Sorrow and Second Chances

by E Bradshaw

  With great reluctance, therefore, he finally broke the kiss and stepped back from her, thus ending their intimate embrace and putting some much-needed distance between them. He smiled to see the look of disappointment which flooded Elizabeth’s face before she blushed and looked away, since his own feelings very much mirrored hers and he was relieved to see that he hadn’t imposed himself upon her. “You are far too tempting, Elizabeth,” he murmured, as he gathered one of her hands within his own and raised it to his lips for a more suitable kiss. “I find I have to constantly remind myself to behave!”

  “What? The very proper Mr Darcy, in fear of misbehaving?” teased Elizabeth, as she sent him a winsome smile. “That doesn’t sound like you! I’m quite sure that no one would believe me, were I to tell them!”

  “I used to be very proper,” countered Darcy, “though that all changed when I encountered a rather impertinent young lady. I find I am completely at her mercy, and no doubt I will continue to be tortured until the day I can finally call her mine.”

  “Impertinent?” laughed Elizabeth. “I’m not sure that you know how to flatter a woman, Mr Darcy! I may have to find a way to get my revenge on you! I may even decide to continue torturing you – as you so politely put it – even after we are married!”

  “I have no doubt of your ability to do so,” smiled Darcy in return, “though I hope you will decide to be merciful upon me on this occasion.”

  “And what is it that you wish me to be merciful about?”

  “It is just that I would rather not wait too long to be married,” Darcy answered earnestly. “I don’t want to rush you, but I hope we can set a wedding date before too long.”

  He held his breath as he waited nervously for her answer; the last thing he wanted to do was to unnerve her by rushing her into marriage before she felt ready, but he had yearned for her and waited for so long that he couldn’t help but feel impatient to finally make her his wife. He was therefore greatly relieved when Elizabeth sent him a teasing smile in response, for he knew then that he could not have made her feel too uncomfortable.

  “You are impatient, Mr Darcy,” Elizabeth replied with a little blush.

  “I can’t help it; you make me so,” replied Darcy boldly.

  “Then when do you suggest we set our wedding date?”

  “For myself, I would happily meet you in church tomorrow morning, but since I suspect that such a request will be soundly turned down by your father, I suppose I will have to be more patient than that. But I would rather have you return to Pemberley as its mistress before Christmas – if you are agreeable to such a plan, that is?”

  A rather becoming blush overspread Elizabeth’s face in response to his eagerness, though Darcy was relieved to see her smile and nod her head in reply.

  “Yes, I am agreeable,” she responded bashfully; “if you are sure that we can get everything organised by then, and you are absolutely certain that you want me, that is.”

  “Oh, I want you,” Darcy answered fervently, as he cupped Elizabeth’s face in his hands and looked at her intently. “In truth, it will seem like a torturous length of time before I can bring you home as my wife.”

  “Then I suppose you will wish to speak to my father in the morning,” replied Elizabeth. “Though I’m not sure what he might have to say about our desire to marry before Christmas.”

  “I’ll talk to him now, if he’s still up,” responded Darcy eagerly. As he spoke, he tucked Elizabeth’s hand into the crook of his arm and started walking decisively in the direction of the house. “The sooner we can get him to agree to a wedding date and get our plans in motion, the better, as far as I’m concerned. I’m certain I won’t be able to sleep tonight as it is, but at least if I talk to your father I will feel as though we have made a beginning.”

  Set as he was on his purpose, Darcy did not notice Elizabeth’s initial hesitation, though he came to a stop when he felt her tugging on his arm and immediately turned to look at her, feeling suddenly fearful that she might have changed her mind. However, he was quickly reassured by the teasing smile which she directed at him.

  “As much as I understand your eagerness,” she laughed, “I have no doubt that my father will be in bed by now – and I promise you that he would not be too inclined to grant your request if you were to disturb him from his sleep! So, as hard as it is, I would urge you to be patient and accept that you will just have to wait until the morning to speak to him.”

