Chapter 4
William and Elizabeth took a circuitous route back to Pemberley. William was more talkative than normal, sharing details about Pemberley and its tenants that Elizabeth appreciated his telling her. He also pointed out some of the peaks that were visible from his estate and suggested outings to walk them. They arrived at the house several minutes after the Gardiners had arrived and as their trucks were being unloaded. William lifted Elizabeth down from the curricle, relishing the feel of her in his hands and his right to do so. His hands lingered briefly around her waist as she looked up at him, coloring slightly. Just as his head dipped toward her lips, they heard the sounds of carriages approaching at a distance.
They reluctantly stepped apart, and Mr. Darcy allowed the grooms to take charge of the curricle. "That looks like Georgiana's carriage. They must have left early this morning," he said. "Would you like to greet them with me or wait inside?"
"Do they know I am here?" she asked. "I am afraid Miss Bingley will not be happy to see me here and will be even more aggravated that I am staying here."
"She will even less happy when we tell her that we are engaged, my dear," he said wryly. "But I want you to meet Georgiana before we tell her, so I guess we should wait to announce it until later. Please wait here with me, though. You will be the Mistress of Pemberley soon enough. And is Miss Bingley cannot accept that, she can leave. I invited Bingley and the rest of his family merely tagged along anyway, as usual." He grimaced.
"I love you, William," Elizabeth said, laughing.
He beamed at her. "I love you, too, Elizabeth, but what made you tell me just now?"
"I just wanted you to know it before we face what I hope will be our biggest supporters, along with two of our biggest detractors. No matter what Miss Bingley says, you know that I am marrying you not for your wealth, but for love," she explained.
"If there was anyone less motivated by wealth and social standing, I do not know them," William laughed. "Miss Bingley has no love for me, just for what I can offer her. I am proud to have you by my side, my love."
The carriages arrived and the footmen opened the doors. William quickly approached the first carriage and handed out a lovely young lady with blonde hair and blue eyes. He gave her a quick hug before whispering a few words to her. She gasped and looked up at Elizabeth, who smiled at her and Georgiana shyly smiled back.
Just then, Mr. Bingley hopped down from the second carriage and approached his friend, clapping him on the shoulder. "Darcy!" He greeted his friend. "Were you able to accomplish whatever took you away from us yesterday?" He lowered his voice. "Caroline was rather upset that you deserted us like that."
"Yes, I was able to accomplish what I came to do and more besides," Darcy replied with a grin. "And I happened across Miss Elizabeth Bennet and her aunt and uncle who are touring the area and have convinced them to join our little house party." He indicated Miss Bennet who was waiting a few steps away. As Charles approached Miss Bennet, Darcy briefly greeted his other guests.
"Miss Elizabeth Bennet!" Bingley cried. "How fortunate that you are here at Pemberley." He paused and said hesitantly. "How is your family?"
"It is good to see you as well, Mr. Bingley. My family are very well," she replied.
"Miss Bennet," Darcy interjected, "may I present my sister, Miss Georgiana Darcy. Georgiana, Miss Elizabeth Bennet."
"It is lovely to meet you," Georgiana said shyly, her eyes on her feet. She glanced up. "I am pleased that you will be joining us at Pemberley."
"I am pleased to be here, and I am looking forward to getting to know you better, Miss Darcy." Elizabeth said kindly.
"Come into the house," Darcy said to the group at large. "Bingley, you have the same room as always. Mr. and Mrs. Hurst, Miss Bingley, allow my housekeeper to escort you to your rooms. Miss Bennet, your aunt and uncle are in the parlor. I will escort you to them. Everyone, we will have refreshments served in an hour on the terrace."
As everyone moved into the house, Darcy lingering behind with Elizabeth, offering his arm to escort her inside.
"Mr. Darcy," Miss Bingley said as she shoved Elizabeth to take the arm he was holding out to her. "I am so pleased to be back at Pemberley. I always feel so at home here."
"Miss Bingley," Darcy said grimacing at Elizabeth over her head. "I need to escort Miss Elizabeth to the parlor where her aunt and uncle are waiting for her. If you would please follow Mrs. Reynolds to your room so you can refresh yourself from your trip."
