Darcy and Deception

by Victoria Kincaid

  Elizabeth nestled against his side, fitting perfectly. “Elizabeth?” he murmured.

  “Hmm?” Her smile was tired but still thoroughly enchanting.

  “I very much would like to make you an offer of marriage. Would you fuss if I did so now, or would you prefer that I wait for a more appropriate moment?”

  Elizabeth blinked in surprise and then gave a soft chuckle. “Are you asking for permission to propose to me?”

  He shrugged. “Well, these are not the ideal circumstances, but I am loath to allow further delays. And a betrothal might forestall some of Colonel Forster’s baleful glares in my direction.”

  After a quick peek at the scowling colonel, Elizabeth nodded. “Very well, Mr. Darcy. I give you permission to make me an offer of marriage.”

  If she refuses me now, I will feel like an idiot.

  Taking hold of Elizabeth’s hand, Darcy stood and then bent on one knee to kneel before Elizabeth’s seated form. Lydia squealed, and a hush fell over the soldiers. I had not anticipated such an audience, but oh well…

  “Miss Elizabeth Bennet,” he said, his voice husky and low, “I cannot possibly express how much I admire and love you. Will you consent to be my wife?”

  She did not leave him in suspense. The sweetest smile imaginable spread over her lips. “Yes, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, I will marry you.”

  The kiss that followed was overly long—even by the generous standard for betrothed couples. If anyone objected, Darcy did not notice.

  Epilogue

  “My shoes are simply full of sand!”

  Elizabeth shrugged at her mother’s sour face. “I apologize, Mama.”

  “Of all the foolish ideas!” her mother exclaimed. “Whoever heard of being married at a beach!”

  “Your ordeal is nearly finished,” Elizabeth observed mildly. She and William had known that her mother and sundry other guests at the wedding ceremony would consider a beach venue to be peculiar—or even a personal affront—but they had loved the idea and advanced with the plans while preparing for criticism. “If you like, you may proceed to the wedding breakfast early.”

  Now that the ceremony was complete, Elizabeth and William were mingling and greeting their guests, which included the Earl of Matlock and other high-ranking personages. Mrs. Bennet scanned the crowd and patted her coiffure. “Not just yet, I think.”

  Elizabeth suppressed a smile; no doubt her mother hoped her unwed daughters might encounter other rich men at this event. As if on cue, her mother murmured in her ear, “Who is the man speaking with Kitty?”

  “I believe he is a viscount’s heir.” No other words could have prompted Mrs. Bennet to move with such alacrity. She was standing at Kitty’s side within seconds. I hope she does not scare away the poor man.

  Any lingering frustration with her mother was instantly dispelled when William came beside Elizabeth and took her hand in his warm, firm grasp. “Was your mother generously bestowing her opinion on the wedding venue again?” he asked and then chuckled when she nodded. “Indeed, I just heard Miss Bingley’s view on that subject—and realized we are fortunate Aunt Catherine did not accept the invitation.”

  The thought of Lady Catherine de Bourgh with sand in her shoes caused Elizabeth to shudder. “Indeed.”

  Holding a wedding ceremony at a beach was an unusual idea, but Elizabeth had loved it from the moment William had suggested it. Since the events surrounding Wickham and Harrison’s attempted escape three weeks ago, the couple had taken many happy strolls along the beach; fortunately, none were as eventful as the first one. Elizabeth believed William nearly loved the seaside as much as she did.

  Once during the preparations, the doubts of friends and family caused Elizabeth to second-guess their decision, but William reminded her that they had recently faced life-or-death situations and survived. “I believe we are entitled to hold our wedding service wherever we would like,” he had said with a kiss to the top of her head.

  Elizabeth’s mother had predicted they would never find a priest to perform the ceremony, but the prestige of the Darcy name had readily solved that dilemma—and eased the process of obtaining a special license. Much dismay had also been expressed over their brief engagement, but neither Elizabeth nor William wished to wait, and the shortened time span kept Mrs. Bennet’s interference to a minimum.

  Elizabeth had no regrets. The ceremony had been everything she hoped for. Bright sunshine sparkled and glinted off the water while the waves provided a soothing background noise. William’s face had glowed with happiness as he had recited his wedding vows, and Elizabeth had no doubt hers mirrored it. She would cherish these memories, and the guests would soon forget the sand in their shoes.

  Scanning the crowd, she realized that she and William had greeted nearly everyone there. “Perhaps it is time to go to the Pavilion?”

  William squeezed her hand. “Yes. I am famished!”

  Colonel Fitzwilliam arrived in time to hear this exchange. “Excellent! I was just about to warn you that your troops need sustenance. An army travels on its stomach.”

  “I do not believe we have an army’s worth of guests.” William chuckled at his cousin.

  “We have quite a wedding banquet ready for them at the Pavilion,” Elizabeth assured Richard.

  The prince regent had not forgotten that William and Elizabeth had saved his life. When he learned they would wed in Brighton, he had offered the use of his home for their wedding breakfast. Although it was an elegant building, they had been unsure about whether to accept the offer. However, when they learned that the prince would be in London and unable to attend the event, they accepted the offer with alacrity. Elizabeth’s mother had been speechless with happiness at this news; even Miss Bingley had deigned to be impressed.

