That night, Darcy had a hard time getting to sleep. He thought of Elizabeth, and how close he had come to losing her again forever. He couldn't make any more mistakes; he had to show her that she was and always would be his priority, and he would never look at another woman. He had to show her that he loved her, and only her.
He woke up very early, but he chose to stay at the inn to rest for a few hours since his ankle was swollen from the effort of the previous days, and in the afternoon, he visited Elizabeth.
Fortunately, the following day they would return to London, and he would stay in London for several days to fully recover... or, rather, until Elizabeth agreed to marry him. He wasn't going back to Pemberley without her!
Mrs. Maxwell greeted him effusively, and left them alone for half an hour so they could talk calmly..., If during that half hour, they kissed and hugged, no one saw them and no one found out.
The next morning, they left early for London. Elizabeth sat next to Darcy in the carriage and urged him to rest his ankle on the opposite seat. They took advantage of the long trip to talk about the future...
"...No, Elizabeth. I will stay in London indefinitely. I have already solved the problems in Pemberley, and I don't want to be separated from you anymore." He kissed her hair and looked at her with complete devotion, "I want to court you properly, and I want you to never again doubt how much I love you."
She smiled and nodded.
Darcy added, "I realized that it was a mistake to publish the notice of our engagement before I left." He sighed, "I left you alone in London, and you were exposed to cruel and ill-intentioned comments. Unfortunately, several of them were from my relatives."
Lizzy shook her head, "You had no way of knowing what was going to happen."
He kissed her hand, and shook his head, "I know the Matlocks and most of their acquaintances are prone to treat people they consider inferior to them with contempt." He sighed, "The only excuse I have is that I was planning to be away for just two weeks... I never thought a tenant could attack me... If it wasn't for my steward, I'd be dead."
Elizabeth hugged him, "I hope that man pays for what he did..."
Darcy kissed her softly, "He will probably be transported to Australia... but let's talk about something else, I would love for you to help me set up the nursery for Anne and Rose." He smiled, "I know Rose likes the colors pink and yellow…"
They talked about various topics, among them, Elizabeth asked him several questions about his daughter, his sister, and his nephews. Elizabeth also told him details of her life in Ramsgate, and of Jane in particular. The journey passed very quickly and they arrived in London late in the afternoon. Darcy escorted Elizabeth home, and after briefly greeting Mrs. Barton, took his leave.
The following afternoon, he visited the Matlocks as he wanted to have a serious conversation with them. The Matlocks were very surprised to see him, as they thought he was in Pemberley. Unfortunately, they argued strongly and even cut ties for several months...
"…Nephew, I know very well that your marriage with Lady Maria was not a happy one. She was a fool to be intimate with Sir Thomas before giving you an heir; but as you well know there are other ladies in high society who would gladly marry you." Said Lord Matlock and his wife affirmed, "I will not deny that Mrs. Barton is a very attractive woman, but you need not marry her. In fact, you can perfectly offer her another kind of arrangement until you get tired of her."
Darcy clenched his fists and, in a calm, but furious voice replied, "I warn you, Mrs. Barton is a lady, and will be my wife; I don't allow anyone to disrespect her. If you can't treat her with the respect she deserves, I have nothing more to discuss with you." Darcy turned and walked away... He wasn't willing to listen to the Matlocks denigrate the woman he loved any longer.
