Chapter 14

Once again, Elizabeth slipped out of the house before anyone else was awake. 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 intended waiting, his back turned to her. She 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 thus far, and when he finally withdrew, she was breathless and a little lightheaded. 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 tightly wrapped around his waist as she spoke, and her face was buried in his chest, making her voice a bit muffled.

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 longer than six 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 several months to wed you had your father granted his permission, though perhaps not quite so long. 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 the hair at his nape. "I know, William, I cannot understand Papa's reasoning in this case. I refused to speak to him again yesterday; I was too angry. I hope my aunt and uncle might be persuaded to pass messages since I doubt my father will be diligent in ensuring his edicts are followed. I know your honour will prevent you from replying, 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. "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 on October seventh with a licence 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."

"I hate that you must depart tomorrow, but you will still meet me in the morning, will you not?"

"I will be here waiting for you. If I write to your father while we are apart, do you believe that will have any impact on his decision? 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 it usually takes another fortnight before he bothers to reply." She groaned as she leaned her head against his chest. "I cannot understand his reasoning against our engagement. 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 about 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, of our dreams. 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 any longer than we have already done. It will be easier knowing that in just a few 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."

Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his waist when he embraced her. She snuggled into his chest as he spoke.

"It is strange, is it not, that you and I 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… simply not return?" He released her to step away and ran his fingers through his hair.

"I am certain there is no one else more suited to me," she told him earnestly. "Papa may have forbidden you to court me openly and from visiting Longbourn, but he cannot require you to depart from Hertfordshire. You could return, and we could continue to meet as we are now and at public functions."

He stared at her for a moment, his eyes wide in surprise. "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 a moment. "I am committed to returning to London on Monday with my cousin once he has matters settled here. I will speak to Bingley about his plans, but perhaps I could return to the area soon."

"My aunt and uncle intend to travel to the Lakes this summer. Originally, they planned to invite me, but, thinking that you and I would marry before they left, they decided to ask Mary instead. However, I will write and ask my aunt to invite me to accompany them since my father is being unreasonable. Do you think you could join us? That is, if my father permits me to go."

"That is one reason it may be best for me to remain away for at least a time," 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 on their journey."

Elizabeth considered this. "Perhaps. Think the matter over today, and we will 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 with each other. He will not leave his study 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."

"Ignoring his strictures goes against what I know to be right, my dear. Unwarranted they may be, but 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…" 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. "At the moment, 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 it might only make him more stubborn in his resolve."

He tightened his hold. "We will marry in six months no matter what, my dearest," he whispered. "I would not like you to do anything that might make matters worse. 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 October. I will speak with my aunt and uncle when they come. Perhaps we might arrange matters so we might have more than a quick wedding. What would you think of 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." He once again tightened his hold and dipped his face to kiss her again. "I must go, sweetheart. I will meet you here again in the morning."

Later that afternoon,Elizabeth entered her father's study and stood before him until he acknowledged her. "Well, daughter, have you come to your senses and intend to apologise for your attitude yesterday?"

She shook her head. "No, Father, I have come to ask you the same question. Will you explain your objection to Mr. Darcy? You allowed me to refuse Mr. Collins's proposal because he would have never made me happy, but Mr. Darcy will. He is intelligent and kind, a diligent master of his estate, and he cares for me. Why would you not want me to marry such a man?"

"You scarcely know him," he insisted. "How can you say such things about him? Just a few months ago, you claimed you would never dance with him after he insulted you without even being introduced to you."

"An offence for which he has apologised, and I have forgiven him, sir," she stated heatedly. "What else do you hold against him?"

He shrugged. "I am convinced he will not make you happy. He is wealthy, yes, but you hated him the entire time he stayed at Netherfield last autumn. I would never have dreamed you to be mercenary, though you have proven me wrong. Now that Bingley has returned, you have decided you wanted to marry better than your sister. You were right to refuse Collins—the man was a fool—however, you have allowed the words to convince you to marry the next man to offer for you."

"Am I mercenary or desperate, sir? You have accused me of both, though I am the first to admit those are not mutually exclusive traits. Perhaps I am both."

"Perhaps you are. Regardless, I will not allow you to throw your life away on such a stern and unfeeling man. You must know I am doing what is best for you by refusing him. You will not be happy with an arrogant and demanding husband."

He paused for several minutes, waiting for her to acknowledge her error. When she did not speak, he continued on a different topic. "Now, my dear, I need you to balance the estate accounts. Your suggestion that we rotate the crops on the home farm seems to have paid off. Johnson reports that a few tenants would like to try it next year, having seen how much better the crops seem to be doing. You will have quite the task next spring of helping them, and Johnson has already ensured we have the additional seed required to implement your idea for all the tenant farms."

He continued to speak about the steward's plans for the spring planting and Elizabeth's role at Longbourn. As she listened to him, Elizabeth had an epiphany: her father had denied her hand in marriage because he believed she should remain at Longbourn.