by Lauren King
OH, MY GOODNESS! Elizabeth’s heart swells with love and pride as it beats faster at the pleasure of hearing William’s words. She is speechless as she stares at William lovingly. His words are like the air for her lungs; they cause excitement and exultation to course through her body, heart and soul. She has never heard more beautiful words spoken about her before; for it to come from William, thrills her to no end. Her love for him has increased beyond her imagination. She just cannot believe her providence. What more can she ask for in a husband? Nothing. She will be happy with William no matter what their circumstances are.
“Thank you for your kind words, darling.” Elizabeth cups his cheek and gently caresses it while she continues to express her admiration and pleasure. “I am caught in your goodness, and I never want to leave.” Elizabeth says openly and unambiguously.
“Then do not ever leave.” Darcy answers distinctly and without any hesitation.
“I will not. I will stay to love you forever.” Elizabeth declares unequivocally.
“Lizzy…you gratify me like never before. My heart has only thought of you all these weeks ever since we met, and it only wants you… eternally. I love you.” Darcy says with the utmost sincerity and love enmeshed in every single word. Then, it is his turn to lose control; simultaneously, he caresses her cheek tenderly and rubs across her soft and enticing lips. He feels her slightly flinch (in a good way) at his touch, and then she settles. Her expression of love shows him that she is not offended by his intimate touch to her face.
Once again, Elizabeth is spellbound when she gazes at William kissing her hands. “I love you, William. I never knew love could be so deep and exhilarating. I am overjoyed that I will have such a loving husband for the rest of my life.” She bashfully looks down at their entwined hands, but he does not let her.
He gently tilts her face back up so that they look eye to eye; he loves her beautiful dark brown eyes. In addition to gazing at her lovely, full, red lips and creamy skin, he likes to admire her overall alluring body. He would have to be blind not to notice the outline and shape of her tempting bosom. He uses his imagination when he is around her. Goodness gracious; he needs to stop thinking such thoughts about Elizabeth or else he will embarrass himself; she is just too tempting for his eyes and his mind!
Fortuitously, he hears some soft voices approaching the drawing room; subsequently, he straightens himself up, and he releases Elizabeth’s hands and cheek. He would never compromise her reputation or demean her in any way. He is mindful not to let others see him be intimate with his fiancée. However, when they are married then he will not mind if their families sees some of his loving gestures towards her – nothing too blatant, of course.
Jane and Mrs. Gardiner walk into the drawing room, and then all courtesies are performed. Afterwards, Elizabeth is full of pride when she shows them her engagement ring and wedding band. All three ladies are entranced by the beauty and extravagance of the rings; they examine the rings with delight. Darcy is proud that all three ladies are effusive over Elizabeth’s rings.
Mrs. Gardiner recognizes that the rings are very expensive and, markedly, valuable. “Mr. Darcy, it is not surprising that you have such refined taste in jewelry. The rings are stunning, to say the least.” Mrs. Gardiner compliments frankly. It is clear that Darcy truly loves Elizabeth, especially with what he has done for the Bennet family by willingly accepting and being involved in their problem. Elizabeth is indeed most fortunate in her betrothed.
“Thank you, Mrs. Gardiner.” Darcy smiles modestly in response while he is filled with pride.
“The rings are absolutely splendid, William.” Jane praises honestly.
“Thank you, Jane.” Darcy responds humbly.
Since the first day of his and Elizabeth’s engagement, Jane and Darcy have agreed to use each other’s first names. Darcy is glad to be gaining Jane as a sister; she is another lady that Georgiana could learn from.
As Darcy’s visit progresses, he and Georgiana are invited to stay for luncheon. They both gladly agree. After their luncheon, Darcy suggests a walk in St. James’ Park. Elizabeth, Georgiana, and Jane merrily agree to go, and then, afterwards, they can pick up their holiday gowns from Mrs. Templeton’s shop.
