Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
ENGAGED!
As soon as his aunt was gone, Darcy turned to Elizabeth, gathering her hands in his own. He was still angry and frustrated after the confrontation with his aunt, yet he quickly put aside any of those emotions, needing to reassure his love.
“My dearest Elizabeth, I cannot tell you how sorry I am that my aunt importuned you and your family in this way.” He leant forwards until his forehead rested lightly against hers, the simple contact steadying him as much as it comforted her.
“I am grateful I returned today as planned, and that I came here first rather than Netherfield. After so many days apart, nothing seemed more important than seeing you again.”
Her soft chuckle eased some of the tension in his chest. “If it is any consolation, I doubt she will trouble us again very soon,” she said lightly. “A lady who leaves an estate with little of her dignity and only a small portion of her cane is unlikely to wish for a repeat performance.”
She sobered a little, her smile lingering with a hint of amusement.
“My mother inadvertently learnt of our courtship, and she has spoken of little else since—at least now she has something new to occupy her thoughts. Still, I suspect she will speak of our engagement as if it were already settled, particularly if she and all my sisters are even now gathered at the front window, observing us with keen interest.”
Darcy drew back just enough to meet her gaze, his heart pounding at the opening her words seemed to grant him. “It could be, Elizabeth—if you wished it,” he breathed.
She parted her lips as though to reply, but no sound came. He searched her face, desperate to read her thoughts, and drew their clasped hands to his chest, pressing them firmly against him. Surely she must feel how rapidly his heart was beating.
“I know I spoke of giving you time to come to know me better before I proposed marriage,” he said, his words tumbling out faster than he intended.
“Yet I have long known my own mind. Elizabeth, I wish to marry you. If I am speaking too soon, tell me, and I will wait as long as you desire. If you would prefer time in London before deciding, I shall understand. But I cannot be certain what mischief my aunt may contrive there, and—” He faltered, realising too late what he had blurted, yet the truth was undeniable.
“Since I have just declared your family as my own, it seems I can no longer contain myself. Elizabeth, will you be my wife?”
Her eyes softened under his gaze, but she did not reply straightaway, and unease began to stir within him. Had he spoken too soon? He prayed she would not refuse him outright—that she might only ask for more time. The silence stretched until it grew uncomfortable, and he started to draw back.
Then she smiled, and hope rushed back to him.
“I must admit that I have missed you very much as well, William, and have felt rather anxious to see you again,” she said, her tone deliberate.
“It is strange to think that only a fortnight ago I disliked you so intensely, and yet today I cannot imagine saying no to you. In truth, I knew sometime last week that I had fallen in love with you. So, yes, William”—she hesitated, her cheeks colouring a delightful pink—“I will marry you. My father will need time to reconcile himself to my marrying so soon, and we shall certainly need to temper Mama’s notions of what our wedding ought to be.
But as for me, I need no more time, nor do I need to know anything further than I do now. ”
Relief broke over him in a wave, and he sighed as he leant his forehead against hers once more. “Thank you, my dearest,” he murmured, leaning in to seal the moment with a kiss, but she drew back quickly.
“I am afraid we have an audience, William, and I am frankly astonished that my mother has not already come outside to congratulate us,” Elizabeth said quietly, her blush deepening.
“She will try to insist on months and months of planning, but you must be firm, dearest, and declare that you cannot wait until spring. I do not care what excuse you give, but I cannot endure even two months of Mama’s planning.
What would you say to marrying soon after the new year? ”
Darcy chuckled at the earnestness in her voice.
“I would be happy with a short engagement, my love. If it were left to me, we would marry next week. But since that would never be permitted, six weeks seems perfectly reasonable. I cannot imagine waiting beyond January. I must be in Town for Christmas and Twelfth Night, but we could marry just after Epiphany—if that gives you enough time.”
“Your sister?” she asked softly.
He nodded. “I had thought to bring her with me, but with Wickham still in Meryton, I cannot risk it. I have spoken to my cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, and he intends to see what may be done to remove that scoundrel from the area.”
