When Mr. Darcy found the sonnet, he briefly raised a brow, then began to read.
“Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments; love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O no, it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand’ring bark
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle’s compass come.
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom:
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.”
Having reached the end of the sonnet, Mr. Darcy lowered the book. He then looked at Elizabeth. “I agree—”
Elizabeth stopped breathing.He agrees with Shakespeare’s words on love?! Oh my goodness! Does he mean to say—"
“It is one of Shakespeare’s best sonnets,” Mr. Darcy said.
Elizabeth smiled and looked down briefly to hide her feelings of foolishness. Everyone murmured their agreement with Mr. Darcy’s words.
“What do you like about it, Elizabeth, if you do not mind me asking?” Georgiana questioned.
Elizabeth schooled her features and turned to her. “Well, we all just experienced a very severe tempest. It shook solid structures and even completely removed some. Yet, Shakespeare describes true love as an ever-fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken. I think it an eloquent way to say that a real and abiding love will face the storms of life and not give way, no matter the pressure put upon it.”
“It is a clever choice of words,” Jane said.
The discussion turned to other topics, and Elizabeth was relieved. She had been embarrassed for Mr. Darcy to read the sonnet, words so close to her heart. Words that revealed so much about her deepest thoughts and feelings. She had felt exposed, as if he could see everything inside her now. Elizabeth had developed feelings for him, and she worried that if he looked too closely at her, he would see them.
When Mr. Darcy had first said he agreed with her regarding the sonnet, she had held her breath as she waited to hear his thoughts. In the end, he only indicated that it was one of Shakespeare’s best sonnets. What did she think he would say? Some profound words on love and Shakespeare that had a double meaning only she was meant to understand?Goodness, Elizabeth! Be sensible!
After feeling such a colossal fool, Elizabeth avoided looking at him or even in his direction for the rest of the evening.
After everyone had retired, Darcy sat in his bedchamber with the window open, looking out into the night. His mind had returned to the events of earlier that evening when his sister had asked him to read Miss Elizabeth’s favorite sonnet aloud.
When Darcy had found Sonnet 116, he was intrigued.So, this is her favorite,he had thought. Darcy knew the sonnet well. Considering the subject matter as well as the fact that the sonnet obviously held special meaning for her, made it seem too personal and too intimate for him to be reading it in front of an audience.
As Darcy read the words on the page, he felt that familiar pull between them. When he came to the end, he looked up to find her gazing at him with those beautiful eyes and flushed cheeks. His throat suddenly dry, Darcy had managed to swallow and tellher he agreed that it was one of Shakespeare’s best sonnets. Her cheeks had seemed to flush an even deeper shade. It made him wonder if he had been correct and reading that sonnet in front of everyone had indeed been uncomfortable for her. Miss Bennet must also have sensed the need for a subject change. She asked if anyone had read any good novels lately. Everyone seemed eager to speak on that subject, so they did.
Darcy supposed that learning Sonnet 116 was her favorite fit with what he already knew of her. She had previously spoken of her aunt and uncle’s marriage as a love match. Miss Elizabeth had described their marriage as ideal. It was clear she desired such a union for herself. Darcy smiled. His Aunt Catherine would say she was being naïve and needed to focus on more material considerations.
Darcy felt she was a grown woman, and she was entitled to have criteria for marriage that she felt would make her happy. He also knew she was an intelligent woman. She would not tie herself to a pauper. Miss Elizabeth knew money was an important consideration. It just was not the most important consideration for her. She was more concerned with happiness in marriage. He was sure that if she found affection with a man of similar income to her father, she would be content. It was not her aim to raise her financial prospects through marriage. It was yet another thing he found refreshing about her.
