The Pride and Prejudice of Musicians

by Jessica Daw

  “She’s engaged?!” Mom shrieked. Then, abruptly, I was pulled away from Will. “You got engaged?” Mom asked from about an inch away, her face shocked and disbelieving.

  “Yes. I believe you know my fiancé, Will Darcy?” I asked, biting back a smile.

  “I—well—I suppose we’ve met,” she blustered, eyes darting between me and Will.

  “I suppose we have,” Will said dryly.

  “Yes, we have,” she repeated, blinking rapidly. “Well, I’m glad that you’ve decided to marry my Lilly. She’s a very good girl, though not as pretty as Jane or Lydia or Kitty, if you ask me, not nearly as pleasant, but if you’ve made up your mind—”

  “I have,” he said firmly, nudging me when I snorted.

  “Well then. We thought no one else would propose after she rejected Collin Williamson—did you know she did that?”

  “I hope she would reject Collin Williamson,” Will said, definitely looking amused now. “I only wonder why he proposed in the first place. Did you lead him on?”

  “Oh, yes, I was very encouraging,” I said, almost not laughing.

  “Yes,” he said seriously, “I can see why you would have a hard time refusing such a man.”

  Mom watched our exchange with a confused look. “So you did know?” she asked Will.

  “Forgive me, but I fail to see why that information is pertinent to you,” Will said in the same voice he’d used earlier when Mom hadn’t taken him back to Dad right away. I had to hide my face in my hands, the combination of relief and Mom’s expression making what normally would have been only mildly amusing and mostly embarrassing into something hilarious. “Now if you’ll excuse us, Lilly and I have business to attend to.”

  “Okay,” Mom said weakly. I heard Dad snort, which for a normal person was like an outbreak of big belly laughter and figured that, if he hadn’t already, Dad now approved of Will Darcy.

  When we got in the car, I asked, “What business?”

  “I was escaping—too cowardly?” Will asked as he pulled out of the driveway.

  I laughed. “If that was cowardly, I don’t want to see how you deal with my family when you’re feeling brave. I don’t know what I’ll do if you ever take that tone with me.”

  “Tell me to watch myself, probably,” he said, grinning at me.

  “Probably,” I agreed, grinning too. After a moment, I asked, “Hey. Um, when, sort of, do you think we should get married?” Very nice wording, Lilly, I thought sarcastically, trying to pretend my heart wasn’t galloping like it had mistaken my chest for a racetrack and itself for a racehorse.

  He pulled the car over, not looking at me until we were stopped and the engine was off. Then I was caught in his deep blue gaze, and my heart started slowing. I trusted him. I didn’t need to be afraid. “As soon as possible. Or sooner.”

  “That was really sweet,” I half-moaned, feeling like I may cry, which I wasn’t a fan of doing, and certainly feeling like the biggest, sappiest romantic on the planet. Even so, I leaned forward and met Will halfway.

  epilogue—even sooner

  “I honestly didn’t hear a single word of that ceremony,” I confessed to Will as we drove away from the little, elegant church.

  “Yeah? Good. Neither did I.”

  “Good?”

  “Well, if you started quoting it at me and I had no idea what you were talking about, that wouldn’t really be the best omen for the next few years.”

  “Few years? Is there something you need to tell me?”

  He smiled, real and full and brilliant. “Excuse me. The next many years. I’m just so used to trying not to be too hopeful about you.”

  I smiled. My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard and long, but I couldn’t seem to stop. I didn’t want to. “We should skip the reception,” I suggested for maybe the twentieth time that day.

  “Your mom would have my head,” he replied.

  “As if she could get past me,” I scoffed.

  “Very true,” he said thoughtfully.

  “So why are we going?” I pressed, laughing at his expression.

  “Well, I’m sure Jane and Cade will go, and I get the impression that Jane would be uncomfortable in my house—”

  “Our house,” I corrected with a wicked grin. I had told Will on numerous occasions, mostly joking, that I was marrying him for Pemberly.

  “Our house,” he amended, rolling his eyes but smiling, “if we weren’t there. Not that Cade will notice.”

  “He probably won’t. I think someone could steal his watch right off his wrist today.”

  “They could steal the hair right off his head and he wouldn’t notice.”

  I laughed then groaned. “I just want to be with you in that stupid Italian villa that you were stupid enough to show me pictures of so I could get so stupidly excited to go,” I said, almost managing not to smile the whole time I said it.

  “That was foolish of me,” he said gravely, even less successful at keeping the smile off his face.

  “Very,” I agreed.

  We pulled into the garage then—the church was on Will’s land. I opened my mouth and he held up his hand. “I’m going to come help you. You don’t need to complain again about that dress Dawn made you that I know you love.”

  “I do love it,” I confessed, taking fists of lace and satin in my hands. “But did she really have to use so very many yards of fabric for the skirt?”

