Pemberley Ranch - Jack Caldwell [112]
Darcy was dismayed. “But… but she isn’t!”
“Father,” Beth injected, “you wrong him—and me!”
“How?” he shot back. “Don’t you feel gratitude for his actions?”
“Of course, I do! But my feelings for Will have roots before tonight!”
“Indeed, sir,” Darcy agreed. “I asked her that very question before I asked her to marry me.”
Bennet turned to Beth. “And have you accepted him?”
Beth wasn’t sure that she understood that there was an actual second proposal in William’s earlier words, but apparently he thought so, and she was willing to concede to his thinking. Besides, it would give her enormous ammunition to tease him for the next twenty years.
“Father, Will has proposed to me, and I’ve accepted,” she stated with a small smile at Darcy.
Bennet was unhappy with Beth’s declaration and took it out on Darcy. “I have to question your sense of timing, Darcy, if you think that the situation in which we find ourselves is one that compels you to propose to Beth tonight.”
Darcy’s expression showed he agreed with Bennet’s observation, at least to some extent. “I can’t argue with that, sir.”
Bennet’s anger cooled a bit, but he had one last shot for his soon-to-be son-in-law. “And I don’t take too kindly to a young man making love to my daughter in my own house.”
Darcy hung his head. “I plead nothing but my undying love for her as my excuse.” He was very unhappy, but Beth was not. She knew her father well enough to know that he was well on the way to forgiving them, if he had not already. The gleam in Bennet’s eye, missed by Darcy, proved that Beth was not far wrong.
Bennet sighed. “Darcy, I want to talk to Beth alone.”
Darcy nodded and smiled a farewell to Beth. She, on the other hand, wanted to prove something to both of them, and kissed her fiancé on the cheek. Bennet’s look darkened as Darcy’s lightened, and he had a relatively light step out the house.
“Well, Father?” Beth crossed her arms, her look a clear challenge.
Bennet sighed again. “Perhaps you did throw yourself at him.” Beth said not a word, but her upraised eyebrows told the tale. Bennet groaned. “Are you witless, girl? Didn’t you tell me you couldn’t stand the man?”
Beth bit her lip. “I did, but I changed my mind.”
“Changed your mind? You’re going to spend a lifetime with him based on changing your mind?”
“Have you no objection but that?”
Bennet crossed to his chair and sat down. “Beth, you know I didn’t hold the same poor opinion of the boy that you did. I always thought you were too hard on him. It now seems he may be an even better man than I thought.”
“He’s the best man I’ve ever known. I’m sorry if that hurts you, but that’s the truth.”
Bennet flinched at Beth’s words but recovered quickly. “If I was to lose your company, I always hoped it’d be to a better man than me. But are you sure about this? He’s a very serious sort of fellow. I like him, but will you be happy with a man like that?”
“Father, if you knew what I know…” She paused and realized she would have to tell him everything. She gave her father a brief history of her acquaintance with Darcy and their unorthodox courtship. She left out most of the details of their late-night clearing of the air in the Burroughses’ library and the shocking discovery of Darcy’s old injuries, but enough was said to amuse the older man.
“My, my, you’ve had quite the time of it, haven’t you, my girl,” he laughed. “Turned him down! I’d have paid money to see that!” He sobered. “And yet, he didn’t throw you over.”
Beth bit her lip again. “No, he didn’t. I don’t deserve that kind of devotion.”
“You’re wrong, dear,” Bennet said softy. “Everyone deserves that kind of devotion.” He rose and crossed over to take her hands in his. “If you truly love him, then I’ve nothing to say but that you have my blessings—both of you.” They hugged each other, Beth drowning in her happiness, until she could feel strange movement from her father.
She pulled away from his embrace. “Father, are you laughing?”
Bennet rubbed an eye and said sheepishly, “I was just reminiscing about when I was courting your