Mr. Darcy's Proposal (14 page)

Darcy took her hand and led her down the stairs. When they reached the door to the parlor, he looked at her as if to ask if she were ready. Elizabeth squeezed his hand, and they went in to their guests.

***

Most of Elizabeth’s belongings had already been moved to Netherfield where she and Darcy would live until they were more certain of Mr. Bennet’s health. Jane had been invited to dine at Netherfield that evening so she went along in the carriage with Mr. Bingley, his sisters, and Mr. Hurst. Georgiana was also to ride with the Bingley’s so that the newlyweds would have a few moments of privacy.

As they were taking their leave from Longbourn, Mrs. Bennet hugged her daughter and then stood back, dabbing her eyes with her handkerchief. “Oh, my darling daughter Lizzy married and maybe another engaged very soon,” said Mrs. Bennet looking at Mr. Bingley and Jane.

Elizabeth flushed with embarrassment at her mother’s inappropriate comments, but Mr. Bingley did not seem to hear. She was sure, however, that those hints had not escaped Mr. Darcy’s notice. Elizabeth held her breath when she saw her husband turn to address her mother.

“Mrs. Bennet, please allow me to compliment you on the lovely wedding breakfast you hosted in our honor. I know you have much on your mind these days, but you seem to have outdone yourself, and we thank you.” He took her hand and made a show of kissing it.

“Oh, Mr. Darcy,” said her mother fluttering and waving her hands in the air. “You are too kind.”

“Not at all, Mrs. Bennet,” he replied. “Now if you will excuse us, I believe it is time for us to go. Thank you again for your most excellent hospitality.”

As if on cue, the footman opened the carriage door, and Darcy took Elizabeth’s arm to help her inside. Once she was seated, he joined her, taking his place next to her on the cushioned seat. Elizabeth was not sure what to expect now that they were alone again. If he wanted to kiss her, she could hardly refuse. They rode for a while in somewhat awkward silence until Elizabeth felt compelled to speak to break the tension.

“Thank you for your kind remarks to my mother. I am sure she is entirely in your power now after your compliments.”

“You do not need to thank me for giving her the respect and courtesy she is due as your mother.”

Elizabeth smiled. “Still, I thank you, sir.’

Darcy took her gloved hand and held it in his. As she watched in stunned silence, he pulled gently on the end of each of her fingers until her white kid glove was loose enough to be removed easily. Once the glove was off, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it gently. Although she wanted to reclaim her hand and return it to safety, she found herself unable to hurt his feelings and so left her hand in his for the remainder of their journey to Netherfield.

Sixteen

As a pleasant evening in the company of Mr. Bingley and Jane drew to a close, Elizabeth asked her sister to her rooms to assist in changing out of her wedding clothes. She did not want one of the maids helping her tonight. It was a special time for the sisters. Jane would want her to do the same when she married.

Elizabeth was wearing a new nightdress and dressing gown decorated with small yellow flowers. Mrs. Gardiner had brought this beautiful ensemble from London for her as a wedding gift. Elizabeth examined at herself in the full-length mirror and was satisfied. Her hair was down but held back with a matching yellow ribbon. With all the hurried preparations, there had been little time to contemplate all the implications of the wedding night. Elizabeth had no idea what her husband was expecting. Even though she was a reluctant bride, she would let him take the lead in whatever he wished to do. She was, strange as it seemed, his wife now and promised herself she would act the part.

Jane hugged her and said, “Lizzy, I believe you are very fortunate to be married to Mr. Darcy. He has certainly shown himself to be kind and honorable beyond anything we had expected. I know he loves you very much.”

With that, Jane left her. Alone now, Jane’s words brought tears to her eyes. That he loved her was well and good she thought to herself, but the more important question was how did she feel about him. At least she was learning to respect him. Fumbling around for a handkerchief to blot some dampness from her eyes, she found one of the several she had collected from Mr. Darcy over the past week. A knock on the door made her heart jump up into her throat.

“Elizabeth, would you please come into the sitting room whenever you are ready,” Darcy requested.

“Yes, I will be just a moment,” she answered nervously as she continued to try and erase all signs of tears from her face. Paused with her hand on the doorknob, she pushed back a curl and took a deep breath. When she opened the door, she saw Darcy sitting in a chair near the fire still fully dressed except he had removed his jacket and neck cloth. He had that look on his face that she found a little unnerving. He stood immediately. “You look beautiful, more beautiful that I could even have imagined.”

“Thank you, sir,” she responded.

“I thought you had agreed to call me William.”

“Thank you, William,” she said, struggling to get his name out.

“Please, sit down. It has been a very busy day, and I think we have a few things to discuss.”

Good, she thought to herself, anything to postpone what she believed to be inevitable. Making her way across the room to another chair near the fire, she sat down pulling her legs up underneath her so she felt a little less vulnerable. Darcy came over and sat down on the footstool in front of her chair. She was reminded of how he had done this same thing a few days ago when he had proposed. He took her hands.

“You are trembling, my dear. Are you cold?”

Should she answer truthfully—
No, I am just terrified?
“A little cold.”

“Let me find something to wrap around you. Do you have a shawl nearby?”

“I think I left it on the bed.” And then she felt awkward at having mentioned the bed.

Darcy disappeared for a moment and came back with her wrap. Placing it gently around her shoulders, he kissed the top of her head and then sat down again. For a while he was silent as if making up his mind what to say and then he took both of her hands again and looked deeply into her eyes. “I have loved you for a long time although I hardly know how it happened. As I told you before, I think it may have begun at Netherfield when you walked three miles on muddy roads to come to the aid of your sister.” He smiled and added, “Then, of course, it could also have been when I realized we had more in common than just a love of books.”