Darcy proudly and happily walks with Elizabeth’s hand in the crook of his arm while Georgiana and Jane gaily walk with each other ahead of them about twenty feet. Since talking about the ladies’ holiday gowns, Darcy remembers about the Allston’s Christmas Ball that Elizabeth will be attending tomorrow night. He decides to discuss the fact that he does not have an invitation to attend it because the Allstons do not belong in the same social circle in order to invite Darcy. He is not comfortable with Elizabeth attending without him now that they are betrothed. He should accompany her to these engagements.
“Dearest, I have an invitation to a Christmas Ball tomorrow night given by Sir Andrew Thomas and Lady Victoria Thomas; would you like to attend with me?” Darcy caresses her hand gently.
“Yes, I would, darling.” Elizabeth smiles gleefully because this will be their first ball together.
“Naturally, Jane is invited also. Will you ask her to come?”
“Yes, I will. I hope we have the appropriate gowns for such a grand ball.” Elizabeth smiles up at him.
“I am certain your style in gowns is always appropriate and beautiful. You would make any gown attractive.” With satisfaction, Darcy gazes directly at Elizabeth with his compliments. He wants to kiss her cheeks, but he cannot out in public; hence, he kisses the back of her gloved hand and gives her an charming smile.
“Thank you, darling.” Elizabeth beams with his approval but blushes from his deed. “I will ask Jane as soon as we get home.”
Darcy and Elizabeth cheerfully talk to each other about Pemberley and Derbyshire when a matron and two young ladies walk towards them. Elizabeth sees these ladies look over at William as they approach Georgiana and Jane. The three ladies acknowledge Georgiana cheerily. Georgiana greets them with her pretty, polite smile and then introduces Jane.
Elizabeth notices that William releases his hand that was lying on top of hers, and he walks more formally. She does not let on that she notices the change in his demeanor; she wants to know why. It, simply, could be that William is much more formal when there are non-family members present. Her first instinct is to think that it is due to the two young ladies. However, she does not think William could be such a rogue to act in such a manner.
When they reach Georgiana’s side, Georgiana smiles at Elizabeth and then turns to William to say, “Brother, look at who I have just encountered: Mrs. Wilmington, Miss Wilmington, and Miss Josephine. Ladies, you all remember my brother – Mr. Darcy.”
Darcy moves his arm so that Elizabeth knows to release it, allowing him to greet the ladies with a bow. “Ladies, it is nice to see you all again. How are you?” Darcy says charmingly as he bows sophisticatedly to the ladies and they curtsy in return.
“Mr. Darcy, we are all doing well, thank you.” Mrs. Wilmington displays a serene smile towards Darcy and then continues to proudly say, “Julia and Josephine are always in good health. How are you, sir?”
“I am very well, thank you, Mrs. Wilmington.” Then Darcy turns to Elizabeth and says, “Miss Elizabeth, I would like to introduce to you, Mrs. Wilmington, Miss Wilmington, and Miss Josephine. Ladies, this is Miss Elizabeth Bennet, my betrothed. This is Miss Jane Bennet, my betrothed’s elder sister.”
Both Elizabeth and Jane elegantly curtsy along with the Wilmington ladies. The usual courtesies are conveyed. Then, Mrs. Wilmington congratulates and wishes the engaged couple great joy. Darcy and Elizabeth politely thank Mrs. Wilmington; afterwards, Darcy asks Mrs. Wilmington how Mr. Wilmington is faring.
Elizabeth notices Miss Wilmington’s furtive glances towards William, and she guesses that, most likely, Miss Wilmington was once a hopeful young lady that wanted William’s attentions….or maybe he wanted hers. Miss Wilmington is very cute, and she looks to be slightly younger than Eliz
abeth. She is slender and is a little taller than Elizabeth. She is dressed in a fine dress and jewelry that speak of her family’s wealth. Elizabeth does not want to admit it, but Miss Wilmington would look fitting with William; it hurts Elizabeth’s heart to think that she could possibly be without William.
“Mr. Wilmington is also well and fit, Mr. Darcy; thank you.” Mrs. Wilmington smiles politely while answering with ease.
“Is your family staying in town for the holidays, Mrs. Wilmington?” Darcy asks cordially.
