Page 170

Mrs. Wick had Saturday off so she decided that she would walk to the last known address that she had for her bother Clay. She knocked on the door and presented herself as Mrs. Wick, just in case her brother no longer used the house, not noticing the two men who had trailed her unobtrusively.

“I dunno any Mrs. Wick,” she heard her brother’s voice call from within.

“Clay, you reprobate, it is me, your sister Karen,” she called out. Her brother poked his head out of the room he was in and saw that it was his sister. He had not seen her for almost five years and could not imagine what she wanted with him now.

“Come on in, Karen.” He stated evenly. Once in the dingy parlour which had an open window to allow the sea breeze in with fresh air, Karen Younge relayed the whole of the failed plan to her brother.

She knew that he would know it if she lied, so she related nought but the truth.

She told her brother how she wanted to avenge her lover and beseeched him to assist her in her quest. She dangled the ransom as an incentive to attract her brother to join her scheme.

What she did not know, could not have known, is that one of the ex-soldiers had placed himself below the window and heard all.

Once her brother agreed to help the delusional woman for five and seventy percent of all money they were paid, the two men stealthily withdrew and returned to the Blind Bill.

They conferred with their two compatriots and agreed on a schedule to watch both brother and sister Younge, then sent a detailed report to their former colonel, with a request for orders and what action, if any, they were to take.

~~~~~~~/~~~~~~~

While Lady Sarah Bennet was dictating the finishing touches on the family dinner at Bennet House later that evening, Lady Elizabeth was at Darcy House visiting.

She was seated in the private family sitting room with the three residents.

The Darcy women had presumed correctly that her attention would be fixed on the Duke of Derbyshire for her visit, as it was but a day after their engagement.

Lady Anne inclined her head toward the door, and she and her daughter stood.

“Mrs. Annesley will remain as a chaperone. It is good to see you, Lizzy, but Georgie and I have to select our gowns for tonight’s dinner,” she offered the excuse flawlessly to allow the couple some time to converse.

“Thank you, Aunt Anne. I would like to see your gowns before I leave,” Elizabeth said distractedly while her eyes never left the handsome face of her betrothed.

Mrs. Annesley repositioned herself, so she was as far from the couple as possible while still preserving the rules of propriety. She smiled to herself, not missing the glow of happiness on the master’s countenance. How well he looked when he was happy rather than the dour man that he used to be.

“I missed you, Lizzy. I know that it is less than six weeks until we are to wed, but I am an impatient man and cannot wait until we never have to part again,” he said as he looked at her, captivated by his betrothed’s fine eyes.

“You are not the only one who is impatient, William. I too wish it was our wedding day already,” Elizabeth agreed with a dreamy, loving look.

“For too long ago I tried to deny what our families could plainly see. Now that I have allowed myself to acknowledge that you are my soulmate, my true one and only, I cannot wait to start our lives together.”

“When did you fall in love with me, Lizzy?” the duke asked his future duchess.

“Before I answer that question, William, I want to be sure that you know that I never desired your missing my sister’s marriage to your cousins.

” She stopped him before he could interject with a hand on his arm, “I was not ready to see you when your family first visited Longbourn, but I am not sure if you know that I was ready to forgive you long before we met again in London.”

“That choice was mine and mine alone, my love. My mother, Richard, Andrew, and others all told me in no uncertain terms that I would be more than welcome to attend the wedding and the festivities prior to it,” Darcy related with a sad smile.

“ I did not feel that I was ready to face you, your family, or the citizens of Meryton yet. It was not your desire that I stay away but only my own. My mother was candid with me that she asked you to wait to forgive me, and I find that I cannot disagree with her, my love. It was not time yet. Please do not have any recriminations about then, we have both matured and grown. Neither of us is the same person we were at that time.” He held her hands in his.

“Now my dearest, loveliest Elizabeth, I am waiting for the answer to my question.”

“I cannot fix a time or place, William, I was in the middle before my head allowed me to acknowledge what my heart already knew. After your apologies and obvious efforts to better yourself, I knew that you were an estimable man, one who I wanted to count as a friend.” Darcy took her hands in his and bestowed a kiss on the inside wrist of each.

