Chapter 11

Elizabeth left her house early the next morning, taking muffins from the kitchen that she planned to share with her intended as they talked. He was already waiting for her at Oakham Mount, and before a single word could be exchanged, he took her into his arms and kissed her with passion and longing.

"I have missed you, my darling girl," he breathed when he finally released her.

"And I have missed you, William," she replied, still a little dazed from his kiss. "But we do have much to speak about."

He nodded and stepped further away to fetch the blanket that was attached behind his horse's saddle. "I brought this so we might sit and talk."

After they both settled on the blanket, Elizabeth leaning on Darcy's shoulder, she began to speak. "Papa seems to think that you and Mr. Bingley will go away again soon. He does not think that you would lower yourself to marry someone like me. All of my life he has called all of us girls ‘silly' and I did not think much of it, since he claimed that I was the exception. However, I realised that he was actually lumping me in with my mother and sisters, still considering me only a little less silly than the others. In particular, I recall him saying not long before your party arrived at Netherfield last autumn, ‘they have none of them much to recommend them; they are all silly and ignorant like other girls; but Lizzy has something more of quickness than her sisters.'"

She sighed and leaned into him a little more, and his arm came up around her shoulder. "I thought it was praise, but in truth, I should have recognised it for the slight it was intended to be."

Pulling her a little more tightly into his embrace, Darcy looked down in concern. "What made you realise this?"

Elizabeth did not respond for several moments. Finally, she replied. "I think it was when he told me I had nothing to offer a man like you and laughed at me for suggesting that you might have any intentions toward me, at least not honourable intentions."

She felt his whole body stiffen behind her. "What did he mean by that?"

"Merely that you would leave in a few months just as you did before. He encouraged me not to give you my heart—or anything else—that could not be recovered when you left to marry a woman with more beauty and a larger dowry," she replied.

"Elizabeth, there is no one else I want. I cannot fathom there being another woman in the world more ideally suited to me than you. Without a doubt, you are the handsomest woman of my acquaintance."

She turned to him to smile appreciatively at him. "I do know how you feel about me, though I appreciate the reinforcement. I am more troubled at my father's low opinion of me, of all my sisters, than I am at his words. While Mama's matchmaking can be difficult to take at times, at least she is worried about our futures. She may be worried about her own future just as much, but at least she is thinking of it."

Darcy pulled her more tightly into his embrace, leaning down to kiss her temple. "You have nothing to worry about, Elizabeth. I will take care of you and any of your family members who need it."

She turned in his arms to kiss him lightly on the lips. "Thank you, William."

"Elizabeth, as soon as we marry, your family will be mine. I will do what I can to ensure they are provided for. Have no care about that."

She relaxed back into him. "We can purchase a house for them in Meryton. Mama would like to remain near her friends and her sister, I think. Besides, as much as I love my mother, I would not want her to live with me."

Darcy smiled at that. "Pemberley is a very large house, Elizabeth. It would be entirely possible for her to share the house and for you not to see her very often."

That made Elizabeth laugh. "I am not sure what to think of that comment, William. While the idea of avoiding Mama in such a large house is appealing, the idea that I am soon to be mistress of it is frightening." She looked around and noted the position of the sun in the sky. "Come, William, it is time for me to return home. You and Mr. Bingley will call later, will you not?"

He nodded before standing. Turning, he assisted her in rising from the blanket, which she folded and helped him attach to the saddle. Once that was done, he took her into his arms and kissed her. After several moments, he released her lips, but continued holding her.

"Will you teach me to ride?" she asked after a moment.

He glanced down at her. "You do not know how?"

"I know the basics, but Papa did not keep appropriate horses for us to ride. We had one, Nelly, who Jane would sometimes ride, but since I could walk faster and further than the horse could, I just never bothered," she replied with a shrug. "I prefer to walk, but I think that I would like to learn. I know how much you enjoy the activity."

That made him grin, causing Elizabeth to grin wider. She adored seeing him smile, especially when he displayed her dimples. "I would love teaching you to ride. Not only that, but I would adore riding with you once we are at Pemberley. There are many places on the estate that we can reach only on horseback. Now, we must depart for now. May I speak to your father today?"

