Unleashing Mr. Darcy

by Teri Wilson

  Akins swiveled his head toward Elizabeth and then back to Donovan. “I suppose I could venture a guess.”

  “I suppose you could. But just in case, let me spell it out for you. In an emergency judging situation, the customary rules no longer apply. In other words, Miss Scott could have waltzed into my ring and shown a dog I bred myself and there would have been no conflict of interest.” Donovan inched closer to Elizabeth. She could feel the heat coming off him, and she wanted so badly to bask in that heat.

  Elizabeth had never been the type to yearn for a man to rescue her from her troubles. She’d always been independent, fought her own battles. But she couldn’t help but watch, feeling equally fascinated and comforted, as Donovan had transformed into a crusader. Defending her, defending himself, defending them.

  It was rather stirring.

  “Mr. Akins, now do you understand why I’m upset by the implication there’s been any wrongdoing here?” Donovan crossed his arms.

  “Certainly, sir. I apologize to both you and Miss Scott.” The show secretary stood and bowed at Elizabeth.

  She was about to wave a hand at Mr. Akins and tell him not to worry about the misunderstanding when Donovan spoke again. This time, something in his tone gave her pause.

  “All that being said, I’ll save you the trouble and embarrassment you seem to be worried about, Akins.” Donovan glanced at Elizabeth, and her insides went inexplicably frosty. “I hereby withdraw from judging the remainder of the day.”

  Wait...what?

  “Henry Robson is in attendance, and I’m sure he would be glad to step in. Good day,” Donovan said, bowing to Mr. Akins and then to Elizabeth.

  Her heart stalled to a stop.

  And before she could take it all in, he was gone.

  * * *

  Morning turned into afternoon, and Elizabeth stumbled through all of it as if in a daze. Since the Border terrier judging was complete, and Sue opted to show Rose in the Terrier Group ring as she always did, Elizabeth’s duties as a dog nanny were officially over. All that remained for her to do before she went back to her life as a teacher was to show Bliss. As soon as she stepped into the ring one last time, it would all be over.

  And she wouldn’t see Donovan again until Henry and Jenna’s wedding.

  If he bothered to attend.

  Clearly, he wished never to see her again. He’d disappeared after the confrontation with the show secretary, and Elizabeth hadn’t laid eyes on him since. Granted, she hadn’t had time to search the show grounds for him. But he’d withdrawn from judging. Didn’t that speak volumes?

  Why hadn’t she told him how she felt the moment she had the chance? Why had she wasted what little time she’d had with him flirting, dancing around what she really wanted to say? It had all happened so fast. Her head was spinning.

  So it was with a heavy heart that she stepped into the Cavalier ring.

  “Good luck, Lizzy,” Jenna whispered. “Go get ’em.”

  “Yes, best of luck.” Sue nodded. “Bliss looks beautiful, dear. I think you really have a chance this time.”

  Elizabeth glanced at Bliss, then at the other Cavaliers lining up behind her. Of course she thought Bliss was the prettiest dog in the ring, but that was always her opinion, regardless of what the other Cavaliers looked like. Bliss could have been shaved bald, and Elizabeth still would have thought she deserved the top prize. In the dog-show world, the only thing that mattered was the judge’s opinion. In this case, that judge was a Mrs. Pitt. And she was quite...rotund. To such an extent that she maneuvered around the ring via electric scooter instead of the power of her own legs.

  Elizabeth was relieved the schedule had been changed—yet again—and Henry would not be her judge. It was all starting to feel so incestuous. More than anything, she didn’t want to get called in front of the show secretary again. Certainly not without Donovan there to come to her defense. So the idea of Mrs. Pitt—in all her motorized glory—judging Cavaliers was simply delightful to Elizabeth.

  She didn’t realize just how delightful it would be until Mrs. Pitt slipped the Best of Breed sash over Elizabeth’s head, followed an hour later by the Group First sash.

  “Oh, my gosh. I don’t believe it. This can’t be happening.” Elizabeth drifted out of the Group ring, into the waiting arms of Jenna and Sue. “Did Bliss just win the Toy Group?”

