An Offer of Marriage: A Pride and Prejudice Variation (The Engaged to Mr Darcy Series)

by Amy D'Orazio

Would not the ultimate revenge be to actually accept him? To force him to accept her relations as his own, to require him to remedy the situation between his friend and Jane—even to make him see that she was not a lady to be degraded and trifled with. Yes, it would be a sweet retribution indeed…save that it would also be a punishment for you, she reminded herself. He does deserve to be made miserable, but it does not follow that I should have to wallow in misery by his side.

WOULD IT THO

“And I would attack him again,” Anne retorted. An unbecoming brick-red flush was laid over her customary greyish pallor. “And after that, her. A fine and fitting punishment for him, to take away the woman he loves!” “You have lost your wits,” Darcy informed her, then managed to rise to his feet. Everything ached, his ribs definitely felt broken, and his groin throbbed in a way that was making him nauseated. He turned towards the door and began to walk out of the room, only to be stopped by a phial hitting him in the back of the head. He heard it clatter to the marble floor and turned back to look at his cousin with unhidden astonishment. “See that?” Anne said with a smirk. “I would bet you had no notion that I could throw so far or with such accuracy. Do not doubt me, Darcy—I am capable of far more than you could ever imagine. Miss Bennet had better watch her back. Hell hath no fury like a woman who has had her husband stolen.”

and we say INSANE ASYLUM

Mr Darcy gave his cousin a black look, or perhaps that was just the effect of his injured eye. “I have spoken to her, on various subjects, but never once did the subject of marriage come up between us. We were in no way bound, nor did I have plans to bind myself to her, even before⁠—” He gave her a smile that could only be described as bashful, and it so took her aback that she could not speak. The colonel rocked back on his heels, still beaming with good humour. “Even before falling in love with this charming young lady before us?” “Precisely,” Mr Darcy agreed, now with such a look of tenderness that Elizabeth hardly knew where to shift her eyes. In any case, it was surely not the time to announce that she despised him and had no intention of marrying him.

“Irony?” He paused a moment, a rueful half-smile on his lips. “I…I said things last night that…well, I did mean them, but I said them more harshly than was intended—about your family. For whatever reservations I have about your relations,” he said in a tone that was almost teasing, “I must own that I have never feared, even slightly, that any of them would thrash me.”

Mr Darcy quickly introduced Maria and then said, with his dark eyes fixed on her countenance, “And this lovely young woman is Miss Elizabeth Bennet, of Longbourn in Hertfordshire.”

Again, Mr Darcy gave her that tender look that so discomfited her. “Shocking, I know, but from the first moment of our acquaintance, my heart has belonged to her.” “Well, this is certainly sweet.” Another man had just joined them, the sort of man who was handsome and knew it, but was affable enough to be liked for it. “Darcy, surely you will not abandon us, your bachelor brothers-in-arms?” “I fear I must,” Mr Darcy replied cheerfully while Elizabeth swallowed hard and forced a smile.

my precious. I’ve decided he must be protected at all costs

Jane had not come to their shared bedchamber with her to refresh herself, and Elizabeth dearly wished that she had so that she might have explained why it was that Mr Darcy was acting in the way that he was. He had entered the drawing room with her uncle, smiling and nodding as if the pair of them were old friends, and then he had come to the small sofa where she sat with Jane and wedged himself right in between them. Jane, blushing, had hurriedly risen and gone a few feet over to the vacant chair where Mr Darcy ought to have situated himself. Instead, Mr Darcy smiled and thanked her, saying in a low voice, “As I must be parted from her shortly, I fear I cannot bear to be even the shortest distance away from her now.” Jane’s mouth fell agape, but she recovered herself quickly and mumbled some sort of agreeable syllables.

He turned his hand to clasp with hers, and looked at her very earnestly. “I cannot promise you that I will never blunder. Indeed, I feel sometimes as if all the world’s a mystery, and me its hapless fool. But I do promise that when I err, I shall be quick to own it and eager to make amends for it.”

“So soft,” he murmured. “So sweet. My darling, you have no idea how I bless the day I entered Hertfordshire and found you.” He rose, and extended his hand to her. “Come. I promised you a walk and a walk we should have, lest I lead us into greater trouble.” “But your injuries…are you well enough?” she enquired as she rose. He smiled at her. “Am I injured? I feel right now like I could fly if I wished to.”

PRECIOUS BLESS PROTECT THIS MAN

“What would your lordship consider excessive?” Elizabeth asked with a twinkle in her eye. “Preserve me from witnessing any tonsil-jousting, I beg you,” he replied. Elizabeth’s brow wrinkled. “Tonsil-what?” “Never mind him,” Darcy said hastily.

