“You shall not,” Darcy proclaimed, “ever be ashamed about your connections with trade. They are who your family was, they are part of how you grew up, and where you come from. I will despise anyone who looks askance at you in such a way.”
“No, no, no,” Elizabeth said laughing, though also touched. “I do not want you todespiseanyone for my sake. But if you look at them very sternly on occasion, that would be quite sufficient for what I need.”
“I can sternly look at anyone,” Darcy replied with confidence and a subtle smile.
Elizabeth laughed, and she wanted to hug and kiss him again.
He then said, as they wound close to Longbourn, “I like your father. He reminds me of you — I see how you learned your tendencies of thoughts and ways that I love so much. And he is authentically concerned with your wellbeing, and intelligently so.”
“Oh, no!” Elizabeth blushed. “I hope you do not mean to say he gave you a particularly difficult time when you asked for his consent.”
Darcy actually laughed. “He gave me a difficult time, but I simply explained to him that I had already listened to you upon the same point, and that was enough for him.”
Elizabeth giggled. “Details! But of course Papawouldaccept your proof that you listened to me as a reason to accept you as a suitor for me. He knows how wise I am.”
“Precisely — chiefly what he spoke on was the importance of forgiveness, not holding grudges. And he seemed to be oddly convinced that you will on occasion annoy me and not always be a happily submissive and obedient wife.”
Another gurgled giggle from Elizabeth.
Darcy nodded his head decidedly. “Precisely. I am shocked too that he misunderstands your character on this point.”
“So you mean to say that rather than being concerned about howyoushall treat me, he wished to assure himself that you understood how I shall treatyou.”
That lovely wry grin. Elizabeth really wished to kiss Darcy, so she leaned up on her toes, and did kiss him briefly.
Mary shouted from behind them, “No! You cannot do that.”
“Defeated in my schemes once more by your attentive eye.” Elizabeth laughed.
“I’ll tell Mama and Papa that you were kissing,” Mary said, “if you do it again.”
Lydia turned back from her conversation with Maria. “Don’t be such a sour rag, Mary, Mary quite contrary! If anyone was willing to kiss you,you’dlike it too.”
“I assure you that I do notwantanyone to kiss me. And I am wholly satisfied that if they did, I would not enjoy it.”
“Would too!”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes at Darcy.
He smiled back at her, with that seductive look that made shivers go through Elizabeth’s stomach.
She could hardly wait until this time of engagement was done — though the period had its joys — and they entered into Holy Matrimony, and were socially not merely allowed, but expected to do everything they might imagine with each other.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The night before the union of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet was to be solemnized, Darcy, Bingley, and Colonel Fitzwilliam gathered in shirtsleeves in the Netherfield billiard room.
The flames in the lamps danced from the breeze that gusted through occasionally. May was nearly over, and this had been the first week when the air was hot enough to make the interior of the building stuffy.
Clack.
The balls bounced and collided against each other, and Colonel Fitzwilliam looked with satisfaction down at the table. “Another two points. This time I think I’ll beat you, Darcy, and without any resort to unconventional stratagems.”
Darcy grimaced. He felt a bit unsteady from the amount of fine brandy and port that he’d drunk during the last hours of celebration, encouraged first by the other guests, and since they’d all been sent off to their homes or bed, by Bingley and Colonel Fitzwilliam.
He still hated to lose.
Darcy shot again, and he winced as the red ball bounced crazily off the felt sides of the table.
