Darcy's Passions (34 page)

“I never meant to deceive you,” she stammered and looked deep in his eyes. “If I was not blinded by my own prejudices, I would have seen the man you really are. Our pride and our prejudice are a dust from the past; dust must be wiped away, leaving a clean surface. You spent your life ignoring others; I spent mine constantly censuring them; we will learn and offer forgiveness to each other.” She gently stroked his jawline. “May we not talk of something more pleasant?”

Darcy conceded easily.They would have a lifetime to vanquish those ghosts.They unknowingly leisurely walked several miles, and upon looking at their watches, they realized it was time to be home. Elizabeth looked around sheepishly. “I totally forgot about Jane and Mr. Bingley. They will wonder where we have gone . . . . Tell me true, Mr. Darcy, did you give Mr. Bingley permission to court my sister again?”

“Bingley needs not my permission,” he claimed his innocence. “What I did give him was my sincerest apology for interfering in his life.”

“Did he forgive you?” Elizabeth teased.

“His letter announcing his engagement to your sister told me I was forgiven.”

“Then you changed your mind about Jane?”

“I knew I was wrong last April.Your insights allowed me to see Miss Bennet as I never saw her before.Then Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner spoke of her affable nature. What could I do but to rescind my judgment? How could I keep Bingley from Miss Bennet and justify my feelings for you? I simply told Bingley he could wait or he could offer his hand; either way, the result would be the same. I watched Miss Bennet in your home, and I knew her regard for Bingley had not diminished.”

Elizabeth thought it to be amusing how easily he could manipulate Mr. Bingley. As they neared Longbourn, they knew they would have to part until Darcy could secure her father's consent. He felt her conviction as he moved up behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders. Elizabeth turned toward him, captured by his nearness. “Mr. Darcy, you are an exceedingly handsome man.” Her fingers traced his lips.

He caught her hand and kissed her fingertips; Darcy's eyes danced with the passion he could no longer conceal. “Elizabeth, you gave me the world today. I will spend my life trying to make you happy.”They walked next to each other the rest of the way to Longbourn; they did not need to touch to be connected. Their love was there; that was enough for now.

 

Entering Longbourn, Jane turned and asked, “My dear Lizzy, where can you have been walking to?”

“Yes,” Kitty added,“we feared something happened to you.”

“I am sorry to plague your sensibilities. We wandered about until I was beyond my own knowledge,” she offered an explanation. Darcy noticed she blushed, but no one else took note of her nervousness. Elizabeth shot Darcy a quick glance, and he gave her back a reassuring smile.

Dinner awaited them, but they purposely sat at opposite ends of the table. Neither could look at the other without betraying the love now openly declared. Darcy, seated next to the man, turned his attentions to her father. “Mr. Bennet, I understand from your
daughter you are considering some changes at Longbourn. I am also trying to address concerns at Pemberley; would you consider sharing some of the changes of which you are thinking?”

Mr. Bennet's interest in Darcy increased. “Well, Mr. Darcy,” he began,“what are you considering?”

“A four-crop rotation is one of the prevalent changes my steward Mr. Howard and I have put in place. It is widely used in Scotland and the Americas.”

“A four-crop rotation, you say?”

 

Throughout the dinner, Darcy's effort to engage her father pleased Elizabeth. She knew thanks to her earlier censure of this man she now loved, except for Jane, the Meryton Assembly set her family's opinion of Darcy. Tomorrow she would admit her error in judgment and tell them how much she now esteemed him. Jane and Mr. Bingley talked and laughed together; everyone easily accepted Bingley. Happiness did not take an open path in Darcy's case, and although she knew him to be so, others would not; plus, Elizabeth feared even with his fortune and consequence, her family may not accept him.

 

“Are you up for a game of billiards, Darcy?” Charles Bingley called to his friend when they returned to Netherfield.

“Truthfully, Bingley, I would prefer some of your pleasant conversation; that is, if you have anything left to say after spending the day with Miss Bennet,” Darcy smirked.

“She is the most beautiful woman. Do you not agree, Darcy?”

“I am afraid I prefer something with a little darker coloring, but Miss Bennet is perfect for you, my friend.”

