Mid-May to June 1812
Darcy and Elizabeth's courtship was going smoothly, but a bit too slowly for Darcy's liking. Unfortunately, as harvest time approached, he was able to take the two and a half-hour trip to Sandstone only twice a week, and he could stay only for a very few hours.
They had Mr. Thompson's permission to stroll unchaperoned through the different paths of Sandstone. They took advantage of that time to talk about everyday things, like Darcy's life at Pemberley and Elizabeth's life at Sandstone, the books they were reading, music, and sometimes they even enjoyed walking together in silence. They spoke briefly of Jane Bennet only once, when Elizabeth told him that Jane would visit Sandstone in July.
With each passing day, Darcy fell more in love with Elizabeth, and it was harder for him to return to Pemberley and concentrate on his many duties and obligations as master of a great estate. Before returning to Pemberley, Elizabeth always played the piano for him.
He felt optimistic about the progress of their relationship, and he was almost convinced that it was only a matter of time before Elizabeth finally agreed to be his wife.
On this particular day, Elizabeth was coming with her grandfather to visit Pemberley for the first time, and they were staying for two days. Mrs. Reynolds had seen to it that everything in the house was perfect for her future mistress. Darcy had even ordered the piano to be tuned since he hoped Elizabeth would play for him. He also hoped that she would like Pemberly and never want to leave.
Darcy was impatiently pacing back and forth in the foyer of the house, looking out the window, hoping to spot the carriage.
Mr. Thompson was looking at his granddaughter with an amused expression while Elizabeth was looking expectantly out of both windows of the carriage. As she always happened when she was anxious, she moved her hands impatiently and bit her lip.
In the last six weeks, Mr. Darcy had completely won the older gentleman's approval, particularly since Mr. Thompson realized that the younger gentleman was deeply in love with his granddaughter and Elizabeth was falling in love with him little by little.
Although Mr. Thompson's own marriage had been very short, he had had the good fortune to have been very much in love with his wife, and Elizabeth's relationship with Darcy reminded him in many ways of his relationship with his beloved late wife.
The young couple had similar tastes, and in many important aspects, were complementary. They were both avid readers and lovers of music and country life. They spent hours chatting on any subject - sometimes topics related to Pemberley and Sandstone - they played chess, and they enjoyed walking through the gardens and paths of the estate. After several years of not riding, Elizabeth had recently started again.
"Grandfather, look! I can see Pemberley's manor from this window." Elizabeth looked at the landscape with a big smile on her face, and said, "The house itself is beautiful and harmonious with the rest of the landscape. I cannot wait to get there!"
Her grandfather laughed, saying, "I have noticed because you haven't stopped moving for the last half an hour."
"I am sorry, Grandfather. I am a little nervous."
Mr. Thompson squeezed her hand and smiled. "You shouldn't be nervous, Lizzy. I am pretty sure Mr. Darcy is more nervous than you."
"Do you think he is nervous?" Elizabeth asked curiously.
"Of course, he is nervous, Lizzy! It is very important to Mr. Darcy that you like his house, as he loves you and wants you to live with him at Pemberley."
Elizabeth smiled and nodded slightly. "You are right, Grandfather. Mr. Darcy is very lucky since there's no way anyone would not like Pemberley!"
Some minutes later, Darcy was helping Elizabeth out of the carriage and welcoming them to Pemberley.
Elizabeth looked around curiously and was visibly delighted. The house was just as beautiful on the inside as on the outside. The curtains were light-colored, the wallpapers were beautiful but not ostentatious, and the furniture was modern and elegant. There were beautiful flower arrangements and pretty porcelain ornaments on the tables.
Darcy introduced them to Mrs. Reynolds and invited them to the family dining room for refreshments. Subsequently, he accompanied them to their respective bedchambers in the family wing so they could freshen up and rest.
One hour later, they met again in the main hall, and Darcy gave them a special tour of the main rooms of the mansion. Elizabeth and her grandfather were in awe when they entered the great library. There were hundreds of books and even some ancient manuscripts from the Middle Ages.
