39

The next few days were amongst the happiest ever seen at Cameron Court. Elizabeth had been astonished by Jane and Charles’s swift reconciliation, but the couple appeared truly at peace. More than that, they were radiant with their newfound ease of affection for one another. Jane had done a marvellous thing in forgiving her husband, and the effect was impressive. She and Charles were like new lovers together, flirting and jesting and taking every opportunity to touch.

Elizabeth could only repent her own peevishness in speaking ill of him to Jane, and in accepting that she had been quite wrong, she was able to dispel her vexation with Captain Darcy for keeping his friend’s secret.

The rains cleared just in time for the arrival of the remaining guests for their house party. Lady Anne Darcy and her granddaughter Lou, Mary and her husband Mr. Thompson and their son, and Charlotte – now a very self-satisfied Mrs. Goulding – all arrived the day after the Collinses. The day after that, the Bingleys were surprised to welcome a few of Captain Darcy’s relations. Lord Ambrose Russell and his wife, Lady Isabel had been invited by Colonel Fitzwilliam, whose father the Earl of Matlock travelled with them.

The Gardiners had also invited a guest at Lydia’s behest – their friend from Brighton, Madame Piedmont. Her cousin, Sir Samuel Birch – once an unwanted suitor and overall nuisance to Elizabeth – had recently wed the earl’s equally obstreperous daughter Lady Amelia. Madame Piedmont was happy to make the most of such a family connection when she discovered the Earl of Matlock was robust for his middle fifties, still strikingly handsome, and several years a widower.

It seemed that love was in the air for nearly everyone. Charlotte’s husband had been kept at home by matters of business, but his bride was full of praise of him, and delighted to see so many happy couples and promising courtships. Elizabeth even heard Lady Anne observe to Charlotte in an unguarded moment, “I do wonder if there is anything particularly exciting in the air in this part of Yorkshire, to invite such an amorous atmosphere.”

Elizabeth certainly felt the effects of such ambiance as this – Lydia and Colonel Fitzwilliam made sure of that. The pair had gone to great lengths to arrange entertainment the day before the ball that lent itself perfectly to sunny harmony between all the couples. To call it a picnic would not have done the event justice, for it was an outdoor spectacular that was modelled after the summer celebrations at Pemberley that Captain Darcy had told Elizabeth of the week before.

Elizabeth had shared the description of these parties with her sisters, and Lydia had collaborated with the colonel to bring about just such a celebration. The manor house was at capacity, to Charles’s unceasing raptures, with twenty adults and fourteen children in residence, though Chloe Piedmont protested the fact that she was still a year away from being out.

But all thirty-four residents of Cameron Court were wildly contented to be out of doors on a day so warm and bright a day that the colonel suggested Lydia had enacted some style of sorcery to control the weather so perfectly. The gentle wind was ideal for flying kites, and the colonel had obtained several. A variety of lawn games had been set up on the south lawn, with tents erected near the pond for the guests to dine, converse in the shade on chaises and chairs that had been arranged for their comfort, and offer a vantage point to watch the boats sail across the pond.

Charles had spared no expense in indulging Lydia’s grandiose plans, and would even have purchased fireworks if he had been able to find them on such short notice. Instead, he declared they should be rather pagan in their springtime revels, and conclude with a bonfire at dusk, burning excess lumber from the now-finished dower house as well as recently cleared away trees and brush that had not survived the winter.

He was determined that his wife should be pleased with every pastime and every moment of the day, and followed her attentively wherever she went, complimenting Jane on being such a fine hostess and ensuring she had enough to eat, soft cushions to recline upon, and a thorough victory in croquet and lawn bowls.

Elizabeth and Captain Darcy were equally inseparable. They pushed the twins in their pram for a while, observing the merriment around them, and revelling in the compliments Elizabeth received from everybody over her two lovely children. When privacy allowed, they spoke of Charles and Jane’s reconciliation.

“I hope I shall not alarm you in speaking of the painful knowledge I kept secret,” Captain Darcy said.

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow. “Surely you know that I would never quarrel with you on so fine a day.”

“Oh – no – I….” Captain Darcy stammered.

But Elizabeth interrupted him with laughter, and waved her hand as if to dispel the tension. “I was only ever cross about it in that moment of terrible shock. But what you said on the subject then is all that need be said, for your reasoning was sound. I understand your choices, and am only sorry that you were forced to make them at all. I cannot argue that you ought to have done otherwise, and it has all turned out remarkably well.”

