“My dearest love, no one has ever given me anything more precious.” He brought her hand to his lips before folding the fine linen and lovingly placing it within his breast pocket. “I shall gladly keep it here next to my heart, where it belongs.”
“That is all I ask, for my heart is yours, William, and tomorrow I shall be your wife.”
“Yes, and I shall be your husband.” He stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. “Elizabeth, I could not be happier.”
“Nor I.”
Had Jane not come looking for them, he might have stood there holding her and stealing kisses for far longer than he ought, for their parting came all too soon. Now, however, it was a new day, and in a few hours they would be man and wife. Soon she would be his bride, and despite everything that had happened since that unthinkable evening at the charity ball, Fitzwilliam Darcy was happy.
In an odd way William felt like a young man again barely out of university. He had endured so many trials since that time with the death of his father, his failed marriage and the guilt he yet harboured over Anne’s death and that of their son. Nevertheless, God had given him another chance to prove himself worthy. In gratitude, he vowed he would do everything within his power to make Elizabeth happy as they built their life together.
The very thought of their joining brought a smile to William’s face. In that respect, Elizabeth was everything he could possibly desire in a partner. She was a warm, caring, and passionate woman whom he would gladly take to his bed every night. Because of the love they shared, he was sure there would never again be arguments provoked by locked doors or the feigning of illness to avoid his advances. Because of their love, intimacywould be freely given and there would be the promise of more children.
Before leaving Town, William had given instructions to his housekeeper in preparation for his return with Elizabeth. Darcy House would be thoroughly cleaned and every room adorned with flowers from the solarium and local hothouses. Following Anne’s death, he had abandoned the original master bedrooms for a suite of guest rooms which had no reminders of those troubled times. In these rooms, Elizabeth would find more flowers and a lovely meal served with his finest wine. Knowing how much Elizabeth loved literature, he had chosen two of his favourite books from his personal collection and enclosed the first of many missives he would write over the coming months and years.
In addition to her books, William had purchased two necklaces from the jeweller who had sized his mother’s rings. The first was but a modest pendant cross set with five small emeralds on a simple gold chain, while the more formal necklace with matching earrings was an elegant double strand of small emeralds and diamonds accented with slightly larger tear drop emerald stones.
He could not resist purchasing either necklace since the rich emeralds reminded him of Elizabeth’s vibrant eyes, the dark green orbs which had captivated him from the very first. Smiling to himself, William was elated knowing Elizabeth would be his wife in just a few hours and within a matter of days, his family would finally be complete.
The de Bourgh Cottage had seen many repairs since William took possession after his marriage to Anne, and it had been updated with several conveniences for his family’s use. Situated very close to the seaside, it would be the perfect place to relax and enjoy his time with Elizabeth and the girls.
Elizabeth had never been to the Eastern Coast of England, and he looked forward to showing her that area. Perhaps they might even take one or two days and visit some of the neighbouring ports. Then, with Canterbury being less than twenty miles from the cottage, he planned on stopping there for a day or two on their way back to London. Elizabeth would be delighted to visit the famed ruins and take a tour of the old cathedral which was noted in Chaucer’sCanterbury Tales.
Their time spent in Kent would not only be a new adventure for his family, but it would be restorative for William before returning to a week of activities in Town put forth by the countess. To that end, William had agreed to his aunt’s proposal for a ball in celebration of his marriage to Elizabeth. In addition, Lady Gwendolyn had offered to host a dinner for that same purpose. Since the season was not quite over, Lady Eleanor had suggested that being seen in public with his new bride would do much to quell the gossip which had overshadowed their hasty marriage. While William would rather forgo those formalities, he knew that his aunt’s suggestion was sound.
