“Can you give me one example of any obstacle so great that it could possibly prevent our marriage?” he said with growing impatience.

“Well,” Lizzy said, pretending to think long and hard, “what if I discovered you do not know how to ice-skate? It is a sport I greatly enjoy, probably as much as you enjoy riding.”

“So this is what I have signed on for? Very well. Then I shall tell you I have concerns of my own. I wonder if you will ever learn how to sit on a horse properly,” and he said this as he moved toward her.

“And I might inquire if you will scowl at me whenever I say something you do not like?” she asked as she stepped behind a chair.

And kneeling on the chair with his face inches from hers, he answered, “And do I need to be concerned that you will turn into a scold and point out all of my defects?”

Lizzy ran her fingers across his cheek and looked into his eyes, and in them, she saw their future. There really wasn’t any reason to delay their marriage. She knew that two people who were so different in personality, but so alike in their stubbornness, would have struggles, but she also believed that love was transformative. She thought of how much they had changed in the months since they had first been introduced at the assembly.

“Yes, Mr. Darcy, we may set a date. May I suggest that we allow Georgiana to finish the season, especially since she is to be presented to Her Majesty? By that time, Jane and Mr. Bingley will be married, and they may come to our wedding breakfast. We will all celebrate our new lives together with Anne and Colonel Fitzwilliam, and possibly Lady Catherine.”

“So you are suggesting that in eight weeks’ time we shall marry? Well, eight weeks is not overly long, so I agree,” and then Lizzy kissed Mr. Darcy with a fervor that surprised him, and all of a sudden eight weeks seemed like a very long time indeed.

* * *

When Darcy returned home, he immediately informed Georgiana that Elizabeth had agreed to a wedding date two months hence. His sister was beside herself with joy. There was no one dearer in her life than her brother, and her greatest wish for him was that he would find someone who recognized his merits, that behind the money, family name, and rank was a solid man of character and understanding.

“Oh, Will, we will be very busy these next few weeks. Mr. Bingley and Miss Bennet are to be married, I am to be presented to the queen, and you are to take a wife. There is so much joy in our lives. We are truly blessed.”

“Yes, I agree. Such events might possibly provide the plot for a gifted novelist, but I would think such a subject must be penned by a woman for the expression of such sentiments fall easily within the female sphere. And while you are writing your first draft, my dear sister, I shall put pen to paper and write to Anne to thank her for all she has done. For without her involvement, this affair could have ended very differently.”

Darcy wrote to his dear cousin, sharing with Anne the good news of his engagement to Elizabeth Bennet and commenting upon the important role she had played in their romance. The future Mr. and Mrs. Darcy will be forever grateful to the person who, by encouraging Elizabeth to travel into Derbyshire, has been the means of uniting them.

About the Author

Mary Lydon Simonsen, the author of Searching for Pemberley, published by Sourcebooks, has combined her love of history and the novels of Jane Austen in her second novel, The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy. A third Pride and Prejudice-inspired novel, A Wife for Mr. Darcy, will be released by Sourcebooks in July 2011. She is also the author of two self-published novels: The Second Date, Love Italian-American Style and Anne Elliot, A New Beginning. The author lives in Arizona.