“Ah, Colonel Fitzwilliam,” said the duke from behind his desk. “Please have a seat.”
Richard sat in the chair in front of the desk. “How can I help you, Your Grace?” he asked.
“I am afraid the time has come for me to ask the uncomfortable questions,” the duke said. “How do you feel about my daughter, Marchioness Northdale?”
This was a surprising question, though not as uncomfortable as the duke assumed. It was surprising because it indicated that the duke saw Richard as a possible suitor for Lady Jane, which he didn’t believe he had ever been. It wasn’t particularly awkward, however, because Richard was not ashamed of his feelings in the least.
“I have never met her equal among women,” he said. “She has all the best qualities one dreams of and is absolutely beautiful on top of that. I love her, and I will only ever stop loving her if she tells me to. Even then, I would have to exile myself from her presence for the rest of my life to do as she wishes.”
The duke smirked. “That is a pretty speech,” he said. “But love such as that never lasts as long as one would expect.”
“The fact that it is based on my respect for her character, which will never alter in its fundamentals, makes me confident that my statement, in its essence, is true.”
“If you love her so much, why have you not offered for her?” asked the duke.
“Because I have never considered myself worthy of her,” said Richard.
Duke Derby looked at him disbelievingly. “Come now, Colonel. Since when has any man been prevented from at least trying to achieve his heart’s desire simply by the thought that she is too good for him? I thought we were being honest with each other.”
“Your Grace is most observant,” said Richard. “Very well, the true answer is that I do not think she truly wishes to marry at present. The time I have spent with her was never about courting. Rather, I was simply keeping her company while my cousin courted Lady Elizabeth.”
“That is closer to the truth,” said the duke. “However, you neglected to take into account that the surest way to court Lady Jane is to, as you say, simply keep her company.”
“I see,” said Richard as he tried to keep any expression off his face.
“Now, tell me, if she should propose to you, as is her right based on her rank, would you accept?” asked the duke.
“In less than a heartbeat,” said Richard.
“I assumed as much,” said the duke. “Now, here is the real test. If you knew it would make her happy, would you propose to her instead of waiting for her to take the initiative?”
“I would do anything in my power to make Lady Jane as happy as she can be,” said Richard.
“Again with the pretty speeches,” said Duke Derby, slightly mockingly. “Now, I will tell you something that I shall never tell another gentleman. My daughter dislikes the idea of proposing to a gentleman very much. Despite her new station and power, inside she is still a simple gentleman’s daughter, with all the silly romantic notions that come with it.”
“I see,” said Richard, “and I understand. I thank you for the information. Does that mean that I would have your approval for such an action?”
“Yes,” said the duke. “When shall I expect the announcement?”
“Give me a few days,” said Richard. “If she wants romance, I need time to think how best to approach the subject.”
“Excellent,” said the duke with a hint of a smile and a twinkle in his eyes. “I look forward to hearing the story…many times.”
~~~~~
On the last day of October, Jane was disappointed to find that Colonel Fitzwilliam did not accompany Mr. Darcy on hisvisit to Elizabeth. Overcome with dismay, she declined to join them for their walk, sending Kitty instead.
Her disappointment was not long-lived, however. Shortly after Elizabeth returned from her walk, Colonel Fitzwilliam called. He asked to have a private word with her.
Jane could not believe her ears. There could be only one reason he would ask for such a thing, at least only one reason she could think of. Yet, she did not dare hope.
Once she had led him to the blue salon, she turned to him with a question on her face.
“I have come with a gift,” he said. He held out a delicate wooden box with exquisite scrollwork etched into it.
She took it and opened it. Inside, nestled among perfect white tissue paper and little balls of cotton, was a fine, delicate bracelet. It was made of what looked like two dozen small links which were set with alternating sapphires and emeralds.
“It is beautiful,” she said.
