Saving Jane: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by AnnaMarie Wallace

Author:AnnaMarie Wallace [Wallace, AnnaMarie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Alternate Universe, Pride and Prejudice & Related Fandoms
Goodreads: 210528067
Publisher: Desert Mystery Publishing, LLC
Published: 2024-03-28T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Forty-Eight

That evening, after dinner, music and tea, William suggested that he and I spend a few minutes together to discuss wedding plans. We retired to the library, with the door open for propriety.

“Have you any preferences, Elizabeth?”

I was ready. “I will want my uncle to give me away, and both Jane and Georgiana to stand up with me.”

“Of course. I will meet with your uncle to go over the marriage articles. And it is kind of you to include Georgiana.”

“They are both my sisters; it would be wrong to give one the preference over the other.”

He nodded. “What about clothing?”

“I will need a wedding dress, but I believe you have already purchased a significant amount of additional clothing for me,” I said, perhaps a touch sarcastically.

He had the grace to look embarrassed. “You were not to know of that.”

“I am not a fool, sir.”

“No. Far from it. It was not my intent to deceive you, Elizabeth; I simply thought that you would be more comfortable receiving new clothing from Georgiana, rather than from me. It would hardly be proper for me to purchase clothing for a house guest.”

“And you were correct. Maintaining that fiction, though fiction it was, did indeed smooth that path, and I am grateful for your consideration. That seamstress, whoever she may be, has a very perfect knowledge of my measurements. She can certainly make a wedding dress in short order.”

“You do not long to return to London and shop there?”

“Not at all; I think it best to purchase as much as possible from local merchants.”

“As do I,” he agreed. “One more thing…”

“Yes?”

“I want you to have this.” He pulled a small box from his pocket, opened it, and offered it to me. It was a beautiful oval sapphire, set in a gold ring. “This was my grandmother’s, and then my mother’s. But if it is not to your taste, there are other rings available to you.”

“It is lovely, and I would be honoured to wear it.”

He slid it onto my finger; it was a surprisingly good fit. He nodded. Then he moved to leave the room, and I stayed him. “There is yet one more thing, William.”

“Yes, Elizabeth?”

“I would like you to kiss me. Me, not my hands.”

His brows rose to his hairline. I went on. “When Georgiana told me she had kissed Mr. Wickham, I told her that any lady who believed they were to be married had better kiss him first, to make certain she would be able to tolerate his kisses for the remainder of her life. She is bound to ask me if I have done the same.”

His eyes darkened and fastened on my face. Uncomfortable, I kept speaking. “And it can hardly be improper for an engaged couple to engage in a kiss, can it? Or perhaps even two kisses...”

He walked toward me, never looking away. Then he gently took my hands in his and raised me from my chair. His warm hand cupped the back of my head. He drew me toward him and his lips found mine.

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