"It might be best to wait a few more days," she replied, and noticed his face fall. "I do not want to delay our announcement, but I want to try to speak to Papa one more time before you approach him. I am not certain how receptive he will be."

Darcy nodded at that. "Very well, I will wait a few more days, but no later than Monday. I am ready to have our engagement acknowledged publicly and to set a date for our wedding."

"Monday would be ideal. We can have the banns read the next Sunday and can marry immediately after they are finished. Have you already written to the rector in Kympton?"

"I will do so immediately upon my return to Netherfield. I will arrange the message to be sent by express on our way to Longbourn," he replied.

"Good," Elizabeth said before kissing him one more time.

Darcy and Bingleycalled again that afternoon and spent a half an hour sitting in the parlour with the Bennet ladies. Mr. Bennet did join them for a few minutes though he mainly stared at both gentlemen and said nothing. Darcy attempted to engage him in conversation, but each conversational gambit was shut down with one-word answers. After several minutes of this, Mr. Bennet made his excuses and departed again for his study.

Once everyone had finished their tea, Bingley suggested they go for a walk in the garden. The younger girls did not care for the exercise, but Jane and Elizabeth gladly accepted the invitation. After donning their pelisses and bonnets, they met the gentlemen in the garden where they broke into couples.

"Have you and Mr. Bingley spoken about Jane?" Elizabeth asked softly.

Grimacing, Darcy only nodded, but did not reply right away.

"What did he say?" she prodded.

"He cares for her, but he is uncertain what to do. He has listened to his sister entirely too much, and that has made him question everything he thought before about your sister."

"So he is undecided then?"

"I hope he merely needs some time with Miss Bennet to remind himself how much he cares for her. Away from his sister, he might be able to come to a decision by himself," Darcy replied.

"I think Jane still cares for him, but she is uncertain about a future with him after all that has happened. It will take some time for her to feel comfortable again."

"And I am encouraging Bingley to make this decision on his own. If he asks, I will try to ask questions that force him to evaluate the situation. I will still advise when needed, but my goal is to ask the questions that will enable him to reach the decision on his own. I have already employed this strategy a few times with decisions he needed to make about the estate."

"If he and Jane decide to pursue a relationship, this is the type of thing they will need to work through together. Jane also struggles to make decisions or to think poorly of anyone. Even after Miss Bingley cut the connection by never visiting, she makes excuses for her. I think she is finally starting to realise that Miss Bingley is not her friend, but that took both my aunt and me a significant amount of effort to convince her of that much."

Darcy sighed heavily. "I have the same difficulty with my friend. However, for now, I prefer to speak of more pleasant things. Richard will arrive tomorrow instead of Monday as he originally planned. He will call on Colonel Forster shortly after he arrives and then we will visit Longbourn."

"What will happen to Mr. Wickham after that?" she asked.

"That will be determined by Colonel Forster. I have with me the receipts of what I have paid for him over the years, and you said that credit for the militia has been limited. The militia is not to remain in Meryton for much longer, so if Wickham behaves, nothing may happen. If Wickham protests or attempts to create problems, then he might be punished by the militia. Or he can go to Marshalsea since I doubt he will have the funds to pay back what he owes," Darcy replied.

Elizabeth changed the subject to something joyful. "And on Monday you will speak to Papa, and we will begin to plan for our wedding. I am suddenly very grateful for my aunt's insistence to start ordering my trousseau while we were in London. There are too many worries here, and I am ready to be married to you."

"So am I," Darcy whispered, leaning close to her ear as he spoke. Her answering shiver made him grin.

A call from the house forced them to step apart, since they were far closer than propriety allowed for friendly acquaintances. Darcy struggled not to groan at the loss. The two couples returned inside, and then the gentlemen took their leave, with Mrs. Bennet encouraging Jane to see Mr. Bingley out. Elizabeth accompanied them to farewell Darcy, and this time he managed a brief kiss to her hand.

"I love you, Elizabeth," he whispered and was delighted when she said it back.