Page 31 of Courting Elizabeth

“And you?”

“Very little.”

Her hand paused above the sugar bowl.

“Because of the door?”

“Because of my thoughts.”

“That answer hides several others.”

“Not all of them are worthy of sharing yet.”

She studied me, but I gave her no coldness to fight against. I took a piece of bread, passed her the jam she was reaching for, and waited.

“I feared you might think you had been rejected,” she said at last.

“You refused me nothing I asked.”

“You could have asked.”

“You did not yet know what answer to give.”

A faint blush rose to her cheeks.

“So you understood that.”

“I understood that your peace of mind mattered more than a night that conformed to the world's expectations.”

She nodded slowly. The tea cooled between us, its scent filling the silence where my words should have been.

The silence that followed was neither a weapon nor a punishment. It was an empty room where something could enter at its own pace.

“We will leave for Pemberley in an hour,” I said. “The journey will take several days. I have arranged comfortable stops along the way, but we can change them if you wish to see your aunt and uncle in London or stay here longer.”

“You had planned to leave immediately.”

“I had not anticipated that we would need time before we even arrived.”

“I wish to see Pemberley.”

I searched her face for any eagerness that concerned the estate itself. I immediately hated my suspicion.

“Then we shall depart.”

Before leaving Darcy House, I gave her a small key tied to a dark blue ribbon.

She examined it.

“What does it open?”

“A writing desk in your apartments at Pemberley. There you will find copies of the marriage contract, the provisions for your jointure and the annual sum set aside for your personal use, as well as the names and addresses of the men responsible for administering them.”

Her brows drew together.

“Why give me all this today?”

“Because you must know what belongs to you and whom to contact without going through me.”