Spinning, she pointed her finger at him, shaking it as if he was the one whom she held in anger. “What do you intend to do about this, Darcy? Will you allow this upstart to continue to defile our good name by attempting to attach herself to you? For when I asked directly if she would promise never to enter into an engagement, she would not. Can you believe her arrogance? Without remorse, she stood in front of me like a stone tower, her arms folded in pride and a look of defiance on her countenance. I took no leave of her and resolved to approach you so we can join together to remove this threat. She cannot be worked upon.”
Elizabeth? His Elizabeth Bennet had stood firm against the ire of his aunt? He could hardly breathe as a frisson of hope wove its way from one chamber in his chest to the other. By the time his aunt’s threats had fully penetrated his brain, he called for his carriage to be readied and his bags to be packed.
“I vow to take care of this immediately,” he promised as he left Lady Catherine standing in the middle of his study.
“I had no doubt you would,” was her reply.
Darcy could not keep the grin from his face. As he ascended the stairs to his chambers, he calculated how long it would take before they arrived in Hertfordshire. Only for a brief moment did he worry about his aunt’s suffering when she found out the truth. He would humble himself to the extent necessary to guarantee Miss Elizabeth Bennet would become Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy. For once, the math was easy. One plus one equaled two. Perfect!
Fortunately for him, the late August days were long. Bingley was at the home of his beloved. Within a few short minutes after arriving in Hertfordshire, Darcy mounted his horse for the ride to Longbourn to inform his friend he had a guest and to see Elizabeth.
It was with delight Darcy spied both Bingley and Elizabeth strolling with Miss Bennet in the garden outside Longbourn. Instead of entering the house to present himself to Mr. and Mrs. Bennet as was proper, Darcy handed over his horse and headed directly to where he most wanted to be.
If he could go by first impressions, he would be married within a month. However, Elizabeth’s initial response quickly faded, which made his heart throb.
Once the greetings were dispensed with, Bingley and Miss Bennet walked to the left where the path diverged. Darcy and Elizabeth went right.
“Is all well at Longbourn?” It was not the most brilliant of questions, yet it was all he could come up with. The mere presence of the lady tied his tongue into knots.
“Sir, pray allow me to thank you for all you did for my errant sister. While much can be blamed on the exuberance of youth, the majority of fault lies with her selfish foolishness. To attach herself to such a man…I cannot conceive of a happy resolution for either of them.”
Discomfort made him fidget. Stopping by a bench which was secluded under a wisteria arbor, they sat in silence. Truly, he had not wanted to address this subject. But he should have known Elizabeth would not shy away from an unpleasant topic. Despite having a much more interesting task to perform, that of wooing the fair lady, he responded, “If you must thank me, only do so for yourself as I thought only of you.”
“Mr. Darcy, I…”
“Did you enjoy Pemberley?” he interrupted, deciding he had said all that needed said. “Would you ever like to return?”
She shook her head slightly while the corners of her lips turned down. “You will not allow me to grovel—to express my sincere appreciation for all you have done while I, who have been wrong, so terribly wrong, attempt to find the words to adequately express how much better of a person you are than me? Mr. Darcy, you are unfair.”
“No, I am fair,” he insisted. “I see no benefit to either of us to argue over who holds the larger burden of error. We can do nothing to undo what has been done nor can we change the decisions others have made.”
“Why?”
All of her reticence was gone. He studied her face closely. Her eyes sparkled. The blush on her cheeks was a lovely shade of light rose. Her beautiful lips were not pinched. When she tilted her chin up to look directly at him, he thought he saw welcome. However, he had been wrong before.
Deciding to leave nothing to chance, he asked again, “Would you like to return to Pemberley?”
She did not hesitate. “I would.”
He felt the cold restraints in his chest loosen.
“Elizabeth, if you came and I asked you to stay, would you?”
“Yes,” she whispered for his ears only.
“Forever?”
“Yes.”
“Then you feel differently about me than you did at Hunsford in April?”
“I do.”
“Differently enough to allow me another opportunity to appeal to your heart with mine?”
