Page 67 of The Engagement at Longbourn

“Apparently.”

“Twenty.”

“Twenty-five.”

“Twenty-two.”

“Twenty-five.”

“You are terrible at compromise.”

“I compromised from thirty.”

Elizabeth laughed despite herself.

Darcy relaxed.

She touched the papers. “Twenty-five, then, provided the terms are fair to Georgiana and any children.”

“They are.”

“And provided you do not use money to silence me.”

“I have no expectation money could accomplish what rank, argument, and injury have failed to do.”

“Good answer.”

He looked down at her hand resting on the papers beside his.

Elizabeth noticed too. Their fingers were almost touching.

Darcy said quietly, “Are we reconciled?”

“Mostly.”

“Mostly.”

“You did raise your voice.”

“So did you.”

“I do it better.” His laugh was low and brief.

Elizabeth loved the sound. The realization no longer frightened her.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Three Months

Three months after Darcy fell from Apollo, the lane where Elizabeth found him had changed.

Winter still held the fields, but snowdrops appeared near the hedges. The mud remained, naturally. Elizabeth suspected the mud would outlive them all. Darcy stood at the place of the accident with a cane in one hand. Apollo stood twenty yards away, held by Richard. The horse had been recovered two days after the fall at a farm nearly six miles distant. Darcy had visited him at Netherfield but had not yet mounted.

Today he intended to.

Elizabeth was opposed. “Dr. Morrison said you may begin riding next week.”

“This is next week.”