She rushed to the door and hurried downstairs to see him in the sitting room, appearing pristine in his suit but with dark circles under his eyes. It was obvious to her that he had been greatly distressed and she felt terrible that she had been so stubborn in refusing to see him.
Lizzy ran into his arms and embraced him. “I missed you, Will. Can we just forget everything and go back to how things were?”
William inhaled deeply as he held her in his arms, “I missed you terribly, Lizzy. I will not forget because I want to learn from my stupidity and never make the mistake of trying to change you. I have thought much about what I said and I was so wrong. Come back to me, Lizzy. Come back to Darcy House and stay close to me and we can do whatever you wish. You know that I... I lov... I will behave and we will go back to how things were. I will do anything for you.”
Lizzy listened to his heartbeats as he spoke and held him around his waist for another moment. She took a deep breath and released him to sit down. “I think I had better stay here, Will. I would love to return to Darcy House, and I miss your parents and Georgie, but I do not wish to cause you... It is better to have some distance from each other.”
William softly smiled, “At least you are speaking to me now. I will take whatever I can receive. I will come and see you every day; is that acceptable? We will have our outings and I will take you out to see the world. I will care for you without asking for anything in return and I will always be your blood-brother, Lizzy, I promise. And a gentleman always keeps his promises.”
Lizzy smiled. “Thank you, Will. That is all I ever wanted from you. I want us to always be friends and we will find you a worthy woman for you to marry. I am deficient in so many ways and I only wish for the best for you and for your family. Someone who knows the duties and be a good mistress for Pemberley, who will manage the household and is accomplished in all of the things that a lady should be.”
“I will need you more than ever, then.” William nodded. “You know that I am completely incapable of speaking any sense to a lady and absolutely inept at courting one.” He reached for her hand and held it. “I love you, Lizzy. Even if I must love you only as a sister and look for a wife elsewhere, I will always love you and you will always have a place with me. Your father was quite angry with me that I upset you after the theatre and he commanded me to treat you well. He, as well as my father, will tan my hide if I anger you again and I intend to give you your heart’s desire. I am your blood-brother and I expect nothing from you except to be yourself and I will provide for you everything you wish in life. No matter what happens in our future, I will always take care of you. I am so sorry for being such an arrogant arse. I will not forget my lesson.”
She squeezed his hand and nodded. “Thank you, Will. I care for you greatly and I promise I will not be a burden to you. I know I am a child; a child and a hoyden with a stubbornness that makes me unfit to be anyone’s wife and we will find you a charming wife who will fit your criterions.” She stood and walked around the room. “My uncle and aunt are taking Jane to a dinner party tomorrow and they have been pressing me to attend but I would rather not. I have no desire to smile falsely and be in the public eye. I have avoided going out all week and I am only a little restless. Could we take a walk tomorrow at Hyde Park?”
“Yes, my dear,” William immediately agreed. “I will take you wherever you wish to go. If you do not mind,” he paused for a moment, “I would like to speak with your uncle and obtain his permission to take you some place special tomorrow evening. I have a lot of grovelling to do, do I not?”
“No, Will,” Lizzy replied. “I was behaving like a child and you do not need to make any apologies. Whatever we may bicker about, you are still my brother and I should have stayed to speak with you instead of running away.”
William beamed, “I will speak with your uncle now. Your aunt has invited me to luncheon and if you will approve, we can walk the park near here today if you wish to walk. May I stay?”
“Yes, Will. You do not have to ask me for my permission.” Lizzy answered. “I would love your company.”
William left to speak with Mr. Gardiner with a lightness of a heart that he had not felt all week. He was immensely relieved that his friendship with Lizzy would continue, even if he had to suffer the heartache of being in love with her. He had thought earnestly of his awful proposal and of his heart’s deepest wishes, and he accepted that even if he could never gain Lizzy as his wife, he would give her everything to keep her comfortable for the rest of her life. He would gladly give up all of his worldly possessions in order to have Lizzy in his life and nothing else mattered.
~*~
“This is for you, Lizzy. Your uncle told me that you do not have a recent set so I prepared this for you. Put it