"Oh, Miss Elizabeth, I did not see you there," Miss Bingley said snidely. "Whatever are you doing at Pemberley?"
"I was invited, Miss Bingley," Elizabeth said, amused. "My aunt grew up in Lambton and they invited me to tour Derbyshire with them. When we came across Mr. Darcy yesterday afternoon, he invited us to join your house party."
"Which aunt and uncle is this?" Miss Bingley asked. "The ones in trade or the solicitor from Meryton?"
"Miss Bingley!" Mr. Darcy interjected. "You will not criticize my invited guests. Suffice it to say that I invited Miss Bennet and the Gardiners to join us because I enjoy their company and I wanted to get to know them better. They are here at my explicit invitation and not because they have included themselves in someone else's invitation."
Miss Bingley expressed shock at his statement. "Whatever do you mean by that, Mr. Darcy?"
"I mean, Miss Bingley, that for years, I have issued invitations to Mr. Bingley, yet time and time again, you have interpreted these invitations to include yourself. I have tolerated your presence because of my friendship with your brother. If you continue to abuse those who I have invited into my home, you will soon find yourself not only unwelcome, but your admittance to my homes refused."
"Well, I never," Miss Bingley said as she stomped off.
Darcy growled. "This is a disastrous start to her visit," he remarked to Elizabeth. "She will be ever more determined to make everyone miserable. After I escort you to your relatives, I need to find Charles." He hesitated as she took his arm. "I asked Mrs. Reynolds to place you and your aunt and uncle in the family wing – I hope you do not mind. If you do, or if your aunt and uncle object to the arrangements, I can move you into the guest wing. With Miss Bingley here, my footmen will remain on duty in the halls of the family wing each night, so nothing, um, untoward, can happen."
She laughed. "You do have a lot to talk about with Charles."
He grimaced. "I will send a footman to ask him to join in my study shortly. Might we go for a walk in the gardens later?"
She smiled up at him lovingly. "I would enjoy that, but we may not be able to get away this afternoon. We can plan to rendezvous in the mornings for our walks. If I recall, the Bingleys and Hursts tend to keep town hours. Is that true even at Pemberley?"
"Yes, it is," he grinned. "And you, like myself, were always an early riser. We may have to use that to our advantage while they are here, my love. It may be the only time we have alone."
"We will use our early morning walks to actually talk this time, William," she said smiling up at him. "We have many things to discuss."
He pointed out the terrace where they would gather later and then escorted her up the main staircase to the family wing. As they walked down the hall, he pointed out the master's and mistress's suites and told her he planned to have Mrs. Reynolds show her the rooms and discuss any changes. The mistress's suite had not been updated since Anne Darcy had take it over and Elizabeth was welcome to order any changes to the room. He showed her Georgiana's room, and her aunt and uncle's rooms, before pointing her to her door.
"You are next to Georgiana, my dear," he said. "I will try to create opportunities for the two of you to get to know each other away from Miss Bingley while you are here, but the two of you will also share a sitting room during this stay."
"Thank you, William," she said. "Now, go track down Mr. Bingley and have what I am sure will be the first of several uncomfortable conversations for the two of you. I will find my way to the terrace shortly."
He looked up and down the hall and seeing no one, bent and kissed her lightly on the lips before heading to find Bingley.
It did not take him long. He found Charles headed toward his study. "Darcy! Caroline says you insulted her, and she is livid. I think she would not be half as angry if Miss Elizabeth had not been there to witness it."
"Are you angry, Bingley?" Darcy asked, hesitantly, leading him the rest of the way to the study and entering it.
He laughed. "Not really, actually. I have told her time and time again to set her sights on someone else, but she refuses to listen. However, for you to imply that Miss Bennet was invited while she was not, has made her more determined. She is refusing to come down for dinner, she says, and insists on having a tray delivered to her room. What makes it amusing is that she thinks she is punishing us by staying in her room.
"Darcy, I need to find someone to marry her, or I need to set her up in her own establishment. She refuses to stay within her allowance and constantly overspends and expect me to cover it. We fought again before we left about her uncontrolled spending."
