The Engagement Read online

  The Engagement by Ola Wegner

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  Elizabeth glanced up at the tall man walking beside her, his gait confident and well measured. He was looking straight ahead, seemingly not minding anyone or anything around him. A good few minutes had passed since her confession about her changed feelings for him, and his subsequent reaction had been spoken when he had called her his dearest, loveliest Elizabeth. She could hardly believe the sudden turn of events. Only several days ago she had been in despair, mourning that she had lost Darcy forever, almost certain that she had buried her chance at happiness with a man whom she loved deeply despite her initial prejudice and dislike of him.

  “When can I speak with your father?” His sudden question brought her from her thoughts to the present moment. He was looking down at her with those dark brown, serious eyes.

  “Tonight?” she asked, unsure. “No, tomorrow would be better. I should first speak to Papa about our understanding, explain everything to him.”

  Darcy nodded, and they walked silently for a moment longer. It was considerably difficult to move calmly by his side. She wished to run with her hands in the air, crying out her joy to the entire world. Above all, everything inside her craved to touch and embrace him, but she hesitated. The way he looked at her when she had reassured him of her changed feelings for him would have burned ice, but he made no attempt to close the physical space between them. Was it because they were in the middle of the road leading to Meryton, or was he simply reserved by nature?

  The wind blew strongly in her face, making her blink against the dirt from the road and the dust from the autumn leaves pinching her eyes.

  “The weather is changing,” Darcy stated, blocking her way with his body to protect her from the wind.

  “Perhaps we should return.”

  Elizabeth took a step closer to him, looking up. When she did not react to his suggestion, he put his hand on her arm, giving her a questioning gaze. “Elizabeth?”

  She stared at his large hand cupping the upper part of the sleeve of her ruddy spencer. He was not wearing his gloves, and for the first time she paid attention to the shape of his fingers. They were long, but not quite as smooth and delicate as hers. There were some calluses visible, and a small scar on the thumb. The nails were clean, short and square. She imagined those strong fingers touching her bare skin one day in the future, and the vision was so powerful that she closed the space between their bodies without a trace of her earlier hesitation. Balancing on the balls of her feet to make herself taller, she wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her fingers in the longer locks at the nape.

  Initially his entire body stiffened at her assault of his person. However, Elizabeth was not one to be discouraged easily. Rising to her tiptoes, she put her head on his chest, not quite brave enough to look into his eyes. His surprise did not last long, as soon she felt his hands setting gently on both sides of her waist, keeping her steadily to him.

  “We are in open view,” he said. “Anyone can see us.”

  “I do not care,” she answered fiercely, meeting his eyes.

  Sighing, he brought one of his arms higher, putting it behind her back, while the other hand found his way to her cheek. He lowered his head, but the wide brim of her bonnet obstructed access to her face. He tugged at the bow under her chin with much persistency and impatience until the ribbons loosened up and he could push the offending piece off her head.

  Elizabeth did not pay much attention when the bonnet hit the ground, because Darcy’s lips were on hers, his hands on her back and side, pressing her to him. All too soon he pulled away, breaking the kiss, his forehead pressed against hers.

  “I should not have done it,” he spoke, kissing her forehead.

  “You should,” Elizabeth argued back. Her heart was racing wildly, which she thought to be the result of the presence of his large hand on her ribcage. It was spread widely, his thumb placed just under the spot where her stays ended, the tip of it touching the underside of her breast.

  He chuckled quietly before placing a short but sweet kiss on her lips and pulling back from her. Instantly she felt cold and lonely without the presence of his hands on her and his body next to hers. He picked up the bonnet from the ground, made sure that it was clean, all the dirt brushed off from it, then put it back on her head, tying the ribbons in a pretty bow.

  “You are quite skilled at this,” Elizabeth said, smoothing the ends of the blue ribbons which fell on her chest.

  “Years of practise,” he answered easily.

  Elizabeth lifted her eyebrow questioningly at him, but his expression was calm and innocent. “Oh?” she asked.

  “Georgiana despised wearing the bonnet as a child. She always tried to take it off when she thought that no one was looking. Thankfully she grew out of it.”

  Elizabeth smiled, imagining a much younger Darcy attempting to put the hat on the little girl who tugged at it and refused wearing it.

  “Shall we go?” Darcy extended his arm to her. “Bingley and your sister must be wondering where we are.”

  Elizabeth accepted his arm, and for the next few minutes they walked in silence. To Elizabeth’s surprise, it was Darcy who spoke first.

  “When you speak with your father, please do not mention to him my involvement with your youngest sister.”

  “He will learn about it eventually, if not from me then from Mr. Gardiner,” Elizabeth responded. “Papa still thinks that he needs to repay the money to my uncle.”

  “I will talk with Mr. Gardiner about this matter, as I would prefer your father to stay unaware of my involvement.”

  “But why?”

  He shrugged his broad shoulders. “I do not see any reason why he should learn about it. What happened with Wickham was inevitable; if not your sister, then some other young woman would have become his victim. I only repaired what I consider to be my past mistakes.”

