Page 41 of A Prudent Engagement

Elizabeth put her soft hand over his. “You saved her from him. There were no significant consequences, were there?”

“No, nor chance of them. I believe my sister in this. But it was fate and the Almighty that saved her. I did not. I have seldom felt so helpless.”

She grasped his hand and kissed it.

He looked at her, and at her lovely eyes, soft with sympathy. “There, now you know the tale.”

“I do.”

A breeze that was colder than before blew through the garden, and as one, Darcy and Elizabeth seemed to realise that they had been out of the house for a great length of time.

They each stood and looked towards the manor.

“I imagine,” Darcy said, “that you will wish to wait until the guests have departed in large part to make the announcement to your mother. To whom should I apply for permission? Mr. Gardiner or Mr. Phillips?”

“Oh! I hardly know. I believe they were both named as guardians in Papa’s will. But as much as I admire Mr. Phillips, I love Mr. Gardiner better. And I trust him to understand how best to settle any matters of business, or other practical concerns. Mr. Phillips will wish to write the contract.”

“The advantage of having both a tradesman and an attorney for uncles.”

Elizabeth glanced up at him, and seeing his dry expression she laughed. “You may now consult their expertise at any proper time. But what benefit can I expect from having an earl for an uncle? As for Lady Catherine, I know that I can trust her to advise me on how best to pack a trunk and where to find a governess.”

Darcy grinned at her. “I do like my uncle, and if you ever wish to have a matter considered by the House of Lords, he is a most useful friend to have, but the chiefest benefit is that you will be able to refer casually in conversation to ‘my uncle, the earl’.”

Elizabeth laughed.

Then the back door to Longbourn opened, and Miss Bennet came out.

To Darcy’s surprise, Elizabeth’s face fell, and she frowned as her sister walked to join them, stepping slowly, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Miss Bennet grabbed Elizabeth’s arm and pulled her back towards the door. “You have been out here quite a long time. Too long. I became concerned. You must return to the drawing room.”

“Of course.” Elizabeth let herself be pulled along, and she was nearly dragged into the house before she turned back to look at Darcy.

He smiled at them both and then bowed. “I see that you, and all of your family, will be occupied for the rest of the evening. I shall call tomorrow morning.”

Chapter Nine

“I should not have abandoned you with Mr. Darcy for so long,” Jane said as she pulled Elizabeth into the house. “But I had not realised that you had left the room.”

“I was wholly satisfied with Mr. Darcy’s company,” Elizabeth replied.

Her intended husband.

The thought brought a smile, which rather surprised Elizabeth.

Jane glared. “Elizabeth Bennet, do not tell me that you are leaving that poor man dangling. If you and Charlotte are right that he has intentions towards you, as a matter of kindness you must discourage him.”

Elizabeth hurried past her sister to the drawing room.

What could she say to Jane?

She had accepted Mr. Darcy. And though her feelings had been still confused when she did so, she had made the only choice available to her. If Jane wished to not understand that, it was her concern.

The passage of a half hour—including one of Mr. Darcy’s typically arrogant speeches—had done nothing but make Elizabeth yet happier with her choice to marry him.

He was, in fundamentals, a good man. She liked him.

A small warm glow filled her chest.