"Charles, she has rejected the suitors who would have her for years, and now, I am not certain who is left that would accept her. Even with her dowry, she has a reputation amongst the ton that will make it difficult to find anyone who is not completely unsuitable."
"I know. When we go back to town, I will have to speak to my solicitor about turning her dowry over to her and setting her up in her own establishment," Charles sighed. "She will be twenty-five soon and is quickly approaching spinster status."
"Charles, I have to admit something to you," Darcy began slowly. "I owe you a substantial apology. Last fall, I did you a tremendous disservice when I told you Miss Bennet did not care for you. Miss Elizabeth has told me I was wrong."
"She cared for me?" he asked.
"She did. She still does, Miss Elizabeth believes," Darcy said. "We, um, we both visited Kent at Easter, Miss Elizabeth and I. I, uh, I offered for her then, and she rejected me, citing my involvement in keeping you apart from Miss Bennet as one of the reasons. When I returned to town, you were out of town, and I did not want to tell you this in a letter. I planned to speak to you while we were here in Pemberley to see how you felt before encouraging you to return to Netherfield after we left here."
Charles stared at his friend for several minutes. "What?" he sputtered.
Darcy laughed bitterly, which caused his friend to appear even more surprised. "Charles, I have been a terrible friend to you over the last few months. I most heartily apologize, and I hope you will listen while I tell you a story that explains how terrible a friend I have been and what I hope to do to make amends."
He began to explain his misunderstanding of Miss Bennet's feelings and the tactics he had used to keep the two separated. Charles grew angry when he told him of her visit to London and how Jane had called on his sisters and they had decided to keep it a secret from him, and he had agreed. Then he told him about meeting with Elizabeth in Kent and his offering for her and their quarrel and his letter. He concluded with their meeting the day before at his home and his subsequent proposal being accepted.
"Elizabeth believes that Jane still cares for you if you are still interested in pursuing her. We thought to bring you both to London to meet there as Elizabeth shops for her trousseau. Elizabeth wants to avoid her mother knowing of our engagement as long as possible to limit the fuss she can make over the wedding."
Charles was quiet after the retelling. Finally, he spoke "You are serious about marrying Elizabeth Bennet?"
Darcy laughed, feeling slightly relieved. "Yes, I am. I love her. I, I have loved for some time – I think I was already gone when she arrived at Netherfield to care for her sister. Miss Bingley went on and on about how her skirts were covered in mud and all I could think about was how well she looked with the exercise and how caring she was to walk three miles to take care of her sick sister.
"I fought it for a long time, but I finally realized that I hated everything about the debutantes of the ton and how marrying someone who I cared for and cared for me was more important than marrying for connections or fortune – both of which I have in abundance." He laughed deprecatingly.
"Darcy, I am not certain I have ever heard you laugh as often as you have in just this conversation," Charles said. "If this is Miss Elizabeth's influence, then it is clear, she will be perfect for you."
"It is her influence, Charles," Darcy admitted. "She makes me happier than I have ever been," he said. "Oh, and we are not sharing this news just yet. I want her to get to know Georgiana a little bit before we announce our engagement. We have sent letters to Longbourn to Mr. Bennet and Miss Bennet, asking both of them to keep it a secret from Mrs. Bennet until the last moment. We also plan to obtain a license so my Aunt Catherine cannot interfere.
"Now, what do you plan to do about Jane Bennet?"
"Well, I guess we will leave for London in a fortnight or so and I will call on her at the Gardiners and pray that Miss Elizabeth is correct."
Soon, the entire party, other than Miss Bingley were gathered on the terrace for tea. Georgiana was sitting with Miss Elizabeth and the two were conversing quietly. It had not taken long for Elizabeth to put Georgiana at her ease and the two had found much to discuss. Darcy was speaking with Gardiner and the two were making plans for a fishing expedition the following day. Bingley was speaking to Mrs. Gardiner about some of the places they had visited on this trip. Mr. Hurst was drinking, and Mrs. Hurst was playing with her bracelets. After a little while, she excused herself to go rest before supper, as did Mrs. Gardiner. Bingley joined Darcy and Gardiner.
