Caroline looked at him. “I need time,” she said quietly. “I do not yet know who you truly are, and I must learn to trust you, andto feel some affection for you, before we may come together. At present, I feel only anger for the treatment I have suffered at your hand.”
Augustus inclined his head solemnly. “You have my word, on my honor: you will live in safety under my roof, and I will not come to you until you are ready.”
Bingley looked from one to the other. “What say you, Caroline? Do you accept his apology and his oath? Will you return with your husband to your new home?”
“I will,” she said quietly.
Bingley glanced at his pocket watch. “It grows late, I hope to leave within the hour. Much has been accomplished. Augustus, I shall travel south after we dine. Is there anything further you wish to discuss before we part?”
Augustus shook his head. “No. I am satisfied.”
Caroline lowered her eyes, her thoughts turning inward. She must give up her love for Mr. Darcy. How it had wounded her to hear Charles speak of Fitzwilliam as a man in love with another, and he was in love, she had seen it with her own eyes. What it would have been to be the woman he adored. Yet her brother was right; she must stop thinking of him once and for all.
Her mind turned to another, the man who so closely resembled Fitzwilliam, the one she had for one night, believed could take his place. What if Colonel Fitzwilliam ever revealed their secret? Her foolish attempt to compromise him haunted her still. What could she have been thinking? Her cheeks burned with shame whenever she recalled the way she had dressed, how she had crept into his room.
She resolved then and there that she would never see him again, even if it meant she would never show her face in London for the rest of her life. In future, she must take care with what she drank, for it clouded her judgment, and with her temperament, she was prone to do foolish things.
Chapter 35: Betrothed
Bingley returned to Pemberley late that same afternoon. They all gathered round him in the drawing room to hear his news.
“My sister and her husband have come to an understanding,” he said with evident relief. “They have discussed their concerns and are both willing to work things out. I am feeling very positive about their future together.”
He turned to Jane. “Miss Bennet, would you walk in the garden with me? There is time enough, before we must dress for dinner.”
Jane’s eyes were hopeful. “Yes. Let me fetch my shawl and bonnet.”
He accompanied her to the hall and assisted her with her shawl. As they stepped into the rose garden, Charles drew near and offered his arm.
“Miss Bennet,” he began, his voice low and earnest, “I have loved you since the moment I first met you in Hertfordshire. At the time, my life was in turmoil, and my sister created so much chaos that I could not think of pursuing a connection. But now she is settled, and her husband is well able to manage her tempers.”
He stopped walking and took Jane’s hand in his. “Jane, I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”
She returned his look, her eyes bright with emotion. He took her other hand and smiled. “What say you, Jane? Will you marry me?”
He drew her gently into his arms and held her close. Bending his head, he brushed his lips over hers.
“Jane,” he whispered against her mouth, “will you marry me?”
“Yes, Charles,” she murmured. “If I do not speak, it is only because I am so overcome with joy that words fail me.” A broken sob escaped her. “I will marry you.”
He kissed her again, lingeringly, before releasing her. Then he offered his arm, and they continued through the garden, speaking quietly of a future that was at last opening before them.
Elizabeth, Darcy, and Mary stood at the front entrance of Pemberley to bid farewell to the rector.
Elizabeth turned to her sister with a teasing smile. “Mary, I believe the rector has turned his eye upon you.”
Mary sighed. “That is all very well, sister, but once he learns that I have no dowry, he will repent of his attentions.” Turning to Mr. Darcy, she added, “Sir, would you be so good as to give him a hint of my expectations? I would not have him mistakenly suppose that, because my sister is well married, her sister must therefore be a woman of means.” Her gaze dropped to her gown. “I fear my dress may also give him that mistaken impression, for no woman of little fortune would appear in gowns so fine as those I have worn while he has visited us.”
Darcy’s expression grew grave. “I will, Miss Mary. You are very thoughtful to consider his feelings and the possible disappointment if he is misled in this manner. I shall visit him on purpose to inform him. I had wished to congratulate him on his fine sermon. I will do it tomorrow and give him a hint of the other.”
As they turned to enter the house, Bingley and Jane rounded the corner, emerging from the hedge-lined path.
Jane came forward and took both of Elizabeth’s hands. “Lizzy, I am betrothed.”
Elizabeth uttered a delighted cry and drew her sister into a warm embrace. “I am so very happy for you, dearest. You deserve every happiness.”
She stepped back, and Mary embraced Jane in turn. Across the gravel path, Elizabeth saw Mr. Darcy clasp Bingley’s shoulder in hearty congratulations.