  Seeing the amusement twinkling in Elizabeth’s eyes, Darcy could not help but laugh at himself, and he shrugged in wry acknowledgement of her point. “You are no doubt right, my love,” he conceded. “And I imagine that this will not be the only time when you will need to give me advice and urge me to patience throughout our marriage, for I realise that I can be a very impatient, disagreeable man at times.”

  “Not so disagreeable,” countered Elizabeth with a laugh, “and certainly much, much less disagreeable once your true nature is understood. I believe it will fall to me, as your wife, to calm your impatient streak and to allow people to see how good you truly are. Indeed, I’m sure that once people properly understand your character, you will be just as popular as your friend.”

  “God forbid!” growled Darcy in jest. “Bingley cannot walk into any social occasion whatsoever without being swamped with people within the first few minutes! I should hate for people to think I was that friendly, or else I might find myself facing just the same sort of bother!”

  “And therein lies the difference!” laughed Elizabeth. “You hate attracting attention to yourself, whereas Bingley loves nothing more than to be surrounded by noise and chatter. Well, never mind,” she added with a grin, as she gave his arm an affectionate pat, “I love you just as you are. I will keep your secret safe and not let on to others how amiable you really are, if it will make you happy – even if that means allowing you to carry on standing in corners and glowering at anyone who comes near!”

  “Thank you, my love, I see you understand me,” Darcy answered dryly. As he spoke, he raised her hand to his lips and placed an affectionate kiss on her palm. “Now,” he continued, “I fear that the hour grows late and it is long past the time for me to take you back inside. I will escort you to your room and then retire to mine – though I very much doubt that I will be able to fall asleep when I am so excited!”

  Chapter 13

  Just as he had predicted, Darcy felt as though he hardly slept that night. His thoughts were full of all that he and Elizabeth had said to one another, and of the joy and happiness that lay before them. He tossed and turned in his bed as he dwelt again and again on their first embrace, and was impatient for the morning to come so he could speak to Mr Bennet and get their wedding plans in motion as soon as possible. It was no wonder, then, that he was up and dressed even earlier than was his wont on the following morning, so keen was he to find an opportunity to speak to Mr Bennet in order to secure his permission to marry his daughter.

  Unfortunately, however, Mr Bennet was completely unaware of Darcy’s eagerness, and so he did not arrive downstairs any earlier than was his usual habit. Consequently, Darcy was left impatiently kicking his heels whilst he waited for Mr Bennet to put in an appearance. Then, inevitably, distractions arose when his staff and then his land steward came to seek his advice, and so by the time that Mr Bennet finally arrived downstairs, Darcy had missed his opportunity to speak to him and he was informed that Mr Bennet was already occupied in another private conversation when he asked after the older man’s whereabouts. Thus, Darcy was forced to be patient, and so he withdrew to his private study for a while in order to try and gather his thoughts whilst he waited to have one of the most pivotal conversations of his life. It was a strange situation, Darcy realised, for though he was in his own domain and Mr Bennet was a guest in his house, the older man definitely held all the power in this circumstance.

  Finally, Darcy’s butler came to inform him that Mr Bennet was now free and at leisure to see him, and so Darcy hurri
ed forth from his study in order to speak to him. He was not aware that his agitation was showing so clearly upon his face, however, until he entered the library and Mr Bennet chuckled at the very sight of him, though Darcy masterfully endeavoured to appear more collected than he actually felt.

  “Good morning, Mr Darcy,” Mr Bennet greeted him jovially. “And what do I owe the pleasure of your company to – and especially so early in the morning?”

  “I think you must know, sir,” answered Darcy in a dry tone, “since I see you are determined to enjoy yourself at my expense.”

  “I admit I am, but a man of my age must take what enjoyment he can. Come, take a seat; you look like a condemned man facing the gallows!”

  Tense as he was, Darcy would have much preferred to have remained standing in order to ask his question, or better yet, to have paced around the room, but he realised that his agitation would be all too obvious to Mr Bennet if he did that – and he didn’t want to give the older man any further opportunity to ridicule him. Thus, being the direct sort of person he was, Darcy decided to take a seat and simply ask his question outright. “Mr Bennet,” he began solemnly; “I have come to ask your permission to marry your daughter, Elizabeth.”

