Apparently Mrs Reynolds had had the maid pack them for her mistress despite the split skirt staying behind, and Elizabeth was wearing them now,
well-hidden under her riding dress, as well as a pair of very sturdy lambskin-lined riding boots she bought at a store Fitzwilliam's family apparently had frequented for at least half a century. Elizabeth still thought it was pretty strange to buy hunting gear in the middle of the capital, but she couldn't deny these boots were the best she had ever owned, and having tried them on a ramble she knew they were not only suited to riding, but to walking as well. They were not exactly the height of fashion, but perfect for their visit to the country.
That arrogant thought made her smile, and Fitzwilliam softened completely at the sight of her happiness. He exclaimed, 'You like riding! You want to ride over just for the fun of it!'
'And to have a horse there, love. I've never been all over Hertfordshire except on foot. Jane and Bingley ride, too.'
'And Miss Bingley doesn't,' he nodded, 'don't worry about her, love, you've won. She will not treat you without respect again.'
'I'm not worried,' Elizabeth replied, 'your Simon has taught me some very effective city manners in three days, and I'm sure he can teach me many more in another week. Miss Bingley won't recognise either me or Georgiana. We've both become fashionable.'
That caused Fitzwilliam to exclaim, 'What about Georgie? If we ride out, she will have to stay behind with Miss Bingley.'
He was right, of course, their sister would not like that.
'Do they have a piano that can measure up to her standard?' Elizabeth asked.
'Bingley has a fine instrument, yes, you're right, she'll put in at least two hours of practice a day, and very likely more. We can ride during that time.'
That reminded Elizabeth of another possible problem.
'She'll miss her piano lessons when we're at Netherfield, Fitzwilliam.'
'I suppose that cannot be helped, unless we take her to London once or twice. It's not that far and the roads are excellent. Too bad Hugo has taken the thoroughbreds to Pemberley, with the slow team it will take a few hours longer.'
But he didn't look sorry at all, he seemed rather pleased with the idea of riding to Netherfield, which he soon confirmed.
'Anyway, to answer your question, yes, I'd love to go on horseback! It's the only disadvantage of being married that I could think of, having to travel by carriage. I much prefer to ride. Do you suppose everyone will slight, censure and despise us if we let Georgiana travel with Simon as chaperone?'
'They will once he starts flirting with all the maids at Netherfield,' Elizabeth observed, smiling at his use of his aunt's threat.
Looking shocked at his own blunder, Fitzwilliam acknowledged, 'I forgot all about that. He really needs to do that to prevent any gossip of Janine's from sticking. Do you suppose Mrs Annesley will agree to accompany her once more?'
'Why don't we ride along with the carriage, love, and keep an eye on your sister ourselves. You and Bob always call the city team lead-footed, I suppose even Daisy and I can keep up with those. By the way, I'm glad you kept my carriage for our own use and sent the heavy carriage back, it's so opulent, I'm not used to being a rich man's wife yet.'
'I actually prefer yours as well, it's so much more refined with the different woods and the superb craftsmanship instead of gilded ornaments. It just never occurred to me I could buy an elegant carriage, or I would have done it much sooner.'
By now they had reached a nice smooth field, covered in snow but that did not need to be a problem, their horses were not shod, and Fitzwilliam proposed a canter. The fresh horses soon changed the canter to a gallop, and they raced across the field, not at top-speed because of the snow, but exhilarating nonetheless. As they slowed their horses and rode on side by side, Fitzwilliam looked at Elizabeth in that certain way again.
Reminding herself to breathe she looked back at him sincerely, certain he would tell her what the look was for.
'You look ravishing in that riding dress with your new coat over it. I'd prefer to have you ride astride all the time, but you're so beautiful sitting there, your hair dark against the snow, and so brave to go so fast on a sidesaddle. I don't think I'd dare ride one, and you propose riding to Netherfield on it.
You make me so incredibly happy.'
She reached for his hand, had she been sitting astride she would have kissed him, but this was as far as she dared to go with just the saddle to keep her balanced. He took her hand in his much larger one with tenderness and kissed it deferentially, why did he do that, her strong and respected husband? Why did he have these moods in which he was almost humble towards her? As his wife she was completely in his power, did he show her such respect to prove he didn't see her as his property?