Captain Darcy smiled broadly at her. “It has indeed, and you deserve some share of the credit, I am sure.”

“I cannot entirely agree,” Elizabeth said. “I spoke more harshly of Charles than Jane could like, but I have come to regard her fortitude in forgiving him, and she insists that I am partially responsible for her inspiration to do so. It does seem that everyone is of our thinking, in looking to the future rather than the past. We have all been too apt to dwell upon it.”

“Perhaps we ought to look toward that oak tree just at the edge of the grove,” Captain Darcy said, pointing out the one in question. Charles was aloft in its branches.

Elizabeth gaped and then laughed as she watched young Henry Russell and Ned Gardiner begin to clamber up the branches, while Chloe Piedmont clapped her encouragement at them from the safety of the ground near the base of the tree. Finally Charles let out a hoot of excitement as Henry retrieved the badminton racket that had caught in one of the branches and presented it to its owner with a gallant bow. A few minutes earlier, Elizabeth had observed Chloe hurl the racket in frustration, amidst a string of eloquent French obscenities that had carried on the gentle breeze.

Captain Darcy gave a low chuckle. “I wonder what my Aunt Isabel shall make of that interesting duo,” he mused, tipping his head in the direction of Henry and Chloe.

“Or that one,” Elizabeth quipped, inclining her own head toward the Earl walking arm in arm with Madame Piedmont along the pond. “Perhaps we should go and ask her. I should like to speak more with your aunt; she seems a charming woman.”

The nanny had come to collect the young Collins children and their cousin, Mary’s son, and Elizabeth signalled to Mrs. Brooks that her children ought to accompany their cousins to the nursery for a feeding and a nap. After bidding the twins farewell for now, Elizabeth and Captain Darcy searched the ground, full of activity, for the Russells.

Her three youngest sisters had gone to encourage Mr. Collins, Mr. Thompson and the colonel, who were shooting arrows at an archery target. Jane and Charles had each taken control of a high-flyer, and Charlotte wielded a third, to the amusement of the Gardiner and Russell girls. The Websters and the Gardiners played croquet together nearby, and under one of the tents by the pond, Lady Anne sat with little Lou on her lap as the child spoke with great animation to Lord and Lady Russell.

Ned Gardiner had wandered in that direction. He picked three apples off the table, deftly juggled them to the applause of all, and then handed one of the apples to Lady Anne and then crouched as he handed the other to little Lou. A minute later the trio sauntered off to watch the high-flyers together, and Ned garnered further admiration from the ladies as he managed to get a fourth colourful kite aloft in the air.

As Elizabeth and Captain Darcy meandered toward the tent, arm in arm and utterly rhapsodic, the Russells perceived them and waved merrily. “Aunt Isabel, Uncle Ambrose,” Captain Darcy said as he escorted Elizabeth to a chaise opposite the one occupied by the Russells.

“Lord Russell, Lady Russell, I am very pleased you are in attendance. I suppose you must be the guests of honour, having inspired such a celebration as this,” Elizabeth said.

Lord Russell smiled warmly and said, “You must address us as Will does, as aunt and uncle. I understand you are soon to be engaged to my nephew.”

Lady Isabel looked at her husband with wide eyes and a bemused smile, while Captain Darcy turned a violent shade of red. Elizabeth gave Lord Russell one of her brightest mischievous smiles. “The colonel certainly makes free with the truth, my goodness. Though perhaps I ought to pay him back in kind and refer to him as my future brother, for I am sure you have observed his manner with my sister Lydia.”

Lady Isabel laughed. “Richard was quite right, you are pleasingly impertinent – just what our William needs. And Miss Lydia seems perfectly designed for Richard. Spirited girls are celebrated in our family.”

“As much as the gentle and sweet ones, such as Lady Anne and Georgiana. It remains to be seen which little Miss Louisa shall become, though I believe I can guess,” Lord Russell said, giving Elizabeth a playful wink. “I have heard much of your wit and vivacity, Mrs. Lucas. I worked with your husband at the Office of the Admiralty.”

“Did you?” Elizabeth brightened. “I never knew of that.”

“Yes, Will recommended him to me when they returned to England a few years past, and I was pleased when I was finally able to offer Captain Lucas an opportunity to advance himself as a very talented strategist. He is a clever fellow, and especially devoted to you, my dear.”

It was a little jarring that Lord Russell had slipped in referring to Olly in the present tense, but Elizabeth was determined not to be discomfited. She was eager to hear more. “I suppose you must have known him well.”

