Chapter 2

Elizabeth looked out the stagecoach window as they rolled in to Pemberly, Texas. She was the only one on the stage now, as everyone else had gotten off before her. The stage finally came to a stop and she leaned back against the cushions.

A few minutes later the door was thrown open and the driver held his hand out to help her down the steps. Once she finally had her feet safely positioned on the ground, Elizabeth shaded her eyes with her hand. I wonder which gentleman is Mr. Darcy. She thought with a frown.

There were many people walking along the boardwalk and many gentlemen. She turned to the left when she saw an older woman making her way towards her. "Are you Elizabeth Bennet, miss?"

She smiled at the older woman. "Yes I am ma'am."

The older woman held out her hand. Elizabeth grasped it and looked in to kind blue eyes. "I am Mrs. Reynolds. Will Darcy sent me here to meet you and get you ready for the wedding. We have about an hour before we have to be at the church."

"It is nice to meet you, Mrs. Reynolds. What about my trunk?" she asked and gestured to the trunk the driver had deposited on the ground for her.

"I will have my son George put it in Mr. Darcy's wagon for you. Now, let's get you to the mercantile to freshen up." The older woman grasped Elizabeth's arm and led her down the street.

Elizabeth didn't have much time to take in her surrounding as they walked. She was too busy trying to keep up with Mrs. Reynolds pace. They soon reached their destination and Mrs. Reynolds led her back to a small room.

"You will be able to freshen up in here and change in to a different dress." She grabbed the valise Elizabeth had been carrying. "Do you have any dresses in here?"

"I have the one I planned on wearing for the wedding. It is a dark blue and my best dress."

Mrs. Reynolds grabbed the dress and shook out the wrinkles. She draped it across a chair and moved around to undo the buttons of Elizabeth's dress.

Elizabeth stepped out of the dress and walked over to a basin of water to clean some of the trail dust off her. "How do you know Mr. Darcy?"

"My husband and I own the homestead next to his. We were very pleased when he announced he had sent for a mail order bride." She explained as she helped Elizabeth button her other dress.

"I hope you will come and visit when I get settled in. I'm not used to spending my days alone and I don't have any friends here yet."

"You will make friends soon enough, my dear. There are many young ladies your age here in town. Now, come along. We only have ten minutes before the wedding." Elizabeth grabbed her valise and followed Mrs. Reynolds out of the little room and down the street. She looked up when she saw the church coming into view.

It was smaller than the one back home, but when she stepped inside it felt like she was coming home. The church was painted white and there was a bell hanging above the door. Looking around her, she saw there were only four other people in the church.

"I am going to go sit down. My husband volunteered to walk you down the aisle if you want him too."

"I would appreciate that." She said and watched Mrs. Reynolds walk down the aisle and find a seat at the front of the church. Elizabeth pushed a stray curl back in place and smiled when an older gentleman walked towards her.

"Are you ready Miss Bennet?" he kindly asked her and held out his arm.

Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth nodded, and placed her hand on his arm. As they walked up the aisle, her attention was drawn to the man who was standing beside the preacher. His back was turned to her, but she could see the outline of his muscle shoulders straining against his shirt. His hair was black and cut short.

He was wearing a dark pair of jeans and a black button down shirt. He finally turned when she reached him and she was immediately stuck by a pair of cool blue eyes. Elizabeth gave him a smile, but her groom only turned to pay attention to what the preacher was saying.

Am I doing the right thing by marrying this man? He doesn't seem like he really wants to be here. He didn't even give me a smile.

She was brought back to the present when the preacher started talking to her. "Do you Elizabeth Bennet take Will Darcy to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Elizabeth met his blue eyes and answered, "I do."

The preacher then turned to Mr. Darcy. "Do you Will Darcy take Elizabeth Bennet to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do." He said in a deep voice and she felt a shiver run down her spine. He grasped her left hand in his and slipped a simple gold band on her finger. She took the one he handed her and she slipped it onto his ring finger.

The preacher gave them a smile before saying, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Darcy dipped his head and pressed a light kiss to her lips. He heard the preacher faintly say, "I am proud to introduce Will and Elizabeth Darcy."

Elizabeth put her hand on her husband's arm and he led them down to the pews. She accepted a hug and kiss on the cheek from both Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds. She quietly watched as Will picked up a little girl, she didn't notice before, and carry her over.

