Chapter 5

Friday, December 6, 1811

Once again, Elizabeth slipped out of the house before anyone else was awake. She repeated her activity of the previous morning, purloining a couple of baked goods to share with her intended as she made her way through the kitchen on her way out to the gardens. Soon, she was away from Longbourn's land and headed toward Oakham Mount. When she reached the summit, she was greeted by the sight of her handsome fiancée waiting for her. Immediately, she smiled and began walking a little more quickly, succeeding in sneaking up on Darcy.

He started when she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. He laid his hands on hers before spinning around to wrap his arms around her waist. "Dearest Elizabeth", he breathed before bending down to capture her lips. It was a far more passionate kiss than they had shared this far, and when he finally withdrew, they were both breathless. It took several moments for her to regain her wits, and her eyes sparkled with a teasing glint when she did.

"Was that your attempt to persuade me to depart with you straight away for Scotland?" Her arms were still wrapped tightly about his waist as she spoke, and her face buried in his chest, making her voice a bit muffled, but he still detected the teasing note.

He groaned as he buried his face in the crook of her neck. "It is a tempting idea, dearest, though perhaps not advisable. Were your birthday not only two months away, I might be tempted to find a way around needing your father's permission for us to wed, even if it meant stealing you away to my estate in Scotland. I would have expected to wait two months to wed had your father granted his permission. I only wish for the chance to see you daily and court you openly in front of your friends and neighbours."

She sighed as she caressed his hair. "I know, William, I can not understand Papa's reasoning. I refused to speak to him again yesterday; I was too angry. I hope my aunt will be persuaded to pass messages as I doubt my father will be diligent in ensuring his edicts are followed. I know your honour will likely prevent you from writing in reply, although I will not tell anyone if you find other ways to circumvent him. He has forbidden Mr. Bingley from passing messages but said nothing about anyone else doing so."

Darcy lifted his head to look at her. "You are correct, Elizabeth; other than meeting with you these few mornings, I do not intend to defy his orders any more than I have already done. I will, however, present myself at Longbourn exactly two months from tomorrow with a license in hand. I will perhaps ask your Uncle Gardiner to sign the settlement on your behalf, although you will have reached your majority on that day. Regardless of who signs the settlement, I will ensure you are well provided for, my love."

Elizabeth sucked in a breath. "I know you must depart on Monday, but you will meet me each morning until then, will you not?"

"I know I should not, and it is in direct defiance of your father's wishes, but I will be here each morning until I leave waiting for you. If I write to your father while we are apart, do you believe that will have any impact on him? Do you think he can be worked on to change his mind?"

"Papa is an indifferent correspondent at best. Most letters sit on his desk for at least a week before being opened, and then it usually takes another fortnight before he can be bothered to reply." She groaned as she leaned her head against his chest. "I cannot understand his reasoning. As much as I want to continue ignoring him, I must speak to him to learn his objection to your suit. As he has always claimed I am his favourite, why would he not want me to be happy?"

"What did you speak to him of before we arrived yesterday?" he asked.

"As soon as I entered the house after speaking with you, I heard the officers were already there visiting. So I went to see him and told him what you told me regarding Mr. Wickham. I begged him to speak to my sisters or restrict their ability to flirt with the officers. I asked him to be a parent to his daughters rather than to laugh at them as he is prone to do. I had just left him when I encountered Mr Wickham in the hallway and, well, you know how that turned out."

He made a noise in his throat that sounded almost like a growl. He started to speak but pulled her into his arms instead. "I hate to be parted from you, Elizabeth. I … I struggled against returning due to my feelings for you. I was convinced your sister did not truly care for my friend, but the dream … well, we have spoken of my dream. I did not want to live through the heartache I would have suffered, had already begun to suffer, at the thought of being away from you. It will be easier knowing that in two months, you will be mine, but still, I dread what might happen during these months. Bingley will remain and court your sister — officially this time, judging from our conversation last night. He will wait a little longer to propose and intends to marry your sister shortly after I return to marry you."

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his waist when he embraced her. She snuggled into his chest as he spoke, and he felt her stiffen at the beginning of the speech before she relaxed into his hold.

"It is strange, is it not, that we had nearly identical dreams of the future," he wondered out loud. "I was an arrogant prig and said things that were most ungentlemanly. Elizabeth, I … I know you said you love me yesterday, but … since we are unable to court, will you truly wish to marry me when I return on your birthday? Would you prefer me to … I do not know, simply not return." He released her to step away and ran his fingers through his hair.

