The day before their departure for London, Elizabeth took Tommy to Netherfield as Jane had offered to look after him while she was away. They had a last dinner there, but they did not stay late so they would be ready to go quite early as Elizabeth was expected at the modiste's for a final fitting for her new gown in the afternoon.
When Elizabeth had talked to Georgiana about her staying at the Gardiners' house, Georgiana would not hear of it. "Lizzy, it would be much more convenient if your stay with us at Darcy House. The Matlock residence is close by and we could help each other get ready. Do not worry about proprieties as you will be there as my guest. I know that the Gardiners' house is getting crowded as their children now need their own rooms. I would like to take your Aunt to the modiste's for your final fitting so she can see how your gown turned out. We will also likely need to go to a couple of other shops for any other small items that you might need, so her advice will be welcome. She has very good taste." Elizabeth was pleased to hear that her aunt was held in high regard by Georgiana.
With some persuasion, Georgiana managed to convince Elizabeth to stay with them at Darcy House. While she did not voice her main concern about staying there, Elizabeth worried that being so close to Mr. Darcy might lead to problems as she now knew how attracted she was to him. Following Jane's advice, since their discussion she had tried to smile more at him and take his arm whenever possible to show him that her affection for him was growing. She was a bit reluctant to be too bold with him as she remembered how he had grimaced when Miss Bingley had clutched his arm whenever she could.
When they arrived in town, they first went to Darcy House to unload the luggage and to leave Darcy. As soon as they could, they went to Gracechurch Street to pick up Mrs. Gardiner. They all were very pleased at how the new gown looked on Elizabeth and that it did not need any further adjustments. Mrs. Gardiner was so proud at how beautiful her niece looked wearing it that she complimented her several times. After leaving the modiste's shop, they went to several other shops for some small items before dropping Mrs. Gardiner off at her home.
The day of the ball, the ladies took their time dressing, being especially particular about their hair. Darcy had asked Georgiana the colour of Elizabeth's gown and, just before they went up to dress, he gave her an expensive-looking jewelry case that contained a magnificent necklace and bracelet in diamonds and emeralds. "Elizabeth, these were my mother's and I would like you to wear them tonight. When Georgie told me that your dress was emerald green, I knew that these would go very well with them."
"Mr. Darcy! They are much too fine for me. I have never worn anything like these in my life; in fact, I have never seen such beautiful jewels. Just look how they sparkle!"
"Elizabeth, please do this for me. I want you to feel that you are the belle of the ball, and these jewels are perfect for you. You will look even more beautiful with them than I could possibly imagine. I will feel so proud to walk in with you on my arm."
When she finally agreed to wear them, she took them up and showed them to Georgiana. "Lizzy, I remember Father showing them to me once when I was quite young. He said that Mother looked even more beautiful when she wore them. I am so glad that Fitzwilliam gave them to you as they are perfect with your gown. He said that Mother had intended them for his wife and I know that there is a lot more jewelry that she owned. Wait until you see it all! Many are priceless heirlooms that have been passed down through several generations. I am not sure how old these ones are, but they are some of the finest pieces. Do not worry about my wanting them as Father put aside many fine pieces that are now mine. Fitzwilliam gave them to me when I came out. I will show them to you when we get a chance."
"Georgie, he did not give them to me; he only asked me to wear them tonight."
"Lizzy, I hope that soon they will be yours outright." Both ladies smiled when she said that. Elizabeth hoped that Georgiana's prediction would come through.
They finished dressing and went down the stairs together to where Darcy was waiting. The look on his face told them that their efforts were not in vain. "You two are absolutely beautiful! When I walk in with you on my arms, every man in the room will be envious and every woman will be jealous of you. Miss Elizabeth, I know that I will have to secure the first dance with you, and the supper set. Otherwise, I may be too late. Georgie, please reserve the second set for me."
When they arrived at Matlock House, they removed their outerwear and Darcy led them, one on each arm, to where his uncle and aunt, the Earl and Countess of Matlock, were waiting in the reception line. Also in the line were General Sir Richard Fitzwilliam, his older brother Viscount Stewart Fitzwilliam, his wife the Viscountess Helen Fitzwilliam, and his sister Lady Amanda Fitzwilliam. They all greeted Darcy and Georgiana warmly and Darcy introduced Elizabeth. They had obviously all been eager to meet this lady as Georgiana had mentioned her in her letters to them. They had all long hoped that Darcy would find a wife, and this lady was the first one for whom he had shown any special regard. From her attractiveness, she would fit in with their family very well.
