An Engagement at Pemberley

by Rosemary Barton

“There is really nothing more for me to say to your, sir. Good morning.” She turned to continue on her journey. He would not look at her with those solemn dark eyes and make her think she mattered to him. That must have been why he was so quick to apologise for Miss Bingley’s behaviour the day before. He did not want anyone thinking badly of his lover.

  His lover. The words made Elizabeth want to sit on the ground and weep. But she was not about to give Darcy that satisfaction. She walked faster as she heard Darcy call her name again. Damn him, but he did not give up easily.

  He caught up with her and stood in front of her. He reached out his hand as though he would touch her arm but stopped just before it.

  “What is the matter?” he asked. “And do not tell me you have just changed your mind about our walk. This is not like you. Have I done something to offend you?”

  Had he? It certainly felt as though he had. She felt hurt and betrayed in a way she had never felt before. Yet he hadn’t done anything wrong. They were not engaged. He had never offered for her or clearly stated any feelings for her. Was there a chance she had misread him all along and simply saw what she wanted to believe? Her first impulse had been that Darcy encouraged her visits to Pemberley as a way to encourage her friendship with Georgiana. Since then, she had convinced herself he felt more for her than that, but what if she only felt that way as her own feelings for him had increased? It would not be the first time a person in love convinced themselves that their love was requited by the object of their desire.

  She raised her chin. “You have done nothing at all to offend me. How could you? We hardly know one another. We are not on such terms that anything you do could have such an impact on me. Now, if you will excuse me, I have somewhere to be.”

  They both turned and looked in the direction Elizabeth had been walking in. There was nothing at the end of the lane but a wall. Elizabeth sighed and made to walk around Darcy but the despair in his voice brought her to a stop again.

  “Please help me to understand. For you to say we are not on close terms is nonsense, and I believe you know that too. There is a reason you have gone from being friendly and warm to being cold as you are now, and you are too honest to trifle with such games. If I have done something to offend you then I am happy to make amends if I only know what it is.”

  Elizabeth looked up at him. Darcy’s eyes were earnest and anxious. She saw a depth of feeling in them she could not deny. He was sincerely upset by her behaviour towards him. It hurt him deeply, and he could only feel like that if she mattered to him.

  But she also could not believe that a man like Darcy would have an affair with his friend’s sister if there was not a deeper understanding between them. They must be engaged. It would go a long way to revealing Miss Bingley’s hostility towards her. Perhaps Miss Bingley’s trade roots were the cause of secrecy between them? Miss Bingley had suggested Darcy’s family would not be happy if he married beneath him. Maybe she had been speaking from experience all along and it hurt her to see Darcy have his head turned by another woman while she could not speak a word. And perhaps Darcy had committed himself to the engagement before he knew what he was about. What a dreadful mess.

  “You have done nothing to me, sir,” she said with begrudging softness. “I have simply been mistaken in some of my beliefs. That is not your fault. I have only myself to blame for it.”

  “Which beliefs are those?” Darcy asked. His own voice had dropped almost to a whisper. There was a flicker of hope in his eyes.

  Elizabeth hesitated. How could she say it? It was meant to be a secret, yet the servants spoke of it. Perhaps it would be best if she told him that he might put himself and Miss Bingley on their guard?

  “I did not know that there is a certain understanding between you and Miss Bingley,” she said awkwardly. “I don’t believe anyone suspected it. But it is now spoken of as a certainty.”

  “What?” Darcy was so astonished, his voice rose. “What certainty? Who is speaking of it? There is nothing between Miss Bingley and I. There never has been. Where did this come from?”

  Elizabeth could not meet his eyes. She stared at the buttons on his jacket instead. “It — er — someone saw Miss Bingley emerging from your room last night. She was in her nightclothes and looked disheveled.” Her colour increased until her face felt as if it burned.

  Darcy did not speak. Elizabeth was afraid to look up at him, terrified to see him confirm it. He walked away from her then turned around and came back, but he still said nothing.