“I worked with him on the operations that led to Trafalgar, a few months before the battle. It was my last assignment before I finally retired, to my wife’s delight.”

“And relief,” Lady Isabel interjected, giving Elizabeth a knowing look.

“He was a great favourite of Lord Nelson, you know.”

“I thought he was making that up!” Elizabeth laughed and shook her head in amazement, glowing with pride.

“I can well believe that,” Lord Russell said with a guffaw. “Ah, what a capital fellow! A first-rate jokester, he made even the dullest war councils bearable with his japery. Lord Nelson appreciated his levity as much as his intelligence, I believe. Your husband fought bravely at his side – was at his side when the Admiral was wounded, and sat with him until the end.”

Elizabeth let out a little gasp of awe, which Captain Darcy echoed before asking. “When did you last see him?”

“When the injured were brought ashore. It was very chaotic, in the aftermath of the battle; such scenes are all confusion, even after a decisive victory. Lord Nelson lingered only a few hours before… and Captain Lucas went on to his reward the very next day.”

Elizabeth looked down at the lavender dress she had donned for the occasion, after six months of black and dark grey. “Oh. It appears I shall not be in half-mourning until tomorrow.”

Lady Isabel smiled. “You are a lovely creature, Mrs. Lucas – may I call you Lizzy? I have heard nearly everyone else do so, and I find it charming – but black does not suit you as well as I daresay colours do.” She glanced over at Captain Darcy, who nodded his agreement.

“She is especially lovely in the greens she favours for her morning walks,” he observed.

“And I am sure both of your families have had enough of mourning for a lifetime,” Lady Isabel said gently.

Elizabeth could sense that the woman shared her desire to turn the subject to happier things. “I am glad to be out of black on such a lovely day as this. Are you enjoying the revels?”

“It is a delight to see our old family traditions brought back,” Lady Isabel said.

“Captain Darcy had told me a great deal about your summertime celebrations at Pemberley.”

Lady Isabel glanced over at her nephew. “Come now, Lizzy, I am sure we must all address one another less formally – is that not right, Will?”

“Certainly,” he agreed with a nod of his head.

Elizabeth had used his Christian name before, but she had not yet begun to make a habit of it. Determined not be daunted now, she said, “Will has told me a great deal about it, and I am glad I shared it with my sister, for she and the Colonel have done splendidly in bringing the day’s activities about,”

“And of course we shall pretend they did it for the mere frivolity of it all, and not because interested parties had any particular intentions toward certain persons,” Lord Russell said with a waggle of his eyebrows as he looked between Elizabeth and Captain Darcy.

“But we do mean to set the example,” Lady Isabel said gaily. “Allow me to invite you to join the activities.”

“Yes, indeed,” her husband cried. “What a capital crop of young people here, eh? No more talk of mourning, when the pair of you have endured enough of that for a lifetime. We have a few hours yet until the races, and we might speak to everyone, and sample every pastime.”

Lord Russell stood and extended his hand to his wife, and Captain Darcy mirrored the gesture in helping Elizabeth to her feet. “The races?”

“Why, yes, Lizzy,” Lady Isabel said, gesturing to where nearly a dozen small boats had been placed in a tidy row along the far side of the pond. Each one might hold two or three passengers. “Has Will not told you of the tradition we have for our boat race?”

“It is always better to leave something for later,” Captain Darcy drawled, giving his aunt a wink.

Lord Russell raised his eyebrows and grinned. “Well, capital!”

For the next few hours, Elizabeth and Darcy remained merry in the company of his aunt and uncle. Together they played croquet with the Gardiners and lawn bowls with the Bingleys, and then took over the high flyers with the Collinses and Richard and Lydia when the children all ran off to play hide-and-seek.

Eventually, Elizabeth – a great favourite of all the children – was entreated to join in their game, and Captain Darcy followed suit. They found themselves in a maze of boxwoods near the west of the manor, and soon Lydia, the colonel, and the Websters began to play with them as well.

Elizabeth had intended only to enjoy the children’s merriment; she had not planned the thrilling opportunity to secret herself away with Captain Darcy, but it was naturally inevitable. They soon found themselves crouched behind a tall stretch of shrubbery at the back of the maze, and they were utterly alone. Captain Darcy’s hand found hers as if of its own volition. “I liked hearing you call me Will,” he whispered.

