An Accidental Elopement

Chapter Eight

The first week at Elizabeth's new home past in a blur. Between entertaining her husband's cousin, having dresses made, learning her household responsibilities and trying not to get lost, her days were filling up quickly.

She had, upon her arrival at Pemberley, written to her family members describing why she would not return home and adhered to the story of falling in love. She hated to lie, especially to her father and Jane, but knew it was for the best. Elopements, while mildly scandalous, if they were for love were easily accepted. But compromise and ruin was not as simple to recover from. She did not want to be the cause for the down fall of her family and make her sisters share in her disgrace.

Anyways her husband was shaping up to be a more admirable gentleman then she had originally thought. A slight blush returned to her cheeks at memory of the previous night. Mr. Darcy kissed her hand outside her chambers as he did every night but last night it was accompanied by a look of such intensity. If she had not known better she would say it was to find fault with her person. But the length he held it made her think otherwise.

Elizabeth couldn't help but to smile again at the thought of it as she sat in the morning room attending to her correspondence. Her peaceful morning however, was to be short lived.

"Oh how rich my Lizzy is Mr. Bennet! Did you see all those windows? Surely the glazing would have cost upwards of a 1,000 pounds. Oh dear husband, what carriages she'll have, what jewels."

Elizabeth's eyes widened. In one continuous thought she realize how much she missed her family and how much she would be mortified to have her husband meet them.

"Mrs. Darcy you have guests," The footman barely was able to say before her mother burst into the room from the same door.

"Oh my Lizzy how you have saved us all! And what a sly thing you are never mentioning anything about a young man sparking your fancy." All of this was said in one breath while embracing her daughter and kissing her cheeks.

"Welcome to Pemberley Mama. I had no idea I would be seeing all of you so soon," Elizabeth glanced at the door noticing the rest of her family with a happy but apprehensive look.

"Papa," she said walking to her father.

"Ah my dear child. I assure you your mother is not so improper to appear uninvited," Mr. Bennet replied reading his daughter's thoughts. "Your husband wrote to me explaining the rush to the alter and invited us at our earliest convenience. Unfortunately for you, our earliest convenience for your mother was that very day."

Elizabeth finally gave a true smile. "It is good to see you all," she said stepping forward and clasping hands with her sister Jane.

Jane, with watery eyes confessed to her sister, "Oh Lizzy how I have missed you and now I have lost you forever."

"You shall never be rid of me my dear Jane, of that I assure you."

The sisters embraced just as her husband, new sister and aunt join them.

"Oh Mr. Darcy how good of you to marry our Lizzy. She is of course not as beautiful as my Jane but I must admit something about her looks caught you."

Elizabeth closed her eyes for a brief moment in total mortification. Clearing her throat to prevent her mother from embarrassing her further she stepped forward.

"Mr. Darcy, Miss Darcy, allow me to introduce my family."

Introductions were made but Elizabeth could not help but notice her husband had once again turned back into the rigid cold master of Pemberley she knew him to often be. It was clear what he thought of her family. Not only were they too poor for his notice they were too ridiculous as well.

"Mr. Darcy, you must throw a ball while we are here and mamma we will need new dresses to catch husbands as rich as Lizzy's," crowed Lydia.

"Lydia!" Her two oldest sisters reprimanded her.

"Oh yes that would be lovely won't it Mr. Bennet," cooed his wife.

"I'm sure it would be my dear but since we are only staying a fortnight I seriously doubt that will happen."

"Surely my dear husband we can be spared for longer than that!"

"Alas I cannot. I am needed back at Longhorn for the harvest and you know how I hate traveling alone," Mr Bennet sent a wink and smirk at his daughter Lizzy. "Perhaps I can spare Jane but that is it."

"Papa, Jane's practically an old maid. I think I should be allowed to stay," whined Lydia.

"Or I for I am two years older," added Kitty.

"And yet I am unmoved. Come my Lizzy, I believe I have heard you had one of the finest libraries in the country and I wish to lose myself in it for the rest of the day."

With that the party broke up into smaller groups. After escorting her father to the library, Elizabeth and Jane retreat to the gardens to stretch their legs. Darcy quickly ran off to find his cousin after making sure Georgiana was safely ensconced in her studies.

•••

Darcy's mind was racing. How could Mrs. Darcy possibly be a product of that family. Her elder sister was sweet and by no means an old maid as her other sister stated and the father was not wholly bad, besides not keeping his wife and daughters in check. But the rest of them… How was he to hold his head up in society with in-laws such as these?

"Darcy I knew I would find you out here," smiled the Colonel. "So how did the meeting of the new family go?"

"I could not have imagined it worse. If their lack of fortune and connections weren't enough they also lack propriety. The two oldest, my wife and her sister Jane, I must exclude from this comment."

"Come my dear cousin they can't be all that bad. I've always found country manners to be charming, just like your dear wife," he said causing Darcy's brow to draw together. "So is the eldest sister as pretty as your wife has said?"

"Yes she is very pretty but once again you must remember too poor to tempt you."

"Oh well. At least I can enjoy the view while I have it," joked the Colonel.

"Just remember while you're enjoying the view how completely and utterly unsuitable her family is. I may be trap with them but you still have the advantage of choosing a bride with a family that has some level of decorum," Darcy snapped as he walk back toward the house, his cousin trailing behind him.

Little did he know the garden his wife had decided to show her sister was within earshot of this conversation.

Jane glanced worryingly at her sister as she could tell Elizabeth was starting to fume.

"Well... at least I know his opinion on that matter," huffed Elizabeth.

"Lizzy before you start a grudge against your husband remember that you have similar thoughts. I know you love our family as do I, but you have to admit a certain amount of the ridiculous in them. We have often spoke late at night at how we wish mother and father would check our sisters' behavior."