  “I will not speak of it to anyone,” said Elizabeth. “It is none of my business. But I can see why it is a troubling situation for you and Miss Bingley. Perhaps there are things you need to discuss. I would much rather not tell you of it but I think you should know people are speaking of it. If you are engaged, it might be time for you to let the world know.”

  “Elizabeth,” said Darcy. Elizabeth started at his use of her first name. She turned her gaze to a clump of wildflowers at the side of the lane, unable to bring herself to look at him. Her eyes pricked and she scolded herself. She had never been a crier yet here she was, standing across from the man she loved and she felt like bursting into tears because he could not love her and because he wanted another.

  “Elizabeth,” said Darcy again. “Look at me.”

  Still she did not obey. He took a step closer. “Look at me,” he said again. His voice was soft but there was a command in his voice she could not ignore. She raised her eyes to meet his.

  “I do not know what has happened,” he said. “I don’t know where these rumours came from. But I can assure you, there is no understanding between Miss Bingley and I. And she was certainly not in my room last night. She could not have entered without me knowing. I do not know what the servant saw, but he or she is mistaken.”

  37

  A small flare of hope lit in Elizabeth but she could not bring herself to indulge it.

  “The person was quite sure as to the room, sir,” she said quietly.

  “And I am quite certain that there was no one in my room. Miss Bingley has certainly never visited me in the middle of the night. And I can promise you I am not the sort of man who would enter into a secret engagement. Especially not with the sister of my dearest friend. Do you really think I would dishonour Bingley or even Miss Bingley like that? I have no taste for such behaviour.”

  Something released in Elizabeth’s chest. She drew a shuddering breath. “There is really nothing between you and Miss Bingley?”

  “Nothing at all. There never has been. I am aware she wants it but I have never given her any reason to believe her hopes will be indulged. But it is not the first time an inaccurate rumour has circulated about an understanding between a man and a woman who are unattached. London is filled with such things. I promise you, Elizabeth that there is nothing between me and any other woman. I hope you believe me.”

  Elizabeth looked into his solemn, dark eyes. Which was more likely to be true? That a servant in a dark hallway saw someone emerge from a row of rooms and mistook the door? Or that Darcy, a man she knew to be honourable, was telling her the truth and that nothing had happened?

  “I believe you,” she said.

  The effect on Darcy was startling. He released a breath and his shoulders slumped. He closed his eyes for a moment.

  “Thank God,” he breathed.

  “Sir?”

  “How quickly lies and falsehoods can threaten happiness forever.”

  “I do not understand your meaning.”

  “Do you not?” Darcy looked down at her for a long, heart pounding moment then he took her hand in his. “I have been thinking over it all night,” he said. “I walked and sat in the garden for hours under the moon and then I counted the minutes until I could come here and speak to you.”

  “What about?” Elizabeth couldn’t speak above a whisper. His thumb circled her palm and she was so aware of every sensation it felt as though her skin was on fire.

  “If I had not been resolve
d before, the knowledge that I might have lost you so easily would have made my mind up for me,” he said. “Miss Bennet. Elizabeth. Since the moment I saw you stealing my dog —“

  Elizabeth gave him a sardonic look though her knees were weak. He smiled.

  “From the moment I saw you steal my dog until now, my feelings for you have increased and grown stronger. The thought of you leaving Derbyshire and having to go on with my life without you causes me more pain than I think I have ever known. I cannot imagine going back to a life without you in it. I have come to feel for you a passionate love and admiration. Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”

  “Your wife,” Elizabeth repeated as if she was not sure she had heard him properly.

  Darcy looked down the empty lane with its dead end with a laugh. “I realise this is not the best place for a proposal. I hope to ask you on our walk today. I imagined the castle might be the best place for it. It is where I planned to bring you if I could convince Georgiana to walk away and leave us alone for a while. Not that she would have taken much convincing…” Darcy drew a deep breath. “You have not yet answered,” he said. There was a touch of nervousness in his voice.

