“I wanted to do something special for you this morning, my dear Elizabeth,” he said, before pouring her a cup of tea and handing her a plate with a scone that he had cut in half so she could top it with jam and cream. The two ate in silence, though Elizabeth noticed that Darcy appeared slightly anxious.
“Is something troubling you this morning?” she asked after she had finished eating. Darcy was still fiddling with his own food, which was unlike him.
“No,” he said abruptly, surprising Elizabeth with his terseness which he must have noticed from her expression for he immediately apologised. “Forgive me, my dear, I did not mean to be short with you. There is something that I did wish to say, and I am having trouble finding the best way to do so.”
Elizabeth furrowed her brow, looking at him in concern. “Tell me, William. What is bothering you?”
He smiled and reached out to pick her hand up in his. “We have been courting now for several months, have we not? And I have cared for you nearly since we first met and you stood up to that vile reprobate, and then again to my father and myself. We became friends that first summer and deepened our friendship the following summer.
“Then we did not see each other for the next two years. We exchanged letters, but did not see one another for all that time. When I saw you again in London this spring, you were different; you looked different from the girl who had been my friend and supported me when my father died. It took a moment to reconcile those two people in my mind, but it did not take long before I realised that I was falling in love with the woman you had become. You were still the girl who had been my friend, but those feelings grew deeper the more time we spent together.”
During this, he had been staring at her hand, but now, he lifted his head to look her in the eye as he made his final confession. “I am in love with you, Elizabeth. What I brought you out here today to ask is—” he paused, shifting once again to take both her hands in his, “—Elizabeth, will you do me the honour of grantingme your hand in marriage? Since the day we met, despite the circumstances of that day, I have felt at ease when I was with you. My father told me after we met that you would be the perfect wife for me, but you were too young, and I was too young, at the time. However, I think I always knew you would one day be my wife. Now, before I make an even greater fool of myself, what is your answer? Will you marry me?”
His eyes had dropped once again after he had asked the question and continued speaking, and when he looked up, he saw that tears had pooled in Elizabeth’s eyes. “Elizabeth, darling, what is wrong? Have I offended you in some way with my request? Forgive me …”
“No,” Elizabeth’s voice cut him off, and he stopped completely, uncertain what to say next. “You did not offend me, and nothing is wrong, William.” She paused to wipe her eyes and regain her composure. “Yes, I would be honoured to marry you. I love you, too, William. These tears are happy tears for while I hoped you would ask, I was uncertain if that was your intent this morning. I was a little afraid that you were bringing me here to tell me you viewed me as too much of a sister.”
Scrambling to his feet, Darcy pulled up Elizabeth behind him and immediately into his arms. “Not a sister, Elizabeth. Not familial at all, unless as a wife. You will be my wife?” he asked again, hesitating a little, still not quite believing that she had accepted him.
Elizabeth laughed. “Yes, dear William, I will be your wife. Now let us seal our promise with a kiss, or I will have to be angry with you, and that would not bode well for our marriage.”
Smiling fondly at her, Darcy shook his head even as he dipped down to bring his lips to hers. Their lips touched briefly beforepulling away only for a moment. Her eyes were still closed, so Darcy brought his lips to hers once more, lingering longer this time.
Chapter Sixteen
As soon as they returned from their ride, the Gardiners were waiting at the house for news. Neither believed Elizabeth would reject Darcy’s suit, but nonetheless, they were waiting to see the couple as they returned to offer their congratulations.
That Darcy’s suit had been successful was obvious when they returned to the house. The Gardiners and Georgiana immediately embraced the couple, offering their congratulations and asking questions that they had not yet had the time to answer.
“Do you wish to marry in London from our church, Elizabeth, or here at Pemberley?” Aunt Gardiner asked.
Elizabeth turned to look at Darcy, who shrugged. “While a part of me wishes we could marry here, many of our family and friends could not attend if we did so. If we married early in October in London, we could invite the Matlocks, as well as some friends I have made in town during my time there. What do you think, William?”