The sensations his actions ignited left the lady breathless.

She was only sorry that they were not alone and that his kisses were not ones she could return as her lips ached for him.

She had tasted him after his proposal and could not wait for more.

She blushed crimson at her wanton thoughts and tried to answer his question with some semblance of calmness.

“I already thought of you as a friend when we all visited Haven House. I overheard your conversation with Miss Cookson, and discovered your generosity, which you do not want made public. I knew then that my heart belonged to you. While I came to it in my own time, I wish someone had told me to pay attention to myself when I was with you, any clue to help me discover such happiness sooner. Once I agreed to three sets at Anne’s and Ian’s ball, I was already well on my way to admitting that I loved you.

It was not long after that my heart started to overwhelm my head, which led me to finally admit that my love for you involved all of my being.

It was the morning of my walk that my heart finally won and told the rest of me to accept it as fact.

“As I told you when you proposed, although I will forever be grateful for your unselfish and heroic acts that infamous day, it was not what made me fall in love with you. I was already very much in love with you, William. I allowed myself to admit the morning of that walk that you were the only man that I would be prevailed upon to marry.” The love and adoration shining from her eyes gave truth to her words.

“And you, William? When did you fall in love with me?”

“If I am honest, my tender feelings started the night of my epic set down at the assembly.” He squeezed her dainty hands to stop the protest he could see was on the tip of her tongue.

“When I saw how mesmerising your eyes were, and that you so obviously cared not a whit for my position in society or my wealth, I knew that I was standing before a lady that would see the man, not what he could give her.

“I will not prevaricate. At first, I tried to rationalise my behaviour and was indignant, but even before my cousins and Bingley took me to task after the assembly, I had begun to acknowledge the truth of your words. I berated myself for possibly putting both of my cousin’s relationships with your sisters in jeopardy.

Owning that I was not always right, humbled me, which drove me to present myself at Longbourn to apologise the next morning.

If I thought that the dressing down that I received from Andrew and Richard was severe, it was nothing to what I received from their parents, my mother, sister, and aunt on my return to Town. ”

“You were not the only one at fault, William. I was too strident in my opinions, too quick to judge, and to fixate such implacable resentment. I…” He silenced her speech with a quick, chaste kiss that caused Mrs. Annesley to raise her eyebrows, but she remained silent.

“No, my love, I deserved every word. As I worked to change my behaviour, I had more time to think about you, and I realised that you were, in fact, the most handsome woman of my acquaintance. By the time we met in London after the double wedding, I was well on my way to loving you. When you apologised to me, accepted mine without any reservation, and proposed that we start again, I was irrevocably lost and knew that you were the only woman that I would or could ever love. If I could not win your heart, then I would not have married, and Georgie’s first son would have inherited Pemberley and all of our properties.

Now our first-born son, who will be the Marquess of Dovedale, will inherit all of the ducal properties after I leave the mortal world, and if we are blessed with a second son, he will have Pemberley and the other Darcy estates, none of which are entailed.

When you accepted me it was a dream come true.

I never thought that I would be able to win your heart, but I am so very glad that I was proven incorrect in this too, my love.

You are my everything, my heart, and with you by my side as my full partner, I am complete. ”

“It was a dream for me as well, the wish that you could fall in love with me after the way I abused you, William. Let us make a promise to each other, from now and for the future, let us only remember the past as that remembrance gives us pleasure,” Elizabeth suggested a way forward with no more looking to their past missteps by either.

“I agree,” he promised, already knowing that he would never be able to deny her anything she asked of him.

“Before I forget, William, Cousin George, the Regent, sent a note from his private secretary asking if you are well enough to come to Buckingham House for your investiture.” Elizabeth smiled sweetly.