Accusing Elizabeth
Page 23
"William, please tell me what you and Mr. Collins were up to. What good can possibly be served by keeping it from me any longer? We marry tomorrow," she implored.
He wavered, and her feminine perceptions sensed that she had gained some ground. "Does it have something to do with Charlotte, or was it only business for Lady Catherine?" she asked, batting her feathery eyelashes up at him.
"It is a surprise," he said in resignation, but with a large grin.
“That is what you keep telling me. What kind of surprise?”
He kissed the tip of her nose, in no hurry to pull away. “I find your curious nature enchanting.”
"It pleases me to hear that you do not think my excessive curiosity a fault," she smiled back.
In a more serious tone, he answered as he moved close enough for their knees to touch, "Perhaps it is our imperfections that make us so perfect for each other." He looked to her for her opinion.
"And I, too, have learned your tricks. You seek to distract me through your sweet talk and kisses. Well, it will not work. Not this time."
William scoffed. "Me? When it was my lack of eloquence that provoked such a passionate refusal of my suit?"
Elizabeth laced her fingers through his and admired how well they fit together. "It was not all bad. Had you stopped after declaring how ardently you admired and loved me as you did this last time, I should have been sorely tempted to accept your proposal. Every lady ought to hear those words at least once in her lifetime. Now, you have deflected the topic once again, and I plan to stay here with you as my captive until you tell me what business you had with Mr. Collins in London." She held up their entwined fingers to emphasize the seriousness of her threat.
She waited for it, knowing it would come.
It started at his mouth. The corners turned up, flashing a dimple on his right cheek and spreading up to his eyes, illuminating his face. Then his deep laugh, which she had heard much more of over the fortnight since his successful proposal, resounded through the room. He had given so much to her, it seemed only fair that she gave him the gift of laughter. He was beautiful when he laughed.
"Very well, my inquisitive bride. I had hoped to tell you as a wedding present, but I would rather see you happy now. When Mr. Collins confessed his spiteful act toward you, he was so remorseful and eager to repair the damage he had done, I suggested that he mend family relations by agreeing to put in writing that, in the case of your father’s demise, he will transfer the title deed to you."
Elizabeth's heart jumped at the news. "He gave up his inheritance? However did you manage that? I cannot believe that guilt alone could do it. What did you do?" She knew that William must have left out a big piece of the puzzle.
"In exchange for a sum of money, which he will receive when the property is transferred, your mother and sisters can stay here as long as they please."
"You arranged to buy Longbourn when you were unsure of our future? Why did you do it?" Any other man would have secured her hand before arranging for the comfort of her family.
"I had to do it. I wanted to know that, whether you wanted me in your life or not, you would be secure. As loyal as you are to your family, naturally, I included them."
With no regard to propriety, she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his shoulder. His heart beat as quickly as hers did. Many tears had been shed over the past months, but they could not be stopped, for her abundant joy could not be contained.
He had tightened the embrace so that her face pressed against his neck cloth. His musky, familiar scent of sandalwood and leather made her pulse race all the more.
"You are too good to me, William."
She felt him rest his cheek against her hair and kiss the side of her forehead. "You deserve nothing less than the best I can offer you, and I intend to find ways to make you happy every day of our life together."
Her breath taken away at the intensity of his devotion, she closed her eyes and reveled in his tight embrace, resolving in her own heart to prove herself worthy of his love.
They remained so until the clock chimed, reminding them of the late hour. It was time for William to depart with Mr. Bingley to await the morrow when their life together would truly begin.
Elizabeth donned her best dress, and the maid had finished twisting the final lock of hair into place, when a caller was announced for her.
She went downstairs, unsure what to expect, but hoping it was not Lady Catherine come to protest her nephew’s imprudent choice in a bride.
To her surprise, it was Colonel Fitzwilliam and his blushing wife.
Mrs. Fitzwilliam rose, her hands extended to take Elizabeth’s as she crossed the room to meet her. “Oh, I am so happy we are to be cousins. I do hope that you call me Anne from now on.”
She was a different woman from the wilting lily she had been only a couple weeks before, though it would take some time for her to add some flesh to her delicate frame and grow in strength.
“You look well, Anne, and I am so happy to see you. It would please me very much for you to call me Elizabeth.”
The colonel, having risen when she entered the room, added, his face beaming in pride as he looked at his wife, “She is well, is she not? My first order of business was to put a stop to the incessant bloodletting and request the attendance of a new doctor with modern ideas. Anne looks more beautiful each day.”
With a blush, Anne looped her arm through the colonel’s and sat next to him.
