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“I do not believe William will be seeking her permission.” Her cousin flinched when Elizabeth used her fiancé’s given name.
“This match is quite impossible!” Collins cried. “He is engaged to his cousin, Anne de Bourgh.”
Elizabeth lifted an eyebrow. “William does not regard himself as engaged to his cousin, and I would expect he is a greater authority than you are.”
Collins thrust himself to his feet and dropped his napkin disdainfully on the table. “You may believe you have triumphed, Cousin. But Mr. Darcy will not marry you. I have already written to Lady Catherine about her nephew’s despicable behavior. I expect that she will take appropriate measures at once.”
Elizabeth maintained a fierce smile while her insides clenched. Lady Catherine! She could cause William no end of trouble.
Collins’s faint smirk suggested he noticed her discomposure. Such an odious man.
Suddenly Elizabeth was not the least bit hungry. Abandoning her breakfast, Elizabeth rose and hurried toward the front door. She was not equal to remaining in the house one minute more.
***
Darcy was a man who was accustomed to getting things accomplished. Patience was not one of his strengths; however, during his visits to Hertfordshire, he was frequently required to wait and put his fate into the hands of others. It went against the grain. The day after he was banished from Longbourn, he found himself snapping at his valet and snarling at the coachman—requiring him to apologize later.
Now he drew upon yet more stores of patience as he stood not far from the road just outside Longbourn’s boundaries. The fence here was a simple affair, constructed of only a few pieces of wood. It would present no obstacle to gazing upon Elizabeth’s beloved face.
Bingley had visited Jane at Longbourn, and Darcy had commissioned his friend to convey a message to Elizabeth. How long could delivering a message possibly take? Patience, he reminded himself, exhaling a long breath. She must escape the house without arousing any suspicion.
Finally, he heard the rustling of skirts and the snapping of small branches. Raising his head, he spied Elizabeth picking her way to the far corner of Longbourn’s southernmost field. Her face lit up into a golden smile at the sight of Darcy, easing the previous day’s frustration and worry. Darcy took a moment to revel in her smile; he had not known if such an expression would ever be directed toward him. The distance between them was only a few feet, but it was still too far.
“William, I am not supposed to leave the Longbourn property!” she said in a hushed voice when she drew close enough. “And you are not to venture upon it.”
“Have you suddenly decided to follow your cousin’s rules?” he asked with a teasing smile. When did her lawless tendencies become a trait I find endearing? Truly I am a fool in love.
She laughed. “You know me too well to believe that.”
“As it happens, I am not on the Longbourn property,” he said with a grin. “You are on one side of the fence, and I stand outside the gates.” He gestured to the wrought iron gates that stood open a few yards away. “Do they ever close them?” he asked.
“I cannot remember an occasion,” Elizabeth said. “I suppose if Napoleon invaded.”
“Yes, that would be just the thing to foil all his plans.”
“Now you know the whole of Longbourn’s defensive strategy; I pray you, do not reveal the information to the enemy.” The mischievous tone of her voice alone was enough to send a wave of longing through Darcy. Life would be joyous indeed if he could hear that tone every day.
After a moment he cleared his throat. “I have calculated this very precisely. We both remain within the bounds of our restrictions.”
“We are most certainly breaking the spirit, if not the letter, of the law. Are you not the one who abhors deceit?” Her words were arch and teasing.
Darcy never minded being teased by Elizabeth. “You have transformed me into an outlaw.” He enjoyed the musical sound of her laughter. “Collins is a fool and a petty tyrant,” he added. “I have no regard for the ‘spirit’ of his arbitrary rules.”
So much love shone in her eyes that Darcy could not survive one more moment without touching her. He longed for a full-body embrace but instead settled for crossing the remaining distance between them and taking her hand over the fence’s top railing. Her fingers squeezed his, warm and welcoming.
After a brief pause, Elizabeth said, “My cousin told me you went to London yesterday.”
Darcy raised an eyebrow. “I did. I had some business there—and I obtained this.”
Releasing her hand, he pulled a folded paper from his pocket and passed it to her. She quickly opened it and scanned the contents. “It is a special license!”
“It is. We may now be married upon any day you wish—providing the rector is available.” She stared at the paper silently. “Have I been overly hasty? We need not execute the license immediately—”
“It is all a bit overwhelming, but I have no desire for a delay.” She refolded the license and returned it to him. “The situation has changed. Collins’s restrictions render it impossible to remain at Longbourn much longer. I must depart—and hope that the estate will survive without me.” Lines of worry furrowed her brow.
Darcy’s heart clenched. This was his doing. His impatience had led to discovery by her cousin, and now she would not protect the estate as she had planned. When will I cease causing her pain?
“If you wish to be released from the engagement…” Darcy forced the words through his lips, although each one tore gashes into his heart.
