I Met Mr Darcy Via Luton Read online

  I Met Mr Darcy

  V ia Luton

  By Fredrica Edward

  © Copyright 2014, 2015, 2016 by Fredrica Edward

  This book was originally published in serial form on fanfiction.net from 21st Oct 2014 to 2015. A complete list of the original publication dates for each chapter is provided in the appendix.

  1st Kindle edition Feb 2016

  V1.3 Aug 2016

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to the memory of Elizabeth Austin

  Early colonial philanthropist,

  Wife of Thomas Austin,

  Mistress of Barwon Park,

  Mother of eleven children,

  Founder of the Austin Hospital, Melbourne.

  And also to my followers on fanfiction,

  particularly those who posted constructive reviews,

  and especially alix33 for picking up many typos.

  Finally, thanks to Betty Campbell Madden

  for proofing the final drafts.

  Any mistakes that remain are my own.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1: On the way to Luton

  Chapter 2: In the library

  Chapter 3: Sweet medicine

  Chapter 4: Pastorale

  Chapter 5: Changes in the county

  Chapter 6: The Assembly

  Chapter 7: Postmortem

  Chapter 8: The Lucases' party

  Chapter 9: Nodding at Netherfield

  Chapter 10: Nursing Jane

  Chapter 11: A headache

  Chapter 12: Leaving Netherfield

  Chapter 13: Back at Longbourn

  Chapter 14: Mr Wickham

  Chapter 15: Mrs Long's card party

  Chapter 16: The Ball

  Chapter 17: The waltz

  Chapter 18: A lost friend

  Chapter 19: The fallout

  Chapter 20: London

  Chapter 21: Madame Amelie's

  Chapter 22: The Parsonage

  Chapter 23: Dinner at Rosings

  Chapter 24: Brandy

  Chapter 25: The colonel's education

  Chapter 26: Hunsford

  Chapter 27: Aftermath

  Chapter 28: The pig bucket

  Chapter 29: Not a bonnet

  Chapter 30: Return to Longbourn

  Chapter 31: Lydia's revenge

  Chapter 32: The lake tour

  Chapter 33: Pemberley

  Chapter 34: Now, that's a library!

  Chapter 35: Georgiana's visit

  Chapter 36: Richard joins the fray

  Chapter 37: The picnic

  Chapter 38: The loft

  Chapter 39: The Gardiners return

  Chapter 40: Mr Bingley

  Chapter 41: Getting to know him

  Chapter 42: The patron

  Chapter 43: Jane's wedding

  Chapter 44: The wedding breakfast

  Chapter 45: Confidences

  Chapter 46: The hospital

  Chapter 47: Lady Catherine's visit

  Chapter 48: Lizzy's reaction

  Chapter 49: Darcy reacts

  Chapter 50: The audience

  Chapter 51: Carpe diem

  Chapter 52: In Hertfordshire

  Chapter 53: Dinner at Longbourn

  Chapter 54: The rectory

  Chapter 55: The Darcys' travels

  Chapter 56: Bond Street

  Chapter 57: Showdown

  Chapter 58: Aunt Gardiner’s advice

  Chapter 59: A chat in the library

  Chapter 60: The lion, the witch…

  Chapter 61: Daisies

  Chapter 62: The Baluchistan hound

  Chapter 63: Christmas

  Chapter 64: The wedding

  Chapter 65: The wedding night

  Chapter 66: The honeymoon

  Chapter 67: Bliss

  Chapter 68: Lady Sefton's ball

  Chapter 69: Happily ever after

  Chapter 1: On the way to Luton

  "Mr Bennet, Mr Bennet, good news! Netherfield Park is let at last!"

  Mr Bennet looked up from his newspaper as his wife hurried in. She had just returned from a trip to Meryton with her younger daughters. Peace had ended.

  Getting up to retreat to the library, he cast an apologetic look at his elder daughters, who sat together over their stitchery in the sunny window seat.

  "Do you not want to know who has taken it?" cried Mrs Bennet impatiently upon perceiving his departure.

