The morning after Will�s call, Lizzy had trouble concentrating on her duties. Her mind focused on Will, and his successful efforts rescuing her sister from that awful liar, George Wickham. Will assured her that George would no longer cause them any problems. She wasn�t sure what he meant exactly, but she was confident he had taken care of everything. She giggled to herself, thinking, he�s like Superman! Was there anything Will Darcy couldn�t do?

Lizzy continuously looked at her watch, counting the hours, trying to guess what time she would finally see him again. She drove the children to the yacht club for their lessons, and stopped at the farm stand for the fresh corn and tomatoes Aunt Maddie had asked her to pick up for dinner. Throughout all her errands, her thoughts continually drifted to Will. She wanted to see him so badly, to have him hold her again. She thought she�d go crazy; every minute seemed to take an hour. If only he would get here! Returning to the house for lunch with the children, she made them sandwiches before they went down to play by the water. Christopher Gardiner, who had recently learned how to whistle, was intent on finding as many snails as he could. He was convinced that if he whistled to them, he would be able to coax them out of their shells.

�I�ll be right down � don�t go in the water until I get there!� Lizzy called to the children as they made their way to the water. �I just have to put away the dishes and clean up.�

Lizzy turned to the sink and absently washed the same plate over and over. Mrs. Gardiner, ever observant, could see how preoccupied Lizzy was with her thoughts and sympathized, giving Lizzy an understanding smile. �Don�t worry, Lizzy, I�ll go down and watch them myself. Why don�t you stay up here and relax for a bit, I think you could use a break.�

Lizzy turned and gave her a thankful hug. �Am I really that obvious?�

Mrs. Gardiner nodded and chuckled. �No, it�s not that obvious, but I know you�re anxious for your Will to get back so you can see him again.�

�He�s not my Will, Aunt Maddie,� Lizzy responded, self-consciously.

�Oh, I beg to differ, Lizzy.� She gave her a motherly pat on the back. �I can recognize love.� Lizzy blushed.

Firmly but good-naturedly, Mrs. Gardiner took her by the shoulders. �This is an order. Take a break. I�ll watch the children down at the cove. Why don�t you read that book of yours and lie in the sun for a bit � that might take your mind off of things.� Lizzy nodded, giving in. First, she insisted on finishing up the lunch dishes, and then she changed her clothes and got into her favorite two piece swimsuit, the one that allowed maximum tanning benefits.

As she made her way outside, book in hand, to sunbathe on the patio, she heard the familiar sound of a car on the graveled stones of the driveway. Her heart leapt hoping it was Will. He�s here! She ran around the house to see and was surprised to see a big, black chauffeur-driven car stopping in front of the Gardiner�s front door. �Who on earth �� she began, when, with a start, she recognized the woman peering out the back seat window of the car. Mrs. DeBourgh!

Suddenly self-conscious of her casual clothing � or lack thereof � she wished for at least a towel to cover herself. She thought momentarily of running to get a pair of shorts to put on � but too late! Mrs. DeBourgh had seen her.

�Miss Bennet!� she said emphatically. �I wish to have a word with you.� Her chauffeur handed her out of the car with great ceremony. Mrs. DeBourgh stood, as if waiting for Elizabeth to come to her.

Lizzy hesitated; she had a bad feeling about this.

Of all the many nightmares Will had ever had, never was there one as appalling as the scene now taking place between Lizzy and his aunt Catherine.

"Tell me, once for all, are you engaged to him?"

�No, I am not.�

�And will you promise me never to enter into such an engagement?"

�I will not! I will never make a promise of that kind!�

�I expected to find a more reasonable young woman, but I see now I was deluding myself. Look at the way you�re dressed � or I should say undressed. You are in no way suited to be my nephew�s wife. I am not leaving until you give me the assurance that you will not marry him.�

�I will never give it. I won�t be intimidated into anything of the kind. Will loves me and I love him. If he asks me to marry him, that�s his decision, and if I accept, it�s mine. You have completely mistaken me, if you think you can insult and coerce me into saying otherwise. Why would I make such a ridiculous promise to you � someone so wholly unconnected with me � when I know the man I love would be hurt by it?�

Will�s heart swelled as Elizabeth stood her ground with his aunt, but he could not let things go any further. In his most compelling voice, he entered the fray.

