Chance Encounters

by Linda Wells

  “I am well as long as I have you, William.”

  They adjusted their clothing and Elizabeth returned to sitting by his side. They resumed holding hands and she rested her head back on his chest. Darcy draped his arm around her shoulders. They held each other for a long time. Their act of passion had served to both bring them closer together, and to relieve the tension that their conversation created. They were both capable of thinking and speaking clearly now. Darcy kissed her temple as he voiced his thoughts. “I told Mr. Carrington that I would arrange a meeting between Alex, you, and Jane, so that he could ask about your family. I suggested that Bingley might invite him to Netherfield so that he could meet your other sisters, but just as a visitor, not to reveal who he is. I will have to write and inform him of the secret. He can be trusted with it. I know that he will be surprised, but I also know that he will be pleased as well.”

  Elizabeth grasped his hand. “Thank heaven nothing happened between Alex and Jane. I admit to wondering if he would be a good match for her.”

  Darcy raised his brows. “And what did you conclude?”

  She smiled. “I thought that he would regret the attachment. She is much better suited to Mr. Bingley, they are very similar.”

  He smiled back. “I agree, and I admit to urging Bingley to declare himself sooner than he intended.”

  She raised a brow. “How fortunate that he is easily persuaded.” Darcy had the grace to look abashed. Returning her thoughts to her brother she stroked his cheek. “A few days before you arrived, I finally realized of whom he reminded me. He resembles Papa. His eyes, his sense of humour, some mannerisms, it just struck me while I was walking, how odd that it has turned out to be true. Your ideas for meeting with him are very good, as are the plans to invite him to Netherfield.”

  Darcy appreciated her words. “I will write to his father and let him know that we will contact him when we return.” He paused. “Alex is deeply grateful for the Carrington’s love and the gift of the wonderful life he has. He is curious to meet your father socially, but has no desire to reveal who he is.”

  Elizabeth could not begin to imagine that meeting. Then struck by an idea she asked, “Is he the heir of Longbourn?” She wondered how many things would change if he were.

  He smiled; pleased he had anticipated her question. “It is very complicated, but I spoke to my lawyer hypothetically about it. He believes that only if your father recognizes him as his son, and he takes the Bennet name might he be considered the heir. The problem there is that he would still be illegitimate and legally, he has no claim. If somehow he did . . . well, it would also mean relinquishing the Carrington name, and Alex has stated that he will not dishonour his true father in favour of the man who abandoned him.”

  “As it should be.” Elizabeth added. “I think that I will like having such a good brother.” She smiled at Darcy, “And such a very good husband.” His eyes lit up. “I love you, William.”

  “I love you, so very much, Elizabeth.” He closed his eyes and held her tightly. She had once again amazed him.

  CAROLINE BINGLEY looked out of the carriage window at the village of Meryton with satisfaction. Finally her brother was doing his duty, and moving into Netherfield. They were putting away their repulsive ties to their father’s occupation in trade, and becoming part of the landed gentry. At least they would as soon as her brother actually purchased an estate. From the look of the people outside of her window, Caroline would be assured of being the example of good breeding and fashion for all of the ladies for miles around. She preened in anticipation of the adulation she would receive and the condescension she would bestow upon the undeserving masses. Unconsciously, she was planning to treat these people the way that she was treated by those of the first circles, the set that she desperately wished to join.

  Mr. Darcy will soon be here, and living in the same house he will have no other women to distract him. He will soon succumb to my charms, and Pemberley will be mine! She packed all of her most alluring, in her mind anyway, gowns and jewels, and was planning to spend some time going over the house, discovering the best places to accidentally find herself alone with him. She laughed to herself, by Michaelmas, she would be married!

  Two days after their arrival, Bingley and Caroline were invited to a dinner hosted by Sir William Lucas. Caroline was pleased that her prediction came true, and that she was immediately the centre of attention. She was enjoying giving her sneering pronouncements of superiority to Mrs. Long, when another lady was introduced to her.

  “Oh Miss Bingley, have you met your nearest neighbour? This is Mrs. Bennet, of Longbourn. Their estate directly borders Netherfield.” Lady Lucas said.

  Caroline inclined her head, and started to say something vaguely friendly when she was struck by the name. “Mrs. Bennet? Do you have two daughters, Elizabeth and Jane?” She asked suspiciously.

