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Alone.

"I..." Elizabeth began, not really sure what she was going to say.

"Shall we—?" Darcy continued, and they both laughed and invited the other to continue.

"It has been a long day," Darcy said. "A long and wonderful day."

Elizabeth nodded.

"But after the events of last night..." He paused. "We are both running on very little sleep."

She nodded again, her mouth dry.

"I propose, if you are agreeable, that we spend the night in our own respective bedchambers, so we are refreshed for the journey to Pemberley tomorrow. After all, we have our whole lives together ahead of us."

"Oh." As nervous and unsure as Elizabeth had been about this night, the idea that he didn't want it to occur at all...that hurt.

Was he punishing her for saying that she had not fallen in love with him? Or was he not attracted to her, despite everything he had said?

That seemed hard to believe, but she wasn't sure what other explanation would make any sense.

But she was hardly going to beg for her wedding night.

So she nodded and said, "Of course, if that is what you wish."

They both headed up the stairs to separate bedchambers.

And she hoped this wasn't a concerning start to their marriage.

Chapter Forty-One

What on earth had he said that for? Darcy asked himself as he sat in front of the fire in his bedroom alone.

The last thing he wanted was to spend the night apart.

And yet...she had looked so nervous. And she would, of course, be exhausted from the late night and the busy wedding day.

She had said that she had agreed to marry him for the wrong reasons.

And although he thought the reasons for her saying ‘I do’ were not entirely mercenary, they weren't love.

If they consummated this marriage before she had any feelings for him, would she resent him for it?

He couldn't bear to think that she would be disappointed.

And so it was better to wait. As he said, they did have the rest of their lives, and it would be better to start their marriage properly in Pemberley, not here for one night.

But still he went to bed frustrated with himself, and despite his exhaustion, he struggled to sleep.

◆◆◆

They were too busy the next day for Elizabeth to ruminate for too long on the state of their marriage.

He had suggested getting an early start on the day and packing food to take rather than sitting down to breakfast, so that they could get a good portion of the journey to Pemberley done on that first day.

She was more than happy with that plan. She, too, was keen to see this home that would be hers, this home which both Darcy and his sister loved so much.

She was sure it would be grand, but she was struggling to picture what it might look like.