Reaching out to place her hand in his, Elizabeth interrupted him. “My aunt has said something similar to me, Fitzwilliam. I had heard of you before I met you, although perhaps not as frequently. Although I had been in town less than a fortnight when we met, you were frequently mentioned. I was predisposed to like you, and I felt that same jolt of … something when I first saw you and then again when I laid my hand on your arm. Like you, I can easily say I care about you but am reluctant to call it love after such a short time.”
“Yet my uncle and mother have both suggested I give in to the inevitable and propose to you immediately, as they believe our marriage is a foregone conclusion at this point,” he informed her dryly.
She arched an eyebrow in a way he had come to adore. “That is rather presumptuous of our relatives, Fitzwilliam. And are you inclined to follow their advice?” she inquired.
“That is why I asked for permission to speak to you, Elizabeth,” he retorted. “And might I say, you are holding my hand and calling me by my Christian name seems to indicate a closer relationship than a mere courtship already? We are friends, but perhaps there is more there as well.”
Feeling slightly stunned by the thought, Elizabeth attempted to pull her hand from his, but he tightened his grip. “Please, Elizabeth, do not pull away from me just now. I wanted to show you what my mother gave me to give to you.”
“What?” Elizabeth asked, feeling rather curious.
Darcy smiled at his success in turning Elizabeth’s mind from her pique at presumptuous relatives and onto a gift. He pulled the velvet bag from his pocket and held it up for Elizabeth to see.
“Jewellery?” she guessed.
“A necklace meant for my intended,” he whispered as he poured the necklace into his hand.
Again, she startled. “More presumptions,” she whispered as she looked at the beautiful necklace in his palm.
“Perhaps, but, Elizabeth, is it truly so unlikely? You have admitted to caring for me and feeling the same jolt I felt upon meeting. I feel like I have known you for much longer than merely a sennight, and I have difficulty picturing life without you in it.” He paused to take a deep breath. “Perhaps I should have waited to speak of this. However, I want you to know what I am thinking. We have the support of your London family and my mother, and I will speak with my uncle tomorrow about my inheritance.”
Darcy continued: “Between all these things, we can be assured any children we have would be well provided for.”
“Children, sir,” Elizabeth said, standing and pacing before him. “How can you speak of providing for our children when we are not yet engaged? Despite the feelings you evoke in me, I have known you for aweek. Do not my uncle and your mother think this is moving too quickly? How can you speak of a life with me so soon? Is this merely to allow you to inherit your estate? Am I merely convenient to fit into your plans?”
“How can you think such a thing, Elizabeth? This simply makes it easier for us to marry—I only learned of it when I told my mother I intended to offer for you,” he protested.
The Gardiners were walking by in time to hear this outburst and stepped into the room. Mrs. Gardiner immediately went to Elizabeth to calm her, and Gardiner encouraged Darcy to step across the hall to his study for a few moments.
“That was not what I expected,” Darcy said after taking a large gulp of whatever Gardiner handed him.
“My wife worried she would react this way when I told her the subject of your discourse,” Gardiner told the younger man. “Her parents are not much of an example of marriage. I do not know if she realises her parents married because they had to, but she is still terrified of making a mistake despite the relationship she has seen between my wife and me. She is not rejecting you but will need time to calm herself. My wife will speak to her and help her to see things properly.”
As the gentlemen spoke further, Mrs. Gardiner tried to calm her niece. “How can he speak of marriage so soon after meeting me? How does he know he feels what he should so quickly?” Elizabeth cried.
“First, Lizzy, dry your tears and come sit beside me so we might speak,” Mrs. Gardiner said, patting the seat beside her. It took a moment, but Elizabeth obeyed, her body still full of nervous energy. “I would have warned your uncle to allow me to speak to you first had I known what he and Mr. Darcy discussed this morning. You must remember Mr. Darcy isnotlike your father, and you are definitelynotthe same as your mother. Even if you and Mr. Darcy were to marry tomorrow, you would never have the relationship they have. Do you know your uncle and I married after only six weeks? We both knew immediately the other was our partner, which is what we have—a partnership. Our marriage is nothing like your parents, is it? And I know you have seen other examples of good relationships, even if what yousee at home is not good. The amount of time we know someone matters less than our commitment to ensuring things will work.”
Elizabeth nodded her agreement and noticeably began to calm until another worry struck her. “Did I scare him away?”
Mrs. Gardiner chuckled at her question. “No, dear, I do not believe he is one to be easily frightened. Your uncle is speaking to him, but I think you are the one who needs reassurance right now. Now, has he asked for your hand? Did you answer him?”
“No, he did not ask,” she admitted. “We were merely discussing the idea of our marriage. It was his mention of us having children that frightened me, I think.”
“Why did that frighten you? You adore your cousins?” Mrs. Gardiner asked.
“I do, but …,” she sighed heavily before she continued. “What if I am more like Mama than either of us believes, and I can only have daughters? Will Fitzwilliam grow to despise me if that happens? Will I come to hate one or all of my children as my mother did? He has said he is not ready to say what he feels for me is love, yet he speaks of marrying me as though it will definitely occur. I told him I felt the same—I know I care for him, but it simply feels too soon to call what I feel love. Can I fall in love with someone in just seven days?”
“Love is more than a feeling, Elizabeth,” Mrs. Gardiner told her. “You say you care for him, but what else? Do you enjoy his touch? Do you want to be with him, to speak to him about whatever you think or feel? Do you look forward to seeing him, and can you sit quietly with him? If you think about days of not seeing him, how do you feel?”
“I enjoy it when he holds my hand or touches my elbow to guide me. When I read Mary’s letter the other day, I first wanted to speak to him about what it revealed about Jane. And if I were to imagine days without him, I think I would be despondent. I want to see and speak to him as often as possible, and I would be terribly upset if I thought I had scared him away and would never see him again. However, what if Mama and Jane are right, and when he comes to know me better, he will want little to do with me? Mama barely thought I was worthy of a barrister, even when that was all she knew about him, and she will not believe me worthy of him when he is a landed gentleman with an estate worth twice as much as Longbourn. What if we are already married when I frighten him away, or he realises I am not the woman he wanted?”
“Do not even think about what your Mama has said to you,” Mrs. Gardiner admonished her earnestly. “She is a foolish woman who does not like you because of something you had no control over. She has neglected you your entire life; her opinion of you means nothing. The voices you should remember are your grandmother’s, mine and your uncle’s, and now Mr. Darcy’s. Even though he is not yet ready to say the words, I believe you do love each other, and the love you have will last.”
“How will I know?” Elizabeth whispered.
“What does your heart say?” her aunt prompted.
“Not to let him go,” she replied.
