Page 80 of When Elizabeth Said Yes

He proceeded to tell her where he had acquired some of the statues, mainly on his Grand Tour when he was younger, and those that had been chosen by his father and grandfather, as well as some whose origins he did not know at all.

"To have such a family history," she said with a sigh. "Goodness, you really feel like you're part of something, don't you?"

He nodded. "You're part of it too now. The Darcy name, the caretakers of Pemberley."

She nodded. "I suppose so."

His words were weighty when she considered that they would, at some point, surely finally begin their marriage properly. Then there would be pressure on her to produce an heir, and she knew more than most the problems that arose when a male heir was not born.

As though reading her thoughts, Darcy said, as they entered the corridor, "I have seen details of a property that I think would suit your mother and your sisters."

Elizabeth paused and looked up at him. There was no natural light in this corridor, but she could still see his dark eyes blinking.

"It is an estate a similar size to Longbourn."

"I cannot see how she will afford that," Elizabeth said.

"No," he said. "But it can be purchased for a very reasonable sum, thanks to the situation the owner has found himself in. I won't go into the details. And then, what cannot be covered for its upkeep by your mother from her inheritance from your father, well, I can help with that as well, I am sure. As can any future husbands of your sisters, if they are of means."

Was he speaking of Bingley? Elizabeth wondered. Had they discussed this? There was a part of her that bristled a little at the fact that her family could not afford such an estate on their own, that he needed to step in and help. And yet she had to remind herself that was why she had married him in the first place. For security such as this. He didn't have to do anything. He was choosing to because he was a good man.

"Thank you," she said as he opened the door and ushered her inside.

Every wall was covered in shelves upon shelves of books.

She gasped. Her father had an impressive collection. In fact, that may well have been where a lot of the family money had gone. But this... This was like nothing she had ever seen before.

"Oh, my goodness," she said, her eyes transfixed by the sight.

She reached out to the nearest bookshelf, ran her fingers down the spines of several books, and sighed. "This may well be my favourite room in the house."

Darcy smiled. "I thought it might be," he said with a chuckle. "It is mine also. I'm sorry I'm only just showing it to you."

"A collection like this must have taken generations to build up," she said.

"Yes," he said. "Started by the first Darcy to live at Pemberley in 1540. Every Darcy since has added to it. I hope you will also."

"I would be honoured," Elizabeth said, turning to him with a smile. "It's a beautiful place, Darcy," she said, her eyes bright, her heart full. "I cannot believe it is my home."

He looked down at her and then raised a hand to her cheek, just for a moment, and said in a soft voice, "I cannot believe it is your home either, but I'm very glad that it is."

And then he leant down and pressed a kiss to her lips, which quite took her breath and all thoughts away.

◆◆◆

It was time, he decided. He couldn't expect her to fall in love with him in a few days, but he was confident that she cared for him, and that was enough. He didn't want this distance between them. He had been so terrified of losing Georgiana, and Elizabeth had been so wonderful. He wanted her to know every minute of every day that he worshipped the ground she walked upon.

When they sat down to tea that afternoon, Georgiana having made it out of her bedroom for the first time since they had arrived home at Pemberley, Darcy realised he hadn't finished telling Elizabeth about the house he had seen.

The previous occupant, a Mr Lazenby, was drowning in debts, thanks to a very prolific gambling habit, and so Darcy had already put in a bid to secure it that was far, far lower than it ought to be. And if Mrs Bennet did not want it for some reason, well, he could always sell it on at a profit. But he thought she would. It was certainly far superior to her original plan of living in a house in London on Cheap Street, as long as Elizabeth was happy with its location.

"About that house I was telling you about," he said, taking a biscuit from the plate. "For your mother and sisters."

"Oh, yes," Elizabeth said, blinking rapidly, and he wondered if the kiss they had shared had sent everything flying from her head as much as it had his.

"I wanted to check with you before I wrote to your mother about it. The house is in Hertfordshire. I wanted to make sure you did not mind your mother and sisters living in the same county as they have been all along, because, of course, we could look for something in Derbyshire if you wanted..."

But he found himself hoping that she did not want that. Mrs Bennet was not the easiest mother-in-law to tolerate, and whilst Bingley might well end up with her coming round to tea once a week, Darcy was quite happy to avoid it. If Elizabeth was happy, that was.