“A little darker coloring, you say?”

“Yes, I do say.” Darcy avoided the question as he watched Bingley pour them both drinks.

“You are being mysterious this evening, Darcy.” Bingley handed him a glass of port as they found chairs across from each other in the drawing room. “I noticed you and Mr. Bennet had what
appeared to be an enjoyable conversation at dinner.Thank you for trying to be cordial to Jane's family.You are a dear friend.”

“The conversation with Mr. Bennet was enlightening, but I must admit it was not totally for your benefit, Bingley.”

“Do tell, Darcy.” Darcy's words peaked Bingley's interest.

“Bingley,” he began, not sure if he dare say the words, “I asked Miss Elizabeth to be my wife.”

“Darcy, this cannot be! I saw how you showed her preference at Pemberley, but I also saw you do so at Netherfield last fall. Then you two would be nearly in an altercation the next moment.You seem to always be in contention rather than in love.”

Darcy laughed; Bingley's assessment of his relationship with Elizabeth Bennet was accurate.“I cannot explain it; I have been in constant turmoil since I beheld her at the Meryton Assembly.”

“But you refused to even dance with Miss Elizabeth then!”

“An act for which I will always owe her an apology,” Darcy chuckled ironically. “I have been a fool in love; everything about the woman went against my principles, but, much to my chagrin, I found Elizabeth was exactly what I needed. She is the only woman who dared to challenge me—to humble me.”

“Remarkable!” Bingley exhaled loudly.

“That is a true estimation of Miss Elizabeth—remarkable!” Darcy mused.

“Tell me more.When did this love begin? She did accept you. Of course, she did,” Bingley reasoned.

“I wish I could tell you when it began. First, I noticed her; after all, you kindly threw the two of us together in your pursuit of Miss Bennet.” Bingley laughed lightly as he recalled his early infatuation with Jane Bennet. “I thought her to be a
diversion
for the lack of society I found in Hertfordshire; but then, I found, I could think of little else but Elizabeth Bennet. I concocted ways to engage her in conversation—what you interpreted as our verbal battles. Think about it—in all our time in Hertfordshire, besides your sisters, to whom did I show any attention other than Elizabeth?” Again, Bingley chuckled with the realization. “And Miss Elizabeth
has
accepted my proposal of marriage
this time.”

“Wait a minute! This time? I do not understand, Darcy.”

“I proposed to Elizabeth last April at Hunsford, and she sent me packing.”

“Darcy, you jest. She refused you?”

“Most emphatically! I treated her poorly, and she
rewarded
me with her disdain. In reality, my interference in your life, plus Mr. Wickham's deceit colored Elizabeth's opinion of me.All my wealth could not persuade her otherwise; but her understanding of the real situation allowed her to finally love me.”

“This explains the changes I have seen in you, Darcy. Elizabeth Bennet allowed you to be the man I always saw as your friend, but rarely saw in public.”

Darcy took a sip of the port as the changes came slowly but predictably to mind. “I will ask for her father's consent tomorrow so please do not say anything, Bingley, until then.”

“I may tell Miss Bennet, may I not, Darcy?”

“If I know Miss Elizabeth, your Jane knows by now; Elizabeth and Jane are more than sisters; and now, Charles, we will be more than friends; we will be brothers.”

The joy on Bingley's face was evident. “We shall be brothers, Darcy,” he laughed aloud. “What say you to another walk in the country tomorrow, Brother? This time you and Miss Elizabeth may get lost legitimately.”

“Bingley, you read my mind perfectly.”

The rest of the evening they spent in intimate conversation, each man extolling the merits of his perspective bride. As they prepared to retire for the evening, Bingley looked at Darcy and said, “Darcy, may I have the pleasure of telling my dear sister Caroline not only am I to marry Miss Bennet, but you are lost to Miss Elizabeth? It will be a fitting revenge for her intrusion into my private affairs.”

“I would not want to be in the room with Miss Bingley when she receives that letter,” Darcy weighed.“Pity the poor servants.”