  Mrs. Bennet beamed. “Why yes, Miss Bingley! My two eldest girls have been in town for some time! My eldest is currently staying with her aunt and uncle, and my second eldest Lizzy is now staying at Hunsford parsonage in Kent, visiting Lady Lucas’ daughter Charlotte Collins. Have you met them?”

  “Yes, Mrs. Bennet, I have. I saw them both at the theatre and at a ball.” Caroline’s alarm began to grow. Why had Charles taken Netherfield? Surely it could not be a coincidence that he has been seen out with Jane Bennet and is leasing the estate next to hers? Surely he does not mean to attach himself to such a family? And Mr. Darcy is he not in Kent? Is his aunt’s house near this Mrs. Collins’ home?

  “Oh how wonderful for my girls to be among such wonderful company! I am hoping that their trip to town will put them in the way of some rich men. I hope to have them well married soon!” Mrs. Bennet effused happily.

  “Do you know if either of your daughters is attached to any gentlemen yet?” She asked, afraid to hear the answer.

  “No, I have not heard anything as yet, but they will be home in about a week, and I look forward to hearing all of their news. Especially my Jane, she is so beautiful, she is bound to have found a young man and has just not told me of it yet!” Mrs. Bennet was thrilled with the prospect.

  “And your daughter Miss Elizabeth, you say she is in Kent?”

  “Yes, she is staying at Hunsford Parsonage, which is attached to the estate of Rosings. Mr. Collins is our cousin, and his patroness is Lady Catherine de Bourgh.” Mrs. Bennet sniffed in distaste of mentioning Mr. Collins. She still had not forgiven Elizabeth for rejecting him.

  Caroline thought that she would faint. Mr. Darcy was at Rosings, and so was Elizabeth Bennet. When she returned to Netherfield that night, she attempted to interrogate her brother about the Bennet sisters. He knew that she would find out eventually who their neighbours were and put it all together, but he was not about to tell her of his or Darcy’s engagements until the ladies returned and the men approached Mr. Bennet. Until then, he simply smiled and said that he had no idea the ladies lived nearby when he took the lease, and Mr. Darcy’s business was not his. Caroline had no option but to wait for them to come to Hertfordshire, and plot her next move.

  FRIDAY MORNING, Elizabeth was out walking a garden path on the grounds of Rosings alone. William was inside, dealing with the estate matters which were his true reasons for coming to see his aunt each year. She was thinking of her father. He is not the man I thought he was. She used to be so proud of him, but his behaviour towards her and now towards the son he always wanted but willingly rejected had changed her once-beloved perception of him. It was not so much learning that he had enjoyed the habits, no matter how distasteful, common to gentlemen. It was the idea that when confronted with the results of his actions, he did nothing to help the girl he ruined or the child she bore. It was the illegitimacy of the child that made him disposable, and it disgusted her. She thought that her father’s reception of William when he asks for his blessing on their marriage will determine if the damage he already inflicted on their relationship could ever be repaired.

  Her r
everie was interrupted by a booming voice. “Miss Elizabeth! Fancy meeting you here! May I join you on your stroll?” Richard came striding to her, a grin brightening his face.

  “Colonel! Of course! I will be glad to have your company.” She smiled at him. “How do you escape the estate duties while William must toil alone?”

  “Well, you see that is the advantage to being a second son and a soldier. I am useless with estate paperwork. Visiting tenants, examining fences, looking at drainage, I can do readily enough, but the rest of it, I leave to my able cousin. He can handle a problem with efficiency that I would undoubtedly botch with alacrity.” He laughed.

  “It is good that you know your strengths, Colonel.” She grinned up at his twinkling blue eyes.

  “I know my weaknesses as well, Miss Elizabeth.” He said softly. Elizabeth blushed and looked away. Darcy was right; making her blush is a pleasure!

  Richard was happy for Darcy, he truly was. If anyone deserved a love match in marriage it was he. The woman he found was exceptional, and he looked forward to them joining in a long and happy life together. But. If only it had been he who caught her eye at the theatre that night, how different his life would be right now. His envy was great, and he knew that Darcy had noticed it. The two walked on in silence for a few moments. For all of his jovial countenance, he was a man who was struggling with the nightmare of all that he had seen in battle. He knew that he was tired of trying to carry on alone.

