by Dixon, P. O.
Elizabeth called on Georgiana the next day. She was grateful for time alone with her friend outside the company of Mr. Darcy. She had not seen the gentleman in days. It was just as well. Whenever she was with him, she found herself completely disconcerted. Glimpses of the haughty man that everyone so disdained in Hertfordshire were too eager to flee her thoughts whenever he was near.
“Elizabeth, the Season is barely underway. I hate to see you leave so soon after having just arrived.”
“I assure you that I shall endeavour to return to town once I leave Kent. After all, I am on a mission am I not? How likely am I to thwart my father’s plans for my future marital felicity in Kent?”
“I suppose if you must go, perhaps I shall persuade my brother to allow you to accompany him on his annual trip to visit our aunt Lady Catherine de Bourgh at Rosings Park.”
“I … I know not what to say.” Being entrapped in a long carriage ride with Mr. Darcy was the last thing she wanted—the last thing she needed. “It is hardly fitting that a single woman should travel to Kent with a single gentleman.”
“That is nonsense. You are like a sister to me. My brother will be glad for your company.”
“I am afraid he might disagree.”
“Well, it will do no harm in asking. I am certain you are wrong. I believe my brother admires you very much.”
“If you suppose such a thing, then you do not know your brother very well.”
“I know him well enough to know he would not have you travel by coach when you might enjoy the comforts of the luxurious Darcy barouche. You must leave it all to me. I shall even ask Mrs. Annesley to accompany you. She is very fond of you. I believe she will be very agreeable to the scheme.”
“And what shall you do during the height of the Season without a proper companion?”
“My aunt, Lady Ellen, will be happy for my company. There, you see, you shall have no more excuses.” Georgiana walked to her writing desk and secured pen and paper.
“What are you planning to do?”
“I shall send a note to my brother asking him to call on me as soon as possible.”
~*~
Darcy arrived at his sister’s home within an hour of her summons, surmising it must be terribly important, for rarely did she do such a thing. His apprehension soon turned into dread. Leaning against the mantelpiece, he tempered his speech. “Whatever do you mean in saying that Miss Elizabeth Bennet is travelling to Kent? What can be her purpose in Kent?” Part of the reason I am eager to leave town is to escape my irrational fascination with her.
“Brother, Miss Elizabeth has been invited to visit her dear friend Mrs. Charlotte Collins. She is the parson’s bride. Surely you would not relegate Miss Elizabeth to a public coach when there is more than enough room for her to accompany you and Cousin Richard.”
“A single woman travelling alone with two gentlemen is entirely unseemly.”
“Ah, but she will not be travelling alone. Mrs. Annesley has agreed to accompany her. It is all rather convenient, for Mrs. Annesley has friends in Kent that she might visit.”
Darcy brushed his fingers through his hair. His sister might have promised she had no intention of playing matchmaker between Elizabeth and him, but she was surely doing a fine imitation. Convenient dinner parties of four: Georgiana, Mrs. Annesley, Miss Elizabeth and me. Of course, he had drawn the line where theatre appearances and other public outings were concerned. It was inconceivable he would do anything that might give rise to speculation of any sort of attachment with his sister’s pretty friend from Hertfordshire.
He prayed the weather would be fine so he and Richard might ride on horseback alongside the carriage most of the way. He was feeling the danger of Elizabeth’s presence, and it was not a very comfortable position in which to find himself. How clever he had been in requesting Elizabeth’s hand for the waltz and thereby spoiling the intentions of the rakish Lord Stanley Davenport. The unintended consequence was the lingering remembrance of her in his arms. Days had passed, and yet the scent of lavender flooded his senses with little more than a thought of the soft caress of her hand on his shoulder, his hand on her waist.
How shall I endure the long carriage ride with her to Kent?
Chapter 10 ~ The Food of Love
“Calm yourself, old fellow. What is a half hour delay in the grand scheme of things?”
More than ten minutes had elapsed since Mrs. Gardiner went to fetch her niece. Darcy ceased his pacing back and forth and commenced staring out the window at the awaiting carriage. “You know how I value timeliness.”
“I would not be as fastidious as you for a kingdom,” said Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam, Darcy’s older cousin and one of his closest friends.
