“So they are… Then…are you saying yes to everything I asked?” he enquired, incredulous.
“I already said yes, did I not? As for your fear that I cannot return your affection, allow me to dissipate your concern.”
With that, she lifted up onto her toes, entwined her hands in his hair, and shyly pressed her lips to his — the first kiss of her life.
An instant later, his arms closed around her, and she leant against him while his lips captured hers for the second kiss of her life — still timid, still gentle, but incredible.
He stepped back, looking at her adoringly, and said, “I must leave now. I shall call on you in London.”
“Very well.”
“I would suggest we do not announce our engagement before we have your father’s blessing.”
“Of course.”
“Besides, I would not leave you here knowing Lady Catherine had heard about our engagement.”
“I understand, but surely you know I am not afraid of her.”
“Not in wit and verbal confrontation,” he replied. “I shall tell you more soon so you may understand my concerns.”
“We shall have enough time to talk in two days’ time. Is the family ready to leave?”
“Yes. Mrs Gilroy is distraught, as you can imagine. I do not think she knows of her husband’s true situation, and she cannot understand what she has done wrong and why Lady Catherine despises her and her children. At first, she refused my offer — as you surely guessed. I needed all my powers of persuasion to convince her that it is for the benefit of her children.”
“She will soon understand how fortunate and blessed she will be to have your protection.”
“You will have the chance to meet her again at Pemberley soon,” he said, still holding her hands. “You will decide what assignment you have for her employment and how you wish tohelp the children. You will be the mistress. Of Pemberley and of my heart,” he ended, with a smile that melted her heart.
Then, before she had time to reply, he left in haste.
An hour later, the Collinses returned, and the scandal burst out that evening and increased the next day.
Carrying Darcy’s words in her heart and in her mind and the touch of his lips on hers, having felt the comfort of his arms, Elizabeth found the strength to bear the madness for two more nights and a day.
She was the only one who knew everything but chose to remain silent, without interfering in any discussion between the Collinses.
To Elizabeth’s astonishment, Lady Catherine herself came the next morning, looking transfigured, to take Mr Collins with her to a meeting with her solicitor. In the heat of her anger, she declared she would sever the connection with her nephews and would forbid their further involvement in her affairs. She declared she had been betrayed, cheated, robbed, and Mr Collins approved of her every word. Both Elizabeth and Charlotte kept silent, though for different reasons.
On a bright Sunday morning, the distress ended for Elizabeth. In Mr Gardiner’s carriage, together with Maria Lucas, she began her journey to London. She left all the chaos behind her and smiled at the future unfolding ahead of her. Soon enough, she would see Darcy again, the man responsible for her happiness as well as Jane’s; the man who, until recently, she had not truly known.
Longbourn, 1st June 1812
Such a large gathering had rarely been seen in front of Longbourn Church. From each family in the neighbourhood,there was at least one member present, as if people did not believe and wished to be convinced with their own eyes.
That Mr Bingley had returned to open Netherfield and was now marrying Jane Bennet was surprising but understandable; however, the announcement of Mr Darcy’s engagement to Elizabeth Bennet had fallen like a storm over the village. It came just after the news that Mr Wickham — everyone’s favourite — had left the regiment just before it was ready to move to Brighton for the summer. He left behind a series of debts which were later paid by Mr Darcy, a few broken hearts, and a large sum of money missing from Colonel Forster’s house.
It had been believed, however, that Mr Darcy would never set foot in their small town again, considering how much he had despised his previous visit. And the notion that he could marry Elizabeth Bennet — the young woman he had called tolerable and refused to dance with — was beyond imagination.
Elizabeth’s reasons for marrying such an arrogant, disagreeable man, people could only suspect. With his income of ten thousand a year, owning a most impressive estate in Derbyshire, and being so tall and handsome, no woman would refuse him.
The gentleman’s reasons for proposing to someone so below his situation in life remain a mystery, and until the wedding ceremony began, some people still believed it was a farce or a misunderstanding.
In truth, among those who feared that were both Mr and Mrs Bennet, who had hardly recovered from the shock that Mr Darcy would become their son-in-law — part of the family of which he was the severest critic.
Yet, the double wedding was completed, and Mrs Bennet mingled among those in attendance, moving from one son-in-law to another, her nerves bearing the situation remarkably well.
In the large crowd were the Gardiners, Miss Georgiana Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and Mr Bingley’s sisters — the only ones who remained separate from everyone else.