"It is strange; I was unsure what I felt for you until Mr. Wickham approached me as he did. When he accosted me, I hoped so badly you would appear. Practically as soon as I thought it, you did. It was more than your actions yesterday, although I confess your rescue of me yesterday certainly helped," she said with a teasing glint but immediately became more serious.

"I am certain there is no one else more suited to me. Papa has forbidden you to court me openly and to visit Longbourn, but he cannot require you to depart from Hertfordshire. You could remain, and we could continue to meet as we are and at public functions."

He stared at her in surprise for a moment. "I … I had hoped to bring Georgiana here once we had dealt with Wickham. I wanted you to meet and begin to know each other. I honestly believed it would have taken longer to convince you to accept my suit." He paused for a moment, considering what she had said.

"I am committed to returning to London on Monday with my cousin. I will speak to Bingley about his plans, but perhaps I could return to the area for a time before the holiday season."

"My aunt and uncle will arrive on the twenty-third and remain until the New Year. I hope to persuade them to allow me to return to London with them," Elizabeth said. "If so, we could meet openly there. That is, if my father permits me to go and does not forbid them from allowing me to see you."

"That is one reason it may be best for me to remain away," Darcy suggested. "It is possible without us flaunting our relationship in front of him, your father will forget his strictures and allow you to accompany your relations to town."

Elizabeth considered this. "Perhaps. Think the matter over today, and we can discuss it further in the morning. I know you are reluctant to ignore my father's demand that you not contact me, but I would like to see you again before you go, even if it is only for a few minutes."

At her words, he drew her close again. "I love you, Elizabeth, more than I ever thought possible. I am gratified that you have come to love me in return and desire my presence. You are certain that you desire to wed on your birthday?"

"I am," she said, smiling brightly. "We will find a way, William. Whether Papa approves or not, we will find ways to exchange bits of news. He will not leave his book room often enough to monitor what happens in other parts of the house. If he were more diligent, he would have taken steps already to ensure I could not walk out or to ascertain if you had left the area."

"It goes against what I know to be right to ignore his strictures, my dear. Unwarranted they may be; he does have the right to forbid you from seeing me, and he has done so. It is not honourable of me to ignore him," Darcy countered.

"It is not honourable of him to refuse you without explaining the reason," she replied tartly. "I have suffered my father's indifference to his family for years; why, in this matter, has he decided to take such a ridiculous stance? I cannot understand it and do not want to be parted from you because he has decided you are a … whatever he thinks you are. He does not even have a reason to refuse you other than a complaint that you are wealthy. If Mama knew …" She stopped abruptly.

"If your mother knew … what?" he prodded.

"If Mama knew Papa had refused your suit, she would throw a tantrum the likes of which even I have never seen. I am uncertain if it would make matters better or worse at Longbourn." she sighed heavily. "I am unwilling to subject myself or the rest of my family to the chaos that might ensue. I think it could be successful, forcing my father to relent so he might gain a measure of peace, but I hesitate as it could only make him more stubborn in his resolve."

He tightened his hold slightly. "We will marry in just over two months no matter what, dearest," he whispered. "I would not like you to do anything that might worsen matters. For now, he has authority over you, and I would not want you to run afoul of him."

She laughed, bitterness creeping into her voice as she leaned back to look at him. "He has never taken a stand on anything until now. Go to London, dearest, and deal with Wickham. Begin to put things in motion so we might marry in February. I will speak with my aunt and uncle when they come. Perhaps we can arrange matters so we might have more than a quick wedding. Would you mind marrying from my Aunt and Uncle's church in town?"

"I will do whatever you like, Elizabeth. I will send a carriage to escort you to London on your birthday if you wish, and then we can make plans to marry after that. Whatever you desire, dearest," came his response. He once again tightened his hold and dipped his face to kiss her again. "I must go, sweetheart. I will remain at Netherfield until Monday and will meet you here each morning until then. Once I depart, I will keep Bingley apprised of my intentions so he can inform you."

"And I will write you a letter of introduction to take to my uncle so you can explain matters to him. Perhaps he will be able to speak to Papa when he comes for Christmastide."

After exchanging a lingering kiss, the two departed to their homes.

Author's Note: This chapter has a little more face time with ODC. In the next, we'll learn Mr Bennet's motivation.