Page 99 of Attempted Compromises
“Elizabeth,” he said, his voice low and steady.
She held her breath, the air between them crackling with unspoken words, and waited.
∞∞∞
Darcy’s breath caught.Did I actually hear that right? Did she just say she…lovesme?
For a moment, he couldn’t speak, couldn’t even move, as the weight of her words settled over him. He just stared at her, with her cheeks flushed, her eyes cast downward, her hands twisting nervously in her lap. The words replayed in his mind, each syllable reverberating with stunning clarity.
She loves me.
He hadn’t expected this—hadn’t dared hope for it. Not after the chaos of the afternoon, not after the doubts that had been swirling in his mind ever since.
When Georgiana had burst into Bingley’s study earlier, pale and trembling with fear in her voice, to tell them that Lady Catherine had arrived, he had barely paused to gather his wits before rushing out the door. Bingley had followed closely behind, both men propelled by a mix of alarm and anger.
Darcy could still hear the sharp edge of his aunt’s voice echoing in his memory as they approached the door. His pace had quickened as he’d approached the parlor, the sound of raised voices growing louder with each step. And then, just as hereached the doorway, he heard Elizabeth’s voice—clear, strong, and resolute.
“You will not take them from him. I will fight for him, for us, for our family until my dying breath.”
Her voice had rung with such fiery conviction that it had stopped him in his tracks. Those words had pierced through every doubt and fear he’d ever held. He had stood just outside the door, unable to move, awestruck by the strength and love behind her words.
In that moment, any lingering doubts he’d held about her feelings for him began to dissolve.
In that moment, he knew.
Elizabeth was his everything—his partner, his equal, the woman who would stand by him no matter the storm. Even if she never said the words aloud, even if she couldn’t bring herself to love him in the way he loved her, she cared deeply enough to fight for their life together.
Then Lady Catherine had raised her cane, and the fragile certainty he had begun to feel was obliterated by a wave of pure terror. All he could think was:What if I lose her?
The image of Elizabeth standing tall, her eyes blazing with determination even in the face of danger, would stay with him forever. He had been terrified—utterly, bone-deep terrified—at the thought of losing her. The fear had been a visceral thing, twisting in his gut, but it had brought with it a clarity he could no longer deny. He loved her. Fiercely, completely, irrevocably.
Even now, as he sat across from her in their private sitting room, the memory of that moment burned brightly in his mind. The firelight flickered softly, casting warm shadows over the intimate space. Elizabeth sat on the settee, her wedding gown flowing around her like a vision. The sight of her took his breath away all over again, just as it had when he first entered her room and saw her dressed so beautifully, her hair unbound and cascading over her shoulders.
But then she had spoken, and the world seemed to tilt on its axis. “I love you,” she had said, the words tumbling from her lips with an urgency that stunned him.
Elizabeth’s confession reverberated through him, pulling him back to the present with a force that left him reeling. The woman who had fought so fiercely for their family—who had stood unwavering against his formidable aunt—was now looking at him with a mixture of hope and dread, her emotions laid bare.
Darcy’s mind raced to catch up.Could it be true? After everything we’ve been through, could she truly love me?
But before he could respond, Elizabeth began to speak again, her voice trembling with a mixture of nerves and vulnerability. “I know I shouldn’t have said that. I don’t expect you to feel the same. I know I was… forced on you, and you probably see me as nothing more than a duty. I understand that, truly, and I promise I won’t bring it up again. I just… I needed to tell you.”
Her words were like a dagger to Darcy’s heart. How could she think herself forced upon him? Did she not see how much he admired her, respected her, needed her? As she rambled on, herhands twisting anxiously in her lap, Darcy felt a surge of emotion so powerful it nearly overwhelmed him.
No, Elizabeth. You must know the truth.
He reached out and covered her trembling hands with his own, halting her torrent of words. The touch stilled her, and she looked up at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. For a moment, neither of them spoke, the air between them heavy with unspoken feelings.
Darcy leaned closer, his voice low and steady as he finally found the words he had longed to say. “Elizabeth,” he began, his grip tightening on her hands. “Elizabeth,” he repeated, savouring the feel of her name on his lips. “I love you, too!”
Her head jerked up, her eyes locking with his in stunned disbelief. His thumb brushed over her knuckles as he continued. “I have loved you for longer than I dared to admit, even to myself. But today, as I heard you stand so fiercely for our family—heard you defend me with such courage and passion—I knew without a shadow of a doubt. You are my lover, my partner, my everything. And if I have not said it before, it is only because I feared I could never deserve you.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks, but this time they were accompanied by a shaky smile that lit up her entire face, making his chest ache. “You… you mean it?” she whispered, her voice trembling with hope.
“With all that I am,” he said simply, without hesitation.
Darcy raised her hands to his lips. The warmth in her gaze was unlike anything he had ever seen, and he felt his own heart swell with a joy he had never thought possible. Her smile widened, and she let out a soft, almost incredulous laugh. For the first time in what felt like forever, Darcy felt as though the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders.
In that moment, the flames seemed to burn brighter, the world outside their cozy retreat fading into insignificance, the very room around them fading away, until only the two of them were left in the flickering firelight. The love that had grown between them—through trials, misunderstandings, and moments of quiet connection—had finally found its voice.
