Chapter 12 #3
“You were not interrupting us, my dear. In fact, there is something I wanted to share with you—something nobody else knows at the moment. I wanted you to be the first to hear it.”
Elizabeth looked at Darcy and smiled at him—a smile that left little doubt for Georgiana.
“Sir, I think that, before going further with this, before even speaking to my father, we should ask for Georgiana’s opinion on the matter.”
“Oh, Elizabeth, you are engaged,” cried the girl the next instant, and in a gesture that shocked her brother, she threw herself at Elizabeth, embracing her so forcefully that they almost toppled over.
“Well, I dare say her opinion is not completely unfavourable.” Darcy barely checked his laughter while his heart danced with joy at his sister’s hearty approval.
“I am so happy, Brother.” Georgiana hurried to embrace him, too.
“I am very happy, too, dearest.”
“When did you propose? May I ask that? Is it true that nobody else knows yet—not even Miss Bennet? And you did not speak to Mr Bennet yet?”
“Dearest, let us all sit a moment and talk calmly,” he suggested, and the ladies followed him to the sofa. Elizabeth seated herself between the siblings, one of her hands held by Georgiana; Darcy took the other.
“I proposed to Miss Elizabeth earlier today, and it is true: no one else has been informed yet. I plan to speak to Mr Bennet later today.”
“Oh, Elizabeth, thank you for telling me first!”
“Georgiana, my dear, I am so happy to see your enthusiastic approval, but you must take into consideration a painful fact: Mr Wickham will be a part of my family. It is possible that his name will be mentioned often by my mother and sisters, and you may even meet him again someday. Will you be able to endure that?”
“I hope that day will not be soon; I have no desire to see him or hear of him again. But that will not change how happy I am to have you as my sister.”
“Georgiana— Darcy attempted, but she stopped him.
“Oh, let us not be talking about such unpleasant subjects now. I could not care less about George Wickham. Instead, you had better tell me—have you fixed the wedding day? And did you inform Cassandra? She will be very angry if you keep her ignorant. Where will you marry?”
Her exuberance, though a little forced, left little choice for Darcy and Elizabeth, and after a short glance, they decided to indulge her.
“No, my dear, we have not decided anything yet! And I beg you, speak a little lower or everybody will find out long before I am able to speak to Mr Bennet.”
“Forgive me,” she whispered, covering her mouth with her palm, and then she continued. “But you will marry soon, I hope?”
Darcy laughed and squeezed Elizabeth’s hand, unable to tell his young sister how eager he was for a short engagement; they chatted a few more minutes until finally they all decided it was time to join the others downstairs.
∞∞∞
At first, they stopped at the door in wonder and surprise, hearing the bustle inside the drawing room. It was not difficult to distinguish Bingley’s joyful voice accompanied by that of Lady Cassandra.
They entered, and it took Bingley less than a moment before he ran to Elizabeth and then to Georgiana and Darcy, demanding their congratulations.
On the sofa, a blushing and highly embarrassed Jane Bennet hardly dared to look at them.
A few paces further on a settee, Mrs Hurst’s countenance was dark and bitter; Mr Hurst was enjoying a glass of wine.
Lady Cassandra was standing in the middle of the room, clearly enjoying herself.
In that din, it was an unquestionable success for Darcy to be able to calm Bingley and properly introduce his sister to Miss Jane Bennet. Georgiana offered her congratulations, and Jane graciously accepted them; finally, a calmer and more intelligible conversation commenced.
“As soon as Mr Bennet gives us his blessing, I think we should plan an engagement ball,” said Mr Bingley enthusiastically. “Of course, if you will agree to it, Miss Bennet,” he added, looking at Jane.
“An excellent idea, sir,” Lady Cassandra agreed.
“That would be lovely, sir,” replied Jane Bennet, still incredulous that everything had happened in such a short time.
The conversation continued with everyone’s involvement, and even Mrs Hurst was forced to show an interest in her brother’s engagement and future plans.
The visitors finally prepared to leave, and naturally, Mr Bingley accompanied them, as did Darcy—much to Elizabeth’s delight.
The Bennet sisters received a warm farewell from Lady Cassandra and Miss Darcy.
Mrs Hurst was all politeness, expressing her pleasure with the happy news.
However, as soon as the guests left, she excused herself as not feeling well and retired to her room.
In a great hurry, she wrote a long, furious letter to her oblivious sister in London, insisting that she return to Netherfield immediately.
∞∞∞
“Elizabeth, when shall we share our news with your family?” Darcy asked as he helped her descend from the carriage in front of Longbourn’s main door.
“Oh, let my sister and Mr Bingley have the joy of this evening, please! Let this be their day; they have waited so long, and my sister is so happy that I cannot do anything to disturb her state of bliss.”
“I have waited for this day, too, Elizabeth. I am not a patient man, you know. I have no desire to wait any longer; I want to have the right to court you, enjoy your company, and be certain I have your father’s blessing. I still cannot believe you have accepted me,” he replied passionately.
Elizabeth moved a little closer so their arms brushed against each other as they walked.
