| Subject: Pride : part 25 |
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Date Posted: 14:08:44 03/10/08 Mon
Pride
rooster
Alternative Universe
Summary: Harm and Mac act out Pride and Prejudice
Disclaimer: see prologue
Author's note: sorry about not posting sooner, my hard drive crashed, took awhile to fix and find the story afterwards.
Author's note 2: This part is not in the book. I believe that before any rich gentleman of the land gentry would have reciprocate the hospitality that was shown to him. Also he would want to make ammends to the family of his intended. He would like to show her family what he had to offer their daughter and maybe give them insight into his life.
part twenty four A Time of Good Cheer
Saturday
26 September
Longbourn
Finally the day had come. The Mackenzies and their extended family, the Burnetts and Phillips, were going to travel North to Pemberly. They were all excited about the trip except for Mr. Mackenzie.
He hated traveling, especially for many hours in a small carriage with his family. There was no privacy. There was no where to go if he wanted some peace and quiet. The girls were certain to be noisy for most of the trip.
He had heard about Pemberly from Sarah and Mrs. Burnett. It was supposed to be very grand and beautiful. While he didn’t doubt their assessment of Pemberly, he still didn’t have any desire to go there and see it.
He wasn’t going to be living at Pemberly, so why should he care to go there and see it? Why were they going there anyway? Who was Mr. Darcy trying to impress? Did he think that Mrs. Mackenzie would like him if she saw Pemberly?
Did Mr. Darcy think that his wife would fall all over herself when she saw Pemberly and what he had to offer Sarah and thus her? Did Mr. Darcy think she would accept him then.
He didn’t care if someone had more than he did. Personal wealth didn’t make the man in his opinion. Honor and integrity were more important. How a man treated his peers was more important.
There were a few who thought they knew the real reason why Mr. Darcy had invited them to Pemberly. They assumed it had something to do with Sarah. Although they hadn’t talked much about it, Jordan and Jennifer thought that Mr. Darcy was in love with Sarah along with a few others.
Maybe he was trying to show the family that Sarah would be marrying well and be well taken care of. Chloe thought it was more about Mr. Darcy showing them that he wasn’t an ogre. That he wanted to show everyone that he could be as generous a host as the Keeters had been the night they held a ball at Netherfield.
Fortunately for Mr. Mackenzie, Jennifer and Chloe were traveling with the Phillips since they had no young children traveling with them. Only Jordan and Sarah would be traveling in his carriage with him and Mrs. Mackenzie.
The talking would be kept to a more normal tone. There also would be less talking since Mrs. Mackenzie usually spent less time with Jordan and Sarah, thus she had less in common with them.
They had long ago become self sufficient and were not in the need of their mother’s attention like Chloe and Mattie had been.
Sunday
noontime
27 September
Pemberly
The Mackenzies and company had stopped for the night. It had been a long trip and everyone was ready for a much needed break. A nice dinner with pleasant conversation was the order of the day.
They would rest for the night and start their trip again in the morning. They hope to arrive at Pemberly shortly after noon.
“How much farther do we have to travel.” moaned Mr. Mackenzie. He had been sitting much too long in one place and Mrs. Mackenzie hadn’t stopped talking since they got into the carriage that morning.
“It’s not too much farther Papa. We should be seeing Pemberly very soon.” assured Sarah.
“It can’t be soon enough. I’m tired of sitting in one place for so long. I need to stretch my legs.” whined Mr. Mackenzie.
“I see it! Wow!” yelled Chloe from the carriage up ahead upon seeing Pemberly. It was such a large manor. She couldn’t believe its size. Longbourn was only a small fraction of Pemberly’s size. It was no wonder that Mr. Darcy came across as a pompous ass.
Mr. Mackenzie ordered the driver to stop the carriage so everyone could get out and take a good look at Pemberly. They were in awe by the sight. Pemberly was truly beautiful. Sarah hadn’t embellished about its immense beauty.
“It’s so beautiful.” declared Jordan.
