Chapter 16

Darcy was just leaving the ballroom and the disastrous evening behind him when Georgiana caught up with him. "Fitzwilliam! How did it go?" she asked with a smile.

Darcy's face clearly showed some of his misery, for she said in surprise, "Do not tell me she refused you?"

"I did not give her the chance," he replied. "I could not go through with asking her, Georgiana."

Georgiana looked annoyed and a little angry. "And why not?"

"All evening I saw her dancing with the young men – smiling at them, chatting, laughing. She was incandescent. All the young sprigs were transfixed by her. Why would she want an old man like me? When it came to it, I just – I could not face the rejection."

"Fitzwilliam!" cried Georgiana, exasperated. "She will not reject you, I am sure of it! Although now I am sure she feels rejected herself! You may have ruined everything!"

"But she was so enjoying the company of those young men…"

"Her eyes were on you all evening," said Georgiana, crossing her arms in annoyance. "She could not keep them off of you."

"Are you – certain?" asked Darcy, feeling some hope.

"I am. And you had better find her in the morning and propose right away, Fitzwilliam, or I will never forgive you! You have led that poor girl on until she is head over ears in love with you. She is probably devastated right now."

Was it true? Had he talked himself out of the best thing in his life?

Was Elizabeth devastated?

"But what if she rejects me?" he asked desperately.

"Then she rejects you. But at least you will have tried. Is that not better than a certain failure?"

He thought about it.

"But she will not reject you, Fitzwilliam!" Georgiana added, exasperated again. "Go to your valet right now and write a note to send to Miss Elizabeth to ask to meet her in the morning. I will ensure you have privacy to talk with her in the garden."

Darcy took new courage. "Very well. I will."

"Thank God! Go do it now."

He nodded, and headed up the stairs to his chambers. He wrote out a quick note and asked his valet to deliver it to Miss Elizabeth. He waited impatiently until the servant returned.

"What did she say?" he asked.

"She did not answer the door sir, and the door was locked, so I simply slipped the note under it."

She will find it in the morning, then, Darcy thought. At least she was not still downstairs dancing, enjoying the young men's attentions. He bolstered his courage. He would need it for the morning.

Elizabeth woke the next morning with a headache from all the crying she had done the night before. At least she knew where she stood now. She would not entertain any more pathetic fantasies about Mr. Darcy. She would go back to Hertfordshire tomorrow and become a maiden aunt to Jane's children. Perhaps the Cranfields would even allow her to live with them once they got married. Her father was probably going to be married soon, too. She would not want to live with him and his new wife.

She rang for her maid and then got up to sit at her vanity and brush her hair. Looking at herself in the mirror, she winced. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and she looked pale and wan. Oh well. She would just keep to her rooms today. That way she would not run into Mr. Darcy in case he had not left yet. But Pemberley was so close. Why would he stay?

Her maid entered the room. "Beg your pardon, miss, but there was this letter under the door," she said, handing Elizabeth a piece of parchment.

"Thank you, Betsy." Elizabeth took it and at once recognized the handwriting, though she had only seen it once before. Dully, she wondered when Mr. Darcy had delivered it and what else he had to say. She opened it and read:

Dear Miss Elizabeth,

Would you do me the honour of joining me for a walk in the morning in the gardens? I have some things to say to you which I was not able to enumerate last night. I pray you will not find this request impertinent. I have a particular reason for asking.

Your servant,

F.D.

Elizabeth had no idea what this was about. Did he want to extend their goodbyes even further? She was not sure her heart could take it.

She knocked on Jane's door to ask her advice.

"You must go!" exclaimed Jane excitedly. "I knew there was something wrong last night, Lizzy. Perhaps he was just nervous and could not get the words out."

"I think seeing him again would just hurt even more, Jane. I was planning to avoid him until he left."

"No, no. Just give him one more chance, Lizzy. I am sure he means to propose."

Elizabeth did not believe it; not anymore. But she resignedly got dressed and ordered some cold cloths to put on her eyes. They did not help much, but she felt too depressed to care. She went downstairs. None of the guests were awake yet, but she did see Lady Dunmore. It was almost as if the countess was waiting for her.

"Miss Elizabeth," she said with a smile, "Fitzwilliam is waiting for you in the rose garden."

Elizabeth was surprised, but thanked her, and wended her way through the gardens until she could smell the roses blooming. She turned the corner and saw Darcy pacing back and forth.

"Miss Elizabeth!" he cried, coming forward when he saw her. She stayed where she was. It was painful to see him again. He looked so handsome, so dear. The love inside her threatened to make her heart break.

"Hello, Mr. Darcy," she said softly, not able to look at him.

He examined her face and she knew he was viewing the signs of her breakdown last night. She was too miserable to be embarrassed about it. "Thank you for agreeing to see me," he said.

"Of course. We are friends, are we not?" she managed to get out.

"Yes, we are. Would you like to sit?"

Obediently she took a seat on a stone bench, but he did not sit beside her, instead he paced in front of her.

"Elizabeth, please forgive me. Last night I was a coward. I have determined I will be a coward no longer. I am afraid you must have suffered from my reticence last night, but you see, I was afraid."

She had been staring at his feet but finally looked up at him. "Afraid?" she asked.

"Yes. You see, I love and admire you ardently, but I was too afraid last night to propose to you. I have been meaning to for some time, but I keep thinking that a lovely young lady such as you would never want an old man like me. But I am going to gather my courage and ask anyway."