“Just as falling in love with you has taken my life from colourless and dull to colourful, wonderful, so shall you take the house—” He gently tapped her nose with one finger. “—and turn it into a wonderful, colourful home, full of laughter and life.” “I hope…” Her voice emerged husky and choked, so she paused to clear it. “I hope I can live up to that wish.” “You can,” he whispered with another little kiss. “I have full faith in you.”

cryingggg

And I am glad for you as well. It seems you have found a rare jewel.” “I have,” Darcy said, again feeling the warmth in his chest that portended his happiness. “I have indeed.”

His attachment to her was unhidden, nor would he wish to hide it. He was in love and could not have cared less for the whole world to know it. Nay—he wanted the whole world to know of it.

How despicably I have acted, she thought miserably. Until this moment, I have never known myself, and now that I do, I am ashamed.

“He was not rude,” said her uncle. “He is…it is clear he is very distraught over…you.”

“You cannot be in earnest,” he said without opening his eyes or turning his head. “You love her, yes?” Saye enquired. “I despise her.” “Spite is nothing more than love which took a wrong turn,” Saye replied.

“That boy is too stubborn for his own good. We shall see how it is once he is married to that chit. I predict he will be repenting of it all by July.” “Perhaps he will, but what good will that do?” Anne said. “You heard him, did you not? ’Til death. That is a very long time.” “One never knows. She is likely already with child, and the Darcys have always had large babies. One might kill her.” Anne laughed. “A killer baby. I like that. Or of course anything could kill her, in truth. We live in dangerous times.” Her mother only nodded and closed her eyes, leaning back into the squabs. Dangerous times indeed, Anne thought. Yes. Elizabeth Bennet, I shall know how to act.

what the haaaaaaaaaay is wrong with this girl I think she’s a sociopath

Instead, he found himself married to a woman whose sharp tongue made Caroline Bingley seem kindly.

well that’s rather harsh as well as untrue

“I hope I do not put anyone to any trouble?” Elizabeth said. “Not a bit. Jenkinson has gone to get us breakfast,” Miss de Bourgh assured her. Why would Jenkinson fetch their breakfast? Again Miss de Bourgh answered the unspoken query. “I am on a very particular dietary regimen,” she explained. “Jenkinson must oversee my meals so that I do not eat anything that will result in imbalance.”

BE SO FOR REAL IS SHE ACTUALLY GOING TO POISON HER???

Between frequent bouts of vomiting and dysentery, the arrival of her courses, and a persistent, painful migraine, Elizabeth thought that the first week of her marriage were certainly one of the worst of her life.

Georgiana and, strangely, Anne were her only friends.

girrrrrl

If she had despised him in Hertfordshire, if she had teased and tormented him—as he realised now she had—was it possible it had been rooted in attraction? She had never been indifferent to him, he was very confident in that. They had sparred and teased, she had uttered her little witticisms, and he now knew it was for spite. Or in other words, love which took a wrong turn.

Having taken a wrong turn, could the course ever be righted?

It was one of those days, the days when he thought: Who cares how she got here? I have her; she is my wife. And: Why continue in anger? Just be done with it. Talk to her, sort things out. She had spoken of their problems very candidly to his aunt and sister, had admitted her regret to them. Lady Matlock and Georgiana had each subsequently urged him to discuss his feelings with her, to make things right. Not ready, he thought. I am simply unprepared for any steps towards reconciliation, for to do so means my heart is open, once again, to being injured.

If she did not have at least some measure of respect for you, she would not try so hard to please you. Unless she only wishes to save her own reputation.

Saye moved away from the three, re-taking his seat and drinking his wine, evidently uncaring that the ladies were yet standing. Now he looked over his shoulder to them and said, “One bedchamber, Miss Bingley.” “I beg your pardon, sir?” “See to it that Mr and Mrs Darcy are not separated at night,” he said. “Darcy will not stand for it, I assure you of that. He cannot bear to be away from her, not even to sleep! Ah, nothing worse than a man in love—you may know the truth of it yourself someday. Maybe.” “Yes. Maybe,” Miss Bingley said, looking a little ill. “But probably not,” Saye added with a little wink that seemed teasing. Miss Bingley gave a sick-looking smile. “One bedchamber, then.” “Excellent,” said Saye, turning his attention back to the floor.

Bless. This man. Saye never disappoints

When he returned, hoping he was at last under good regulation, he found that Saye had got Elizabeth drunk—or very near to it.

“What have you done?” he hissed at Saye. “She is just a touch foxed,” Saye replied dismissively. “I might have slipped a bit of the Scotsman’s aqua vitae in her wine…just to soothe her nerves.”

“A Mr Collins!” Fitzwilliam cried out delightedly. “Saye, you do not know him, but I shall tell you this: if Lady Catherine broke wind in that man’s face, he would proclaim it an honour and beg for another.”

“Allow me to be perfectly plain,” Darcy said through clenched teeth, his furious gaze steady on Anne. “I love my wife and am delighted to be married to her. Furthermore, even if I was not married to Elizabeth, I would not be married to you.”

