Page 34 of Searching for Elizabeth
“Oh, dear,” Lizzy said. “This is the patroness of my cousin Mr. Collins, correct?”
“Yes.”
“And will she be angry because I turned down her parson? Or because I am not rich enough? Or too low class compared to you?”
“I am a gentleman; you are a gentleman’s daughter. In my eyes, at least, we are equal.”
Mary injected a few words: “In many people’s eyes, we are very decidedly beneath you in consequence.”
“At any rate,” William explained, “the anger will largely be caused by the fact that I am marrying someone—anyone—other than my cousin Anne.”
“Ohhh,” Lizzy said. “I remember now; the soldier whose name I refuse to utter once told me that you were engaged to Anne de Bourgh. I believed him, but I suppose every syllable emerging from his face was a lie!”
The three finished their meal with an apple tart, and they soon moved into the drawing room. Mary excused herself on the grounds of mental exhaustion, leaving William and Lizzy alone in the room.
“We both have to be approximately a million times more exhausted than Mary,”Lizzymurmured, wrapping her arms around William. “And I hate the idea of you having to go off to the inn right now, after everything you have done today.”
“Remember my least proper brain bit,” William murmured.“I fear that the armed guards, the attack dogs, and perhaps even the piranhas are as tired as we are.”
“Oh, Will, when we are married, can we allow all the walls to be torn down, and have no metaphorical corners between us?”
“Lizzy,” he whispered, stirring the curls near her ears, “I would like nothing better.”
The butler came to the open door, knocked once, and said in a respectful tone, “Smithson says that all is ready for the short ride to the inn, whenever you are ready, sir.”
“I had better go,” William said.
“Yes,” Lizzy responded.
Instead of leaving, he crushed her body to his, and he set his mouth on hers, and they shared a fierce kiss. It was an I-almost-lost-you sort of kiss, a life-is-too-fragile kiss that urged them to kiss while they still may. Lizzy felt like she could stay submerged in that kiss forever, but William somehow wrested control of his brain bits and stepped back, bowed to Lizzy, and said, “Until tomorrow” before he fled the room.
Chapter 28: Darcy
—six days later—
By the day before the wedding, most of the preparation was finished.
Gowns had been ordered, and some had been delivered. A few gowns from Elizabeth’s original wardrobe had been altered. Slippers and ribbons had been purchased. Bouquets ofhothouse-grown flowers had been gathered and arranged in vases. Christmas-styled greenery had gone up early to decorate Netherfield’s drawing rooms and dining room in preparation for the wedding breakfast. Breads and cakes had been baked, smoked meats had been procured,and apples and pears had been brought out of storage, to be served alongside medlars and plums and fruit preserves.
Mr. and Mrs. Hill had helped the Netherfield staff with much of the preparations. They seemed very excited that they would soon be living atCartref Coedwig, Darcy’s Welsh estate, but they said that they wanted to do everything they could for “Miss Lizzy” and her groom.
Fitzwilliam Darcy was looking forward to seeing his sister in just a few hours. It had been three long months since he had last seen her, and he was nervous about the silence that had sprung up between them after the near-elopement with Wickham. Would it still be as difficult for Georgiana to talk with him? Would he still feel emotional and tongue-tied around her?
His anticipation for seeing his cousin Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam was less conflicted. Richard was like a brother to him, and since they shared guardianship of Georgiana, Richardhad been his partner in all of the decisions made before and after the Wickham incident.
Darcy was not sure how Richard’s parents, brother, and sister-in-law felt about his decision to marry the daughter of a country squire. The Fitzwilliams were not especially snobbish, but his uncle was an earl, his aunt a countess, his cousin a viscount. They had been the primary source of pressure on him, all these years, to choose and marry a rich, well-connected woman.
It would not be surprising if they were less than favorable about the woman he was marrying.Still, he was pretty sure she could win them over, if they were not so intolerant the first day as to make her decide that she had no interest in even attempting to talk to them.
Actually, Darcy wondered ifhewould be the one to throw a Lady-Catherine-level fit if anyone dared to insult Elizabeth!
It was not long before his relations arrived, stepping down elegantly from a luxurious carriage and greeting him with warmth but restraint. Darcy was thrilled that Georgiana seemed most of the way back to normal. Her progress had been reported to him through letters, of course, but actually seeing her smile and hearing her speak at normal volume—well, he was very happy!
The family’s introduction to Elizabeth and Mary took place in the blue drawing room. Everyone curtsied and bowed in the mostcivilmanner, and Darcy was pleased to see that bothElizabethand his Aunt Elaine were able to create easiness in what could have been a tense afternoon. Of course, a delicious assortment of cakes and sandwiches,served alongsidetea, helped to warm up the gathering.
The earl, UncleHenry, asked Elizabeth questions that could be considered invasive to an insecure person, but Darcy knew that hisintendedwas anything but insecure. Her smiles, her bell-like laugh, her refreshingly frank answers, and her sweet teases all gave the conversation a pleasant atmosphere.
When the earl asked her what her accomplishments were, Georgiana protested: “Uncle! You cannot just—”