  “I must say, that was very direct,” Mr Bennet remarked dryly. “Am I to have no enjoyment whatsoever from this situation? I felt sure that I would be able to tease you for some time yet!”

  “I am sorry to disappoint you, but I see no point in procrastinating over what I want.”

  “Oh well, I suppose it is just as well,” sighed Mr Bennet with mock regret, “for I’ve already used up all my wit on poor Mr Bingley this morning. Fortunately for you, it seems I have no teasing comments left to provoke you with!”

  In his great distraction on the previous evening, Darcy had forgotten all about his friend and Elizabeth’s older sister, but he suddenly realised from Mr Bennet’s comment that Bingley must likewise have used his opportunity of having some private time with Jane to ask her the very same question as he had been putting to Elizabeth. His swift conclusion must have shown upon his face, for Mr Bennet confirmed his unspoken question before he could speak.

  “Yes, your friend beat you to it this morning and has already had his audience with me,” he smiled. “So, it is a good thing that you didn’t come in here to ask for Jane’s hand in marriage, for I’ve already given my permission for her to marry Mr Bingley!”

  “As much as I like and admire the eldest Miss Bennet,” Darcy replied with an answering smile, “it is not your oldest daughter whom I have fallen in love with. And nor would I do such a thing to my friend, for I know how long he has been besotted by her.”

  “Yes, I would say that besotted is the right word!” chortled Mr Bennet. “Indeed, I must say, your friend made the whole experience of asking for my permission a great deal more enjoyable for me than you have!”

  “Then I feel sorry for Bingley, for I can well imagine that you didn’t make the discussion an easy one for him,” replied Darcy in a dry tone.

  “No, I confess I didn’t,” admitted Mr Bennet cheerfully. “But then, how often does a father get to tease a future son-in-law?”

  “In your case, all too often,” retorted Darcy sardonically.

  “Well, I cannot help it if Bingley makes it far too easy to tease him,” excused Mr Bennet with a cheery wave of his hand. “To be honest, he was sweating and dithering to such a point that I thought I might actually have to pass my next birthday in this room! Eventually I was forced to take pity on him, just so I could finally get him to conclude his long speech and I could get some peace. But you, Mr Darcy, don’t seem to have the decency to look even half as uncomfortable as you should! You are taking the enjoyment out of the whole thing, you really are.”

  “Perhaps I know your tactics better than my friend does,” replied Darcy. “Or perhaps I am not so easy to unsettle as he is.”

  “Or perhaps I have just not been asking the right sort of questions,” countered Mr Bennet. “I’d like to know, for example, just how late you and my second eldest stayed out in the gardens last night?”

  Although he was determined not to appear ruffled by Mr Bennet’s question, there was something very pointed about the older man’s gaze that inevitably made Darcy feel quite uncomfortable. Indeed, unhelpful as such recollections were at that precise moment, he could not help but be reminded of the passionate kiss that he had shared with Elizabeth on the previous night, nor of the protracted walk which they had taken hand-in-hand in the moonlight as they had slowly meandered their way back towards the house. Indeed, for a moment he was so lost in such remembrances that he temporarily forgot the thread of his conversation with Mr Bennet, and it was only when he heard the older man pointedly clearing his throat that his attention was belatedly recalled to the present. Knowing that Mr Bennet had got the better of him with such an awkward question, Darcy tried very hard not to squirm in his seat. Instead, determined not to be beaten by the older man’s jesting, he cleared his throat and deliberately changed the subject.

  “Sir, you have still not answered my question. Do I have your permission to marry your daughter?”

  “I have not answered your question, young man, just as I notice that you have not answered mine,” retorted Mr Bennet pointedly.

  Darcy could not help but roll his eyes in his exasperation. “We stayed out rather late, Mr Bennet, if you must know, but I think it best for both your peace of mind and mine that you don’t ask me any further questions on the subject. Suffice to say that I asked Elizabeth if she would marry me, and she said that she would.”

  “So, it seems that you made a better job of it this time around, then,” teased Mr Bennet.