“It’s so large. Why would anyone want to live in a place that is so large.” observed Jennifer.
“It a family home Jennifer. At one time many generations, brothers, sisters, and cousins may have lived here.” replied Jordan.
“You mean like Mama, her brother, and her sister’s family?” asked Jennifer.
“Yes, and maybe even her parents too.” replied Jordan.
“Your friend is indeed quite fortunate Sarah. It’s rare to see a manor of this import. One would be quite fortunate to be mistress of Pemberly. Is this going to be your new residence?” observed Mr. Mackenzie as he teased his favorite daughter.
“Is this where you’re going to live after you’ve married Mr. Darcy?” asked Jennifer. She had seen Sarah with Mr. Darcy almost every day since the dinner party.
“What are you talking about Jennifer? There isn’t anyone here who is going to marry Mr. Darcy. He’s just returning the hospitality that was shown him when he dined at Longbourn.” replied Mrs. Mackenzie.
Sarah gave Jennifer a look. She was supposed to keep her relationship with Mr. Darcy a secret. They needed to find their way together without worrying about the expectations of others.
“What do you think sister? Pemberly is a fine residence.” asked Mr. Bennett.
“It is quite large, I suppose it is nice enough.” replied Mrs. Mackenzie a little surly.
She was still quite aware it was probably better to stay on Mr. Darcy’s good side, at least until Jordan and Mr. Keeter were married. It was a hard lesson she had learned last year when she disparaged Mr. Darcy causing Mr. Keeter to leave Netherfield.
They all got back into their carriage and proceeded to Pemberly. It wasn’t long before they were there. The place was even bigger up close. They were greeted by one of the servants out front and were shown inside where Mr. Darcy greeted them.
“Welcome to Pemberly, please let the servants take your things to your rooms.”
“It’s nice to see you again Mr. Darcy.” smiled Mrs. Burnett in a flirting manner. She believed that she knew why they were there. She had grown to like this young man who was in love with her niece.
“It’s nice to have you all here for Michaelmas. If you will allow me to show you around.” offered Harm.
Harm led the group on a tour through the common area of the manor usually opened to tourists. There was a music room, a room filled with sculptures, another room filled with family portraits.
Everyone was quite impress. They were use to utilizing every available space in their residence as living area. Pemberly had space reserved for every type of activity imaginable.
When they were done with the tour Harm led them back to the residential area of Pemberly, the part that was off limits to the general public. He wanted to introduce Ms Sarah’s family to his sister, Georgiana.
“I would like to introduce you all to my sister Georgiana. Georgiana, you know Mr. and Mrs. Burnett. These are there children; James, Henry, Elizabeth, and Jane.
This Mr. and Mrs. Phillips, Ms Sarah’s aunt and uncle who live in Meryton. These are Ms Sarah’s parents Mr. and Mrs. Mackenzie and her sisters; Jordan, Jennifer, and Chloe.” introduced Harm.
“It’s so nice to meet all of you. I have wanted to meet all of you for so long.” greeted Georgiana happily.
Everyone return her greeting “Hello.”
“You’re as beautiful as we have been told. Allison said you were beautiful beyond your years. I hope that you will play for us while we’re here. I’ve heard that you are very good.” complimented Jordan.
“Thank you, you’re so kind. Do you play like Sarah?” asked Georgiana who was blushing from Jordan’s wonderful compliments.
“We all play, though some of us play better than the others do.” smiled Jordan as she set off a bit of sibling rivalry.
“I’m sure you all are tired and hungry from your trip. I have arranged for a small repast for you in the dining area.” offered Harm as he led them out of the room to the dining area.
He was pleased to see that his sister was well received by Ms Sarah’s family. They had no other immediate family. Most of their relations were distant cousins that they didn’t see very often.
The Mackenzies were surprised to find Jack, Allison, and the Boones in the room. Jordan was happy to see Jack there. He came over to her and gave her a small kiss and hug. Allison went over to see Sarah and have a chat.