When the bell rang to dress for dinner, the party broke up and headed to their rooms. Darcy smiled when Georgiana and Elizabeth headed inside arm in arm. He joined them, offering his arm, which both ladies took and escorted them to their rooms. He followed Georgiana into her sitting room, but not before catching Elizabeth's eye. An unspoken question passed between them, and she nodded and smiled.
"What do you think of Miss Bennet?" he asked.
"She is lovely, Wills," she gushed. "I like her very much and I am so glad she is joining us at Pemberley for the next fortnight. You had written about her often while in Hertfordshire and Richard mentioned her a time or two while you were in Rosings. I have wanted to meet her for some time," she said the last sentence almost shyly.
"How would you feel about acquiring Miss Bennet as a sister?" Darcy asked.
Georgiana looked at him, confusion written on her face. "A sister?" she asked.
"Miss Bennet and I are engaged, sweetling," Darcy said, smiling gently at his sister.
"How did this happen?" Georgiana asked. "Did you meet her here on purpose and is that why you rushed ahead yesterday?"
"Georgie, I came across Miss Bennet quite accidentally at Pemberley yesterday afternoon when I returned. I did not expect to see her here. In fact, the last time I saw her, in Kent, we quarreled rather strongly. She misunderstood my character – I had not represented myself very well in Hertfordshire and only slightly better in Kent.
"And because I am rather an idiot at times, especially with a woman I admire, I offended her greatly when I offered for her. However, I have managed to fix it and hopefully become less of an idiot. However, I have proposed marriage to Miss Bennet and have been accepted. We sent letters to her father this morning and plan to marry in mid-October."
"Is that why you were in such a terrible mood when you came back from Kent? Because you had quarreled with Miss Bennet" Georgiana asked.
Darcy laughed. "Well, Aunt Catherine has that effect on me usually, but, yes, the quarrel I had with Miss Bennet no doubt made that black mood last longer than usual. I apologize, Georgie."
Georgiana looked at Darcy shyly. "I think I will like having Miss Bennet for a sister."
Darcy grinned at her. "We will announce it tonight, I think, after dinner. I'll speak to Mrs. Reynolds after I dress."
The two separated to dress for dinner. Darcy hurried through his preparations and headed downstairs to speak to Mrs. Reynolds. He arrived in the drawing room early and was pleased to find both the Gardiners and Elizabeth already there. He greeted them all and pulled Elizabeth aside, kissing her hand as he led her to the window.
"Georgiana is very pleased, my dear. She is looking forward to knowing you better," Darcy began.
"William, your sister is precious. She is very shy, like her brother can be," Elizabeth winked at him. "I look forward to knowing her better and hopefully drawing her out. A companion is wonderful, but I wonder, does she have many friends her own age?"
William scowled at that. "The events of last summer hurt her and have caused her to be even more timid than she was before. Her experiences at school, I'm afraid, did not help. She was too much in company with girls similar to Miss Bingley – sniping and biting – and Georgiana struggled in finding real friends. She overheard some girls speak about befriending her just to gain access to me. All of these experiences have made it more difficult for her to be willing to open up to others. And the lack of girls her age near Pemberley have prevented her forming friendships nearer to home.
"I am hoping your influence will help her find and make some real friends – not people like Miss Bingley but other women like you who are open and honest. Anne is my only female cousin and she's never been to town – and Aunt Catherine makes visiting difficult. She and Georgiana exchange letters, but Anne is not the easiest correspondent either."
"I wonder …" Elizabeth trailed off, looking at her toes.
"What?" He asked softly. "You can ask me anything, Elizabeth."
"Well, I just wondered how your cousin felt about the idea of marrying you. Did she ever wish for it? Is there no one she has ever wanted to marry?"
"Anne has always believed she would never marry. She had no desire to marry me – in part just to circumvent her mother." He laughed a little at that thought. "While we rarely interact in front of her mother, Anne and I are quite friendly, and Georgiana has facilitated several conversations through her letters."
"I'm glad to hear that," Elizabeth admitted.