  Elizabeth was not at all comfortable with Richard’s implied admiration, and decided to move the topic of conversation along. “Colonel, could you tell me about William’s relationship with his father? He seems to hold him in high esteem, but I cannot help but feel that he suffered somehow with him.”

  Richard looked at her with surprise. In some ways he was a little disappointed. He was not sure what sort of a response he hoped for, anger or encouragement, but avoidance was unexpected. He studied her face etched with concern for his cousin and immediately knew her feelings were for him alone, but he would still hope that someday. . .

  “Colonel?” She asked, not sure what to think about the myriad of emotions crossing his face.

  “Forgive me, Miss Elizabeth, you asked a very difficult question.” He pulled himself together. “My uncle, George Darcy, was a very good man, and his son is very much like him, honourable, loyal, dedicated, extremely complex, and they both bury things deep inside. Uncle George loved Darcy, but he had a very difficult time displaying it. It was not a huge problem when Aunt Anne was alive, she was a woman who exuded love, and Darcy, well, knowing the man, you can imagine how shy he was as a boy, always felt loved by his mother. When she died. . .” He paused, his mind drifting with the memory. He looked into Elizabeth’s eyes, so full of worry for Darcy. Fighting his envy he continued, “I was fourteen when Aunt Anne died, so my perspective is probably a little naïve, but I remember that Uncle George just, I do not know, it was as if he had died, too. I only saw him smile at Georgiana and George Wickham. He rarely praised Darcy, and seemed relieved to send him off to school. Darcy worked so hard to make his father proud, but I watched over and over as Wickham received the attention. Darcy tried to be a friend to Wickham, but he would play cruel tricks on him, or cause trouble that Darcy would try to cover up to keep his friendship.” Richard looked at her. “He was very lonely.” Elizabeth had tears in her eyes. She wanted to find him that moment and hold him.

  He looked away from her obvious emotion and went on, “And so it continued for eight years, until Darcy reached the age of twenty. About then I noticed a great change came over Uncle George. He suddenly gave all of his attention to Darcy. He praised him and talked, and laughed. It was as if he was trying to make up for all of the years that he neglected his son. I was busy with my assignments in the army, but I would receive letters from Darcy, describing his father. He enjoyed the attention, of course, but he did not understand it. After so many years of being so insecure, he just did not know if he could trust his father, and he was incapable of opening his heart completely to him. He was too afraid of being hurt again. That was probably a good thing because his father died two years after the great change began. Darcy, of course, was devastated. He had just found his father only to lose him again, but since he was so accustomed to not having him, he recovered fairly quickly.”

  “But Georgiana did not.” Elizabeth murmured. “She always had her father’s undivided attention.”

  Richard studied her. “I understand that you have spoken to her about this.”

  She met his gaze. “Yes, I have. It may have driven her actions with Mr. Wickham. Did Mr. Darcy’s behaviour towards that man change?”

  “Yes, he seemed less enamoured, but he never withdrew his support of him, he just did not demonstrate it very readily.”

  “I thank you, Colonel, you have given me insight to William that I needed. You are correct, he is very complex, and I have sensed, and he has written to me about, a deep pain. At least now I will be better prepared when he finally opens up to me.” She smiled at him.

  “He is so very fortunate to have found you, Miss Elizabeth. You are exactly who he needed.” Richard looked into her eyes, his longing for the same kind of love was evident.

  “I think that he is exactly who I needed, too.” Richard smiled at her sadly. “Colonel, someday you will find the perfect woman for you, too.” She reached out, and gave his arm a squeeze. He was grateful for the gesture.

  “I hope so, Miss Elizabeth, but if you do not mind, allow me to bask in your and my cousin’s happiness for a while. Please forgive me for imposing my feelings upon you.” He took her hand and raised it to his lips. She nodded and smiled. At that moment, Darcy appeared.

  He had been sitting in the study in front of a window with his work, delighted to see Elizabeth in the garden. He watched as Richard approached her, and saw the unmistakable sign that she had blushed, an action he knew so well. That disconcerted him. Then he watched as they seemed to be joined in a very earnest conversation, and saw them looking at each other so intently, that he could not contain his possessiveness any longer. He stood and strode out of the house, arriving in time to witness his cousin’s kiss and her smile. He felt as if a knife went through his heart. In a very tightly controlled voice he said, “Elizabeth, what a pleasant surprise to see you here.” His eyes bore into hers, searching for any sign of disappointment in his arrival.

