“You imagine some specific punishments, madam?”
Elizabeth threw a cushion in his face, but it did not stop his laughter. He approached her and took her in his arms.
“Come, Elizabeth, tell me what to do.”
The proud and arrogant man she met a year ago asked her to decide such a delicate matter. It was a change she perceived in its immense value and brought her intense happiness. She closed her eyes and let all the winds of love fill her. Darcy was right: being away from his arms for two weeks seemed long. If he made a gesture that night, she would instantly agree to be his, right there under the eyes of his mother and the duke.
But Darcy just embraced her and lightly caressed her. He was a man soon to be married, but that night, he was also the young boy he used to be when he came in the afternoon into his mother’s parlour to find her writing.
“Speak, my love,” he whispered in her ear, making it difficult for Elizabeth to answer. so she rose up to see his face before she spoke.
“If your mother wanted her love story to be forgotten, she would have buried it without a word. But she wanted you to know about it.”
He looked at her with confidence, so she continued. “Do not let her story be lost forever. That is what I think. I agree it will be difficult for you, and her gesture is quite selfish, but you are an adult, and you must carry out her last wish. Ultimately, she wanted you to know her secret. As for Georgiana…it is too late to let her out of the secret.”
“In this mysterious and difficult-to-accept affair, there is but one fortunate aspect—the duke rose up as our protector, and from this moment onward, we won London.
“Not by fair battle,” Elizabeth laughed.
“There is no fair battle against gossip, deceit, and malice,” Darcy replied, and Elizabeth nodded in agreement.
“You are right,” she said. “I am a lady of both virtues and flaws, yet until now, only my faults have been scrutinised. If ittakes a duke for London to acknowledge my better self, then so be it.”
Chapter 11
Tired but relieved, Elizabeth fell into a dreamless sleep that left her fully rested in the morning. She dressed, helped by Alice, the young maid she would likely choose to be her lady’s maid. A playful spirit, Alice had a unique talent for styling hair, a quality Elizabeth secretly appreciated more than anything else—her hair had never been wholly tamed.
The knock at the door was urgent, matched by the tone of Darcy's voice. “Hurry,” he said, “we are waiting for you. Lady Edwina is here.”
“I am almost ready. I shall be down in five minutes,” she responded, hoping he would force the entrance and come in to kiss her, but Darcy was nervous, as she could tell by his tone.
She smiled at Alice, admiring the curls and the exquisite chignon tied up with golden ribbons; it was simple, yet it made her look sophisticated.
Before her mirror, Elizabeth felt a pang of unease, for those within Darcy’s circle often regarded her with disdain—an aspect of her new life she found utterly distasteful. The duke’s assistance was essential, yet his influence would alter only the topics of conversation, not the true thoughts of those around them. To change their intimate opinions, Elizabeth felt she must first bring about a transformation within herself. Taking care of her appearance was one of those changes that she needed.
The girl from Longbourn, with a mud-stained hem, was evolving into Elizabeth Darcy, the wife and mistress of Fitzwilliam Darcy’s house. She was beginning to understand that elegance and style were becoming an inherent part of her life. This was the thought she clung to each time she stepped into a room, whether in London or beyond.
“You look amazing, madam,” murmured Alice as if she knew her torment.
Elizabeth thanked her with a smile and descended, regretting when she could run down the stairs or glide along the railing.
However, that morning, she could be just Elizabeth Bennet as, at breakfast, she was greeted by a lady who already liked her and approved of Darcy’s choice. Their meeting at the opera had been too brief for Elizabeth to remember much about Lady Edwina. But in the bright breakfast room, she looked in amazement across the room; she could not imagine that the red-haired woman full of spirit and goodwill was the same age as her parents. She began to curtsey, but Lady Edwina hugged her in a spontaneous gesture of acceptance. Then she took Elizabeth’s chin in her palm and smilingly gazed at her with great attention.
“My dear boy,” she said, “I liked your future wife at first sight.”
Elizabeth wanted to sit beside Georgiana, but then she saw Parker inviting her to sit at the other end of the table in themistress’s chair, facing Darcy. Confident in her new coiffure and the pearl-coloured gown she was wearing for the first time, she sat.
“I am sorry to be late,” she said, smiling.
But Georgiana chased away her words with a broad wave of her hand, pointing towards Lady Edwina. “Do not be, my dear. Lady Edwina arrived when all of us were still asleep.”
“Where is Jane?” Elizabeth asked, looking around.
“Well, that splendid young woman was taken away by a noisy group,” Lady Edwina said. “She was up and ready to depart when I arrived. We had an early breakfast and forced your sister to tell me all the details about her wedding…and some secrets, too!” She laughed.
“Lady Edwina knows all the secrets of this house…”
“And many others, dear Georgie.” Her ladyship laughed merrily.
