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“And you believe it is false?”
“I find it difficult to believe otherwise. My mother was very ill when she is said to have signed it. If she did, someone must have persuaded her that I had agreed, for she would never have written such a thing knowing I had not.” He paused, looking at Elizabeth. “I suspect my aunt, though I have no proof.”
Elizabeth held his hand more closely. “And that is why you wish us to marry so soon?”
“Yes, but I had asked you to marry me long before I knew of this. You must not think—”
“I remember your proposal very well.”
He smiled at her, relieved by the teasing in her voice. “Then you know whom I wished to marry before my aunt brought forward her document. I shall have its truth examined, whatever happens, but I do not want her accusations to come between us while we wait.”
“She may still accuse you afterwards.”
“She may. But you will be my wife, and she will have to accept that we are married, however much she dislikes it.”
“Your own family may refuse to receive us…” she began. Still, her future was with Darcy, and she could not imagine relinquishing it.
“Some of them may! In that case, we shall remain at Pemberley and find happiness together, with those who approve of our marriage. Georgiana, your relations, the Gardiners, Bingley and the colonel would never condemn our choice. And there are the people on the estate, the villagers…can you imagine being content with such a quiet life?”
Elizabeth looked about her. The house shone in the distance like a precious jewel beyond the gardens and lake, and she almost laughed at his question. “Without a doubt! This is the life I wish for. I have little desire for London society, which may never accept me. They do not care that my father is a gentleman or that my mother comes from a respectable family. There is no stain upon our family’s reputation, but we do not belong to their circle.”
He embraced her and kissed her forehead. “But I would rather avoid applying for a licence. We shall have to wait for the banns to be read.”
Elizabeth looked at him with interest. “You have thought of everything!”
He heard pride in her voice and kissed her hand, overcome by the desire to hold her closer. He knew she still found even this gesture intimate, and her blush made him restrain himself from a more ardent embrace. In the faint light from the house, he watched her face as he kissed her hand again, then turned it gently and pressed his lips to her palm. One moment she was the composed lady he knew; the next, at his touch, she lost that composure, revealing a shyness he found irresistible. She was embarrassed by her timidity, yet happy to entrust herself to him.
“Stop, stop,” Elizabeth pleaded faintly.
Darcy looked up. “Do you not like it?” he asked, a mischievous smile in his eyes.
“I do not understand what is happening to me,” she whispered. “I wish to save myself…for our wedding night!”
Her cheeks burned, and she trembled with fear and longing, wondering how much she might allow before these embraces and kisses carried her farther than she intended.
They walked in silence for a while before Elizabeth found the courage to speak again. “Why should we not marry by licence?” she asked, still trembling but determined to regain her composure.
Darcy laughed softly at the unexpected return to their plans. The banns were hardly what he wanted to discuss that night, but he was willing to answer any question.
“A common licence must be obtained through the bishop’s authority, and my aunt has connections among the clergy,” he explained. “Her late husband, Sir Lewis, was a grandson of a former Archbishop of Canterbury. I would rather avoid enquiries that might reach her.”
“Oh,” Elizabeth murmured.
“The banns must be read on three Sundays in our parish churches, here and at Meryton. Once they have been read without lawful objection, we may marry in either church.”
“A wedding at Pemberley?” Elizabeth asked, delighted and already certain of his answer. “But we must still wait several weeks.”
“Yes, but we need tell no one beyond our families and friends. The banns will be public, of course, and I cannot promise that my aunt will hear nothing. I hope that news from our parishes will take longer to reach her than enquiries through her acquaintances.”
“Nevertheless, someone might object.”
Her expression showed her concern, and Darcy tried to reassure her. “My aunt has no lawful claim to prevent our marriage. She could cause trouble and spread her accusations, which is what I wish to avoid. We shall keep our plans as quiet as we can, and in a little more than a month, we shall be married.”
“On a Monday, at Pemberley,” Elizabeth whispered, blushing at the thought.
“Pemberley is the place I wish for our wedding. We shall be surrounded by those we love, far from her interference. Afterwards, our marriage shall be announced in The Times: Miss Elizabeth Bennet has become Mrs Fitzwilliam Darcy…”
“We must tell the others,” Elizabeth reminded him. “And…oh, I have forgotten! You must speak with Papa.”
