Chapter 7
SEVEN
The party of four set off on their final walk.
For once, Mr and Mrs Gardiner went so fast that they soon were out of sight.
Elizabeth and Mr Darcy walked side-by-side.
He was quieter than usual, seemingly lost in contemplation.
How she wished to know his thoughts. Does he welcome our departure?
Or is he as saddened as I by the notion that we are to become strangers again?
Unable to speak of the turmoil warring in her chest, Elizabeth fell silent too, her capacity for conversation virtually disappearing under the weight of her emotions.
The lane curved around and forked, one path leading uphill, and the other downwards in the direction of a shady copse.
Elizabeth could not see the Gardiners. “Which way do you think they went?”
Mr Darcy pointed. “This way leads to the grazing pastures. I imagine your aunt and uncle would wish to travel this way, for it is drier.” He paused. “A shame, because the wooded path leads down to a remarkably pretty waterfall.”
His voice was neutral, but there was an uncertainty in his expression that caused Elizabeth to hesitate.
He hopes to take me there but does not know if I wish to go, she realised, marvelling again at how easily she had become attuned to his moods.
“If it is not too much trouble, perhaps you could show it to me?” she asked tentatively.
“It would be my pleasure.” Again, Mr Darcy’s voice was calm, but his body moved with a restless energy as though there was something more he wished to say.
Keen to reassure him, Elizabeth slipped her hand into the crook of his arm. Mr Darcy looked at her in surprise. Blushing, she forced herself to sound more at ease than she truly was. “Lead the way.”
The path to the stream was thick with mud, but Elizabeth did not mind, for it required her to stay close to Mr Darcy’s side.
It was only a short detour, but she lost all notion of time as they laughed and slipped their way down the narrow track.
The path broadened, and Elizabeth stopped, her eyes wide in astonishment.
In front of her was the waterfall. Delicate cascades of water danced over giant slabs of grey gritstone into a large, flat pool.
Clouds of mist came alive in the sunlight, splintering the air with rainbows.
Ripples played upon the pool’s surface, and through the clear water, shadowy fishes rested on the sandy bottom.
Elizabeth had never seen anywhere like it; surely this was the most wondrous sight she had ever beheld.
She turned to Mr Darcy, virtually speechless with delight. “This—I cannot believe its beauty—I am grateful to you, sir.”
His eyes never left her face and, in his expression, she read delight, but also a hint of trepidation. “I am glad Ponies Pool meets to your approval, Miss Bennet. I knew you would appreciate it.”
“Ponies Pool?” she repeated with a smile.
“There is a bridge and a bridlepath at the top of the waterfall for horses to cross. Travellers will sometimes stop here on a hot day for refreshment.” He pointed to the top of the waterfall and frowned.
“With all this bad weather, it appears Mare’s Bridge has been washed away.
I am sorry, for I wanted to show it to you. ”
Elizabeth glanced at him. If she did not take her chance now, she never would.
Touching his arm, she fought away all her embarrassment and said softly, “I beg of you, do not speak of regret, not now in this magnificent place. Your actions today—and these few weeks past—are among the kindest, most selfless acts another person has ever undertaken for me.” She swallowed.
“Our departure is soon upon us, and I must seize the opportunity to apologise for my hasty judgments. It was wrong of me to only—” she struggled to name Mr Wickham, “—to only believe that scoundrel’s word and not consider there might be a reason he was so quick to disparage you. ”
Mr Darcy stared at her in shock. Her face aflame, she continued, knowing that if she did not speak, she would forever rue her inaction.
“Since our reunion, your behaviour towards me has been far more generous than I deserve. When you spoke to me before in Kent, I was unprepared for your—our—conversation, and I should have addressed you with greater civility. With my deeper understanding of your honourable—and dare I say it—tender-hearted character, I sincerely apologise for any pain that I may have caused you. If I had my chance again, I would have spoken to you quite differently.”
“Differently?” He approached her, a note of hope in his voice.
She nodded, her whole body hot. How was she to name this strange new sensation that had taken hold of every part of her being?
She owed it to herself—and him—to be honest. “I will never forget how attentive and gentlemanly you have been towards me—and my family. I cannot but regret the frankness with which I abused you—to your face no less!”
“You asked me not to speak of regret. I implore you to do the same.” Mr Darcy drew even closer.
All that could be heard was the faint rumble of the waterfall and the distant birdsong; it was as though they were in the Garden of Eden, two souls on the cusp of paradise.
In low and urgent tones, he continued, “If you see an improvement in me, then let it be known that it is all your doing. Your reproofs upon my conduct were keenly felt—not with anger towards you, but with mortification at myself. How poorly I spoke to you—and how officiously I had interfered in your sister’s affairs!
And now, for you to ask for my forgiveness, when it is I who should—” He broke off, his voice cracking.
“I should thank you, profoundly and profusely, for bestowing your kind words, your patience, your benevolence upon one as undeserving as I.”