  He sighed and submitted to his wife's need to impart the latest gossip. "You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it."

  "Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England; that he came down on Monday in a chaise and four to see the place and was so much delighted with it that he agreed with Mr Morris immediately; that he is to take possession before Michaelmas, and some of his servants are to be in the house by the end of next week."

  Feigning interest, Mr Bennet began the game of twenty questions: "What is his name?"

  "Bingley."

  "Is he married or single?"

  "Oh! Single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune: four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!"

  This was too much, and Mr Bennet sought to dampen his wife’s pretensions before they got out of hand. "How so? How can it affect them?"

  "My dear Mr Bennet," replied his wife, "how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them."

  Mr Bennet rolled his eyes and decamped as his wife turned to her elder daughters.

  "Now, Jane and Lizzy, you must go to your Aunt Philips in Luton and buy yourself some new things to impress Mr Bingley!"

  Lizzy and Jane exchanged a smile. They were hardly about to object–after all, neither visiting Luton nor buying hats were irksome tasks, even if neither of these projects were likely to impress Mr Bingley.

  Their aunt had married a Meryton attorney, who had lately inherited a much bigger establishment in Luton. With a population of five thousand, Luton was far larger than the market town of Meryton and was well known for its hats. During her recent visit, Aunt Philips had arrived with the most amazing straw bonnet as a gift for their mother; spent a week at Longbourn lauding her new metropolis and, on returning home, had invited her two elder nieces to stay at her new house for a shopping holiday at their convenience. Lizzy and Jane's youngest sisters, Kitty and Lydia, were not happy.

  With an exchange of letters, the visit was settled.

  The morning of the sisters’ departure for Luton was cloudy.

  "I believe it's going to rain," said Mr Bennet as he surveyed the heavens from the portico.

  "Nonsense," said Mrs Bennet. "It will clear as soon as the sun gets a little higher in the sky."

  Once the trunk was loaded, the ladies kissed their parents, climbed into the carriage, and waved a cheery goodbye. They had gone only two miles past Meryton when, with a heartrending crash, they found themselves tumbling over each other. They landed with a jolt as the carriage came to rest on its side.

  "Oh dear!" cried Jane. "I believe the wheel is broken!"

  Righting herself, Lizzy stooped in the cramped space and, after jiggling the handle, successfully opened the door upwards, allowing her to stand and poke her head out. John, the coachman, had managed to jump free from the overturned carriage and was trying to grab the frightened horses' heads.

  "Are they injured, John?" asked Lizzy when he finally got them in hand.

  "Not badly, ma'am. I'll have a better look once I've got 'em free. Are you and Miss Jane all right?"

  "Yes, John, we are both well," said Lizzy, looking for a convenient foothold.

 
; Hoisting herself onto her elbows and then her palms, she scrambled on top of the carriage, gathered her skirts around her, and jumped off onto the ground. She then replaced John at the horses' heads while he carefully freed them from the tangled traces.

  "Looks like Nelly strained her hock, ma'am," said John, inspecting the damage.

  It was at this point that Lizzy noted that Jane had not followed her out of the carriage, and she went back to lend her sister a hand. Climbing back onto the body of the coach, she peered in through the door.

  "Jane, are you all right?"

  "No, Lizzy, I've hurt my ankle."

  "Oh dear! Is it broken?"

  "Possibly just a sprain," said Jane as she finished winding her handkerchief round her foot and tied it. But upon attempting to stand, she found she could put no weight on it.

  Meanwhile, John was surveying the damage to the carriage. "The back axle has split, Miss Eliza. I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere today, or for the next week I'd wager. I'll have to go back for the gig. You two wait here with the carriage–it shouldn't take me more than an hour."

  Then, turning to Lizzy, he asked, "Do you think we should try to get Miss Jane out before I go?"

  Lizzy looked up at the sky, which seemed in imminent danger of a cloudburst. "Perhaps she's better off where she is at the moment, John. I may have to climb back inside myself if it begins to rain."