“Elizabeth, as long as the result is that we are married, I care not. If it pleases you to be married from London, then that is what we will do. It is late July now; do you believe it will take three months for you to be ready to marry?”
Mrs. Gardiner laughed at this statement. “From the man’s perspective, no, it does not take three months to prepare for a wedding. However, as the bride, there are far more thingsto consider, including where the wedding breakfast should take place. I will need to meet with your aunt as soon as I can to discuss the matter with her since I am certain she will have ideas about it. In fact, she has already begun to make plans, if I am not mistaken.”
Darcy looked at her in surprise. After a moment, though, he said thoughtfully. “I suppose she views me as a son, in some ways. She has been anxious for her own sons to marry, so I am unsurprised that she is looking forward to mine. I thought it was typically the bride’s family who planned the wedding breakfast.”
“In most cases, I believe it is. However, your aunt is a countess, and that may make a difference. Since Lady Matlock sponsored Elizabeth in the season, I think she would prefer to have some say in the proceedings,” Mrs. Gardiner replied.
Sighing heavily, Darcy agreed that she definitely would. “My aunt does adore planning parties. However, Elizabeth, if you feel the need, be sure to remind her that it isourwedding. I know you prefer smaller parties, and my aunt will likely desire to make this a large event requiring months of planning. My only request is that the wedding take place in the early part of October, or even late September, if it can be arranged, and that she not be allowed to push it back beyond that.”
Elizabeth smiled and patted his hand. “We will certainly be wed by the middle of October, William, even if I have to put my foot down with your Aunt Matlock. As my aunt said, she is expecting our engagement to occur although she and your uncle would not have known precisely when you would ask.
Mrs. Gardiner smiled her agreement. “The modiste already has your measurements, and if you recall, Elizabeth, I asked you to work with her to design your ideal wedding gown toward theend of the season. I will send her a letter telling her to begin construction on it so that it will be ready for a fitting when we return home next month. That will allow the process to be much easier, and she can also begin designing dresses for you in your new status as Mrs. Darcy. You have worked with her for several years now, and she is familiar with your preferences.”
“Thank you, Aunt,” Elizabeth said, and the conversation then drifted to other topics related to the wedding, as well as plans to occupy their time at Pemberley.
Before the day was done, letters had been sent to Matlock and London, and another note dispatched to the rector in Kympton where Darcy attended services when he was home. Gardiner sent one to the rector of the church they attended in London, so the reading of the banns could begin there as well.
During the next weeks at Pemberley, the residents occupied themselves with various pursuits, some of which were related to the wedding while others were not. Elizabeth did visit the dressmaker in Lambton to order some dresses appropriate for her role as Mrs. Darcy, made up in the heavier fabrics that would be needed for a winter in Derbyshire. Elizabeth and her aunt also inspected the mistress’s suite, which had been thoroughly aired and cleaned by the servants, before deciding how to update the room.
The Matlocks joined the party at Pemberley after hearing the news of the couple’s engagement. After much discussion, Elizabeth and Darcy planned to visit the seaside for a fortnight after the wedding before returning to Pemberley to spend the winter in their home. Lady Matlock recommended a girls’ school for Georgiana to attend this autumn, as she had several friends who sent their own daughters there.
Unlike the seminary attended by the Bingley sisters, this one did focus on teaching useful accomplishments to young ladies. There was still an emphasis on rank and social status, but it was nearly impossible to find one that did not. Regardless, it seemed to everyone involved that it was in Georgiana’s best interest to attend school for a year or two, and so she would begin this autumn after the wedding. Her aunt and uncle’s promise to take her to the school not long after Darcy and Elizabeth’s wedding pleased Georgiana.
The newlywed Darcys would return to London in the spring to attend the season. Lady Matlock had already begun to plan a ball to occur a few days after the wedding before the couple departed for the seaside.