“It sounded quite nice on my lips,” she laughed. And then his gaze landed on her mouth, and her high humour took a turn to something even better. She was in his arms before she knew it, and his proximity was all the cue her body needed to respond, for her arms curled instinctively around his neck as he bent down to kiss her.

It was perhaps for the best that Chloe Piedmont discovered them, for after several minutes locked together with her lover, Elizabeth’s dishevelled hair sported a few small leaves as decoration. Chloe was excessively diverted, and declared Captain Darcy the next searcher in their game. With a playful whoop of joy, Elizabeth took off running, glad that she and Captain Darcy had not been too carried away. But oh, was it wonderful to think of.

When there was perhaps an hour of daylight left, Charles and the colonel beckoned everyone to the pond for the boat race. The older contingent of their party – the Russells, the Gardiners, the Earl, Lady Anne, and Madame Piedmont – were to be the judges of the race. Everyone else began to clamber into the boats. Charlotte took the Gardiner girls in her boat, the Websters took the Russell daughters, and Henry partnered swiftly with Chloe, declaring that he hoped she could manage an oar better than a badminton racket.

Ned Gardiner looked a bit jealous, but indulged little Lou by putting her in his boat, which earned him a smile of approbation from Elizabeth. The girl had been Ned’s shadow since he delighted her with his juggling, and Elizabeth was pleased to see her young cousin behaving so brotherly toward the ward of her beloved. She considered Jane’s attitude toward Marcus, and realised that she may soon be like a mother to the precocious Darcy child.

Captain Darcy was to share her boat, and the remaining couples took the last three boats. Lord Russell made a great show of inspecting their readiness, and then stepped to the side. A footman presented him with a small chest, from which he drew a pistol. He pointed it toward the distant tree line and fired, sending a flurry of birds from the surrounding branches as the race began.

The colonel and Lydia took an early lead, with Lord Webster and Charles each rowing vigorously in swift pursuit. Colonel Fitzwilliam was in fine spirits, calling out taunts to Captain Darcy and Mr. Collins. The latter gave chase, but Elizabeth’s companion did not. He smiled enigmatically at her and said, “There will be a surprise for many at the end of this race.”

“I had gathered as much,” Elizabeth replied archly. She was obliged to nearly shout to be heard, for in addition to the noise of the boats traversing the water, there were also many shouts from their friends on the water’s edge. Aunt Madeline was cheering for her Henry, while her husband shouted his encouragement to the Bingleys. Lady Anne cheered for her son and daughter, and soon Madame Piedmont, the Earl, and the Russells followed suit until there was a chaotic chorus of hurrahs that Elizabeth could not at all make sense of. It was delightful.

When all the of the boats were nearly across, Lady and and Lady Isabel unfurled a spool of red ribbon, each holding one end as they moved in separate directions at the other end of the pond. They stopped when they were each positioned to hold the ribbon about six feet out, parallel to the water’s edge. Lord Russell was ready to determine which boat crossed the finish line first, joined by the Earl and Lady Piedmont, who clung excitedly to one another.

Three boats neared the ribbon in close contention – the Colonel and Lydia, the Collinses, and the Bingleys, and Captain Darcy began to row faster, soon overtaking the Bingleys. Elizabeth was sure he would overtake the Collinses as well, but Captain Darcy slowed again before he could pass them. Before Elizabeth could urge him on, Colonel Fitzwilliam called for Lydia to lean out and reach for the ribbon. She caught it in her hand just as her boat stopped in the sand where the water became too shallow. As she squealed with glee, the Collinses came ashore beside her, and Captain Darcy propelled them the rest of the way. He and Elizabeth were declared the third place couple.

Captain Darcy leapt out of the boat with ease, and turned to assist Elizabeth. She hesitated at the shallow water, and Captain Darcy scooped her in his arms, carrying her to dry ground. The other gentlemen followed suit with their ladies.

Lord Russell and the others came forward to congratulate the winner, and after he shook hands with the colonel and gave Lydia an outlandishly courtly kiss on the hand, the earl extended his own hand to Mr. Collins. “And we have our runner up!”

As the Earl of Matlock held Mr. Collins’s hand up in the air, eliting applause from everyone, Lord Russell turned and took a proffered dish from a waiting footman. It was a pie tin brimming with frothy meringue, and in a swift movement it connected with Mr. Collins’s face.

More applause ensued, and Colonel Fitzwilliam clapped his stunned friend on the shoulder. “We are near enough family that you have earned a share in our odd tradition. It is a distinction of great honour.”