"I was hoping to announce our engagement at dinner tonight, Elizabeth. What do you think? I realize that we do not yet have your father's blessing, but we do have your uncle's and you are of age." Darcy hesitated briefly. "But if you would prefer to wait, we can."
"Let us talk to my uncle and see what he thinks. I also would like to announce it – to warn Miss Bingley off if nothing else." She grinned at him as she said the last. "Of course, she wo not be at dinner tonight to hear the announcement."
They walked toward the Gardiners and noticed that Bingley and Georgiana had joined them as well. Bingley announced to the group, "The Hursts will be dining in their rooms tonight as well. I spoke with Caroline earlier and all three of them will be leaving for Scarborough in the morning. The Hursts will be leaving Caroline with our aunt and then will be continuing on to his family's estate for the rest of the summer."
Then, turning to Darcy, he said softly. "I will leave sooner than planned as well, Darcy. I am going to go back to Netherfield Monday when my carriage should be returned and perhaps help Miss Bennet with her excuse to go to London."
Darcy nodded his understanding. Then Bingley turned to Elizabeth. "Miss Elizabeth, Darcy told me that he was wrong in November about how Miss Bennet felt – do you think that if I were to go there now she would receive me?"
Elizabeth smiled at him. "Yes, I think that Jane would be pleased to see you again." Bingley beamed back at her and stepped away to speak to the Gardiners.
She looked up at Darcy and smiled at him. "Well, I guess everyone in this room is aware of our news, William."
"It seems they are, my dear," he replied, smiling down at her and taking her hand into his and kissing it lightly before setting it on his arm and leading her to a settee. The couple sat down, and the conversation turned more general.
"William," Georgiana said as her brother sat. "What would you say to a picnic in a day or two? We could all ride to that lovely grove we found a year or two ago."
"One small problem with that idea, Miss Darcy," Elizabeth interjected. "My aunt and I do not ride."
"At all?" Darcy asked.
"I attempted to learn as a child, but when I fell from the horse once, my father never allowed me to try again. I have never learned." Elizabeth said.
"Horses terrify me," Mrs. Gardiner added. "I am fine in a carriage, but I have never desired to learn to ride."
"A pony cart could make the trip, if that would be acceptable," Darcy offered. "But, Elizabeth, would you allow me to teach you to ride? There is much of the estate that you is only accessible on horse and I think you would enjoy the freedom it offers."
"I, I do not have a riding habit," she said a bit sadly.
"I think I have one that could fit you, if you would like to give it a try," Georgiana offered. "And I have a gentle mare that I think you would enjoy riding."
"Perhaps, tomorrow, you can try it on and see if any alterations are needed, Lizzy," Mrs. Gardiner suggested. "Miss Darcy, can your maid make minor adjustments as needed?"
"Yes, Mrs. Gardiner," Georgiana answered.
"Well, then we will take care of that in the morning and perhaps in the afternoon, Lizzy, you can have your first lesson," Mrs. Gardiner organized.
"That sounds lovely, Aunt," Elizabeth said. "Would that work for you, William?"
"Yes, I have some business to tend to in the morning, but I will ensure my afternoon is free for your lesson," he replied.
Dinner was announced then, and the group made their way into the dining room. Darcy escorted Elizabeth and sat him next to him on his right. Bingley escorted Georgiana to Darcy's left and took the seat beside him. Elizabeth's aunt and uncle were seated beside her. The group chatted congenially and continued to discuss some ideas for activities over the next several days. While the Gardiners had plans to visit a few of Mrs. Gardiner's friends and family in the area, the rest of the group discussed visiting a few of the peaks in the area and Georgiana suggested a shopping trip into Lambton in a day or two. The gentlemen discussed sport, with Gardiner revisiting the idea of fishing one afternoon as well.
When dessert was served, Mrs. Reynolds brought in a chilled bottle of champagne and flutes. Mr. Darcy spoke. "All of you here are aware of our news, but I asked Mrs. Reynolds to bring in a bottle of champagne tonight so we may celebrate together." The bottle was opened, and glasses poured, even to Georgiana with just a splash in her cup.