Something had moved Fitzwilliam greatly for he released her hand and
dismounted, and with his arm through the black's rein he approached Elizabeth and embraced her legs, then held out his arms to her. Surprised and affected she released her right leg and slid down the saddle into his arms. He caught her perfectly, of course, and buried his face in the furry collar of her coat, nuzzling her bare throat underneath that, causing her to shiver with feeling, but also with a tiny draft of freezing air his movement allowed to enter her coat. Holding him tightly she stroked his hair, it felt cold, and her breath made little white puffs in the frigid air, but Elizabeth felt very warm inside, the cold of the draft now replaced with Fitzwilliam's warm breath in her neck, his nuzzling changing to passionate kissing, higher and higher up her throat, until he reached her face and then her lips. As his lips touched hers, there was no way he could control himself, and neither could Elizabeth, and they kissed very indecently right there, standing in the snow-covered grassland on the edge of town.
As they stood in the snow Darcy was really overcome by his feelings. Of course kissing his beloved caused his heat to flare up, but it was not very insistent, they had made love just this morning, and as things had quieted down considerably since the staff was complete once more, Pierre's continuing travels had gotten their due attention again in the afternoons. No, it was not the passion that made this moment so special, racing across that snowy field, seeing Elizabeth following him looking so incredibly beautiful and animated. It was how he realised once more that he had been so right to fall in love with her and do everything he could to win her affection. Hadn't their marriage so far exceeded his wildest expectation of happiness? They had shared everything, their love for books, his sports, her long rambles, their worries and his domestic problem. She was there for him when he needed her, and now she was willing, even eager, to make another great sacrifice, exchange the comfort of her beautiful little carriage for the exertion of a very long ride. His fondest wishes, all come true. Every heartbreak he suffered over her, every waking night of soul-searching, had been worth this incredible reward, the smartest, most beautiful woman in the world loving him, admiring him, challenging him. He wanted to throw himself at her feet, beg her to love him forever, but he could feel something nudging him in the back, and kneeling in the snow was never a good idea.
Better see what the black horse wanted, he could worship his magnificent beloved any time he wanted.
Looking up from their embrace he saw Elizabeth smiling at him, and she gave him one more kiss on his cheek. Of course Darcy could not but smile back, he had won her, she was his forever, and he was entirely hers. But the black horse was getting bored, he was nudging Darcy in the back, and he was tall and very strong.
'I forgot all about Daisy, Fitzwilliam!' Elizabeth suddenly exclaimed, and she quickly turned around to look for her own mare. Of course Daisy had not strayed far, she was trying to find some grass under the snow and succeeding rather well. That was why the black was nudging him, he wanted to graze, too. Did he dare release him for a few moments? Better hold on to him, the black was not as placid as Daisy, and a spooked horse on the loose in a city could cause a lot of damage.
'Next time we ride
out we should bring a rope to allow the horses some room to graze while we kiss.'
Elizabeth had retrieved Daisy by now and she suggested, 'Let's go home, I want to touch you without all these clothes on you. Will you give me a boost up?'
Which he did, and which they did, riding back and leaving the horses to Bob to retreat to their bedroom for an hour of intimacy just before lunch.
When the next morning at breakfast Darcy asked his sister, 'May I accompany you to your lesson today, Georgie?' he could see her blanch just the tiniest bit. She was really afraid to have him discover Mr Fielding's crush and forbid further lessons. And to be honest, part of him wanted to protect her from the life she would have if she married a commoner, but another part of him objected that she was just sixteen and not interested in the man at all, except professionally. So he added, 'Things have quieted down considerably, and I finally have some inner peace to show an interest in your greatest passion. I'm sorry I didn't earlier, I was so restless I would certainly have distracted you with my fidgeting, making a very bad impression on Mr Fielding.'
Of course Georgiana could not resist him when he talked like that, she loved him like no-one else and when he showed himself fallible she just melted.