“I see that your whole family is here Sarah. Does that mean the blessed event is not far off?” whispered Allison. “How did he ask you? Was he romantic?”
“What? No, I’m not engaged, but you were right about Mr. Darcy still being in love with me. I do believe that he wants to marry me, but I told him he needed to court me first. He needs to demonstrate to me what his true character is.
I like the man I met here at Pemberly last summer. He was the perfect gentleman, unlike the man I saw at Netherfield and Rosings.” replied Sarah.
“I have to admit Mr. Darcy was much more amicable the last time we were here. He wasn’t prideful or stuck up as he usually is. Remember the talk we had about him being stuck in one attitude for so long? How we wanted so much to laugh at him?
I think you have freed him from that stagnant attitude and from himself. He was almost as sociable as Jack, which is a stretch for Mr. Darcy.” Allison agreed.
“So have you fallen in love with him yet? Will he ask you to marry him soon?” asked Allison.
“Why does everyone keep asking me that? It has only been a few weeks since we have decided to even be a couple never mind think about getting married.” replied Sarah.
“You have the rest of your life to get to know him Sarah. He is a good man. You won’t find anyone better than he. Besides, why would you want to be away from Pemberly, it’s so beautiful here.” counseled Allison.
“I know you’re right, but my heart hasn’t caught up to my head yet. But if he does ask me again, I don’t think I would be able to say no. You can’t say anything to him Allison. If he decides to ask me while my family is here, it has to be his choice, no one elses.” replied Sarah in resignation.
“I won’t, but I wouldn’t be surprise if he does ask you again while you’re here with your family. Pemberly would be the perfect setting to announce to your family your engagement to Mr. Darcy.”
mid afternoon
Later that day while the ladies and children were taking a walk around the lake Mr. Darcy invited the men to go fishing with him. It was the perfect activity to sit around and talk while pretending that they were doing something worthwhile. After a while Harm decided to talk to Mr. Mackenzie about Ms Sarah.
“Mr. Mackenzie, I would like to talk to you about something important.” began Harm.
“Am I going to like it?” asked Mr. Mackenzie. He had an idea about what Mr. Darcy wanted to talk about, but he wanted to get to know the man a little first before giving him his blessings.
“I believe so Sir. I would like to ask you for your permission to marry your daughter, Ms Sarah.” replied Harm.
“I thought as much when you invited us to Pemberly.” replied Mr. Mackenzie.
“I have loved her since she told me that dancing was a way to show one’s affection even is one’s partner is only tolerable.” replied Harm honestly.
“I had wondered why you spent the night dancing with Sarah at the ball. Though as her father I was sure it was because she was beautiful and quite charming.” smiled Mr. Mackenzie.
“She is very beautiful, but I think it was the way she thought that intrigued me the most. There are many beautiful women in the world, but there aren’t many that can challenge one on an intellectual level.” explained Mr. Darcy.
“Then why did you run away when Sarah told her mother that you were courting her?” asked Mr. Mackenzie.
“She scared me. I didn’t think I was in love with her back then, only that I liked being with her. I was surprised also because if she thought I was courting her, then she must have had passionate feelings for me.
While I thought she liked me, I didn’t think we had gotten to the point in our friendship where either one of us was in love. I hadn’t come to Hertfordshire to find a wife, only to support a friend.” explained Harm.
“It’s funny how love works. It always seems to find you when you aren’t looking for it. But why did you leave if you thought you were in love with Sarah and stay away for so long?” pondered Mr. Mackenzie.
“I wasn’t ready to be in love. I didn’t know I was in love with her until I had left Netherfield. I thought if I didn’t see her, I would soon forget about her, but instead I missed her more and more every day. It’s the reason I went to see her while she was visiting her friend Harriet Lucas.” conceded Harm.
“What did happen there? While Sarah appeared to be happy when she first returned home, later she seemed to be quite melancholy for a month or two.” asked Mr. Mackenzie.
