Chapter Seventy-Two

W ill you propose to her, Brother?" Georgiana asked at breakfast the next morning.

"Of course; I had no opportunity to do so yesterday."

"I will be very happy to have Lizzy as a sister," Georgiana pronounced.

"As will I!" Mr. Bingley said, happily. "Admit it, Darcy; leasing Netherfield was the best thing that ever happened to any of us."

"He is right, Darcy," Mr. Fitzwilliam said, reaching for the teapot.

"Should I purchase Netherfield, think you, Darcy?" Mr. Bingley enquired, as he spread jam on his toast.

"I wish you would not," his wife said quickly.

"Really, Georgiana? I thought you liked Netherfield!"

"I do, but…"

Ah, Mr. Darcy thought. "But she would prefer to be nearer Pemberley," he guessed.

"Yes, that is it," she confessed, softly. "That is where my brother will be, and Richard will be nearby as well. And Jane, and Lizzy, too." When she turned her face beseechingly to her husband, it would have taken a far more determined man than Mr. Bingley to refuse her.

"Are there any estates for sale in the area, Darcy?" he asked.

"I will look into it directly."

"Is that all right, Brother?" Georgiana then turned to look at Mr. Darcy.

"It is more than all right, Georgiana," he replied, his voice suddenly husky. "It is perfect."

***

Mr. Darcy knew it was too early to call on Miss Elizabeth. He paced up and down Netherfield's halls, checking his pocket watch every few minutes, until his cousin finally said, "If this keeps up, Bingley will have to replace the floors to satisfy the conditions of his lease. Go, Darcy. I do not doubt that she awaits you just as eagerly. I will give you some time to secure her before I call on Jane."

Too eager to be embarrassed, Mr. Darcy went out to the stables and saddled his horse himself, waving away the stable boy. He rode slowly, rehearsing what he would say to his beloved Elizabeth. Profess his love? Of course. Assure her as to his ability to support her and their children? No; he had once offended her by discussing fortune and he would not make the same mistake again; such conversations were rightly held with Mr. Bennet. Tell her how much he respected her? She was a supporter of women's rights, so respect would be important.

Before he felt quite ready, he was at Longbourn's door. Giving his horse to Longbourn's stable boy, he knocked on the front door, heart pounding, and was soon ushered into the parlour. He could not believe his luck; Elizabeth was there alone!

"Good morning, Miss Elizabeth," he said, bowing.

"Mr. Darcy," she returned, with a curtsey. "I trust you slept well?"

"I did, and you?" Did they really have to discuss how well they slept? "Miss Elizabeth, might I have a private moment with you?"

"We are private now," she pointed out.

"But someone could come in at any moment."

"I assure you, Mr. Darcy, my mother will kill anyone who interrupts us." Her eyes were laughing.

Oh! Mr. Darcy now understood. His ardour could be contained no longer. "Miss Elizabeth, you must allow me to tell you how much – how very, very much! – I admire and love you." She opened her mouth, but he could not stop. "And I respect you, enormously, and would never dream of treating you as anything but my equal in all regards, if you would do me the very great honour –" And that was as far as he got, as she hastened to him, put her finger on his lips and whispered, "Yes. Yes to everything."

And he kissed her then, as he would have liked to have kissed her the evening before, but had not dared, with her entire family watching. She returned the kiss eagerly, melting into his arms, and then those arms pulled her as close to him as was possible. One soul, one heart, one flesh, he thought, before thought ceased entirely.

Dimly, he heard Mrs. Bennet's voice. "Good morning, Mr. Darcy."

***

Not long thereafter, he found himself in Mr. Bennet's study. He had been welcomed warmly. "Come in, Mr. Darcy. A new book was just delivered to me, and you are exactly the man I hoped to show it to."

"I look forward to seeing it, but I have a purpose in being in your study, Mr. Bennet."

"You have come to ask for my permission to marry my second daughter."

"I suppose you have been expecting this, given that you showed me where the mistletoe was hung."

"Truth be told, I have been expecting it a good long while. I thought the mistletoe might give you the nudge you needed. I believe you can support her?" Mr. Bennet asked.

"Pemberley brings in a clear ten thousand pounds a year; I have a number of smaller estates that bring in another ten thousand. I also have investments in town, as only a fool relies entirely on the land; those investments bring in about six thousand a year."

Mr. Bennet's mouth opened and then closed again. Finally, he managed, "You must be one of the wealthiest men in the kingdom, Darcy. I had no idea. Does Lizzy know?"

"She does not. She made it very clear to me early on that she had no interest in fortune, beyond what was required to maintain a wife and children."

"It is true; she is not interested in wealth, though that library you mentioned when first we met would be tempting to her."

"I will bear that in mind," Mr. Darcy answered. "And you, sir, are invited to visit it as often and for as long as you like."

Leaving Mr. Bennet's study, Mr. Darcy headed for the parlour, where he was hugged by Mrs. Bennet, who was happy to address him as "son." Richard was there as well, laughing out loud. Elizabeth's sisters congratulated him, the younger ones dancing around him, while Elizabeth watched, eyes twinkling. Seeing his discomfort at the fuss being made, she finally stepped up to rescue him.

"Poor Mr. Darcy is not used to us, Mama," she said. "Let us give him a moment to breathe. My father did not make you too uncomfortable, I trust?"

"Not at all; he told me that I should recommend myself to you by reminding you that I have a very large library at my estate in Derbyshire."

"Derbyshire! Oh, how far is your home from Chestnut Creek?"

He looked at her with all the love in the world in his eyes. She did not ask how big the house was, how many servants there were, or what her pin money would be! No, her only concern was how close she would be to her beloved sister. ‘I am the luckiest man in the world,' he thought.