'Never mind, Fitzwilliam,' she replied, 'I understand. You're very busy, and two hours of repeating several bars of music just isn't something everyone takes in stride. I wouldn't hold it against you if you didn't accompany me at all, but I'll be happy to have you along.
But won't you miss your beloved Elizabeth when you're away from her for two hours, maybe even three?'
She had even started to tease him recently, a miracle which he was sure he had Elizabeth to thank for. At first Georgiana had seemed a bit shocked to hear her sister making fun of her brother openly, but of course she could see he truly appreciated it. And with her newly-found self-confidence she had started to emulate her sister, showing a ready wit not only at the expense of him, but everyone else present, including herself.
'I will, and I hope she will miss me as much, but then Elizabeth wants me to ask Mr Fielding to come over one evening and play the concerto she heard the fragment of. So I guess she'll bear with my absence, she'll probably lose herself in our library anyway. Or take a long ramble through the city with Simon, to practise being fashionable for the coming wedding. Poor Simon's soles are wearing thin because Elizabeth wants him to show her examples of everything he tells her, though I suppose they visit coffee-houses, too, to spy on the fashionable crowd. Do you suppose that'll give rise to gossip once Simon starts flirting with maids left and right at Netherfield?'
Georgie helped herself to another piece of excellent toast, and as she liberally spread it with butter and marmalade she observed, 'Yes, Fitzwilliam, what was that all about? Why would Simon flirt with maids?
He doesn't even seem to like girls, though I cannot imagine why not for they certainly like him. At least two of the hired maids are making doe eyes at him and without even realising it themselves, while he does recognise their looks but consistently ignores them. I suppose he doesn't find it seemly, but why plan to do it at Netherfield then? And why did you suggest it to him?
He didn't seem to want to.'
So there was something Georgie didn't know yet, she was actually sixteen in some respect. Good. But should Darcy tell her?
'I advised Simon to flirt with some maids at Netherfield to head off rumours Janine or Theo might spread about him, Georgiana. Rumours concerning his not liking girls. I'm surprised you didn't think of it yet.'
That was a challenge to Georgie, and one she accepted with a relish.
'Don't tell me, I'm going to work it out myself. But not now, or Mr Fielding will be angry with me for being distracted. Now I'm going to eat this piece of toast and put on my coat. Better go take leave of your beloved, I suppose she's still with Mrs Annesley doing the rounds of the house trying to decide where the centrepiece you commissioned will catch the most attention.
Don't hesitate to kiss in front of Mrs Annesley, she actually enjoys seeing people in love, it inspires her, she once told me. I kind of like her now she's no longer watching and critiquing my every move.'
Darcy did as his sister suggested, curious how Mr Fielding would react to his sudden appearance, but loath to leave his beloved nonetheless. He found her in the dining-room, again one of the most opulent rooms in the house, why did he always leave the dining-rooms intact? Seeing Elizabeth he promptly forgot everything else, and he kissed her not quite chastely, but not exactly intimately either.
'I'm off with Georgie, love.'
Elizabeth was a bit worried, that was very obvious, but she smiled sweetly nonetheless.
'Ask him to play for you, you'll know instantly why he's worth every penny you pay him. I'll miss you.'
'I'll miss you, too, but I'll be back before you know it.'
Georgie didn't wait for him to hail a cab but did the honours herself, and once inside she was rather quiet, was she reviewing her lessons in her mind?
It had to be a difficult subject then, for lately she had been quite chatty when they were together. Darcy expected her to question him about what he'd heard from Elizabeth, or to tell him about the coming lesson, but Georgie seemed totally self-involved. Though more talkative lately than he had ever been, under the influence of his beloved, Darcy still didn't mind keeping his silence, and the ten minute drive was spent without so much as ten sentences being exchanged between brother and sister. That didn't mean that something was brewing, not at all, they were merely in their own world for a few moments, Georgie preparing for her lesson, Darcy watching London pass by from the windows of the cab.
Of course Georgie did allow him to pay the driver, and soon they were on their way inside the elegant house, following the maid into the very bright, friendly room where Georgie had played for Mr Fielding the day they were looking for a master for his sister.