  Elizabeth knew that he was unhappy, and she smiled at him, she hoped reassuringly. “I felt a great need to escape my cousin this afternoon, William. I knew that you were working, but I could not resist walking amongst the spring flowers. The Colonel was good enough to accompany me.”

  Darcy’s gaze immediately fell on Richard, who after a lifetime; knew how angry Darcy really was. Ordinarily he might feel a justified affront, since nothing had happened with Elizabeth, but he also knew the feelings that he held in his heart for her, and he did not blame his cousin’s reaction at all. He was there to protect what was his.

  “Yes Darcy, I was telling Miss Elizabeth some family secrets. She was an excellent audience, shocked in all of the right places!” He laughed.

  Still not smiling, Darcy replied. “I thank you for entertaining my betrothed so well, Richard, and since you have enjoyed the pleasure of her company for some time, I am sure that you will excuse us if we take a little stroll together now.” There was no mistaking the warning in his eyes.

  Understanding it, Richard nodded. “Absolutely Cousin, I was thinking of saddling one of Aunt Catherine’s nags and seeing if I can get it to move faster than a trot.” Turning to Elizabeth, he bowed. “Miss Elizabeth, it has been a pleasure.”

  “Thank you, sir, for the walk, and the story.” Elizabeth smiled at Richard, and slipped her hand onto Darcy’s arm.

  Richard left, and Darcy fixed his burning gaze upon Elizabeth. Without saying a word, they started walking until they left the garden and entered a thick growth of trees out of sight of the house. Elizabeth felt her anger growing ove
r his behaviour, and when they stopped, she intended to tell him about it. When they arrived at a secluded clearing, he instantly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her possessively to him. She could feel him shaking. “I thought I had lost you.” He confessed; his voice cracking.

  “Why would you think such a thing?” Elizabeth pulled away to look up at him. His apparent intense insecurity and fear dissolved her immediate angry reaction to his possessive behaviour and replaced it with compassion. Her conversation with Richard about William’s past flooded back into her mind

  “I have seen his reaction to you, Elizabeth, I know Richard well. He admires you. I see his envy, and I know the thoughts that cross his mind when he looks at you.” He kissed her forehead and stared into her eyes. “Please tell me what he said to you.”

  Elizabeth knew that her next words could change his relationship with his cousin forever, and chose them carefully. “He told me of your history with your father.” Darcy continued to stare at her. She sighed; he knew she was holding back. “He told me that he wants the same love that you and I have.” Darcy closed his eyes, he knew Richard had spoken of his feelings, and knew there must be more. “I told him that someday he would find that woman. That was when he kissed my hand.”

  “He said nothing more?” He asked quietly.

  “No.”

  “Then he implied it somehow.” Elizabeth was silent. She had no intention of coming between the two men. She had only seen him angry once before and did not know what to do. She wanted to reassure him, but she also wanted to shake him. He was acting so much the part of the jealous, lovesick, fool.

  Suddenly Darcy pulled her against him and crushing his lips to hers, kissed her, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. His hands travelled over her body, cupping her behind and raising her up so that he could rub his arousal onto her. He pressed her against a tree and pushed his hips against her, as one hand massaged her breasts and the other pulled off her bonnet and buried itself in her hair, dislodging the pins. He pulled his mouth from hers and they both gasped for air. Understanding that he needed her touch and not her words to reassure him, Elizabeth unbuttoned his waist coat, and pulled his shirt from his trousers, finally slipping her hands underneath to touch the bare skin of his back and chest. He groaned and shuddered at her caress, and renewed his assault on her mouth. He knew that he was losing control. He knew that if they carried on much longer he would take her right then and there, and he also knew that she would let him. The realization that she would only do that for him is what finally gave him the strength to tear himself away, chest heaving, desire darkening his eyes. It was the hardest thing he had ever done. How could he not love Elizabeth, with her hair fallen down around her shoulders, and her swollen lips presenting the picture of a woman who needed to be loved, right then, by him? He put his hand on a tree and breathed hard, trying to regain control. Elizabeth watched and she knew that if she touched him again, he would instantly have her in his arms and he would not be able to stop. She was very tempted, but she held back. They both dealt with their unfulfilled arousal as best as they could.