I had not intended the last one to be a cliffhanger so here is the rest . . .
"I cannot marry you."
"Why ever not?" He demanded in an imperious tone, then added more desperately, "I am sorry that I left Netherfield. You must know how sorry I am about that. I was a fool, but if you had not been here I would have found my way back to you. Of course if you cannot believe that, if you need more proof of my faithfulness, of my . . ."
"No," Elizabeth interrupted, unwilling to hear more proof of the worth of the man she was rejecting. Unwilling to allow him to believe that he could possibly be the less worthy party of the two of them. "It is not that. You were right to leave. Your Aunt was right. Caroline Bingley was right."
"Elizabeth, were this not such a serious moment so fraught with implication for the rest of my life I would find great humor, as you taught me to, in it. For you have just professed agreement with two people with whom you always disagree. My Aunt and Caroline Bingley. How can you give credence to anything Lady Catherine said last night? The Elizabeth I know would not think the arguments she presented regarding rank and social hierarchy of any value whatever."
"I do not believe, Mr. Darcy." Elizabeth began. "That I have given you leave to know Elizabeth at all."
Darcy blushed slightly at this chastisement not having realized the frequency with which he had used her Christian name through the course of their conversation.
"However those are not the points with which she persuaded me." Elizabeth said, but before she could enumerate the points she wished to make Darcy seized upon her words.
"So you did need to be persuaded. Persuaded away from accepting me?"
"Prior to this morning there was nothing to accept."
"But had I come to you yesterday afternoon you would have agreed to become my wife?" He demanded.
"I do not know."
"Do not do this to me, Elizabeth."
"Do what?"
"Leave me to berate myself for the rest of my life for my poor timing. For taking an extra night to find the courage to ask for your hand knowing now that had I been able to find the nerve just one day earlier my life would have been filled with happiness instead of despair. Had I not required one more night's convincing from my cousin that you would not reject me outright then I might have known what it felt like to have you call me by my given name . . ."
"Fitzwilliam," Elizabeth interrupted, seemingly unable to deny him anything. "Did you really require an extra night to be brought to the belief that I would accept you?"
"I was obviously right to doubt." He countered.
"But not my feelings for you. You must have known that I care for you."
"I knew, I know that we are friends. You are so kind to everyone I dared not hope beyond that, but Stephen seemed to think . . . he convinced me that the friendship you offered him was different than what you and I had and these last few days I began to hope as I had not done since Netherfield when in my arrogance I had left not wanting to give you false hope. Or at least that's what I had told myself when in reality I had already fallen hopelessly in love with you and was afraid."
"Afraid of what society would say of your choice?"
"That is the fear I acknowledged because it was less painful and so much more easily dealt with."
"Dealt with how?"
"By asking myself who in society would disapprove and then seeing that I did not care for the good opinion of those who I could come up with."
"There was another fear?"
"The other fear was realized today."
"I do not understand."
"I was afraid that I would come to know and love you as deeply as I have and that you would not have me." Elizabeth scarcely heard these last words as they had become a whisper. Darcy turned from her and leaned his hand against a tree.
"I am sorry, but you must know that I am not prepared to be the mistress of a great estate. I would shame you and your sister. You deserve better.
"How could you think that?"
"Others with more experience in such matters think that. Why should I not trust them?"
"Others? Who have nothing but my best interest at heart? My Aunt who would have me marry my cousin to join our estates. Caroline Bingley who I think you know would very much like to be receiving the very offer you yourself are rejecting. These are the altruistic women whose advice you are basing such an important decision on? But perhaps you were already decided against me and are simply using them to prevent my feelings from being hurt."
"No of course not. Were I deciding on the basis of my own happiness alone you would have had my consent the moment you asked." Darcy started at these words but Elizabeth did not notice as she was caught up in her own self-defense. "Perhaps the source of the information is questionable but that does not make the premise itself unsound. You have met my family, Mr. Darcy and you cannot deny that you and I were raised in very different circumstances. I was not raised with the expectation that I would run a great estate. I was not educated to circulate in high society. I was not exposed to your circles in town."