�And I, Aunt Catherine, will not let her make that promise!� Will turned to Elizabeth as he said this. Gasping inwardly, he couldn�t stop his eyes from traveling over Elizabeth�s bikini-clad body. He swallowed hard, forcing himself to concentrate on the business at hand. Turning from Elizabeth, he questioned his aunt. �What is going on here? Just what are you doing here, aunt?�

�I was informing this impertinent miss,� Mrs. DeBourgh looked Lizzy up and down with hawk-like disapproval as she said the words, �that you are already engaged to my daughter, Anne � and that she must end this indecent affair at once!� Will looked at his aunt incredulously. He tried to rein in the anger he was feeling toward her at that moment.

�Aunt Catherine,� he began icily. �I must respectfully ask you to leave these premises this very minute. Your presence here is unwanted. I am not engaged to Anne, nor have I ever been, nor will I ever be in the future. Elizabeth loves me,� he turned back to Elizabeth, his words caressing her. �� and I love her.� Their eyes met, and the connection was palpable between them. Sheer willpower prevented him from taking her into his arms and holding her � kissing her.

Once again, he struggled to avert his gaze from Elizabeth�s figure, now was not the time to dwell on luscious curves and tantalizing cleavage. Seeing her in nothing but a revealing two piece bathing suit was creating too much of a distraction. He had to turn away in order to maintain his concentration on the problem at hand. Briskly, he fought to clear his mind of the inviting image. Later man, later.

The now shrill voice of his Aunt Catherine conveniently interrupted his thoughts. �William, this is abominable! How dare you to speak to me in this fashion!�

�I can speak to you as I please, Aunt Catherine.� Will was mindful of no rudeness, only aware that he needed to remove his aunt as soon as possible. �How dare you barge in here, uninvited, and accost Elizabeth! Enough!� He ushered his aunt to her car unceremoniously.

�I am seriously displeased! This will not be the end of this, young man!� she stated in her most queenly voice as he guided her into the backseat, while her chauffeur held the door open for her.

�I am not afraid of you, Aunt Catherine. There is nothing you can do to prevent me from acting upon my own wishes and intentions. Good day, ma�am!� He slammed the door, effectively silencing her; then waved the chauffeur off.

Lizzy stood, rooted to the spot, speechless. She watched Mrs. DeBourgh�s car drive away; a dark thundercloud that had spoiled an otherwise perfectly blue sky.

Will brushed his hands together; his work was done. Turning to Elizabeth, he wasted no time in taking her into his arms. She looked into his brown eyes, a feeling of warmth and deep love overflowing. My hero! She laughed aloud at the thought.

Will pulled her closer to him, reveling in the softness of her bare skin beneath his fingers. With a rakish smile, he asked, �And just what is so funny, Miss Bennet?�

Lizzy looked at him archly, never mind how captivating it felt to be held in his strong arms again.

�I was just thinking�� she said mischievously.

He pulled her even closer.

�Thinking about what?� He brought his lips closer to hers.

Her breath caught. She was sure she would die if he didn�t kiss her right away. Without taking her eyes off his lips, she kept up the tease. �I may have forgotten how to� kiss you�� She cast her eyes down demurely, enjoying their little game. �It�s been so long��

His eyebrow went up charmingly. �We can�t have that now, can we? Allow me to refresh your memory.� With that, his mouth came crushing down upon hers, kissing her hard, and refreshing her memory most effectively. Lizzy�s arms reached around his neck as she gladly reciprocated. Burying her hands in his dark curls, she surrendered to the thrill of his fiery kiss and embrace. Lost in the moment, they came up for air gasping.

Lizzy giggled and licked her lips fetchingly, never removing her eyes from his. �Now I remember.�

�Let�s make sure, shall we?� Going in for another kiss, his lips met hers again. After a few more delightful moments, Will released her, remembering something she�d said to his aunt. His face was suddenly serious.

�Did you really mean what you said to my Aunt Catherine?�

�What did you say?� apprehension coming over her.

Will repeated the question again.

