Page 28 of Transforming Mr. Darcy
It was an effort, but he smiled for her. “You are being impatient, my love,” he told her. “A man does like to ask first.”
She laughed. Then she cried. Then she laughed again and kissed him.
The white lights of the comet swirled around them, and he could feel his vitality returning. “One more,” he whispered to her, “and I shall have enough strength to plead my case.”
“Insufferable man,” she scolded him merrily, “how you do vex me.” She leaned in to give him the sweetest kiss he thought he might ever receive.
“Insufferable,” he agreed, when they at last parted. Elizabeth helped him to sit up and swing his legs over the side of the bench. “But handsome, no?”
Her ruby lips twitched. “Very handsome,” she said with a nod. “Even as a swan.”
He chuckled. “Marry me, you impertinent minx.”
“Is that your plea?” she asked pertly. “A lady likes to be sure.”
He huffed, but he could not convince anyone he was displeased. “Yes, you maddening woman,” he growled, “this is my plea and my offer.” He grinned. “Are you listening?”
She smiled brightly in reply and nodded.
He took her hands. “Dearest, loveliest Elizabeth, now that we are free"—he glanced over Elizabeth’s head at the owl, who was silent, before returning his gaze to her—“I must tell you that I ardently admire and love you. My affections and wishes are unchanged.” He could not resist adding, “If you recall, I told you they would be.”
She slapped playfully at his chest, but he caught her hand and held it to his lips. When he turned it over to place a kiss in her palm, he was relieved to see that her fingers no longer bore any sign of the thorns. “Now, at long last, Miss Elizabeth Bennet,” he said, “will you marry me?”
“You only had to ask,” she teased. “And yes.”
There was a crackling in the air. “I thought you would never agree,” someone said,and huffed. “You truly are the most obtuse, stubborn girl I have ever known.”
“Who is that?” he asked, for he wished to be certain. “I thought I heard her before. Is that Mildread?”
“You can hear her?” Elizabeth asked, surprised. “Are you able to see her?”
He shook his head. “Only the owl.” He bowed, addressing the bird with his typical formality. “It is a . . . pleasure to make your acquaintance, madam.”
“Mildread, it is unfair, you know it is,” Elizabeth said. “Why should Mr. Darcy be required to suffer for my stubbornness?”
“Mr. Darcy had lessons to learn as well,” Mildread said airily. “I said you must learn to share your burdens and so you have. Elizabeth, you needed to learn how to listen. He needed to learn to how to speak.”
Darcy grimaced. “But in the end, I said nothing of consequence.”
“That is not entirely true. Were not your hopes in every word?”
Darcy could only nod.
“And it was your choice to eat the apple,” the owl—Mildread—said approvingly. “By making it, you spoke volumes.” She addressed Elizabeth. “He was more concerned for you than for himself. In making the choice to take on your burden, he freed you both. He has proven himself worthy of you.”
“I could have told you that he was,” Elizabeth said.
“But you didnot. You had not yet convinced yourself that his love was true.”
Elizabeth leaned into his embrace, and he was perfectly happy to hold her. “I only wanted to know how he felt when the magic was withdrawn,” she said. “Now I do.”
“I do not approve of this . . . test you have set us, Mildread,” Darcy said, shaking his head at the foolishness of admonishing the air. “However, I must thank you for the result.”
Mildread was smug. “You were going to leave even though you were already half in love with Elizabeth. Elizabeth was going to pretend to hate you so that she did not have to feel you did not care for her.”
“I was not!” cried Elizabeth, but for his part, Darcy could not deny it, and his guilt flared. Would he really have caused her pain when he removed to town?
“Do you two have any idea how difficult it was going to be to contrive enough coincidences for you to meet again—and who would believe it? In Kent! At Pemberley! It would have taken near a year to get you to this point without some sort of dramatic eventto force you to work together. I will be frank, dearies. I am not patient enough for such a ridiculous courtship. I have Mary to think of!”