"This is Anna. She is my niece and lives with me." Will said and gazed lovingly at the little girl.

"May I hold her?"

Will handed Anna over to his wife and turned back to the Reynolds. "We will be leaving right away. It is already late and it will be dark by the time we reach the homestead." He thanked them and then turned back to Elizabeth who was talking to Anna.

"It is time to go."

Elizabeth thanked the Reynolds and followed her husband out to his wagon. She saw that her trunk was secured in the back of the wagon. Will took Anna from her and set her on the ground. She clung to his leg and looked up at him. "I will pick you up again in a minute, sweetie."

He put his hands on Elizabeth's waist and easily lifted her in to the wagon. After making sure she was settled, he reached down and handed Anna up to her. Will quickly untied the horses and climbed up the other side of the wagon.

He glanced to make sure his wife and niece were comfortable, before slapping the reins, and turning the horses west of town. He kept quiet and let her get used to her surroundings.

"How far is it to your homestead?"

"It will take us about an hour and a half. We should be there before it gets too dark to see."

She glanced down at Anna and a smile came to her lips when she noticed she was sleeping peacefully in her arms. "What happened to Anna's mother?" she asked quietly. Elizabeth wanted to know why her husband was taking care of his niece.

He didn't answer for a while and she thought he didn't want to tell her. "My younger sister was Anna's mother. She died in childbirth four months ago."

"What about her husband?"

"Gina's husband was the sheriff in Pemberly and an outlaw shot him down two months before Gina died."

Elizabeth saw that he was uncomfortable talking about his sister, so she changed the subject. "Do you raise cattle on your homestead?"

"I have a few head of cattle, but I also raise corn and wheat. You can explore your new home tomorrow."

She fell silent and blankly stared ahead. Will Darcy was easy to talk to, but he didn't seem like the type that talked for long. Her eyes drifted slowly drifted close and she tried to keep them open, but wariness soon over took her.

Will turned his head to look at his wife and noticed that she had drifted to sleep. She has been traveling for the last two weeks and probably hasn't gotten a good night sleep. I hope I did the right thing by asking her to do this.

Turning his attention back to the horses, he strained his eyes in the growing darkness to see the house coming in to view. It was a single story house, with a small porch attached to the front. He had spent free time last summer to make a porch swing and had finally hung it from the roof.

The boards of the house were starting to gray from the wind, sun, and rain. Will planned to paint it white, but needed more time to complete it. He glanced at Elizabeth again. Maybe she will want to help with it and we can finally get the house painted.

He pulled the wagon to a stop and jumped down. After tying the horses securely to the hitching rail in front of the house, he walked around to the other side. Reaching up, he gently picked up Anna, making sure not to wake his wife.

With one last glance at her sleeping form, Will went in to the house and headed to the room where Anna was sleeping. He gently changed her in to her nightgown and laid her down in her bed. "Goodnight Anna." He whispered, pressed a kiss to her forehead, and pulled the blanket over her.

Walking back out in to the night, Will stopped in beside the wagon. Reaching a hand to gently shake her shoulder, he whispered, "Beth, it is time to wake up. We are home."

Her eyelids fluttered open and she sleepily peered down at him. He reached up and grasped her waist, lifting her down. Her legs bucked when she touched the ground and he swiftly swept her up in to his arms.

She snuggled her head in to his chest and he gazed down at her. There was a slight smile gracing her lips. He was tempted to kiss her again, but refrained. I don't need to be thinking about that right now. I have other things that are more important to worry about right now. I don't need a woman getting in my head and distracting me.

Will lifted her closer to him and walked in to the house. He headed to the room where Anna slept and laid her on the bed that would be hers for now. He untied the bonnet that she had put on before they had left the church and took it off. Grabbing the blanket that laid at the end of the bed, he shook it out, and settled in over her. "Goodnight Beth," he whispered and left the room.

Walking back out to the horses, Will walked around the back, and lifted her trunk out. Setting it on the porch, he untied the horses, and he led them to the side of the barn. After unhitching them, he led them into the barn, and settled them in for the night.

A half an hour later, he exited the barn, and trudged back to the house. Will hefted the trunk inside and set it by the door. He would move it in the morning. Making his way to his own room, he undressed, and rummaged around in the dark for his nightclothes. Soon he was dressed and plopped down on his bed. Running his hand through his hair, he willed himself to fall asleep. Tomorrow will be a new and interesting day.