Darcy stood, ready to toast to his fiancé when the door opened. "What are we celebrating?" Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam asked loudly, glancing around at the assembled guests and raising his brow at his cousin when he recognized the woman to Darcy's right.
Darcy grinned. "Richard, not that you are unwelcome, but what brings you to my door? I thought you at Whitehall for the duration."
"A brief leave to take care of some business for father at Matlock. I knew you were expected here and thought to drop in for a meal, for which I am obviously late. But you were about to make a toast, dear cousin. What news?"
At this, Richard was handed a glass of champagne by a footman.
"I was about to offer a toast to the woman who has made me incredibly happy by agreeing to be my bride. To Miss Elizabeth Bennet!" Darcy said, raising his glass.
"Congratulations, cousin, Miss Bennet!" Richard cried as the group drank to the health of the couple. The look in his eyes made it abundantly clear to his cousin they would discuss this development later.
Colonel Fitzwilliam was introduced to Elizabeth's aunt and uncle and soon after the ladies separated from the gentlemen. Richard was brought a plate of food, while the gentlemen drank port and discussed their fishing expedition for the next morning.
In the music room, the three ladies chatted about music and books and all the things that Georgiana had been learning during the spring. Mrs. Gardiner and Elizabeth helped put Georgiana at her ease and when the men joined them, both Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam smiled to see how talkative their charge was in these ladies' company.
Darcy went and sat next to Elizabeth while Bingley and the Colonel sat next to his cousin. Mr. Gardener joined his wife.
"Will you play for us tonight, Georgie?" Fitzwilliam asked. "It has been an age since I have had the chance to hear you play."
"I will agree if Miss Bennet also plays. My brother and cousin both spoke of enjoying your playing while in Kent," Georgiana suggested.
"Since your playing is contingent upon mine, I will agree," Elizabeth said, arching her brow at Darcy. "However, I plead with you to allow me to go first. As I have heard often of your own talents, I fear I would not show well if I had to follow you."
"But my brother said he enjoyed your playing both in Hertfordshire and in Kent. I can scarcely imagine that your playing is anything lacking," Georgiana protested.
"I am afraid that you will find your brother has exaggerated my talents for some mischievous reason all his own. However, I do love to play and so will gladly play a song. This company will no doubt be forgiving of any lack in my performance." With this speech, she smiled archly at Darcy before rising to go to the piano.
Elizabeth sat at the piano and selected a familiar piece to play. The company applauded when she finished so she rose and indicated to Georgiana that it was her turn. Just as she made to sit again next to Darcy, Caroline Bingley came barging into the room.
Pushing past Elizabeth once again, she commandeered the seat next to Darcy, sitting far too close to the gentleman. "I am sorry to have missed you all at dinner," she cooed. "The traveling today, it was too much. I am so looking forward to enjoying all that Pemberley has to offer on this trip."
Rising, Bingley stalked toward his sister. "Caroline, come with me back to your room. We have already discussed that you are leaving in the morning with the Hursts."
"We were invited to stay for the month. Why are you suddenly insisting on our leaving, Charles? Really, it is ride for us to depart so soon after our arrival," Caroline poured.
"I was invited to stay, you tagged along on my invitation," Bingley growled. "That invitation has since been revoked and now I insist that you leave to stay with our aunt. I have business that I need to attend toads will be leaving myself when my carriage returns. Now come with me back to your rooms."
"I will not," Caroline said firmly. "And why would you imply in front of these people that I was not invited? Mr. Darcy is my friend too, and he has always included me in his invitations."
"Actually, Miss Bingley, I have not," Darcy interjected as he rose from his seat "I have tolerated your intrusion in my invitations to your brother, but that ends now. We spoke of this intrusion earlier when you arrived as well.
"Georgiana, I am sorry to not hear you play tonight, but I think it is best we all retire for the night. Miss Bingley, I understand you are leaving early so I will say my goodbyes now. Have a good journey on the morrow."
Everyone rose from their seats except Miss Bingley who remained, looking both shocked and indignant. Darcy offered his arm to Elizabeth and began to escort her from the room. Seeing that roused her fury. She quickly stood up and moved to separate the pair once again.
