Page 29 of Why I Kissed You (Pride and Prejudice Variation)
Darcy’ eyebrows rose. “From the men that have served under him whom I’ve met, I gather he is firm—even strict at times—but a fair commanding officer. He ensures that whatever task his men are assigned is done. Why do you ask, Miss Bennet?”
“Only that in considering the possibility of his marrying Miss Bingley, he may actually be just the sort of husband she needs,” Jane replied.
“The match will give her the consequence she desires, as he is the son of an earl, and he will be able to take a firmer hand with her than Mr. Bingley has done. He can curb her snobbery and teach her to respect those who are not as fortunate as herself, and she would hopefully learn to be kinder as she enjoys her privilege as an earl’s daughter. ”
Elizabeth scoffed. “I do not doubt that Caroline Bingley will be all sort of affable and kind having managed to capture the son of an earl, even the second-born—though she’d certainly much rather the first.”
Darcy shook his head. “Philip and Theodore have different requirements for their marriages,” said he.
“While the latter merely needs a young lady with a decent fortune in order to maintain his lifestyle, the former is required to marry the daughter of a titled family, if not one who has a title of her own.”
“Is that really a requirement?” Elizabeth asked.
He chuckled. “By law or letters patent? No. By his parents? Absolutely.”
Elizabeth considered the possibility of a match between the charming and amiable Colonel Fitzwilliam and the socially ambitious, superior Caroline Bingley.
She could not imagine them being happy, but then she recognized her imagination was likely colored by her own dislike of Caroline.
Perhaps the colonel would be good for her, if his military training really could bestow on her a dose of humility.
“Tell us, my dear Mr. Darcy—what did Colonel Fitzwilliam have to say to having his future arranged by his cousin, his brother, and his friend?” she asked. “And again, what has it to do with you and I getting married?”
Darcy chuckled again. “At first, he denied any interest in the scheme, as Fitzwilliam has never particularly cared for Miss Bingley—you’ll recall he did insult her to her brother’s face.
He then conceded to considering the arrangement if Caroline showed any interest in being the mistress of the estate he desires. ”
“And how are you all to determine that?” Jane asked.
Darcy turned his gaze to Elizabeth, who raised an eyebrow in challenge.
“If I am successful in obtaining a special license from the Archbishop of Canterbury, we could join my cousins in going to Hampshire. Lord Rowarth proposed that he and Colonel Fitzwilliam host a house party at Winfield—the estate in question—with Miss Bingley among the guests in order to gauge her opinion of the place. We could marry while we are there, or…”
“Or what, sir?” Elizabeth pressed.
“Or we could marry as soon as I have the license in hand and make the excursion part of a wedding trip.”
Elizabeth blinked, feeling startled—though she knew she ought not to have been. “Upon my word, Mr. Darcy, you really are impatient to make me your wife,” she quipped.
Darcy laughed. “A little, perhaps, but truly, the only impetus for a speedy marriage is the unfortunately high probability that my aunt may try to prevent it. I should be just as happy to wait for the reading of the banns were we not in fear of Lady Catherine being reckless.”
With a smile, Elizabeth said, “In all seriousness, I share your sentiments—were it not for the lady’s shadow looming over us, we might spend the next weeks waiting for banns, or we could calmly wait seven days with a standard license.
We could properly enjoy our engagement period, however short or long. ”
“Indeed, my dear,” Darcy agreed.
Elizabeth then turned to Jane. “What think you of this venture, dearest? Shall we join Mr. Darcy and his cousins in a house party in the south country? We shall have to endure the presence of Miss Bingley—and the Hursts, I imagine.”
Across from her, Darcy nodded. “Aye, and a few of my cousins’ friends what can be convinced to join us.”
“Will Miss Darcy come?” Jane asked.
He shook his head. “No, I do not think it would be proper to include her, as she is not out. And the party would only last a fortnight at the least and six weeks at most, so we shall not miss each other’s company the whole of the summer.”
“What say you, Jane?” Elizabeth asked again.
She studied her sister’s countenance as Jane considered the plan and then slowly smiled. “I think it a splendid idea. Even if Miss Bingley should decide Winfield is not to her liking, we should all have a merry time together, shan’t we?”
“Colonel Fitzwilliam is a man who very much enjoys a good time when he is on leave,” said Darcy.
“He is no doubt already planning any number of games and excursions around the property, card parties and dancing… There will also be horseback riding and swimming in the lake, if anyone should like it.”
“Are there any woods nearby for a walker such as our Lizzy to get lost in?” asked Jane with a smile.
Darcy smiled at her use of the phrase “our Lizzy,” his gaze intensifying a little as he held Elizabeth’s; she blushed and looked down at her hands.
“There is a small wood on the property, if memory serves—it has been some years, I admit, since I have been to Winfield—but Lizzy shan’t get lost as I will always be with her,” said Darcy.
“Oh, don’t do that—don’t call me Lizzy,” Elizabeth said.
Darcy frowned. “Why not? Is it because we are not yet wed? I certainly should not mind it if you addressed me as Fitzwilliam, or William, as some of my friends call me—or even Will, as my cousins and Bingley address me.”
She felt her cheeks blooming. “It’s not that, it’s just… I think it perhaps because I have only heard it from my family and closest friends for so long that it doesn’t feel right coming from anyone outside that circle. It’s nothing personal, Mr. Darcy—please do not be offended.”
“Then what shall I call you?” he asked her.
She smiled. “Elizabeth. Almost no one calls me that anymore, save my parents or Jane when they are cross with me.”
Beside her, Jane grinned. “It’s true, Mr. Darcy. She is always just… Lizzy. My father started calling her that when she was about two years, and that is who she has been to us ever since.”
“Moreover,” Elizabeth went on, gathering all her strength to hold his gaze rather than look away in embarrassment, “there’s something in the way you say my name that…
well, ever since our conversation in the library last night, there’s something in the way you say it that makes it sound so very… intimate.”
Her resolve to maintain eye contact crumbled and she turned her head to look out the sideglass. Darcy reached across the carriage and took her hands in his, drawing her gaze back to him. She was relieved to see that he smiled.
“Elizabeth it is, then,” he said softly.
The moment was broken by the clearing of Jane’s throat; when Elizabeth looked at her, she noted both an embarrassed flush and a smile.
“I feel as though I ought not to have witnessed this moment between you,” she said.
“But at the same time, I am honored to have had the privilege. It is quite something to witness a moment of perfect understanding between a loving couple.”
Elizabeth felt the heat in her neck and cheeks increase—she did not love Darcy, but… if there were many more such moments as the one they’d just had, she could certainly imagine herself coming to.