Elizabeth gave him a questioning look. “And what is that?”

“Neither of us can abide Caroline Bingley, of course!” With this they both laughed, breaking the tension between them a little. Then he grew serious again. Reaching into his pocket, he took out a flat velvet box. “I think most women enjoy receiving small gifts from their admirers, and while you are certainly not ‘most women,’ I thought you still might appreciate a token of my affection for you.”

Elizabeth’s eyes met his, and she saw how earnestly he looked at her. “I hardly know what to say. You do not have to give me gifts.” Elizabeth opened the box carefully and inside found a beautiful necklace made of gold with a small perfectly round pearl hanging from each link. It looked exactly like something she would actually wear and certainly not the kind of ostentatious jewelry she might have expected he would choose to impress her. “Mr. Darcy, I am speechless.”

“It was my mother’s. I thought it looked like you.”

“It is very beautiful, and it means so much more to me that it belonged to your mother. I would have thought Georgiana would have inherited all of your mother’s jewelry.”

“My father left it to my discretion as to what would be done with the family jewelry. Some has already gone to Georgiana, and others will pass to her when she is of age. Some I kept for my wife. This particular piece has always been one of my favorites. My mother wore it more often than any other necklace she owned. I sent to Pemberley for it as soon as you said ‘yes’ to me.”

“Will you help me with it, please?” Elizabeth asked holding it up. Turning her back slightly to him, she could feel his fingers brush her neck as he fastened the clasp. His soft touch sent a shiver through her. Turning around to face him, she saw that he glowed with satisfaction at the sight of the necklace at her throat.

“You look more beautiful wearing it than I had even imagined. I hope you like it.”

“How could I not? You may know me better than I thought,’ she said giving him a genuine smile of pleasure. “This looks like something I would have chosen for myself.”

“Good, good,” he said quietly and then he added as if unsure how to proceed, “I thought maybe we could sit together for a while before we say good-night?”

He took her hand and led her over to the settee. Settling in beside her, he put his arm around her shoulders and began to tell her about Pemberley. As he talked about the place he clearly loved more than anywhere else on earth, she could hear the excitement in his voice. Much to her surprise, she found being close to him more pleasant than she had imagined although her hands continued to shake.

As Darcy talked, he played with her hair, occasionally wrapping a curl around his finger. Several times his hand brushed the exposed skin on her shoulder and her heart jumped. Elizabeth detected a hint of the exotic scent she was beginning to associate with being close to him—bay leaves, cloves, and some other spices she could not identify. It was pleasant but not overpowering.

“There is a place where the road turns and suddenly Pemberley appears,” he told her. “It always takes my breath away. Every time I return home, I stop there for a moment to appreciate the beauty of the view. I cannot wait to show it to you.”

“If it is half as lovely as Rosings, I shall think it wonderful,” she told him sincerely.

“Rosings cannot even compare, but you will see it very soon and then you may decide for yourself,” he told her.

She asked a few more questions about Pemberley and the grounds as she tried to envision herself there. Finally, Elizabeth’s eyes began to grow heavy.

“Elizabeth?”

“Yes,” she said sleepily.

“I think it is time to retire. It has been a long day for us both.” As they walked toward the door to her bedchamber, he kept his arm lightly at her waist. When they reached the open door way, he stopped. She turned and smiled up at him. Darcy put his arms around her, pulled her to him, and kissed her—gently at first and then with more urgency. Elizabeth did not resist—in fact, she found herself kissing him back. She had not expected his lips to be so soft. When he released her, she could feel her heart pounding in her ears. She noticed that Darcy was as breathless as she was. His eyes were dark and intense. Confused for a moment, she was unsure what to do next. Thinking perhaps this was her cue to go into her room, she turned assuming he would follow.

“Goodnight, Mrs. Darcy,” he said.

Then she heard the door close, and there was nothing but silence. She whirled around expecting to see him just behind her but instead she found herself alone. This was not what she had anticipated would happen this evening. Her cheeks were warm, and she felt a little dizzy. She wondered if he was planning to join her later and she was unsure what to do.

Crawling under the covers, she stretched lazily. The big bed felt warm and delicious. Elizabeth assumed he must be changing into his nightshirt and robe, so she waited patiently thinking about the events of the past few weeks. She stared at the ceiling for a long time until finally she could not stay awake any longer.

***

In his room, Darcy undressed quickly without calling for his valet. Sleep did not come easily. Still shaking with the passion Elizabeth had stirred in him, he realized how difficult it was going to be to keep the promise he had made to himself to give her time. Never in his life had he wanted anything as much as he wanted her right now. He groaned softly. Trying to imagine her warm body next to him in bed caused even more agony. He told himself to be patient. She was still like a skittish colt—one unexpected move and she would bolt.

He knew this was the right course—giving her time to grow more comfortable with the whole idea of being married. She was not his property, and he would not treat her as such. Many men in his position would merely take what they wanted, but he could not do that. He simply loved her too much, but he knew his patience would have its limits. Finally, he fell asleep dreaming of holding her in his arms.

Seventeen

About a week after the wedding, Mr. Bingley and Jane announced their engagement to the family. Although Mr. Bennet’s health continued to decline, he rallied long enough to receive Mr. Bingley’s request for Jane’s hand with great joy and give his blessing to his eldest daughter and her fiancé. After Bingley had departed for Netherfield, promising to return that evening, the family assembled in Mr. Bennet’s room to celebrate the news.

“Jane, I congratulate you. You will be a very happy woman,” pronounced Mr. Bennet as they gathered around his bed. Jane kissed her father and thanked him for his good wishes.

“I have great pleasure in thinking you will be so happily settled,” he said. While he had the old, familiar twinkle in his eye, he looked exhausted.