Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Lady Barry called both of her carriages, one to escort the Fitzwilliams and Darcys back to Darcy Cottage and Mr Bennet to the cottage inhabited by his family. The second to convey Elizabeth to the confectioners, escorted by Peter and Darcy on horseback.
Elizabeth was confused when they did not stop to collect Georgiana, but thought perhaps the young lady might be in the market village shopping with Priscilla and Anne.
“I thought, when we did not stop for Georgie, that she might be here already.” Elizabeth looked about the shop as she entered upon Darcy’s arm.
“Georgiana and I realised on our last visit that she has finally tried everything, so her adventure has ended.” Darcy smiled down at her as he seated her at the table by the window that seemed to have become their own that summer.
“And us?” Elizabeth asked.
“It is my hope that our sweet adventure is only beginning.” Darcy bowed as she coloured prettily.
He went to the counter to place an order for them, and Elizabeth noticed the proprietor beam at him and hand him a slip of paper and a pencil. Darcy leaned down and wrote for a moment, then folded the paper and slipped it back to the man before he returned to her.
A young lady, likely the proprietor’s daughter, came around and filled their cups with tea, leaving the pot for them to serve themselves when she went back to the kitchen.
“What are we to enjoy today?” She asked with interest.
“Oh, a bit of this, a bit of that,” he replied, looking extremely pleased with himself. “I am owed an ice, if you recall, and you deserve one too.”
The proprietor himself rolled out a small cart with an array of everything Darcy had ordered. Elizabeth saw her favourite lemon ice, and Darcy’s favourite pineapple flavour, as well as a dish of marzipan sculptures, chocolate drops, prawlongs, and candied orange peel.
“Mr Darcy, I begin to believe that your visit to Ramsgate was not to improve your father’s health, but to spoil us all with indulgence.”
“Perhaps, but I have met with no resistance at all.” He enjoyed a bit of his favourite ice. “You ordered a second helping of apricot cakes just last Wednesday.”
“I required fortification after all the worry of last week,” she giggled. “You shall indulge me until I am fat, and then you will not wish to come back south after Christmastide.”
“There is no danger of that, I assure you,” he promised.
Elizabeth sobered. “I confess I shall miss this.”
His gaze sharpened. “The confectioner’s?”
“No.” She lowered her eyes, as heat rose to her cheeks.
“I am relieved to hear you say it,” he replied, his voice nearly a whisper.
“You doubt it?” She tilted her head. She had not intended to fall in love with him, but how was it possible that he did not see his own appeal?
“I have been taught by a true benefactress never to take my own consequence for granted.” He grinned. “You have my eternal gratitude.”
The only other customers paid their bill and left the shop, and they were quite alone; that was, until the proprietor approached them with a familiar slip of paper in hand.
“Miss Bennet?” He handed her what appeared to be their bill. “With our gratitude for your patronage, madam.”
Darcy was suddenly suspiciously interested in scraping the last of his ice from the small bowl with his spoon as the proprietor left them in haste and hurried his daughters into the kitchen.
Elizabeth was surprised. She had, of course, offered to reward him with an ice in Lady Barry’s drawing room, but this was the first time he had ever allowed her to pay. Not that she objected.
Elizabeth opened the slip, expecting to find a total of numbers.
Miss Elizabeth Bennet
Tea for two
1 Lemon Ice
1 Pineapple Ice
1 order of Marzipan
1 order of Prawlongs
1 order of Candied Peel
1 order of Chocolate Drops
1 Gentleman’s Heart, lost beyond recovery
Amount Due:
Your hand in marriage
Elizabeth gasped, then stared. She raised her eyes to find Darcy nervously avoiding her gaze. His predicament warmed her heart, to see his composure entirely lost. For her.
“What interesting accounting,” she said when she finally found her voice.
“Indeed?” he asked, finally meeting her gaze.
“It appears that I have created a most impossible debt,” she continued. “I believe it can only be settled as solicited.”
“Truly?” he beamed.
Elizabeth grinned back. “Yes, Mr Darcy.”
“You will be my wife?”
“I will.”
“I believe this is the most favourable…certainly the most important business that I have ever negotiated.” He reached across the table and covered his hand with hers. “Thank you, Elizabeth. You do me the greatest honour, for I love you more than I could ever possibly express in a sweet shop.”
There was a strangled sound of feminine delight from behind her, and she turned to find the proprietor and his daughters peering around the door of the kitchen. Darcy beckoned to the man.
“My efforts have met with great success, and we can do nothing but thank you for your assistance in the matter,” he said as the man approached them, beaming. “If you will bring the actual bill, we shall take our leave, for I must speak to Mr Bennet.”
