A Rival for Mr. Darcy
Page 18
“Elizabeth, look,” Mary said, pointing.
Her eyes followed in that direction until they connected to the source that caused the ruckus. She gasped, and her hands flew to her mouth. “Is that...” She looked at her father whose shoulders shook, and a fist covered his mouth.
“It couldn’t be,” she said.
“Oh, but it is,” Mr. Bennet said.
“Did you know about this?”
He shrugged, her face flushed with heat and anticipation as her gaze traveled back toward the stage.
William marched at a slow pace holding a short rope. The rope, it appeared—unless her eyes were playing tricks on her—pulled behind him a donkey.
“What in God’s name is he doing?” she said to herself.
William led the donkey up a ramp that headed to the top of the stage.
“No...” Elizabeth said, though a smile found its way to her face.
“Over there,” Mary said, pointing again.
On the side of the stage William had just come from, sat a small burger van. A man inside was handing wrapped burgers out to another man who was passing them out to the audience.
“Could I have your attention, please?”
Elizabeth slouched down in her seat. When and where had William picked up a microphone?
His eyes shot across the small arena and landed on hers. “Hello...my name is William Darcy. I’d like to thank you all for being here today. I know you’re anxious to hear the splendid music you came for, and I assure you, it will happen momentarily. But first, I must use this stage for a very important purpose. You see. I met the woman of my dreams...and I’d planned to marry her. But as men often do, I acted like a tosser.”
Laughter erupted; Elizabeth sat up in her chair and scooted to the edge. Her heart ached at seeing him again, and somehow she hurt for him and his pain.
“But I learned the error of my ways. And I want to be a better man for my Lizzy.”
The audience reacted with a collective, “Aww.” William walked to the very edge of the stage. “So I came here today, to beg for forgiveness.” He got down on one knee, still holding the roped donkey. “And ask my dear, sweet love Elizabeth for another chance. We were to be married, you know.” His tone turned anecdotal for that sentence. “And if she agrees, I’ll do whatever it takes to become the man she deserves. I will support her, and love her, and be the best husband I can be.” He reached his hand in her direction. “I love you, Lizzy. Will you forgive me?”
A hush fell across the crowd for a few beats. Then a random voice shouted, “Marry the bloke, Lizzy!” Then a chant started, “Marry him, marry him, marry him.” Even Mr. Bennet and Mary joined in.
Elizabeth’s heart pounded so wildly, she thought it would burst from her chest. A teardrop fell onto her wrist, and she stared at it in awe. Before she knew what was happening, she leapt from her chair, maneuvered through the row of chairs, and ran down the aisle. It took a full minute for her to make it to William where he waited on bended knee. When she reached the ramp, he stood and released the rope. She ran to his arms, and he lifted her in an embrace. “My life is nothing without you, Lizzy,” he whispered.
“I’ve missed you so, William.”
“I was wrong...about everything, and I’ll never try to control your life again. I just can’t be without you. Please say you forgive me.”
A tearful chuckle escaped her, and he set her down. “I do,” she said.
Cheers came from the audience, but she couldn’t imagine they’d heard her quiet words. Then she noticed someone standing behind them. William gestured to the man dressed in the ceremonial white robe. “As you can see, we have everything we need for the perfect wedding.”
She laughed and covered her mouth as she glanced from the donkey to the burger van to the man on stage. And just as she was about to respond, Elizabeth noticed something. She squinted over at the man. “Wait a minute. That’s Bradley from your office.”
William sported a wide grin. “True...but he is ordained to preform weddings.”
Bradley shrugged and waved.
“I don’t know what to say,” she said, completely overwhelmed by it all.
“Say you’ll marry me, and the rest doesn’t matter. We can do it now, later, here, or somewhere else. We can eat burgers...” He took a double take on Brad who was now eating a burger and holding the rope. “Or we can have a simple ceremony wherever you like.”
Elizabeth eyed the donkey. “As long as you don’t make me sit on that thing...I will marry you, William Darcy.”
A standing ovation ensued as William picked up Elizabeth in his arms and carried her across the stage.
“I’m going to spend the rest of my life making you deliriously happy, Miss Bennet.”
He kissed her deeply before setting her down.
“That’s Mrs. William Darcy to you.”
* The * End *
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Thank you so much for reading A Rival for Mr. Darcy. I hope you enjoyed it and will help spread the word to new readers, or consider posting a review. I’d also love to hear from you if you’d like to drop me a message with your thoughts. Feel free to message me on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JayneMatthewsAuthor/?fref=ts
A Rival for Mr. Darcy is my first venture into the world of Jane Austen fan fiction. If you’re interested in my books in other genres, I think you’ll find something you’ll love equally as well. Under my real name, Lia Fairchild, I write primarily romance and women’s fiction, but you’ll also found some mystery, thriller, and chick lit. If you would like to see for yourself, please visit my website at
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A Rival for Mr. Darcy