A/N – wow! What a response. I wrote this some time ago. The ending isn't done yet but reviews like those will certainly motivate me to get writing!
Elizabeth stepped out of the carriage, ready to be in awe of a beautiful home, and was not disappointed.
"Mr and Mrs Gardiner, Miss Bennet." Miss Darcy welcomed her guests in the hall and while Elizabeth was still removing her coat, led the Gardiners toward the drawing room.
Mr Darcy had waited and offered his arm as soon as Elizabeth's were free. "Good evening, Miss Bennet. Are you well?"
"I am, thank you. And you, Mr Darcy?"
"Very well." He led her down the hall, following the others.
"You have a beautiful home."
"Thank you."
They caught up to the others as Georgiana was explaining how this part of the house was a comparativley recent addition, only eighty years old.
"Yes, once upon a time there were trees and gardens, but in the interest of a third sitting room and a ballroom there is now only space for a few roses and some herbs." Mr Darcy added.
"Perhaps I should give the tour." Miss Darcy said playfully.
Her brother smiled at her confidence and nodded in agreement.
They entered the drawing room with its blazing fire and warm furnishings, candles lighting it perfectly. Next the music room with pale yellow and cream furnishings; Elizabeth could imagine it in the morning light, a peaceful haven.
"And this is the Library." Georgiana led the Gardiners inside.
Elizabeth followed, her hand still resting on Darcy's arm. She heard her Uncle's exclamation and hesitated on the threshold.
"Miss Bennet?" Mr Darcy put his hand over hers.
She looked at him and smiled then they stepped through the doorway. Her eyes grew wide. Unintentionally, she tightened her grip on his arm, and then realised what she was doing and let it go entirely. To cover her anxiety she stepped forward to examine the shelves.
No commentary was necessary and both Miss and Mr Darcy simply watched and waited while their guests wandered amongst the shelves.
Elizabeth silently berated herself for her foolish behaviour and barely saw the titles of the books, marvelling at how ridiculous she was being. It was just a library. An impressive collection to be sure, but she had been warned of that. She simply could not shake the thought that this might have been her home, could not barr its inconvenient presence at the forefront of her mind. She turned when she heard Miss Darcy and her Aunt and Uncle make to move on. Mr Darcy was watching her. That this might have been her home was nothing in comparison to the thought that he might have been her husband.
For a moment she thought he was waiting for her, ready to lead her out and continue the tour, but when she met his eyes she was disconcerted again. She could not but hope, and yet she despaired at once. She turned away and hid in the guise of perusing the shelves, all the while willing her throat to stop aching, her eyes to stop watering.
"You are unwell, Miss Bennet?"
"No indeed," she would not look at him.
"Has something happened?"
She shook her head, afraid her voice would betray her.
"You are well and nothing has happened, and yet clearly something has upset you."
"There are simply too many books," she turned, forcing a smile and swiping at her cheek.
He cocked his head to one side in disbelief. "Then it is a good thing your tour of Pemberley did not include the library."
"But it did."
"I know." He sighed softly, waiting. "Is there anything I can do for you? A drink, can I get you one?"
"No, I am well."
He stepped toward her. "There must be something I can do for your present relief." His eyes were kind and vulnerable, pleading silently.
She tried another jest, wishing heartily to return to the easy banter they had found in Hertfordshire. "You cannot always fix everything, Mr Darcy."
"Of that I am well aware, but for you I would do anything."
At that she looked up. His look spoke of hope against all odds, against all reason. It was just how she had felt all these weeks. "Can it be possible..?"
"You doubt me?" He almost smiled but for the fear in his eyes.
She wished to allay it but her own was not yet quenched. She dared not believe he was proposing. Again. Her gaze faltered.
"If you would have me, I would very much like to spend the rest of my life proving it to you." He inhaled, seemed to hold his breath. "If you would have me." He looked away. "I am not asking very well. I meant to do this properly, to not catch you quite so much by surprise."
She smiled up at him, finally convinced, then shook her head. "That you are asking at all is a miracle."
"Answer me, Elizabeth."
"At this rate of improvement a third proposal would be breathtaking."
He took her breath by a more immediate method. His confidence was arrested at the moment his lips grazed hers, and though he lingered, he barely kissed her, suddenly unsure of himself. Her teasing was too easy to misinterpret and this was too important.
"Where can they have got to?" Miss Darcy's voice carried further than usual.
Mr Gardiner answered, "If I know Lizzy she will be sequestered in your library."
As they heard her Uncle's words, Elizabeth pressed her lips, briefly but surely, to Mr Darcy's, then stepped back.
Still in shock, he took her by the shoulders and spun her around, then pointed to the bookshelf before them. "These titles might be of interest to you."
"There you are brother."
They turned to face the others.
Elizabeth saw Mrs Gardiner's repressed smile and subtle shake of the head. Knowing there was no hiding her blush, she spoke up. "I apologise, Miss Darcy. It is my fault. Your brother was kind enough to answer some questions I had about these books, and we quite lost track of time."
"There is no need to apologise." Miss Darcy smiled, almost knowingly. "Fitzwilliam often loses track of time in here."
"Then you have met your match, Mr Darcy." Mrs Gardiner added.
"Indeed." The man himself found his voice. "Perhaps we should remove to the dining room."
Miss Darcy smiled and led the way. Elizabeth stepped forward to follow her Aunt and Uncle.
"Answer me." Mr Darcy whispered, halting her progress.
She turned, ready to reply, but the look he gave her put paid to her voice, and all she could do was nod.