  “She certainly did.” Sue pulled back and smiled wider than Elizabeth had ever seen her smile before. She looked even happier about Bliss’s victory in the Group ring than she did about Rose’s new Championship status. “And now you get to compete for Best in Show! You could win, dear. Fancy that?”

  “You’re going to win.” Jenna nodded. “I can just feel it. So many of those other dogs were frightened by the judge’s scooter. But Bliss wasn’t fazed a bit. You’ve got it in the bag. This is so exciting.”

  In any other circumstance, Elizabeth would have asked Jenna when she’d started to care so much about dog shows, but she didn’t have it in her to tease her sister. The day had been filled with such highs and lows, she thought she might lose her bearings altogether. And she still had to show Bliss in the Best in Show ring!

  She barely had a minute to run a comb through Bliss’s Blenheim coat before ring time. For what seemed like the umpteenth time since she’d woken up that morning, Elizabeth wished she could slow the hands of the clock. She wanted the opportunity to savor the moment. Instead, she bustled to the ring with Sue calling out a steady stream of advice along the way.

  “Line up last, dear. Let all those big dogs get in front of you so they don’t pile up behind you as you go around the ring together.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “And don’t rush Bliss. Just let her find her stride.”

  “Okay.” Elizabeth’s stomach fluttered with the beat of butterfly wings.

  “And most of all, have fun.” Sue gave her a final hug and pushed her through the ring gates.

  Fun.

  Elizabeth shook her head. She’d forgotten that was why she did all of this in the first place—to have fun. How had she managed to lose sight of that?

  Right here, right now, she was in the Best in Show ring with her dog. Opportunities such as this rarely came along. Most handlers could only dream of competing for Best in Show. And Elizabeth had certainly fantasized about it happening, more than once. And now those dreams were coming true. She was going to enjoy every second of it.

  Her only regret was that Donovan wasn’t there to see her compete.

  One dog from each Group—the best of the best—strutted around the ring as the announcer called its breed name. First came the Gundog, then the representative of the Hound Group, followed by Working, Pastoral, Utility and Terrier. And then at last, the Toy Group.

  “And from the Toy Group, we have the Cavalier King Charles spaniel,” a voice boomed from the loudspeaker.

  This was her cue.

  “Ready, Bliss?” Elizabeth smiled down at her dog and then stepped into the spotlight.

  A rush of applause filled her ears as she led Bliss around the ring. The cheers of the crowd welled up inside her, carried her and her beloved Cavalier while they posed on the plush green carpet, went through the examination on the table and ran around in what seemed like endless circles behind the other dogs—all of them bigger, all of them flashier and certainly all of them more experienced at showing than Bliss.

  But in the end, none of that mattered. Because when it was time for the announcement of Best in Show, Mrs. Pitt sat in her scooter and pointed her judicious finger directly at Elizabeth.

  “What?” Elizabeth had to fight mightily to remain upright. She trembled from head to toe and would have thought she’d only imagined the outcome if not for Jenna and Sue jumping up and down and cheering just beyond the ring gates.

  She glanced at
Henry, who stood at Mrs. Pitt’s side. He winked at her and then, and only then, did it really sink in.

  Best in Show.

  Tears pricked the corners of Elizabeth’s eyes. She scooped Bliss into her arms, accepted the congratulations of the other handlers and waited to be awarded her rosette.

  She hoped Henry would be the one to slip the sash over her head. He was soon to be family, after all. It seemed more personal than accepting the award from one of the other judges, none of whom she really knew.

  They approached her as a group—Mrs. Pitt wheeling down the center of the ring, flanked by Henry and the judges from the Hound, Pastoral, Working and Utility Groups.

  “Congratulations.” Mrs. Pitt smiled. Her smile faltered when it became apparent she didn’t know Elizabeth’s name. “A very nice win, um, exhibitor number eight.”

  And suddenly, Donovan stepped out from behind the group of judges. “I believe her name is Miss Scott, not number eight.”

  Elizabeth’s body reacted to his presence before her brain could process that he was actually there, standing in the Best in Show ring. Her pulse boomed so loudly that she was certain he could hear it. She clutched her chest, as if to keep her heart from leaping out of her throat. “Mr. Darcy.”

