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“Thank you, Kitty, you have made me the happiest of men and I will work for the rest of my life to make sure that you do not repine this decision,” he said as he kissed both of her wrists. “As soon as I am able, I will hie to Longbourn to request an audience with your father.”

The two unofficially courting couples joined the Earl and Countess of Matlock in the family sitting room where congratulations were liberally bestowed.

Not long after the two young men had been showed into Matlock House, the Marquess of Netherfield was being shown into the master’s study by Killion at Darcy House.

James shook his brother-in-law Richard’s hand.

After a short discussion, he was granted leave to talk in private to Georgiana with permission and blessing of one of her guardians for a formal courtship, if she agreed to the petition.

Richard pointed out the obvious, that until James garnered William’s blessing, the courtship would be unofficial.

Georgiana was sitting in her mother’s sitting room when Killion knocked on the door and informed her that she was required in the master’s study.

As James had told her that he would call, she was not taken by surprise, and after a hug and good wishes from her mother she made her way down to William’s study.

Unseen by her daughter, Lady Anne wiped a tear from her eye as the door closed behind her.

She was happy for her daughter, and she had no doubt that Georgie would be supremely happy with James, but contemplating her baby marrying and leaving her childhood homes made her sad for the impending loss.

When Georgiana entered the study, Richard looked at them both sternly, “You have ten minutes, and the door will remain ajar.” He looked at his charge and no longer saw a young girl, but a poised and confident young lady ready to take the next step in her life, his shoulders dropping at the contemplation of how time had passed too fast, even with the drawn-out months worrying for his wife and babe before he was born.

Once they were alone, James took her hands and looked into her eyes.

She shuddered; it was as if he could see into her soul.

“Georgiana, we both knew that we were meant for one another almost from the first time that we met.” She nodded her agreement with his statement.

“I have been itching to declare publicly what we already know, and as the three-month time limit that William imposed is now in the past, I want to tell you officially that I love you alone, and want you next to me as we negotiate the ups and, hopefully not too many, downs, in the vagary of life.

“Lady Georgiana Darcy, will you grant me a courtship and make me happier than any man should deserve to be?” James asked with all of the love he felt for her showing clearly in his mien.

“Yes James, a million times yes,” Georgiana said with a beatific smile that reflected the love radiating from him. “I have dreamed of the day that you were allowed to declare yourself, and can think of nothing else that I want more than to be courted by you.”

James leaned forward and stopped an inch away from his love and seeing no trepidation or backing away by her, he closed the distance and allowed his lips to brush hers.

She released a sigh as their lips touched, and it took all of his self-control to refrain from kissing her deeply as he ached to do; he held himself in check because he knew that if she wanted the same thing, being able to hold back would be impossible.

There would be a time and a place for that.

They joined Richard and Lady Anne in that lady’s sitting room and shared their news.

Lady Anne hugged James while admonishing him that he did not want to discover the consequences for hurting her daughter.

She smiled as he nodded vigorously while assuring her that he would never do such.

Both knew that her admonition was nothing to those that William would issue.

When the four young ladies, all ecstatic with the requests they had granted that day, met to talk, they all agreed that as they had shared their coming out it was only fitting that they had been asked for courtships within four and twenty hours of one another.

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

Tony álvarez could scarce believe that he was approaching the end of his first year at Oxford.

So much had happened in the last year plus in his young life, but he could not repine the direction that his life had taken after he made the decision to walk his own path.

He was looking forward to the end of the school year when he would return to his home with the Elliots in the Pemberley parsonage.

He had mourned his mother, he now thought of her as the lady that gave birth to him.

As he looked forward to his summer away from university, he was very pleased that he would be working with and learning from Pemberley’s steward again.

The almost four months would not all be work, his friend, Hastings, would spend a few weeks with him at Pemberley, and Tony would join young Mr. Stockton at his family’s estate in Wiltshire for a fortnight.

Given his stepfather’s former criminal enterprises, Tony would not use courtesans for his pleasure, and would wait for his bride to discover all the pleasures they could share together.

There was no lady in particular that caught his eye; he was determined not to be distracted by such things until he graduated.

Young Mr. álvarez was doing exceedingly well in his studies, and if he kept it up, his professors had no doubt that he would graduate with honours.

On the last term break Tony had been in London visiting the Darcys and family.

They had been at a dinner when he had come face to face with the man that his late mother had claimed was his true father, Lord Harry Smythe, the Earl of Granville, and that man’s new bride.

Tony had kept to his resolve not to approach the Earl and was not sure that he saw the similarities that the Viscount of Hilldale had said he saw those months before.

He also had not missed how happy the Earl and his new Countess were, and believed his decision was the right and honourable one.