He got down on one knee in front of her, and she gasped.

"Elizabeth, ever since I first saw you I have been filled with a new vigour and delight in life. You have given my life purpose and meaning. I love your vivacity, your wit, your delight in life, and your fine eyes. I know you will make me the happiest man on Earth, and I believe I could make you happy too. Will you do me the great honour of marrying me?"

Elizabeth's delight could not be expressed. Her heart was filled with joy. She had never expected this after last night. "Yes, Mr. Darcy. I will," she said with a beaming smile.

He looked almost surprised. "You will?" he asked.

She nodded. "I will. You see, I love and admire you ardently too, Mr. Darcy."

"Oh, Elizabeth." He took her hand in his and kissed it. "Thank you."

He rose from his crouch (Elizabeth could hear the creaking of his knees), and sat beside her. "I am afraid I made you cry last night," he said in concern, still holding her hand.

"I was so very miserable," Elizabeth admitted. "I was sure you were going to propose, and then it seemed as if you only took me into the garden to say goodbye. I felt that I had been a fool to dream that you could love me."

"You thought you were not worthy of me?" he asked in apparent shock.

"I did. Were we not both so confused? For you see, I do not find you old at all, Mr. Darcy. In fact, I should very much like to have my first kiss now."

His eyes softened as he looked at her tenderly. "Your first kiss?"

"Yes. You recall, you said Mr. Althorpe's attack did not count."

"That is true. Then I would be happy to be your first kiss, Elizabeth. But I would prefer it if you would call me by my Christian name."

"Very well, then. Fitzwilliam," she said shyly.

He cupped the back of her head in his large hand and drew her forward. She went willingly, and soon felt his soft lips upon hers. He drew back after a moment but she could still feel her lips tingling.

"There. Was that not better?"

"Oh yes, Fitzwilliam," she said, her eyes shining. "I have never been so happy."

"Neither have I, my dear."

They sat in contented silence for some time, holding hands. Then Darcy said, "I will travel to Hertfordshire to ask for your father's consent as soon as the house party is over tomorrow."

"Maybe you could travel with us," she said. "The Sedleys and Mr. Cranfield are the ones who accompanied Jane and me. Perhaps we could take two carriages and you and I could ride together, maybe with Lady Sedley as chaperone."

His eyes softened as he looked at her. "That is a wonderful idea, my dear." He kissed her hand again. "I still cannot believe you love me, that you are mine."

"I am, sir. And you are mine, too."

"I am." There was silence for a minute, then he continued, "Georgiana assured me that you loved me, but I am sorry to admit that I did not believe her."

"And Jane was assuring me that you loved me, but I did not believe her either!"

They both laughed.

"I am glad we are wiser now," she said, and leaned her shoulder against his.

After a few more moments of contented silence, Darcy said, "When would you like to marry, Elizabeth?"

"Oh, I hope we can marry soon," she said.

"Perhaps we can share a ceremony with your sister and Mr. Cranfield. When are they marrying?"

"In the beginning of October."

"That gives us about two months. Would your father approve?"

"I think he would. He said he was going to do some courting while we were gone this summer. He might be getting married himself soon."

"I am sure I shall not be what he expects," said Darcy.

"You shall be even better," said Elizabeth, leaning her head on his shoulder.

He smiled. "You are better than anything I ever expected, Elizabeth. I never planned to marry again."

"I am sorry to be disrupting your plans," she teased.

"I have never been so happy to be disrupted!" he teased back. "But we had better return to the house before we are missed. I am sure Georgiana is waiting to hear our news."

"I am thankful that she encouraged you to persevere," she said, as they stood, still holding hands. "I was thinking this morning that I would end up being a maiden aunt to Jane's children until I turned old."

"No, no," said Darcy. "You deserve children of your own, my dear."

That made Elizabeth think of something suddenly. "What will Melody think of this?"

"Oh, I am sure she will be delighted," he said, as they walked back toward the house. "All she can talk about lately is 'Miss Lizzy.'"

"I like her very much too," said Elizabeth affectionately.

"Even after the episode with Patches?" Darcy teased.

Elizabeth laughed. "Even then!"

Georgiana was waiting for them while trying to appear not to. Apparently seeing the smiles on both of their faces, she smiled herself. "Do you have good news for me?" she asked hopefully.

"Miss Elizabeth has accepted my proposal of marriage," said Darcy.

"Oh, my dear! I am so happy!" cried Georgiana, taking Elizabeth in her arms for a hug. "I am so glad we shall be sisters. And you simply must call me Georgiana. No more of this 'Lady Dunmore' business."

"Very well. Then you must call me Elizabeth, or Lizzy, as my sister does."

"When is the wedding?" asked Georgiana eagerly.

Darcy laughed. "We had hoped to marry this October, perhaps in a double ceremony with Miss Bennet and Mr. Cranfield. We shall have to consult with Elizabeth's father."

"Well, we shall certainly stay in England until then. I cannot miss my only brother's wedding!"

"I must go speak to Jane," Elizabeth said, turning to Darcy. "She was certain you were going to propose this morning. I must go reassure her."

"Very well, my dear. I must go speak to Lord Sedley about our travel plans. Perhaps we can all travel to Hertfordshire together."

After Elizabeth had departed, Darcy turned to give Georgiana a hug. "Thank you," he said.