Darcy also had written to Mr. Martin, inviting him to leave France and come to Pemberley. The older man was considering it. The town of Lambton needed a doctor, so Darcy hoped that the Martins would accept his offer.
Adele embraced Darcy and Elizabeth, who introduced the French visitors to Jane and Bingley. “You will be remaining in Britain?” Bingley asked with a wide smile.
“Yes,” Adele responded. “For now we will live at Pemberley, but we cannot remain indefinitely.”
Darcy shook his head. “I have told you I would love for you to stay, and I always say what I mean.”
Adele considered this. “That is true, but if I live at Pemberley, I would wish to contribute to the household. Mrs. Reynolds hardly requires any assistance.”
Darcy exchanged a look with Elizabeth that made the latter blush. “We are hoping we could soon offer you a suitable occupation.”
Adele frowned in confusion, but Marie covered her mouth, her eyes dancing with merriment. Apparently Darcy needed to be more explicit. “Mrs. Darcy”—how he loved the sound of those words—“and I are hoping to have the nursery occupied within a year.”
The older woman’s eyes lit up. “Oh, magnifique! I would love to help raise another generation of Darcys. Someone must teach them proper French.”
“As you say,” Darcy agreed. He had seen Marie entertain some of the children at the wedding breakfast and had no doubt she would make an excellent governess when her aunt retired.
Adele clasped her hands to her bosom, surveying the crowd. “I cannot believe you are wed, Will! It seems like only a few days ago you were sliding down the banister and spilling ink over your father’s papers.”
“Oho!” Bingley chortled. “So he did get into scrapes just like other boys! I had always wondered.”
Darcy rolled his eyes at his friend, but Adele’s eyes twinkled. “Indeed, he did. I could tell you stories…”
As the Frenchwoman involved Jane and Bingley in tales of Darcy’s childhood hijinks, he drew Elizabeth away. He had been sufficiently sociable for a while; now he wanted a bit of time with his bride.
He drew her to a corner of the room where a window overlooked the garden. “William,” she laughingly protested, “we should talk to our guests.”
“We will in a moment,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “I just needed to take a moment to remember how fortunate I am that I traveled to France and that you survived the shipwreck. I could have lost you so easily.”
She regarded him with serious eyes. “Even when you found me, I was still lost—at least for a while.”
He shook his head. “Not truly lost. I always knew you belonged with me, even when you had forgotten me.”
“I must have slipped into the role as your wife so easily because part of me always knew I was destined to be yours. My soul knew what my mind had forgotten.”
“So you are saying you never truly forgot me in your heart?”
“Precisely.” She gave him a wide, wicked grin. “You are truly unforgettable, Mr. Darcy.”
The End
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About Victoria Kincaid
The author of numerous best-selling Pride and Prejudice variations, historical romance writer Victoria Kincaid has a Ph.D. in English literature and runs a small business, er, household with two children, a hyperactive dog, an overly affectionate cat, and a husband who is not threatened by Mr. Darcy. They live near Washington DC, where the inhabitants occasionally stop talking about politics long enough to complain about the traffic.
On weekdays she is a freelance writer/editor who now specializes in IT marketing (it’s more interesting than it sounds). In the past, some of her more…unusual writing subjects have included space toilets, taxi services, laser gynecology, bidets, orthopedic shoes, generating energy from onions, Ferrari rental car services, and vampire face lifts (she swears she is not making any of this up). A lifelong Austen fan, Victoria has read more Jane Austen variations and sequels than she can count – and confesses to an extreme partiality for the Colin Firth version of Pride and Prejudice.
Also by Victoria Kincaid:
President Darcy
A modern adaptation of Pride and Prejudice
Billionaire President William Darcy has it all: wealth, good friends, and the most powerful job in the world. Despite what his friends say, he is not lonely in the White House. He’s not. And he has vowed not to date while he’s in office. Nor is he interested in Elizabeth Bennet. Although she is pretty and funny and smart, her family is nouveau riche and unbearable. To make it worse, he encounters her everywhere in Washington D.C.—making it harder and harder to ignore her. Why can’t he get Elizabeth Bennet out of his mind?
Elizabeth Bennet enjoys her job with the Red Cross and loves her family, despite their tendency to embarrass themselves. When they drag her to a White House state dinner, they cause her to make a unfavorable impression on the president, who labels her unattractive and uninteresting—words that are immediately broadcast on Twitter. Now the whole world knows the president dissed her. All Elizabeth wants is to avoid the man—who, let’s admit it, is proud and difficult. For some reason he acts so friendly when they keep running into each other, but she just knows he’s judging her.
