Work Text:
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a father in possession of a large family, must be in want of a secluded library.
Mr Bennet closed the study door behind him and headed straight towards his liquor cabinet. Filling his glass with an unsavoury amount of brandy, he threw himself onto his chair and closed his eyes. In a single span of a few days, he had to see three -three!- men asking for his daughters. Granted, the first one did not ask for permission; this charming wretch, Wickham, first claimed his silly daughter and then made his wishes known to his now father-in-law. He would be mad, had it not been Lydia that he was claiming; silly, headstrong Lydia, who would have her way no matter his own decisions.
Then, it was Bingley; the man of five thousand a year, who courted kind Jane and then broke her heart -do not suppose he did not notice-, only to come back and ask for her hand, in earnest this time. What was he to do but agree? They would be a kindhearted couple, one everyone could rely on to be cheated out of their fortune and still keep their smiles on.
And then, the mystery of the year-nay, the century; Mr Darcy himself. The man who spurned his favourite daughter, the man whom his daughter spurned in return, coming to ask for her hand (”It will be my greatest honour and the greatest endeavour of my life, to make your daughter as happy as she deserves to be, Mr Bennet” he had said, with -admittedly- more feeling than what he should expect from this proud, rigid man)! And she, claiming that she wishes to have him, not because of some sense of martyrdom to save the family from ruin, but because she loved him (”I love Mr Darcy with all my heart, Papa. I have misjudged him terribly in the past and for that, I am sincerely sorry” she had said, as if his Lizzy had not spent her entire life making a habit of studying people's characters)!
He turned his chair towards the window that overlooked the flower garden; there they were, the two happy couples. Bingley was animatedly talking to Jane; his countenance was bright as hers, but where he was energetic and enthusiastic, she was serene and calm. Their smiles reflected their happiness and the kindness he already knew Jane had in her, and now suposed that it was to be found in Bingley, too. They would make a happy marriage, he thought; they would never disappoint each other-surely they would disappoint many others, but not each other, and that was probably what mattered. On the other side of the garden, his Lizzy was conversing with Mr Darcy. There was impatience in the looks they exchanged; they were discussing with less energy than Bingley, but whatever was Lizzy saying to Mr Darcy, must have been pretty challenging; for he quietly followed her every word with attentiveness, before attempting to say something that made Lizzy form that frown her father knew well; that frown she had when she got immersed into an interesting conversation, or a book. That look that meant she was intellectually challenged.
Perhaps Lizzy will have a good match after all. There was no doubt that his future son-in-law was a smart, educated man, who would not back down from an argument if he could. This marriage would probably be a volatile, but interesting one-but woe to anyone who got caught in the intellectual crossfire of the couple.
“I hope my little girl will be happy”, he lamented to no one in particular, except the pot beside his desk, holding his favourite orchid.
“She will be happy, Thomas”, a voice he had known too well responded to his anxiousness. His wife was standing behind him -when did she get there?-, smiling knowingly at the sight of the couples outside. Fanny, his longtime companion; she was everything he did not expect to want from a wife; she was loud, sometimes indiscreet, and her poor nerves had been his constant worry and source of amusement for many years. Sometimes, he only wondered, why had he chosen her? He was bound for a woman more intellectually inclined, instead of a woman that sometimes bordered on silly.
“How do you know, Fanny? How does she know he is the right man for her? I do not wish to see my Lizzy get hurt by a wrong choice of husband” he said, only to quickly regret his words. Many times he had wondered whether he was the right one for this family, only to find no answer to his questions.
“Look at her. She has found her other half, do not deny it” she responded, as she leaned over her husband's chair. “We were like this once when we were her age, or have you perhaps forgotten?”
Most times Mrs Bennet’s poor nerves made Mr Bennet’s own nerves thinner, but sometimes, when her voice lowered and her anxieties were at bay, he remembered what he had seen in this woman so long ago; her vitality, her boldness, and a beauty she had inherited to her daughters, both the silly and the not-so-silly ones. At those times, he remembered how he had struggled with gods and demons, in order to have Fanny as his wife, as his own father scorned this match for his son.
“I have not forgotten, my dear” he admitted, as he reached out for her hand. The years had shaped them both differently; she, a woman preoccupied with raising five daughters and keeping an estate and worrying about their future, and he, trying to make ends meet according to his status as a gentleman. But when he was in Mr Darcy’s age, he had pursued Fanny with wild abandon, definitely believing there would be no better woman for him. They were not perfectly matched in terms of interests and pursues; but whenever he was at her presence, he had eyes for no one but her.
“Remember when you came to ask permission from my father; he almost denied you, threw you out, until you said-”
“That there was no one I believed more worthy to struggle for...” he completed her words, and she smiled knowingly. In this smile, Mr Bennet saw what he had fallen in love with so many years ago. And it was true; their marriage had a fair share of struggles, but despite the odds, they were having five daughters and a relatively happy life with them.
“So, you know-you were just like Mr Darcy when you were his age, stubborn and clever. And I was happy with it. I am sure our Lizzy will be, too. If we made this life work, they will, too”.
As he took another look at the couple, and noticed Lizzy's radiant smile and Darcy's uncontained adoration, he could only inwardly agree with his wife.