“We spent a lot of time together in the company of my cousin. I didn’t exactly talk a lot, which seemed to confuse her and probably frustrated her too. After a few weeks I finally summoned up the courage to tell her that I loved her.” replied Harm.
“I’m sure she was quite surprise to hear that. She always told me you didn’t like her.” replied Mr. Mackenzie.
“I think you’re right about that even though at the time I believed she was well aware that I liked her. I believed that she liked me too.” agreed Harm.
“I think she probably knew that on some level. Jordan and Harriet thought you were interested in her. They would talk to her about your interest in her. I used to tease her about you. I even told her that you would probably ask her to marry you someday.” laughed Mr. Mackenzie.
The other men listened intently. Mr. Boone had wondered what had happen to Darcy after the beginning of the year. They hadn’t seen much of Darcy, only one day last spring and a few days this past summer.
It was highly unusual not to see him on a regular basis. They usually saw him every few weeks in the past. It had been quite surprising that he had stayed at Netherfield for two months.
Mr. Burnett was interested in finally learning exactly what had happened at Hunsford between Sarah and Mr. Darcy. They had thought Mr. Darcy had asked Sarah to marry him. Jack finally understood why Darcy said he was wrong about Jordan and him.
“I did ask her to marry me last spring, but I think I confused her when I told her about all the obstacles that would need to be overcome if we were to marry. Unfortunately she misunderstood what I was saying. She thought I was insulting her and her family.” sighed Harm.
“I understand the social implications of such a union even though Sarah might not. She is still quite young even though she may believe that she is mature beyond her years. She has only fantasized about what love is.
Many of her ideas about love come from books she has read, which are usually about romantic type of love as they are written in fairy tales. I think she got a better understanding of what love is when she stayed with Harriet.
To be quite honest with you Mr. Darcy, I don’t think she ever thought much about love until Mr. Keeter began courting her sister last year. It awakened something inside her that hadn’t been there before.
Since Sarah and Jordan have always been very close growing up, the idea of marry two men that were very good friends was probably quite appealing to her.” explained Mr. Mackenzie.
“So you asked her to marry you and she told you no. What has changed since last spring? Why should I give you my blessing now? Why do you think she would say yes now?” asked Mr. Mackenzie.
“Last spring she called me on a few things, particularly my pride and my arrogant behavior toward other people. She pointed out how unsociable and arrogant I had been and that I hadn’t made an effort to make any connections in Hertfordshire.
I had forgotten how to act like a gentleman and treat people with respect. I have since made the effort to behave like the gentleman I was raised to be. When she visited Pemberly two months ago we reconnected and worked things out. I believe her feelings for me have change.” replied Harm.
“Is that the real reason why you came back to Netherfield with Mr. Keeter?” asked Mr. Mackenzie.
“Yes Sir. It’s when she told me she wouldn’t be adverse to the idea of me courting her. She needed to know what my true character was.” answered Harm honestly.
“Well I can see that you can provide for her. I’m sure there is nothing you wouldn’t be able to give her. I know she loves it here. If you love her as much as I think you do and she will have you, then you have my blessings Mr. Darcy.” consented Mr. Mackenzie.
“I wonder what my sister will say. She has been Mr. Darcy’s severest critic.” laughed Mr. Burnett along with Jack and Mr. Boone.
“She will be ecstatic. Her goal since Mr. Keeter came to Netherfield last year was to see two of her daughters married. Mattie married Mr. Turner, Jordan is going to marry well with Mr. Keeter, and now Sarah will be marrying Mr. Darcy.
Her nerves will be in Nirvana. I won’t have to listen to her talk about me dying and where she’s going to live for a long time. I feel pretty good too.” smiled Mr. Mackenzie.
Meanwhile the ladies and the children had gone for a walk around the lake. Mrs. Burnett wanted her sisters to see the beautiful gardens that were perfectly situated around the lake. Sarah wanted Jordan to see them too.
