The Countess stifled her smile. A gentleman could not give a young lady of good breeding giftswithoutgiving rise to expectations, but she would let him sort that out for himself. If he had a wife, he would have to quit the Army, and that was her dearest wish. “Hmmm. Well, she would have to be measured for gloves or slippers, so those are out. Does she play?”
“She does, yes; but I have no way of knowing what music she has already.”
“True; perhaps a fan?”
“A fan,” he repeated. “Yes, that sounds nice. Will you select one for me?”
“No,” she said immediately. “You must select it for her yourself.”
***
Thus it was that Colonel Fitzwilliam found himself in a shop on Bond Street. He ended up purchasing not just a fan, but a bonnet as well. They seemed to go together, this pretty ivory fan with blue flowers painted on it, and the bonnet with blue flowers gracing the brim. He pictured her wearing his bonnet, and he felt warm inside.
Warm? Was he warm? Yes, he really did feel warm. Perhaps he was sickening?
Chapter Sixty-One
Mary’s first appearance in a blue gown with dark blue ribbon trim caused a bit of a stir at Longbourn. Jane and Elizabeth offered warm admiration, trying to strike the right balance between approving Mary’s new look without letting her think that she had looked poorly before.
Predictably, Kitty and Lydia were outraged that Mary had been given money for clothing and they had not. Happily, Mrs. Bennet had been warned by her husband as to the circumstances of this change, and she delivered a quiet but effective lecture to the two youngest girls that quieted them at once.
Georgiana hugged Mary and whispered, “You look beautiful, Mary!”
Soon enough, everyone adjusted to the new Mary, and life went on.
***
Longbourn was visited by the Darcys and Mr. Bingley almost daily. Georgiana spent her time with Mary, Kitty and Lydia, allowing her brother to be alone – well, almost alone – with Elizabeth.
Elizabeth, no longer believing that Mr. Darcy was above her reach, began to open her heart to him. In return, he told her more about himself than he had ever disclosed with anyone before. She learned about his childhood, his friendship with George Wickham, the eventual death of that friendship as a result of Wickham’s character, his education, the difficulties he had surmounted in learning to be the master of a large estate while still quite young, his self-doubt when it came to being mother, father and brother to his young sister.
She had always been attracted to him; now she genuinely admired him. That admiration soon grew to love. She found ways to touch his hand when passing him a teacup, astonished at the shiver that went through her body. She found herself staring at his mouth, wondering what it would be like to kiss him! And his hair – oh, how she longed to run her hands through those thick dark locks! She had never expected to have physical sensations such as these, and was every day more astonished at herself.
In turn, Mr. Darcy was, each day, more and more entranced with Elizabeth. They played chess together, and he worked hard to win a draw from her. The depth of her learning astonished him; he had had the opportunity to go to university, while she had learned her languages and the classics only with the help of her own father. Her mind was quick, her manner easy and playful. Her opinions were her own; she could be stubborn, but she would change those opinions when more information was presented. He learned that she was a loyal and steadfast friend, that she would always speak out against injustice of any sort. He went rather quickly from admiration and attraction to ardent love.
He kept himself in constant check when with her, not allowing his imagination to wander too far, lest his body betray him. Sheseemed to enjoy touching him, just little brushes of the hands, and those touches were both delight and torment! How long must he wait for her?
Jane and Mr. Bingley had decided upon the fourteenth of January as their wedding date. Mr. Darcy believed that Elizabeth would very much like to be married at the same time as her sister; surely,surely, it was not too soon to ask for her hand? He could think of only one way to find out.
***
Minded to observe the formalities, Mr. Darcy first approached Mr. Bennet. He got out not a word before the older man said, “I suppose you are here to ask for my Lizzy’s hand in marriage.” His tone was not happy; it might even have been described as surly.
“You are correct, Mr. Bennet.” Mr. Darcy hesitated. “I can understand your unhappiness in parting with her. I can only assure you that you will be welcome at Pemberley at any time. And, given the entail…” He trailed off, uncertain as to how to approach what must be a sensitive topic.
“Yes?” Mr. Bennet’s tone was now downright hostile.
“I promise you that your wife and your daughters will lack for nothing.” Mr. Darcy spoke softly. “I will be personally responsible for their welfare; you may rest easy.”
Mr. Bennet sighed. “I thank you for that, Mr. Darcy. The entail has been a problem for my family ever since Lydia’s birth.”
“Ah. When it was clear that there would be no son?”
“Precisely.”
“The law is unfair in excluding females from inheritance,” Mr. Darcy said, thoughtfully.
Mr. Bennet chuckled. “I see you have been speaking with Lizzy.”