Lizzy tried to stall. �W-what part?�

�About�you know.� Now Will was the apprehensive one.

Lizzy turned so he couldn�t see her face, and took a few steps away, afraid of where this was leading. She had an idea, but she didn�t want to go there just yet.

�I don�t know what you mean,� she said casually � a little too casually.

Will came up behind her, placing his hands on her bare shoulders; he turned her around to face him.

�When Aunt Catherine asked if you would agree never to become engaged to me...� He stopped, looking for a sign of encouragement.

She took a deep breath and nodded, her eyes fastened on his.

�Did you mean it?� he was suddenly afraid of her answer.

She knew quite well what he was talking about. She could see it in his eyes, the need to hear her answer. He wouldn�t let this go.

�Yes,� she answered softly.

He let out a huge exhalation from holding his breath.

She saw a dawning in his eyes � a huge burden seemed to have been lifted from his shoulders. She could tell he was excited, but was trying to restrain his emotions.

�In that case,� he started searching for something in his pocket. �I � I didn�t mean to�that is�� He pulled out a blue box with a white ribbon around it. He turned his back to her briefly, fumbling with the ribbon.

Lizzy stood frozen, unable to believe what was happening. What is he doing�no, it couldn�t be�is he�? Tears were starting to form in her eyes. She had imagined this, of course, but never did she think it would really happen! With all their difficulties and misunderstandings she never believed it was possible. Could it be? Was this really happening?

Holding something small in his hand, he turned around and took her left hand in his.

�Elizabeth Bennet,� he took a deep breath, and knelt down before her on bended knee. �Will you make me the happiest man on earth and marry me?�

Through blurry, tear-filled eyes, Lizzy looked down into Will�s face. His earnest expression told her he was serious. She felt like she was swimming under water and couldn�t come up for air. She looked down at her hand, now held in Will�s. Waiting � he was still waiting for an answer. A sparkle caught her eye. A diamond. She couldn�t think straight, she tried. She looked into his eyes once more � searching. They were shining, unwavering. He loved her. In that moment, that one split second, she knew. She had her answer.

�Yes!� she cried, finding her voice. �Yes, yes, yes!� He slipped the ring onto her finger and swept her up into his arms, lifting her off the ground in a twirl.

Will had never experienced such euphoria. He was ecstatic! He could barely contain himself. He set her down on the ground and promptly kissed her again. He couldn�t kiss her enough! I am the luckiest man in the world!

But there was still one question that needed to be answered.

�Do you like it?� he asked, trying not to sound too anxious.

Lizzy was still on cloud nine. �Like what?�

�The ring!� he playfully tapped her left hand.

�Oh � the ring!� She couldn�t believe she had forgotten all about it! �Of course!� She proudly held her hand out admiring the diamond solitaire that sparkled in the sunlight. She looked down at it tenderly, admiring it. �I love it. How could I not?� She looked into his soft brown eyes, glistening from unshed tears. �I love you so much, Will.�

Click here for song.

I give her all my love
That's all I do
And if you saw my love
You'd love her too
I love her

He swept her into his arms again; he simply couldn�t get enough of her as he answered her with a passionate embrace.

She gives me everything
And tenderly
The kiss my lover brings
She brings to me
And I love her

He pulled back and gazed at her earnestly, �I will love you forever, Elizabeth.� Heedless of their whereabouts, Will showered her with kisses and gentle caresses, again, sweeping her off her feet in his strong arms. Neither was willing to end this magical moment.

A love like ours
Could never die
As long as I
Have you near me

Holding one another, they knew this was real: a true, everlasting love. They had come full circle since their first meeting when he saw her standing there in the ballroom at Longbourn. From their first dance, through all the misunderstandings and suffering they had each endured, there had been an undeniable pull. Now, having overcome their ups and downs, they had made it out of the storm at last. Their love was stronger than ever � nothing would ever come between them again.

Bright are the stars that shine
Dark is the sky
I know this love of mine
will never die
And I love her*

*�And I Love Her� - performed by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. � 1964 Northern Songs. All Rights Reserved. International Copyright Secured.

Return to Index

� 2004 Copyright held by the author.

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws