With each word, the pressure of her hands seemed to steady him. His heart beat with a steadiness he scarce recognised, and yet his thoughts raced ahead of him, all at once both fearful and full of hope, uncertain if she meant what he thought she meant.
She shook her head, her fingers pressing against his coat. “I have been too long at Longbourn, where my father mocks rather than instructs, and I have proved myself no great judge of character. You will surely help me, for you have had the benefit of a broader education and a far more liberal upbringing.”
“Elizabeth.” He breathed her in, leaning down and drawing their faces still closer together, until there was but a whisper between them. “What are you saying?”
“I accept you, MrDarcy,” she said, her voice strong, though the emotion beneath it was unmistakable. “I will be your wife. I… I do love you, sir, most ardently. More than that, I have learnt to respect you, and I think that knowing you better will make us quite the happiest husband and wife who ever lived.”
“Elizabeth.” His lips quirked in a small smile at her teasing before he leant closer and gave himself entirely to her. He vaguely recalled that he had kissed her many times before, but the strange dreams never felt like this. This embrace held no confusion or uncertainty.
He felt an unmistakable sense of rightness in this kiss, believing that in it, she claimed him, and he surrendered to her. Whatever had come before, whatever had been repeated or perhaps misunderstood had brought them to this moment, and that here, at last, he was where he was meant to be.
When he broke the kiss—he had to, for fear of allowing his baser instincts to run away with him—their breath still mingled,his heart raced. His hand rested on her neck, feeling her frantic pulse as she also struggled to calm hers.
The rustle of leaves and the distant birdsong faded beneath her nearness.
When she looked up, her expression stilled him once more. Whatever uncertainty had plagued him before had no place any longer. In the silence that followed, he felt the certainty of her love alight upon him, and he knew that nothing which had come before could lessen what existed between them now.
“I love you, Elizabeth,” he said, gratified to have won her.
“And I love you, MrDarcy. Though I suppose I ought now to call you by your name.”
“My sister calls me William, as do most of my family.” At last, he seemed to recover his equilibrium, though he remained closer than propriety allowed. “In truth, my aunt is the only person who insists upon calling me Fitzwilliam, which leads me to a subject I would much rather avoid yet find I must address.”
The mere thought of his aunt dispelled any lingering notion of further intimacy. “You are no doubt aware of my aunt’s wish that I should marry her daughter. Though I have never intended such a match, she persists in declaring it was my mother’s desire. I know this to be untrue, but she refuses to hear anything to the contrary. When the matter was first raised, I attempted to speak with Anne, but she has been known to do whatever her mother commands.”
She sighed.
“That being the case, it may be prudent that we say nothing of our own understanding while you remain in Kent. Much as I would wish to proclaim our news to the world, I am persuaded it would be wiser to do so away from my aunt’s influence.”
Elizabeth nodded her agreement. “You are to return to London tomorrow, are you not? And I am to return a se’nnightafter you. You may call upon me in London, on Gracechurch Street, and we can then begin to make plans for our future.”
The week after Darcy’s proposal passed without a murmur from anyone who might object. Lady Catherine remained unaware of his visits to the parsonage, and their secret never came to light. Charlotte made it clear that she had her suspicions about what had transpired during his visit. Still, as Elizabeth would admit nothing before her departure, her friend likewise remained silent, waiting until Elizabeth was ready to confide in her. She would write to Charlotte, but she would wait until she had left Kent.
Therefore, when the engaged couple met again in London, the news of their betrothal was first shared with those who were inordinately pleased; that is, after they recovered from the shock.
“Lizzy, you cannot be serious,” Jane cried when Elizabeth told her soon after the latter arrived in London. “I thought you did not like him.” She paused before throwing her arms around her sister in a tight embrace. “Oh, but since you have always sworn to only marry for the deepest love, I must conclude that you have fallen in love with MrDarcy. I always told you he was a better man than you assumed, and with what you have written about MrWickham, I am still astonished. Did you write to Papa as well?”
“I did write to Papa, but MrDarcy also intends to speak to Colonel Forster and some of the merchants in Meryton, including Uncle Philips. He was to call at Longbourn this week to obtain Papa’s permission to marry me and to speak to him about Lieutenant Wickham. I hope Papa will allow us to stay a few more days in London so that I might order my trousseau before Mama learns of my engagement.”
MrsGardiner shook her head fondly. “You are engaged to MrDarcy. I confess to some surprise, given how little you seemed to like him when we visited at Christmas.”
“You must forget what I said then,” Elizabeth replied with a laugh. “All that has been forgot, and we have learnt to understand each other better. He was proud, and I was vain, and we have apologised for our poor behaviour towards each other. There has never been another man more suited to me, and I confess that I love him very dearly. Perhaps I did not always love him, but I love him now and refuse to hear a word against him.”
Both ladies looked at her with all astonishment upon their faces.
“But what about this winter—”
“Oh, Aunt, all that must be forgotten now.” Elizabeth took her aunt’s hand. “You cannot hold me to what I said in December, when I know him so much better now. Yes, I am very much in love with MrDarcy, with…with William, and he is in love with me. We will marry in May or June, depending on what Papa says, and I will be his wife.”
“Very well, Lizzy,” her aunt said, patting her arm. “But does MrDarcy mean to come here, to Gracechurch Street, to see you? Or are you to visit him at his house? Oh, my niece, the mistress of Pemberley!”
“Aunt,” Elizabeth said, squeezing her aunt’s hand and musing how her aunt’s exuberance reminded her of her mother.
“Oh,” MrsGardiner said, blinking. “Lizzy, just wait until you see Pemberley.”
By the time Darcy arrived at Gracechurch Street, both ladies had come to understand enough of Elizabeth’s astonishing tale to greet him with ease. MrsGardiner remained a little in awe of him, having grown up in the shadow of Pemberley and knowing much of the estate; Jane, however, welcomed him with the same warmth she bestowed upon everyone.
He displayed a tenderness Jane had never before observed, and MrsGardiner was much impressed by his evident devotion to her niece. MrGardiner returned home while he was still there, and the two withdrew to the former’s office to discuss his intentions.
