Adrian stood on the front steps of Westerhall, Rebecca to one side and a beautiful Indian woman to the other. She was tall and lithe, with her long black hair swept up into a detailed braid and her beautiful purple silk gown sparkling in the sun. The woman was as lovely as a picture and as soon as Elizabeth saw her, she wished to know everything about her. In fact, she was so charmed by the stranger that it took her some time to notice that the woman and Adrian were holding hands. But when she did notice, all of her confusion came rushing back toward her.
As if he anticipated that Elizabeth and Jane would be surprised upon their arrival at Westerhall, he hurried forward and embraced Elizabeth unexpectedly.
“Oh, Elizabeth, my dear friend! I am so pleased you are here and so happy that I am at last able to share my great joy with you!”
Lord Spencer took Elizabeth’s hand and led her over to where Rebecca and the woman stood.
“Elizabeth, Jane… I would like you to meet my wife, Catherine Madan.”
In spite of her best efforts, Elizabeth was unable to control the look of utter shock that appeared on her face. She saw it reflected on her sister as well. When Elizabeth did not speak right away, Catherine reached out and took her hand.
“What a pleasure to meet you, Miss Bennet. Adrian speaks of you often. And please, I would like you both to call me Cathy.”
Jane, who was eternally better in social situations than Elizabeth, was quick to reach out and embrace Cathy’s hand.
“Cathy, what a beautiful name! And your dress is just exquisite. You will have to tell us where you bought it.”
Lord Spencer clapped his hands together in happiness.
“Come inside! I know you must have many questions and we will all be happy to answer them,” he said.
“All?” Elizabeth asked, unsure of who else he meant beside the three of them. However, her question was quickly answered when Mr. Darcy appeared from the house.
“Hello, Elizabeth,” Darcy said, just above a whisper. He looked handsome, all wind blown and tired but his cheeks rosy with cheer. Elizabeth felt a rush of delight at the sight of him, though discovering he, too, was at Westerhall rendered her even more perplexed.
I feel as if I am going mad, she thought as she attempted to hide her confusion.
“Will you come in for tea?” Cathy asked with a welcoming smile. “A long story is always more pleasing with tea and biscuits, is it not?”
Chapter 16
The entire group gathered together in the sitting room, everyone silent until the housekeeper served tea. No one was particularly interested in tea, but it was served just the same. When the housekeeper left at last, Jane and Elizabeth turned to Adrian and Cathy in wild anticipation.
“Lord Spencer…” Elizabeth began.
“Adrian,” he corrected.
“Adrian. How long have you been married?” she asked.
Lord Spencer turned to his bride and smiled with joy.
“My love, would you care to tell the tale?”
Cathy nodded in response.
“When Adrian came to India after the death of his father, we were wedded. In fact, we were engaged for years before that, but The Duke refused to consent to our marriage. He made it quite clear that if we were to marry, he intended to take everything from Adrian. We did not know what we were going to do and then, it did not matter anymore. The barrier to our marriage was gone. We could finally be together.”
Jane shook her head in wonder.
“What possible reason could there be to object to your marriage? You seem lovely,” she said, showing she was still quite innocent. Lord Spencer took the hand of his wife.
“He had reasons that spoke more to his character than Catherine’s. But one of his chief reasons was that Cathy is an adventurer. She loves to travel and explore, often to places no man would even go. According to The Duke, those things made my brave girl a bad wife. He expected I should a wife who embroiders and gardens, who tends to the home and sits by the fire every evening. But Cathy is the woman I love. And I hope that my dear friends in Meryton will love her as well.”
Lord Spencer appeared to be concerned, as if he thought his friends might reject his new bride. But Elizabeth jumped to her feet and embraced Cathy as if they had known one another all of their lives. Not only was she delighted at the opportunity to get to know a new friend, but she was pleased to finally understand why Adrian seemed so sad. Perhaps they had something in common and never knew it… they both longed for love that felt so far away.
“Cathy, we are so happy to have you in Meryton and hope you will be a frequent visitor,” Elizabeth said as she gave the woman another quick embrace. Jane echoed her sentiments, but still appeared confused.
“I do not understand. What was happening in London that required you to stay for such a time?”
Everyone took their seats once again, grateful for the slight distraction of the tea, and anxiously awaited to hear more of the journey of Catherine Madan. This time, however, it was Adrian’s story to tell.
“It took some effort to get Catherine here from India, in spite of the fact that her father is a regular in the royal court. The Maharajah Reyansh Madan is a friend of the King himself, so we expected there would be no trouble in getting Cathy here. She intended to board a cargo ship alone and no one seemed willing to bring her without a chaperone. The Maharajah found a ship at last, but it cost him greatly, and when the crew stopped to drop off cargo at another port, they changed captains and the new one demanded to be paid as well.”
“My goodness,” Jane said in horror.
“You have only heard the beginning of it,” Cathy answered, her eyes alight with excitement.
“Indeed,” Adrian said as he smiled at his bride. “When the second captain made his demands on Catherine, she simply walked off the ship with her things, gave almost all of her money to a man and purchased two horses and coach, and began her journey to Meryton. Of course, we know not where she has gone, nor if she even knows where she is. My dear friend Darcy there found several investigators to search the country in the event she was loss or had come to any harm, heaven forbid. The Maharajah even intended to go to the King. But it was, of course, nonsense for any of us to worry about Cathy, right Darcy?”
Darcy laughed lightly and shook his head at a memory.
