by Iris Lim
• • •
June 9, 1823
My darling Elizabeth,
No, I have not forgotten. I owe ten years of bliss to that fateful night, and never a day goes by that I do not consider our unlikely captivity a miracle of divine intervention. I have not overlooked your very apparent attempts at reminding me of today’s significance. I only beg your forgiveness for wanting to keep this letter a surprise to you.
If I were to describe the weight of my gratefulness for our respective misplaced bravery that evening, I shall quickly exhaust every word and thought available to man. From my thoughtless profession of being Mr. Bingley, to his sister’s cowardly claims that another woman kept the house, to your selfless admission of being said fictitious woman – every step occurred just as it ought to in order to facilitate our most desirable compromise. Have I ever taken the opportunity to relay to you how I felt when you kissed me that first night in an attempt to stop my bumbling, foolish words? All rational thought fled my mind. I knew then, right then, that I was doomed to be forever beneath your spell.
And what a spell you cast, my love! Every year I spend as your husband only serves to chain my heart and soul more securely to yours. Every dress you don, every child you bear, every breath you take reminds me anew of how blessed I am to have married a woman so brave, so wise, so beautiful and loyal. I pity every other man on Earth for never experiencing the privilege of your presence in their lives – but I revel nonetheless in my unique prerogative. I can only hope Bennet and William can grow to be as fortunate as their father.
I love you, Elizabeth, with all of my heart. No robbers, thieves, soldiers, or armies can ever sway my resolve to love you for all eternity. I thank Bo, King, and Arnold for their gifted way with making matches despite all ill intentions. Because of them, I married you. I would have married you all the same without them – but one cannot deny that they expedited things significantly for my benefit!
Thank you, darling, for sharing all that you are with me.
Yours forever,
Fitzwilliam Darcy
I hope you enjoyed this book. If you have a moment, please leave a review!
Other works by Iris Lim:
– Mothers Know Best
– Real
– Oh Brother
– Switched
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