  “Yes, so it would seem,” agreed Darcy with a wry shrug. “In truth, I made such a mess of it last time that I could hardly do any worse. Fortunately for me, your daughter has a great deal of compassion and has decided to forgive all my past foolishness. I am quite sure that she will not let me forget it entirely, however, for she has the same perverse streak in her character as you do, Mr Bennet, and so she likes to tease me.”

  “And so she should!” laughed Mr Bennet. “She should always get what enjoyment she can from sporting with your patience, for I have no doubt that she will find it a very enjoyable pastime!”

  “So, am I to deduce from your comment that you do give your permission?” persisted Darcy.

  “Would you take no for an answer, even if I attempted to dissuade you?”

  “No, sir, I think you know me better than that by now. I imagine I would have started talking of elopement if you were to prove too difficult.”

  “You would be far better to talk of bribing me with access to your library,” countered Mr Bennet.

  “Very well, then I give you free rein to occupy yourself to your heart’s content in the library every time you should visit Pemberley, or my London townhouse in the future,” smiled Darcy.

  “You have a book collection in your London property as well, then?”

  “Yes, it is not as extensive as this one, but it is certainly large enough to keep you quiet and out of trouble.”

  Mr Bennet pretended to be contemplating the offer, but his teasing expression informed Darcy that he had already won this particular battle of wills with Elizabeth’s father.

  “I now feel as though I did not bargain enough with young Mr Bingley,” the older man complained after a short pause. “If I can gain access to two libraries from you, I should have been able to get a lot more from a young man as amiable and eager to please as him!”

  “You leave poor Bingley alone,” Darcy warned with pretend menace; “he is not so capable of dealing with your perverse wit as I am.”

  “Now that I cannot promise,” grinned Mr Bennet. “He is far too easy to tease and you cannot expect an old man to give up all his pastimes in one go.”

  “Old man?” snorted Darcy scornfully. “I have no doubt that you’ll be vexing us for many years to come with that troublesome mind of yours!”<
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  “I’m not sure that you are quite as deferential as a future son-in-law should be,” retorted Mr Bennet dryly.

  “I am all too ready to be a deferential son-in-law,” countered Darcy, “as long as you are going to be an amenable father-in law.”

  “And what exactly is it that I am to be amenable about?” queried Mr Bennet with a raised eyebrow. “Are we talking in general terms, or do you have a particular request in mind? I feel I should warn you now that if you are expecting me to be cooperative and helpful all the time, then you are very likely to be disappointed.”

  “I would never be so foolish as to imagine such a thing,” replied Darcy with mock gravity. “It is just that Elizabeth and I hope to marry before Christmas – though for some reason, she seems to think that you might have objections to that plan. However, I feel I should warn you for future reference that I am not someone who brooks disappointment very well, and on this particular matter I am in no mood to compromise.”

  Mr Bennet said nothing in response for a long moment, though he regarded Darcy thoughtfully over his steepled hands, almost as if he were trying to work out how he could deal with such an obstinate son-in-law. Finally, he simply smiled and reached out to shake Darcy’s hand. “I suppose I must learn to concede when I must,” he concluded sardonically, “though do not imagine that you will win every battle we have!”

  “No,” agreed Darcy with a wide grin, as he took Mr Bennet’s outstretched hand, “I certainly won’t. Anyway, in all probability, neither of us will win any argument in the future, since I have no doubt that Elizabeth will always have the final say in any disagreement!”

  *****

  The two gentlemen wasted no time in joining the rest of the household to make the announcement of both engagements, and the room was at once loud with the sound of ecstatic congratulations and cheerful chatter. Everyone was delighted at the news – with the very noticeable exceptions of Miss Bingley and her sister, who could not quite disguise their disgust and anger when the news was announced. Indeed, Miss Bingley soon afterwards left the room, followed by her anxious-looking sister, after complaining of a sudden headache. However, their departure only served to improve the mood of everyone else, and it wasn’t long before detailed conversations were taking place about wedding ideas and arrangements. In fact, by the time that luncheon was announced, plans had already been laid down for a double wedding ceremony in early December – and Darcy couldn’t have been happier.