She was returning to the drawing room when she saw Mr Darcy entering her father's study. The latter closed the door behind them.
Lizzie joined her mother and the girls that already waited for the tea.
"He is here," Lydia said, in a low, conspirator tone.
"Any idea of why he is here?"
"Nothing good, I'm sure. He has never tried to socialise with us before," Mary assured as she resumed the reading of the book she was holding in her hands. She held it up for a few moments, before putting it down on the small table next to her, "Perhaps, he requires father's advice on what to do with Netherfield, since I doubt the Bingley's will ever return."
"Yes, you are right about that last point, but why would he seek father's help?" Lizzie considered, taking a seat on an armchair, near the window. The servants had lit enough candles for them to enjoy their tea, but there was not enough light as for her to ready at will.
"We will know soon enough, I am sure," Mrs Bennet said, in a cold tone.
Lizzie was able to notice she was quite upset about being left out of whatever conversation was taking place in father's study.
"Shall we wait on them for tea? I'm hungry," Lydia protested squirming on her chair.
"Of course, we have to wait. You can have a sandwich if you are that famished, though," her mother accepted.
"Gluttony is a sin, Lydia. You would know that very well if you would go to mass more often," Mary warned her sister, with a sigh, "Today's sermon was so filled with wisdom and righteousness that it was a pure pleasure to listen to it," she said turning to Lizzie.
"I am sure of it," Lizzie replied, intending to please her sister. But, pleasure was not something she associated to listening to the priest's sermons.
One of the servants came to the door and called out to Lizzie. "Miss Elizabeth, Mr Bennet requires your presence in his study."
Startled, Lizzie looked at her mother.
"Well, girl, do not sit there aghast. Go see what desires your father," her mother scolded her as she seemed petrified by the maid's words.
With a deep breath, she got up and walked towards her father's study. She knocked gently on the door and waited for him to allow her in before she opened the door.
Mr Darcy was still there, sitting on a chair in front of her father's desk. Mr Bennet, on the other hand, was standing near the door as if he was ready to leave the room.
"Did you send for me, father?" she asked, ignoring Mr Darcy's presence, even though she knew she was acting rudely and not by her usual manners.
"Lizzie, yes... I did. Mr Darcy has come to see me with a request that I was extremely happy to hear and to grant. I am sure your mother will as well, as soon as she hears about it," her father said, closing the distance between them and taking her hands in his, "Since it concerns you, I thought you should hear it first. But, before you do, I want you to know how proud this would make me. I am sure mother will agree with me on this subject as well," he kissed her forehead, "I will leave Mr Darcy to explain it to you."
With those words, her father left the room, leaving her alone with Mr Darcy who was now standing a few feet away from her.
Confused and intrigued, Lizzie watched her father exit the room before she turned to address their guest.
"Mr Darcy," she said in the manner of greeting.
"Miss Bennet," he bowed his head but showed no hurry in elucidating her on the matter that had brought him to Longbourn.
"To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit to our humble home, Mr Darcy?" she finally asked, too curious to hold back the question.
He crossed his hands behind his back and looked at her in silence for a few seconds.
"This is the first time I do such a thing so I beg of you to bear with me, Miss Bennet," he started, closing the distance between them and stopping a couple of steps away from her, "I have been considering this for quite some time, pondering all the reasons and motives I have to make or not, this decision. At the end, those in favour weighed considerably more than those against."
Like her father, he took her hands in his, locking his eyes on hers.
"And that's why I decided to come back here and ask your venerable father for your hand in marriage," he revealed.
To say Lizzie was surprised would be an understatement. She was in shock and totally flustered by the words she had just heard coming out of his mouth.
"I found my heart completely captivated by you and I decided it wasn't worth fighting against it. And so, you have me here, at your feet, asking you for the honour of having your hand in marriage," he added.
"You must forgive me, but I am having trouble assimilating your request. Would you please confirm it to me? Are you asking me to marry you?" she managed to utter the words.
"Yes, Miss Bennet that is what I am asking. Your father has given me his blessing and received me into the family. But I would like to hear the acceptance from your lips," he confirmed his request and what was worse, he confirmed her father's approval to what sounded like the most insane idea she could have thought of.
Marrying a man who had considered her to be only tolerable and not beautiful enough as to allure him? A man she objected to so vehemently, for all she had learned about him from words of dear Mr Wickham. And the role she suspected he had played in Jane's misery and loneliness.
"And you say my father approved of this?" she had to be sure. She knew her parents, especially her mother, wanted to see all of their daughters well married. And she also knew they would not see any objection in Mr Darcy, but she needed him to confirm his words.
"Yes, of course. Like I said, he welcomed me into the family,"
Lizzie did her best to control her temper as she heard his words. It was quite clear her acceptance was merely a formality, but she was determined to make him suffer for a little while longer for her answer.
"Would you mind if I discussed this with my parents? You must realise your offer has taken me by surprise since in none of our previous encounters did you even hint any possibility of such event."
"By all means. I will join your sisters in the drawing room and ask your parents to join you here," he suggested as if he was expecting that from her.