“It was an honour to be of service, Mr Darcy, Miss Bennet.” The man bowed as his daughters giggled in excitement behind him. “No charge today. It was a privilege to serve you both. I hope you will visit us again.”
Elizabeth laughed. “I assure you, sir. You have our loyal patronage when it comes to sweet adventures.”
Two weeks later…
Lady Barry’s garden party in honour of the engagement was immediately declared the social miracle of the Ramsgate season.
First, because it happened at all. Second, because Lady Barry herself had actually invited her neighbours and the other locals.
And third, because Nethercourt House–which had for years maintained the atmosphere of a mildly elegant fortress–had suddenly opened to entertain at all.
Her neighbours were amazed…thrilled…and impossibly excited to attend.
The day itself could not have been finer.
The coastal breeze softened the warmth of the sunny day.
Nethercourt’s green was immaculate; the gardens pruned and trimmed to perfection.
There were tables beneath white canopies groaning with flowers, fine foods, towers of the freshest fruit Ramsgate had to offer, and enough confectionery to suggest that either Lady Barry or Darcy had purchased the entire wares of the sweet shop.
Elizabeth privately suspected that they had.
Lady Barry sat under the largest canopy like a benevolent and beloved tyrant. Everyone approached to pay their respects and thank her for the invitation to congratulate her favourite young people upon their engagement.
She accepted congratulations upon the engagement with great satisfaction, as if she had arranged the betrothal herself.
“You seem to approve highly of the match, Lady Barry?” asked one local matron cautiously.
Lady Barry looked offended. “How could I do anything but approve?”
She paused. “I have spent weeks on end watching Lady Anne’s boy gazing at Lizzy-girl as though she personally invented the sun.”
Lady Barry continued. “And since no one except perhaps Anne Darcy’s son would ever have satisfied me for Lizzy-girl, matters have concluded quite tolerably. I have no complaints whatsoever.”
“You honour me, ma’am.” Darcy bowed his head.
“Indeed, I do, Darcy-boy,” said Lady Barry. “Do not disappoint me…and most especially, do not disappoint my Lizzy-girl.”
Georgiana was in a state of impossibly high spirits. She had scarcely left Elizabeth’s side for the last fortnight. Every so often she appeared to realise anew that Elizabeth was truly to become her sister, and that she would be connected as family to all of her dearest friends.
Charlotte Bennet watched this with deep satisfaction. She herself looked completely recovered from the frailty that brought the Bennets to Ramsgate in the first place. Her son, young Master Lucas Bennet, was the favourite of all the guests.
Mr Bennet stood nearby with Darcy Senior. Both men wore the expression of fathers who had surrendered to events with great satisfaction.
“Well,” Bennet said at last, “I believe I must now admit that she prefers him to absolutely everyone.”
Darcy Senior smiled warmly. “I believe the feeling is mutual between them, and I am overjoyed to see it come about.”
“I knew it must happen eventually.” Mr Bennet sighed.
Lady Priscilla Fitzwilliam enjoyed the afternoon with the air of a woman who knew this outcome would come to pass the entire time.
Kitty sat beside her making plans to visit Elizabeth and Georgiana. “I cannot wait to see the lake at Pemberley. And I hear there is a river too.”
“And the house,” said Lydia. “Georgiana says it will take days to tour it all.”
“And the peaks,” Kitty added.
Lydia nodded. “And Mr Darcy’s handsome northern friends.”
“Lydia!” said Kitty.
“What? We shall merely observe them. There is no harm in that.”
Colonel Fitzwilliam obviously considered himself to be the master of festive disruption. He drifted jovially between guests, dispensing diversion wherever he went.
“So.” He paused beside his cousin.
Darcy eyed him in apprehension. Richard was capable of untold foolishness. “Yes?”
“You are finally engaged, Cousin.” Richard continued.
“No need to inform me, Richard. In fact, I was the first to know.” Darcy waited for whatever mischief Richard was plotting.
“Hopelessly in love, obviously.” Richard grinned.
Darcy glared at him. “Obviously.”
The colonel grinned. “I spotted it the moment I arrived.”
“Of course you did.” Darcy rolled his eyes.
“You were impossibly obvious, Darcy. If only you could have seen how outraged and moody you became whenever any man so much as spoke to our dear Lizzy.”
Elizabeth laughed in spite of herself.
Darcy sighed. “Must you speak your nonsense aloud?”
“Yes. It is one of my greatest talents.” Richard eyed Elizabeth. “I believe we shall be great friends when you become my new cousin, madam.”