Elizabeth made a quiet noise of protest, but he gently silenced her with a raise of his hand. “Perhaps this is not the time to mention it, but, upon learning of your departure today, I spoke to your uncle, inviting you all to stay at Pemberley.”
Now it was her turn to stare in astonishment.
He reddened, speaking quickly as though every word cost him a great deal to utter.
“You are under no obligation of course. You were so disappointed to curtail your tour—I wanted you to know that you will always be welcomed into my home.” He continued hastily, “Mr Bingley will be there. It was my intention to inform him of your sister’s presence in London, and the part I played in its concealment.
I hope that he finds it in his heart to forgive me—and perhaps you can persuade my friend that it is not too late for him to find lasting joy. ”
Tears threatened to spill down Elizabeth’s cheeks.
Mr Darcy’s brow contracted. “Have I upset you?”
“Goodness, no!” Elizabeth smiled earnestly, hurriedly wiping her hand over her eyes. “The generosity of your offer momentarily overwhelmed me. Please believe me when I say that I am exceedingly happy. You are all kindness.”
Mr Darcy’s voice lowered, his expression suddenly vulnerable. “Does this mean you wish to accept my invitation?”
There is nothing I want more. This realisation hit Elizabeth with such a force that she almost forgot to draw breath.
Taking a step forward, she looked up into his eyes and said with all the conviction she could find, praying that he would hear the sincerity in her voice.
“There is nowhere else I would rather be than with you.”
At her declaration, Mr Darcy captured her hand into his reverent clasp.
She felt their tremor. A faint gleam of unshed tears glistened in his eyes.
When he spoke, his voice was ragged. “You need only say the word, and I would have it so you would never leave my side again. My affections and wishes are unchanged. If anything, I fear I love you more. Dearest, loveliest Elizabeth, dare I believe from your words that you might—could it be that you have changed your—” He faltered, unable to continue, his eyes shining with anxious hope.
Elizabeth’s heart soared. This bond between them was so new and so fragile, yet it was the start of an emotion stronger than she had ever experienced before.
It was as though she were on a bridge between her former life and her future; ahead lay the possibility of great happiness, if only she were brave enough to take the first step.
Gently, Elizabeth laced her fingers with his, rejoicing in their nearness.
She tilted her face up, his lips but a breath away from hers.
“Ask me and I shall say yes,” she whispered.
Delight suffused Mr Darcy’s features. “Elizabeth, my dearest love, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”
The words rushed from his mouth, and in the next moment she was kissing him, her body full of an indescribable rightness, as though she had found the place she was always meant to be.
If the rest of my existence is anything like this moment, then I shall surely live a lifetime of bliss.
The thought made her giddy, like a feather caught in the breeze.
Chest heaving, she broke away slightly, her heart pounding with almost unbearable happiness. “You have left me speechless, sir.”
Mr Darcy—Darcy—burst into laughter and pulled her closer.
His eyes were gleaming, but this time it was with unbridled wonder.
His hands had fallen to her hips, Elizabeth noted with sudden shyness, and his hair was alarmingly dishevelled from where she had run her fingers through it.
He looked every inch the man in love. He rested his forehead lightly against hers.
“If only I had known, amongst all our passionate debates, that this was the way to end any argument.”
Elizabeth giggled. “I recommend that you do not attempt this method in front of anyone else.”
His laugh echoed through her, its deep resonance flooding her body, and Elizabeth could not be sure where he ended and she began.
One of Darcy’s hands travelled from her hips, up her back and to her face, the other encircling her waist, drawing her closer to him.
He traced his finger over her cheek. “I will never silence you. If you must know, the liveliness of your mind drew me in from the very beginning, capturing my heart so completely that I never stood any chance but to adore you.”
Blushing, Elizabeth replied with a hint of mischief, “Now we are to be married, I give you leave to call it impertinence.”
He chuckled softly. “So you have accepted my proposal then? I do not recall hearing your reply.”
For all his laughter, there was a hint of vulnerability in his expression.
Gazing up into his eyes, she hoped that Darcy could hear the truth of her sentiments.
“You have my acceptance. In fact, you have it all—my dreams, my hopes, my future. But above everything else, you have my heart. I thought today would be our last day together, and I was bereft at the notion that I would no longer be in the company of the noblest man I know, whose love I once had the good fortune to win. Your proposal has made me the world’s happiest creature.
” Overcome with emotion, her voice shook and she cast her eyes down, unable to express all that she felt.
As though he understood her struggle, Darcy brushed away a tear with a gentle caress of his fingers. “You cannot possibly be the happiest creature in the world, for I am certain that epithet belongs to me.”
Laughing through her tears, she leant towards him to steal another kiss, aware of nothing but the distant rumble of falling water, the worship in her beloved Darcy’s eyes, and the unsteady beat of her overjoyed heart.