"Mr. Darcy," she cried. "You surely cannot mean to escort Miss Eliza. Should not your sister take your arm?"
"It is rather expected for a man to escort his fiancée," Darcy drawled, subtly motioning for a footman to approach.
"Whatever can you mean, Mr. Darcy?" Caroline asked, shock and anger evident on her face.
"Since you missed dinner tonight, you missed our celebration. Elizabeth has graciously consented to be my bride. We will be wed in two months," Darcy informed her.
"You cannot possibly be serious. You cannot marry this, this nobody. This country mushroom. She will be a laughingstock," Miss Bingley protested.
Darcy was seething and his entire body tensed. Elizabeth's hand on his arm squeezed his muscle and he took a deep breath to calm himself before looking down at her and patting her hand with his free hand.
Before he could speak, Fitzwilliam spoke on Elizabeth's behalf.
"Tell me, Miss Bingley, in society, is the daughter of a landed gentleman not still higher than one whose father made their fortune in trade? Darcy is a gentleman, not a peer, as is Miss Elizabeth's father. That makes them equal in standing, all things considered, and both of them hold a higher standing than you. Your family does not own an estate, which means you are not even a part of the gentry. You are merely the daughter of a tradesman."
"And who are you and why are you intruding into my conversation with Mr. Darcy," Caroline huffed.
"I am Colonel Fitzwilliam, Darcy's cousin, and son of the Earl of Matlock. He is a peer and my mother, Lady Matlock will no doubt take Miss Bennet under her wing to introduce her to the ton." He glared at her for a moment before continuing. "And she will not hesitate to do anything in her power to ruin in society anyone who speaks out against a member of her family. Since Miss Bennet is now family, she will have the full support of the Fitzwilliams."
Miss Bingley paled, finally realizing her misjudgment. Bingley recognizing this, took her arm and half-drug her toward the guest wing and her room. He could be heard whispering furiously as they walked away.
"I am sorry, Elizabeth," Darcy said.
"Whatever for? She had never liked me, and the Colonel put her in her place rather nicely." Elizabeth laughed lightly.
"She's a jealous shrew," Mrs. Gardiner observed. "At least it happened here, amongst friends. It would have been much worse had it happened in town."
"You are correct, Mrs. Gardiner," William admitted. "She has always been jealous of you, Elizabeth. You garnered my attention from the beginning of our acquaintance in a way she never has."
"Even when you were proclaiming me 'tolerable'?" Elizabeth asked, giggling at the face he made.
"Will I ever live that comment down?" he asked.
"Where's the fun in that, William," she teased.
He caught both of her hands in his. All but Colonel Fitzwilliam recognized the couple's need for a moment of privacy and left, especially as they clearly had forgotten about the presence of others anyway.
"As if I needed further proof of my idiocy, this is yet another black mark against my character. It is amazing that you could ever have accepted me at all given how I've treated you. You must know that I find you so much more than tolerable and that you are very, very tempting. You are so very beautiful, Elizabeth."
"It is forgiven, William. You are a good man, and I failed to realize it at the beginning of our acquaintance. I allowed that remark to color everything I thought of you. I have been ashamed of my own behavior so often since that night in Hunsford and after reading your letter. You injured my vanity and I made you to be the worst sort of man. Your letter opened my eyes to my own vanity and prejudices. I understand you better now, and what's more, I love you. I also respect and admire the man you are, which is nearly as important as loving you." She reached up on her toes and kissed his cheek. "We have begun anew, let us not dwell on past mistakes. We're both have made many."
He leaned down until their foreheads touched. "I do so love you, Elizabeth," he breathed. "You make me want to be a better man. I am entirely yours to command."
"Then kiss me, William," Elizabeth ordered.
He bent his head down and their lips touched for the briefest off moments before the Colonel made his presence known with a cough. "Darcy, escort your fiancé to her rooms and then meet me in your study. We need to talk."
Darcy directed a glare at his cousin but obeyed. Richard must have something important to discuss, he thought.
Elizabeth chatted lightly as they made their way upstairs. He kissed her hands before leaving her at the bedroom door and then making his way back down to his study.