“My dearest, loveliest Elizabeth, you have bewitched me mind, body, and soul. You are by far the handsomest woman of my acquaintance, but you are so much more than a beautiful face. One of your most attractive features to me is your mind. You are the most intelligent person I know, regardless of sex. You have never agreed with me just because I am a man, and I know that life with you will never be boring. I cannot imagine walking life’s paths without you by my side as an equal partner. Elizabeth Rose Bennet, will you agree to bind your life to mine and become my wife?”
“Now that was a proposal,” Elizabeth teased. “William, you are the best man I know; you are honest and honourable to a fault and protect those you love with all that you are. Seeingthat you are theonlyman I could ever be prevailed upon to marry, yes, William, I will marry you.”
“Did I hear correctly? Did you actually accept me?”
“Yes, William I did. I am happy to repeat my acceptance as many times as you need to hear it until you understand you were not dreaming.”
Darcy lifted his eyes to the heavens. “My late mother and father would have loved you. It is one of my biggest regrets that they are not here to welcome you to the family.” With that he rose to stand, never relinquishing his hold on her dainty hands.
“I think Aunt Elaine and Uncle Reggie will do so on their behalf.”
Hearing the way Elizabeth already addressed his aunt and uncle, Darcy’s eyebrows rose in question.
“After they invited Jane to address them as Mother and Father, I was told that as I would soon be their niece, I should use the aunt and uncle monikers. It seems they were aware that you had been hoping to renew your addresses to me.” Elizabeth arched an eyebrow at him. She was very grateful that this time he had not taken her acceptance for granted, and he had truly asked and not told her what she would do, as he did last time.
“Yes, I suppose it was not a well-kept secret. That is a discussion for another time. Now with your permission…” Darcy lowered his head.
Before William’s lips met her own, Elizabeth threw her arms around his neck and pulled his head down the remaining inches until his lips were crushed to her own. After the first kiss, William tried to pull his head back, but Elizabeth was having none of it. She did not release him.
Darcy was not surprised.He had seen clues to Elizabeth’s passionate nature before this, including the way she responded to his caressing of the back of her hands. Rather than fight it, Darcy slid his arms around her slender waist, pulling her body against his as the kisses deepened. He had just got her to open her mouth and admit his tongue when there was a clearing of a throat from the hallway. Their time was up.
They disengaged slowly from each other and eventually took a step back.
It was then Elizabeth noticed a prominent bulge, which she realised was the thing which had been pressing against her belly. Having grown up on a working farm, she knew what it was but kept her eyes locked with those of her affianced. “William, as I came of age in March past, you need no permission from anyone to marry me, but like Andrew intends to do, I believe a visit to my father to request his blessing will be appreciated.”
“It will be so. When you and the Gardiners travel south towards the end of the month, Gigi and I will join you.”
“As I understand it, Andrew and his parents will travel with us as well,” Elizabeth revealed. “Notwithstanding my age, Uncle Edward is my guardian until I reach home, so I will take aslowwalk back to the drawing room and send him up to see you.” With that she raised herself up onto her tiptoes and gave William a quick kiss on his cheek. As she opened the door she nodded to the seated maid before heading for the stairs.
The respite had been enough for Darcy not to embarrass himself before his soon-to-be uncle when Gardiner appeared. It was no time before Darcy had Gardiner’s blessing and was being welcomed to the family.
Meanwhile, just as it had been in Jane’s case the day she became engaged, the dreamy look Elizabeth was sporting left no doubt as to what had occurred. As soon as Uncle Edward left the drawing room, Gigi stood, made her way across the room atspeed, and threw herself into Elizabeth’s arms.
“I will have a sister at long last,” Gigi gushed.
“You will be gaining five sisters,” Elizabeth corrected. “Do not forget there are three more besides Jane and me.”
“Six,” Jane added. “When Charlotte marries Richard, who will be our brother, we will gain her as another sister. We have long thought of Charlotte as a sister of the heart, and now, she will be indeed. Before I forget, while you were being proposed to, I told Mother and Father what a wonderful woman Charlotte is.”
“In that, Jane spoke the absolute truth,” Elizabeth agreed.
Just then Gardiner and Darcy returned together. The latter was sporting a happy grin on his face.
“Just in case it is not known, Darcy here proposed to Lizzy, and this time, she accepted him,” Gardiner ribbed. “As Lizzy is of age, Darcy will be seeking Bennet’s blessing when we all travel back to Longbourn. I suggest we inform Fanny and Bennet of Lizzy also becoming engaged and that our party will be significantly larger. That will present a problem, as Longbourn only has so many chambers.”
“It is not an issue,” Darcy stated. “Subsequent to his apologies to Miss Bennet and the Gardiners, Bingley wrote to me. With Miss Bingley on her way to New York, or perhaps by now, having arrived there, he has withdrawn from society for now and has returned to Scarborough, where his extended family is. As he has the lease on Netherfield Park until September of this year, I have his permission to reside at the estate when necessary. There is more than enough room there. In that, Andrew and I will have accommodations away from the ladies to whom we are engaged.” Being able to refer to Elizabeth as his betrothed made Darcyextremely joy-filled.
Lady Matlock instructed her butler to bring champagne. It was not long before he and a footman were passing out flutes of the effervescent wine to those in the drawing room.
“To Jane and Andrew, and Lizzy and William,” Matlock toasted. There was a chorus of “hear hear”, and then those present sipped their champagne.
The two engaged couples and Gigi—who refused to be far away from her new sisters—ended up seated close together. The latter sat next to Lizzy when she and William sat on a settee.
“Andy, when and where did you meet Miss Bennet?” Darcy enquired. “I assume it was near Windermere.”
“As we will be brother and sister, will you not call me Jane as Gigi already does?” She smiled to herself. The old Jane would have never made such a bold request of an imposing man as Lizzy’s William could be.
“As long as you call me William, I agree,” Darcy responded.
