Page 149 of Companions of Their Youth
Sarah laughed as she folded the damaged gown neatly. “You and Master Mark did stir up your share of trouble.”
“Just do not let your Aunt Peg know I preferred her sister,” Elizabeth replied with a wink. “She never did forgive me for losing her thimble in the water jug.”
Once she was in her night rail and wrapped in the warmth of her counterpane, Elizabeth finally allowed herself to exhale.
The house was quiet now. No footsteps in the hall. No shouting downstairs. No danger.
She lay still, her limbs too weary to move, her mind still tingling with the events of the night—the fight, the kiss, the announcement. Her thoughts drifted lazily between Wickham’s pistol and Darcy’s embrace, between fear and joy, disbelief and hope.
I must write to Mark, she thought with a sudden jolt.And I must speak to Georgiana before Mama blurts out the news over breakfast.
But not now.
Now, she was warm, safe, andengaged.
She turned her face into her pillow with a sleepy smile and drifted into dreams.
Chapter 31
Elizabeth shivered slightly; it was cold in her room. She burrowed deeper beneath the counterpane, pulling the quilt high beneath her chin. The fire had burned low sometime in the night, and no one had come to stir the ashes. Understandable—the household had returned late from the ball, and no one, not even Cook, would expect the young ladies to rise early after such an evening.
No one but Elizabeth, that is—especially since she had returned home much earlier than the rest of the family.
Normally, she would already be halfway to Oakham Mount by now, her boots damp with dew and her cheeks pink from the morning air. But today… today was different.
Today, she was engaged.
She sighed contentedly and curled more tightly into herself, letting the warmth of the bed and the quiet of the early morning wrap around her like a cocoon.
Darcy’s lips had been soft and searching. The memory of that first kiss—gentle, uncertain, reverent—still made her chest flutter. But it was the second one, the one he deepened with such yearning, that had rooted itself in her very bones. She could still feel the heat of his palm through the fabric at her waist, the subtle strength of his arm drawing her closer. No man had ever held her like that.
Darcy had made her feel cherished. Known. Claimed.
She pressed her fingertips to her lips and smiled, her whole body warming from within. How strange—and wonderful—that the man who had once seemed so proud and impenetrable should now be the very source of her comfort and delight. Her betrothed.
Her breath caught slightly at the word.Betrothed. She was to be Mrs. Darcy.
The room creaked gently above her.
She stilled, listening.
Another thump, followed by the unmistakable sound of giggling and something being dropped on the floor.
Lydia and Georgiana, no doubt. The former’s exuberance and the latter’s cautious attempts at adapting to it had resulted in many an early morning. With some reluctance, she pushed back the counterpane and sat up, the chill of the morning air immediately making her shiver. She dressed quickly in a plainmorning gown and wrapped a shawl over her shoulders before heading upstairs.
She knocked once, and Lydia flung open the door with a grin, hair half-tumbled and eyes bright. “Lizzy! You have risen early! Come see—Georgiana’s hair is finally curling properly, just like mine!”
Elizabeth smiled and stepped inside, but turned to Georgiana with a gentle expression. “Georgiana, might I borrow you for a few minutes? I had hoped we might speak privately.”
Lydia’s face fell at once. “Oh, you always want to talk without me.”
Elizabeth kept her tone mild. “It is only a small matter… something about one of the soldiers in Meryton.”
Georgiana glanced at Elizabeth, then at Lydia, before straightening her shoulders. “It is all right, Lizzy,” she said softly. “I have already told Lydia everything—about Ramsgate. She has kept my confidence.”
Elizabeth blinked in surprise, but then gave a small nod. “Very well, then.”
She recounted the tale with careful brevity. “Lieutenant Wickham lured me away last night, angry with Mr. Darcy. He meant to use me to hurt him. But Darcy and Colonel Fitzwilliam arrived in time.” Her voice softened. “I am unharmed, I swear.”