  He smiled down at her, a poignant smile that seemed to say exactly what she was feeling inside. Oh, how I’ve missed you. “I was hoping you’d allow me to do the honors. That is, if you don’t mind?”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “I don’t mind at all. In fact, I love the idea.”

  As I love you.

  Donovan turned to Mrs. Pitt, who handed him the Best in Show sash.

  “Why don’t we allow Mr. Darcy and Miss Scott a moment of privacy?” Henry said and guided the rest of the judges toward the ring gates as if he himself were a herding member of the Pastoral Group.

  One of the judges yelped as they left the ring. Elizabeth thought perhaps Mrs. Pitt had run over his foot. She wasn’t entirely certain.

  Donovan stepped closer to her, until he was scarcely a whisper away.

  Elizabeth gazed up at him, convinced more than ever she was living in a dream. “What are you doing here? I thought you’d gone.”

  “Leave? And miss this?” He winked. “Not likely. I withdrew from judging because I didn’t want to cause you any further scandal. I know how you loathe that sort of thing. Our experience with the Daily Mail wasn’t for naught. But I’ve been here all along. You said there was something you wanted to share with me, so where would I go?”

  “Oh,” she murmured, blinking back tears.

  “But first things first. I’m pleased to award you Best in Show.” Donovan’s voice was rough, clogged with emotion. It seemed to scrape Elizabeth’s insides as he slipped the shiny sash over her head.

  A single tear slipped down her cheek. As Donovan reached up and wiped it away with a swipe of his thumb, the thought occurred to her that she would gladly let him wipe away all her tears from this day forward.

  She returned Bliss to the floor and ran her fingertips over the words Best in Show emblazoned across the sash in purple satin letters. As exciting as it was, Elizabeth no longer wanted to discuss the show. She had more important things to say. Things that could no longer wait.

  “I know it was you, Donovan.” Elizabeth rested a hand on his chest. That simple contact sent her head reeling. “You’re the one who got my job at the Barclay School reinstated. It was in the Daily Mail.”

  Donovan’s lips curved into a wistful grin. “Bloody newspaper. That donation was supposed to be anonymous.”

  “You’ve given me everything—my reputation, my future.” Tears were flowing freely now down her face. “You’ve given me my life back.”

  He tilted his head, reaching out to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear, before cupping her cheek. His earnest expression held her spellbound. “I suppose I have.”

  She leaned into his hand as he swept her tears away. “The trouble is, Donovan, I don’t want that life anymore. My life is here now. In England. I’ve accepted a teaching job here, in London.”

  His lips curved into a smile. Its genuineness made her heart soar. “Is that so?”

  “Yes. I’ll be teaching English at a secondary school in Newham.”

  “Newham?” His eyebrows shot to his hairline. “That’s a far cry from the Barclay School.”

  “Do you have a problem with that?” Please, no. Haven’t we moved beyond such matters?

  “Not at all. The school in Newham is actually a pet project of mine. The Darcy Family Trust supports many of their programs.” He crossed his arms. “Surprised?”

  She wasn’t sure if she’d ever loved him as much as she did right at that moment. “No, actually. I’m not. Pleased, yes. Surprised, not so much. I’ve misjudged you before. I won’t be making that mistake ever again. I love you, Donovan. I’ve loved you all along.”

  “Miss Scott, am I to assume you’ve had a change in heart? Because my wishes are unchanged, but one word from you will silence me on this subject forever.” He smiled at her again, and suddenly she no longer felt like crying. In fact, she had the overwhelming feeling that everything in her world had slipped into place.

  “You...silent? Not for long, I’d wager,” Elizabeth whispered, her voice breaking. “Ask me again, Donovan. Please.”

  And then, right there in the Best in Show ring, Donovan Darcy dropped down onto one knee. With dog hair clinging to his trousers and a collection of stunned members of the British dog fancy as his witnesses, he asked Elizabeth Scott to become his wife. Again.

  This time, she said yes.

  * * * * *

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  ISBN-13: 9781460323809

  UNLEASHING MR. DARCY

  Copyright © 2014 by Teri Wilson

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