Sarah wanted Jordan to understand why she believed that Pemberly was the most beautiful place she had ever seen. She wanted her to understand why she thought it was heaven on earth.
“I need to sit down and rest.” declared Mrs. Mackenzie. She wasn’t use to doing so much walking.
“Of course sister why don’t you sit on this bench. It will give you a wonderful view of the manor.” smiled Mrs. Burnett.
The children, Chloe, and Georgiana went on ahead. Jennifer decided to stay with Jordan, Sarah, Allison, Mrs. Boone, Mrs. Burnett, and Mrs. Phillips. She wanted to know what was happening.
“Yes, Pemberly is very beautiful, just like you told me last summer sister. I don’t expect to see it again anytime soon.” replied Mrs. Mackenzie in a sulking manner.
“Are you sure of that Mrs. Mackenzie? Maybe someone here would like you to visit Pemberly quite often in the future.” smiled Allison. She knew it wouldn’t be long before Sarah was Mistress of Pemberly.
“I know of no such person. Mr. Darcy and I don’t get along that well.” sulked Mrs. Mackenzie.
“Sarah use to tell us the same thing, but she and Mr. Darcy always seem to spend a lot of time together.” informed Allison.
“Allison!” exclaimed Sarah hoping to get Allison to stop, but Mrs. Boone decided to chime in too. It wasn’t often that they could act a little silly and have fun.
“They like to spend their time together dancing. It’s what they did every night at Netherfield when she stayed with us.” laughed Mrs. Boone.
She was join by many of the others for they knew what that meant. Mrs. Mackenzie however was confused by what they meant.
“I think they are implying that Mr. Darcy is in love with Sarah, Mama.” smiled Jordan. “And Sarah is in ...... ”
“Jordan!” pleaded Sarah to no avail as her secret was going to be revealed to her mother.
“..... is in love with Mr. Darcy.” Jennifer finished Jordan’s sentence.
“Sarah, what are they talking about? You don’t even like Mr. Darcy.” asked Mrs. Mackenzie, who was even more confused than ever.
“Some very confuse ladies are living out their fantasy about Mr. Darcy through me Mama. They believe Mr. Darcy is in love with me. They think it’s the reason why we are here today.” replied Sarah.
“When I told Mr. Darcy last year that dancing was a way to show one’s affection, he decided to dance with me in front of the others to torment me, to tease me. He was letting the world know how young and foolish I am.” explained Sarah.
“Nonsense, Mr. Darcy is only returning the hospitality that has been shown to him. He is a man of good breeding.” argued Mrs. Mackenzie.
“That may be true sister, but we also think he’s going to ask Sarah to marry him while we’re here.” replied Mrs. Burnett.
“He is not going to ask me to marry him.” Sarah informed them.
“Are you sure about that Sarah? Why do you think Mr. Darcy took Papa fishing. You know how much Papa doesn’t like to fish.” argued Jordan.
“He wouldn’t do that without talking to me first.” argued Sarah digging the hole she was in deeper, not realizing what she was saying or that she was confirming that there was something happening between them.
“He is a man of good breeding Sarah. He would ask your father for his blessing. Why else would he have invited all of us here?” explained Mrs. Burnett.
Sarah didn’t know what to do or say. Everything she said was being taken out of context. It was too soon for him to ask her, it had only been three weeks. She expected him to court her for a few months before asking her again to marry him.
“He wants to share your engagement with everyone that loves you Sarah. He wants everyone to know that you will be very happy and well taken care of.” added Allison.
“No Allison, Mama is right, he is only returning the hospitality that was shown him when he was in Hertfordshire. It’s what a man of good breeding would do.” replied Sarah hoping that they would believe her.
It wasn’t long before they were on their way again back to Pemberly. Sarah had a lot of thinking to do. Were they right? Would he ask her to marry him today? Yes, she had told Allison she probably would say yes the next time he asked her,
but she wasn’t sure if she was ready to say yes. She wasn’t ready to get married just yet, was she? She was so confused, maybe even more so than her mother.
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