“I would love nothing better, Mr. Darcy.”
“Fitzwilliam.”
“Then, I would love nothing better, Fitzwilliam.”
She smiled, the red deepening in her cheeks as the chunks of ice broke away completely from his rapidly beating heart.
Removing his gloves, he placed them on the bench. Taking her hands, first one then the other, he pulled the fabric from each finger until her palms rested on his own.
Any morsel of chill, any fragment of ice evaporated into nothingness. For the first time in years, he felt free—free to feel the good emotions life offered. Free to love.
“Miss Elizabeth Bennet, when I told you in Kent that I ardently admired and loved you, I meant every word I uttered. Yet, when I looked back on the condition of my heart at the time, I realized it was a selfish sort of love I was seeking. Where I valued you then, I treasure you now.”
“You, my dear woman, hold the key to my heart.” No, that was not entirely correct. “The key to my heart is a trite phrase for romantic fools, of which I am the foremost.”
He chuckled to himself.
“What I should have said, my Elizabeth, is you are the fire to my ice, the heat to my cold. Through you, because of you, I am attempting to become the man I am supposed to be, one I can have true pride in being.” He kissed her fingers one by one. “Before I came to Netherfield Park, the icy stone in my heart left me hurt and alone. I was adrift and unable to see comfort and kindness where it was offered. Then, I met you.”
“Oh…” she sighed.
“I want you for my wife, Elizabeth. But more than that, I need you as my mate. Never do I want to return to the stoic unapproachable man who thought more of himself than he should. Instead, I yearn to be yours, to have and to hold under whatever circumstances life tosses our way.”
He slid from the bench to his knee.
“I love you, Elizabeth, with my whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. Will you do me the great honor of becoming Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy, mistress of Pemberley, and keeper of my heart?”
“You eloquent man,” she raised his hand to her lips. “When we spoke at Pemberley, I noticed the softened edges of your character. Those edges appealed to me. When I found out about Lydia’s error with Mr. Wickham, I feared the potential for reproach would forever keep us separate. This, above all other things, broke my heart. I was unworthy, and I could not possibly have reason for hope. When Mr. Bingley returned to Hertfordshire without you, I was crushed. For by then, I knew you to be the only man I would ever want.”
“Elizabeth, I was unworthy. Until my aunt invaded my privacy and shared your response to her insistence that we never become engaged, I, too, felt without hope.”
She laughed. “I believe Lady Catherine would be horrified to learn she was the instrument of bringing us together rather than keeping us apart.” She inhaled deeply, then expelled the air quickly, speaking immediately. “I love you too, Fitzwilliam, with everything I am. The honor of becoming Mrs. Darcy would be mine.”
He forgot to inhale. Instead, of their own accord, his lips lowered to hers. The gentle touch of his skin on hers, the taste and smell of her sweetness, was the healing balm he needed to make firm his transformation. His frozen heart was warm, pulsing, beating as it should.
The End
From the Author:
Christie Capps is the pen name of best-selling author J Dawn King who, because of increasing demands on her time, has fewer and fewer hours to read. She doubts she is the only one with these circumstances. Therefore, her Christie Capps stories will all be approximately 100 pages of sweet romance and will be priced less than one cup of flavored coffee from your local barista.
Happy reading!
Already Available
From Christie Capps:
Mr. Darcy’s Bad Day
For Pemberley
The Perfect Gift
Forever Love
Boxed Set: Something Old, New, Later, True
Elizabeth
Lost & Found
Henry
At the time of publication these books are exclusive at Amazon
Already Available!
J Dawn King
A Father’s Sins
One Love - Two Hearts - Three Stories
Los Pecados del Padre
Mr. Darcy’s Mail-Order Bride
Love Letters from Mr. Darcy
The Abominable Mr. Darcy
Yes, Mr. Darcy
Compromised!
Friends and Enemies
The Letter of the Law
Thank You!
Thank you very much for investing your time with this story. A gift for any author is to receive an honest review from readers. I hope you will use this opportunity to let others know your opinion of this tale. Happy reading!
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