by J Dawn King
“How so?”
“I had long suspected her character to be in a constant state of vulnerability as a result of her voluntarily withdrawing from her mother’s haranguing. What I discovered this morning was a duplicitous nature clothed in diabolical schemes.”
He brought his arms from around her and held her at her shoulders. As soon as he did, her hands dropped to her side. When he stepped back, she finally looked closely at his face. Misery and anger was etched on his brow, and his lips were firmly pressed together.
“Would you walk with me?” she asked. Relief flashed across his face as he offered her his arm. They stepped towards the sun’s rays and did not speak until they were back at the stream.
She quickly gathered stones and held one after another to him. Each time, he hurled the rock with all his strength, grunting from the effort. When he had thrown the twelfth pebble across the pond, he turned and offered her his hand. Lacing her fingers in his, they ambled around the glen in silence, listening to the bees buzzing from flower to flower and the birds chirping amongst themselves from the trees.
“Miss de Bourgh?” She squeezed his hand, deciding to give him a place to start the conversation.
“My cousin…my cousin has chosen not to marry.” He looked to her, possibly for reassurance, she was not sure. “You know this already, but she restated her plans most succinctly this morning.”
Elizabeth tilted her head sideways, questioning without words.
“Yes, I was in her room this morning at her request. Richard slept in the hallway, the door was opened, and a maid was in the corner. She had requested help to sit up to partake of water. After the laudanum, her thirst was great. It was then that she spoke of her plans.”
“And this was good?”
She was shocked when he released her hand and turned away from her.
“No, it was not good.” His head dropped and worry filled her soul.
“What did she do to you?” Her voice demanded an answer.
At her words, he spun back to her. “Do to me?” He raised his arms from his sides, as if petitioning the heavens for a blessing. Dropping his hands he stepped directly in front of her. “You are a woman above all women, Elizabeth Bennet. I was in her darkened bed chamber, she was in her night clothes, and the maid was asleep, yet you wonder not about my conduct, but hers?”
“You are an honourable man.”
“She asked me to kiss her. To satisfy her curiosity. She said I owed her.” His voice rose with each sentence.
“Balderdash!” Elizabeth spit the word from her mouth as if unpalatable drink had crossed her tongue. “You owe her nothing. You care for her estate. You care for her mother and her, yet you expect nothing in return. She had no right to ask it of you. Not only was it imprudent and wanton of her to do so but she, as your family, should have known you would not go against your morals or your conscience.”
“She said it was a test.” He looked so defeated.
“How dare she!” Elizabeth’s ire threatened to overcome her good reason. Miss Anne de Bourgh was an invalid. Nevertheless, Elizabeth longed to march back to Rosings and tell her how a genuine woman of quality acts with the male sex. “I fear, William, that she is more like her mother than I had expected. She is not the timid little bird I thought her to be. Rather, she is a harpy eagle with talons wanting to claw into you, to control you to her will.”
“Elizabeth!” Darcy’s smile had grown with each word. “I thank you with my whole heart that you believe me.”
She said nothing in reply. Instead, she reached for his arm and pulled him back towards the pond.
“I was equally as surprised as you at Anne’s actions. I, too, thought her incapable of such a display.” Darcy covered her hand with his. “You are correct. She is as much a Fitzwilliam as a de Bourgh. I had forgotten that detail until your tirade.”
“Tirade?” She smiled back at him. “Then we are warned, are we not?” At his nod, she continued. “William, my pocket is unabashedly empty.”
He smiled. “I started a letter to you during the night, but I was so upset I was not able to finish it. My apologies, my lady.” He offered her a courtly bow.
Elizabeth stopped.
“Pray, tell me you did not leave it where a maid, loyal to Lady Catherine, will see it. I pray you?”
Releasing her hand, he covered his face, groaning as he bent from his waist.
“Lord in heaven. I tossed it into the fireplace when I knew it would not be finished. The maid will deliver coals and will see it. If she can read, she would know to deliver it to her mistress for a reward.”
“What did it say? Was I implicated or could it be explained as a letter to your sister?”
Darcy gulped, his face now white. He closed his eyes as if picturing the ink-covered parchment. Then, he spoke.
My dearest Elizabeth,
Words cannot describe how much I desire your soothing company. When I close my eyes in the darkness I dream only of you. My life is quickly spinning out of my control as people who should want what is best for me are scrambling to grab all they can get instead. I need you, my dear girl, more than I need my next breath.”
“I stopped there as, by then, my only thought was to see you. At first, my choice was to leave it there where I could finish it later. Yet, the need to be in your company was so compelling that I flung it into the cold fireplace and thought of it no more.”
She could feel her face draining of all colour and knew she looked similar to him.
“Elizabeth, I will go now to rescue the missive. Do not be concerned. It is still early yet. Possibly the maid has not yet come or it could be one of the days my aunt will decide to save the coal for a chillier morning.”
“You are concerned. Therefore, I will be as well.”
“I love you.”
Elizabeth held her breath, wishing the birds would quiet and the breeze would stop so she could hear again and again the words in her mind exactly as he had uttered them. Listening to each syllable spoken aloud was far more moving than reading them in his letters. She knew not how to react.