Eventually circumstances force Darcy and Elizabeth to confront their true feelings for each other, with explosive results. But even if they can find common ground, Darcy is still the president—with limited privacy and unlimited responsibilities—and his enemies won’t hesitate to use his feelings for Elizabeth to hurt his presidency.
Can President Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet find their way to happily ever after?
Darcy vs. Bennet
Elizabeth Bennet is drawn to a handsome, mysterious man she meets at a masquerade ball. However, she gives up all hope for a future with him when she learns he is the son of George Darcy, the man who ruined her father’s life. Despite her father’s demand that she avoid the younger Darcy, when he appears in Hertfordshire Elizabeth cannot stop thinking about him, or seeking him out, or welcoming his kisses….
Fitzwilliam Darcy has struggled to carve out a life independent from his father’s vindictive temperament and domineering ways, although the elder Darcy still controls the purse strings. After meeting Elizabeth Bennet, Darcy cannot imagine marrying anyone else, even though his father despises her family. More than anything he wants to make her his wife, but doing so would mean sacrificing everything else….
Mr. Darcy to the Rescue
When the irritating Mr. Collins proposes marriage, Elizabeth Bennet is prepared to refuse him, but then she learns that her father is ill. If Mr. Bennet dies, Collins will inherit Longbourn and her family will have nowhere to go. Elizabeth accepts the proposal, telling herself she can be content as long as her family is secure. If only she weren’t dreading the approaching wedding day…
Ever since leaving Hertfordshire, Mr. Darcy has been trying to forget his inconvenient attraction to Elizabeth. News of her betrothal forces him to realize how devastating it would be to lose her. He arrives at Longbourn intending to prevent the marriage but discovers Elizabeth’s real opinion about his character. Then Darcy recognizes his true dilemma…
How can he rescue her when she doesn’t want him to?
Darcy’s Honor
Elizabeth Bennet is relieved when the difficult Mr. Darc
y leaves the area after the Netherfield Ball. But she soon runs afoul of Lord Henry, a Viscount who thinks to force her into marrying him by slandering her name and ruining her reputation. An outcast in Meryton, and even within her own family, Elizabeth has nobody to turn to and nowhere to go.
Darcy successfully resisted Elizabeth’s charms during his visit to Hertfordshire, but when he learns of her imminent ruin, he decides he must propose to save her from disaster. However, Elizabeth is reluctant to tarnish Darcy’s name by association…and the viscount still wants her…
Can Darcy save his honor while also marrying the woman he loves?
Christmas at Darcy House
Mr. Darcy hopes Christmastime will help him to forget the pair of fine eyes that he left behind in Hertfordshire. When Elizabeth Bennet appears unexpectedly in London, Darcy decides to keep his distance, resolved to withstand his attraction to her. But when he learns that Wickham is threatening to propose to Elizabeth, Darcy faces a crisis.
For her part, Elizabeth does not understand why the unpleasant master of Pemberley insists on dancing with her at the Christmas ball or how his eyes happen to seek her out so often. She enjoys Mr. Wickham’s company and is flattered when he makes her an offer of marriage. On the other hand, Mr. Darcy’s proposal is unexpected and unwelcome. But the more Elizabeth learns of Mr. Darcy, the more confused she becomes—as she prepares to make the most momentous decision of her life.
It’s a Yuletide season of love and passion as your favorite characters enjoy Christmas at Darcy House!
The Secrets of Darcy and Elizabeth
A despondent Darcy travels to Paris in the hopes of forgetting the disastrous proposal at Hunsford. Paris is teeming with English visitors during a brief moment of peace in the Napoleonic Wars, but Darcy’s spirits don’t lift until he attends a ball and unexpectedly encounters…Elizabeth Bennet! Darcy seizes the opportunity to correct misunderstandings and initiate a courtship.
Their moment of peace is interrupted by the news that England has again declared war on France, and hundreds of English travelers must flee Paris immediately. Circumstances force Darcy and Elizabeth to escape on their own, despite the risk to her reputation. Even as they face dangers from street gangs and French soldiers, romantic feelings blossom during their flight to the coast. But then Elizabeth falls ill, and the French are arresting all the English men they can find….
When Elizabeth and Darcy finally return to England, their relationship has changed, and they face new crises. However, they have secrets they must conceal—even from their own families.
The Unforgettable Mr. Darcy Page 23
