A Fine Line: A Pride & Prejudice Variation
Page 9
“The stables?”
He raised his eyebrows at her and then continued into his library.
No. That could not be. Her heart hammered in her throat. There was only one reason why he would go to the stables. She had told him to leave in the letter she wrote him, but she did not mean it. At least not now.
Her insides churning, she stumbled from the house and turned toward the stable barn. What if he had already left? He said he would wait for her response. It could not have been more than an hour since she spoke to him. Why would he leave?
Tears sprung into her eyes and she spotted the stable as if through a downpour of rain. With each step, she calmed herself by counting, rooting herself in the present moment. One, Mr. Darcy was not leaving. Two, He would not do that to her. Three, He loved her. Four, She would chase after him if she had to like he had chased her out of the house. Five, She loved him. She loved him more than she thought possible, perhaps did not even know was possible until she felt the stab of his loss as her father spoke the word ‘stable’. She would fight with him a hundred more times if it meant they could have the moments in between. The moments where his eyes softened as he looked at her. The moments where the attraction between them was so much that she felt the pull as firmly as her feet always fell to the ground after she jumped. The moments where his eyes danced with mischief, dragging her into his teasing.
A horse whinnied as she got closer. The sound spurred her on.
Fourteen, He will still be there. Fifteen, Because he loves me as much as I love him.
She walked into the stables. She waited as her eyes adjusted to the loss of sunlight. As soon as they did, her gaze focused on him. He was standing next to the stable boy as he saddled one of their mares. “Mr. Darcy?”
He spun at the sound of his name on her lips. The young stable boy looked her way too. Darcy shooed him off, and the boy walked past her and out the stables, leaving them alone.
“Miss Bennet?”
She took a deep breath. “I have thought about what you said.”
His eyes bored into hers. Was he really going to make her say it? Were not her feelings apparent to him in every look?
She took another steadying breath, her heart beating faster than a jack rabbit. “I have come to the conclusion that I do not care what happens between us.”
Mr. Darcy’s face fell.
She hurried forward. “I mean, I do not care what happens between us only that we are together. The other things, letting Netherfield, your feelings regarding my mother, I feel as if I can weather through all that as long as you are by my side.”
A grin spread across Darcy’s face. He stepped forward, reaching for her hand. She readily placed it in his. “Miss Bennet, I love you. I have said as much already, but I wish you to hear it again. I love you. I admire you for so many things, each better than the last. I hope that you will allow me the opportunity to rectify what I have done to upset you.”
She shook her head. “It is all forgotten. You do not need to say another word.”
It was his turn to shake his head. “Indeed, you are wrong. There is plenty more to say, but I will start with this: I should like you to be my wife, Elizabeth. I want you by my side as we share life’s journey with one another. I want to wake every morning to your smile and indeed will even bear the hateful glint in your eye when we argue if it means I get to see your smile directed at me. Please,” he added. “Will you marry me?”
Emotion overcame Elizabeth. She would have sunk to the grass if it were not for Darcy’s arms that reached out and steadied her. She had not thought she was the type of woman that would feel as much, but Mr. Darcy affected her in ways she did not count on.
“Yes,” she breathed. “Yes. I will marry you.”
Chapter Fourteen
Mr. Darcy finally understood why Charles had been so determined to take Jane to London to purchase her nice things for their wedding. Shortly after he spoke with Mr. Bennet and received permission to marry his daughter, the same idea wormed its way into his brain.
And so, here they were in Bingley’s carriage making the trek to London with Elizabeth by his side. This time, Charles and Jane did not sit opposite of them, not when there were two couples that needed chaperoning. Instead, Mary Bennet sat across from them, her nose stuck in a book. Elizabeth’s youngest sisters had wanted to come, but Elizabeth suggested Mary, for which Darcy was grateful for.
In the end though, it did not matter. He would push through anything as long as it meant he would have his Elizabeth by his side.
“What do you think?” Elizabeth asked.
Mr. Darcy blinked down at her. Charles and Jane had come to them with a proposition before they left. If they were as ready as they were to be married, they may as well marry together. It did not matter to Darcy who was there or who was standing up with them when they pledged themselves to one another as long as they did it. “If you like the idea, I have no objection.”
She eyed him. Her gaze narrowed and the hint of passion was breaking through. “That is neither an approval nor a disapproval of the scheme, Darcy. Do you like the idea or not?”
He turned his gaze toward Elizabeth’s younger sister. Finding her still preoccupied, he grabbed his beloved’s hand that lay between them on the seat and brought it to his lips quickly before setting it back down. “I only care that you and I are able to spend the rest of our lives together. How we do it is up to you. I do not object to them being there, but I also do not object if they were not. You see,” he said, reaching out with his finger to graze her thumb. “…my only aim is to call you my wife.”
She smiled. “I do like the sound of that.”
They chuckled together, and he finally fixed her with his own look. “So then, what do you think?”
“I think a double wedding would be lovely. I shall write to Jane when I get to Gracechurch Street and approve of the scheme.”
He smiled to himself. He knew she liked the idea as soon as Jane suggested it. How could she not? It was evident her love for her sister was great. It was also what brought them together. Had she cared for Jane half as much, they never would have sworn to be enemies, fighting against one another. In truth, they were only bringing each other closest to their heart’s desire. From hate bore love, and now here they were, embarking on their journey together.
What a fine line it was.
The End
Author Notes
Thank you so much for reading A Fine Line. If you haven’t already guessed, I’m a huge Jane Austen fan. This book was borne out of my love for her novels. I like imagining the “What if?” scenarios, putting our hero and heroine in difficult situations to see how they would find themselves back together again. If you enjoyed the book, please leave a review. If you want to be alerted about more news from me, please join my mailing list. You can also be the first to know when I put out a new book! http://eepurl.com/bylfx9
Books by Erin Butler
Fates Entwined
Pride’s Remedy
Courting Mr. Darcy
To Live and Love
Chaos & Courtship: An Elizabeth Bennet Cozy Mystery
Mayhem & Muslin: An Elizabeth Bennet Cozy Mystery