“Uncle, I have been considering cutting all connection to her, given her reprehensible treatment of Miss Bennet. If Mrs Collins was not Miss Bennet’s dear friend, I would write my great-uncle, the bishop, about Mr Collins’ actions to see what can be done about him. Elizabeth, you were quite right in describing the man as a toad,” Darcy replied, colouring lightly as he realised he called Elizabeth by her Christian name in front of his relations. However, she did not seem to react or notice.
Elizabeth looked between the two of them. “What could your great uncle do to Mr Collins for his behaviour?” she asked.
Darcy drew in a deep breath before he explained. “He could do anything from censuring him to defrocking him and removing him from his position. I have spent considerable time since Georgiana received your note announcing your arrival thinking over the options. However, I would hate it if any action I took resulted in hurting yourfriend. I imagine she has enough to contend with just being married to that … man.”
“Thank you, William,” she said softly, not considering how she addressed him in company and pleased at his anger on her behalf. The earl grinned at the interaction between the couple and stepped away as they stood there, locked in each other’s eyes.
Richard’s loud entry shook them out of their contemplation of each other. Darcy helped Elizabeth back into her seat as they finished their meals, both blushing.
As he and Elizabeth finished eating, William recalled they intended to discuss their letters to Mr Bennet before his uncle’s arrival and asked him for the use of his study to speak to Elizabeth privately. At his uncle’s nod and with Elizabeth’s agreement, he helped her stand, escorted her to the study, and then handed her the letter to read.
“We had similar thoughts about what to say regarding your being in London,” he said when she looked up after reading his letter. Noticing tears in her eyes, he stopped, wondering what he said to cause her distress. “What is it, Elizabeth?” he asked gently, retrieving his handkerchief from his pocket and pressing it into her hand.
“I … I love you too, William. Reading what you wrote to my father made me realise it, I think. You truly are the best of men,” she said as a tear made its way down her cheek. He stepped to her and brushed it away with the handkerchief he took back from her, then gently lowered his head and kissed the cheek where it had been.
“Oh, Elizabeth,” he said, touching his forehead to hers. “I do love you so very much; you are my heart. You deserve a public courtship so others can see what you mean to me, especially since I hid it for so long. I can hardly wait for you to agree to be my wife.”
She sucked in a breath. “Yes,” she whispered.
He abruptly stood straighter. “Yes?” he asked, confusion and hope warring on his face.
“Yes, I would be happy to be your wife,” she whispered.
He was elated that she would agree so soon but wanted to be sure. “Are you certain, Elizabeth? Just a week ago, you nearly held me in contempt, and I do not wish to rush you. You deserve to be courted properly and publicly.”
“I assure you, dear William, I am completely certain. I wholeheartedly wish to be your wife,” Elizabeth tenderly affirmed, her hands delicately brushing against his cheek. Then, her eyes became teasing for a moment as she commented, “In fact, you may continue to court me even after we are wed if you wish.”
Her touch was a comforting reassurance, and her voice conveyed her sincerity. “Once I removed the blinders from my eyes, it became clear how remarkable you are. Recent experiences have only highlighted your many admirable qualities. But reading your words just now made me realise how much I love you in return. I have never been indifferent towards you, which is precisely why your comment at the assembly caused me such pain. Now that I see you for who you are, I cannot help loving you.”
“Oh, my love,” he replied, his voice a breathy sigh as he bent his head and gently caressed her lips. He intended it to be a simple, chaste kiss, but she opened her mouth in response when his tongue lightly brushed her lips. He could not resist deepening the kiss until they were both breathless. Several minutes later, he drew away, pressing his forehead to hers as he attempted to gather himself and bring his breathing and heartbeat back under regulation.
A mischievous grin spread across his face. “Miss Elizabeth,” he began playfully, his voice laced with amusement. His words and tone caused her to raise an eyebrow and note the expression on his face. “It occurs to me that you have answered a question I have not yet asked.”
