Her eyes rounded, and her lips parted softly, and for once, Elizabeth Bennet had no clever retorts. No witticisms or pert replies to set me back on my heels. Just… awe.
She swallowed. “Mr. Darcy, I…”
But before she could choke out another word, a soft rustle sounded above us. I looked up and, to my horror, saw a sprig of mistletoe floating down from the terrace overhang. No one had placed it there, of course. This had Ewan’s ghostly fingerprints all over it.
Elizabeth followed my gaze, her eyes narrowing in confusion. “Is that...?”
“Mistletoe,” I confirmed, as my face heated.
Elizabeth looked at me, the corner of her lips twitching as if she were trying to suppress a laugh. “Did you... arrange this, Mr. Darcy?”
“Not at all,” I said quickly, stepping slightly to the side. “This is not of my doing, I assure you.”
The mistletoe hovered ominously between us, swaying gently as if to remind us of its presence. I could practically hear Ewan’s laughter echoing in my head. Elizabeth, meanwhile, was watching me with a gleam of amusement in her eyes.
“Oh, come now, Mr. Darcy,” she teased. “Surely you know the tradition.”
I swallowed hard.Elizabeth Bennet. Mistletoe. Ewan meddling in the background, likely doubled over in ghostly laughter. This was not how I envisioned confessing my love to Elizabeth. I’d wanted words, true feelings, a moment of quiet reflection and honesty.
And what I got was Ewan McLean.
“I... suppose I do,” I said cautiously, glancing upward as the mistletoe bobbed slightly closer. “Though, under the circumstances...”
Elizabeth took a step closer, her face illuminated by the light spilling from the ballroom. “Under the circumstances, I think a kiss wouldn’t be entirely out of place, don’t you?”
My breath caught. For a moment, I could hardly think—my mind too full of the sight of her, standing before me, her cheeks flushed from the cold, her eyes glinting with amusement.
Before I could even respond, I felt a soft nudge at my back. I nearly stumbled forward, catching myself just in time. Elizabeth’s eyes widened in surprise as I closed the distance between us, mere inches away.
I didn’t need to look to know Ewan was responsible for that gentle shove.
Elizabeth arched an eyebrow, clearly trying to contain her laughter. “You... seem eager, Mr. Darcy.”
I cleared my throat, trying to regain some semblance of dignity. “Someonecertainly is.”
Her lips curved into a smile, and for a moment, the rest of the world seemed to melt away. The night, the cold, the oddity of the mistletoe floating above us—it all faded into the background. There was only Elizabeth, standing before me, her gaze holding mine in a way that made my heart race.
I leaned in, slowly, giving her every chance to pull away. But she didn’t. Instead, she tilted her chin slightly, her breath mingling with mine as I closed the last of the distance between us.
The kiss was brief, barely more than a brush of lips—but it was enough to set my pulse racing, enough to make the ground feel unsteady beneath my feet. When I pulled back, Elizabeth’s eyes were still closed, but she was smiling.
She opened her eyes slowly, her gaze meeting mine, and for a moment, neither of us said anything. The air between us felt charged, like the calm before a storm.
But before I could speak, before I could even process what had just happened, I heard a faint, mocking applause from behind me. I turned, and sure enough, there was Ewan—sitting on the stone railing, clapping slowly, a self-satisfied smirk on his face.
“Took ye long enough, lad,” he said with a grin. “That was doonright romantic.”
I sighed, shaking my head, but I couldn’t help the smile tugging at my lips. “You are insufferable, Ewan.”
Elizabeth gave me a playful nudge. “Well, it wasn’t the worst mistletoe kiss I’ve ever had.”
I chuckled softly, my heart lighter than it had been in weeks. “Then I’m honored, Miss Bennet. If you don’t mind… what do you say to a second attempt?”
She leaned slightly closer to me, tilting her head up and fixing me with a seductive pout. “Why?”
“Because,” I whispered as my lips lightly touched hers, “before the evening is out, I want mine to be theonlymistletoe kisses you will ever remember.”
Her lips smiled under mine. “Challenge accepted, Mr. Darcy.”
