“Until I say so!”
And she continued to say yes until his mouth stole the marvellous little word from her lips. They kissed like two mad people, astonished by the force of the turmoil that possessed them, trembling and sighing, and his lips made her shiver first with cold and then with fever, again and again.
“Are you mine?” he whispered in her ear, feeling her shiver in his arms as she answered, almost a cry:
“Yes!”
But then his betrothed became once more the Elizabeth Bennet he knew, and drawing back as far as his arms would permit, she looked into his eyes and asked, “Are you mine?” Her voice was every bit as severe as her expression.
“Yes!” he cried in his turn. “I am yours!”
And his lips against hers claimed a kiss that almost made her faint. She had never imagined that intimacy, his mouth opening hers, but she was eager to explore the depth of love. She imagined love as a feeling connecting two souls, but in his arms, it became the force that melded two bodies into a single triumphant one.
“My hair!” she whispered, fearing that the others would immediately guess what had happened.
Yet he did not care about her hair or her beautiful silk dress; his attention was wholly occupied by her and by the incredibly soft skin that smelled of roses.
“I love you,” he said, and again he was obliged to hold her firmly in his arms as she almost fainted beneath the overwhelming response those words awakened within her.
“Do you love me?” he asked, longing to hear those adored lips speak the words he most wished to hear.
“Yes,” she murmured feebly.
“Yes, what, Elizabeth Bennet?”
“Yes, I love you!”
The knock came as though it had awakened them from a dream, followed by Darcy’s butler’s voice from behind the door.
“Mr Thomas Bennet asks you, sir, to prepare for dinner.”
They both smiled at the strange announcement. Darcy’s butler was now following orders from Mr Thomas Bennet.
“The truth will be evident as soon as we enter the dining room,” she said with embarrassment, imagining her flushed cheeks and her hair, which she was vainly attempting to restore to the elegant arrangement it had possessed upon their arrival. Yet they could remain in the library no longer.
“I need to speak to your father,” he said. “Now!” he added, fearful that once amongst the crowd she might somehow forget her promise. Elizabeth readily agreed, perceiving his anxiety, and he kissed her one last time, smoothing her dress and hair. Then she slipped into the parlour where Miss Darcy and the duchess were struggling to restrain the hungry guests. Thomas felt reassured. Her happy countenance revealed that it had finally happened; she had allowed her love to fly, setting aside her worries and fears. He touched the duchess's shoulder to contemplate Elizabeth's happiness together.
“Mr Darcy is waiting for you in the library, Papa,” she said, and Mr Bennet’s heart filled with happiness. He alreadyknew the story from his uncle. Although her words were expected, he had not anticipated the pain, the fatherly sorrow at losing his Lizzy, that followed the first moment of joy.
Led by the butler, he entered the library to find his future son-in-law.
∞∞∞
Elizabeth found her mother with Mrs Gardiner and took them both by the arms, leading them out of the parlour.
“What is it, Lizzy?” Mrs Bennet asked with her customary impatience.
“We are going to the dining room,” Elizabeth said. She wanted to dance and shout her happiness to the whole house, her state of mind apparent to Mrs Gardiner, who grasped the situation in no time. She embraced her niece as they entered the dining room, prepared for a sumptuous dinner.
“What is going on?” Mrs Bennet asked again. She felt Elizabeth’s excitement, yet did not suspect its cause. “How come you know where the dining room is?”
“Because, Mama, this will be my house in less than a month!”
Mrs Bennet looked around in complete astonishment.
“This house?” she murmured.
“Yes!” Elizabeth and Mrs Gardiner cried almost at the same moment.
