Page 102 of See, Hear, Speak No Evil, Mr. Darcy
Elizabeth turned to see Mr. Darcy standing in the middle of the empty floor, a pink camellia in one hand, his other extended to her.
“Prince William,” Elizabeth whispered, taking a hesitant step toward him, wondering if she were but dreaming.
At his touch, she wilted with the relief of knowing she was not. Her hand not being held within his, she pressed to her heart because it threatened to rise out of her chest in her jubilation.
“Am I too late? Have you agreed to be his wife?” Mr. Darcy asked, ignoring all of what occurred around them.
“I have not. Now I must find a way to care for my sisters, so none are forced to endure him against their wishes.”
Mr. Collins fumed. “Cousin Elizabeth, your duty is to attendmewhen I speak. Did you not hear me? Come. We will speak with your parents about your lack of attendance as a wife should.”
Mr. Darcy did not look at Mr. Collins, though the man tripped over himself in his rush to reach them. Then Mr. Darcy nodded curtly to a man she did not recognize.
There Are Times a Man Must Take Action
“Come, sir. You are the toad, not the prince. I am certain Lady Catherine, whom you have mentioned more than a dozen times this evening, will be seriously displeased by the spectacle you make tonight. It does not reflect upon her with any credit.”
Mr. Collins said, “He will wed his cousin Anne de Bourgh, and I am promised Cousin Elizabeth despite her lack of manifold attractions. I will teach her the ramifications of defying one’s hus—”
“Speak no evil of Mr. Darcy nor his intended, sir, orIwill make you rue the day you did, Mr. Toad.”
“Remind me to give you a raise tomorrow, Carpe,” Darcy said, his eyes remaining fixed on Miss Elizabeth’s face.
“I will not, sir. This service is a pleasure to perform,” Carpe said, walking Mr. Collins to Mrs. Bennet so he no longer required consideration.
“I know we have not spent above two hours together, but I have long known of you from a trusted source. All too fast. I know it is too fast, Miss Elizabeth. But your uncle informed me you are at your majority, and we can, if you should but wish—”
Elizabeth reached out to take the camellia. Resting her hand just above his, they held it between them. When Darcy let it go, he cupped Elizabeth’s cheeks, kissing her with the same fervor she had kissed him next to the river. It was neither surprise nor exclamations of compromise filling the ballroom, but applause increased when Mr. Darcy took a knee.
“Marry me, Elizabeth. Let me love you. Protect you. Honor you as you deserve.”
“Knowing as I do that together we would care for our sisters, I would marry you tomorrow. Tonight, even.”
“All your sisters may come with us if they should wish it.”
“I shall takeallthe Miss Bennets with me.” Georgiana clapped, one hand already holding that of Miss Mary’s, so the two rejoiced as one.
“Just what are we supposed to do now that she has compromised herself like a wonton and is in full disgrace?” Mrs. Bennet pulled her husband along, marching toward her daughters.
“Mrs. Bennet,” Darcy stated with the authority stemming from being his own master these many years. “Unless Elizabeth sends you an invitation, you will not be welcome when we say our vows. Both you and Mr. Bennet are to be refused access to my homes until such a day Elizabeth chooses otherwise.”
“You cannot keep me from my daughter. I am her mother. She will need me to help her redecorate your homes, and I mustadvise her when she has her gowns made,” Mrs. Bennet said, shrill in her greatest upset displayed to date.
“As her husband, I can. And I intend to until my wife tells me she would have your company.” Darcy ignored the woman’s indignation, instead kissing Elizabeth when he saw her devotion for his defending of her to her mother.
“Oh, I knew how it would be,” Mrs. Gardiner said, joining her nieces. “Perhaps not quite under these circumstances, but I have long believed the two of you a perfect match. Though you are not so formed for one another as Jane and Mr. Bingley are, your differences make you perfect one to the other.”
All in the room heard Miss Bingley’s demand, “Why has the music stopped?” The door in the direction of the kitchens closed, punctuating her question in the again silent ballroom.
Darcy heard her gasp, surmising that she saw him holding Elizabeth's hand in his own. He suspected that, though he felt like his dreams were coming to life this night, Miss Bingley was diving into a nightmare when her cry of “no” echoed in the ballroom.
He lifted the hand he held to his lips, bestowing a kiss upon Elizabeth’s palm. “Yes,” Darcy murmured, lowering until his forehead rested against Elizabeth’s. “A thousand times, yes.”
Chapter 11
Mrs. Bennet is Guided to Greater Understanding
As the ball progressed, Mrs. Bennet stood rigid, declaring to all who passed her by that no one had ever been so betrayed. Even after all her expounding of Jane’s beauty and her lauding of Lydia’s liveliness, her daughters had banded together against her. And, in the end, her husband had not intervened, though he had promised to.
