Mr. Darcy pulled his team to a halt in front of the house, and before they had even fully stopped, Elizabeth was jumping out, blankets and other warm articles of clothing flying as she ran towards her family. Jane embraced her first, and both laughed as they pulled apart to take in one another’s winter attire.
“You are a sight!” Jane scolded, rubbing Elizabeth's hands between her own and glancing at the explosion of wool and fur that traced her path. “And I can see you were cold. Had you a pleasant ride?”
“It was wonderful.” Elizabeth’s gaze darted toward Mr. Darcy, who had dismounted with his usual aplomb, and was collecting her things as he walked in their direction. He handed them off to one of the footmen who was helping with the trunks.
A chorus of voices rose around them as her Gardiner cousins raced to embrace Elizabeth, vying for her attention while Lydia and Kitty hovered behind them, just as eager to share every detail of their journey. As they began to move her inside, she held out her hand to Mr. Darcy, who seemed inordinately pleased to take it and be pulled along with her.
They hurried into the house just as the first flakes of snow began to fall. Uncle Gardiner came in last and looked out the window with a satisfied sigh. “We set off early for precisely this reason,” he remarked. “It seems we have just beaten the weather.”
The warmth of the fire in the grand hall, combined with the joyful energy of her family’s arrival, filled Elizabeth with a deep sense of contentment. Mr. Darcy stood by her side as the introductions began in earnest, and all her relations met him with varying degrees of curiosity and enthusiasm.
Jane’s smile was warm and knowing as she extended her hand. “It is a pleasure to meet the man who holds my sister’s heart.”
“I am likewise pleased to meet you, Miss Bennet,” Mr. Darcy inclined his head respectfully. He then turned to Elizabeth, a playful glint in his eyes. “Our formal introduction has saved me from quite the predicament.”
Elizabeth smiled. “And what is that, Mr. Darcy?”
His smile widened. “I was beginning to think I might have to propose twice just to clarify which Miss Bennet I meant to wed.”
Before she could respond, Elizabeth's family, who had been following the conversation with keen interest, caught on to what Darcy had revealed. There was a collective gasp of realization.
“Proposed?” Lydia shrieked with delight. “Mr. Darcy, you proposed?”
Kitty clapped her hands over her mouth, her eyes darting between Darcy and Elizabeth. “Lizzy! You are engaged!”
Mrs. Bennet’s reaction was, predictably, the loudest. “Oh, heavens!” she cried, clasping her hands together dramatically before she opened her fan and began to vigorously employ it. Only Mamma would carry a fan when it was so cold out. “Mr. Darcy and my dearest Lizzy!”
Her sisters all stopped speaking to look at their mother with varying expressions of shock and surprise before her father, his smile wry but affectionate, added, “Well, Darcy, your little jest has caused quite a stir. And you have my blessing, of course, though we shall have to discuss the particulars over Mrs. Bennet’s Christmas punch.”
Jane, the most composed, stepped forward and took Elizabeth’s hands, her eyes shining with joy. “Lizzy, is it true?”
Elizabeth, laughing at the unexpected wave of excitement, nodded. “Yes, it is true. Mr. Darcy has asked me to marry him.”
With her accustomed bluntness, Mary inquired, “Did you accept him?”
“Of course!” Elizabeth exclaimed.
The room erupted into a cacophony of congratulations. Lydia threw her arms around Elizabeth in a tight hug, Kitty hopped up and down with excitement, and Mamma kept exclaiming that she knew how it would be. Jane, quieter than her sisters, watched them all and smiled with a serene joy that touched Elizabeth’s heart.
“Congratulations, Mr. Darcy,” Jane said when the furore had died down. “I do not believe I have ever seen Elizabeth so happy. I shall always be grateful to you for that.”
Mr. Darcy appeared slightly overwhelmed by the enthusiastic reactions of her family, but he smiled as he nodded to Jane. “Thank you, Miss Bennet.”
As the room buzzed with laughter and congratulations, Uncle and Aunt Gardiner stepped forward, their expressions warm and affectionate. Aunt Gardiner, always perceptive and caring,enveloped Elizabeth in a strong embrace, her voice soft and brimming with emotion.
“My dearest Lizzy, this is wonderful news. We could not be happier for you,” she said, pulling back to smile up at Darcy. “Mr. Darcy, you have chosen very well.”
Her intended inclined his head, clearly moved by her kind words. “Thank you, Mrs. Gardiner. I consider myself most fortunate.”
Mr. Gardiner stepped up to speak but before anyone could say more, Lydia, who had been impatiently bouncing on her toes, exclaimed “Lizzy! You did not tell us how grand this place is! Look at it!” Her eyes widened as she spun around, her voice carrying through the room. “This is all yours, Lizzy?”
Elizabeth smiled at her sister’s exuberance. “Yes, Lydia. It is all mine.”
“I wish someone would leavemean estate,” Lydia said with a sigh.
Kitty opened her mouth, no doubt to begin an argument about who deserved it more, but before she could, Mr. Darcy blurted, “What?”
All eyes turned to him.