  “Was there news from London?” Elizabeth asked the colonel. He had been awaiting word of the verdict in the trial of Mrs. Forster, Mr. Harrison, and Mr. Wickham, which had taken place the day before.

  He gave her a satisfied smile. “Yes. They were all found guilty. Although they have not yet received sentences, I am sure they will be transported at the very least.”

  “That would be best for Colonel Forster,” Elizabeth said, glancing at the man, who was flirting rather outrageously with a few female wedding guests. He had initiated divorce proceedings and apparently was already seeking a new wife.

  Colonel Fitzwilliam frowned. “Yes. The colonel is fortunate he was not cashiered from the militia, but he explained that their families arranged the marriage and he spent little time with his wife. The investigation cleared him of any complicity.”

  Elizabeth noticed the man smile at a young woman. “I hope he plans to spend more time with the future Mrs. Forster.”

  “Indeed.”

  William was surveying the milling crowd of guests. “Richard, could I prevail upon you to gather up the wedding guests and encourage them to walk in the direction of the Pavilion? I would imagine your leadership skills are up to the challenge.”

  His cousin gave a mock grimace. “Civilians are so troublesome to command.”

  “You may promise them good food and even better company,” Elizabeth said teasingly.

  “Now there are incentives the army never offers,” Richard said. “Very well, I will encourage everyone to move in a purposeful direction.” He gave William a mocking salute and a wink before marching toward the revelers.

  We should join them, Elizabeth thought, but her gaze was caught by the view of the sea—sparkling waters and deep blue sky. A light breeze played with her hair, and the sun warmed her skin. William did not seem to be in a hurry either. Both arms around her waist, he pulled her against his body and kissed the sensitive skin below her ear.

  Her face grew warm. “We are in public!” she whispered, trying and failing to sound scandalized by his actions.

  He chuckled. “Everyone here knows how I feel about you, dearest.” Indeed, none of the guests paid any attention as they began to drift toward the town—and the breakfas
t. “What would you say to a house by the sea? We could purchase one for the next summer,” he murmured in her ear.

  “That would be lovely! But perhaps not at Brighton. Perhaps a more isolated location.”

  “My thoughts precisely.”

  Elizabeth vibrated with excitement. “We could sail a boat, and I could teach the children to swim—both the boys and the girls.”

  William sucked in a breath. “How many children do you believe we will have?”

  “Well, Mama had five…” Elizabeth shrugged.

  “Five! I had not thought of so many.”

  She patted his hand where it rested on her waist. “They do not arrive all at once, my dear.”

  They watched the sparkling water for a long moment, then Elizabeth cleared her throat. “Richard asked me if I would be interested in working for the Home Office. Apparently, they have decided to recruit some female agents.”

  All of William’s muscles stiffened. “How did you reply?”

  “I told him it was an excellent idea, but I have no further interest in espionage. Recent events provided quite enough excitement for one lifetime.” She could feel her new husband sag with relief. “I did, however, recommend that he ask Mary if she would be interested.”

  “Mary? Your sister?”

  “Indeed. She is intelligent and good at keeping secrets.”

  His hands tightened around her waist. “She might make a good spy, but it cannot please your mother. She will meet few eligible men that way.”

  Elizabeth laughed.

  After a moment, he released her waist and grabbed her hand. “Come, we should not be late to our own wedding breakfast.”

  Elizabeth nodded in agreement but continued to stare at the sea, reluctant to leave.

  He squeezed her hand. “I promise you will visit the ocean again. I will bring you to the beach as often as you like.”

  Turning toward him, she threw her arms around his neck. “I am pleased to hear that, Mr. Darcy, for the beach is even more dear to me now than it was.”

  He smiled down at her. “Oh?”

  “Yes, for it was at the seaside that I fell in love with you.”

  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.

  The Unforgettable Mr. Darcy

  Mr. Darcy arrives at Longbourn, intending to correct the mistakes he made during his disastrous proposal in Hunsford. To his horror, he learns that Elizabeth Bennet was killed in a ship’s explosion off the coast of France—in an apparent act of sabotage. Deep in despair, he travels in disguise to wartime France to seek out the spy responsible for her death.

  But a surprise awaits Darcy in the French town of Saint-Malo: Elizabeth is alive!

  Recovering from a blow to the head, Elizabeth has no memory of her previous life, and a series of mistakes lead her to believe that Darcy is her husband. However, they have even bigger problems. As they travel through a hostile country, the saboteur mobilizes Napoleon’s network of spies to capture them and prevent them from returning home. Elizabeth slowly regains her memories, but they often leave her more confused.

  Darcy will do anything to help Elizabeth reach England safely, but what will she think of him when she learns the truth of their relationship?

  Other Books by Victoria Kincaid:

  The Unforgettable Mr. Darcy

  President Darcy

  Darcy’s Honor

  The Secrets of Darcy and Elizabeth

  Pride and Proposals

  Mr. Darcy to the Rescue

  Darcy vs. Bennet

  Chaos Comes to Longbourn

  Christmas at Darcy House

  A Very Darcy Christmas

  When Jane Got Angry

  When Mary Met the Colonel