Chapter 25 #2
Never insisting her girls had all the accomplishments expected of those gently born was one of Fanny’s great regrets.
Thomas had taken the blame onto himself, saying that he should have continued his late mother’s lessons on the ways of one gently born.
Fanny could not excuse herself so easily.
But now her two youngest wanted to learn how to play an instrument.
She would do what she was able to encourage them in this endeavour.
Elaine had told her that Lady Catherine always kept the walls between the music and drawing rooms open.
On Fanny’s orders, the wall had been rolled back into place, making two separate rooms again.
“Of course, you may,” Fanny responded.
The three youngest girls, with said companions in tow, made their way out of the drawing room on their way to the music room.
“Anna is a good influence on Kitty and Lydia,” Elizabeth opined.
“As they are on her. I have never seen my sister so open and happy as she has been since meeting you and your sisters,” Darcy responded. He decided to be bold. “The same is true of your influence on me.”
Elizabeth lost the internal fight to not blush; she did blush, deeply.
The thought that she had somehow influenced him positively was thrilling.
Mr Darcy was the man for whom she was fast developing tender feelings.
She could not comprehend the difference in her feelings from the time when she had been hosted at the parsonage previously.
He was very different, but then so was she.
She wondered if she would have allowed herself to see what a good man he was if she had not been able to admit her own faults.
The more time she spent in his company, the more she came to admit that he was exactly the man who, in disposition and talents, would more than likely suit her.
His understanding and temper, though unlike her own, would answer all her wishes.
It was a union that would be to the advantage of both.
Her ease in society and general liveliness would soften his mind.
His manners, which he had already made so much more welcoming than they used to be, would be even further improved.
For Elizabeth’s advantage, and thanks to Mr Darcy’s judgement, information, and knowledge of the world, she would also gain that which would broaden her horizons.
If only they had met one another in Hertfordshire as they both were now.
The wedding in June could have been a double ceremony.
That last thought shocked Elizabeth greatly.
‘Since when has my logical mind rapidly jumped from admiration to love, and from love to matrimony?’ Elizabeth asked herself silently.
‘Why did I think love?’ Before she could answer her own question, she noticed that Mr Darcy was watching her intently, waiting for her.
She realised she had never responded to his statement about her effect on him.
Elizabeth did not want him to think it displeased her.
“Please pardon me; I was caught up in my own thoughts. It is a great compliment to say that I have, in some small way, motivated you to change. I can say the same of the information you provided to me. I did not know myself until then,” Elizabeth returned.
“It is a good thing that each of us has had a positive effect on the other.”
Darcy released a breath he had not been aware that he was holding. He had worried he had been too forward; but no, it seemed that Miss Elizabeth did not think he had overstepped. He decided to take a chance. “Do you intend to walk in the groves on the morrow?”
“It would be impossible for me to come to this estate and resist the siren call of nature. So yes, I fully intend to ramble,” Elizabeth confirmed.
“In that case, may I join you? In the past, I assumed my company was welcome. I do not want to err in the same way again,” Darcy explained. “If you prefer your solitude when you take some exercise, I will respect that and not magically appear while you walk.”
Elizabeth loved that he was making a request, and she could see that he had no expectation of what her reply would be. “Yes, Mr Darcy, I think I would enjoy it if you were to accompany me on my ramble. Should we meet in the drive a few minutes before the break of dawn?”
It was all Darcy could do not to jump up and cheer. He kept himself under good regulation and replied as calmly as he was able. “Thank you, Miss Elizabeth. I will be ready at the time and place you mentioned.”
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
For some reason Elizabeth could not fall asleep until almost midnight. She felt great excitement at the prospect of walking with Mr Darcy in a few short hours.
At the time of the proposal, which she would rather forget, Elizabeth had convinced herself that if Mr Darcy felt any love for her at all—she had doubted it—her rejection would have caused his slight, thin sort of inclination towards her to be entirely starved away.
It was just one more thing about which she had been wrong.
Mr Darcy’s feelings for her were a fine, stout, healthy love.
Add to that, she could tell that he respected her as well.
The thoughts which kept her awake were the questions of what she felt for Mr Darcy. Respect was present; admiration, also. But the question she asked herself most was, was there more? After an internal debate, Elizabeth reached a conclusion and soon fell into a deep sleep with a smile on her face.
