“I suppose I was, well… Athens made me realize how much I do not know. Helena’s contributions were far above anything I could provide.”
“Dr. Nikolopoulou provided translation skills?nothing more.”
“Fitzwilliam, you were working with someone who matched your intellectual capabilities, something I cannot do. I felt completely useless.” The words escaped before she could stop them.
The admission hung between them in the salt air. Elizabeth wished she could call the words back.
Darcy was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke, he was gentle but firm. “Elizabeth, do you know what I thought about while she was explaining those inscriptions?”
She shook her head.
“I dearly wished that you were the one working out the translations with me. You see connections that trained scholars miss. You ask the questions that lead to real discoveries.” He stepped closer. “Her knowledge hadlimits. Where you recognized the meaning of the clue in front of us, she simply could not.
“But she has knowledge I lack?”
“And you have insights she lacks. Anyone can become educated, but your discernment is innate. I accepted her interpretation because of her expertise. But you questioned it. You and your father saw the flaw in her reasoning that neither she nor I caught.” His fingers came up to tenderly frame her face. “That is not inadequacy. It is brilliance.”
Tears threatened as his words sank in. “I was so afraid. Afraid that, after encountering a truly accomplished woman, you would realize that I am just…ordinary.”
“Ordinary?” Darcy’s laugh was soft but sure. “Elizabeth, you are so focused on what you think you lack that you fail to see how much you contribute to our search. You think far more creatively than any of us?even Richard.”
Elizabeth studied him carefully, searching for any sign of polite deception. “You have mentioned more than once that you love me. I know you would never lie to me.” She inhaled. “But what is it that you love about me? I do not have accomplishments like Dr. Nikolopoulou and other ladies of thehaut ton.I am certainly not the sort of woman your family and peers would expect you to admire. I need to know, when did you realize you loved me?”
The question had emerged in a rush, as she would have lost her courage had she hesitated.
“In truth, I was in the middle before I recognized my feelings for what they were,” he said, his tone rough withemotion. “Like you, I love the simple country life. I find no appeal in sophisticated women who calculate every word and gesture for maximum effect.”
He leaned closer. “Do you remember when you walked three miles through muddy fields when your sister Jane was ill at Netherfield Park? Your petticoat was six inches deep in mud, your hair was disheveled, your cheeks flushed from exertion?and you were the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. Not solely because of your appearance, but because of what it revealed about your character. Your fierce loyalty, your willingness to sacrifice comfort for those you love…it affected me.”
Elizabeth was quiet, turning over how differently he remembered that day from the way Caroline Bingley had described it.
“While you cared for your sister, you remained dignified despite Miss Bingley’s repeated insults to you and your family,” Darcy continued. “At Rosings Park, my aunt Catherine could not intimidate you when she tried to browbeat you into submission. You defended your principles even when it was uncomfortable to do so.”
He ran his fingers through his hair in the gesture she had come to recognize as a sign of deep emotion.
“Although I knew in my heart that I loved you before this expedition began, seeing you experience this adventure makes my love deepen daily. I would never want Dr. Nikolopoulou as a bride, Elizabeth. I would never choose her or anyone else because I only want you.”
The words dangled in the night, carrying weight and sincerity. Looking at him now, his shirt clinging to his shoulders, the last of her resistance fell away. This was not the disagreeable man she had once dismissed. This was her Mr.Darcy, who had held her with infinite tenderness, who had murmured words of comfort when terror overwhelmed her.
When did my heart make this choice without consulting my mind?Before she could think, before she could question the impulse or consider propriety, she reached up and clasped his cheeks between her palms. “Fitzwilliam,” she whispered as she rose on her toes and pressed her lips against his.
The kiss was brief and soft, nothing more than the gentle meeting of lips that spoke of affection more than passion. But it was her first kiss, her first deliberate choice to cross the boundaries of proper courtship. The simple contact sent warmth shooting through her entire body.
When they separated, Elizabeth remained close enough to feel his breath against her face, her palms still framing his jaw. She had astonished herself, having acted on impulse. But then she saw his eyes, wide with surprise and longing, and she realized her only regret was that the kiss had been so brief.
“My Elizabeth,” Darcy said, her name conveying reverence and wonder.
“I should apologize for my forwardness.” Despite her words of regret, she made no move to step away.
“Please do not. Dearest Elizabeth, I love you. Completely and irrevocably. I have dreamed of such a moment.”
A smile tugged at her lips despite her embarrassment. “I am shocked at myself. I never imagined I could be that forward with anyone.”
“Never have I been so fortunate.” His hands came up to cover hers, where they still rested against his face.
“You have become very important to me,” Elizabeth blurted, her words emerging with startling certainty. “I fought it. Questioned it. But standing here now, I confess that my affection for you grows daily, too.”
“We cannot go back from this,” Darcy’s forehead rested against hers.