  An enormous smile spread across Elizabeth’s face. “If I have not spoken yet it is because I am afraid I might wake myself up from this dream. I can hardly believe it is true.”

  “Then —“

  “I love you. And I want nothing more in the world than to marry you.”

  A look of heartfelt joy spread over Darcy’s face. He snatched Elizabeth to him. With a questioning look that was answered with a smile, he kissed her. Elizabeth felt her heart race so fast she thought it might explode. She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him with a fierceness that matched his own.

  “You do not know how happy this makes me,” said Darcy. He kept his arms around her, holding her to him.

  “I think I have an idea,” said Elizabeth. She lay her head on his chest as he stroked her hair and smiled with contentment. “Your happiness cannot exceed my own.”

  “I think it does. I consider myself the more fortunate one in the match.”

  “Well, I cannot argue with you there…” Elizabeth laughed as Darcy pressed a hand against a ticklish spot, but could do no more when he kissed her again.

  “You must come to stay at Pemberley,” he said. “For the rest of your visit. I cannot bear being five miles away from you. I want to see as much of you as I can, day after day.”

  “Not so fast,” said Elizabeth with a smile. “We will need to write to my father before we can announce it.”

  “Of course. But you are my sister’s friend so there is no reason why you should not stay at Pemberley in the meantime. And your aunt and uncle as well. How soon can you come?”

  “Tomorrow, I think. Aunt and Uncle are out all day because they assumed I would not be here. It will be this evening before I can tell them and we will need to pack and settle our bill.”

  Darcy nodded. “That will give me time to send word to your father. I will send it by express and arrange for him to reply in the same way. Then, we can let everyone know.”

  “They will be surprised if some of them think you are attached to Miss Bingley,” said Elizabeth with a wry smile. Darcy pulled her closer.

  “Well, they are about to find out they are mistaken. And they will be relieved. None of my servants would like Miss Bingley as a mistress. But they will approve of you. Mrs Reynolds asked me several times if you will be returning to Pemberley. She thinks she is being discreet, but I know they will welcome you with open arms. But no one will be as happy about the match as I am.”

  “I am not so sure about that,” said Elizabeth dryly. “You have not yet met my mother.”

  Darcy knew of a nearby lane that would take them into the woods around Lambton where they might walk and discuss plans and be undisturbed. They held hands as they strolled and stopped to kiss frequently as they planned their future lives together. And when they finally returned to Lambton and Elizabeth waved to her future husband as he galloped down the road that would take him to Pemberley, she knew she felt more happiness than she ever thought she deserved.

  Unable to stop smiling and hoping her swollen lips would not give away how she had spent her day, she turned to the inn to tell her aunt and uncle that they had been invited to stay at Pemberley.

  38

  Darcy felt as though his heart might burst with joy. Never had the beloved peaks and fields around Pemberley seemed to beautiful as they did that evening lit up by a golden sunset. Elizabeth was his. He could hardly believe he was so fortunate. The worthiest woman in the world had consented to be his wife. Though society might insist that Elizabeth was the more fortunate one out of the couple, Darcy could never agree. No man in the world was more blessed than him. The next time he returned to stay at Pemberley, it would be with Elizabeth at his side as his wife. What had he done to deserve such happiness?

  As he galloped over the fields that would take him to Pemberley, the thought that he had pushed to one side all day came back to him.

  Why on earth would anyone believe Miss Bingley had been in his room? She could not have been there. He would have woken up at once if she had tried to enter. Perhaps no one had seen any such thing? Darcy knew rumours could spread based on nothing at all. It was very probable someone mentioned the well known fact that Miss Bingley was desperate to be his bride, and from being passed from ear to ear, it had transformed into something it had never been. But he felt an uncomfortable squirming to think how easily such a rumour might have cost him his present happiness if it had fallen into the wrong hands. He might have been compelled to forget his dreams of marrying Elizabeth and been forced to take Miss Bingley as his bride instead. The sooner he could announce his engagement to Elizabeth, the sooner they were safe from malicious rumours that could tear them apart. The very moment he received word from Mr Bennet that he had his permission to marry his daughter, Darcy and Elizabeth would make the announcement before everyone. And they would marry as soon as possible.