"Thank you, that would be perfect," she nodded, and he abandoned the room.
When the door closed behind his back, Lizzie held herself tight, trying to control her distress.
Chapter Two
Since she had met Mr Wickham, she had been nurturing the possibility he would ask for her hand in marriage, but such had not happened, so far. He had been moved with his regiment to the north, and she had not seen him since then.
She wanted not to relinquish that possibility, keeping her hopes high but this proposal would change everything. She was certain she would have difficulty to refuse him, especially if her father favoured him.
"What is going on here, Elizabeth?" her mother wondered as they entered the room.
Her father closed the door behind them and guided his wife towards the sofa, inviting her to take a seat.
"Mr Darcy has come here today to ask for Lizzie's hand in marriage," Mr Bennet announced, with a solemn tone.
Mrs Bennet jumped up off her seat, too astonished to stay still. "Are you telling me the truth?" she squealed, her hands resting on her chest.
"Of course, my dear. I would never jest on a matter this serious," he assured her.
"You said yes, I presume," she asked her husband, barely containing her enthusiasm.
"Yes, of course, but the final answer rests with Lizzie."
"You said yes, right?" her mother demanded, turning to look at her.
"Not yet, mother. I wanted to discuss it with both of you," she informed, wriggling her hands, a bit nervous.
"There is nothing to discuss. You will never receive a better offer than this one, and you know it," her mother pointed out in a cold tone.
"I had my hopes set on Mr Wickham, mother, and you know that," she recalled, trying to make Mrs Bennet understand her interest
laid on someone else.
"Mr Wickham has shown no particular interest in you, and he cannot be compared with Mr Darcy, under any point of view," her mother sputtered, with no consideration whatsoever towards Lizzie's feelings.
"Money, connections and social position are not everything in life, mother."
"Probably, but it surely gives you a proper lifestyle and makes life a lot easier," her mother retorted, stern, "Ultimately, I understood your unwillingness to accept Mr Collins marriage offer. But this time there are not sufficient motives for you to turn Mr Darcy down."
"I must agree with your mother on this subject, Lizzie. Mr Darcy is able to provide for you and give you the life you deserve. I am also sure he cares a great deal for you. Refusing his hand over a supposition would be a foolish act, and I know for a fact, you do not have a foolish bone in your body," her father added.
As Lizzie had feared, she was not going to be able to refuse this offer as she had refused Mr Collins'. Not with her father supporting it.
"This is the best you can hope for, Elizabeth, and I am certain it will also help your sisters to fulfil their own dreams of finding a suitable husband," Mrs Bennet insisted.
Lizzie braced herself and walked to the window, her eyes lost on a dark night and the persisting drizzle falling outside.
She was fully aware this time she had no way out of the predicament she found herself in. Her motives for refusing Mr Darcy's offer would not stand her parents' scrutiny. Since she did not have any evidence, and they were based on hearsay.
Her fate was written, and unless Mr Darcy decided to take away his offer, which was highly improbable, she was due to marry him.
This was not what she had dreamed since her dreams had always been filled with finding true love. And marrying a man worthy of her utmost admiration and deepest love. She was doomed.
With a heavy sigh, she turned to look at her parents, "Very well, then, I shall accept his offer."
Mrs Bennet raced to hold her daughter in her arms, beyond happy with her decision.
"I knew you would be sensible about this. I am confident you will have a wonderful life and will lack for nothing," Mrs Bennet assured her.
"Thank you mother, I sincerely hope so."
Her father also hugged her. "I am certain this is the best for you, Lizzie. Mr Darcy is the best man for you," he whispered in her ear and she nodded, with a faint smile on her face, "I would not have approved of him if I really did not think this well of him."
"Of course, father," they returned to the drawing-room, where her sisters and her betrothed awaited for them.
"All set," her father announced as he took a seat at his favourite armchair, "Now, let us enjoy our tea," it was an order, and those present in the room understood it as it was.
The next few minutes passed between innocuous chats about meaningless topics, and Lizzie tried to keep her focus on it, but it was impossible. Her eyes would drift towards the man that was set to be her husband and a mix of incomprehensive feelings swirled wildly in her mind.
When the tea was finally over, Mr Bennet emptied the room to allow the new couple a few minutes of privacy.
"I assume you have an answer for me," Mr Darcy said when the door closed after her father.
"Yes, Mr Darcy. You understand right," she confirmed, still holding back her answer, waiting to hear the question again. He disappointed not.
"Shall you be my wife, Miss Bennet?" he asked, as he closed the distance between them, standing just a couple of feet from her.
She took a deep breath before she looked at him in the eyes and answered, "Yes, Mr Darcy, I shall be your wife."
For a moment, she thought she heard him sigh with relief, but she dismissed that possibility for ridiculous.
"Your answer makes me an incredibly happy man, Miss Bennet," he assured her, taking her right hand in his and taking it to his lips to kiss it gently.
She struggled with her desire to pull her hand away from his, but surprisingly, not because the act disgusted her. Amazingly, it conjured feelings in her, she was not able to identify that stirred her emotions and hastened her heart beat.