“Yes, we are. We will be attending Sir Thomas’ Christmas Ball tomorrow night.”
“How nice; I am sure Sir Thomas’ Christmas Ball will be as grand as always. Are you finishing your walk, Mrs. Wilmington?” Darcy continues nicely.
“Yes, we are on our way out. Once again, I congratulate you both on your upcoming nuptials.” Mrs. Wilmington expresses comfortably.
“Thank you, Mrs. Wilmington. I wish you and your family a happy holidays and a happy new year.” Darcy says graciously.
“Thank you, Mr. Darcy; I wish the same to you and your family,” replies Mrs. Wilmington.
While William is talking with Mrs. Wilmington, Elizabeth thinks about the infamous seasons in London for the privileged, wealthy, or titled debutantes. Elizabeth figures that with William’s wealth and prestigious family name and relations, there were plenty of young ladies waiting for him to approach them. Most likely, they were all befitting of him with pristine family reputations and wealth enough to make anyone proud. She cannot imagine any other case because someone like William does not associate with anyone less than the gentry social circle. This is not to say that he refuses to associate with anyone less than him, but, surely, he would not typically cross paths with them.
The reason William is close friends with Mr. Bingley – whose family comes from trade – is because they both attended Oxford. Even though William was three years above Mr. Bingley and belonged in a higher social circle, William found Mr. Bingley to be an amiable, honest, nice, upright fellow when they accidentally met and spoke to each other one day. They remained very good friends after graduating from Oxford. She could tell that Mr. Bingley thinks very highly of William and admires William for everything that William is. Mr. Bingley was learning about estates from William because he had told her that William was advising him on the purchase of his own estate. Mr. Bingley praised William substantially – deservedly so.
Elizabeth wonders if William has ever officially courted any young ladies. She is certain that he must have had some interest in some young ladies at one time or another. He is seven and twenty, thus he has had many seasons from which to pick a young lady. She wonders why William has not married yet. Is he that fastidious? From Mr. Bingley’s teases and comments, she could guess that William was well sought after by many match making matrons for their daughters. Furthermore, it is apparent that he is not easily impressed or satisfied with just any young lady. She contemplates why she, specifically, caught his eye. In any case, she is thankful and relieved that she and William have found each other. She would die of a broken heart and be devastated if he changed his mind about them now. Fate and destiny are amazing things. She simply prays that they will be positive for her and William.
Farewells, bows, and curtsies are relayed with wishes for a happy holiday. Darcy is charismatic as ever. As Darcy offers Elizabeth his arm, he could tell that the Wilmington ladies are discreetly looking at his actions towards Elizabeth. When she slips her hand under his arm, he tenderly pats her hand with his other hand as he gives her a loving, handsome smile. He knows that they are surprised that he is engaged to be married. It is safe to assume that everyone he knows will be surprised with his marriage announcement. He still has to inform his Uncle’s family. He had planned to do that at his Uncle’s family Christmas Eve dinner, but he will have to tell them tonight; he does not want them to find out from other people or through gossip.
“Dearest, we have to pick up your gowns now, do we not?” Darcy asks warmly.
“We can go any time you want, darling.” Elizabeth answers contentedly. She is satisfied that William is simply more formal when there are non-family members present. She was worried that he may have acted differently towards her because he may have been interested in one of the Misses Wilmington, but Elizabeth can see that is not the case.
“Let us go now if you have had your fill of walking for today.” Darcy says thoughtfully.
Back at the Gardiner’s residence, the young ladies are excited about trying on their new gowns and making sure they have all their accessories. Elizabeth has tea and pastries brought out for William and Georgiana while Jane helps Mildred take all the gowns up to their bedrooms. After a cup of tea, Georgiana goes up to Jane’s room with Mrs. Gardiner to see Jane try on her dress.
Darcy sees that Elizabeth is excited about the dresses, thus he asks, “Lizzy, do you not want to go and see Jane’s dress?”
“Oh, do you want to leave, William? I can retrieve Georgiana right away.” Elizabeth hurriedly stands up to go get Georgiana, but William detains her by holding her hand; hence, she stops instantly.
