Page 45 of When Elizabeth Said Yes

Elizabeth shook her head. "I’m sure Mother is keen to have a reason to entertain again. She does like to be social, for all she talks of her nerves."

Darcy nodded. "I hope when my sister arrives you will come and dine at Netherfield," he said. "I think Bingley will come soon too, and I do intend on trying to right the mistake I made."

"Oh," Elizabeth said, slightly surprised at him mentioning it. "I hope my family have not pressured you."

He shook his head. "No. As I told you, after we stayed in the inn, you made me rethink. I cannot promise anything, but I will speak with Bingley. I will make it clear I was wrong. And the rest, of course, is up to him and Jane."

"Thank you, Elizabeth said. "I’m sorry if my family were rude tonight. They do not always know how to act in society, I admit, but—"

"They were certainly not ruder to me than my aunt was to you, I am sure," he said. "And that was before she knew we were marrying. And I cannot say that she does not know how to act in society, for she leads society," he said with a wry smile. "So do not worry. We cannot choose our family, can we? Well, other than the person we wed, of course."

He smiled at her, and she was rather surprised when their eyes met to feel a jolt of awareness at this private look shared between them.

"When I said I would marry you," she began, guilt eating away at her.

"Yes," Darcy said. "I hope you are not regretting saying yes."

"No," she said quickly. "I just… I think perhaps I misunderstood your intentions and mine, and…"

The words just wouldn’t come out. How could she say that she had thought he was offering marriage to save her and now had realised it might be for something more? And then what if it wasn’t? What if he really was just trying to keep her from working as a governess? Because maybe he liked her and spoke only of love to make her feel better about the whole situation?

How mortifying that would be.

He frowned. "My only intention, Elizabeth, was to ask you to be my wife, and yours was to agree."

"I suppose," she said with a weak smile.

He nodded and then glanced towards the window where several faces were clearly watching them.

Elizabeth followed his glance and sighed. "They really don’t know how to keep their noses out," she said.

He laughed. "Perhaps not, but it is late. And I should be leaving anyway. But I’ll go to see the vicar in the morning, arrange the banns to be read for the first time next Sunday, if that still suits? Tomorrow is too soon for it to be allowed, unfortunately."

She swallowed and nodded, because what else could she do?

She wasn’t saying she didn’t want to marry him. Of all the options presented to her, marrying him and becoming Mrs Darcy was certainly the most appealing.

"Yes," she said. "Thank you."

"I will arrange matters in the house tomorrow, I think," he said. "But I’ll see you soon. And certainly in church next week."

She nodded. "Yes," she said.

And how strange it would feel to hear her name and his said by the vicar. What would the reaction of the parish be, she wondered? Certainly it would be excellent fodder for gossip.

"Good night then, Elizabeth," he said.

And then, quite without warning, he took her hand and pressed it to his lips.

Her eyes widened, her heart raced, and no words would come to her lips as he stood and walked back towards the front door of Longbourn in order to retrieve his hat and coat.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Elizabeth took a seat on the stone bench once he had gone, lost in her own thoughts, and it wasn’t until Jane came looking for her that she realised how long she had been out there.

"You’ll get cold," Jane said, handing her cloak before sitting down next to her.

Elizabeth smiled. "Thank you," she said, the ability to speak having thankfully returned.