  “I’m not answering that,” Will said as he climbed out, closing the door before I could insist he did. Smart move. He, as promised, came over and helped me climb out of his car without staining or tearing anything, then kissed me until I literally couldn’t breathe.

  “Corset,” I panted when I pulled away. He moved to kiss my neck, but I stopped him. “My hair and makeup are already messed up. I don’t need a red neck.”

  “Should have skipped the reception,” he grumbled.

  “You wanted it,” I said impishly, gathering my dress up as best as I could and walking in.

  “It’s still dragging,” Will pointed out.

  “Then help me,” I suggested.

  “Let’s just go,” he whispered, close enough that his bazillion-dollar suit brushed my arm.

  “Too late,” I whispered back, though he probably couldn’t hear me over the noise of our guests. “Holy cow,” I breathed.

  When they saw us, they all cheered and started throwing stuff, and it went downhill from there.

  I’d invited Charlotte, and apparently Collin had assumed the invitation extended to himself. When I saw him approaching, I nudged Will, who was listening to Jacob Hurst complain about being married. Will followed my gaze and made a face.

  “Too late to run,” I whispered.

  Collin marched straight up to us, Charlotte hurrying along after him. “I believe a most sincere congratulations for the both of you is in order,”Collin said, interrupting Jacob without compunction. Not that I particularly minded hearing the end of that tirade. Did the man not realize Will and I had just gotten married?

  “Thank you,” Will said with his most condescending look that usually I hated but couldn’t help finding justified right then.

  “I’m so happy for you, Lilly,” Charlotte said in something strongly resembling an undertone.

  “Marriage is the truest felicity that can be found in this life or any, and if your love is half as great as mine and Charlotte’s, you will be most truly, felicitously felicity,” Collin said.

  “Thank you,” I said to Charlotte.

  “And though I fear you will never be truly felicitous as this marriage does not have the approval of the most esteemed Catherine de Bourgh, perhaps you will one day find a way to make amends with that lady, which would, I believe, bring your felicity to ethereal levels.”

  “I am not the one who needs to make amends,” Will said cooly.

  “Perhaps I could suggest the first step to take. You are a composer of some renown, I believe, and it happens that the production Catherine de Bourgh and h
er daugther, and myself, work on is in need of a composer. Offering your assistance would likely go far in mending broken bonds.”

  “No. Thank you for coming. Excuse us,” Will said, taking me and steering me away. Right into Liam.

  “Liam!” I said happily, going forward and hugging him.

  “Already hugging other men. Tsk, tsk,” Liam said, laughing.

  I pulled away, but smiled. “I’m so glad you could make it! Will wasn’t sure you would be able to, with such short notice.”

  “My cousin marrying my favorite American? I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Then he looked at me suspiciously. “But I did attend the actual ceremony. Did you not see me?”

  I bit my lip. “To be honest, I didn’t see anything but Will.”

  He grinned crookedly. “The day I find someone who could say the same about me on our wedding day is the day I settle down.”

  “You deserve someone like that,” I said honestly.

  “Do you have any sisters?” he asked.

  I laughed out loud at that.

  “What?”

  “Believe me, you’re better not knowing why that’s funny.”

  His eyes focused behind me. “Uh-oh. You need to defend what’s yours,” he warned me.

  “What?” I asked, turning around. None other than Carrie Bingley was touching Will’s arm in a very flirty way.

  “See you later,” Liam said with another laugh as I headed toward them. I waved distractedly at him over my shoulder.

  I slid my arm possessively around Will’s waist. He looked down at me with a helpless expression. I looked Carrie square on. “Hi, Carrie. Long time no see, right?”

  “Right,” she said distastefully. “Well, it was great to see you, Will. And Lilly,” she added deliberately late.

  “You too, Carrie,” Will said, and I smiled at his irritated tone.

  “Bye,” I said pointedly.

  She didn’t reply, just gave Will a brittle but extra flirty smile and walked off.

  Before I could let out a sigh of relief, none other than Yuri Wickham and his lawfully wedded wife approached. Will’s hand around my shoulder clenched painfully.

  “Congratulations!” Yuri said, and I wondered how I’d ever found him attractive. His hair was too fussy, his clothes were stupid, and his eyes were so . . . flat. “Me and Lydia could hardly believe it when we received you two’s announcement. I mean, I would never have thought you two would end up together, but this is great!”

  “Thanks,” I said stiffly.

  “Yeah, we’re so excited,” Lydia said, looking at me with irritation, her hand distractedly rubbing her protruding belly.

  “Why are you here?” Will asked without making any attempt to put a friendly veneer on his harsh tone, cold eyes on Yuri.