“I…”
His smile was so tender she could not help but smile in return.
Kissing her hand, he cupped her cheek with his, wanting so much more. Her lips were full and red. He yearned to close the distance and touch his mouth to hers. But, the time was not right. Darcy knew, at that moment, he needed her heart to be completely his before he would take a step so huge there would be no recovery for him if she rejected him again.
“Go, I beg you. Your letter would be a powerful weapon in her hands.” Elizabeth insisted, stepping back from him.
She was correct and it was only because of her insistence that he did not walk her back to Hunsford parsonage. He left at a run towards Rosings. Stopping at the edge of the glen, he turned and lifted his hand in farewell. Then he was gone, and she was alone again.
The sun had lost its shimmer. The sound of the birds was dull and the bees seemed listless. She walked back to the parsonage to wait for the axe to fall.
Darcy was met at the door by his aunt’s aged butler.
“Sir, Lady Catherine and Colonel Fitzwilliam are in the breakfast room and require your presence.”
His aunt was not an early riser. It did not bode well for a peaceful resolution to the letter situation.
“Pray, tell her I will join her as soon as I refresh myself.” When he entered his room, the small fire was starting to burn down. The maid must have entered soon after he had left for the glen. The letter was gone, but whether it was by fire or because it was in Lady Catherine’s hands would soon be determined. He quickly descended the stairs to the breakfast room.
“Nephew, join us.”
Darcy walked to his normal position on his aunt’s right side and examined her closely as he seated himself. She looked much the same. The lightness of her tone was unlike her.
“Did you enjoy your stroll through the gardens? Rosings Park is at its best in the springtim
e.” Then, in character, she barked an order to a footman to fill a plate for him. She waited until he began pushing the food around before speaking again.
“I have given careful consideration to your recommendation to have the fields drained between the Hanson’s and the Jones’ properties. After much review, I believe it would be of benefit to all my tenants to have free-flowing water. As you said, it would reduce disease during the hot summer months by not having standing water. Therefore, I have requested a crew to be put together this morning to care for this business. If the two of you would provide oversight, I am confident it will be done correctly.”
Darcy was both puzzled and relieved. Firstly, she could not know about the letter as her anger would never have been able to be restrained if she had. Secondly, that she was finally acting for the betterment of those under her care. And, lastly, that Anne was not at the table.
Colonel Fitzwilliam caught his eye and shrugged. He was evidently as bewildered by their aunt’s behaviour as he was. Eating quickly, they prepared to ride. When they stepped outside, their mounts were ready. With a look back at Rosings and a shake of his head, they rode away from his aunt. Wishing they were headed down the lane to the parsonage, Darcy regretted not walking Elizabeth back to her temporary home.
As the two men rode from Rosings Park, Darcy became distracted by the events of the morning. He knew Elizabeth would be worried, but had no means of informing her he would be away from his aunt’s house for the day. Would she wonder why he had not come earlier? Did she want to see him? Just the thought of her arms holding him tightly, her head tucked under his chin, and her soothing words, caused him to smile.
“There you are. You are doing it again. That painful looking grimace I believe you are hoping to pass off as a smile.” Richard would forever tease him and, at that moment, he cared not. “My father will be pleased to know his sister is caring for her property. I am most anxious to get this done so I can write to him of this odd occurrence. Do you think she might have us repair the roofs on the tenants’ cottages as well?” The colonel continued to list the major needs of the property as they rode the distance to the section of the stream with logs that had been jammed together for the last five years. Debris had collected until it was a solid dam, only allowing a trickle of water to reach the lower farms. It would be an arduous task to clear, and they would need to use caution to not tear it apart too quickly or there would be no keeping the water inside the banks of the stream.
“Why she wants this done when the water is highest, I do not know.” Darcy was torn, pleased to be doing something productive to better the land, but this task meant missing visiting hours at the parsonage. “However, the farms below will need the water flow for the summer, so let us get this finished.”
They arrived to the designated spot to be met by silence. Not a man was in sight.
“She said there would be a crew of men ready to work?” the colonel asked.
“She did.” A sick feeling filled Darcy’s stomach. He had fallen into Lady Catherine’s trap. “We need to return. Now!”
Spinning his horse, he kicked his heels until the mare jumped into a gallop. He heard the colonel’s mount following closely behind. As he rode, his anger at his aunt grew exponentially until all he could see was red.
The pair slowed their horses as they approached Hunsford. Neither were pleased to see the parson in the front garden rather than Miss Elizabeth.
“Mr. Darcy. Colonel Fitzwilliam. Your condescension in visiting my home, my dear wife, and her young sister proves the superiority of rank regularly displayed by my patroness, Lady Catherine de Bourgh. Each time…well, most times she…well, sometimes she waves a greeting as she drives by in her barouche box. No finer equipage can be found in the shire, I am sure.”
Darcy tried not to roll his eyes at the man’s rambling, when his words finally sank into his tired mind.
