It was agreed that, rather than returning to Longbourne, only to travel to town for her Trouseaux a few weeks later, Elizabeth would stay in London and her father would join her.
On his arrival, the engagement would be announced publically, but first Mr Darcy's family must be informed and introduced. The informing he insisted on doing alone, and Elizabeth was glad of it. She waited with Georgiana, both trying to ignore the ordeal Fitzwilliam might be going through just a few blocks away. They spent the time in the music room and it was even lovelier than Elizabeth had imagined in the morning light. They were on a first name basis before taking tea and when their fingers were tired of playing Elizabeth asked to see the garden.
"It is not so tiny as Fitzwilliam claims. He would rather not have the ballroom." Miss Darcy explained en route.
"How often does it get used?"
"It has been some time."
"I am not surprised."
"Perhaps in the future." Miss Darcy opened the door to the solarium. "I understand you first met my brother at a dance."
"Yes." She would have said more but the beautiful warm room was enchanting and distracted her completely from her intended's feelings about rooms full of strangers dancing.
"Did you dance together?"
Elizabeth hesitated to answer.
"He would not have danced with anyone if he could help it."
"He danced with Miss Bingley I believe."
Whatever Miss Darcy wanted to say in reply, she held back, opening the door to the gardens. The air was icy but there was no wind and the sun had burned off all but the last whisps of mist and fog.
"I can get another shawl if you'd like, Elizabeth."
"No, I am fine. If we get cold we can just come back in here. It's lovely. I think I might prefer it even to your music room."
"Oh, I am so glad that you will be living here – and at Pemberley."
Elizabeth smiled and took Georgiana's arm. "So am I."
"I know you and Fitzwilliam will not want me with you always, but when we are all together it will be lovely."
"What do you mean? Of course we will want you with us." Elizabeth replied and then realised she had never discussed the subject with Fitzwilliam.
"Really?"
"Well, I confess, we have not discussed it, but I... I suppose we should. This is all rather new to me. I can't see how there would be a problem."
"I am so glad it will be you. I knew he would marry one day, though he did not show much inclination for it. I was afraid he would choose someone that would make everyone else happy."
"He would always consider your happiness, Georgiana."
"But not, perhaps, his own."
"Well, I hope we will all be very happy."
"Yes. We will." Georgiana declared with a laugh. "If only we could go to Pemberley sooner. It is so beautiful in the winter. The lake freezes over and... Do you ice skate, Elizabeth?"
"Not with skates on. I walk, really, no matter the state of the ground, so in winter I occasionally end up skating."
Mr Darcy heard their laughter and followed it to the Solarium. He watched them for a minute, his mind still playing over the morning's conversation with his aunt and uncle. He wanted Elizabeth to himself but would hardly ask his sister to leave them unchaperoned.
Georgiana did not need to be asked. She made some excuse, after a cursory enquiry about the morning, and then left them. She could wait till later for a full account.
Darcy didn't know if he was comfortable with his sister's shameless desertion, but he was grateful for the opportunity it provided and took Elizabeth's hand, walking toward the large trees near the end of the garden.
She waited till he slowed down, squeezed his hand. "Well?"
He sighed and shook his head. "It is not too late to get out of this Elizabeth. You deserve better."
She lifted his hand and held it between hers, stepping so close to him that he had to look at her. She unbuttoned his glove and pulled it off, then brought his hand to her lips. "I would brave the censure of the world for you. But..." she sighed, "your family. They are... your family. I don't want to cause a break."
"They will not go so far. A break would cause a scandal."
"What did they say?"
"I would prefer not to repeat it to you."
"It could not have been a very great surprise, Fitzwilliam." She could see the clench of his jaw, a sadness in his eyes. All too well, she remembered his words at Hunsford. Any alliance between them would have been a reprehensible connection, he had said, expressley against the wishes of his family and friends... and his own better judgement.
"I am so ashamed of myself, Elizabeth."
"I know you don't feel that way anymore."
"But to hear him say what I once believed? I want to resent him, but I have this strange urge to confess the whole of it. I spent much of my childhood with the Fitzwilliams – my mother was ill – the Earl was like a second father to me." He ran his hand through his hair. "Everyone is assuming you are a fortune hunter and I have been taken in." His expression indicated just how ridiculous the notion was to him. "If they only knew you had happily rejected Pemberley and ten thousand a year."
"Not happily." She caressed his cheek.
"The mode of my address spared you any concern you might have felt in refusing me, had I behaved in a more gentlemanlike-"
She stopped his mouth with a kiss.
He resisted for a moment, out of some sense of guilt and an attempt at self-flagellation. But he could not resist her for long. He gathered her into his arms and when they parted their lips for breath he crushed her to his chest and kissed her hair. "I almost lost you for my stupid arrogant pride."
"There was a little more to it than that. Are you afraid that I will balk if your relatives are rude to me? At least you know I am not so easily frightened."
"You were not frightened away by me, but you have not met the Earl." He let her go just enough to see her face.
"I am starting to feel a little nervous about it so we best make these introductions sooner rather than later."
"Well, you'll get your wish. Lady Fitzwilliam would like to cordially invite you to her winter ball, on the evening of Friday the twenty third of February. Mr and Mrs Bingley are also invited."
She took a deep breath, then nodded.
