Page 32 of Winter of Passion (Pride and Prejudice Variation)

“My love, I have doubts about leaving for London tomorrow. It is snowing, it is cold, and there will be ice on the road. And I fear it may snow even more tomorrow.”

The disappointment was apparent on her face. “Oh…as you wish…but I had hoped we would be home tomorrow evening… Whatever you decide, I agree.”

“I am afraid it will take us a long time to travel to London. It will be very cold in the carriage.”

“We may take blankets,” she replied, her eyes sparkling. “And I am sure I shall not be cold next to you. Besides, we may stop at every inn and drink something hot.”

“We may…but still…”

“My concern is that if we do not leave tomorrow and it snows for several days, we shall not be able to leave any time soon.”

“It is possible,” he agreed. “We could stay at Netherfield, after all…”

“Yes. But I hoped we would be together…in our home… But it does not matter as long as we are together and married,” she said, attempting a smile.

He took her hands and brought them to his lips.

“My love, it makes me very happy to see your disappointment is as strong as mine. I am not happy to spend our wedding night in a room on the same floor as my sister,” he said hoarsely, and she blushed.

“But your safety is even more important. Let us make this plan — if it does not snow any more tomorrow after the wedding, we shall leave, taking blankets, food, and all we need. If not, we shall return to Netherfield, and I shall request that Bingley give us a more secluded room on the other side of the house.”

“It sounds like a perfect plan,” she stated, and he claimed her lips for a brief kiss to seal their agreement, then returned to the dining room with the family. It was the last evening before they would begin their new life.

∞∞∞

Although the news of their betrothment had come as a shock for the entire neighbourhood, the short engagement was equally surprising and raised some speculation, which was quashed by Mrs Bennet and Mrs Phillips’s explanation that Mr Darcy had some urgent business to attend to in town, meaning he wished to be married before that.

Furthermore, Mr Darcy himself had confessed on several occasions that he had been secretly in love with Miss Elizabeth Bennet, so the short engagement was understandable.

There were certainly some people who still held doubts and suspected some compromising circumstance had forced the marriage, but such opinions were not publicly expressed.

Lady Lucas shared some reports that Lady Catherine de Bourgh was furious about the match; however, the presence of Mr Darcy’s sister and cousin gave enough credibility that the marriage had been approved by most of the family.

On the wedding day, the most prominent four-and-twenty families of the neighbourhood were all gathered at the church, eager to witness the marriage of one of their own to the richest man who had ever stayed in their midst. Afterwards, everyone was invited to a celebratory breakfast at Netherfield, but the newly wedded couple were to leave for London immediately.

As discussed the previous evening, since the weather appeared reasonably good, Darcy had agreed to travel to London.

It was a distance of under thirty miles, and he was confident that if they changed horses at every inn, they could arrive in town before nightfall.

Mrs Bennet disapproved of the plan as it deprived her of the opportunity to parade her newly married daughter around and brag more about her marriage to the wedding guests, but she did not contradict her son-in-law.

She made sure there were enough blankets in the carriage to keep them warm and a large basket of food in case they were hungry on the road.

Mr Bennet showed complete understanding of their decision to leave. “I am not surprised you wish to escape this madness as soon as possible. I am tempted to go with you. Fortunately, nobody has much interest in me these days, so I can safely lock myself in the library.”

“We look forward to seeing you soon,” Darcy replied. “At any time you wish to visit.”

“We shall visit you in Derbyshire next summer, but I have no interest in London — it is too crowded and noisy for me. But I am sure I shall enjoy fishing and spending two months in your library at Pemberley.”

“If you approve of it, I know Georgiana has asked Miss Mary and Miss Catherine to come to London in the spring and stay with her. I assure you they will be well attended and treated in the same way as my sister. Georgiana has her own house, a short distance from mine, and Mrs Annesley will be there to chaperone them all the time.”

“I have no objection. Miss Darcy’s company has already caused a significant improvement in them.

I am sure Mrs Bennet will not object either.

And I am certain they will be better supervised there than they are in our house.

Neither I nor Mrs Bennet have done a good job in keeping our youngest daughters under good regulation. ”

“My sister will be happy to spend time with friends of her own age, especially since Elizabeth and I shall be busy with other engagements,” Darcy said, slightly embarrassed considering the engagements he had in mind at that particular moment.

Eventually, all the proper farewells were taken, and the Darcys began the journey they so eagerly yearned for.

“You have barely smiled today, Mr Darcy,” Elizabeth teased him as he took her in his arms.

“Perhaps my lips did not smile, Mrs Darcy, but my soul was certainly laughing with joy during the entire ceremony — and even more so now that I am alone with you.”

She leant towards him for a kiss, and his lips tantalised hers, then placed other small, sweet kisses all over her face.

“You must help me behave until we arrive home, Mrs Darcy. I have never been more tempted to breach the rules of decorum than I am now, nor have I ever wanted something more than I want you — entirely and completely.”

“And I am counting on your well-known self-control, Mr Darcy, as I am not to be trusted with behaving properly either,” she teased him back.

“Then let us find a subject of conversation to keep us busy for a few hours.”