"I would love to have the wedding celebrated as soon as possible. I believe there are no reasons to delay the occasion and I am sure your parents shall agree with me," he added, lowering her hand, without releasing it.
"But I am certain there is no need to rush it, either," she protested. She needed time to accept and assimilate the whole situation.
"When would you like to have it?" he asked, apparently willing to accept her suggestion.
"Easter time would be perfect, I believe," she said, mentioning the first date that came to her mind, as far in the future as possible.
"No, there is almost four months before Easter. I do not wish to wait that much time," he rejected her suggestion immediately, hinting an urgency she found hard to believe real. "Valentine's day is in three weeks from now. I believe that gives you enough time to arrange whatever details you might need to arrange," he suggested instead.
"Three weeks..." she tried to protest once more.
"I believe Valentine's Day will be a memorable day for the wedding," he insisted.
She wanted to point out the hypocrisy of his words since their marriage had little or nothing to do with what that day was supposed to be about: true love.
But she knew it would be a waste of time and that she would not gain anything with it. She hated to pursue lost battles.
"If you say so, then I guess it will be perfect, Mr Darcy," she accepted.
He frowned, "I wish no martyr as my wife, Miss Bennet. If this marriage is not to your liking, I shall rescind my offer at once."
For a split second, Lizzie almost called on his offer. But she knew with no shadow of a doubt her mother would turn her life into a living torment if she dared to do such a thing.
Though this certainly, was not the marriage she had dreamed of, it was not the worst life could put in her path.
Mr Darcy was a young, wealthy and handsome man, and she was certain most women she knew and some she did not, would envy her luck, very much.
"No, of course, not. I am still a little overwhelmed by your offer. I have to admit it caught me completely by surprise, Mr Darcy," she assured him, with a faint smile.
"Then, perhaps you ought to start calling me Fitzwilliam. It will give the situation a much needed touch of reality and certainty," he suggested, with a smile cracking his face.
"Perhaps, you are right. You may call me Elizabeth if you wish, or even Lizzie," she accepted.
"Elizabeth, it's perfect. It certainly fits you."
"Thank you." What else could she say to his flattering words?
"I would like to celebrate with a dinner party next Saturday night to announce our engagement to our families and friends? Since I am currently living at Netherfield, I believe it to be the perfect place for such an occasion," he explained, "I will come by tomorrow to retrieve the list of guests you along with Mrs Bennet ought to have drawn up by then."
"Very well, I will have it ready for you."
"I understand your family's situation, and I wish no dowry from you, and any shopping ought to wait until after the wedding," he added, in a firm tone.
Lizzie wished she could think his intentions were good and honourable and that he meant nothing more than to help her family. But his words felt like a covered insult, and she pursed her lips, distressed.
"That is kind of you, Fitzwilliam," she managed to utter, holding back as much as she could of her nuisance.
"In fact, I have already discussed this with your father. I know how much trouble he must have to see to the six women of his life. I have more than enough to provide for you, so there is no need to add more weight to his burden," he continued to explain.
"I am sure my father considers not his daughters as burdens in his life," she protested, irate.
"Of course, not. It was not my intention to make you feel that way," he apologised.
"I
will have the list for you, tomorrow."
"Perfect. If the weather allows us, I would like to take you for a ride in my carriage. I believe it would be beneficial for both of us to spend some time alone, now that we are engaged," he suggested, with a hint of a smile.
"Yes, that sounds sensible," she agreed though she had not many wishes to spend time alone with him.
"I bid you farewell, then," once more he grabbed her hand and kissed its back.
A gesture so simple and yet it seemed to entail so much more. Jolts of energy rushed up to her arm, spreading through her whole body and she looked at him bewildered with such occurrence.
"Have a lovely evening, Fitzwilliam," she stammered, pulling her hand from his, eager to regain control over herself.
He bowed and left the room.
The Dreams:Will Set You Free
A Pride and Prejudice Regency Variation
Sherrie Brown
Chapter One
Elizabeth
“You are not worthy of my nephew, you girl are a nobody of questionable lineage." Declares Lady Catherine while she is staring at Elizabeth. “You will promise me before I leave that you will not accept a proposal from my nephew."
Deciding at that point, I will not acknowledge Lady Catherine with a response.
I turn away from Mr. Darcy’s aunt Lady Catherine de Bourgh and walk back to the house muttering to myself. 'Who does that woman think she is? Because I would never promise her something like that. How could she ever think she could influence me into thinking what I want does not matter? How dare she think I am a nobody of questionable lineage? My father's lineage is not questionable, but my mothers, maybe a different story.' My last thought as I walked into the house is, 'there is no way Mr. Darcy will allow her to control his life. He will not allow her to make decisions for him.' Which brought a small smile to my lips.
I want nothing more than to escape to my room, yet I know I must explain Lady Catherine's departure to my mother. I will need to make up a story because I must not tell my mother or anyone else about the rudeness of Lady Catherine.
Elizabeth's Ordeal Page 13