What Would Mr. Darcy Do?

With a gleam in his eye that Elizabeth would have recognized instantly, he responded, “Had your daughter seen fit to accept me last April, matters might have been arranged differently, but, as you say, she can be quite headstrong.”

Mrs. Bennet’s eyes grew wide, and she said faintly, “Last April… Lizzy… I cannot understand…”

“Well, madam, I am glad that we understand one another. Shall we return to the company?”

As Darcy held the door for her, he shot Elizabeth a triumphant look over Mrs. Bennet’s head. “Well, now that we are all in agreement, are there any other matters that must be addressed?”

Mrs. Gardiner, seeing the stunned look on her sister-in-law’s face, determined that the time had come for some soothing of nerves. “My dear Mrs. Bennet, I hope that you will not think this too presumptuous of me, but in my concern for the many demands placed on you this week, I took the liberty of speaking with your cook myself about the wedding breakfast. I know she is most anxious to go over the arrangements with you, and perhaps this would be a good time.” She gently steered Mrs. Bennet from the room.

Elizabeth eyed Darcy with some suspicion, but also with pride for his confident handling of her mother. “What did you say to her?”

He glanced significantly at the corner where Georgiana, Mary, and Kitty sat. “We discussed our points of view.”

Kitty whispered something in Georgiana’s ear, then, with a look which indicated she thought them both spoilsports, said, “I can tell when we are not wanted.” She swept out of the room, followed closely by the other two girls.

Mr. Gardiner also stood and made to join the exodus. “I think it must be time for me to take my leave as well, unless you want a chaperone,” he said, with a twinkle in his eye. Elizabeth, smiling, shook her head, and he departed.

She stared at Darcy expectantly. He said, “I told her that it was tomorrow or Gretna Green.”

“But that is completely ridiculous. You would never elope!”

“You know that, as do I, but I doubt your mother is sensible of it! Also, I gave her something else to worry about as a distraction.”

“What do you mean?”

He smiled teasingly. “I told her you had refused me in April. She may never forgive you.”

“I’m sure she will not!” cried Elizabeth feelingly. “It is a good thing for my safety that we will be departing tomorrow!”

“It is a good thing for my peace of mind, that much is for certain!” He took her hand and pressed a light but lingering kiss in her palm.

Elizabeth, distracted by the exquisite sensation his casual gesture produced in her, attempted to look composed, but Darcy’s observant eyes did not miss her reaction. With a slight smile, he repeated his action, then continued his attention by touching his lips lightly to the sensitive skin inside her wrist. His gaze growing intent, he murmured, “You may have dismissed your uncle too soon, my dearest, for I fear you may have need of a chaperone after all.”

“His question was not if I needed a chaperone; but whether I wanted one,” she said demurely.

His smile grew. “I see we are back to provocative remarks.”

“Is that a complaint, sir?”

“Not at all,” he said, punctuating each word with another kiss inside her captive hand. He turned his attention to her fingers one at a time, never taking his eyes off her. Elizabeth, astonished by the degree of pleasure she was deriving merely from the touch of his lips on her hand, leaned toward him, expectant that he would kiss her, but Darcy, with a glint in his eye, continued his tantalizing exploration until she shivered visibly in response. He moved nearer and finally answered her need by capturing her lips with his own, and, taking advantage of the moment of distraction as his desire met hers, drew her toward him and into his arms.

She said, “Fitzwilliam, if someone walks in…”

“They will be very shocked,” he completed her sentence, his lips exploring the angles of her face. “Elizabeth, my love, tomorrow you will be my wife.”

Torn between anxiety that they would be discovered and her hunger for his touch, she hesitated until at last his mouth met hers again and any remaining rational thought fled her mind. The intoxicating feeling of his hands pressing her close to him made her tremble as she lost herself in the pleasure of his kisses. Fortunately, no one did walk in.

Chapter 12

When the gentlemen retired for port after dinner, Mrs. Bennet was left to hold forth at length to the ladies about the plans for Elizabeth’s wedding. This was more tolerable to her daughter than it might have been otherwise, since it was her first opportunity to hear from Mrs. Gardiner what plans had been made. Mary was to assist Elizabeth in her preparations, since Jane would not arrive until the actual time of the ceremony; while Kitty and Georgiana were to gather the last flowers of the season to decorate the church early in the morning. Georgiana, to no one’s great surprise, had accepted an invitation to remain at Longbourn for an additional week before returning to London in order to give the newlyweds some privacy.

A knock was heard at the front door, and a few moments later, Hill entered the drawing room. “There is a gentleman to see Miss Elizabeth,” she announced, managing to imply through her tone that no unknown man who called so late in the day could truly be deemed a gentleman. Curious, Elizabeth bade her to show him in, and shortly after, Hill announced the mysterious gentleman.

“Colonel Fitzwilliam!” cried Elizabeth. “This is indeed a surprise!”

“As was the express I received yesterday from Darcy, I assure you,” he responded. “It is most delightful to see you again, Miss Bennet.” He spotted Georgiana and, with an expression of surprise, greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.

Elizabeth introduced the colonel to her mother, sisters, and aunt, and asked Hill to request that Mr. Darcy join them at his earliest convenience.

“So he is here,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam. “I must apologize for the hour of my call, but when I presented myself at Netherfield looking for my cousin, I was told in no uncertain terms by the servants that not only was Darcy absent, but that Bingley was not receiving guests since it was his wedding day. Since you, Miss Bennet, are the sole acquaintance I can claim in Hertfordshire apart from Bingley and Darcy, I decided to throw myself on your mercy in hopes that you could direct me to my cousin, and the Netherfield staff were so kind as to provide me an escort here.”

“Very wise, Colonel,” laughed Elizabeth. “It is certainly the case that Mr. Darcy is generally here if he is not at Netherfield, and we are all avoiding Netherfield today! But please, will you join us? I would imagine you would be in need of some refreshment after your journey—have you come from London?”

“Yes, fortunately I was in town to receive the post. So, I understand I must offer you my felicitations, Miss Bennet. I must say that Darcy has been more sly than usual; I admit that I had no inkling that the wind was blowing in this direction.”

At that moment, Darcy himself entered and greeted his cousin heartily. “So you did make it, Fitzwilliam,” he said, “I doubted you would be able to come on such short notice.”

“Well, it is traditional to give more than one day’s notice on a wedding invitation,” said Colonel Fitzwilliam with a laugh. “You should have heard my mother on the subject!”

“I am just as happy I did not,” said Darcy dryly. “Sometimes it is best to hope for forgiveness after the fact.”

“Well, Father was quite entertained, I must say—he said immediately, ‘Well, we know where he gets that from. I don’t want to be the one to tell Catherine, though.’” His imitation brought a delighted smile to Georgiana’s face.

“So, Mr. Darcy, where do you get that from?” asked Elizabeth archly.