  Yuri’s mouth opened, then closed. He swallowed, then said, “Well, to be honest, Lydia and I could use a bit of cash. I mean, hospital bills are adding up, and you know I couldn’t refuse her anything.”

  For a moment, I couldn’t believe my ears. Yuri was asking us for money? Asking Will for money? What was wrong with him?

  “I get cravings, you know?” Lydia said, somehow forgetting that I knew her too well to buy that look of pleading she wore.

  Will’s jaw pulsed and he looked away, trying to reign in his temper. Yuri and Lydia watched him with the same ill-disguised hopeful look. Finally, Will said, “No. Until you either have the good sense to budget the ludicrous amount of money you’re paid to prance around in front of a camera or you have loan sharks breaking your fingers, you will see none of our money.” I had to bite back an astonished laugh. I knew it wasn’t nice to find that funny, but I was still sort of blamed Yuri for how close Will and I had come from falling apart, and neither of them really deserved charity.

  Neither Wickham could speak for a moment. Finally, Yuri laughed awkwardly. “I thought marriage might have softened you.”

  “Not towards you,” Will said. “Leave. Now.”

  “We were on our way anyway,” Lydia said before Yuri could answer. “Call me, Lilly—I want to hear all about your honeymoon in Italy, though I’m sure it won’t be half as good as when Yuri took me to Paris, but even if it’s a fourth as good, you’ll love it.” She winked and they left.

  The moment they were gone, Georgia appeared, looking white. “I haven’t seen him since . . .”

  “You won’t see him again,” Will promised fiercely.

  “Oh, yes, the big man will protect his castle,” I said sarcastically. Will gave me a look, but I caught the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

  Georgia looked shocked that I’d talked that way. “But Yuri was . . . very unkind to me.”

  “I know, Georgia,” I said, feeling bad for talking so carelessly. “I know. I’m sorry. Yuri won’t come back. It’s just sometimes your brother needs a little fun poked at him.”

  She blinked, looking doubtful.

  “I’ll teach you,” I said with a grin.

  “As if I need two of you,” Will said, but he smiled at me in a way that made my heart reprise its impersonation of a racehorse. It had been doing that a lot lately. I doubted Will would stop having that effect on me anytime soon.

  “Time to throw your bouquets!” Mom announced, and I realized Jane and Cade had drifted to stand right beside us.

  “Ready?” I asked Jane, whose smile was bigger and brighter than I thought mine ever could be.

  “Very,” she said, eyes glowing.

  “On three,” Mom commanded. “One, two, THREE!” she shouted. I threw it and quickly spun to see where it went, then laughed at the sight of Uncle Ted, at least ten feet further than the group of single girls, holding my roses.

  “I win,” he said in falsetto, his beard twitching in what I assumed was a smile directed at all the girls trying not to look disappointed. Except, I realized, Georgia, who held Jane’s bouquet with a look of surprise.

  “Don’t even think it,” Will told me.

  “She’s not that young,” I replied.

  “One more word and we’re going to Siberia instead of Italy.”

  “You’ll keep me warm,” I said carelessly. “I bet Ted could find her someone—I mean, if it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t be here. Well, maybe you would, but I’d still be hanging out in Meryton, dreaming of Liam.”

  I had no warning—I was abruptly being kissed rather violently by Will. He pulled away and breathed, “Liam has never worked half as hard for a girl as I have for you.”

  “Did you think your work would be over once the knot was tied? Poor Will,” I said with fake sympathy.

  “If I have to deal with any of your relatives on a daily basis . . .”

  “Not even Jane? Or the Gardiners?”

  “Fine. And, on occasion, your father.”

  “And Kitty. I think with some work, she could become a normal human being. And we’ll have to have Lydia over sometimes. And—”

  “Stop. Heaven knows you’ll convince me of all of that in time, but right now, your mother is calling me to come shove cake in your face, and I’m really not in the mood to be persuaded.”

  “Well, I hope you don’t mind, but I may or may not have convinced Cade to buy the neighboring, ah, estate.”

  “Do you even want to spend time with me?” he asked in exaggerated but at least partially real exasperation.

  I quickly kissed his cheek. “There is no one else I’d rather be with.”

  “Not even Jane?”

  “Don’t push it. Not even Jane.” I stopped and gave him a solid kiss, and if there was anyone else in the room, I didn’t hear them. Finally, I pulled away. “I love you, Will Darcy. And that’s how it’s going to be.”

  He smiled. “Good.”

  about the author

  Jessica Daw is at university studying English Teaching. She thinks English is great, but Russian is too, except she really isn't fluent enough to write a book in Russian, so this book is in English. She read Pride & Prejudice the first time when she was
in sixth grade and has been in love with Mr. Darcy ever since (can you blame her?). She loves writing, (obviously—it would be pretty stupid to write a book if she didn't), playing the piano, puppies, pudding, peacocks, and alliteration.