“After you receive Mr. Bennet's consent, I will write a
most
legible
letter to her. I would not want my renowned poor handwriting to keep this important news from Caroline.” Both men found the image of Caroline Bingley reading the letter to be very amusing.

 

Entering Longbourn the following day, Darcy's eyes went immediately to Elizabeth, and she rewarded him with a purse of her lips and a smile. He could tell from her expression his appearance vexed Mrs. Bennet, and the remark pained Elizabeth. He also realized his earlier behavior would be hard to explain away to Mrs. Bennet and the others. Bingley could not totally control his enthusiasm for upon their entrance, he looked at Elizabeth so expressively and shook hands with such warmth, she knew immediately Darcy informed Bingley of their engagement. Bingley turned to Mrs. Bennet and said aloud, “Mrs. Bennet, have you no more lanes hereabouts in which Lizzy may lose her way again today?”

Mrs. Bennet laughed lightly at his humor. “I advise Mr. Darcy, Lizzy, and Kitty to walk to Oakham Mount this morning. It is a nice long walk, and Mr. Darcy has never seen the view.”

“It may well do very for the others,” replied Mr. Bingley, ironically, enjoying his new role of controlling Darcy's life, “but I am sure it is too much for Kitty.Won't it, Kitty?”

“If it is acceptable, Mama, I would rather stay home,” Kitty acknowledged.

Darcy offered,“Mrs. Bennet, Oakham Mount sounds interesting.”

Elizabeth could hardly help laughing at so convenient a proposal, but she silently consented. Mrs. Bennet followed her upstairs with epithets about Darcy, which truly vexed her daughter so by the time she started out, Elizabeth's temper was aroused. At the fork in the road, the couples parted to find their own way and their own privacy. Darcy and Elizabeth took the steeper pathway, both needing the exercise to relieve the tension.They walked along in silence for a quarter of a mile; finally, Darcy caught her hand to stop her progress. She turned back to look at him, and he held her stare; eventually, Elizabeth chuckled at herself, which made him
feel good. Darcy held her there with a look of barely restrained passion.“I know that look,” she teased.

“What look?” he pretended to misunderstand.

“There was a time when I thought with that look you disdained me and found fault with me. Then I saw the same expression on your face in your portrait at Pemberley,” she sashayed closer to him. She placed her hands on Darcy's chest,“and I wanted nothing more than anything to see you look that way at me again.” Elizabeth went up on her tiptoes to nibble on his lower lip.

“Mrs. Reynolds,” his voice was breathy and ragged, “tells me you find me to be handsome,” he teased her by brushing his lips over hers.

“Did I not tell you so last night?” Her mouth was near his.

“I am a vain, prideful man, as you have so often pointed out.” He smiled down at her face tilted toward him. “I need for you to feed my vanity with your praise.”

“Then you must reciprocate with praise of my good qualities.” Their breathing caused a sudden flush of heat to rise to Elizabeth's cheeks.

“My dearest Elizabeth, you are so beautiful.”The warmth of his kiss smothered the words. Elizabeth now realized it was a look exclusively reserved for her; she was the one person who brought passion to his being. They parted unwillingly and started their walk again, but now it became more leisurely and more loving.“Georgiana will be so pleased when she hears; if it was not for her, I may have given up my hopes of our reconciliation. She is more intelligent and astute than I once gave her credit for being; I am afraid I spent so much of my time being her guardian I forgot she is my sister.”

“It will be pleasant to have Georgiana as a sister. Losing Jane is something about our future to which I am most dreading; Georgiana and I will be great friends.”

“I dreamed of you at Pemberley so often.”

“I dreamed of it last night,” she stammered. “How will I ever manage to be its mistress? I am frightened; how will I survive?” Anxiety showed in her manner of speaking.

“Elizabeth, there are servants to manage Pemberley. It could run by itself.You will be my wife; you have nothing to fear. If you can win my heart as easily as you did, there is no one at Pemberley you have to fear.” Then he quickly changed the subject, not wanting her to dwell too long on the transition to her new life. “I would ask your father's consent this evening. How will he react?”

“Papa, I am afraid, will be very surprised. I told him nothing of Hunsford or of Pemberley. I fear my earliest impression of you is the only one of which he knows.”