  John nodded, then lead Napoleon to a convenient milestone to help him mount–no easy feat on a carthorse without a saddle. Mr Bennet had sardonically named the large horse after the Little General's defeat and exile to Elba. Nonetheless, John managed to mount tolerably well, if inelegantly. Nelly was grazing nearby–she would not be going far with her injured hock.

  Shortly after John departed cross-country, it began to sprinkle. Lizzy managed to unstrap their trunk and wrestle it open. She removed their dressing gowns and had begun to drape them over the open carriage windows for shelter when she glanced towards Netherfield and noticed the smoke issuing from the chimney.

  "Jane," she said, poking her head into the carriage; "we are very close to Netherfield. The servants must already be present. I shall walk over and ask for help. Two of us can carry you back to the house, and we can shelter there more comfortably until John returns."

  "Oh, Lizzy, we have not been introduced to the new tenant. It would not do to be imposing upon them!" cried Jane.

  "Nonsense, the family are not due for another fortnight. It is likely just Mr and Mrs Fletcher getting the place ready for habitation. I shall be right back."

  As Lizzy walked up the drive, she realised the fire had been lit in the south wing of the manor house, which housed the master's apartments, rather than the east wing, which housed the kitchens, so she walked round to the French doors that opened from the library to the terrace.

  On peering inside, she was surprised to see, not Mr Fletcher, but two gentlemen leaning on the mantelpiece before a roaring fire. Before she could even rap on the glass, both gentlemen had turned towards her, and one of them strode to open the door.

  "Good day!" he said with a merry smile on his face. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

  "Oh dear!" said Lizzy. "Are you the new tenants? I had hoped to find Mr Fletcher."

  "Mr Fletcher has gone into town with his wife to fetch provisions. Is there anything I can do for you?"

  "Indeed," said Lizzy, "I'm so sorry to importune you, but my carriage has had an accident in front of your gates! My sister and I were hoping to shelter here until my coachman returns with the gig."

  "Of course, you must do so!" said the gentleman. "May I introduce myself? I'm Charles Bingley, at your service," he said, giving a deep bow.

  Lizzy curtsied. "I am Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn."

  "And your sister?" asked Mr Bingley peering around her.

  "My sister, Jane, is still in the carriage. She is slightly injured."

  "Then we must make haste! Darcy, we have a damsel to rescue!"

  At this point, the other gentleman stepped forward from the mantel.

  "Allow me to introduce my friend," said Bingley, "Fitzwilliam Darcy."

  Mr Darcy was taller and darker than his friend, quite imposing really. As Lizzy looked at his face, she was struck by his grim expression. Unlike his companion, he didn't look friendly at all. He gave a shallow bow.

  "Well, lead the way, Miss Bennet," said Mr Bingley. "It looks like it might start to pour any minute."

  Elizabeth hurriedly led the way back down the drive, with the two gentlemen easily keeping pace behind her with their long strides.

  "A carriage accident by the front gates," murmured Darcy in his friend's ear; "a likely tale!"

  "You are way too cynical, Darcy," whispered Bingley in reply.

  However, once the high road was gained, the broken carriage was testament to Miss Elizabeth's story.

  Elizabeth had almost climbed on top of the carriage once more when Mr Bingley vaulted onto it and hauled open the door.

  "Jane," cried Elizabeth, "Mr Bingley has come to help you!"

  Jane blushed deep red. Standing over her was the handsomest man she had ever seen. Indeed if he had not been wearing top-boots and a waistcoat, she might have mistaken him for an angel.

  "Miss Bennet, are you badly injured?" he asked.

  Jane blushed again. "It is my ankle, sir. I cannot stand unassisted, and certainly cannot climb out of this carriage."

  "Would you allow me to assist you?"

  Jane nodded mutely.

  Mr Bingley lowered himself into the carriage and, after cautiously clasping Jane in his arms, managed to raise her to the carriage side. Elizabeth arranged Jane's skirts and helped her to the edge of the carriage while Bingley pulled himself up and vaulted to the ground.

  Grasping Jane once more in his arms, Bingley clasped her to his chest and proceeded to walk off in the direction of Netherfield.