"At least in a public setting they will behave themselves. And Colonel Fitzwilliam will champion you in the meantime. I was almost jealous at Rosings. His easy manner..."
"But you have Pemberley." She took his arm and pulled him forward, to continue on their walk.
"But no red coat."
"I like this green one." She stroked her hand down his sleeve, the thick wool pleasantly rough under her fingers. He tensed at her touch and she felt the muscles harden beneath her fingers. Desire made her reckless and she held his arm tight against her body, pressing her cheek against his shoulder.
He stopped walking and turned to kiss her forehead, her temple, the groove at the base of her ear. She shivered at each touch and brushed her lips against his jaw, then his neck. The skin there was so soft she could not resist kissing it again and again. She lifted her hand to his neck and he gasped.
"Your hands are cold." He took hold of them and huffed warm breaths against her fingers.
She grazed her fingertips against his lips, then cleared her throat. "We should go inside. Georgiana will never believe we got lost out here."
"No. But at Pemberley." His smile was full of mischief and desire.
"We won't need the excuse then." She raised a hand to check her hair.
"You look perfect."
"I'm not sure you'd find fault regardless of what you'd done to my hair."
"That's a valid sentiment."
"There was one thing I wished to speak to you about before rejoining Georgiana."
He indicated a path between some fruit trees.
"You have an orchard?"
"No." He shook his head. "Pemberley has an orchard. This is a dozen fruit trees."
She laughed and continued to her previous train of thought. "Georgiana was expressing her happiness at our forthcoming marriage, and she mentioned, in passing, that she did not expect we would want her living with us, at least not all of the time. I didn't think before I spoke – don't look surprised – I insisted we would want her and then realised we had not discussed anything beyond going to Pemberley after the wedding."
"Don't concern yourself. I avoided the subject with her because we had not discussed it. That is probably why she seemed uncertain."
"Did you want time alone after the wedding?" She asked, wanting clarity between them.
"Of course, but there is enough room for privacy and Georgiana."
"And quite a few other guests."
"What do you want to do?" He would clearly do whatever she desired.
"She should never feel unwelcome in her own home."
"But she would not want to be in the way."
"As you say, there is more than enough room to keep that from being a problem."
He grinned. "Then Georgiana will live with us."
"For as long as she desires it."
"Indeed. She may tire of catching us unawares." He stopped and pulled her around to face him. Her laughter continued through kisses, until he pulled her tight against him, his hands hot against her lower back. She felt as if her insides melted and the rest of her wanted to follow, to melt right into him. She reached her arms around him, under his coat. His back was firm and warm. His muscles flexed when he tightened his hold on her. She arched inadvertantly, then realised what they were doing.
A moment's hesitation was enough to alert him to their predicament. He rested his forehead on hers and inched away, willing his breathing to a more temperate rhythm. "Oh dear God."
"Lead us not into temptation."
He laughed and stepped away, breaking contact entirely. "Be careful what you wish for."
"Mm. I don't think you will suddenly be less than tempting."
"Miracles happen." He shook his head in happy disbelief that she found him tempting.
"Indeed."
He did not understand her serious tone of voice.
She hesitated before explaining but could not resist. "She is tolerable I suppose, but not handsome enough to tempt me." She mimicked his tone all too well. He groaned and she laughed, putting her hand on his arm in reassurance.
"You did – I knew you must have heard me. It was unforgivable."
"No. You have suffered enough. I was so willing to think ill of you after that. I cannot help but wonder, and hope, that had I not heard you that night I might have seen you for what you were."
"You saw me all too clearly."
She shook her head but knew better than to argue. "So, when did I become tempting?" They started back toward the solarium.
"If not that evening then the next time I saw you, though I would not have admitted it at the time. I was miserable that night."
"Surrounded by strangers murmuring about your income and estate."
He sighed. "I had a letter from Georgiana that day. We had been apart two weeks and I'd left her reluctantly. She was unhappy but Mrs Reynolds thought some distance would help us both. She tried so hard to sound happy but all I could think of was her sad face, her pleading apologies for disappointing me. She was alone, far away, punishing herself for... how could I be merry?"
"You are a good brother."
"She needed a father, and a mother. I was not enough." He held open the door to the solarium.
"Your sister would disagree. In fact, just as you cannot bare the thought of her punishing herself, she would not have you blaming youself." She stepped ahead and entered the house.
He took a deep breath and sighed. "You are very wise. I will never be allowed to wallow in melancholy again, I think."
She grinned, turning to face him, "Oh I don't know. You are quite handsome, brooding in the corner, looking out the window." She laughed. "Mysterious and romantic. But even more handsome when you smile. Cheering you up might be too tempting to resist."
"And what method will you use to do it?" He took her hand, placing it on his arm and leading her into the house, in search of Georgiana.
"Oh, I can think of several."
Georgiana appeared in the hallway in front of them, smiling softly, waiting patiently.
"Georgie, we are all going to the Matlock's winter ball next week. Elizabeth will have the good fortune of meeting the entire family in one fell swoop."
Georgiana had the courtesy to try to hide her fear at the thought, so only looked nervous.
Elizabeth stepped forward, letting go of her intended's arm. "You and I might need to go shopping then."
Georgiana smiled and took Elizabeth's hand excitedly. "I know just the place!"