Page 62 of When Elizabeth Said Yes

It was Elizabeth.

Chapter Thirty-Six

No obvious option had become apparent to Elizabeth. She considered throwing stones at windows, but then she had no idea which one was Darcy’s.

And if Mr Bingley, or worse, Miss Bingley, was to be the recipient of her pebbles, well, then everyone would know she was here, wouldn’t they?

She circled around the house, wondering if she could persuade a servant to get him discreetly, or whether she should just give up, call it a bad plan and go home.

When the front door opened, the creaking made her jump in the saddle of the horse and her heart raced.

But when she saw who it was, it raced in an entirely different way.

Darcy?

How was that even possible? He did have an uncanny knack of turning up when she most needed to see him.

"Elizabeth," he hissed, hurrying across the grass, wearing, she was rather intrigued to see, a dressing gown and bare feet. Well, it was the middle of the night.

"Are you well?" he asked, and she swallowed and nodded.

"Yes," she said, her voice coming out a little weak. "I… I couldn't sleep."

He seemed to be waiting for a little more explanation than that, and she thought that was fair.

"I needed to speak to you."

"So you rode all this way in the dark, alone?" he asked. "You could have spoken to me tomorrow."

"I needed to speak to you before the wedding," she said.

His face froze and he nodded. "Very well," he said. "Let's go to the stables. It's a bit warmer and we won't be in view of anyone who chooses to look out of their bedroom window."

She nodded and rode the horse over to the stables while he followed behind.

By the time he had arrived, she had dismounted and was pacing the stables, wondering what on earth had possessed her to come here.

"Elizabeth," Darcy said, "you are concerning me now. What is it? If you are not ill, is it that you wish to call off the wedding?"

Her head snapped up and their eyes met.

"No," she said quickly. "It is not that."

◆◆◆

Relief washed over Darcy.

Well, what else was he to think when she turned up in the middle of the night and said she had to speak to him before the wedding?

At least she did not want to cancel.

But she continued before he had a chance to say any more.

"There's something I need to tell you before we do marry, and I suppose it may change your mind about me. About marrying me."

"Nothing could change my mind about marrying you, Elizabeth," he said. "So you may have had a wasted journey."

Chapter Thirty-Seven