Unlike at Longbourn, where the five Bennet sisters shared the services of one maid, Mamma assigned one to each of her daughters at Rosings Park. Jenny, who had acted as Elizabeth’s chaperone on the way to Netherfield Park, was the maid who would serve her.
As such, no matter how quietly Elizabeth tried to rise a few short hours later, Jenny, who had learnt her mistress’s habits, already was waiting for her with a bowl of warm water and a wash cloth.
The maid helped Elizabeth into a burgundy-coloured walking dress, and if asked, she would deny that the reason she chose that colour was the way that it highlighted her emerald-green eyes.
Elizabeth secured her half-boots and tied the bonnet in place.
It matched her dress. The nights had been relatively warm, so she donned her light pelisse and a pair of thin gloves.
Evidently, Papa had been serious when he had said that there would be no more walking out on her own because standing near Mr Darcy—who was waiting for her in the drive, his beaver in hand—was a footman.
Elizabeth was about to release a huff of annoyance when she stopped herself.
She was no longer the penniless daughter of an insignificant country squire; of course, it was only right for Papa to insist on measures he had not in the past.
Darcy offered Miss Elizabeth his arm, and instead of barely touching his forearm like she used to before the proposal, she allowed her fingers to encircle part of his arm.
The way she was holding his arm bolstered Darcy’s courage and convinced him that it was time to speak again, but this time without any insults.
They walked across the dew-covered grass, leaving a trail of footprints almost as they would have had there been snow on the ground. With each step they took, droplets of water flew from their boots.
With the footman trailing behind them, they cut across the park to the left until the beginning of the path leading to the clearing.
From there, they walked up the hill towards the folly.
The area was full of wildflowers, but as they did at night, most had their petals closed and tucked.
They would all begin to open once the sun’s rays hit them.
This hill was the highest point around, which is why the two walkers chose it to greet the new day’s sun.
They sat on a stone bench facing the east as the sky lightened until the deep blue of the early morning sky became visible.
The golden rays reaching above the horizon heralded the arrival of the sun.
As Elizabeth and Mr Darcy sat and watched the wonder of the birth of a new day, both were happy with the companionable silence.
There was no need to cheapen the wonders of nature with inconsequential talk.
The footman was standing at the other end of the folly so he could clearly see them. However, if they spoke, he would not be able to hear unless they raised their voices considerably.
After taking a deep breath, Darcy turned towards Miss Elizabeth.
“You are too intelligent not to have seen that my interest in you as the partner of my life has not dimmed. I believe your feelings towards me have changed. That being said, I will not make the same assumptions I did in March. I know that you are too generous to trifle with me, and if your feelings are still what they were then, you would tell me so at once. If I have not made it abundantly clear, my affections and wishes are unchanged. However, one word from you will silence me on this subject for ever. Before you think I am about to propose, that was not my plan. I want you to have as much time as you need. If you are willing to hear my question, all I will ask is for an official courtship.”
“Although I do not believe I am in love with you…yet…there is no comparison between what I feel today and what my misguided emotions were then,” Elizabeth declared. “I can tell you that I have begun to develop tender feelings for you, and as such, yes, Mr Darcy, I happily grant you a courtship.”
The intensity of Mr Darcy’s smile was almost like a second sunrise. His dimples were on full display which made Elizabeth very thankful that she was seated at that moment because she was not sure her legs would have been able to support her body.
Ever conscious that he did not want to push too hard, Darcy took each of her hands into his in turn, bestowing a kiss on the top of each hand through her gloves. He was thankful they were thin summer gloves.
Gloves or no gloves, Mr Darcy’s kiss to each hand caused heat to suffuse Elizabeth’s body as her breath hitched, and her heart rate sped up considerably.
She could only imagine how it would feel when their lips finally met.
She waited to calm down a little. “Will you not call me Elizabeth when we are in private?”
“It would be a great honour and pleasure to address you as Elizabeth, as long as you call me William in the same situations,” Darcy replied.
God had heard and granted Darcy’s prayers; of that he was certain. That this magnificent woman had changed her mind so much as to grant him a courtship had to point to divine intervention. His heart was singing, and for once, his heart and his head were in accord.
He needed Elizabeth like he needed air to breathe.
“I am of age, but I think my father would appreciate being approached for his blessing. Do not forget that he learnt about Jane’s and Jamey’s courtship well after the fact,” Elizabeth related.
As much as they would have enjoyed descending the hill at a run and not stopping until they reached the mansion, the courting couple walked with decorum.