And for all of these admirable traits, Elizabeth only felt her love for him grow.
Chapter 12
It was one fine June morning when Kitty Bennet barged into the house with news she had heard from the gossip mills of Meryton. “Netherfield Park is open again,” she hollered, dropping her bag on the table.
Instantly taken by joy, Jane looked up from the patchwork she was embroidering. But before her lips could utter so much as a sound, Mrs. Bennet was already in the room, interrogating her younger daughter.
“What did you say? Where did you hear this from? Are you certain of it?”
“Yes, Mama,” she nodded, “in fact, as we speak, the drapes are being drawn open and the floors are being polished in the mansion. Mr. Bingley is in Longbourn now. And I hear, Mr. Darcy has accompanied him too.”
Elizabeth, who was seated at a study desk at the far end, stopped penning the letter that she was writing to Aunt Gardiner.
“Mr. Darcy has accompanied him too.”
Her face betrayed no emotion. Why, she did not even glimpse up right away, but the tip of her nib had stopped mid-word and from thence would not move the slightest inch. With a shaky sigh, she eventually set her quill down, her lips breaking into a soft smile - the first earnest one in many many days.
“Oh, but we must insist that they come,” cried Mrs. Bennet, “as soon as possible!” It was a glorious opportunity to ensure that a wedding between Jane and Mr. Bingley was decided upon and formally announced, as originally intended. And she would do everything in her power to ensure the plan was not stalled this time. “We must have him come over, to join us for luncheon tomorrow.” Her mind was brimming with vivid imaginations and scenarios she could plausibly arrange, to ensure Jane and Mr. Bingley spent as much time together, alone. “Or we could perhaps invite him, today.”
The menu for a luncheon was thus hastily agreed upon, and an invitation sent forth that very morning, which was duly accepted. Later that noon, Mr. Bingley arrived at the proposed time, but he was not alone. “I took the liberty of inviting Mr. Darcy along,” he introduced his friend to Mrs. Bennet.
“It is my pleasure,” Mrs. Bennet offered Darcy a cordial nod, before returning her attention to her guest of choice, Mr.Bingley.
“If only you knew mother” Elizabeth looked away, from embarrassment. If only Mrs. Bennet could be told of all that Mr. Darcy had done for them, she might treat him with a little more grace.
Regardless, where Mrs. Bennet fell short in her graciousness as a host, Mr. Bennett compensated for it, by welcoming him with the warmest smile. “Please do come in, Mr. Darcy. Thank you for giving us the pleasure of your company and for agreeing to dine with us.”
“My pleasure, sir.”
During the bustle, Elizabeth noticed his glances sought hers and when their eyes met, his features broke out into a handsome smile, dissolving her composure into a demure grin. There was no judgement, not a hint of condescension on his face, as if the sordid scandal had not affected his impression of her family, or of her, in the slightest.
If anything, there was an eagerness in the manner with which his eyes sought hers - the sort that she had never seen in him before. And it gave her reason to hope that he had been missing her since their last meeting in London too.
“Welcome to Hertfordshire once again, Mr. Darcy,” she wished him when they were able to steal for themselves a moment in private. “Do you plan to stay for long?”
“A few days, yes.” he shrugged charmingly.
“A few days?” Elizabeth quietly bit a corner of her pink lips, pleased with what she heard. “Well then, I do hope you enjoy your stay here this time.”
Her eyes twinkled in a way that sent a shudder up his spine. “I am certain I will. I have come to realise, Hertfordshire shall always remain beautiful to me.”
“Oh,” tempted to presume that he was referring not merely to Hertfordshire, while passing that remark, the deepest crimson rode up her cheeks. “And you claim to be incapable of flattery?” she teased. “You are not who you seem at first, are you Mr. Darcy?” A few instants later, her giggles faltered into a mellow gaze, “If anything, you are capable of being quite generous - in bestowing compliments, and in several other ways too.”
His frown arched, as he comprehended the matter she was hinting at. “My generosity - while paying a compliment or otherwise - depends solely on the person it is to be bestowed upon.”
“Thank you.” Her heart skipped its most profound beat yet, at how special his gracious response to her acknowledgements had made her feel. Why, thoughts nearly forsook her for a beat or two, before she then decided to draw their lively banter in another direction. “Would you be interested in exploring the countryside of Hertfordshire, Mr. Darcy? As interested as you were in exploring the groves at Rosings?”