Furthermore, William realised Elizabeth did not have adequate time to shop for wedding clothes and he wanted to provide her with the opportunity before leaving Town. She did of course make some purchases in Meryton, but since Mrs. Gardiner had her niece’s measurements, he had asked her aunt to visit one or two of the well-known dressmakers and make some preliminary arrangements for clothes which Elizabeth might consider after they returned to Darcy House. Having lived in Lambton, Mrs. Gardiner was familiar with the cooler climate in the north and could easily advise her niece what she might need for that purpose. As for other clothing befitting her station, Lady Eleanor had insisted on being of service in that quarter, telling William she hoped his pockets ran deep, for she would spare no expense. He chuckled to himself recalling howElizabeth had asked Mrs. Gardiner to do her best at restraining the countess from overspending.
“Please, Aunt, I beg of you; do not let Lady Eleanor order more than I shall need. I realise I must dress in accord with my new station as Mr. Darcy’s wife, but it does not mean that frugality and simplicity cannot be observed.”
“Yes, my dear, I shall do my best, but if I am not mistaken, your mother is currently discussing her suggestions with Her Ladyship. I see she is holding a list of some sort, and the two of them appear to be in deep confidence.”
“Oh, Mama,” Elizabeth sighed. “I suppose there is nothing to be done, since I will not be in Town to make my wishes known. I only pray that Lady Eleanor does not have the samepenchantfor lace that Mama does.”
Mrs. Gardiner quietly chuckled. “I believe you are safe on that account. Though many grand ladies do prefer an excessive amount of lace and feathers, I have yet to see it so with Her Ladyship.”
“Mercifully, Mama will remain here and forgo her need for shopping when the Gardiners return to Town.” She smiled knowingly. “Heaven bless Mr. Bingley for extending his stay.”
Yes, heaven bless Bingley,thought William. His friend had promised to look after Mr. Bennet and the rest of the family during his absence. Assuming Bingley went ahead with his plan to offer for Miss Bennet and she accepted him, he looked forward to having Charles as his new brother.
Following their trip to Ramsgate and their commitments in Town, the Darcys would return to Longbourn, allowing Elizabeth to enjoy several more days with her father before going on to Pemberley. Elizabeth’s sisters were eager to meet Anna and Georgiana, and he knew it was important to Elizabeth to allow them that courtesy. The younger girls had been better behaved as of late, and he prayed they would continue to do so.
As for Pemberley, William’s intention was to be in residence no later than the first of August in order to oversee the remainder of the harvest and to give Elizabeth time to get used to her new home while preparing for the Gardiners’ visit later in the month. All in all, the coming months would be very full, but for Elizabeth’s sake and for the sake of their family, he would make it so and prayed that nothing would interfere with his well-thought-out plans.
Checking his pocket watch, William could see there were yet two hours before the wedding was to take place. At that moment, Richard tapped on his door before entering.
“Ah, I see the happy groom is ready and waiting. Would that I could say the same for Bingley and Lord Nicholas. Speaking of Bingley, I shall be glad to leave our friend behind and enjoy the trip back to Town in the company of the lovely Mrs. Walden. I tell you, if I hear one more word about his ‘angel,’ I think I shall have to threaten the man with bodily harm before the day is out.” They both chuckled. “One can only take so much mooncalf, and you have certainly given us plenty on that score.”
“Me?!”
“Yes, you, Cousin! Your inattention to the rest of us would be worrisome if I was not aware of your obsession. Heavens, I have never seen you smile so much or be so enamoured with a woman in all my days. I must say, the lady serves you well.”
“Yes, she does.” He smiled broadly. “I tell you, Richard, when I came to Town looking for a bride, I hardly expected to fall in love. Elizabeth is everything I never allowed myself to hope for, and I thank God for His intervention in my life.”
Richard nodded in understanding. “It seems your new relations may be a little rough around the edges, but I must say I rather like them, that is, with the exception of Collins. I could not believe that oaf had the nerve to invite himself to Mrs. Bennet’s dinner party and to your wedding, no less.”
“Bennet says he often comes around unexpectedly, insisting it is his right as the heir apparent. And now that he is courting Miss Lucas, even more so.”
“I observed his interest in the woman, but I had no idea she was purposely allowing his attentions. To accept such a man does not do her credit.”
