“If you and Miss Bennet do not marry, she can well afford to buy Lily from you.”
A humourless laugh escaped me. “Yes, as comforts go, that one is rather frosty.”
Knight’s Manor
Elizabeth
Good Heavens, Mr. Darcy loved me and wanted to marry me! In a morning full of revelations, that one remained foremost in my mind, overshadowing my disappointment and confusion over Uncle Barton’s artifice—at least for now.
Had I erred in not accepting Mr. Darcy’s proposal? I could not state with surety that I did not already love him. How did one distinguish a true, lasting sentiment from a transient one? Before I met Mr. Darcy, I had experienced neither.
And until today, I had believed that a union between us could never happen, so I had not allowed myself to form an attachment to him. Of course, the heart is not so easily confined. And I could not deny that my entire person hummed in his presence with my senses attuned to him. Could this equate to nothing more than a physical attraction?
He could not have been more gracious at my refusal; a lesser man would have responded with anger and perhaps petulance. Furthermore, he would allow me time to become better acquainted with him.
Once I had returned Thea to the stables, I went towards the house. Yet the concept of encountering Uncle Barton twisted my stomach. Thus, I veered to the wooded path that followed the stream for a walk. In time, my thoughts centred upon Mr. Darcy again, and an added esprit marked my steps.
After a solitary breakfast, I removed to my room and sat at my escritoire to compose a letter to my uncle Gardiner. I had almost finished my missive when Cassie knocked and called to me through the door. My fingers jerked, making a sizeable blot on my paper. “Yes, come in.” I placed a blank sheet over my writing and stood as she strode towards me.
Cassie swept her arm to the green brocade settee. “Shall we sit together?”
“Yes, if you like.”
She led the way and shifted to face me when I joined her. “How did you find Miss and Mr. Darcy this morning?”
I took a slow breath. “Miss Darcy did not join us today, and Mr. Darcy had a topic of import to discuss with me.”
She grinned. “Oh, I see. Did he want to speak about me?”
In actuality, I had made the same assumption and had been braced for him to confide his affection for Cassie. “No, I am sorry.” I locked my upper body in place. The sooner she heard this from me, the better. “This morning, Mr. Darcy asked me to marry him, and I—”
“What?” Cassie nearly shouted the word and followed it with a harsh laugh. “That cannot be true. Why would you utter such a flagrant fib?”
“You may be assured of my veracity.”
“No, I do not believe it.” She shrank back from me. “How could you, of all people, betray me like this? YouknewI favoured him. Yet you must have been playing the coquette with him this entire time.” Her features stretched, then contorted into a grimace. “What have you done? Have you been…intimate with him?”
“No, of course not!” Fire shot up from my neck, overspreading my face. “How could you even ask that question? I have never so much as flirted with him. You know me too well to believe that.”
“I thought I did.” She beheld me with a bitter glare. “But a gentleman of Mr. Darcy’s standing would not propose to a penniless orphan who is connected to a nefarious uncle—unless he felt duty-bound to do so.”
With a slow breath, I attempted to subdue my indignation. “Well, that is not the case.”
“He could have his pick of eligible, wealthy ladies. Why would he choose you?”
“Over time, we have formed arapport, and he has grown fond of me. We share several common interests, and he has observed how well I get on with his sister.”
“Miss Darcy ismyfriend too!”
“Yes, although I think she is more at ease in my company.” I used an even tone.
“Besides, she has a companion, so I do not understand why that would be important to him.” Cassie sprang to her feet and hugged herself. “This is too much for me to grasp. I…I cannot bear to even look at you right now.” She ran from the room.
I almost called after her but stopped myself. I should give her time to calm down before approaching her. Instead, I returned to my escritoire and finished my correspondence to Uncle Gardiner. I secured the letter in my pocket and moved to the armchair with my uncle’s copy ofEnnuiby Maria Edgeworth.
An hour or more later, a knock drew me from my reading. “Come in.”
The door opened to reveal Oliver. “Miss Lizzy, the master wishes to see you in the study.”
