Page 224 of What Change Entails

“I tried,” he insisted.

“You are impossible.”

“Yes.”

“Do not agree so easily.”

“I am fatigued.”

That admission softened her annoyance. “Will you go back to Netherfield after speaking with Papa?”

“If he does not throw me out.”

“He will not.”

“Will he mock me?”

“Yes.”

“Severely?”

“Probably.”

“I shall endure.”

“He likes you better than most gentlemen.”

“That is a low bar.”

“Still an accomplishment.”

Darcy smiled, then sobered as they reached the lower path.

“Elizabeth.”

“Yes?”

“If your father consents, may I come back tomorrow morning?”

Her mouth went dry.

“For what purpose?”

He gave her a look.

She smirked saucily. “A gentleman should be precise.”

His answer came low and warm. “To ask you to marry me.”

The path beneath her feet became suddenly interesting. “Then yes.”

“Yes?”

“Yes, you may.”

“And if I ask?”

She looked up.