Page 35 of A Different Impression

She smiled at him. “I think I would prefer that as well. Might we marry on the twenty-eighth of November? The ball could serve as an engagement celebration of sorts and would please Mama, but then we can have a much quieter wedding and breakfast two days later.”

“And we could depart upon our wedding journey afterwards.” Darcy glanced ahead to ensure that the others were not watching, then bent and kissed her quickly. “I cannot wait to make you my wife, dearest Elizabeth.”

“And I cannot wait to be your wife, William,” she responded, rising onto her toes to press another kiss to his lips.

After one final glance to ensure they were unobserved, Darcy drew Elizabeth into the shelter of the trees and gathered her close to himself. His kiss began tenderly, but when her arms slipped around his neck and into the hair at his nape, the last of his restraint deserted him. As she pressed herself nearer, he deepened the kiss until they were both breathless, then rested his forehead against hers, reluctant to release her.

“I love you, Elizabeth,” he whispered as he attempted to catch his breath.

She leant against his chest, and Darcy wondered whether she could hear how rapidly his heart still beat. “I love you too, William,” she whispered back. “We will go to London in two days, and then, in less than four weeks, we will be married.”

Despite the temptation for more, Darcy settled for one final kiss before they returned to the road. As they made their way towards Longbourn, they continued planning their wedding and discussing the amusements they might enjoy in London.

CHAPTER 15

Arriving in London

Two days later, Elizabeth travelled to London with Kitty and William. Since their engagement, she had begun to think of him by his Christian name, just as he had come to call her Elizabeth, and the intimacy of it still gave her a small thrill. A maid whom William had engaged accompanied them to preserve propriety, but she remained unobtrusive, allowing the three to converse freely during the journey.

For the duration of their stay in London, Elizabeth and Kitty would reside with the Gardiners, while William returned to Darcy House. Elizabeth had told him that her aunt hailed from Lambton, and he had expressed considerable interest in meeting her. He already knew and respected Uncle Gardiner, and Elizabeth suspected that her frequent praise of Aunt Gardiner as her favourite relation had made him all the more eager to become acquainted with her.

Their arrival proved more unexpected than Elizabeth had intended, for although her father had written to Mr Gardiner as promised, he had apparently neglected to have the letter sent. Nevertheless, her aunt welcomed them warmly and expressed only mild surprise upon learning of the engagement.

“I understood from your letters that Mr Darcy was courting you,” Aunt Gardiner told Elizabeth, “but I had not expected matters to progress quite so rapidly.” She looked between the couple, who stood in the middle of her entrance hall with Elizabeth’s hand tucked into the crook of William’s arm.

“Neither did I,” Elizabeth admitted, glancing at William. “Certainly not after our first meeting.”

His answering smile made her blush.

When her aunt mentioned having known William’s parents slightly during her years in Lambton, Elizabeth saw his expression soften. He asked several questions about what she remembered, and the care with which he listened made it clear how much even those few recollections meant to him.

He remained for more than an hour before reluctantly acknowledging that he ought to return to his own home. Before leaving, William invited the entire party to dine at Darcy House the following evening and meet Georgiana.

Elizabeth accompanied him to the entrance hall and, when they were briefly unobserved, took the opportunity to kiss him goodbye. She had grown accustomed to seeing him every day, and even the few miles separating Gracechurch Street from Mayfair now seemed an unreasonable distance. His reluctance to release her suggested that he felt much the same.

Happily, their separation was brief. William returned the following morning accompanied by Georgiana. The girl entered the Gardiners’ drawing room with evident nervousness, but the moment her eyes found Elizabeth, her reserve briefly deserted her.

“Miss Bennet,” she exclaimed, “I am delighted to meet you. My brother tells me I am finally to have a sister!”

She immediately blushed at her own enthusiasm, but Elizabeth crossed the room and took both her hands.

“More than one, I am afraid. By marrying me, your brother is imposing all five Bennet sisters upon you.”

Georgiana’s eyes widened. “Five?”

Kitty laughed. “You need not meet all of us at once. Lizzy and I will allow you time to grow accustomed to us first.”

“I had forgotten that my brother told me his intended had so many sisters,” Georgiana said thoughtfully. “Please, tell me about yourself and the others.”

Kitty readily took up the task, and she and Georgiana were soon conversing with increasing ease. While Aunt Gardiner joined them, William moved closer to Elizabeth, allowing them to speak quietly.

“As you can see, Georgiana is delighted to have a sister—or rather, five sisters,” he told her. “I have never seen her so excited as she was last night.”

“Then I shall do my best not to disappoint her,” Elizabeth teased. “As much as I should have liked a brother, I would not trade most of my sisters for anything.”

As she had intended, William laughed.

“I told Georgiana that you intended to shop while you were in London, and she would like to accompany you. Since your father’s letter failed to arrive, I doubted your aunt had been able to make any arrangements. Georgiana sent a note to her modiste last evening, and the woman can receive you either tomorrow or the following day, if you do not already have someone you prefer to use. You will need a great many gowns and other things suitable for Town, as well as warmer attire for Derbyshire. We will not remain in London long enough for everything to be completed, but the finished garments can be sent directly to Pemberley.”