Madame Piedmont, laughing wildly, swiped a bit of meringue from Mr. Collins’s face and deposited it in Kitty’s mouth, which had hung agape in bemused astonishment. “It is delicious,” she laughed. Mimicking Lady Piedmont, she wiped away a large enough swath of meringue from her husband’s face to reveal the deep blush he wore, and again she tasted it gleefully.

“So this is the surprise you were saving,” Elizabeth teased Captain Darcy.

“And the reason I did not row faster,” he replied.

“Oh yes, I like this tradition very much.”

He grinned. “I am glad that Pemberley has not seen the last of it.”

***

The sun was setting, and Darcy was content to watch it sink below the distant forest in a colourful display, with the woman he loved at his side. They sat alone on a chaise in one of the open canvas tents, an easy silence between them as he took the liberty of placing his arm about her shoulders. It felt utterly right and perfect.

The bonfire had just been lit when his aunt and uncle joined them. After a few minutes of easy conversation about the day’s amusements, Lady Isabel was ready to lead her husband away to speak with the Gardiners, when she turned back and approached Darcy.

“I nearly forgot, when we were speaking earlier – there is something I meant to give you.” She reached into a pocket concealed by the voluminous skirts of her gown, and withdrew a small box. There could be no mistaking what it contained. In the pink glow of the falling evening, he could see her eyes glimmer with emotion, and he knew what she intended.

“This belonged to my mother, your grandmother. Lady Anne and Georgie have no need of it, though I believe you might.” His aunt gave him a tender smile before walking off with her husband. As they retreated, Lady Isabel and Lord Russell stopped and spoke with everybody they passed, and seemed to be drawing the others away from the tent where Darcy and Elizabeth sat. The rest of their friends gathered near to the bonfire, which had still not fully begun to blaze.

They were practically alone together, and Darcy turned the box about in his hand, his eyes not leaving Elizabeth. There was a moment of hushed stillness as the distant activity of their friends suddenly ebbed, the sound of crickets, crackling fire, and gently lapping water a serene symphony, and he could imagine them the only two people in the world.

“You have been clear that you wished me to use the ball as an opportunity for our courtship to come to its natural conclusion, and yet I can think of no better moment than this. I can wait no longer to speak my heart, though you have long known how I love you.”

Elizabeth leaned into him, gazing up with her eyes wide and bright in the fading dusk. She slowly traced her fingers over the little box in his hand, and then moved to gently stroke his fingers. “I love you more than ever, and I have never been so happy as I have been this day, with everyone we hold dear making merry around us. I am ready to hear as much as you wish to say, Will.”

“Our families do blend extraordinarily well together,” he said. “I never imagined such a thing, such happiness for myself – until I met you. Since that day, every happy memory I have cherished has been about you, every hope for the future has revolved around you, dearest, loveliest Elizabeth. I clung to such thoughts in our time apart, and since we have been here together, I have been blessed with a second chance and a still brighter vision of what our love could be – our life together.”

The pink and orange sky had gone deeper blue and violet, the first stars finally visible, and the distant fire suddenly roared to life, inciting a hum of appreciative awe from their friends. Fireflies drifted out across the tall grass of the meadow beyond the pond, and yet the most enchanting sight of all was Elizabeth. Her face glowed golden in the flickering light of the bonfire, the distant laughter somehow rendering her even more lustrous. He had begun to lean his head toward her when she pressed up against him and kissed him.

Darcy cupped her face in his hand, and she lifted her fingers to brush his. This was not a passionate kiss as the others they had shared, but slow and deliberate – a promise. They moved rhythmically together until he had drawn her fully into his arms, and after what felt like forever and yet a mere moment, he pulled away enough to say, “Is that a yes, my love?”

She gave a breathy laugh. “It will be when you ask me a question.”

He brushed his nose against hers, and then gave her another quick kiss. “Elizabeth, would you find it tolerable to marry me?”

“Yes, my love. I thought you would never ask.”

Darcy’s heart was pounding as if it might burst. She was his. After two and a half years of soaring bliss and plummeting despair, Elizabeth would be his wife. He tugged at her glove, sliding it off and then gingerly opening the little box. He knew the ring, a round opal surrounded by small, shimmering diamonds. He slipped it onto her finger, and she held her hand up to admire it. “Beautiful.”

“You certainly are,” he said before covering her beautiful hand in gentle, worshipful kisses.