Chapter 7 #2
“I did not realise he had offered for you,” William stuttered.
“I have never been so glad you are stubborn, my dear. It would have been awful had I arrived in Kent in April and found you there married to Collins. Forgive me, but the man is a fool. He would have made you miserable, especially when combined with my aunt.”
Elizabeth laughed. “He is. I was not pleased when Charlotte told me she had accepted him, but it seemed to work well enough for her. She has tempered him somewhat. Lady Catherine makes him worse.”
It was William’s turn to laugh. “They are an odd pair, that is for sure. He hangs on to her every word as though it were gospel, and she is pleased with the attention. How does your friend bear up to the scrutiny?”
“She bears it well enough,” Elizabeth answered. “I would not have been able to bear it nearly as graciously. I cannot imagine daily interactions with your aunt, I am sorry to say.”
“Neither could I, which is why I limit my visits to once a year. Normally, we would only have stayed a fortnight, but this year, I postponed our departure twice, much to the Colonel’s dismay,” William said.
“On the morning we left, after I gave you the letter, I told my aunt, in no uncertain terms, that I would never marry Anne. Although I believed you lost to me, I knew that I would never marry anyone but you. My aunt was furious, as you can imagine, and I have not had a letter from her since. In Anne’s letter to Georgiana shortly after, she congratulated me for finally setting her mother straight.
Since then, I believe my aunt has allowed her more freedom, which makes her happier. ”
“How will Lady Catherine react to the news that you are engaged to her parson’s distant cousin?” Elizabeth asked.
“Not well, I am afraid,” William answered.
“She was furious that I would not marry Anne, but she still expected me to marry for wealth and connections. She scoffed at marrying for something ‘as prosaic as love’. My aunt was not pleased with your outspoken nature, as I am sure you are aware and will not think well of my choice at all.”
She laughed. “Yes, I was aware of her displeasure. My cousin dedicated hours of my visit to correcting my behaviour. I was frequently accused of behaving impertinently and not treating Lady Catherine with the ‘proper deference and respect’ required by a lady in her position.”
William grimaced. “Another reason that would have been a miserable match for you.” He pulled her to him and kissed her briefly.
“I have so many things to apologise for, my dear, but my biggest failing was not recognising your worth sooner. I have needed you desperately in my life for so long, and I failed to realise it at first. And then I arrogantly assumed you would feel the same way I did without trying to court you as you deserved. I apologise for being a fool for so long, Elizabeth.”
She leaned into him. “William, we have canvassed this. We have both been foolish at times through our rather odd courtship, and we both were culpable for the argument in Hunsford, but it is resolved now, and we are to be married. You were arrogant; I was vain and allowed myself to be flattered. I rushed to judgment, as did you, but we have worked it all out. All is forgiven, my love, as it should be. Do not flog yourself over what is in the past.”
He put his arm around her and pulled her into him. “You are wise beyond your years, love. The thought that I could have lost you to Collins is unsettling. I am thankful that we were granted a second chance at this.”
“I am, too,” Elizabeth confessed. “I did not want to come to Pemberley that day until we were assured you were not here. I was so afraid to face you again after realising how wrong I had been about you. I started to change my mind about you after reading your letter the first dozen times, and it led to my reflection on every encounter we had ever had. It took some time, but I realised how difficult it must have been for you to speak in Hunsford, and even if it seemed insulting at first glance, you had honoured me more than I realised. And then, when I came here and saw Pemberley, I understood you better and could even see the reason for your pride. Mrs. Reynolds was a deciding factor. After hearing from her the kind of man you were, how generous you were, I knew I was in love with you, and I was berating myself for my stupidity in not understanding you better. When I came across you in the gardens that day, I was mortified, certain you must despise me and would be angry with me for coming to Pemberley. I was surprised at your gracious reception, certain as I was that I did not deserve it. But you were kindness itself, and when you renewed your addresses, I was beyond happy to accept.”
