for Mama

[bennetsister]

Mr Darcy's proposal, which had been quite unexpected and yet entirely welcome, left Elizabeth in such a state that she barely knew which way was up for the rest of the day. However, there was one small spot to mar her happiness, and that was the matter of speaking to her mother. She preferred to ask her mother's consent herself, at least initially

Comments

[mama_bennet]

Mrs. Bennet sat in her room, knitting a cap that was intended for little Lydia. She had a glass of lemonade and she had just taken a sip when she heard a noise at the door. Why, anybody could be there! She set her knitting down and went to investigate, her curiosity piqued by the distraction.

"Lizzy!" she exclaimed upon opening it. Her daughter seemed nervous, quite unlike herself. "Do come inside, my dear. Are you upset from your adventure? I dare say you frightened me by wandering off like that. This is not Longbourn, you know. Sit, and I shall fetch you something cool to drink."

[bennetsister]

"Oh, no, Mama, I'm quite all right," said Elizabeth, taking a seat. "Please don't go to any trouble, I'm perfectly fine." She twisted her hands nervously in her lap, for she did not know how to approach the subject of her engagement with her mother. "I did not wander off, Mama, it was one of the tricks the island plays upon its residents. But it has worked out all right in the end."

[mama_bennet]

"I can hardly believe the tricks this infernal island does play upon us!" Mrs. Bennet sat down on her bed, folding her hands calmly in her lap. She was most pleased to see her daughter, and all in one piece. "But I did worry, my dear. Your father would never forgive me if I let any thing happen to you, and I heard such tales of the goings-on out in the wildernes, but I am glad it was you taken away and not Jane. She has not your strong constitution now."

Elizabeth appeared to have something on her mind. Mrs. Bennet could tell from the motion of her hands. "Has something happened to Jane? You must tell me!" Now she began to fidget herself.

[bennetsister]

"Jane is fine, Mama," Elizabeth assured her. "She tires more easily of late but is perfectly well." She fidgeted with her fingers some more, and decided to approach the subject of Mr Darcy by a circuitous route. "It was quite strange in the jungle, but I came across others who had been similarly stranded, and together we were able to stay out of the way of the dinosaurs. But it would have taken us longer to find our way back were not fortunate enough to be found by a small search party." She hesitated for a moment, and then added, "Which included Mr Darcy."

[mama_bennet]

She breathed a sigh of relief and fanned herself at the news that Jane was all right, with the baby coming so soon.

"Mister Darcy?" she said, the surprise clear in her tone of voice. "Why that is unexpected, that he would lift a finger to help a girl he has no particular regard for. I must remember to thank him." The last came as a grumble, nearly. "Perhaps he is not entirely unworthy." Mr. Darcy had been avoiding her, she thought, though she would be willing to speak to him. Their former acquaintance demanded it, for the sake of politeness. "I am very glad that you are safe, Lizzy."

[bennetsister]

Elizabeth nodded, making up her mind to go on and say it all at once as to get it over with. "Well, you see, the thing is," she said quickly, "Mr Darcy has asked me to marry him - he asked me just yesterday, in fact - and I have accepted his proposal." There it was; the news was out, and Elizabeth braced herself for her mother's reaction.

[mama_bennet]

Mrs. Bennet stared blankly, but as soon as the word "marry" was uttered, a smile crept over her face. She struggled to maintain her composure. "Marry, my dear Miss Bennet? And you have accepted him? But why should you not? Every girl must marry, and Mr. Darcy is very rich."

Then a thought occurred to you. "It is not proper, that he would propose marriage without consulting your family before asking you!" And she was, little though she liked it, the head of the Bennet family in this situation. "How very sly of him. I did not think it possible."

[bennetsister]

She could not help but laugh a little with the relief that filled her. "Oh, no, I did not agree marry him because he is rich," she said with a smile - even if she had been the sort to do so, one's wealth at home mattered very little in this place - "I agreed to marry him because I love him. I assure you, I do, lest you think I am gone mad; it is true I disliked him greatly upon our first meeting, but after a closer examination of his character I am absolutely certain he has the best heart of anyone I know, and we are entirely well-suited for one another." Her face was pink as she said it, but it was the truth, every word. She smiled and added, "And I am sure he meant no disrespect to you, Mama, for he has treated me, and Jane, with every courtesy in the time we have spent here."

[mama_bennet]

Elizabeth's pink cheeks certainly told the same story as her words. "How can this have happened, and without my knowing of it. Why, you have been very secretive. La, it is all settled now, but do tell your young man that he must speak to me, as it is only proper."

Another daughter married! Mrs. Bennet would hardly know what to do with herself. "I can see that you do love him, Lizzy, for I was a young girl in love once, and it looks very well on you."

[bennetsister]

"I did not mean to be secretive," protested Elizabeth. "Indeed I was not entirely sure of my feelings towards him until I realised he had come all the way into the jungle just to find me when I went missing - and then somehow, Mama, I just knew." The circumstances of the last two months had shed such a light into his character as to make his true nature unmistakable, and how could she not help but love him for it? "Please say that you will give your consent when he comes to speak with you, Mama, for your approval does mean a great deal to me."

[mama_bennet]

As much as she thought that saying something forbidding would be appropriate, she could not. Her motherly joy could hardly be contained. "I could not deny you what you truly wanted, my dearest girl. I shall certainly give my consent when he asks for your hand. He must love you a great deal to take such a risk." She smiled fondly. "As well he should, for I doubt he could find a better wife any where in the world!"

[bennetsister]

"I believe he does, as much as I love him," Elizabeth replied. Of that she was absolutely certain; if she doubted it at all, she had only to recall the intensity with which he looked at her or the quiet emotion with which he said her name, and all doubts were erased. "Oh, Mama, thank you," she said, crossing the room to catch her mother up in a happy embrace.

[mama_bennet]

"I am quite excited for you, and for myself, too! Imagine, a wedding and the birth of my granddaughter all at once. But the clothes! Who will make your dress, and where is the fabric to come from? Oh, there is so much to think about." This was said with glee, for there was nothing Mrs. Bennet liked more than a wedding, and of two people in love! It was her fondest dream come true.

"Ah, dear Elizabeth, you have made your mother very proud." For she had spent her whole life working toward this goal.