Engrossed in the pictures, Elizabeth did not hear the man’s approach. “May I be of service, my Lady?” his voice slithered past her as she jumped.“Do the black arts interest you?”
Elizabeth laughed nervously. “Heavens, no!” She shut the book quickly and shelved it. “I…I was looking for the poetry section. I was not sure anyone was around.”
“Yes, your man found me in the alley, unloading some boxes. I apologize for not hearing the bell.” He touched the books she handled, straightening them into an even row. “Poetry is this way, Miss.”
Elizabeth noted the man’s appearance—a bit disheveled—his clothing hanging on his frame—a florid face with beady eyes squinting behind spectacles. He would make the perfect schoolmaster, she thought. “Do you have a preference, Miss?” He stopped suddenly to look down at her.
“William Cowper.” She had nearly forgotten what she sought. “Something by William Cowper.”
The man’s gnarled fingers delicately selected one of the volumes and handed it to her. Elizabeth flipped through the pages and nodded.“This is excellent. Might I have it wrapped?”
“Yes, Miss.” The man took back the tome and led the way to the front of the store.“Is there anything else, Miss?”
Elizabeth looked around anxiously, making sure Darcy was nowhere around. “Might I write a note in the book before you wrap it? It is to be a gift.”
The man reached under the counter, bringing forth a pen and
Fitzwilliam,
To give you pleasure in your late-night library visits.
Yours always,
Elizabeth
When the package was wrapped, Elizabeth slipped it under her cloak, not wishing the others to note her sentimentality or her intimacy with the man she would marry. She would give it to Darcy as a wedding gift.
“Lizzy!” Jane called as Elizabeth stepped into the street, followed closely by the footman. “Mr. Darcy is coming this way.”
Elizabeth watched him approach. She appreciated his fine physique—his tight-fitting jacket and stylish greatcoat only made him look more debonair. More than one lady’s head turned, but his eyes stayed on her.
As he neared, Elizabeth rushed forward to meet him.Taking his proffered arm, she bestowed a smile on Darcy. He took her hand, lacing it through his and pulling her closer to his side as he turned back to the carriage.“Am I conceited to think you missed me?” he whispered close to her ear.
Elizabeth laughed lightly.“I did, as foolish as that may seem.You were absent for barely an hour.”
“Long enough to feel bereft of your touch on my arm,” he said flirtatiously.
She countered,“Long enough to wish the day to end and a new one to begin.”
At the carriage, he brought Elizabeth’s hand to his lips before helping her climb into the luxurious seats of his coach. “Tomorrow,” he said seductively.
CHAPTER 12
George Wickham gasped for breath. Somehow he had made it to London—to Edward Street—to the home of Mrs.Younge. She let rooms, although very few people stayed there; Mrs.Younge, since she had given herself up to George Wickham, “selected” her renters carefully after interviewing them. Edward Street offered her a plethora of individuals from whom to choose, and the lady picked only those who would not be missed when they disappeared. At one time, she served as Georgiana Darcy’s companion, a respectable way for a lady to earn a living, but that was before Wickham seduced her and showed her the dark side. Currently, Mrs.Younge lived in the bowels of a teeming city, taking the lives of some of its least upstanding citizens.
Wickham rapped sharply with the knocker. Barely able to stand, his patience wore thin when no one responded, so he pounded on the door with his fist.
“Enough!” A sharp voice demanded on the other side. Someone unbolted the locks and cracked the opening. “What may I do for you?”A syrupy sweet voice spoke from the darkness.
“I need help,”Wickham hissed.
The door swung open immediately. “Wickham? My lord? What happened?” Mrs.Younge slid his arm around her shoulder to brace his weight against her.
“A little run-in with your former employer, Mr. Darcy.” He reached for the doorframe to steady himself.
“I am here for you, my lord.” She helped him to the nearest chaise. “What can I do?” Mrs.Younge lifted his legs, so Wickham might lay flat.
“I have a silver shaft festering in my abdomen.You must remove it so that I may heal.” His skin was grey.
“A silver…?”she asked, shocked. But then Mrs. Younge
“The idiot missed my heart,” he gasped, “although Fitzwilliam Darcy came close last evening to achieving his goal of destroying me.” He ripped open his shirt to give her easier access to him.“I will heal quickly once the implement is removed. Now be about it.”
Darcy sent word to the Gardiners that his cousin Colonel Damon Fitzwilliam would join the party for dinner. Colonel Fitzwilliam, who would stand up with Darcy the next morning at the church, had arrived unexpectedly while they were out. Elizabeth and the Gardiners found the colonel quite amiable and enjoyed his tales of his and Darcy’s childhoods. His stories went a long way in confirming Elizabeth’s opinion of her betrothed.They also seemed to allay some of Aunt Gardiner’s suspicions.
Besides the colonel, Darcy’s aunt and uncle—Lady Anne Darcy’s older brother—arrived at the church in time for the service.
“Uncle,” Darcy said as he bowed to his only family. “I am so pleased you arrived here in time. I feared you would not.”
“You gave your aunt and me very little notice,” the Earl of Matlock declared, “but Her Ladyship would have no peace until we were on the road.”
The Earl pulled Darcy to the side, assuring some privacy. He motioned for his son to join them.“Why the haste? The lady is not compromised, is she?”
“Miss Elizabeth is the woman I wish to marry,Your Lordship,” Darcy replied testily.“We shared no more than a few kisses. Unfortunately, on one of those occasions, her father and some of his servants spied us in an embrace.Although her father would be discreet and allow for a proper calling of the banns, Mr. Bennet and I feared the servants would show less discretion.”
“Then it is a match based on love?”
Calmer now, he replied,“It is.”
“Excellent. Her Ladyship will be pleased to hear as such.Your parents knew a deep devotion for each other. I hope you and Miss Elizabeth will be equally suited to each other.”
The colonel touched Darcy’s arm. “Darcy, the cleric indicates it is time to take our places. Miss Elizabeth is in the alcove with Mr. Gardiner.”
“Then let us commence!” The earl headed back to his seat, beside his wife and Georgiana.
Darcy took a deep breath. For a brief moment, he considered telling Elizabeth he had made a mistake; he could not do this.Then she stepped around the corner, holding onto her uncle’s arm, and Darcy’s world shifted. Elizabeth’s eyes locked with his. In that moment, nothing else mattered except that Elizabeth Bennet would be his wife. She would spend the rest of her days with him. He would protect her from George Wickham and the rest of the world, and Darcy would provide for her. She would never want for anything, and—in his own way—he would love Elizabeth above all others.
Mr. Gardiner indicated to the vicar that he gave Elizabeth’s hand in marriage, and then Darcy felt her fingertips entwine with his. He breathed deeply to steady his nerves and squeezed her hand to tell her he understood if she, too, felt nervous, but Elizabeth’s eyes held a calmness he did not expect. She chose to pledge her life to his, and she would not waver in her decision. Darcy could not either: Elizabeth was his present and his future.