Mr Fielding came in and started visibly at beholding his pupil's much older brother accompanying her, but he recovered admirably.
'Mr Darcy, such an honour to receive you in my benefactor's house once more.'
He was as polite in his greeting of Georgie, and there was not a single token
of admiration in either of the young people before him. If Elizabeth hadn't told him, he would not have had a clue this man was infatuated with his sister, and frankly, if Georgie hadn't confirmed it to Elizabeth, he would have thought Elizabeth had imagined Mr Fielding being in love.
He certainly was a very good-looking man, Mr Fielding, very artistic in his bearing and very well-dressed. Darcy decided to start wearing pantaloons and low shoes more often himself, he might even want to attend Bingley's wedding in them. With a beautiful woman on his arm he could hardly trample inside on boots, and wearing low shoes with his breeches made him feel uncomfortable. Elizabeth would want to dance a lot, and she'd expect him to stand up with her unmarried sisters as well, and a man looked better dancing with elegant shoes. Besides, with such a beautiful, slim lady on his arm he should at least try to be elegant enough to be her escort. Boots were for the country and for riding, not for charming rooms like this one.
Both Georgie and Mr Fielding were very business-like and started the lesson straight away, Darcy retreating to the sofa and watching their interaction with interest. This had to be a very difficult subject indeed, for neither of them had the slightest inclination to be distracted by his presence, they were clearly working really hard and to good effect, for what Georgie played was surpassingly beautiful. As she played, Darcy could see Mr Fielding's expression soften, but to nothing but pride. Georgie was doing well, and her teacher was proud of her progress. When she was done he praised her, almost incredulously.
'Miss Darcy, you have exceeded my wildest hopes for today. That was really difficult matter, you really struggled with it last time, and now you play it perfectly. I can hardly believe my ears!'
His sister beamed under her teacher's approval, but again, who could fault her? She had done
well and was praised for it, somehow Darcy suspected Mr Fielding was rather hard to please and this was extraordinary praise from him.
'Please keep practising this, we'll review it during your coming lessons until it has become ingrained, and even then you will have to keep paying attention to these changes all the time, for they will get sloppy again. I have to remind myself still, it never becomes routine, though it does get easier.
But now, we can start on a different subject....'
Darcy was already getting bored, fortunately Elizabeth had admonished him to bring a book, and he opened it quietly, not to disturb the lesson.
Chapter 25
Soon, the music faded to the background as the content of the book captured his attention, and for half an hour he was very pleasantly engaged, totally involved in his reading. It was actually not a bad thing to have nothing to do besides reading, after a very busy week he felt a total calm come over himself as he enjoyed the contemporary poetry he had chosen to take with him. He had chosen poetry because he still didn't read novels very often, though Elizabeth had recommended some he did like, and he expected to find a serious subject less suitable reading matter with the piano lesson possibly distracting him.
Looking up after half an hour of concentrated reading he found nothing had changed around the piano: Georgie was still sitting on the broad stool and playing the same few bars over and over again, with Mr Fielding standing next to the piano listening attentively and commenting on her execution. To Darcy it seemed merely very tiring, to change such minute details in a piece of music that already sounded perfect, but Elizabeth told him she could hear the difference after Georgie had managed to implement all Mr Fielding's tricks of the trade, so he guessed there had to be a use to all this nitpicking.
Remembering himself standing over Elizabeth as she was playing, reliving the admiration he had felt for her at that particular instance, it occurred to him that he hadn't seen Elizabeth play the piano even once since their marriage. Somehow, that didn't seem fair, Georgie had learned so much from Elizabeth, she had become so much more self-assured and so witty from having an excellent example, and in turn Elizabeth had just given up on her playing, knowing she'd never reach Georgie's proficiency. But she also knew her needlework would never match Mrs Annesley's and still the knowledge didn't keep her from spending entire evenings on some piece of embroidery. He made a mental note to ask her about it, somehow her playing was just as pleasant to listen to as Georgie's, simpler, but with plenty of feeling, and a totally different taste in music that suited Darcy
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