He grinned, cheeks dimpling in a way that made her heart race, thought it had barely slowed. Then, remembering their circumstances, he took her hand and placed it on his arm, immediately covering it with his own. They followed the others at pace, catching up as they reached the dining room.
Thoroughly distracted throughout the meal, Elizabeth could hardly taste her food and follow the conversation at the same time. Her plates were cleared and replaced before any of them were empty.
"Are you well, my dear?" Mr Gardiner leaned toward her when the conversation dwelt on the glories of Derbyshire, a topic that required no input from either of them.
She nodded, concentrated on eating, and did not really hear what was being said until she was directly addressed by Miss Darcy. "What did you think of Arbor Low, Miss Bennet?"
She stammered before responding, silently demanding her brain to function. "It is a marvel."
Her aunt saved her. "Lizzy and I spent hours speculating on the history of the place. Our explanations varied from the incredible to the truly fantastical."
"We got a little carried away." Elizabeth confessed.
"Indeed it is difficult not to take flights of fancy when confronted by so unlikely a phenomenon." Mr Darcy said.
Elizabeth realised she had not heard him say much during the meal and wondered if he was as overwhelmed as she.
The gentlemen removed to the library and pretty soon after joined the ladies in the drawing room. Elizabeth looked up on their entry, at first arrested by the joy bursting from Mr Darcy's features, despite his evident efforts to restrain its expression. She looked next to her Uncle and found him watching her, grinning widely, eyes sparkling knowingly.
It occurred to her then that, in place of her father, her intended had spoken to her uncle. She was relieved to have had no suspicions of it until all evidence suggested the interview had gone very well indeed.
Mr Darcy boldly moved to Elizabeth and took the seat beside her. He spoke very little but distracted Elizabeth from her conversation with Miss Darcy, which he was quite happy to observe. The subject turned to music and Miss Darcy wished to show Elizabeth a collection of manuscripts she had discovered in a shop recently, promising to take Elizabeth to the very shop at the earliest opportunity. They moved off to the music room and soon enough talked oneanother into playing.
As if magnetized, Mr Darcy moved closer. He had no wish to alert either of the ladies to his attention, but took such joy from their growing friendship, their easy laughter and willing enjoyment in playing for oneanother; they seemed quite unaware of their wider audience. Mr and Mrs Gardiner spoke quietly to oneanother, mostly observing the happy situation before them. At one point Mr Gardiner disclosed the subject of his conversation with their host to his wife, who nearly clapped in the middle of a song. Fortunately no one paid her any attention at the time and Miss Darcy, who was the only person unaware of the evening's developments, remained in the dark, if very suspicious, until her guests left.
As they put on their coats, the obliging Mr and Mrs Gardiner moved to the entrance and engaged Miss Darcy in farewells, leaving Elizabeth to her brother's attention.
He dismissed the servant and helped her with her coat himself.
"May we call on you tomorrow?" His voice was soft, his mouth close to her ear.
She could feel his warmth and guessed he stood very close behind her. "Of course." She smiled and turned to face him, fumbling to do up the buttons of her coat.
"Answer me. Say the words, Elizabeth. Else I might not believe it possible."
She looked to the door and found they were quite alone. "I don't believe I was asked a question, Fitzwilliam."
He took hold of both her hands and lifted them to his chest. "Marry me?"
Overwhelmed again, she nodded, then forced herself to speak. "Yes." She laughed, nodded, "Yes." Giving in to temptation, she pulled one hand free from his grasp and touched her gloved-fingers to his cheek, her thumb caressing the dimple there. "I will marry you." She said it as much to convince herself as him.
He lifted the hand he held to his lips and then seemed to remember something. "Why were you sad before?"
She removed her hand from his face but he held the other tight. "I was thinking how impossible it would be to often be in your company when there was no hope of this." She moved toward the door and, remembering that her party was waiting, he walked with her.
"No hope?" He was incredulous.
"I thought my connection with Mr... Wickham," she spoke his name softly as if it must pain him, "I thought it must be insurmountable. In fact it should be. I do not understand how you can bare it."
"What I cannot bare is the thought of a life without you. I know, last April, you thought me devoid of every proper feeling, but my determination to forget you failed. At Pemberley my object was to show you that your reproofs had been addressed. I hoped, but never believed, that you might yet..." He was interrupted as they joined the others and their conversation was cut-off by good-night's and till-tomorrow's.
The moment their carriage moved away, Mrs Gardiner grasped her Niece's hand, and exclaimed, "Oh, Lizzy! I am so happy for you. See? I told you it would all work out well. He is just what a young man ought to be."
Elizabeth laughed. "I would have to agree." Now that she'd begun to smile she could hardly keep her mouth from grinning.
"He is handsome and kind and generous."
Elizabeth just smiled, almost bursting with joy, still surprised herself at how the evening had played out.
"So you will forgive my impertinence and invite us to Pemberley."
Elizabeth shook her head in disbelief, the realization of what would soon come hitting her in waves: that Pemberley would be her home, that she would be Mrs Darcy, in a position to invite guests to Pemberley "I... of course. I can barely fathom... Oh, Aunt."
Mrs Gardiner embraced her and laughed. "Who would have thought?"
"You, my dear." Mr Gardiner answered the question. "Though it certainly helps to explain his generosity in arranging Mr and Mrs Wickham's affairs."
"It is too much." Elizabeth held her hand to her mouth and shook her head.
Her aunt and uncle, watched her and smiled.