As those still mourning were in half mourning, the Bennet sisters and Giana entertained everyone on the pianoforte and harp once the men joined the ladies. It was the first time Darcy heard Elizabeth’s perfect contralto voice swell with song.
She had the voice of an angel as if her multitude of attributes were not already more than enough. He could not wait for the hours to pass until he met her the next morning.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
Darcy was not alone in having to struggle to fall asleep that night. Elizabeth had the same problem for a very similar reason. While he was imagining how he intended to declare himself to Cousin Elizabeth in the morning, she was dreaming of him making a declaration. No, it was more than that, she was imagining him proposing to her.
Both were out of their beds and preparing to dress at about the same time, which was around an hour before either had intended to rise.
Once she was dressed, Elizabeth pulled a book from the small bookcase in her chamber. It was Samuel Taylor Coleridge’sLove, the 1800 edition. She thought it was a very appropriate book to attempt to read on this of all mornings. Once she had unsuccessfully tried to read the same page five times, she gave up, closed the book, and placed it on the little table next to her bed. She had to wait some more time before Jenki would knock on her door.
Just like Elizabeth was unable to read, Darcy sat in the library at Netherfield Park looking at the page of an agricultural journal but not seeing the words thereon. He admitted defeat, and returned the journal to the shelf.
He was amused when he remembered how surprised he was Bingley’s leased house had a very decent library. Now aware of the name of the landlord, and the man being a fellow bibliophile, Darcy was not at all shocked the house Richard’s friend lived in had such a well-stocked library. Before the first time he met Bingley, his cousin had warned him an affinity for the written word was not something they shared.
After giving up on reading, Darcy lifted his eyes to the heavens. ‘Mother and Father, you remember I had told you I thought I found my match, the other half of my heart?’ Darcy communicated silently with his parents in heaven. ‘She is the one. You remember how I told you about the woman who made that inept attempt to entrap me and how I would not marry her if she were the last woman alive? It is the exact opposite with Elizabeth. She is theonlywoman I will marry. If she refuses me, and I do not think she will—at least I hope she will not—then, I simply will not marry and Pemberley will go to Giana’s son.
“I pray that will not be my fate, but until I ask her, all I can do is hope. I love you both and I hope you are spending time withAnne and Uncle Lewis in heaven.’
At the same moment Darcy began to speak to his parents, Elizabeth was addressing her best friend. ‘Annie, my dearest friend Annie. I think I have gone and fallen in love with Cousin William—William. Ours is not a long acquaintance, but I think I knew when we shared the dances at the assembly in October. Do not ask me when I fell in love with him, I was in the middle before I realised I had started. Yes, Annie, you had the right of it,’ Elizabeth smiled as she told her friend that. ‘My feelings are not driven by anything other than my belief he is the only man who will ever own my heart.
‘He is truly the best of men! You know how Mary and Richard balance one another, with her being more sombre and him being the jovial one, do you not? I believe in the opposite ways that William and I are one another’s perfect foils. We are so well matched in so many other ways, our love of nature, horses, intelligence, and I can go on. It does not hurt that he is exceedingly handsome, and when he smiles, and his dimples show…oh my.’ Elizabeth blushed as she told Anne the last. If she did not know better, she would swear she could hear Anne giggling. ‘I love having Jenki with me, we are able to find solace in our shared memories of you and she has told me so much about when you were a child before we met.’
A knock on her door caused Elizabeth to look at the clock on the wall where she saw it was time. Jenki’s arrival had pulled her from her reverie. Soon she would see him, and she was sincerely hoping he would speak.
~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~
“Good morning John, good morning Brian,” Elizabeth trilled to the two huge men waiting for her and Jenki just outside of the kitchen door. “Mr. Darcy will be joining us along the path this morning.” She could not help her colour deepening when she mentioned him.
Biggs and Johns gave knowing grins which matched thewide smile on Mrs. Jenkinson’s face.
As was to be expected in the latter half of November, the morning was cold but Elizabeth’s prayers had been answered. There had been no rain overnight, and the sky, which was becoming streaked with the first fingers of the new day’s light, was clear.
With the temperature and the season, there was no welcoming birdsong as there always was in spring, summer, and even early autumn. The non-evergreen trees, which were most of those at Longbourn, were stark with very few brown leaves still clinging to the branches determined not to let go until there was no choice.
Another positive was the absence of wind. There was a slight breeze, and it was cold, but nothing like a wind-driven chill. Elizabeth was wearing a heavy overcoat, thick sheep’s wool lined gloves, and a heavy wool dress. Her bonnet was also lined with sheep’s wool and had little flaps which covered her ears in case there was a cold wind. Between her stockings and half boots, she had worn a pair of thick wool socks, so she was fully prepared for a colder day than this one was turning out to be.
As was her wont, her first stop was at the stables. Hector was gifted an apple and a carrot. Penny received the same. Both were as happy as they always were to see her and nickered with delight as she approached them. Elizabeth rubbed both on their foreheads and made sure the blankets they wore in the winter to keep them warm overnight were secure on them.
Once she had confirmed the horses were happy, and after greeting the stable hands already at work, Elizabeth walking next to Jenki, with the guards following, made for the gate which led out of the paddock and into a field and the path to Oakham Mount.
Halfway to the gate, Elizabeth’s breath caught as she saw Cousin William standing on the path on the other side ofthe fence. He had a great coat on over, what she had to assume, were warm clothes, the black armband was on his left arm. His gloves looked thicker than normal, and he was wearing a beaver. From what Elizabeth could see his ears were exposed so she was pleased there was no wind.
Although she wanted to run towards him, Elizabeth regulated herself and continued to walk like the lady she was supposed to be. She did not miss Jenki’s smile as she fought to regulate herself. John Biggs got to the gate just ahead of his mistress and opened it for her. Once she and her companions were past it, he fell in step behind them while Brian Johns closed it again.
“Good morning, Cousin Elizabeth, Mrs. Jenkinson, Biggs, and Johns,” Darcy greeted as he gave her and the companion a half bow. The guards grunted their greetings.
“It isgoodto see you, Cousin William,” Elizabeth replied with a semblance of a curtsy. Mrs. Jenkinson also curtsied. “Shall we?” Elizabeth pointed towards the path and the eminence about a mile or two distant rising out of the early morning mist.
Mrs. Jenkinson fell back to walk behind her mistress and Darcy fell in step with the lady he loved and offered her his arm. She took it without hesitation, and he saw it as a very good sign that rather than simply rest her hand lightly on his forearm, she wrapped her arm around his. He knew he was grinning like a fool, but he cared not.
For the first quarter hour of the walk, there were no words spoken between them. All that was heard was the crunching of the grass which had frozen overnight as two pairs of lady’s half boots and three pairs of men’s boots came down with each step the walkers took.
“Exposing Wickham was very brave of you Elizabeth,” Darcy noted.
“I did not do more than anyone else would have done,”Elizabeth protested.
“Ninety-nine out of a hundred women would not have confronted him, never mind slap his face,” Darcy disagreed. “I am not surprised you are downplaying your role. It makes you uncomfortable, being given credit for your bravery. I have heard tell of that ever since you rescued Anne and Uncle Lewis from certain death.”