“Pardon me. You made no mention of Miss Elizabeth Bennet. Is she not at home?” Panic filled his chest along with regret that he had not seen her safely to the parsonage. He wanted to dismount and shake the small man in front of him until he answered. That Mr. Collins was finding it uncomfortable to speak served to increase his anxiety.
“The circumstances are most embarrassing, sir.”
“Speak up!”
“Early this morning, after my cousin returned from her stroll, a footman arrived with a note from Lady Catherine demanding her immediate removal from my home.”
“What?” Two angry voices shouted at the man. His babbling only worsened.
“I had thought the conduct of my cousin’s second daughter to be above reproach. Certainly, she showed a lack of judgement in refusing my offer as there is no certainty she would ever receive another.”
“What?” Darcy was stunned. Mr. Collins had offered for his Elizabeth? That he could have visited his aunt to find her the wife of such a man started his stomach churning and made his chest ache.
“She is my wife’s closest friend as well as being family.” The clergyman seemed to be paying little attention to the reactions of the men. “Her conduct, I had assumed, was far superior to that shown by her younger sisters, and she did refer to me as a worthy man when I offered her my hand. I am afraid I do not understand what might have happened, though I know Lady Catherine to be exemplary in her decisions.”
“What have you done with her?” Darcy blared from the added advantage of all sixteen hands of his horse. Guilt ate at him. This was all his fault.
At the noise, Mrs. Collins stepped from the house and came towards them.
“Sirs, my husband took Eliza and her belongings to the inn to await the afternoon stage. The post coach had already come and gone through Hunsford village, so he purchased her passage to London for the next available transport. As you know, there are many stops between here and her destination. We made certain she had the funds to complete her travels to her family in Cheapside. She should be arriving at her uncle’s house before dark, though I do not believe she has actually departed as it is almost an hour before the coach arrives at the inn. You should have plenty of time to retrieve her.”
“We thank you.” Bowing to the ridiculous parson and his intelligent wife, he kicked his horse into a full gallop.
At Rosings, the grooms were ordered to walk their horses but leave them saddled. Darcy’s carriage was ordered as well. It was time to face Lady Catherine.
Lady Catherine had met them in the entrance hall.
“This is not to be borne. You think I would let you throw your future away on a silly, fortune-hunting, country chit? You are a fool, Fitzwilliam Darcy.” Her voice echoed loudly against the dark, wood-paneled walls. In her hand was the charcoal-stained letter he had started to Elizabeth. The maid had done as he had feared. “Two letters, Darcy, one incriminating your sister and the other proving you are a fool. Both giving me enough power to see you do as I demand. We will announce your engagement to Anne today, and Mr. Collins can read the banns starting this Sunday. I will not be moved on this.”
Darcy stepped so close to her that he could smell her victory. The colonel brushed past him to go upstairs to alert his cousin’s valet to get his and Darcy’s belongings gathered. They planned to be on the road in as few minutes as possible.
“Are you certain you wish to pursue this course, Aunt?” His words burst forth through gritted teeth. “For just as you feel your rank gives you the authority to act on your desires, I, too, am empowered by the Darcy family name to do as I choose.”
“You have no title. I,” she pointed her finger at herself, “am a Lady.”
“Then act like one.” Surprising her, he plucked the paper from her hands and held it behind his back where she could not reach. “My warning stands. Should you attempt to use whatever information you believe you possess about my sister in a manner that is detrimental to her reputation, you will feel the consequences of your own selfish actions.”
Rather than quiver in fear at his threat, she boldly looked him in
the eyes, not backing down even a hairsbreadth. She was bold, he had to give her that.
“Do you know who you are talking to? Your mother would be ashamed of you.”
“No, it would be you who would suffer her disapprobation.” Darcy stepped back. “Pemberley and Darcy House are closed to you. The doors will remain so until you humble yourself and beg my forgiveness.”
“Humble myself?” Her eyes blazed with anger. “Why would you think it necessary for me to do so? My position, my stature, is above your own. There is no one to check my hand. You will be the one begging me, Fitzwilliam Darcy. You will crawl on your hands and knees for me to offer you an acknowledgement and I will spit on you.”
His bitter laughter filled the hall, bouncing off the marble floors and reaching the high coved ceilings. When Richard returned to stand alongside him, he raised his brows in question. Darcy shook his head.
“We take no leave of you, Lady Catherine.” At that, they walked out of the front door, not looking back.
Darcy was grateful for the stamina of the two horses. They pushed them as hard as they were able as they made quick time to Hunsford. By the time they reached the village, his anger was gone as it was completely replaced with worry. His Elizabeth— alone amidst strangers!
When they arrived at the coaching inn, there she sat, her nose buried in a book. Next to her was her trunk. She was the picture of relaxation, a lovely lady enjoying the afternoon sun and an enjoyable pastime. As he drew closer, he noted the tight grip on the sides of the novel and knew her to be anything but relaxed. His heart broke that he had caused her such distress. He loved her so.
Relief at finding her unharmed filled him from head to toe. Dismounting, he dropped the reins and walked towards her. When his horse nickered, she looked up at him with a slight smile. He saw the small quiver in her lips and wanted to wrap his arms around her as he had done in the glen, giving her the strength and support she needed. Instead of doing so, he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