  “A thought crossed my mind that you helped my sister because of me.”

  “Naturally, my love for you was a driving force in this case,” he admitted openly. “When I saw you crying your eyes over the letter from Jane at the inn in Lambton, all I wanted to do was to take you in my arms, assure you that everything would be well, that I would do everything in my power to help.”

  “Why did you not do it?”

  He seemed genuinely taken aback with her enquiry. “I had no right to do that. You seemed more favourable to my company than ever before. However, you were still not mine. I knew that I had to act. I needed to find Wickham and make him marry Lydia—it was the only matter on my mind at the time.”

  “And I thought that you could not wait to leave my company.”

  Darcy stopped walking, and lifting his palm to her cheek, he whispered, “Never that.” His thumb touched her lower lip. “Never that.”

  Elizabeth felt the blood flowing into her cheeks again, setting her heart racing. She took a step closer to him, staring into his eyes, but within seconds his hand dropped from her face and he moved forward. Disappointment filled her heart. She’d thought that he would kiss her one more time. Again she had to rem
ind herself that they were in the middle of the road in full view of anyone who might be passing by. Darcy was a very proper and restrained man. There surely would be many occasions in the future where he would show his affection for her.

  In silence, they approached the path leading directly to the top of Oakham Mount. Jane and Mr. Bingley had to have reached their destination already, as they were nowhere in sight.

  Elizabeth began to climb, with Darcy directly behind her. The path was not particularly steep, but it was uneven, with bulging roots and small rocks emerging from the ground. She did her best to look under her feet, but it was not easy to be mindful when all she could concentrate on was the feeling of Darcy’s warm, large hand firmly present on the small of her back, guiding her. He might be reserved and proper, but in this subtle gesture he was stating that their relationship was changed. She was his and he was hers, and this new fact made her heart sing with joy and excitement.

  The wind was much stronger on the top of the hill. The green ribbons of the bonnet were slapping Elizabeth’s face. Darcy walked past her towards Mr. Bingley, who stood farther away.

  “Are you well, Lizzy?” Jane asked, coming to stand close to her. “Your colour is high.”

  “I am well, Jane,” Elizabeth answered, turning away from the direction of the blowing wind, hoping to sound calm and reassuring.

  “I do hope that Mr. Darcy’s company was not too unpleasant for you,” Jane said, her voice concerned.

  “On the contrary, sister. I have a feeling that Mr. Darcy and I will be very good friends from now on.”

  Jane sent her an astonished look, but did not manage to say anything, as Mr. Bingley approached them with Darcy close behind him.

  “Darcy does not like the clouds approaching from the east,” the younger man said. “We should return to Longbourn.”

  Bingley and Jane went down first. Darcy helped Elizabeth down the path. Even though she was perfectly capable of walking down by herself, she did not refuse the support of his arm as he guided her down.

  If Elizabeth hoped for some opportunity for private conversation on their way home, she was met with disappointment. Strong, cold winds made it difficult to carry on conversation, and the gentlemen hurried them, wishing to get the ladies home before the weather became even worse.

  ***

  “You are engaged to whom?” Mr. Bennet exclaimed, staring with wide eyes at his second daughter.

  “To Mr. Darcy, Papa,” Elizabeth replied, sitting calmly on a chair in the Longbourn library.

  “Are you jesting with me, Lizzy?”

  “No, Papa. I am engaged to Mr. Darcy. I love him and I will marry him as soon as can be.”

  Mr. Bennet dropped heavily into his favourite armchair, being quiet for a minute. “You love him? You always claimed to hate him! You spoke many times about your dislike for his person.”

  “I did once dislike him,” she admitted. “However, it has been many months now that I have felt quite differently about him.”

  “May I know since when exactly?”

  “Last April.”

  “April? When you visited the Collinses?”

  “Indeed. We met again at Rosings Park; you must remember that Lady Catherine is Mr. Darcy’s aunt. Then, when I travelled with the Gardiners, I met him again. At the time I was ready to admit to myself that I was in love with him.”

  Mr. Bennet shook his greying head. “It seems that I know nothing about my daughters, even about you, Lizzy.”

  “I could hardly speak to you about matters of the heart, Papa. What happened between Mr. Darcy and I was so very personal to me that even Jane does not know about everything. She knows that I do not hate him anymore, but she is not aware of my love for him. I plan to tell her everything tonight.”

  The room became silent. Elizabeth thought that it was the best to allow her father some time to settle with the news before mentioning that Darcy wanted to speak with him tomorrow. She could understand why her father was in such a shock. She had always criticized Darcy in his company, and now all of a sudden she was announcing her engagement to the man.

  “Forgive me, Lizzy,” Mr. Bennet spoke at last. “But I cannot understand your decision. Are you certain that you know what you are doing? You remember how he said that you were not handsome enough to dance with, how he humiliated you at the ball last year.”