  "You can't carry her like that!" protested Darcy. "You'll do yourself an injury!"

  "I'm perfectly fine," said Bingley, blithely continuing towards the house. Indeed, Jane had somehow managed to mould herself around him so as to lessen the weight on his arms.

  Elizabeth gathered the damp dressing gowns and stuffed them into the top of the trunk. She had no sooner closed the lid than the heavens opened up.

  Elizabeth glanced at Mr Darcy's midnight black coat of superfine and his brilliantly polished top-boots. He was a tall and well-proportioned gentleman, who certainly looked very strong, but his clothes proclaimed that he never carried anything out of necessity. For some reason, this made her very angry.

  "Mr Darcy," she said rather boldly, "would you mind taking the other end of this trunk?"

  By the scowl on his face, Mr Darcy clearly did mind. Nonetheless, he picked up his end, and they trudged back to the house.

  Chapter 2: In the library

  On arriving back at the Netherfield library, Bingley tenderly deposited his precious load into an armchair, placing a footstool under her injured leg.

  "Oh dear," he apologized, "the Holland cover is quite dusty. I should have taken it off before setting you down!"

  "I'm glad you did not, sir, because I'm soaked through, and it is easier to clean my dress than your chair."

  Bingley eyed her appreciatively. She was indeed soaked through. Blushing, he turned away.

  Jane crossed her arms across her chest.

  At this awkward moment, Darcy and Elizabeth provided a welcome distraction by arriving at the door with the trunk.

  After depositing it on the floor just inside the door, Elizabeth ran to Jane. "Is your ankle hurting terribly, Jane?" she asked.

  "It throbs, Lizzy. I think it may be swelling."

  Lizzy carefully untied the handkerchief. As she removed Jane's shoe, her sister gave a sigh of relief. The ankle was indeed much larger than its mate.

  "Oh dear, I think it should be elevated more," said Lizzy, looking around the room. "Could we use another chair?" she enquired of Mr Bin
gley.

  "Of course," said Bingley, pulling another into service.

  "The swelling is quite bad," said Lizzy. "Perhaps it is broken?"

  "May I?" asked Bingley.

  "Are you a physician, sir?" asked Lizzy, becoming interested.

  Fortunately Bingley was not insulted.

  "Ah, no," he replied, "but I played a lot of sport at Eton and Oxford."

  He felt both Jane's feet carefully. Aside from the swelling, he could feel nothing grossly amiss.

  "I cannot feel aught awry," said Bingley, "but there are many small bones in the foot."

  "I believe I have some arnica," said Lizzy, opening the trunk and beginning to unpack it.

  Darcy was well aware of the impropriety of watching her unpack her trunk, but he found it was the only interesting thing happening in the room. His eye was caught by a copy of Plato's Republic and a travelling chess set she placed on the floor. Following her hands to her trunk, he watched as a very interesting nightgown and a pair of stays were pushed to one side.

  Elizabeth retrieved a large drawstring reticule, placed it on the floor, and expanded the neck to reveal its contents, which consisted of some jars and bottles, and a piece of bark.

  Selecting one of the jars, Lizzy began to smooth some ointment onto Jane's foot. After finishing this operation, she fetched a shawl from the trunk and hid her sister's naked feet beneath it.

  She then turned to Mr Bingley again. "Forgive me, sir; in my concern for my sister, I did not introduce her properly the first time. This is my elder sister, Miss Jane Bennet."

  "Your servant, Miss Bennet," said Bingley, reaching out for her hand and bowing over it. He did not relinquish it immediately, instead planting a light kiss on the back of her hand before releasing it.

  Darcy was duly introduced and an awkward silence reigned.

  "I gather your coachman has gone to seek help?" asked Mr Bingley.

  "Indeed, Longbourn is not far," said Lizzy. "We expect him back in an hour or so."

  Bingley glanced at the trunk. "Given that you have a change of clothes, it might be wise to change from your wet dresses. I'm afraid this is currently the only habitable room. Perhaps Darcy and I could step into the hall for a moment?"