Richard was the only one who had met her previously. "Miss Bennet! How wonderful to see you again!" To his family he explained, "I met Miss Bennet at Rosings four years ago and have never forgotten her. I know that you will come to admire her as much as I do. Darcy, I am so pleased that you brought her tonight. Miss Bennet, did Darcy mention that I now am now the Master of Rosings? Being Master of an estate is quite a change from the army. May I request that you reserve a set for me before you are completely booked? If Darcy has already requested the first set, may I have the second? You look absolutely beautiful tonight! Georgie, you are beautiful as well, as always. If your first set is available, may I have it? It is so good to see you again!"
Richard's family was astonished at this confused speech as he never appeared to be as flustered as he was now, not even when meeting a very attractive lady. It was obvious to them all that Richard had admired Miss Bennet and had not forgotten her. They could see that if Darcy did not secure her hand soon, he would have competition from his cousin. From what they had heard of the lady and from her appearance, none of them would oppose Richard if this happened.
Darcy and Georgiana both saw Richard's interest and neither was pleased. As soon as he could get away from Richard, Darcy led the ladies into the ballroom, where his predictions came true. Their entrance made the room grow quiet as no one there, especially the many guests who knew Darcy, had ever before seen him escort a lady who was not related to him. To see Darcy with two beautiful women on his arms was something that they had never expected. That the unknown lady was beautiful was obvious, but his smiles at her told them all they needed to know about their relationship. Very quickly, whispers were circulating about who she was. As no one there knew anything about this lady, rumours ranged widely. They certainly noticed her fine gown and magnificent jewelry, so their assumptions were that she must be very rich, rich enough to become Mrs. Darcy.
The three of them were quickly surrounded by people who knew Darcy and Georgiana and wanted introductions to his guest. Both ladies' dance cards were soon filled. Darcy whispered to Elizabeth, "I hope you put my name down first? If it is still available, please also save the last dance for me. I do not care what people think about my dancing three sets with you, I just want to be with you." She nodded her agreement with his request. Elizabeth had certainly noticed the excitement that her appearance had created, and this made her stand taller and smile more, especially at him.
The music started to signal the beginning of the first set. At the top of the line were the Earl and Countess; next were the Viscount and Viscountess; then Sir Richard and Georgiana; then Lady Amanda and her partner; then Darcy and Elizabeth. The other dancers lined up below them with the highest in ranking being nearest to their hosts. By now, many guests had heard that Miss Bennet was from an estate in Hertfordshire and that she had known Darcy for a number of years. No one had had any idea that Darcy was seeing someone special as he had been attending many entertainments by himself each season for years but had shown no special regard for any lady before today. As none of the guests recognized the fine jewelry that Elizabeth was wearing, they assumed that she must be very wealthy. What confused them most was that no one had ever heard of her before.
The ball was a great success for both Elizabeth and Georgiana and neither sat out even one set. Between sets, the Countess came several times to talk to Elizabeth to find out more about her. This lady's attention to Miss Bennet made everyone very aware that she was supportive of her. Sir Richard was often with her, talking more calmly now, much to Darcy's annoyance. However, during the last set, Darcy said, "Miss Elizabeth, I hope that you have enjoyed yourself. You have been very popular, just as I had predicted. You have captured a number of hearts today, including Richard's."
"Mr. Darcy, yes I have really enjoyed myself. This has been the highlight of all of my time in London; none of the other entertainments that I have been to can compare to this ball. As for capturing hearts, please do not worry, mine is already taken." She smiled at him when she said this. He unconsciously let out a sigh when she said this and looked very relieved.
When they returned to Darcy House, Georgiana said that she was tired and went up. Darcy said, "Elizabeth, would you like to sit for a while before we go up?" She nodded and he led her into a small sitting room and sat beside her on a sofa. "I cannot tell you how beautiful you look tonight. You are a wonderful lady in every way imaginable. I was so proud to have you on my arm. You outshone every other lady in the room."
She could see that he wanted to ask something important, but she wanted to speak first. She had noted his use of only her first name and decided to do the same. "Fitzwilliam, please let me say something that I have wanted to say for some time. Not long after my very rude rejection of your proposal at Hunsford, I came to regret my decision and especially the words that I used. For the past four years I unconsciously compared every man I met to you and found that none of them were any match to you. I had long hoped that somehow we would meet again so I could tell you that I knew I made a huge mistake. You are the best man I have ever known.
"Fitzwilliam, I hope you still love me as you told me you did in Hunsford. I hope that you will forgive the appalling words that I said to you so long ago. I am not sure if what I feel for you is love, but I do esteem and admire you, very much. If you will forgive me, I know that my admiration and feelings for you will grow until I will be able to say that I have come to love you. Please tell me if you will accept me as I am today."