At that moment, the sound of the Bennets spilling out of the house reached him. With great reluctance, Darcy released Elizabeth, pausing first to lean close and whisper, “I will tell you more later, dearest, when we can speak alone.”
“I must speak to you as well,” she murmured in return, her expression shadowed as she recalled Jane’s belief in Wickham’s lies.
“Oh, Mr Darcy!” cried Mrs Bennet as she bustled out of Longbourn, her arms outstretched. “How delighted we are to have you back at Longbourn—and engaged to our Lizzy, of all people! For you could not possibly have embraced her as you did without being engaged, am I not right?”
She scarcely paused for breath. “She is a good girl, to be sure, if not my most beautiful—that honour belongs to my Jane, as everyone in Hertfordshire knows very well. Nor is she as lively as my Lydia, who is forever the favourite at every gathering and adored by all the officers. Still, Lizzy has her charms, I suppose, even if I never imagined you would be the one to notice them. Why, after what you once said at the Meryton assembly—that she was only tolerable—I daresay no one could have imagined you would come to value her so highly. But gentlemen do change their minds, I suppose.”
Giving a brisk nod of satisfaction, she continued speaking without thought or considering her audience.
“Indeed, I had thought her more suited to Mr Collins—though of course it would not have been proper to suggest such a thing aloud, particularly after my husband forbade me from encouraging him towards any of my daughters. Still, he is the heir of Longbourn, and it would have been a most sensible match. Yet what is Longbourn compared to Pemberley? To think that Lizzy—obstinate, headstrong Lizzy—should become mistress of such an estate!”
Her voice grew shrill with excitement. “What a wedding we shall have! A ball, new gowns for all the girls, the finest celebration Hertfordshire has ever seen! My brother Gardiner will scarcely believe it. Oh, Mr Darcy, you have made us the envy of all our neighbours! If you wish, I would even cede the right of the bride’s family to have the ceremony in her own parish, should you prefer to have the wedding in your church in London.
Did you not say your aunt is a countess? ”
Darcy bowed slightly, forcing courtesy where he longed for retreat after that barrage of words.
The sting of her careless comparisons pricked him, yet Elizabeth’s quiet laugh and the gentle pressure of her hand on his arm steadied him.
He marvelled at how she endured such barbs with grace—and found his admiration for her only deepened.
Mrs Bennet’s voice was still ringing in Darcy’s ears when Mr Bennet at last emerged, hands clasped behind his back, his expression as inscrutable as ever.
He cast a brief glance at his wife—who was already directing Kitty and Lydia on which gowns would be indispensable for a wedding in London at the height of the Season—before turning his attention to Darcy and Elizabeth.
“So, Mr Darcy,” he began in a tone of studied evenness, even as the faintest hint of amusement glimmered in his eye, “from what I have witnessed and overheard—and from my wife’s enthusiastic proclamations—it would appear that you have asked for my Lizzy’s hand and that she has accepted you.
Have you, in fact? Or am I to understand that Mrs Bennet has simply leapt to conclusions faster than you intended? ”
He looked between them, his brows lifting ever so slightly as he acknowledged Darcy’s nod in reply.
“I recall you saying you wished Elizaebth to have time to know your character, and, if I may be permitted an observation, this does seem rather swift. Still, she looks happy enough. I confess I would not have expected you to find her suitable—particularly after your remarks at the assembly—but perhaps you have acquired a taste for impertinence. After that encounter with your aunt, I can only conclude you are well accustomed to ladies who speak their minds.”
Darcy stiffened, unsure whether Mr Bennet meant to grant approval or merely to indulge in mild mockery at his expense.
The sardonic edge in the gentleman’s tone pricked at him—particularly after the decidedly careless remarks Mrs Bennet had made moments before.
His disquiet eased only when Mr Bennet went on.
Mr Bennet’s gaze softened as it fell upon his daughter.
“Still, I know her worth, even if others have been slow to recognise it,” he said, casting a pointed look towards his wife.
“If my daughter has chosen you, sir, then I shall not stand in her way. You may discover, Mr Darcy, that a wife capable of holding her own against you will suit you exceedingly well.”