Undoubtedly By Design (A Pride and Prejudice Variation)

The betrothed couple was so overjoyed that they could not stop smiling all the way back to the house.

Being in full view, the gentleman having kindly offered his arm and the lady having cheerfully accepted it, they kept an almost proper distance from each other, but the brief caresses they shared, the scent and taste of each other, the awareness of the feelings aroused inside them, the relief of finally being certain their love was mutual, the expectations of the future now easily foreseen — all caused such a delight as neither of them had felt before.

The knowledge that Elizabeth would leave the following day lost its melancholy, replaced by the contentment of the certainty that she would return soon, as the mistress of Pemberley and of the master’s heart.

With the little composure they still possessed, they discussed the best way to give the news to their closest relatives — Georgiana and the Gardiners.