Everything had gone wonderfully to plan so far, and as they were seated at the restaurant Darcy felt himself getting a little nervous. This plan that he’d come up with, with some help from her cousin, involved drawing attention to them, and that wasn’t something Darcy often did intentionally. It was also a far cry from a regency proposal, but then he’d had his quiet, private question answered already. What had followed maybe hadn’t been the best engagement for Ashley so far - not in terms of their relationship, but in outside events with the rest of her family. This one was going to be for her.
He’d been full of wide-eyed wonder ever since arriving in the city. It was loud and bright and there were new, confusing and exciting things around every corner. For the evening, he’d managed not to ask too many silly questions, but he noticed gratefully how Ashley seemed to second guess them. She’d answer them without him asking, or take his hand when something threatened to shock or frighten him.
He looked out the window with her, feeling slightly overwhelmed by everything, but perfectly happy. “It is. There are so many lights, you can see for miles and miles,” he said in slight awe.