“Nonsense, indeed. The investigators I hired got lost and we found Cathy in an inn next to the home of her father in London. She not only knew precisely where she was going, but she secured her possessions in The Maharajah’s home and ate dinner while she waited for us. I do not know why we ever doubted her.”
Elizabeth felt a sudden rush of affection for the gentleman as Mr. Darcy explained his role in the romantic attempted rescue of Catherine Madan. It became clear that he was not as stoic as he sometimes appeared.
“And now you will stay here in Meryton at Westerhall?” Jane asked.
Adrian and Cathy looked at each other as if they had a secret.
“In fact,” Cathy said, “once Rebecca goes back to school next month, Adrian and I are going to Florence until the winter. Then we shall be back in Meryton for the holidays. And I hope we will see you all for Christmas?”
“Of course!” Elizabeth said, excited at the prospect of seeing Westerhall all decorated for the holiday. She was only just about to ask Catherine why they were visiting Florence, when Mr. Darcy appeared next to her.
“Miss Elizabeth, would you care to join me in the garden? I hoped I might speak to you about something.”
She could only nod, because in that particular moment, words failed her entirely. What sort of question would Mr. Darcy wish to ask her alone? Her mind spun as she considered the possibilities...
Chapter 17
The gardens at Westerhall were even more lovely than they had been the first time Elizabeth walked through them with the very same people who sat in the manor house even now. This time, however, they carried a special significance, because as she walked by the side of Mr. Darcy, it
felt as if everything had become just a bit more perfect. The flowers smelled sweeter, the sun was brighter, and the comfort she felt in the company of Fitzwilliam Darcy simply changed the way she viewed the world around her. Even though neither spoke a word at first, the moments were wrapped in the warm quilt of a perfect love. Elizabeth could have remained in that garden, in the moment, for an eternity and been pleased to do so.
She had no idea how much time had passed before she heard Mr. Darcy allow himself the luxury of a slow sigh. Elizabeth suspected he was gathering his courage to ask her a very important question, but when he finally did, it was hardly the question she expected.
“Miss Bennet…”
“Yes?”
He paused once more.
“Are you in love with Spencer?”
It seemed Elizabeth would be stunned into silence for a second time in a single day.
“I do not understand, Mr. Darcy. What would give you the impression that I am in love with Lord Spencer?”
Darcy stopped walking, leading them to pause in a grove of lovely flowering shrubbery, each a different bright and beautiful color.
“I fear that you loved Adrian and now that you know he is wedded to Catherine, you would only give yourself to another by default. Do you think you could ever love another?”
Elizabeth smiled in spite of herself, as she did not wish to cause Mr. Darcy any more worry.
“Oh, Mr. Darcy. Lord Spencer is my friend. My very good friend. But I discovered some time ago that my heart belongs to another. And if that gentleman wishes to possess my heart fully, all he need do is ask.”
The gentleman did not even pause to consider what he might do next. Instead, he reached out and fetched a branch of lavender. With an uncharacteristic but heavenly smile, Mr. Darcy handed the flower to Elizabeth, and let his hand linger on her own.
“Miss Elizabeth Bennet, I know that perhaps we did not meet under the most ideal of circumstances. But I would be honored if you would consider allowing me to make up for my transgressions for the rest of our lives. I love you, Elizabeth. And oh, how I admire you. You are passionate and intelligent. I can not wait to hear what you have to say every morning and the wonderful things you will teach our children. Elizabeth, will you marry me?”
Elizabeth could hardly find her words, a rare problem for her. At last, however, she was able to nod her head.
“I will, Mr. Darcy. I will marry you and love you for the rest of our lives.”
“I think you may call me Fitzwilliam now, my sweet.”
Elizabeth laughed as Darcy pulled her into his arms. Just as they embraced, they heard the happy cheers of their friends from the edge of the garden, which caused them both to laugh. Elizabeth continued to laugh through the joyful tears she cried. When everyone joined them in the garden, they embraced again and shared in the bliss that Darcy and Elizabeth felt. Catherine, especially, was overjoyed for Elizabeth and could not wait to attend a proper English wedding. As they were all discussing plans for the marriage, Darcy reached over and took Jane’s hand.
“Miss Jane, I have a favor to ask you.”
Jane beamed from ear to ear.
“Anything for you, brother,” she answered happily.
“Excellent. Miss Jane, I would like you to leave the manor, and take my personal coach to Netherfield. I think you will find someone there who is anxious to speak to you.”
It took but a moment for Jane to become completely pale. As the color disappeared from her cheeks, Elizabeth felt her own turn even more rosy with excitement. Jane appeared frozen where she stood, until at last, Elizabeth clapped her hands in an attempt to bring her back to earth.
“Go, Jane! Go!” Elizabeth said.
“Yes, go!” Rebecca agreed. “Come, Jane. I will walk you to the coach.”
Rebecca and Jane ran through the garden and disappeared into the manor, while Adrian and Catherine chose to take a walk, leaving Darcy and Elizabeth alone once again. As soon as he was sure they were protected from curious eyes, he leaned forward and gave Elizabeth a gentle kiss that made her legs grow weak. There was not a question in her mind that Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy was the man she loved. Now she had the opportunity to spend the rest of her life reminding him of that.
So much had changed in the months following the Meryton assembly that Elizabeth could hardly believe where she now stood. Not only was she in the arms of the man she loved, but she had two new and wonderfully adventurous friends that would be a part of her life forever. Even after all of the changes and challenges they endured, Elizabeth knew one thing without hesitation…
The joy of being Mrs. Elizabeth Darcy was enough. And it would always be enough.
* * *
The End… and the Beginning.
Two Gentlemen of Honor Page 7