  Georgiana came down the steps as he galloped towards the house. His smile faded when he saw her. He jumped down and threw the reins to a groom and turned to face her.

  “Georgiana,” he said. “I am so dreadfully sorry. You were waiting for Miss Bennet and I all day. I should have sent a note when the plans changed but I did not —“

  “Did you have a nice day?” Georgiana asked. Her eyes were innocent but there was a mischievous glint in them. Did she know what had happened?

  “Very nice, yes. I am sorry I forgot about our walk. I will make it up to you.”

  “I am sure you will.” Georgiana came down the last few steps towards him and spoke in a low voice, that smile still playing about her lips. “Am I to expect good news soon? Am I to welcome an addition to our family?”

  Darcy wondered if he should deny it — he and Elizabeth had agreed they would not tell anyone until her father knew — but his face gave him away at once. He was unable to keep his heart from his eyes. He didn’t have to say a word for Georgiana’s face to light up and for her to squeal in excitement and throw her arms around him.

  “I am so happy, Fitzwilliam,” she cried. “She is exactly who I would have wanted for my sister. When will I see her again?”

  “She will come to stay at Pemberley tomorrow. But we will not say a word to anyone else until her father has given his permission, so you must stay silent. You can tell Elizabeth how happy you are. It will be good for us to have another person to confide in until we can tell everyone. But no one else can know.”

  “I understand,” said Georgiana in a low voice. “No one will hear it from me. But I am so happy. I cannot wait to see Elizabeth.”

  “Neither can I,” said Darcy. The siblings beamed at one another and embraced again. “Now, remember to behave as if nothing is out of the ordinary,” he instructed as they entered the house.

  “Nothing at all.”

  Caroline Bingley stood at the wind
ow, her brow furrowed. Darcy had been gone all day. He was supposed to return for Georgiana but he had never come back. And now the Darcys whispered together and hugged one another with enormous smiles on their faces. Did this mean Darcy had actually done it? Had he really asked Eliza Bennet to marry him? Caroline’s heat sank like a stone at the thought. Why, oh why could he not have been in his room last night like he should have been? They would have been engaged already and it would have been her engagement that was about to be announced that evening. And now, Caroline would be forced to smile and celebrate when the man she had decided would be hers announced his plans to marry another woman.

  Darcy and Georgiana joined them in the drawing room.

  “You’ve been gone quite a while, Darcy,” said Bingley. “Is everything well?” He raised his eyebrows with a faint smirk on his face. Caroline felt her palm itch at the sight.

  “Everything is quite well, Bingley. There was a change of plans, that is all. Miss Bennet was not able to join us for a walk. I had some matters to attend to, so I took advantage of my journey to Lambton to deal with them. They took a little longer than I intended.”

  “Oh.” Bingley looked disappointed but Caroline rejoiced. He had not spent the day with Eliza after all.

  Yet what was the reason for he and Georgiana to whisper together on the steps and to look so happy? No, there was more to what Darcy was saying. Either he and Eliza were not engaged and he spoke the truth, or they were, but for whatever reason, they were keeping it a secret for now. Perhaps they wished to inform Elizabeth’s family first. Either way, it meant she still had time to do something about it if she could manage it.

  Darcy retired early that night, murmuring something about not sleeping well the night before. When he left the room, Caroline slipped out and followed at a discreet distance, just enough to confirm that he had indeed gone to his room. She sighed with relief. For once, Darcy would be just where she needed him to be. She returned to the drawing room and after staring at her needlework for half an hour, she announced a similar intention to retire early. No one paid her much mind. Normally, it would have enraged Caroline but tonight everyone’s lack of interest suited her.