“Elizabeth?” she broke in, eyes widening. “Have I given you leave, sir, to call me by my first name?”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “No, indeed, I suppose you have not. I vowed that I would not lose you, you see, but it seems I was powerless in that regard. However, my feelings can not be repressed.”
“You are not talking sense, I’m afraid, Mr. Darcy.” She tilted her head to one side.
“You must allow me to tell you, over and over, every day, always, how much I ardently admire and love you,” I said.
Her lips parted in something like shock.
“You have no notion of my feelings, of course, because you have…” She did not remember. “But I must say they are longstanding ones. The depth of my devotion to you cannot be overstated. And even if it may appear as if there are obstacles in the way of our union, I will allow nothing to get in the way of it, regardless of the difference in our circumstances socially, regardless of what anyone in my family may think, regardless of it all. You are my wife.”
“I am yourwhat?”
I grimaced. “I mean, you must consent to be my wife.”
She cleared her throat, searching for words. “In such cases as this, I believe it is customary to express an obligation of gratitude for the sentiments expressed, however little they may be returned. I am sorry, sir, for what discomfort this may cause you. However, I have never desired even your good opinion, let alone your ardent admiration, and you have certainly bestowed it most unwillingly.”
I bowed my head.
Fate, yes. I could come here, and I could propose to her, but she was going to refuse me.
I let out a little, bemused laugh. “You know, Eliz—Miss Bennet, I repent of what I did to separate Mr. Bingley and your sister. I thought I understood the way of things in that situation, but it seems I was wrong about it.”
She drew back. “I see that Colonel Fitzwilliam has been faithfully repeating everything that he and I spoke of earlier, then!”
I considered how to respond to that. “Well, I know that you are aware of it, anyway, and—”
“And you do not deny that you have done it? That you have prevented the happiness of my sister, a most beloved sister?”
“I cannot deny what I have done, no, but I must explain that I am the sort of man who feels a deep responsibility to those I care about. Mr. Bingley is younger than me, and he is given to falling head over heels for women, and I have felt it my duty to protect him. I was hasty in this instance, but it was all done with good intentions, and if you but give me some time, and come to know me, you will see—”
“I know you, sir! I have observed you often since the beginning of our acquaintance. We have had a number of conversations—”
“During which you have misunderstood me, seemingly out of spite—”
“Oh? Truly? That is what you think?” She planted both of her hands on her hips. “From the very beginning, from the first moment I may almost say, of my observation of you, I have observed your manners, your arrogance, your conceit, and your selfish disdain for the feelings of others, which were such as to form the groundwork of what has grown into an immovabledislike.”
I cleared my throat. “This is because you overheard my saying that I did not find you handsome, which is something I had quite repented of by the time you appeared at Netherfield with your cheeks flushed from walking miles, and your eyes, Elizabeth, your bright eyes—”
“You are unbelievable, Mr. Darcy! How dare you? I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could be prevailed upon to marry!”
Oh, that again. Well, that stung even worse the second time I heard it. I winced.
She sighed. “Oh, you have provoked me into making this all much worse than I intended it to be. You do… unnerve me, I must say.”
I smiled. “Oh, yes, I do.”
She huffed. “I am sorry that this has become so heated, but I think this business has concluded between us? You have offered, and I have refused, and now I must send you on your way with my wishes of health and happiness in your future endeavors.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“And that of your family and friends, of course,” she said, smoothing out her skirts.
“It took time before, I suppose. There is no reason to think it will not take time again.”
“Again?” she said.
“I shall be patient. You may think about what I have said, and we shall have a continued acquaintance—”
