“Considering he wrote more than two hundred sonnets on the subject, I would certainly hope so,” she replied lightly. But she found it moving that he had chosen to readthisbook, of all the books he could have picked.
“Is it not remarkable that words written two hundred years ago could have so much meaning to us in the present?”
“Itisremarkable.” She looked at him, so earnest, so alive, so full of enthusiasm. That too, was remarkable. She would never have thought the man she had met in Pemberley could be talking about love and poetry in this manner.
“I have an idea,” she said. “Why not take turns readingRomeo and Julietto each other?”
“It is an enticing idea.”
She began to read, but before long, she looked up to see Darcy gazing at her, his eyes devouring her face.
She blushed. “You are not listening, sir.”
“Of course I am listening. I was just struck by how beautiful your voice is. And I am pondering how fortunate it is that I have found someone like you. What would have happened if you hadnot come to Pemberley that day? It truly was a fateful encounter. Though I had no way of knowing it then, of course.”
Elizabeth’s mind went back to the day William had accused her of stealing the Ming vase and she began to chuckle, before bursting into side-splitting laughter as something occurred to her.
Darcy looked at her in bemusement.
“What on earth is so funny?”
“I just now thought of this, but really, if I wanted to steal something from Pemberley, surely I would have chosen something more discreet? I am imagining myself staggering out of the house with a huge vase in my possession. Would none of the footmen have noticed? And how, pray, could I have carried it all the way across the fields to Lambton when I was going on foot?”
Darcy joined her in her laughter.
“I did not think of that,” he said, shaking his head. “Are you ever going to forgive me?”
“Maybe, in about twenty years, I might.”
“Is there some way I can bribe you into forgiving me?” He leaned over and gave her a very satisfying kiss.
“Did that work?” he said.
“I am not sure,” she replied pertly.” It was a good beginning, but not quite enough for me to forget the incident completely.”
“So you mean to hold it over my head, then,” he countered, “like the sword of Damocles?”
“It will certainly prove to be a useful tool to remind you that you are not always right.”
“You are choosing the one and only example of when I was wrong to use as proof?” He ran his thumb against the corner of her mouth, sending rippling sensations through her. “Perhaps I can use other ways to persuade you to forget?”
“You can always try. But let me remind you first, that we can be seen through all the windows on the square.”
He snatched back his hand quickly. “So youdointend to hold it against me. Hmm. Maybe I should retaliate.”
“How? You have nothing to hold against me,” she countered.
“You fell under Wickham’s spell.”
“Now you are being unfair,” replied Elizabeth. “It was only for a few minutes. The rest was all a result of his nefarious plotting.”
Darcy abruptly sat up straight, his demeanor changing completely.
“What is it?” said Elizabeth, alarmed. “You have not gone back to believing I was involved, after all?”
“No, nothing like that,” he said. “I have just had a thought. Instead of constantly worrying where the scoundrel is going to strike next, we need to get rid of him, once and for all.”
“I hope you do not mean to challenge him to a duel.”
