Page 25 of Moments Frozen in Time (Pride and Prejudice Variation)
No, I forced myself to remain patient, but perhaps I could hint at my desires on our walk. This also reminded me of one more task that I needed to complete before I could ask her, and I would need to send a messenger to Pemberley to obtain something from the vault there.
After obtaining a book from my room, I went into the library to wait on Miss Elizabeth. My valet knew where to find me, as did the footman stationed outside of Miss Bennet’s room.
I was not certain how much time had passed before Miss Elizabeth found me in the library, already prepared to go outside. She stepped into the room carrying her bonnet, gloves, and pelisse, a faint smile playing on her lips as I lifted my head upon her entry.
“Thank you for your offer to escort me through the gardens, Mr. Darcy,” she said warmly. “Jane is sleeping comfortably now, and I hope she will remain so for a time. Her fever appears to have broken at last.”
“I would have asked sooner,” I replied, setting aside the book I had not truly been reading, “but I know you have been constantly occupied with your sister’s care. Still, you must look after yourself as well—I would not wish for you to fall ill.”
The smile she offered in response stirred something deep within me. When I extended my hand, she looked at it in mild confusion until I gestured towards her pelisse. With a soft laugh, she handed it over, and I held it open for her, guiding it over her shoulders with what I hoped was a steady hand.
The gesture brought me closer to her than I had intended. As I adjusted the collar, my fingertip brushed the delicate curve of her neck. I felt her breath catch and noticed the faint flush that rose to her cheeks.
I was no less affected—I was acutely aware of the warmth of her skin and the nearness of her—but I forced myself to remain composed. If she had noticed my reaction, she was kind enough not to show it.
Retrieving my greatcoat from the chair, I put it on and indicated the garden doors standing slightly ajar behind us. Without speaking, we stepped out into the cool afternoon air.
As soon as we were beyond the threshold, I offered her my arm.
She accepted it without hesitation, and together we strolled around the house towards the formal gardens.
For several minutes, neither of us spoke, content in the quiet and in each other’s company.
The autumn sun, though pale, cast a soft light across the path.
Elizabeth tilted her head back slightly, closing her eyes for a moment as if to soak in the warmth it offered.
“You remind me of Eos, Miss Elizabeth,” I said quietly, watching her as she tilted her face towards the pale sun.
“The goddess of dawn?” she replied, a slight smirk curving her lips though her eyes remained closed. “It is the afternoon, Mr. Darcy.” She chuckled, and the sound brought an answering smile to my own face.
“I suppose I might call you Diana instead, but she is the goddess of the moon,” I mused. “Or perhaps… étaín?”
“I do not know of her,” she said, opening her eyes to look at me with curiosity. The faint smile lingered on her lips, and I found myself even more enchanted .
“étaín was a Celtic goddess once associated with the sun. Not all of the tales about her are entirely proper,” I admitted with a wry smile, “but I remember her being praised for her beauty—and for her bravery. I first heard stories of her when I was a lad, travelling through Ireland with my father. What captured my attention most were the accounts of her skill on horseback.”
That made Elizabeth laugh again, her eyes dancing with amusement. “Then I cannot possibly be étaín, sir, for I have yet to learn to ride. And even if I did, I cannot imagine myself performing any brave feats on horseback any time soon.”
“Perhaps not,” I admitted, beginning once again to walk. We had stopped when I turned to look at her, and Elizabeth resumed walking beside me. Our arms were still linked, and I searched for something else to say.
“Miss Bennet is improving?” I asked finally, unsure why I was struggling to speak today. At all times before, we had conversed easily, but something seemed to be holding me back on this occasion.
“She is,” Miss Elizabeth said with a pleased smile. “I hope that by tomorrow evening she will be well enough to come downstairs after dinner, and then, if she continues to improve, we can return home the following day. I will send a note tomorrow night to ask Papa to send the carriage for us.”
“Whilst I might wish that you did not need to leave, I know that you must desire to return home,” I replied.
“You wish that I would stay?” she asked, coming to a halt as she turned to look at me.
I took her hand from my arm and brought it to my lips for a gentle kiss. “I would wish that you remain with me always,” I admitted softly.
She gasped softly, and in that instant, every part of me longed to close the distance between us—to press my lips to hers and claim her as my own. But I restrained myself, at least physically, for I found the words I had been nearly desperate to say .
“Miss Elizabeth,” I began, my voice low.
“Elizabeth… I have come to admire you deeply during my time in Hertfordshire. At first, I meant to wait until you returned home to speak with your father, to request his permission to court you. But—” I hesitated, searching her face— “I find I have grown impatient. I can no longer wait for you to know the truth of my feelings.”
I drew a steadying breath. “Would you be amenable to my courting you? If you prefer, I will wait until you return to Longbourn to make a formal request of your father, but I could not delay any longer in telling you of my intentions.”
“You cannot mean it, Mr. Darcy,” she replied softly, her voice tinged with hesitation. The uncertainty in her usually vibrant tone struck me at once, and I found myself wondering what had placed such doubt in her heart.
“Why ever not, Eliza… Miss Elizabeth?”
She looked away. “You are clearly meant for someone far better than a mere country miss.”
Her words cut deeper than I expected, tightening something in my chest. Did she truly believe I could not be sincere?
Had she not seen—had I not shown her—how much she had come to mean to me?
I knew I had been reserved, cautious, uncertain in my approach.
This was my first attempt at genuine courtship.
Should I have spoken more plainly? Had I assumed too much?
“Why do you think that?” I asked gently.
“You are related to an earl,” she said as though that explained everything.
“I have practically no dowry, merely a thousand pounds after my mother’s death.
My mother would embarrass you if she ever came to town, and whilst my sisters have improved, I am uncertain they would ever have the accomplishments that would allow them to enter into your society. ”
“Yes, I am related to an earl,” I said, a smile touching my lips as I lifted my hand to gently caress her cheek, “but in truth, I am a simple country gentleman who is happiest when at my estate. You are a gentleman’s daughter. In my eyes, we are equals in every way that matters.”
“You cannot truly believe that,” she whispered, her eyes searching mine.
“I do,” I said firmly. “And more than that—I care for you deeply. I have never met a woman like you, my dear Miss Elizabeth. You are a ray of sunshine that has broken through the gloom of my life. You have brought warmth and light to places I did not realise had grown cold since the death of my father and mother.”
I paused, the force of the feeling lending a quiet urgency to my voice. “I could not remain silent another moment. You must know—indeed, you shall know—how I feel and how much you mean to me.”
She gasped quietly, and for a long moment, she simply stared at me, her expression unreadable.
After a few moments, I watched as her lips parted slightly, as if she intended to speak, but no sound came.
The flicker of disbelief in her eyes slowly gave way to something softer, and I felt the first stirrings of hope that she might accept me.
“I—” she began, then stopped, as though struggling to find the right words as she attempted to understand my intentions. “Forgive me, Mr. Darcy. I was not prepared for… any of this.”
Her gaze dropped to the ground, and she took a steadying breath before meeting my eyes once more, lightly squeezing my hand that still held hers.
“I had thought… well, I feared your attentions towards me were no more than politeness—an expression of friendship, perhaps, and nothing beyond. I did not… I dared not allow myself to hope for anything more. It seemed impossible that someone such as you could offer for someone like me. My heart urged patience, yet still I?—”
She faltered, her voice softening until the sound seemed almost to dissolve into the rustle of leaves overhead. Her gaze fell, and for a moment she was silent before a faint, self-conscious laugh escaped her. “It seems I have greatly misjudged you.”
My heart surged at the words, but I forced myself to remain still, unwilling to break the fragile thread of her confession. A breeze stirred, carrying the scent of late-blooming roses, and I could hear the faint crunch of gravel beneath her shifting foot.
“You have surprised me… and perhaps… disarmed me,” she said at last, her tone so low I almost doubted I had heard her. Then she glanced up through her lashes, and the look held me fast. “Although I had not expected an offer of courtship, I find I am not… unwilling to be courted by you.”
A delicate flush warmed her cheeks as she looked away once more. I longed to speak, to close the small distance between us, but instead I waited, every sense fixed upon her.
At length, she raised her eyes to mine again, her expression steady despite the quickened rise and fall of her breath. “I should like to know you better, Mr. Darcy. If you truly mean what you say… then—yes—I would be pleased to allow you to court me.”
In that instant, the cool air seemed sweeter, the garden quieter, as though the world itself held its breath. She had said yes —and nothing else mattered.