"But he has no right to speak of our family that way."

"They are his family now too. Plus Lizzie he did our family a great service in marrying you. Many lesser men would have left us to ruin."

Elizabeth looked at her sister. She had just finished telling her sister the truth of her marriage. While she could hide it from the rest of her family she needed her Jane to comfort her.

"You may be right sister," replied Elizabeth, "but don't think that makes me any less mad. He ought to be discussing this with me not his relatives."

"Maybe he just needed someone neutral to talk to Lizzy just like you telling me how you find your husband agreeable one minute and puzzlingly withdrawn the next."

Growing irritated by her sisters commonsense and reasonable excuses, Elizabeth feigning a headache and decided they should return to the house.

•••

Luckily for the Darcys, the two weeks time past quickly. Even though Mr. Darcy was every bit as rude as was possible, his wealth caused his new mother to constantly overlook it. Elizabeth's father had not noticed at all since he rarely left the library. The younger sisters still remain as silly as ever. Even Mrs Gardiner's positive influence did like to curb the others' behavior.

Elizabeth's patient had almost worn out with her husband and her family by the end of it. She couldn't help that the larger part of her was happy to see them go. Only Jane was allowed to remain behind. Her aunt also felt it was time for her to depart and followed on the same day after making sure her favorite niece was comfortable with her departure.

The next few days slowly returned to normalcy at Pemberley. Elizabeth, Jane and Georgiana (who was even more delighted that she now had two sisters residing with her) spent the days enjoyably together. They were delighted when Elizabeth's new wardrobe arrived and spent hours having her try on all the items for them to see.

While her husband's demeanor relaxed greatly, Elizabeth still kept a cool civility towards him. Darcy could not account for it but assumed it was related to her embarrassment of her totally ridiculous family.

The relative tranquility was not to last as soon Darcy's own family would descend upon them. While they sat at breakfast together, Darcy informed his wife of this future event.

"Mrs. Darcy, my uncle the Earl of Matlock and his wife will join us soon. Please make sure an appropriate dinner is arranged and it would be a good time to try some of your new dresses."

"Yes Mr. Darcy," was Elizabeth's clipped answer.

Shooting each other sideways glances, Jane and Georgiana both noticed the tension between the couple but knew not how to alleviate it.

Trying to draw his once talkative wife back out he tried again. "I have just received a letter from my good friend Charles Bingley. It seems he has least an estates in Hertfordshire. Do you know of a Netherfield Park."

"Yes I do," replied Elizabeth but offered no other information.

"Netherfield is but three miles from our family estate," Jane jumped in while sending her sister a reprimanding look.

"Well," Darcy tried again, "it seems he was going to wait until Michaelmas to take the house but his sister felt the need to suddenly redecorate their house in town so has taken it early. He comments on how delightful Hertfordshire is."

Darcy decided to leave out the part about Charles' sister Caroline needing to redecorate because she smashed every vase, mirror, plate and picture in the house upon hearing for Darcy's nuptials.

"Indeed," replied Elizabeth again.

"Hertfordshire is lovely this time of year. You should recommend he attend the assembly in a few weeks time. It would be a wonderful way for him to meet the neighborhood," Jane stepped in again and giving her sister a small kick under the table this time.

"An excellent idea Miss Bennet. I shall recommend it to him."

The group sat in silence for several minutes as Darcy was at a lose as to what else to say to get Elizabeth to talk, Elizabeth was still angry at him and Jane and Georgiana could only sit and hope for the best.

"Perhaps we can visit it soon and give you a chance to see your family again as I'm sure you will miss them," said Darcy. While he loathed the idea of seeing the Bennets so soon, he did come to realize while they were not polished to refined, they also were not cruel. They may be ridiculous but his early thoughts on them were rash. He knew full well that there were far worse families to be tied to that we're his equals, or even superiors, in society.

Elizabeth sent her husband a confused look and knew not how to respond. Her husband despised her family but was offering to visit them so soon? Was it for her or his sense of duty to his friend.

"I...I thank you Mr. Darcy. I would like that very much," Elizabeth replied. She was determined to dislike her husband for the present but it was so hard when he was not being so cold and arrogant. If fact at certain times he was almost charming. How was she in remain cold when he was not?

As Fitzwilliam Darcy continued to perplex his new wife the same could be said for the groom.

While in his chambers that night he pondered how one minute his wife was laughing and teasing the next she was only civil but always properly so no matter what. Not to mention he was starting to get slightly more eager to advance their relationship beyond a mire kiss on the hand. He felt their situation was still in the courting phase but he was also a young man with a beautiful wife. If he was to take his cousin's advice he should kiss his wife soundly and if she slaps him she's not ready but if she smiled she was. Leave it to Richard to simplify such an important step in their marriage.

'Maybe that's why she had become so quiet,' thought Darcy. She was shy to tell him that she to was ready for the next step.'

Laying in bed that night and worrying over all that needed to be done for his uncle's visit he couldn't help but smiling at the thought of falling asleep in that very bed with his wife.

AN: I am SO SORRY. Between work, children, seasonal allergies that make me want to rip my eyes out, my internet being a word I can't use here because this story is only rated T, weddings, computer issues and morning sickness that has lovingly followed me into my third trimester, real life has been a real kick in the teeth recently. Again so sorry and thanks for sticking with me. Remember if you are a lover of angst this story is probably not for you. (Also all mistakes are mine but please don't hate me. I barely have time to publish and I'm going to try to finish posting this story before the next baby comes which is soon).

Disclaimer: Pride and Prejudice belongs to Jane Austen. This story I'd protected under copyright law and is not allowed to be used, copied or republished without written consent from the author.