Mid-April 1812
The day after he returned from Rosings, Darcy went to the Gardiners' to visit Elizabeth. In the days he was absent, he had thought of her daily, and missed her terribly. He wasn't going to push her to give him an answer anytime soon, but he was going to do everything he could to get them married as soon as possible. The prospect of her living with the Bennets again did not please him in the least, much less the Bennets moving to Sandstone...
From a conversation he had with Georgiana in Rosings about Elizabeth's brother, he came to the conclusion that after he married her, he was going to have a serious conversation with Mr. Gardiner and Mr. Bennet about Johnny. He was going to demand that Elizabeth's brother move with them to Pemberley and he was to take over the management of Sandston himself. The report that Mr. Carter had sent him a few days ago said that Sandstone required heavy investments, some tenants had left and it was clear that in recent years Mr. Bennett and Mr. Gardiner had not adequately taken care of the estate. He already knew several of these things since during the years the Bingleys leased the estate, two of the tenants left, and the necessary repairs and investments were not made..., but since the Bingleys only leased the estate, they were not responsible for the repairs and investments. Mr. Bennet and Mr. Gardiner were the ones who collected the rent and authorize the repairs.
Unfortunately, he didn't have a copy of Mr. Thompson's will, but he had suspicions that Mr. Bennet and Mr. Gardiner were not properly abiding by the terms of it.
He arrived at the Gardiner's at mid-morning where Elizabeth greeted him with a big smile on her face. Mary and Mrs. Gardiner greeted him courteously and continued sewing and embroidering respectively. After a few minutes, Elizabeth invited him into the garden for a few minutes of private conversation and to see the 'exotic' plants that were already in full bloom.
Darcy immediately took both her hands and kissed them, "Thank you very much for visiting Georgiana the days I was in Rosings. She told me that you are practicing a new duet and that I will have the pleasure of hearing you play the next time you come to my house. Although you already know my favorite is still Mozart's 40th Symphony."
Lizzy smiled and nodded, "You don't have to thank us for visiting Georgiana. She is our friend it is a pleasure for us to be with her."
"What about me Miss Thompson? Is it a pleasure to be with me too?" Darcy asked her, looking at her intently.
Elizabeth blushed slightly and smiled even more, "What do you think, Mr. Darcy?"
"Remember that I don't want misunderstandings between us and that is why I would like to hear your answer." They both smiled, "Since this is my first time courting a lady, and I hope it will also be my last, I don't know the rules very well." He kissed her hand again, "For example, can I tell the lady I'm courting that I missed her so much?" he kissed her other hand, "Can I tell her that I think of her constantly?" smiled, "Lastly, can I tell her that I want to be with her all the time?"
Elizabeth squeezed his hands, looked him in the eye, and replied, "If you say all that to the lady you are courting, she will probably feel flattered that you miss her, that you think of her, and that you want to be with her all the time." She smiled, "I thought of you too and missed you, Mr. Darcy."
The two looked at each other smiling for several seconds without saying a word. Both of them already knew that it was only a matter of time before Elizabeth said yes.
Over the next three weeks, Darcy visited Elizabeth several times at the Gardiners'. Sometimes he went alone and sometimes with Georgiana. On the other hand, Elizabeth and Mary still went to Darcy's house at least twice a week to visit Georgiana. The relationship between the couple was improving day by day, Darcy already knew he loved Elizabeth deeply and was more in love with her every day, on the other hand, she was slowly leaving her doubts behind and was falling deeply in love with the gentleman.