“I would!”
“I shall be setting out for a walk at dawn. If you would be able to join me then, I would be happy to show you around.”
“I most certainly will!” nodded Darcy, finding it difficult to mask his delight at the offer.
***
The mellifluous music of birds was nudging nature gently awake, while the sun stretched out from the tallest canopies of trees, its first rays barely touching ground. Dew was still clinging heavily onto every blade of grass, the Earth damp and smelling of lavender from its fields. Hertfordshire appeared more beautiful than ever before. And Elizabeth could not be happier, walking its rustic countryside that marvellous dawn with the man she cherished by her side. No, she had not said so to him in as many words yet, nor he to her. In fact, unsaid words there were plenty, but the emotions in the air were not unfelt.
“It is beautiful indeed,” he gestured towards the landscape. “Thank you, Miss Bennet, for showing me around.”
“But, it is I… I who must thank you Mr. Darcy, for so much... and please let me do so…” as he was about to modestly protest, she continued speaking over him in order to be heard, so she could unburden her conscience at long last.
“I have misjudged you, but you kept your promise. Thank you for what you have done for us, for Jane... and particularly, for what you have done for Lydia.”
“Miss Bennet,” Darcy drew in a step closer, beholding her with admiration as he did so. “You need not thank me.”
“But I must,” Elizabeth rubbed her hands, the warm brush of his breath against her features sending chills up her arms, “and I must ask you ‘why’ you did it.”
“Must you?” he asked, his whisper almost raspy. “For I am certain you have sensed that it was all for you, and you alone. I hear if a man truly cares for a woman, he shall go to any lengths for the sake of her happiness.” He waited, reliving the moment. “For the sake of your happiness, Miss Bennet, I shall do this and more, forever, if you will let me...”
“Mr. Darcy,” her quivering fingers went up to her own lips, and then Elizabeth shut her eyelids for a while to subdue the sweet havoc that his words were wreaking within. “Mr. Darcy, before you speak any further I have a confession to make.”
Darcy was intrigued, “Please, do go on.”
“Your diary... the personal journal in which you would unburden your thoughts…” her sentence faltered. “You did drop it once at the orchard in Rosings… do you remember the incident, Mr. Darcy?”
“Yes, I do”
“I chanced upon it… and… and instead of acting honourably, I caved in to temptation. I read your confessions… and your deepest sentiments. I kept it a secret from you for so long, though I did not intend to… I was to let you know earlier but with Lydia’s elopement… and the problems that came with it, it completely slipped my mind. You… you must consider me ignoble, and I understand if you would.”
He did not interrupt while she rambled on; but once she stopped, his lips slowly curled to the left. “Well then, Miss Bennet, you must know my feelings and how intense they are for you... there has been no change in their nature, and have only grown in intensity since.”
So relieved was Elizabeth just then that she laughed nervously, while an expression of relief and delight spread on her face. “Mr. Darcy, I am a fortunate woman. That I do know…”
Following a brief spell of bliss, Darcy held out his hand beside her face, and paused, to ensure she would welcome his advances. When she did not flinch, he touched her cheek, gingerly caressing it with the edge of his thumb. Even in his dreams had he not dared to envision such a thing; but here he was today, blessed by the touch of her love. It made him feel like a man reborn. “Miss Bennet,” coming closer, he cradled her face in his palms “Will you marry me? Will you accept my proposal and make me the happiest man alive?”
Rubbing the tips of his knuckles with her slender fingers, Elizabeth planted a gentle kiss on the inside of his palm as she let her forehead rest against his, their silhouettes awash with the shades of a new dawn, a new beginning. “Yes. Yes I most gladly will.”
***
A month later, with her family gathered in her reception room, Mrs. Bennet was the most content and happiest woman in the country of Hertfordshire could be. Two more of her daughters had been married off, Jane and Elizabeth. Both to men of great repute, greater than most other families in Longbourn had managed to find for their daughters.
Jane cherished her life at Netherfield Park, discovering the joys of a wedded life with a loving husband, Mr. Bingley.
As for Elizabeth, every fresh day as the mistress of Pemberley was a blissful testament to the words of Mr. Darcy, “If a man truly cared for a woman, he would go to any lengths for the sake of her happiness.”
THE END
For The Sake Of Her Happiness Page 10