"And for these reasons you think yourself unfit to be my wife?" He challenged. "You think you are not worthy? You think you are beneath me?" He sounded truly angry at the thought.
"I did not say that. But we are from very different spheres."
"I am a gentleman. You are a gentleman's daughter. It is my understanding that that makes us equals."
"Well, strictly speaking, yes it does, but clearly there are members of society and your family who would not look favorably on such a match and they might choose to cut ties with you or your sister. How could I live with myself if I were the source of such acrimony in your life?"
"Elizabeth, if anyone decided to cut ties with me as result of my becoming your husband and thus the happiest man in England I should think them not worthy of our society and not the other way around."
Elizabeth was silent for a moment and Darcy took her hand once again. Elizabeth shuddered at the contact wanting so much to fall into the warmth he offered. She looked up at him unable to conceal the love in her eyes. But she held herself back knowing she was right. That she could not let him get caught up, that she must consider what was best and not just what she felt.
"I am perfectly willing to continue to listen to and systematically dismantle all of your futile and meager objections but might I beg you to concede to the inevitable and consent to be my wife." Darcy said with a smile. "In exchange for this concession I am willing to yield to you in everything else during our long and happy life together."
When Darcy smiled that large toothy grin that lit his eyes Elizabeth had a hard time remembering coherent thoughts let alone ones that barely made any sense at all like why she should not consent to marry the man she loved based on arguments of his spiteful Aunt and jealous acquaintance. Could it be that simple? Had she let people who cared neither for her nor Darcy persuade her away from something so beautiful and true? She took a deep breath and allowed herself to really consider his offer for a moment without Lady Catherine's invectives in her head.
He loved her. That much was clear. It was a love that had withstood the test of time and distance. A love that had begun as friendship and grown into something so much deeper. He had changed as a result. Not for her precisely. Not into something he thought she wanted, but he had allowed her to show him another way of thinking and thus had been persuaded to it himself. And she loved him. That had never been in doubt. She loved him enough to walk away from him if that was what was best for him. But maybe, she considered for the first time since his proposal, maybe that was not best. One thing she was sure of – no one would ever love Fitzwilliam Darcy as strongly, as deeply or as well as she did. Perhaps that, more than any training, upbringing or accomplishment made her perfect for the role of his wife. Maybe.
"That is a tempting offering." She said with a smile of her own after a long pause where she had considered all of this. Darcy was watching her closely. He wore a smile, but his eyes were cautious.
"Elizabeth, I know how you enjoy teasing and tormenting me and I sincerely hope I have lifetime of that to look forward to I simply ask you suspend your pleasure a few moments and answer me seriously. Although I have no doubts about your ability to run an estate better than my Aunt ever has I am not looking primarily for a mistress for Pemberley or Darcy House in London or my villa in Rome . . .
"You have a villa in Rome?" Elizabeth asked in disbelief. How very different their lives truly were.
"Elizabeth, I am looking for a wife. While I know I can find hundreds of people capable of running my estates I also know I can only find one woman capable of capturing my heart, enthralling my mind and making life seem like a grand adventure. Will you consent to be my wife?"
He could certainly be persuasive, Elizabeth thought, turning away to gather her thoughts. She wanted so much to say yes, but she needed to consider this rationally. Her heart's answer was clear, but what of other considerations. He seemed to have addressed the issue of running his, apparently multiple, estates, but there was another objection raised last night which concerned her.
"What of your sister?"
"Georgianna will love you." Darcy declared with absolute certainty.
"I am gratified you think so, but that was not precisely where my worry stems from. Lady Catherine may have been misguided, spiteful and narrow-minded in the vast majority of what she said, but as it pertains to Miss. Darcy . . ."
