Page 33 of When Elizabeth Said Yes

Charlotte did not look as if she wholly approved, but she did not argue.

"Shall we?" Mr Darcy said, his hat in his hands, and Elizabeth nodded and preceded him out of the room.

Outside, Elizabeth donned her hat and cloak, and then they set off around the gardens.

Eventually, Darcy said, "You know, I think Mr Collins is more offended by our match than my aunt."

Elizabeth laughed. "I can well imagine it," she said. "Was your aunt greatly shocked?"

"Shocked, yes, and unhappy, for she has been convinced for many a year that I will marry her daughter."

"I have heard as much," Elizabeth said. "I hope I have not caused any heartbreak."

They rounded the corner, walking along a line of rose bushes, and Darcy shook his head.

"Anne and I are well aware we would not suit. We both agreed long ago that no such marriage would take place. My aunt is just unwilling to accept it."

Elizabeth thought this was the most he had spoken in her presence. She was almost enjoying it until Jane popped into her mind.

Jane, who had been so maligned. Jane, whose happiness had been taken away by this very man, and she really wanted to call him out on it, ask why he had done such a thing, what he’d hoped to gain.

Except she’d agreed to marry him, and berating him before they’d even walked down the aisle did not seem like a very good plan.

"I hope Mr Collins is not making your stay uncomfortable."

Elizabeth shook her head. "He has made his views known, and I repeated, as you said yesterday, that the only concern is that of you and I."

He smiled at that. "Indeed. And have you told your family?"

"I penned a letter this morning, but I have not yet sent it," she said. "My mother will be overjoyed, I am sure."

"I wrote to my sister Georgiana this morning and have sent it post-haste," he said. "I hope you will meet her soon, for she will be thrilled, I am sure."

Elizabeth was rather surprised by this. From everything that had been said about his sister, he held her in great esteem. And so to have gone to the effort of writing to her so quickly to inform her of the marriage… Well, she wouldn’t have expected him to feel the need to share it so quickly.

"I look forward to meeting her," she said, "and I’m glad if she approves where the rest of your family do not."

Darcy gave a sharp laugh. "It is only Aunt Catherine. Colonel Fitzwilliam is more than happy with the situation. Well, other than that perhaps he might have offered for you himself."

Elizabeth blushed.

Chapter Nineteen

He was pleased that she was in the process of telling her family, because he wanted to suggest a fairly quick wedding. After all, once something had been decided, why wait?

And he was rather concerned that his aunt might decide to cause problems, problems she could not cause once everything was legal.

They rounded a corner and he decided to broach the possibility.

"Had you thought about when you would like to wed? I realise this has not all been strictly proper, with me asking you whilst you are still in mourning, but I rather thought we shouldn’t take too long about it."

He glanced over at her, trying to gauge a reaction.

She nodded her head slowly. "I can see no reason for a lengthy engagement," she said.

There was a coolness to her that he didn’t totally understand. Was it just that they needed to get to know one another better?

Certainly, once they were married and living together, well, there would be plenty of time to grow more comfortable with one another. Perhaps it was a backwards way of doing things, but it was the way things were done.