“I am not asking you to wait long…only a little more…because you see,” she blushed slightly in mortification as she admitted, “when my mother hears of our understanding, she will give little attention to Mr Bingley and direct all her interest to you, I am certain of it. So perhaps I am a selfish being, and I am asking to keep our engagement secret for a little longer not only for my sister’s peace of mind but for my own, as well. ”
“You are a wise lady, Elizabeth—a very wise lady indeed,” he replied after a few moments of meditation. They had reached the entrance to Longbourn.
“I am considering asking for a private meeting with Mr Bennet as soon as possible—perhaps tomorrow morning—as I do not wish to distress him overmuch for one evening, and after that I will allow you the complete liberty to decide when you want to publicly announce our engagement. Would that be acceptable, Elizabeth?”
“And you are a wise man, sir,” she responded, teasing him tenderly as they both entered the house.
The evening passed in much agitation and considerable torment for Mrs Bennet and everyone else in the house.
Mr Bingley’s interview with Mr Bennet was quite short and completely satisfactory for both gentlemen.
Immediately thereafter, the wonderful news was announced to Mrs Bennet, and for a moment, she seemed to faint in happy distress.
Fortunately, she soon recovered, and her loudly expressed satisfaction overwhelmed Mr Bingley, who was embraced frequently, warmly and maternally.
Miss Jane Bennet was glowing in complete happiness; every time she passed near Elizabeth, she whispered how fortunate she felt and wondered how she would ever be able to bear so much felicity. Elizabeth smiled at her in loving understanding. Her own felicity was difficult to bear.
The ladies retired to prepare for dinner, and of course, the gentlemen were asked to join the family—an invitation they accepted gladly.
The guests were seated at the table on each side of Mr Bennet, and—to Darcy’s delight—Elizabeth took the place next to him.
The evening passed unmarked by anything extraordinary except Mrs Bennet’s exuberance, which increased when Mr Bingley announced plans for a ball within two weeks’ time.
From that moment, she spoke of little else except the beautiful bride Jane would be and the perfect wife she would make.
To his utter shock and complete delight, while he was speaking to Mr Bennet, Darcy felt Elizabeth move slightly closer to him.
Without thinking, he stretched his leg to the right and touched hers.
He felt her tense for a moment, but then she relaxed and even joined the gentlemen’s conversation.
She never withdrew her leg from his during the entire dinner.
Furthermore, as nobody seemed to pay much attention to them, their fingers brushed against each other more than once while they ate—as if by mistake—and Darcy’s eyes were captured by Elizabeth’s lips, wet from the sweet, red wine.
Not as sweet and as red as her mouth, he said to himself, and the desire of actually tasting her lips again become intensely painful.
“Do you know at what time you will call tomorrow, sir?” whispered Elizabeth when her father was conversing with Mr Bingley.
“As soon as it is proper for a call,” he answered with the same low voice. “But perhaps we should talk more about that tomorrow morning,” he added, and she looked at him inquiringly. Then she blushed as she understood his meaning.
“Very well, sir.”
She could not say much as she was afraid she would betray her emotions.
In a deep part of her heart, there was still a shadow of fear and doubt that her felicity would last. She was still incredulous that everything that occurred that day had truly happened: that he finally proposed and she accepted, that Georgiana shared their happiness, and that Jane and Bingley were engaged.
Could such perfect bliss be real and everlasting?
Yet, it must be true—if for nothing else than the proof of his strong leg pressing intimately against hers—and she shamelessly and wantonly enjoyed the novel sensations that rose inside her from the touch of his body.
And his lips—which now took small sips of wine from his glass—his lips so demanding yet so tender, capturing her mouth, exploring it…
She became dizzy; countless chills made her shiver as she burned inside. She rushed to take her glass and almost dropped it; his hand reached to catch the goblet, covering her hand with his own.
“Miss Bennet, are you well?”
“Yes…yes, Mr Darcy, I am quite well, thank you.” She felt his stare fixing her profile, but he said nothing more, for which she was grateful.
She drank a little wine and then asked for cold water and swallowed it quickly.
When she dared to look at him from the corner of her eye, she saw a hidden smile twisting his lips.
“Is there a reason for your amusement, sir?” she inquired, trying to sound light and teasing.
“Oh, of course there is, Lizzy,” Mrs Bennet interrupted from the other side of the table. “You are so distracted this evening that you almost dropped the glass. It would be very nice indeed to spill the wine over Mr Darcy now that he seems to be more amiable.”
Elizabeth found nothing to say at such a statement and returned her attention to her plate. If her mother only knew how amiable Mr Darcy truly was!
By the end of the evening, despite some other embarrassing moments, Darcy and Elizabeth had become masterfully skilled at fully enjoying each other’s closeness and stealing moments of sweet privacy in a room full of people.
The acknowledged lovers talked and laughed; the unacknowledged were silent—but they needed no words to express their feelings.
They knew as much as they felt how happy they were, and everything that was left unsaid between them would be most eloquently expressed the next morning when they would again meet in the grove.
As much as Darcy was eager to speak to Mr Bennet and ask for his consent, he was even more eager to hear and feel the daughter’s consent again—many times over.