"As it pertains to Miss. Darcy Lady Catherine still cares only for furthering the family name and increasing our influence. She sees Georgianna as a pawn in this as much as myself. Marrying you might decrease the possibility that Georgianna would attract a wealthy, titled suitor. One my Aunt would deem appropriate. One I might likewise have thought the right type of person for my sister before I met and came to know you."
"And now who do you deem appropriate?"
"Now I would want my sister, the person I love most in this world save you, to know the kind of love I do. I want her to find a gentleman who will value her as I value you, not for her family connections or her fortune, but for her sweetness, her mind, herself. This type of match will not be rendered impossible or even improbable by my finding one just like it. Moreover, from almost the beginning of our acquaintance I have wanted my sister to know you and have believed you would be a great influence on her. Due to a recent event she has become very shy and withdrawn and I know your kindness and almost miraculous ability to draw people out would do wonders for her."
When Elizabeth did not respond Mr. Darcy continued.
"Elizabeth, is your love for me really such a paltry thing that Lady Catherine can scare it away in one evening?" This was said with such a mixture of sadness and accusation that Elizabeth was not sure which to respond to. She had turned back to face him during his rather touching speech about herself and Georgianna and now the look of love and fear in his deep green eyes was somewhat overwhelming. Especially since although she knew what she wanted to do at this point in the conversation she was not exactly sure how to do it.
"Of what are you accusing me?"
"I asked you earlier if you were merely using last night's charade to justify your own inclinations. I feel now that must be the case. If you had feelings for me that were half as strong as those I have for you nothing Lady Catherine said could have persuaded you away from me."
"But do you not see the opposite must be true?"
"That you love me so much you will not marry me?" He asked the disbelief clear in his voice.
"It makes more sense in reality than when you say it like that." She protested, not certain how she got dragged in to defending a position she no longer wanted to hold. "I want what is best for you and I was only considering that I might not be that for you. I see now I may have been wrong. You seem quite convinced so perhaps . . ."
"Perhaps?" Darcy exclaimed.
"Not perhaps then, but for certain."
"For certain what?"
"Is it your intention to make me ask you then?"
"Perhaps." Darcy said, his tone unreadable.
"Perhaps I will not then." Elizabeth huffed turning to leave.
"Elizabeth," it was the soft caress in his voice as much as his now somewhat familiar use of her Christian name that caused her to pause although she remained turned away from him.
"I apologize, I allowed my temper to rule me for a moment . . ."
"I do not desire your apologies, Mr. Darcy." Elizabeth interrupted turning around.
"What then?" He asked, clearly exasperated.
"Ask me again." She said so quietly he almost missed it.
When he realized what she had said Mr. Darcy lost not a moment in complying. He closed the distance between them and grasped Elizabeth's hands in his once again.
"My dear, sweet friend will you consent to be my wife and ensure that from this moment on I shall be happier than I have any right to be?"
"I will." She nodded tears suddenly blurring her vision.
"Elizabeth," Darcy sighed pulling her off her feet and into his arms. "You have no idea how happy you have made me."
"I think I have some frame of reference, sir in the happiness I am now experiencing," she laughed as he set her back down.
"I doubt that. I am not the man that you deserve. There is so much . . ." Elizabeth pressed a finger to Darcy's lips silencing him as much with surprise as with the pressure.
"Fitzwilliam, I believe only moments ago you promised to yield to me in all things. I declare that you are the best of men. I declare myself the happier of the two of us at the settlement of our impending marriage and I declare that we are to never tell your Aunt."
Darcy burst out laughing and swept Elizabeth into his arms once again.
"My dearest, loveliest, Elizabeth what am I to do with you?"
"The twinkle in your eye suggests you might already have some idea." Elizabeth challenged, unable to believe her own boldness. For a moment Darcy too seemed surprised. Then he laughed lightly. Then he proved her right by leaning in and gently brushing his lips against hers.