“I am so happy that I arrived early,” William paused and took a deep breath before continuing.
“It was because of you that I came ahead of the rest. Miss Bingley was grating on my nerves even worse than usual. I wished I was bringing you to Pemberley instead of Bingley’s family.
Dreams of you kept me from sleeping well at night—for months, I would wake up reaching for you, and it would make it difficult to go back to sleep.
I wanted to make my peace with Pemberley alone, and because of that need, I encountered you here. ”
“That was fortuitous,” Elizabeth said.
“It was indeed,” William replied.
They sat snuggled together until a footman appeared with an express message for the master. “It is from Bingley,” he said, accepting the letter.
When he opened it, several other letters fell out, including one addressed to Elizabeth. “It is from Jane,” she cried when he handed it to her.
They sat back down to read their letters, and both were thrilled by the news the letters conveyed.
“They are engaged to be married,” Elizabeth cried.
“Apparently, my father is in favour of this match, and they are to be married from Longbourn when the banns have been read. They will beat us to the altar, my dear, but perhaps that will mean that Jane will be able to come to my wedding. She still does not mention mine.”
William told her what was in his letter: “Bingley says he has not discussed our engagement with Jane because she has received no letters from you since arriving in Derbyshire, confirming what we believed about your father holding back your letters from her. When he mentioned my name in front of Mr. Bennet, he said the man grew angry and refused to discuss anything pertaining to me. He told Bingley if he mentioned my name again in his presence, he would refuse his blessing from their union as well. Bingley is unwilling to bring anything up about you and me, even to Jane, and Mrs. Bennet keeps them so occupied in wedding planning he rarely has a moment alone with Jane.”
“I do not know what to do about my father, William,” Elizabeth said suddenly. “I do not understand the reason for his anger. And now, I will miss my eldest sister’s wedding for reasons I cannot even begin to comprehend.”
He hugged her to his side. “I am sorry, my dear. I wish there were something I could do to fix things for you. Bingley asked me to stand up with him, but I do not know how to agree since it will undoubtedly create an issue at your sister’s wedding.”
“William, I hope my father will reply to our letters and be willing at least to listen to us. I cannot understand him treating me this way. Typically, he has always been willing to hear me; he has never before refused to discuss things, although he has often disregarded my opinions,” she paused and then took a deep breath.
“One thing I admire about you, dearest, is your willingness to listen to whatever I say. We have shared many ideas in the time I have been here, and every time, you have listened to my ideas and talked to me about them, only expanding them and making them better at times. Not only have you listened, but more than once, you have acted on my suggestions. If you disagreed, we discussed the reasons for your disagreement, or you explained your reasoning for not taking my suggestion. But you have always been willing to hear what I say, which I greatly appreciate.”
“And one thing that I admire about you, Elizabeth, is that you are willing to make suggestions; that you are knowledgeable enough about estate matters to have opinions and suggestions. You will be a partner to me in every way; you already have proven that many times over,” William said as he pulled back just a bit, looking her in the eyes.
Slowly, his mouth descended to hers, and in that kiss, he expressed every bit of his love for her.
Moments later, when they broke apart, they were both breathing heavily.
“William,” she breathed her heart in her eyes.
“I love you, Elizabeth.” William began when he could speak again. “But for my sanity and your virtue, it is best we seek out the company of others.”
Elizabeth just looked at him for a moment but nodded. He escorted her to the music room where Georgiana was practising the pianoforte.
“Is everything all right, William? We have had two express riders so far today, and you have been sequestered in your study quite a bit.” Georgiana enquired when she noticed their entry.
“Some business to attend to and finalising the marriage settlements with Gardiner and Elizabeth. The second express was from Bingley, announcing his engagement to Elizabeth’s elder sister,” William explained ambiguously.
“That is exciting, is it not? Will they marry in Hertfordshire? Will we go?” Georgiana asked.
“Nothing is certain yet, sweetling. For the moment, we are headed for London on Monday,” he said.