  Elizabeth let out a long sigh, forcing a smile. “I do remember, Papa. Mr. Darcy and I were both fools, fighting the attraction between us. But he was the first to acknowledge that he loved me. He proposed to me five months ago but I refused back then.”

  “You refused him!” Mr. Bennet interrupted.

  Elizabeth nodded, then continued, “It took me all those months to understand him and myself, to change my feelings. When he asked again earlier today, I did not hesitate even for a moment.”

  “I see, but Lizzy, are you truly certain? Once you are married to him there would not be a way to go back. Trust me on this, you may be attracted to his good looks and wealth, but he will be someone who you will spend the rest of your life with. Think about it, child. Can you trust him? Will he treat you right? Do you know what kind of man he is?”

  “He is the best man I know, Papa. He cannot advertise his charms, perhaps, but he is kind, loyal and honest.”

  “Very well, Lizzy, if you are certain of your decision, I will not try to prevent it. You are of age, and I do trust your judgement. Your mother will certainly be pleased with such news.”

  Elizabeth came to stand by her father’s side. “Thank you, Papa. He wants to talk with you. I told him that you would see him tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow, then.” Mr. Bennet brought her hand to his mouth, kissing it. “I hope that he will be worthy of you.”

  “He is, Papa.”

  “I would like to know him better, spend some time in his company.”

  “Of course, Papa,” Elizabeth agreed with a smile.

  Upon leaving the library, Elizabeth thought that the announcement of the news to her father went rather well. She had expected at least some reluctance on her father’s part. After all, she had always professed to hate Darcy when in the presence of her family.

  Elizabeth was much less eager to share the news with Mrs. Bennet. There was no point in touching the subject with her today, certainly not before Darcy’s talk with her father. She knew that her mother, after her initial shock, would be delighted with the news of her second daughter becoming Mrs. Darcy of Pemberley. What she did not anticipate was that Mrs. Bennet would surely begin to fawn over Darcy even more than she had done over Wickham and Mr. Bingley. If Elizabeth could keep the news from her mother for a day or two, she would, sparing herself and Darcy a lot of embarrassment.

  As for Jane, Elizabeth knew that she could trust her sister’s good heart and reasoning. Jane would be surprised at first, but also very happy that Elizabeth found happiness the same as she had.

  Chapter Two

  Jane stared at her with wide blue eyes, her delicate pink lips open. “You cannot be serious, Lizzy.”

  Elizabeth laughed quietly at her sister’s stunned expression. “It is the truth, Jane. Mr. Darcy and I are engaged. He asked me again and I said yes.”

  “I cannot believe it, sister. You have always hated him!”

  “I disliked him strongly in the past, I cannot deny it. However, my feelings have changed. I truly love him now.”

  “Be serious, Lizzy,” Jane insisted. “For how long have you been loving him?”

  Elizabeth bit on her lower lip, trying to suppress her amusement and speak seriously. “It was coming so gradually. I began to alter my opinion the next day after the terrible evening at Hunsford when I read his letter. Then when I saw the beauty of Pemberley, realizing that of all that I could have been mistress, my appreciation for him grew greatly.”

  Jane laughed. “Do not be silly, Lizzy, it is a serious matter. We both know that you do not care that he is rich.”

  “But Pemberley is a beautiful place,
” Elizabeth argued.

  “You knew about it before his first proposal and you refused him,” Jane insisted. “Tell me now, when did you know that you had feelings for him?”

  “Well, I think I knew that I loved him when I thought that I lost him forever. The day he found me reading a letter from you in Lambton’s inn. I mentioned it to you before. Aunt and Uncle went to church and he met me alone as I was crying over the news about Lydia. He was polite and caring but also distant, and he left so abruptly. I thought that he was disgusted with the scandal Lydia brought to our family and that I would never see him again. Since that moment I knew that I cared for him.”

  “And he was in a hurry to rescue Lydia!” Jane added, the colour on her cheeks high.

  “Yes, but back then I would have never guessed that.”

  “When the letter from Aunt Madeline came revealing how Mr. Darcy found Wickham and helped them to arrange Lydia’s marriage, my first thought was that he did it for you.”

  “I must say that such a possibility crossed my mind as well, but I did not dare to hope.”

  Jane reached to touch her arm. “I am so pleased for you, Lizzy, that you are as happy as I am.”

  Elizabeth leaned over to hug her sister. They remained silent for a moment before Jane pulled back to speak.

  “Can you imagine Mama’s reaction to the news? Three daughters married in one year! I can already see her running around the house in excitement.”

  “I am not particularly eager for Mama to learn about it,” Elizabeth admitted grimly.

  “Why not, Lizzy? She will be delighted for you.”

  “Yes, Jane, but can you imagine how she will behave towards Darcy?”

  “Charles does not mind Mama.”

  “Yes, but Fitzwilliam is different. He hates to be the object of such attention.”

  “Oh, Lizzy, I believe that Mr. Darcy is ready to suffer through a lot to be in your company. Even Mama’s exuberance.”

  Elizabeth smiled. “Perhaps.”

  “Did you speak to Papa?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “What was his reaction?”