When Lizzy got into the carriage, she sat in the middle of the seat, forcing Darcy to sit opposite to her, and he asked her to make room for him.
“I shall let you sit next to me, but first you must promise that you will not try to kiss me as you will knock my bonnet off, and my hair will look a mess. We cannot have a repeat of last night, and a lot can happen in three miles.”
“I would never knock your bonnet off,” he said, as he moved over to her side, forcing her to move over. “That would be inconsiderate. Instead, I shall do this.” He pulled at the bow under her chin, and after Lizzy stopped laughing, she took her hat off.
After giving her a chaste kiss, Darcy took her hand, kissed it, and promised to be good. “There will be no repeat of last night. The next time I start something, I intend to finish it as last night’s performance was a damn frustrating exercise. I have been waiting for so long; I can wait a little longer.”
Lizzy wondered what Mr. Darcy meant by that remark? Because he was nearly twenty-eight years of age and a man of the world, she assumed that at some point he had had a physical relationship with a woman. It would be wonderful to think that he had not, but Lizzy had read too much to be naïve about what went on in the top tiers of London society.
“Are you saying that you have never…? I mean I have read about you in the newspapers. On a number of occasions, your name has been mentioned along with several young ladies and some not so young.”
“If you are referring to Mrs. Clement, I did befriend her because the Prince of Wales treated her abominably. She had just come out of mourning for her husband, and the prince took advantage of her in order to make Lady Jersey jealous. I took particular offense at such a heartless act because he used his position as a royal prince to seduce her. It would be the same as me going to Granyard Hall, in human form, and subtly letting Lady Helen know that I would be pleased if she would tend to my needs. What the prince did disgusted me, and because Mrs. Clement was being snubbed by everyone in Lady Jersey’s circle, I introduced her to another group of people.
“Honestly, if I so much as bump elbows with an unmarried lady, I am in the next day’s paper as being in love with her,” an exasperated Darcy complained. “And since you have admitted to reading such drivel, I am sure you have read about the boiling-hot romance I am having with the venomous Alexandra Banbury. At balls and breakfasts, I engage her in the most insipid conversations, and she acts as if I am reciting poetry. But I never call on her.
“As to your question of whether I have been with another woman, I shall tell you that I have, on occasion, been tempted to engage in sexual congress with a woman. But when it came to act on it, I could not do it. I attribute this to the fact that I am part wolf, and remember, wolves mate for life.
“As far as marriage is concerned, whenever I considered the subject, I thought that I should look for a wife from among the lupine population, and because we would have our other incarnation in common, I imagined that I would be content. But then I met you. You were the surprise that scattered my plans to the four winds. After the assembly, I could not stop thinking about you. When I finally decided to take the risk of courting someone fully human, I did not know how to win you, and I performed badly. I had just about given up on our ever being together when you came to Pemberley, and I could sense that you cared for me and that gave me hope. So I began again. And when you told me that you loved me…” Darcy paused because he had started to tear up, and he drew Lizzy to him. “I cannot tell you what that meant to me, and since you have seen my tears, I shall tell you that werewolves cry. In the wild, there is no shame in it. It is only when I am in human form that I am embarrassed by shedding tears.”
Lizzy gave Darcy a long and deep kiss. “If you feel things deeply, why should you not cry? I do. You need never be embarrassed in front of me.”
“Thank you for that, but I must change the subject.” Because the next topic was one that cast him in an unfavorable light, he hesitated, but there was something that needed to be said. “In consideration of what you now know about me, you must find my reaction to your mother’s… to your mother’s…”
“Exuberance.”
“Yes, your mother’s exuberance to be a shocking example of intolerance, but I had never seen such a public display of…”
“Exuberance.”
“Exactly. But in my defense, I did not know about the entail, which you must admit does explain a lot. Regardless, I was rude, and I apologize to you and hope that your mother did not notice my harsh looks.”
“Oh, she didn’t. That is the wonderful thing about Mama. Although Jane and I are often mortified by her behavior and have been embarrassed by her outrageous attempts to secure a match for us, she is oblivious to everything around her that does not concern the getting of husbands. And here we are at Longbourn, so you should go and sit in the parlor, and I will find Papa.”
Mr. Bennet was not at home, but Mrs. Bennet was in the kitchen going over the week’s menu with Mrs. Smythe, the Bennets’ cook. When her mother saw her, she gave Lizzy a sour look.
“You will never get a husband, Lizzy,” she said, shaking her head in disappointment. “You only went to Netherfield yesterday, and here you are back again.”
“But, Mama, you said that I could come home if I were engaged.” Lizzy waited for that bit of news to seep in.
“What? Lizzy, what are you saying? Did Mr. Darcy propose?” When Lizzy nodded, she asked where he was.
“He is in the parlor, waiting to speak to Papa.”
“Oh, no! Your father is meeting with the surveyor today. Isn’t it just like him to be out on the farm when I need him the most,” she said with her hands on her hips. “Lizzy, you must go into the parlor, and no matter what, you must keep Mr. Darcy here. You must not let him go away until he speaks to Mr. Bennet. Oh, here is Mr. Hill. Hill, you must find Mr. Bennet and tell him to come home at once. There is no time to lose, as we have a serious situation here that must be seen to immediately. It cannot wait one hour.”
Lizzy stood behind her mother, shaking her head, so that Hill would know that the family was not in peril, and after the servant had gone in search of the head of the household, Mrs. Bennet went into the parlor with her daughter. Considering the way their courtship had gone, she was not taking any chances.
“Mr. Darcy, how good it is to see you again. You honor us with your visit,” Mrs. Bennet crooned. “We always enjoyed it when you came to Longbourn. As soon as you went away, I always said to Lizzy, I wonder when Mr. Darcy will come back as he is such good company, and here you are.”
It was at that moment that Kitty came into the parlor, but before she could sit down, her mother told her to leave. No one would be allowed to say a word to Mr. Darcy until Elizabeth was officially engaged.
“You have that piece of embroidery you have been working on for ever so long. Today would be a good day to finish it, and I insist you finish it in the sitting room.” Kitty, who was used to seeing Mr. Darcy visiting Lizzy, was exceedingly puzzled. There was something going on here, so when she did leave, she sat on the stairs waiting for events to unfold.
“Now, where were we, Mr. Darcy?”
“I was about to tell you that I am happy to be here today, and if I may be so presumptuous…”
“Oh, go ahead. Presume all you want.”
“I think you can guess the purpose of my visit, and since I am confident that Mr. Bennet will approve, I feel comfortable in speaking freely.” After taking Elizabeth’s hand, he continued, “I have asked Elizabeth to marry me, and she has accepted my offer.”