Beaming, Elizabeth exclaimed, "Mr. Darcy, I would stay in your library forever. You have an impressive collection. It is the first time I have seen so many books together in a private collection!"
Darcy smiled broadly and proudly replied. "This library is the work of many generations of Darcys, and as you know, I like reading very much and have added several titles to the collection."
Elizabeth smiled happily, picked up a book, and exclaimed, "Is this the first edition of William Blake's 'Songs of Innocence?"
Darcy nodded. "Yes, I have several first editions of various books." He pointed to a beautiful display case with five books and said, "Those books are Shakespeare's first edition: Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, and Henry V."
Elizabeth's eyes widened in surprise, and Mr. Thompson said, "I agree with my granddaughter, Mr. Darcy. I would gladly stay in your library forever." He pointed out a sofa close to a huge window, saying, "A good book and a comfortable sofa are all I need to happily spend an afternoon."
"I agree with you, Mr. Thompson." Smiling, Darcy added, "You can stay here as long as you wish and borrow as many books as you wish."
Mr. Thompson thanked him. The three continued talking about some of the rare books in the library, and Darcy showed them an inventory of the titles. Despite the vast collection of books, the library was well organized, and it was easy to find a specific book.
Half an hour later, reluctantly, they continued the tour. The next room was the music room. There was a beautiful piano, a harp, and several comfortable armchairs. Since it was approaching dinner time, Elizabeth promised Darcy to play the piano after dinner.
They went to the familiar dining room, and a few minutes later, a footman served the first course. Elizabeth smiled when she realized that it was her favourite dish. During dinner, Elizabeth asked Darcy several questions about his ancestors and Pemberley's history. At Darcy's request, Mr. Thompson told him amusing anecdotes from when Elizabeth was a little girl.
After dinner, Elizabeth played the Moonlight Sonata, which she knew was one of Darcy's favorites.
Mrs. Reynolds, from a corner of the music room, looked at the scene with great emotion and even had to hold back tears. It was the first time she had seen her beloved master so happy and in love. The young lady, besides being very pretty, was intelligent and kind, and most importantly, she seemed to be in love with Darcy.
When she finished playing, Darcy and Mr. Thompson applauded enthusiastically and asked her to play another piece. With a big smile on her face, Elizabeth played Mozart's 40th Symphony.
As she played, Darcy gazed at her, entranced. He became more enchanted with her with each passing day. He dreamed of the day when he would have the privilege of marrying her.
That night, Elizabeth had a hard time falling asleep. The day had been perfect, in fact, it was one of the happiest days of her life. She concluded that she would be immensely happy if one day she married Mr. Darcy. The few doubts she had before coming to Pemberley completely vanished at that moment; she was in love with Mr. Darcy.
The next morning, Darcy invited his guests to stroll through the main gardens and the paths near the house. Mr. Thompson, alleging fatigue, remained seated on a bench in the central garden while Elizabeth and Darcy continued walking, chatting, and laughing.
Elizabeth was delighted and amazed; the gardens were even more beautiful than she had imagined. There were several flowers of different colours and shapes in bloom, as well as some beautiful statues and fountains.
Finally, they reached the highest point on a small hill, where they had a complete view of the gardens and the house. Darcy looked carefully at the changes in Elizabeth's face while she gazed enthralled at the landscape.
"It's so beautiful here; thank you for showing me this place."
Without thinking, Darcy replied, "You are beautiful."
The two stared at each other and smiled; unconsciously, they moved closer, and Darcy gently kissed her for the first time. Elizabeth was blushing all over, and Darcy was beaming.
A few seconds later, Darcy took her hands and excitedly said, "Elizabeth, I wish I were a poet or at least a loquacious man so I could tell you how much you mean to me. I am bewitched, body and soul, and completely in love with you. I know I am a man with many defects, but I promise you, I will do everything in my power to make you happy." He knelt down and, in an emotional voice, said, "My love, what I want most in this world is that you do me the honor of becoming my wife."
Elizabeth knelt, too, hugged him, and they sealed the proposal with a kiss.