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When they had shut the door, Rodrick looked to his daughter. “Well, what do you think about all of this, Lyddie?” he asked with a slight smile on his face. “This has been quite a development in all of this, and although I was ready to give Edmund my blessing, I see no reason why it should not go to Lord Wentworth instead. Who do you wish to marry?”
While Lydia felt completely overwhelmed by all of these new developments, she knew immediately who she wanted to be with. “Percy,” she said with certainty. “I have wanted to be with Percy from the very beginning, but before tonight, he did not have the courage to be seen with me publicly. But I believe him when he says that he has overcome that fear, and I know that he loves me with all his heart. To tell you the truth, I was only considering Edmund’s offer because he was giving me the stability and reliability that Percy was not. Even throughout these trials with Percy, I never stopped loving him. I simply thought that he did not want to be with me because I was of a lower class.”
Rodrick looked at her quizzically. “And what has changed so drastically in two days that he is suddenly ready not only to court you publicly, but go straight ahead to marrying you?”
Lydia laughed. “I do not believe much has really changed at all,” she confided in him. “I believe that Percy wanted to be with me this whole time, but as he said, his fear about his feelings for me was holding him back. But now that he has accepted how he feels, I know that he is ready to be with me. I have never felt more confident about anything in my life.”
Rodrick shrugged, but then pulled Lydia into a tight hug. “If you say that you will be happy with this man, then I know that you will, my brilliant girl. You are so sure of yourself and your decisions that I know this one will be an excellent choice.”
They broke apart, and Lydia felt so happy that she was sure her heart was going to burst. They returned to the other room, and Rodrick addressed Percy.
“Lord Wentworth,” he said seriously, as Percy looked at him with fear in his eyes. Lydia desperately wanted to comfort him and tell him that everything was fine ... but there was also one tiny, tiny part of her that was enjoying watching him squirm. It was a small payback for what he had done to her as they were establishing their relationship. “After having spoken with my daughter, I wanted to ensure that you understood the grief that you caused her. Do you know that she thought you didn’t want to be with her because of her class?”
Percy nodded, embarrassed. “Yes, I’m unfortunately quite aware of that, sir, and I cannot express to you how guilty I feel about that. My problem was that I was so caught up in my head with my duties surrounding my sister as well as what was expected of me by society that I couldn’t bear the thought of ruining the natural chemistry that Lydia and I had with official announcements and such. I can now see that my own fears and aloofness made me almost ruin the one chance I had with the woman I am in love with. And for that, I am eternally sorry.”
Tears welled up in Lydia’s eyes, and she whispered, “I forgive you,” to Percy.
Upon hearing that, Rodrick clapped his hands and made everyone in the room jump about a foot in the air. “Well!” he said, looking joyous. “It seems that we have another cause for celebration with this meal, for I do believe that Lord Wentworth and Lydia just became engaged!”
Lydia ran to Percy and embraced him while her parents proudly looked on. Lydia couldn’t believe that her dream of being with Percy had come true after all, and she was now looking forward to getting to spend the rest of her life with him.
And then Lydia ran to her mother and father and hugged them both tightly as well. “Oh, thank you, Mama, thank you, Papa!” she cried, so happy that she could hardly speak. When she finished embracing them, Percy and Rodrick shook hands, and Vivian planted two kisses on her soon-to-be son-in-law’s cheeks. Percy beamed at Lydia as they sat down at the table together, and the couple held hands throughout dinner.
The discussion of the wedding began at that very meal, and Percy and Lydia couldn’t wait to begin their lives together. If they had been given the option, they would have tied the knot that very night. But as they did not wish to rush things, they chose a date a month from now and were very pleased with it indeed.
As the night drew to a close, Lydia looked over at Percy at one point when they had moved to the sitting room, and she was moved to tears by the thought of how lucky she was. To think that she was going to marry the man who she had spent so long hoping to be with as a child was beyond her wildest dreams.
And what made it even better was the fact that Percy had evolved into such a considerate, loving, and wonderful young man, who Lydia knew was worthy of her love. At that moment, she didn’t care what the future held for them; as long as they were together, she knew they could handle anything. They were, after all, a match made in heaven.
