Darcy smiled back, but gave her a curious look. Elizabeth blushed, and remembered that her mother was unlikely to scold her at this point in life. She stood on her tiptoes to whisper back, but the whisper became unnecessary—Mary and Mr. Collins had stood and the ceremony was finished. A loud cheer went up through the church and Elizabeth joined in.
The newly married couple made their way up the aisle, smiling under the blessings of their guests. The back door to the church burst open and more townsfolk waited to celebrate the bride and groom.
Darcy and Elizabeth both clapped and shouted with the rest, but they allowed everyone around them to move out of the church first. Instead, they held back, and only exited the church when they were the last ones left. It was only a few moments, but Elizabeth cherished the time they could spend together.
Their engagement was only three weeks old, but from the moment Mrs. Bennet had learned she had three weddings to plan, the entire household had been plunged into frantic activity. Jane and Elizabeth had quickly determined that they could save their mother many headaches by sharing a wedding, and they were delighted to do so. Mr. Bingley and Darcy had no objections either, so it was determined that Mary would marry on Friday, Elizabeth and Jane on Saturday.
The frantic pace of the last weeks, however, meant that Elizabeth and Jane actually had very little time to spend with their betrothed. Mrs. Bennet had very little sympathy for them—her attitude was very much that they would spend the rest of their lives together, so Elizabeth and Jane could spend the three weeks before marriage with their mother.
“It feels like we have waited a lifetime,” Elizabeth admitted to Darcy, as they slowly made their way out of the church. The celebration was loud, but they could still manage to hear one another—she doubted this would be the case when they left the interior of the building. “I know we have only been engaged three weeks, but I feel as though it has been the longest time in my life.”
“I agree,” Darcy said. His hand brushed hers and Elizabeth felt a thrill go through her. She knew it was unintentional—he would not be so bold, not in church!—and she longed for this time tomorrow. She blushed furiously at the thought.
“What is it?” Darcy asked, seeing her reddened face. He looked at her with a questioning gaze, but she shook her head.
“Nothing,” she lied, quickly asking the Lord’s forgiveness for her transgression. “Tell me more of Pemberley.”
She requested this change of subject because she knew that he would be distracted by talk of his home. That was not her only motivation, of course. She was intensely curious about the place that she would soon call home as well. She loved the way his face took on a completely new expression when he talked about the rocky moors and thick forests of his home. If Pemberley could evoke such passion in Darcy, Elizabeth knew it must be a wonderful place.
Before Darcy could get started, however, a familiar voice called out to her.
“Lizzy!” Lydia stuck her head through the doorway of the church. Seeing Elizabeth and Darcy standing together, Lydia gave her elder sister a wicked grin. “You will be here yourselves soon enough,” she said. “But for now, Mama is waiting for you and Mr. Darcy so we can leave for the wedding breakfast. Mary and Mr. Collins have already left!”
“We are coming,” Elizabeth replied. “It is only a short walk to Aunt Phillips. We will get there in plenty of time.”
“Mary is so lucky that Aunt Phillips volunteered to host her breakfast,” Lydia said, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. “Her cook makes the best pastries in Meryton!”
Elizabeth and Darcy finally joined Lydia at the door and she began to walk quickly, not bothering to notice if Darcy and Elizabeth kept pace.
“It was quite kind of your aunt,” Darcy agreed, his long legs easily keeping up with Lydia. “I do not know if your mother possesses the fortitude to host two wedding breakfasts in as many days.”
“She does not,” Elizabeth laughed. “But Lydia and Kitty will make sure she is fine. I believe the prospect of two parties in two days has just about burned the jealousy from them. Enough to begin to help with things, at any rate.”
Elizabeth continued to think about the following day, and she grew more and more content. She stopped suddenly and grabbed Darcy’s hand, stopping him as well. Her fingers tingled from his touch and she wondered what had emboldened her. Darcy turned to her with curiosity.
“What is it?” He asked.
Elizabeth just stood there, gazing up at him, eyes full of affection and happiness—she felt as though her feelings might overwhelm her in that moment. Darcy still looked confused, but a moment later, he seemed to catch on to her mood.
“Tell me,” he said, smiling.
“I just want to remember this moment,” she said softly. “This moment in time, when we are both so happy.”
Darcy’s smile widened. “We will have many moments like this,” he said, voice full of confidence.
“Promise?” She asked.
“Promise.”
Epilogue
Darcy
Darcy felt the wind whip his long coat around his legs as he walked toward the solitary figure on the edge of the rocks. His hair blew across his eyes, and for a second, he lost sight of Elizabeth. But he knew that she would not have moved.
In the month since they had come home to Pemberley, as master and mistress of the estate, Elizabeth had fallen as deeply in love with the varied landscapes as he. She had come to love standing at this spot, on the edge of a hundred-foot drop, to gaze for miles over forests, pastures and farmland. He had shown her this view on their first day here, and he was exceedingly glad that he had chosen to do so.
“Mrs. Darcy!” He called loudly, the wind carrying his voice to her.
He continued to walk, but could see that she had heard him, for she had turned to watch his approach. Darcy could see her clearly now, from her hair flying in the wind, unencumbered by the bonnet she held in one hand, to the trail of mud along the hem of her skirt—she was absolutely stunning. He still could not believe that she was his wife.
Elizabeth took several steps away from the cliff and walked to meet him. “I shall never tire of this,” she said while still a few paces away from him.
“It is a wonderful sight, is it not?” He quickly agreed, looking out over Derbyshire.
“Yes, but that is not to what I was referring,” she laughed. She was now close enough for him to wrap his arms about her, and he pulled her close, protecting her from the wind.
“Then what, Mrs. Darcy?” He whispered in her ear.
“Just that,” she breathed back. “Mrs. Darcy. It still feels like a dream, being your wife, but every time I hear ‘Mrs. Darcy’, I remember that it is not a dream, but wonderful, real life.”
Darcy’s heart leapt—hearing her happiness was enough to remind him of his own.
“Are you truly happy?” He asked, loosening his hold on her just enough to look into her eyes.
“More than I ever imagined possible,” Elizabeth replied, tears in her eyes from the wind. She stood on tiptoe and turned her face to his, and he eagerly bent to meet her.
As their lips met, Darcy knew that he would never find truer joy than this: the woman he loved in his arms, the land he loved beneath his feet. He did not know how he could possibly deserve such things, but Darcy knew that he would spend the rest of his days full of gratitude.
* * *
THE END
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I hope you enjoyed the story.
About the Author
Anne-Marie Grace loves everything historical. She has been a fan of Pride and Prejudice ever since she was a teenager and has read the book more times than she can count. She loves to dream up alternative scenarios for our dear couple and has recently started putting these ideas to paper. Her only hope is that people would like to read them as much as she loves to come up with them!
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