"Oh, Elizabeth, I have waited so long to hear you say this. Yes, I love you even more, much more, than I did then. I feel that the last four years have been lost to us. We could have been so happy if I had not made such a disastrous proposal. I was a different person then and cannot imagine how I could have said what I did. You were right to reject me then."
She interrupted him by saying, "Fitzwilliam, four years ago you asked me to marry you and I rejected you. If you still feel that way about me, I will marry you whenever you want. I am sure that we will be happy together."
He immediately got down on one knee in front of her and took her hand. "Elizabeth, I love you and want nothing more that to have you as my wife. Will you marry me?"
"Yes! Yes! I already said that I would, but I appreciate your gesture. I did not expect it. This is what every girl dreams that a proposal should be like. Now, will you kiss me, or should I kiss you? I have never been kissed and want you to be the one to show me what it feels like."
Their first kiss was gentle and brief, but it was quickly followed by more that lasted much longer as neither wanted them to end. When he finally pulled back from her lips, he began to kiss her cheek, her neck, her décolletage. When he was working his way downwards past the necklace, she ran her hands through his hair and instinctively pushed his head down and took a deep breath to give him more of her to explore with his lips.
When he began to move his lips from her, she sighed, "William, please do not stop. That feels so good. I had no idea that a kiss would make me feel like this. I will do anything you want as long as you do not stop."
"Elizabeth, if I do not stop now, I will not be able to. I want you so much, but I want our wedding night to be special. Please tell me to stop."
She pulled his head up and nestled against his chest. "You are giving me feelings that I have never felt before and did not know even existed. I cannot imagine that there could be more to come on our wedding night. Can we marry as soon as possible? I have waited long enough."
"I agree, but one thing bothers me. We have not seen each other for four years and now it has only been a couple of weeks since we met again. Are you sure these few weeks are long enough for you to be sure of your feelings? If you are sure, I would also like to marry you as soon as possible."
"Fitzwilliam, I do not think of it being just a couple of weeks since we met each other. To me, it is four years plus these last weeks. In the past four years, my feelings for you have been growing. I am confident in my decision to be your wife and know that I will never regret it. Rather than four lost years, we should think of them as four years to make sure we know what we want."
Darcy now sat up straighter and she reluctantly left his chest but kept her arms around him. "Elizabeth, we have several important decisions to make. First of all, Tommy. Please do not worry as I will support anything you want. I would be happy to raise him with our own children." Elizabeth blushed slightly when she thought of their making children together. "I will teach him to be a good master of Longbourn. However, we will probably be spending a lot of time at Pemberley, which is a long way from his and your families. If Bingley and Jane would like to raise him at Netherfield, I will accept that as long as this is what you want. I assume that neither your mother nor your other sisters will want to look after him?"
"No, none of them has as much interest in him as Jane and I do. While I love Tommy as if he were my own son, Jane also loves him and he gets along so well with Anna; they are always getting into mischief together. I know that Charles loves him as well. I know that they would do a good job of raising him if that is what Jane wants. I will talk to her about Tommy. I am just sorry that Mother seems to have completely disregarded him. I cannot understand how she could have disregarded him. He is her son!"
Darcy continued, "The second problem I see is Longbourn. You have been managing it, and very well, for several years. If we spend a lot of time at Pemberley, you will not be on hand for the day-to-day problems that will undoubtedly arise. That may not be very serious if we hire a good steward, and Bingley and your Uncle Philips will be on hand for anything more serious."
"I agree. While I have enjoyed managing Longbourn and believe that I have improved it, I would not mind giving this responsibility to someone else. Besides, as Pemberley sounds like such a large estate, I am sure that its Mistress will be kept busy. We can talk to Charles and my uncles about this as they are the trustees of the estate."
"Where would you like to marry? I assume that you have always thought that it would be in your Meryton church, and I have no problem with that."
"Yes, I would like to marry in Meryton as that is where all of us had always dreamed of marrying. While I would like to marry you tomorrow, or even tonight if that is what you want, I suppose that we should not give rise to too much gossip. If we have the banns read in Meryton, that will give us three weeks to invite our relatives to come to help us celebrate.
"Is there anything else we should think about tonight, or would you rather just kiss me?"
Darcy could not think of any other problems, so he followed his natural impulses and made her as happy as he could while not taking full advantage of her offer to do whatever he wanted this very night. As much as he wanted her, he also wanted their wedding night to be special. Eventually, they went up the stairs and managed to part to go to their separate rooms. Each had wonderful dreams that night.