Page 58 of I Thee Wed
Darcy nodded. “Yes.”
Richard studied him. “You mean to see Miss Elizabeth this evening?”
“Yes. I cannot delay longer. If I leave tomorrow without speaking, the chance may be gone forever. Pembroke hunts her like prey and may snatch her away when she returns to London.”
Richard laid a hand on his cousin’s shoulder. “She is a rare woman, and you deserve happiness.”
Darcy inclined his head but said no more.
Late in the afternoon, Darcy walked out to the grove. He reached the folly and found Elizabeth there, her journal in her lap, a pen still in her hand. She closed it at once.
“Mr. Darcy. You are abroad late. I thought you were occupied with your aunt.”
“The three ladies are fully occupied with their packing. I shall take them to London tomorrow, and from there we go on to Scotland, where they will remain until the smuggler gang is subdued. It is being given out that Lady Catherine takes Anne to Bath for her frail health. But I didn’t come to speak to you about my aunt, I came in search of you.”
Elizabeth regarded him closely. “In search of me, sir? Have you learned more about the smugglers? Is it unsafe for me to walk here?”
“No. I believe the parsonage and all its occupants are safe. However, I wish to have a word with you before I leave for the North.”
She studied him. “You are very serious this evening. Are your relations in danger?”
“Lady Catherine says she was warned years ago to be silent or Anne would be killed. They may be subject to retaliation once Richard brings in the dragoons. There is too much money at stake for the smugglers to yield without vengeance. I must remove them from Rosings as soon as possible.”
She walked beside him toward the edge of the grove, the last light falling across the fields. “I am shocked, sir. Shocked and frightened. When do you leave?”
“Tomorrow. But before I go, I must speak to you on an important matter.”
Elizabeth stopped. “An important matter, sir?”
Darcy looked into her eyes, then began to pace, his countenance drawn and a deep frown upon his brow. At length, he returned to her side. “Elizabeth, in vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings cannot be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.”
Elizabeth’s astonishment was plain. She stared at him in silence. He took it for encouragement and pressed on.
“As you know, your mother’s behavior once led me to discourage Bingley’s suit, and it had the further effect of making me draw back from you as well. I was also troubled by your connections in trade. These matters long convinced me that a marriage between us could never be. I feared what my uncle, the Earl, would say, and you know how proud Lady Catherine is. My mother’s dying words urged me to be cautious in my choice of wife; the marriage was to strengthen the family connections and improve our bloodlines. I have carried these admonitions my entire life, yet despite all this, today I stand before you, asking for your hand.”
Elizabeth’s heart was full. She loved this man, yet his words made it clear that he harbored doubts and acknowledged the numerous barriers to the match. She determined not to be the wife whom a husband would later come to regret. She lifted her head and met his eyes.
“Mr. Darcy, you astonish me. I had no idea you felt so strongly. It pains me to say that I cannot accept you. You have listed every reason why our marriage would not suit. I will not dishonor you or your family by drawing you down to be censured for marrying beneath yourself. Nor will I risk Georgiana’s peace byattaching her to a sister she cannot own in society. You judge these impediments to be as serious as I do. Sir, it falls to me to be strong for the two of us. I am honored by your offer, but I cannot accept it.”
Darcy stared at her. “You refuse me? Elizabeth, do you mean it?”
“Yes, sir. I do. I believe you will thank me for it before many days are past. Your reservations are too serious to ignore. I cannot think you would be happy in a marriage so far beneath you.”
Darcy’s voice grew urgent. “Is there nothing I can say to change your mind? Elizabeth, I love you. I would rather share a hard-boiled egg with you in the grove than dine at a prince’s table. I would rather sit with you in the overgrown folly than dance with the daughter of a duke. I love you, and I respect you.”
Tears filled Elizabeth’s eyes, yet she stood firm. “I have loved you for many weeks now. It has come on so gradually that I cannot tell you the day or the hour when it began. Yet because I love you, I cannot set aside your concerns. They are real. They carry real consequences. If we were of the same circle, I would accept you without hesitation. But we are not. Go to London and then to Scotland. Let time pass. If, after that, you still wish to marry me, then speak again. I am not ready to make an answer now. I need time to think, and you need time to overcome your reservations.”
He stepped closer and took her hand. “Elizabeth, is there nothing I can say? Will you not accept me tonight?”
“No, sir. I must protect you from yourself. You are torn. I will not be the wife who is regretted. Please, do not press me further.”
Darcy stood looking into her eyes; his face was pale. “Very well. Since you require it, I shall wait. Promise me only that you will accept no other offer until you and I have spoken of this again.”
She pressed his hand. “I promise. I will wait.”
She drew back then. “It grows late. I must return to the parsonage. We are to celebrate tonight. Mr. Warwick has made an offer of marriage to my sister, and we gather for supper.”
Darcy bowed. “Good evening, Miss Elizabeth.”