She stared at him for a moment in surprise, then turned a teasing grin back towards him. “In that case, sir, you have been presumptuous in claiming a liberty that comes only after you receive a positive answer to the unasked question. Perhaps I shall inform my father you have taken advantage of me and demand he insist you fulfil your duty and marry me immediately.” She continued to grin at him as she stepped slightly away.
Darcy chuckled at her playfulness before clasping her hands. “Elizabeth, you must know that you have bewitched me completely. Since my father passed, I have been relentlessly pursued by the avaricious ladies of the ton and have become unsociable and taciturn in company to avoid their unwanted attention and advances. I came to believe all womenwere like that—unintelligent, insipid, even annoying. However, you, my dearest Elizabeth, have brought life and happiness to me once again. You are intelligent, impertinent, vivacious, witty, and so very beautiful, and you challenge me to be a better man. I am completely captivated.”
His voice grew earnest and tender as he continued, “I love you, my dearest, completely and utterly, and want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. Would you do me the very great honour of becoming my wife?”
A tear trailed down her cheek as she smiled broadly at him. “Yes, William, I would be pleased to become your wife. There is nothing I desire more, for I love you as well.”
He kissed the hands he held before rising, drawing her into his arms, and once again kissing her deeply for a long moment. When the sounds of a throat clearing and a loud guffaw startled them, Elizabeth would have stepped away, but William held her in his embrace.
“Wish me joy, Uncle; Miss Bennet has agreed to become my wife!” William exulted as his uncle and his cousin grinned from the doorway. After delivering this pronouncement, William removed one arm from around her, wrapped the other possessively around her waist, and held her to his side. She silently thrilled at his touch.
The men heartily slapped William on the back and offered Elizabeth their congratulations. The earl chuckled and said, “Nephew, I would like to be the one to announce your engagement to my sister. I will journey to Rosings on the morrow to inform her of it. Richard, would you like to accompany me? I feel the need to confront my sister about her temerity in expelling a gentlewoman who was a guest in someone else’s home without thought or care for the lady’s reputation or safety and share our happy news.”
Richard grinned. “I would be happy to accompany you, Father. William, I think you and Miss Bennet need to rewrite your letters but suggest you do so in separate locations if you hope to accomplish it this morning,” he teased, causing both to blush brightly.
“Uncle, I will need to obtain Mr Bennet’s consent today if you are going to inform Lady Catherine on the morrow, as she may confront him when she learns of it.” William turned to Elizabeth, “My dear if you would finish your letter to your father, I can deliver it to himthis afternoon and be back in London this evening. I will be able to answer his questions when I request his consent for our marriage, inform him of what has occurred with my aunt, and ask him to allow you to remain in London to prepare for our wedding.”
She hesitated before agreeing. “I would like to accompany you, but I cannot ride so far on horseback, and my father might not allow me to return to London if I arrive home with you. If you give me a few moments, I will rewrite my letter to include the new information. Since you will tell him of Lady Catherine’s and Mr Collins’s actions, I will leave that out of my letter.”
The earl provided writing supplies and invited Elizabeth to use his desk for her letter. While she wrote, Fitzwilliam shared what he had learned from Colonel Forester the previous day. Wickham amassed significant debt, including debts of honour, in Meryton and, when confronted, attempted to escape. He was presently being held in a military stockade awaiting court-martial after being charged with conduct unbecoming and desertion. As a result, he would likely face a sentence of death. Neither gentleman was particularly surprised by this news, and Elizabeth, who was listening as she wrote, was ashamed of having been taken in by such a man.
Fifteen minutes later, Elizabeth rose from the desk and took her rewritten letter to William, who kissed her hand once again. The gentlemen stood, and William asked her to escort him to the foyer, hoping to steal another kiss before he left. He was successful, and he reluctantly took his leave of her. “Richard asked to accompany me, but Georgiana will remain at Matlock House until we return. That means I will see you again tonight, my love. I hope your father will give his consent, but I realise he may not think favourably of me after my behaviour last autumn.”
“I have explained my changed opinion of you, and surely any damage done by Mr Wickham has been mitigated with the news of his debts and attempt to desert,” Elizabeth replied, attempting to bolster her love. “I do hope Charlotte was successful in keeping Mr Collins from writing my father.”
