“I shouldn’t wish my life away, but I’ll count the minutes until I see you again.” He kissed her forehead. “It will be your angelic face I seek among the congregation tomorrow.”
“Would it be inappropriate for me to attend Mrs. Foxmour’s service?” she asked.
He advised, “Take your cue from Miss Darcy. She’ll know her family’s wishes.”
Kitty silently agreed. “I should return to the drawing room,” she said reluctantly. Impulsively, she touched his cheek. “You’re such a good man, and I’m in awe that you believe me a proper mate.”
“You’re more than that, Catherine. I cannot speak everything in my heart without overwhelming you with my desires, and you need time to know your own feelings before we commit ourselves to one another.”
Kitty swallowed hard before saying, “It’s so much so soon.”
“I know,” Thorne said reassuringly. “But you must take your time. Marriage is forever. Being apart until tomorrow may be for the best. Without my presence, you’ll have time to consider what I ask of you. I’ll never be rich, Catherine — not like what Manneville or others can offer you. All I can promise is my complete devotion and a life of comfort.”
“I don’t want Mr. Manneville,” she protested.
Thorne smiled happily. “I needed to hear your denial, and I thank you for it. I don’t like to leave you in this house with that man.”
“There are many to protect me, and I’ll make an effort to avoid Mr. Manneville. He and the colonel shall leave for London soon.”
“Not soon enough for my taste,” Thorne grumbled.
“We’ll be at Pemberley in time for a late breakfast,” Darcy told her as Elizabeth brushed her hair. The Earl’s staff had done an admirable job of meeting their needs on such short notice.
“At the moment, all I care about is a full night’s sleep.” She had relaxed in a tub of hot water and now languidly prepared for bed.
Darcy thought of those who waited for them. “Yet, being home will be exhilarating, will it not?”
“It shall.” She smiled with a stir of regret. “However, I wouldn’t mind a week with my husband in quiet solitude.”
A flicker of alarm caused him to avoid her eyes. “As delightful as that sounds, we must first see to our Twelfth Night duties.”
“Afterward, you promise to sequester us away for an extended holiday?” she pleaded.
“If that’s your wish, Elizabeth, then I’ll make it so.”
Elizabeth shrugged away her embarrassment. “It’s not as if we don’t possess enough quiet at Pemberley. It’s just as I acknowledged at Harrogate: the only thing I need to make me happy is you.” She stood and walked into his welcoming embrace.
Chapter 14
As he had predicted, Darcy’s coach rolled past the Pemberley gatehouse just before breakfast. Elizabeth, as if she knew what awaited her, had awakened with the dawn and had insisted that they leave immediately. “Do you believe Georgiana is awake?” she had asked anxiously as they stared at the familiar landscape.
“I hope so,” Darcy said flatly, wondering again if the Bennets had arrived safely.
“So do I,” Elizabeth said softly. “I’ve missed her terribly. You’ve no idea, Fitzwilliam, how thankful I am to share Pemberley with Georgiana.”
“Last evening you spoke of wanting solitude,” he teased.
“Fitzwilliam Darcy,” she warned. “Do not twist my words. I’m a woman and can change my mind on a whim.”
Darcy chuckled. “So you may, my love.”
They both turned to behold the first appearance of Pemberley Woods as the sun danced across the bare branches in spring’s promise rather than winter’s demise. “I never cease to feel awe at moments such as this,” Elizabeth whispered.
They gradually ascended for half a mile, and then found themselves at the top of a considerable eminence, where the wood ceased, and the eye was instantly caught by Pemberley House, situated on the opposite side of the valley, into which the road, with some abruptness, wound. It was a large, handsome stone building, standing well on high ground, and backed up a ridge of high woody hills; and in front a stream of some natural importance was swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance. Its banks were neither formal nor falsely adorned. There was never a house for which nature had done more, or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste. “Our child’s heritage,” Darcy murmured from beside her.
Elizabeth’s hand automatically splayed against her stomach’s swell. “The master of Pemberley.” Her other hand reached for Darcy’s. Never taking her eyes from the imposing structure, she interlaced her fingers with his and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.
Darcy brought her ungloved knuckles to his lips. He leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “I know you sometimes feel everything’s out of your control, but you must trust in God and trust your heart. Only your own doubts limit your abilities, Elizabeth.”
She turned her head and looked lovingly into his eyes. “I know, Fitzwilliam. Something else I discovered in those hours while I waited for William Joseph to make his worldly appearance: God has given me the authority to impact the lives of others, and I plan to do just that. I don’t know exactly how, but some way — someday.”
Noting over her shoulder the group gathering on Pemberley’s steps, Darcy lowered his head to kiss her lips. The movement distracted Elizabeth long enough for the carriage to roll to a halt and for Darcy to scramble from the coach before she had time to realize who was among the throng awaiting her. However, the number and the group’s makeup surprised even him.
He reached up to catch her waist when Elizabeth appeared in the open carriage doorway. “We are home, my dear,” he said with a soft laugh.Who waited for her still had not registered with his wife, but he knew the instant that she raised her head to see her family.
“Fitz… oh, my,” she gasped with glee. “Oh, Fitzwilliam,” she repeated as he sat her on the ground, and she broke away from him and ran into her father’s open arms. “You’re here at last,” she sobbed as she cupped her father’s face. “I cannot believe it. You’re the most magnificent sight I’ve ever seen. But how?” she looked around frantically for the others.
“It was Mr. Darcy’s idea,” Mr. Bennet rasped through a tear-choked throat.
Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder at a beaming Darcy. “You’ll pay for keeping secrets, Sir,” she warned good-naturedly, but she immediately returned to the comforting face of her father. “Where is Mama?”
“As we speak, Mrs. Bennet is dressing for the day. She’ll greet you as quickly as her maid can apply her laces.”
Elizabeth just half acknowledged what he said. Instead, she was reaching for Mary. Never had she hugged her sister so violently. “I’ve missed you so,” she said as she grabbed Mary’s hand, only to have Mary pull her close again.
“And I, you, Lizzy.”
Mary’s unexpected display of emotion sent Elizabeth’s happy tears flowing again. “Mr. Grange, I am pleased that you accompanied Mary to Pemberley. Later, I’ll bombard you with news of my Aunt and Uncle Philips,” she said as she extended her hand to the young man she barely knew.
Mr. Grange bowed stiffly over it. “It’s my honor, Mrs. Darcy, to be welcomed into your home.”
So many faces greeted her that Elizabeth turned in circles several times to take it all in. Then her gaze fell on Charlotte Collins. For a brief second, she just stared at her old friend and then launched herself into the woman’s embrace. “You’re here also,” she said as she caught Charlotte in a congenial hug of friendship. “How did Mr. Darcy arrange all this?”
