think that with the wedding on Friday that I would be in a tizzy—running around like a chicken with its head cut off. But there is little for me to do. You have provided the dress. Mama is to arrange for the food. News of the wedding is being relayed in town and on the farms by John and Adam. I have written to Aunt and Uncle Gardiner and Charlotte, although I doubt she will be able to come on such short notice. All that is left for me to do is to pack up everything I will be taking to Pemberley. So here I sit, waiting for Mrs. Lyle,” she said, folding her hands and twiddling her thumbs.
    “So tell me,” Lizzy said, changing the subject, “what have you been doing at Netherfield Park, other than trying to get out of the way of an abundance of Bingleys?”
    “If you are asking about last night, it was the wedding night redux ,” and Lizzy raised her eyebrows. Jane had been married two days, and she and Charles had made love six times. “Apparently, this activity has now become Charles’s favorite thing,” Jane said, laughing. “However, tonight, I am going to ask if I may sleep through the night. He falls back to sleep right away, while I lie there awake. But he will agree to anything I ask.”
    “I know this is a very personal question, but does Charles undress you?” “Good grief, Lizzy! Certainly not. I am in bed and under the covers when he comes in. What made you ask such a question?”
    “Because I do not know what to expect. I have been thinking about the man I was to marry since I was thirteen, but I never went past the wedding.”
    “Well, you certainly have a vivid imagination. Such a thing would never have occurred to me.”
    But it would have occurred to you, Lizzy thought, if you had read Mr. Darcy’s letter.
    “For me, the best part is afterward when I lie in Charles’s arms, and we speak of our future together. And, Lizzy, you will have the same thing. Mr. Darcy is so in love with you that he will want to make you happy in all things.”
    She just wished she knew what “all things” included.

On the eve of their wedding, Mr. Darcy sent his carriage to Longbourn for Lizzy with a note saying that all of the Bingleys had