Elizabeth noted that the Earl was a large man with a round face; his florid complexion spoke of a good many sumptuous meals and large glasses of brandy. His wife was quite different, being pale and slender. Her hair was beginning to silver, but her face remained unlined. She was perfectly dressed and bejeweled; Elizabeth felt the meagerness of her amber cross, but was determined not to blush for it.
“You are very pretty indeed, my dear,” the Countess said, kindly.
Elizabeth curtsied deeply. “I thank you, my lady. And may I also extend my heartfelt thanks to you and the Earl for coming to see us wed; I know it means a great deal to William.” She was proud to note that her voice was even and calm; if she was quaking inside, no one could know. “I am sorry not to see your son, Colonel Fitzwilliam.”
“Oh, I had forgotten that you met him at Rosings; no, he is with his regiment, but I wrote to tell him of your wedding, and he asked me to convey his best wishes and fond regards.”
“That is very kind of him. We had a most pleasurable time together in Kent.”
The Countess glanced at her nephew and nodded, almost imperceptibly. Mr. Darcy felt some part of him, some part he had not known was tense, now relax. His aunt was on his side.
“But where is her ring?” the Earl demanded.
“Oh! I have not yet shown her the jewelry I brought from Darcy House! Wait, Elizabeth, I will return directly.”
The Countess indicated a seat beside her, and Elizabeth sat, gracefully and gratefully. Elizabeth was asked about her education and her family, and she did her best to answer.
When Mr. Darcy returned, he drew a small table up in front of Elizabeth, and emptied the contents of a large velvet bag onto it.
The ladies gasped.
“Heavens, Darcy, what are you about, treating such treasures in so cavalier a manner?” the Countess demanded.
Mr. Darcy shrugged. “Elizabeth, these are all yours. But you must select a betrothal ring to wear.”
“How am I to choose from among so many?” Elizabeth marveled. “I have never seen anything like it!”
The Countess began to separate them into piles: emeralds, sapphires, pearls, and so on. She noted the absence of the Darcy diamonds, a set that had been envied by the entire ton for decades; perhaps her nephew would give those particular jewels to his wife upon the birth of their first child.
Elizabeth simply watched, shaking her head in disbelief. “Wait,” she said. “What is this?” Her eye had been caught by a small black box. She picked it up and opened it, revealing a simple gold ring set with a garnet.
The Earl and Countess traded a quick glance. “That was my mother’s ring,” the Earl said, huskily. “And her mother’s before her. It is not the equal of the Darcy jewels, of course, and it is quite old.”
Elizabeth turned her shining dark eyes to his.
At that moment the Earl felt the power of those eyes, and he well understood why his nephew had been unable to forget the young lady to whom those eyes belonged.
“It looks as if it was well-loved,” she said, very softly.
The Earl felt a lump rising to his throat – a lump! He, who had argued the previous day at Parliament for hours with no trouble, now had a lump in his throat! He could only nod.
“I thank you for offering this to us, my lord,” she told him, very gently. She then turned those dark eyes to her bridegroom’s. “This one, if you please, William.”
“But –“ He was quite surprised.
“Oh, the others are lovely, of course, and I am certain I will wear them on social occasions. But for us, for you and me, to show the love we bear one another – this is the ring for us.”
He took it from her, then, knelt before her and slid it on her finger. It fit perfectly. The room was completely silent as the two stared at one another, each unable to look away from the other’s gaze.
Finally, the Earl broke the silence; he cleared his throat and said, gruffly, “My parents would be delighted.”
The Countess then surprised everyone by asking if she might speak with the bride privately. “Just a quick turn in the back garden, Miss Bennet, if you would oblige me.”
“Of course, my lady,” was Elizabeth’s quick reply. She could hardly refuse!
The moment they were out of sight of the house, Elizabeth stopped and turned to the older woman. “I know I am not good enough for him,” she said, her words tumbling out in a rush. “But I will do my best, every day, to make him happy.”
“Hush, child, is that what you thought I wanted to speak about? No, I merely want to say that you may not find a warm welcome at Pemberley, and that you may rely on me for assistance to whatever extent I may provide it.”