The ride home was torturous. How pleased he had been with himself, feeling himself soften towards her, feeling the model of generosity; he had not before been made to understand how much of his behaviour she would be required to forgive. He had imagined himself the injured party, but now? He had been—he could see now—absolutely ridiculous in Hertfordshire. Not in his own feelings, which were reasonable and just… He had been at that time angry, very angry with George Wickham, betrayed, deeply distressed by his own sister and wishing above all that he might somehow lash out at everyone and everything about him. He had made himself agreeable nowhere; though he had not thought it consciously, he had certainly acted as if the populace of Meryton was not worthy of the effort.

about bloody time

Not now, he told himself. But soon. She was owed nothing less than for him to make a cake of himself, to lick her boots, to bow like a debutante in the Queen’s salon. And he would do it all, if only they could again be set on a right path.

The carriage came up then, and Elizabeth walked her husband out. Before climbing into the carriage, he bent and kissed her cheek. She did her best not to betray her surprise in front of her family. She stood watching the carriage roll away, the feel of his lips on her cheek still warming her. Moments later, Mrs Hill poked her head out of the door. “Your mama wishes to know if you intend to be of any use to your sister today or if you mean to stand there all morning.”

“You had better tell us everything, Anne,” Saye said haughtily. “You would not like what they do to murderesses at Bedlam.”

Wickham rolled his eyes and very reasonably said, “I am not going to murder anyone for free, obviously, and it seems my sponsor is to be sent to the sanatorium. Mrs Darcy is safe from me.”

oh OBVIOUSLY we’d only murder someone for pecuniary benefit 😭😭

Without feeling for the poor man, he barked out, “Is Mrs Darcy here?” “Yes, sir, she arrived⁠—” Darcy heard no more than that. He very nearly ran down the hall to the drawing room, entering to find his wife seated on a chair across from her aunt. “Elizabeth!” With no thought for anything around them, or anything which had passed between them, Darcy crossed the drawing room and nearly lifted her off the chair, pulling her into a tight embrace, then claiming her lips in the way that he had once before and that had lived in his memory ever since. In some part of his mind, he heard the clatter of a dish or saucer falling and the gasp of someone, probably Mrs Gardiner, but it did not signify. All that mattered was Elizabeth and holding her in his arms. When he paused for breath, he said, fiercely, “I care nothing for anything that has gone before. I love you, more than I have loved anyone in my life long, and I shall spend the rest of my days if needed to earn your love in return. I will do everything and anything I can to make you happy, to be a man worthy of you, to-to…to make amends for everything.” Elizabeth was beautiful, albeit dazed and astonished-looking, and managed only to utter, “Yes. Um, I would like that.” Though they were in company, and it might have seemed indecent, he gave her one more tender kiss before easing his grasp slightly. There was an uncertain air in the room while everyone recovered from the shock of his arrival and of his actions. Saye, ever the exp...

aMENNNNNN. a man a man a maaaaaaaaaaaaaaan

Saye said, “You might have been surprised by the manner of our entry, but Darcy believed Elizabeth might have been murdered this morning, so you may excuse him on that basis.” “Murdered!” Elizabeth laughed. “Who wanted to murder me?” “Anne,” said Saye in a matter-of-fact way and then took an enormous bite of the biscuit in his hand.

Anne. She was to go to a private sanatorium in Yorkshire called The Retreat. “Man called Tuke runs the place,” Lord Matlock informed them all gruffly. “Been sending him funding for years, but never thought I should have to send my own niece into his care.” “It is a very reputable place,” Lady Matlock said. “And she will be among her own kind there.” “What do you consider her kind?” Saye enquired. “The upper class deranged? Heiresses turned murderous? Or just any sort of lady who lacks a moral compass?”

WHAT DID I SAY I CALLED IT WAY BACK AT THE BEGINNING PEOPLE. INSANE ASYLUM

“I am not the one who was nearly killed, who suffered such agonies, but I shall admit that for the crime of seeing you almost taken away from me, I think I could easily see her swing.”

“I want you to be happy. I want to make you happy.” “I want to make you happy, too,”

She loved him. Alas, she had not told him, a fact which made her twist with guilt as he was unstinting in his own declarations of love to her. He told her he loved her first thing in the morning when he brought her tea in bed. He told her he loved her when she brought him biscuits at the desk in his study while he worked and when they strolled together in the afternoon. She reckoned that he expressed his love to her no less than twenty times a day. And yet, she had not yet told him she loved him. But she would. Today.

“I love Pemberley,” she said, feeling her moment come upon her. “I love the natural beauty of it, I love the household and how they, all of them, seem to take such pride in their positions. I love the furnishings, the paint colours, and the paper on the walls, but most of all…” She paused, swallowed, and took a breath. “Most of all, I love the master.”

“A typical morning,” he said. “I cannot even remember the exact date. You were already awake when I woke, and you looked over at me and said, ‘Good morning, darling’. And my heart knew. Somehow I had planted myself within your heart.”