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Elizabeth sat with her hand over her mouth as she listened, her eyes growing wide. When he was finished, she reached for his arm, squeezing it gently. “Are you well? He did not injure you?”

“I am well.” Darcy pressed one hand over hers.

“Not a drop of the tainted tea touched my lips and I fought back the instant he reached for me. My friends were upon him within moments. He never had the opportunity to do more than approach, really.” He glanced at the open door and, reluctantly, withdrew his hand from its place resting on hers.

“I am shocked that such a thing could happen!” Jane’s expression was similar to her sister’s. She looked at Bingley. “Are you also well? You did not get injured in the struggle did you? You arrived in a carriage instead of on your horse.”

“I am well. I was out of breath by the time we had him subdued, and I confess to having used muscles that have not seen use since I wrestled at home the summer between Eton and University.” He chuckled. “I admit to nothing more than being a bit tired.”

Elizabeth turned from Bingley to her betrothed. “You say Lady Catherine ordered this man to accost you?”

Darcy nodded. “I did. I believe she intended to try to force me to marry her daughter.”

“But ...” Jane looked from her sister to Darcy, then to Bingley, and back to Darcy. “You told her you would not. How can she think to make you bend to her will?”

Darcy shrugged. “There is no explanation that will adequately convey my aunt’s thinking.

It is a mystery to all of us.” He turned to Elizabeth.

“I will, however, censure her the best I can, which will mean cutting her from my acquaintance.” He saw her mouth open and rushed to continue.

“I know it is not the ideal situation. You, with your tender heart, will not like this solution. However, Lady Catherine cannot go unpunished. She cannot be allowed to think she can arrange everything in the world to her desires. If she were not a peer, she could be arrested right along with her henchman. I know my uncle will not allow that; we would all be painted with the same brush and face the scorn of the ton . This is the only method I know of to bring her to heel, so to speak. She needs the connections to me and my family, and she knows it.”

Elizabeth shook her head and looked away for a moment. Bringing her gaze back to her betrothed, she sighed and conceded. “Very well. You are correct; I do not like it, but I see the wisdom of your solution.”

“Will the earl censure her, as well?” Bingley’s brow creased. “He will not simply allow her to carry on, will he?”

Darcy shook his head. “I do not know exactly what he will do, but he will indeed censure her. Her behavior reflects poorly on him and he hates that.” He shrugged.

“I am certain we will learn of his decisions very soon. I know for certain that he will not allow her to continue on as she has been, though. Aunt Catherine has always been domineering, but we have spoken, the earl and I, more than once about how we dislike it. I think he has not moved to stop her before now because nothing she has done to this point has been dangerous. This, however, was.”

“Well,” Elizabeth said, her brow creased.

“There is nothing to do for it but hope that whatever he decides upon will be effective in keeping her in check.” She paused.

“Since there is nothing we can do right now, perhaps we ought to go for a walk. I could certainly use some exercise after such an intense discussion.”

Darcy looked out the window. Though the sun was low in the sky, it was not dark, and he knew the temperature would probably not be too cold. “That sounds like a very good idea to me. As long as we are bundled up well, we should be fine for a short stroll around the gardens.”

“Oh yes.” Elizabeth laughed. “Let us not venture too far. It is too late in the day to wear fine gentlemen like yourselves out, not after you had such a trying morning.”

“Lizzy.” Jane chided her sister but giggled nonetheless.

The four young people told Mr. Bennet where they were going and then went into the hall and donned their outerwear.

They kept to the gardens closest to the house but allowed a bit of separation between them, with Darcy and Elizabeth, who were better walkers, moving ahead and Bingley and Jane falling behind.

Darcy and his betrothed strolled along in a comfortable silence, her hand on his arm and his fingers entwined with hers.

They came to a turn in the path and he happened to look back to see the other couple stopped and Bingley down on one knee.

He halted and nudged Elizabeth. “Look,” he said, and he tilted his head toward his friend.

“Oh!” Elizabeth’s free hand came up to cover her mouth but when she looked up at him, Darcy could see tears glistening in her eyes.

“How do you feel about this?” He tilted his head as he watched her.

“I am happy. Beyond happy, in fact. Jane confided in me a few days ago that she loves him. I am delighted to see that her feelings are returned.”

Just then, Bingley and Jane walked up to them, smiling from ear to ear.

“Oh, Lizzy, I am so happy!” Jane reached for her sister’s hands.

“Congratulations! I am elated on your behalf.” Elizabeth pulled Jane into a hug.

While the ladies were embracing and talking excitedly over each other, Darcy laughed and held his hand out to his friend. “Congratulations. You will do very well together, I think.”

“Thank you.” Bingley watched Jane, his smile never wavering.

“I offered for her earlier than I had planned, but …” He paused and looked back at Darcy.

“After what happened this morning and seeing the danger you were in, I realized that life is precious. Anything can happen at any time. I decided not to wait any longer.”

“Have you told her about Caroline?”

“I did, as soon as we got outside. Her response was as I expected; she feels sympathy for my sister’s plight and has declared that it would not affect Caroline’s acceptance into her home in the least.”

“Excellent!” Darcy slapped Bingley on the shoulder. “I am happy for you.”

Elizabeth and Jane had stopped talking and rejoined the gentlemen.

“I should go speak to Mr. Bennet.” Bingley tucked Jane’s hand under his elbow again. “We will see you in a few minutes.”

“We will be right behind you.” Darcy watched the other couple hurry to the house. Then, with a shake of his head and a grin, he offered his arm to Elizabeth and they followed.

~~~***~~~

The following day saw the ladies of Lucas Lodge visiting Longbourn. Mrs. Bennet was full of Jane’s wedding, and still neglecting the planning of Elizabeth’s. She did not let her guests get a word in edgewise for a full half hour. Finally, though, she wound down.

“My Charlotte has news to share.” Lady Lucas turned to her daughter. “Do you not?”

Charlotte blushed. “I do.” She looked around at her friends and drew in a deep breath. “I still can hardly believe it is true, but Mr. Madison has proposed and I have accepted.”

Elizabeth gasped and then clapped her hands. “Oh, Charlotte! How delightful!”

When the other girls had expressed their congratulations, the talk turned to wedding celebrations.

“I intend to hold a fete for Jane every week between now and the wedding.” Mrs. Bennet sighed, turning her gaze upon her eldest and most beautiful child.

“To have a daughter so well married, and living so close to me, is a dream of mine come to fruition. They will wed in six weeks, so I have already begun planning. We will host a dinner Thursday of this week. You must come and join us.”

“We would be happy to.” Lady Lucas smiled and then, noticing Elizabeth out of the corner of her eye, frowned. “Have you not had a party for Miss Lizzy? Is she not marrying in a few days?”

Mrs. Bennet had no response for a long minute.

Her mouth opened and closed twice before she finally found words.

“She is. Of course we will have a party for her. I will move Jane’s to the Tuesday after the wedding.

That gives me more time to plan for it. We can have a dinner with dancing for Lizzy this Thursday. Will you be able to attend both?”

Lady Lucas had been silently watching her neighbor with a small crease between her brows.

She nodded and confirmed her family’s attendance at the pair of events, as well as Elizabeth’s wedding celebration.

“You are not still angry that Miss Lizzy is marrying Mr. Darcy and not that awful Mr. Collins, are you? Surely you would not hold a grudge against her for so long.”

“No! Of course not.” Mrs. Bennet lifted her chin. “I am happy Lizzy is marrying so well.” She turned to look at her second daughter, a small smile lifting the corners of her lips.

Elizabeth was stunned at the turn of events.

She had not expected her mother to ever relent and recognize her upcoming nuptials, but realized that the threat of being the object of gossip was enough for Mrs. Bennet to change her mind, or at least to alter her behavior.

Her eyes widened as she looked at Jane and shrugged.

The conversation took a different turn, then, and Elizabeth was given an opportunity to contemplate the possible results of the interaction.

Deciding after a few minutes to wait and see how her mother treated her and how much effort she put into the newly-planned dinner, she was able to engage with the Lucas family with almost as much serenity as Jane.

~~~***~~~

The following week was a whirlwind of activity for both Elizabeth and Darcy.

He was constantly with her during the day.

He made visits with her to the families in the neighborhood, often going along with Mrs. Bennet as she made her rounds.

They made several treks to Oakham Mount, and took many strolls through Longbourn’s gardens.

There was a dinner with dancing at the Goulding residence, and there was Mrs. Bennet’s planned evening.

The day after the engagement dinner, Darcy and Elizabeth decided to remain close to the house, and walked no further than the wilderness area at the back of the garden.

They made their way in the comfortable silence they were wont to enjoy, but when they reached their destination, he settled her on a bench, seated himself beside her, and made an observation.

“It seemed last evening as though your mother may have forgiven you for your audacity in accepting me.”

Elizabeth made a noise and shook her head. “I suppose she has, though she still has not forgiven you for speaking so meanly of her youngest daughters.”

A crease developed in Darcy’s brow. “Is that why she has fought our betrothal so hard?”

“It is.” Elizabeth paused. “I notice you do not deny her allegation.”

Darcy shrugged. “I have a distinct memory of telling someone … either Madison or Bingley … that I did not feel them to be mature enough to be out in public. Even you have indicated feeling that way.” He looked at her.

“I have, and I often do feel that way. I am not upset with you. How could I be when you so charmingly proposed to me despite their behavior?” She looked up at him with her brow arched and her lips pursed.

Darcy took a deep breath. The desire to kiss her, though always present, would forever strike him hard when she looked at him that way. He steeled himself not to give in, and as a result, took a while to reply.

“I will never regret giving in to the impulse of the moment that night. It was the first time I had done such a thing since I was in short pants, but …” He paused, lifted their joined hands, and kissed her fingers. “That one impulsive moment changed my life forever, and for the better.”

~~~***~~~

Darcy’s aunt and uncle, the Earl and Countess of Matlock, reached Netherfield in the early afternoon of the day before the wedding.

Bingley was eager to host them and the rest of their family; their eldest son, Trevor Fitzwilliam, Viscount Tansley, and his viscountess, Vanessa, came along, as did both of their daughters, Lady Constance and Lady Susan.

Darcy’s sister, Georgiana, had travelled to Hertfordshire with them.

Colonel Fitzwilliam, the earl’s second son, was already in residence, of course.

The groom was happy to have the family members that meant the most to him witness the most important day of his life.

Elizabeth was pleased to hear that her betrothed’s side of the church would not be as empty as she had feared it would be. When he came for a short visit that evening, she teased him about it.

“So there are people in this world who care enough about you to attend your wedding. Peers, no less.” She looked up at him with the arched brow that she knew he loved and pursed of her lips.

Darcy chuckled. “Indeed, there are. Proof positive that Lady Catherine has no idea what she is talking about.”

Elizabeth laughed and squeezed his arm. “I am happy they arrived safely. I am disappointed, though, that you did not bring your sister with you to meet me.”

“I wanted to, but Georgiana did not wish to intrude, knowing that I would return to Netherfield early instead of dining with you. She says she is content to meet you tomorrow at the breakfast, so I did not push her.” He shrugged.

“I even tried to persuade her by reminding her that there would be far fewer people here today than there will be tomorrow. She is shy, you know, and does not like crowds. But, she would not be moved and so here I am ... alone.” He looked down at her, widening his eyes and forming a pout with his lips.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. “Silly man.” She laughed. “I am happy you came to visit. I worried you would not. It would have been a very long wait to see you again if you had stayed away.”

Darcy lifted her hand and kissed it, then intertwined their fingers when he laid it back onto his arm.

“I would have gone mad had I not seen you today.” He halted his steps, and Elizabeth stopped alongside him.

Turning to face her, he lifted his free hand to brush the backs of his fingers down her cheek.

“I cannot bear to be parted from you, you know. The closer the wedding comes, the stronger the feeling.” He slipped his hand behind her head and drew her closer as he lowered his.

“I love you,” he whispered just before he pressed his lips to hers for a long and satisfying kiss.