Page 19 of A Different Impression

“William,” she repeated, trying it out. “Are you sure you would not mind me using that name?”

“No,” he whispered, swallowing tightly as he brushed an imaginary hair from her face, lightly caressing her face as he did so. “I would very much like it if you were to use that name.” His voice was rough as he spoke.

She smiled gently. “Thank you, William,” she said.

He drew in a deep breath through his nose to regain his equilibrium. “You are dangerous to my composure, Elizabeth,” he told her. “I struggle to keep myself under good regulation when I am in your company.”

Elizabeth took a step away, her cheeks flushing a brilliant pink. “We should avoid these situations,” she replied softly. “We should not be alone out here.”

“I know,” came his reply. “But I also do not want to stop.”

She sighed. “I will see if Jane or Mary can begin accompanying me on my morning walks. That would make them more proper. Perhaps Mr Bingley could join you as well?”

“I will see. Bingley is not one for keeping country hours. He is far too accustomed to the late hours of town,” Darcy told her. “I prefer rising with the sun. I cannot imagine sleeping the day away while my tenants work in the fields.”

“That is a rather admirable trait,” she said.

“It is what my father did and his father before him,” he replied. “It is the way of the Darcys. We are merely stewards of Pemberley, and our role is to do what we can for the land and the people who depend upon us. Our task has always been to make the land better than it was when it was given to us, and I hope that is what I am doing.”

Elizabeth reached out a hand to touch his. “That is an incredible legacy, William. It is a legacy of which you should be very proud.”

He clasped her hand in his larger one once again. “I look forward to the day I can show you Pemberley, Elizabeth.”

“Is it a foregone conclusion that you will someday show me Pemberley, sir?” she asked, the look on her face teasing.

“It is,” he said. “I do not intend to give up until I have convinced you. Should I ask again?”

She blushed. “Do you frequently flirt like this…” she asked, lowering her eyes for a moment.

“Never,” he stated confidently. “I have never acted this way with anyone else. I did not even know I could flirt, nor was I aware I was doing so. Remember Bingley’s shock yesterday when I teased him?”

“Yes, and you said it was infrequent, particularly in company,” she replied.

He smiled. “I said it was something that you seem to have brought out in me. I do not know why, but I feel lighter and happier when I am with you. My father has been gone for five years; for those five years, I have carried the weight of Pemberley and the Darcy legacy. It does not feel as heavy when I am near you, and I feel more like the man I was before that weight descended on me.”

“You are terribly persuasive, sir,” she said.

“What happened to William?” he asked.

“You are terribly persuasive, William,” she repeated quietly.

“I want to kiss you, Elizabeth,” he said softly but stepped back rather than closer, keeping her hand firmly gripped in his. “It is time for me to depart, I think. Tomorrow, one or both of us should bring along that chaperone. I am not nearly as persuasive as I would like to be, but it is indeed for the best.”

“You are, but I am doing my best to resist, especially after seeing my father take such extreme steps to preserve my family’s reputation,” she replied, also taking a step away from him but still not relinquishing his hand.

“Will you marry me?” he asked again, his eyes bright and his manner clearly teasing.

“Not yet, William. I will see you at Longbourn later today,” she told him, grinning at him whilst taking one more step back with their hands still clasped but stretched between them.

“I still have your hand,” he teased her.

“I have not given it to you yet,” she replied.

“You will,” was his reply, making her smile.

She gently tugged on her hand, and he released it reluctantly. “Soon, William.”

“Not nearly soon enough, Elizabeth,” he whispered.