The footsteps disappeared.
Elizabeth pressed her fingers to her brow. “I shall murder every one of them.”
Darcy’s mouth twitched. “I suspect the jury would show considerable leniency.”
She could not suppress another laugh.
The atmosphere shifted. It remained charged, certainly, but the awkwardness had vanished. They had reached a point at which even deliberate entrapment by conspiring siblings failed to discompose them.
Elizabeth moved a few steps farther into the room.
“I am exceedingly sorry.”
“Pray do not apologize for your family.” Darcy said. “Though I believe your brothers and sister have become rather deeply invested in our future.”
The words settled between them.
Elizabeth lowered her gaze to the carpet. “They are absurd.”
“Wholly.”
“Interfering.”
“Beyond question.”
She studied his handsome countenance. Darcy had not moved from the hearth; his attention held her more securely than any locked door.
“I suspect,” Elizabeth said, “they dislike Mr. Wilson.”
A slight frown crossed his face. “I am sure of it.” The candor of the admission took her by surprise.
Darcy laced his hands behind his back, a habit she had come to associate with serious thought. “I ought to have spoken sooner.”
Elizabeth said nothing.
“I should have asked you for a courtship as soon as Mr. Wilson’s intentions became clear.”
The fire snapped between them.
Darcy drew a breath.
“When I first came to Hertfordshire, I behaved abominably. I have apologized for my words at the assembly, but I do not believe I have said plainly enough how deeply I regret them.”
“You have made every effort to repair the injury.”
“I hope so.” His eyes met hers directly. “Because what I said was false in every respect.”
Heat rose to her cheeks despite the many weeks that had passed.
Darcy continued, his voice lower now, though no less steady in conviction.
“Your history, your father’s profession, your place within your family—none of these diminish you. They never mattered to me—not once—I saw only your character.”
Elizabeth’s throat tightened.
He took a few steps nearer. “I admire the life your mother and Mr. Bennet have built here. I admire your sisters, your brothers, and the affection that binds all of you together. Longbourn is unlike any house I have known, and I find myself wishing, every time I leave, that I had some claim to remain.”
Her hands trembled slightly, and she clutched them together to hide it.