Elizabeth should have thought of how much time William has spent with her today already; perhaps, he may want to leave. She would not want him to feel forced to stay with her even though she wants to spend more time with him. Men probably feel differently about being around their betrothed all day. She does not mind being around William all day long; she finds him fascinating. However, she will compromise and accommodate William’s needs and desires. She does not want to make him feel uncomfortable if he does not want to stay any longer.
Darcy remains seated and looks up at Elizabeth as she looks down at their hands. “Lizzy, I do not want to leave. I just thought that you would like to join the ladies. I would much rather you stay with me, but I do not want to be too selfish and keep you all to myself, all the time.” Darcy smiles affectionately directly at Elizabeth as he kisses her hand. He can tell that she misinterpreted his intention.
Elizabeth pouts softly, “I want to spend time with you; that was my original intent. I can see Jane’s dress later. I would rather be with you.”
Darcy could not be more pleased to hear Elizabeth’s claim. This is why he cannot give her up, for any reason. She truly loves him and wants to be with him. His married life with Elizabeth can only be marvelous. There is no way on Earth he could be in a marriage of convenience, especially now that he knows the love that he can have with Elizabeth. He could only be happier if they were married already and if the Bennets did not have Miss Lydia’s problem with which to contend. However, just to have Elizabeth’s love and devotion will do.
They joyously speak for a short while before Darcy tells Elizabeth that he would like to write a note to ask Richard to join him at Matlock House tonight; he wants to inform his Uncle’s family about their engagement. Elizabeth leads him into Mr. Gardiner’s study for the writing materials. After he finishes the note, he comes back into the drawing room quietly to find Elizabeth admiring her engagement ring back and forth on her finger. She looks happy and beautiful; Darcy is beyond pleased with his betrothed.
Elizabeth looks up at Darcy as he walks up closer to her and extends his hand so that she can place her hand on his. When she does, he brings it up to his lips to kiss tenderly. “Are you happy with your engagement ring, dearest?”
“I am very happy.” Elizabeth extends her other hand to touch his cheek gently and then says, “It is stunning to look at. I keep looking at it all the time.” She giggles blissfully.
“I would rather you look at me all the time.” Darcy smiles roguishly and teasingly.
Elizabeth blushes and then softly pouts, “I do; it is rather embarrassing should anyone see me admire you like that.”
“You do?” Darcy asks with surprise.
Elizabeth nods bashfully.
“Well, that is only fair because I think about you all the time, and I gaze at you any time I have a chance.” Darcy kisses her hand again, a
nd then he caresses her cheek while his thumb slides across her luscious lips. He intently stares at her lips, and then he swallows. He, desperately, wants to taste her lips, but he needs to stop thinking about it or else he will have to leave the room. He stops rubbing her lips and removes his hand from her face. He does not want anyone accidentally catching him touch her so intimately; he has to remember that.
Elizabeth smiles alluringly as she says, “Darling, my Aunt has invited you and Georgie to stay for supper; will you be able to stay?”
“Would you like for me to stay, dearest?”
“Positively.” Elizabeth smiles enchantingly.
“Then, I will stay because I cannot stay away from you for long.” Darcy smiles handsomely.
Elizabeth cannot help but smile radiantly at William’s confession. “Darling, I spoke to Aunt Madeline about Jane and I attending the ball with you tomorrow night, and she said that she does not object. However, we will need to bring Mrs. Hall – the children’s nanny as chaperone.”
“That is fine, Lizzy.”
“But we have to make sure she has an appropriate gown to wear, so Aunt Madeline is looking for a gown for Mrs. Hall.”
Finding an appropriate ball gown for a nanny sounds to be problematic; therefore, Darcy suggests, “I have an idea. Since you and Jane know Mrs. Annesley then I will ask her to chaperone you both tomorrow night. Mrs. Annesley surely has the appropriate gowns. I will take Georgie to stay with my Aunt Helen. I will let Aunt Helen know that I made a last minute decision to have you go with me to this ball, so your Uncle and Aunt could not attend with you because of their own previous engagement. What do you think?”