“I know how busy you must be getting ready for your wedding, so our visit will be brief,” said Anne as she pulled a velvet pouch Elizabeth recognized all too well from her reticule. “I felt it appropriate to lend you these.” She spilled the contents of the pouch into her hand and let the diamonds sparkle in the daylight.
Elizabeth gasped at her offer. “I could not possibly. They are much too valuable.”
“Nonsense,” Anne said in a tone resembling Lady Catherine so much, Elizabeth could not contain her chuckle. “From the way I see it, these earrings have done more to bring us together with our perfect matches than anything. Without them, Darcy would have left Rosings much sooner, and I would still be struggling to find a way to tell Mother how much I loved Richard. You must wear them at your wedding and for the rest of this blessed day.”
“But how will I return them to you?” asked Elizabeth.
Waving her hand carelessly in front of her, Anne said, “I can trust you with them until we next meet. I hope you will not be a stranger to Rosings, and it is my hope that, when I have recovered more strength, perhaps we might travel to Matlock and to Pemberley to visit you in your new home.”
“And most welcome you will be!”
Looking lovingly to Colonel Fitzwilliam, who in fact was no longer a colonel, but a gentleman of property, they rose to depart. Anne pressed the earrings into Elizabeth’s hand and away they went, to meet later at the Longbourn parish church.
The hour remaining before they needed to leave in the carriage with streams of ribbons tied to the back passed in a flurry.
Elizabeth waited to put the earrings on until they were in front of the church, not wanting her mother to see them and start another scene about their turn in fortune and how lucky her girls were to catch such wealthy gentlemen for husbands. It especially irked her when William’s fortune was compared to Mr. Bingley’s… as if her love had been bought.
The first person she saw was Jane, who had come in the first carriage, standing next to Father.
“Are those the diamond earrings?” asked Jane in a whisper.
“The very ones,” Elizabeth answered in a hush.
Father took his place between the two of them, clutching their arms tightly to his sides. Just before entering the building, he kissed them on the tops of their heads in a silent blessing. His eyes misty with emotion, he received a kiss to either side of his cheeks from his favorite daughters, whom he would miss very much.
With a sniff and a stiffening of his spine, he led his girls
to the altar where their grooms waited.
Father squeezed her hand before placing it on William’s extended arm.
Elizabeth saw the precise moment when William noticed her earrings. At first, he looked shocked, then a large grin spread over his face.
Leaning toward her ear, he whispered, “An appropriate choice, my love.”
“I only hope Anne informed the maid of her loan,” whispered Elizabeth with a nervous smile.
“Nobody would accuse Mrs. Darcy of stealing anything other than my heart,” he replied, playfully.
“Now that is a valuable possession indeed. What is to be my sentence, Mr. Darcy?” she teased.
“A lifetime of love and happiness,” he said just before the rector interrupted their private tête-à-tête.
As she pledged her loyalty and devotion to the man who was so much more than he had appeared to be, she knew that she was the most fortunate of women.
During the weeks leading up to the ceremony, Elizabeth had been accused of theft, of overstepping her position, and of being remiss as a friend. She almost chuckled to herself. From now on, the only accusation that could possibly be made of Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy was that, from this day forward, she would be completely, perfectly, and incandescently happy.
The End
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About the Author
When Jennifer isn’t busy dreaming up new adventures for her favorite Austen characters, she is teaching English, reading, perfecting her doughnut recipe, or taking her kids to the park.
Her wish is to continue to write sweet romances with happy endings for years to come.
She currently lives in Ecuador with her husband and twins. All of them are fluent in Spanglish.
Right now, Jennifer is imagining a new way to bring our beloved Darcy and Lizzy together so that they can enjoy another Happily-Ever-After.
Other Books by Jennifer Joy
Historical Romances
Darcy’s Ultimatum: The Cousins Series, Book 1
Anne’s Adversity: The Cousins Series, Book 2
The Colonel’s Challenge: The Cousins Series, Book 3
Earning Darcy’s Trust
Accusing Elizabeth
Love Never Fails
Win, Lose, or Darcy
The Honorable Mr. Darcy: A Meryton Mystery, Book 1
The Indomitable Miss Elizabeth: A Meryton Mystery, Book 2
The Inseparable Mr. and Mrs. Darcy: A Meryton Mystery, Book 3
Cozy Mysteries
Cabs, Cakes, and Corpses: Murder on the Equator, Book 1
Rum Raisin Revenge: Murder on the Equator, Book 2
Cold Case Crumble: Murder on the Equator, Book 3
Sweet Contemporary Romance
Written in the Stars: Starlight Terrace Proposals #1