“No, I do not suppose you would be, but then you and I do not enjoy the same lot in life. I am expected to be punctual, whereas you—” Darcy tore his eyes away from the window just in time to see Elizabeth enter the room. The sight of her took his breath away. He reminded himself to breathe. What is it about this woman? How shall I endure the next several hours in her presence?
Richard cleared his throat, effectively gaining his cousin’s attention.
Darcy bowed. “Miss Elizabeth, good morning. Allow me to introduce you to my cousin, Colonel Richard Fitzwilliam. Richard, this is Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”
Richard reached for her hand and executed a perfect bow. “Miss Elizabeth Bennet, what a pleasure it is to make your acquaintance.”
“The pleasure is all mine, sir. Your cousin Georgiana has told me so much about you. I feel I know you.”
He raised her ungloved hand to his lips and brushed a kiss across her knuckles. “I am my young cousin’s favourite, and thus she has a tendency of exaggerating my good qualities. I sincerely hope I do not disappoint you.”
Darcy fought to keep his mouth from gaping open. Why, I have yet to take such liberties! It mattered not that the lingering touch of her hand upon his shoulder and the gentle caress of his hand about her waist were seared into his memory for all time. The warm glow on her face and the glint in her eyes told Darcy more than he wished to know about how Elizabeth received his cousin’s attentions. The modest smile she reserved for him was now in full bloom and directed at Richard. Release her hand already you fool!
Darcy walked to Elizabeth’s side. “Shall we take our leave?”
Her hand now freed, she tore her eyes away from Richard long enough to look at Darcy. “I beg your pardon, Mr. Darcy. I fear we will be delayed just a while longer. In my haste to come down to greet you, I forgot something I really cannot leave behind.”
Darcy pulled out his pocket watch and noted the time. “I had planned to commence our journey long before now, Miss Elizabeth.”
“Oh, my! Georgiana told me that you would be a stickler for time. I supposed she was merely exaggerating.” She and his cousin exchanged a knowing glance.
Is this what I have to look forward to for the next several hours: shameless flirtation on Richard’s part and brazen teasing from her?
“I shall only be a few minutes more.” She turned and hurried out of the room before he could protest further. I suppose waiting for Elizabeth would be a habit if we were to marry. He swallowed hard. If we were to marry! Darcy rubbed his forehead. What has come over me?
Richard turned to Darcy. “I had no idea Georgiana’s friend was so pretty. I like her. I say this shall be a most interesting trip.”
Showing no compunction whatsoever, Darcy frustrated his cousin when it came time to hand Elizabeth into the carriage by stepping in front of him and claiming her hand for himself. He likened the thrill of their touch to the pleasure he suffered when holding her body next to his on the dance floor.
Her brow crumpled, Elizabeth lightly gripped Darcy’s hand and started up the steps. Looking back at the colonel apologetically, she lost her footing. Gasping, she grabbed hold of Darcy to avoid an embarrassing tumble. Sparks raced throughout his body, nearly taking his breath away, for now she was truly in his arms
.
Once she was comfortably inside, the colonel said to Darcy, “I suppose you mean to break with decorum and sit next to her as well.”
“Indeed. My carriage—my rules.”
“Is that how it is?”
The instant Darcy settled in his seat beside her and felt the incidental brush of his thigh against hers, he questioned his sanity in allowing his sister to talk him into bringing Elizabeth to Kent. Even more, he questioned his thinking in strongly hinting to Georgiana’s paid companion that he had no wish to sit next to his cousin all the way to Kent.
Now what am I to do? Richard would no doubt glamour on for most of the journey. Darcy was in no mood to talk. Seated next to her like this, breathing her delightful scent of chamomile and lavender, he supposed it would have to be enough.
Enough? Enough for what?
~*~
From what little Elizabeth knew of Colonel Fitzwilliam, he was well on his way to topping her list. He was not the epitome of perfection that defined the Adonis-like comportment of his cousin; however, what he lacked in physical beauty, he made up in charisma.
His presence alone increases the prospect of gaiety one-hundred fold.
In person and address, Colonel Fitzwilliam was most truly the gentleman. Unlike his haughty younger cousin, the colonel entered into conversation directly with the ease of a well-bred man and spoke very pleasantly.
His manners would have been much admired in Hertfordshire. Sitting across from her, he talked so agreeably of Kent, of traveling, of new books and music that Elizabeth had never been half so well entertained since arriving in town.
Once they had exhausted every subject suitable to the level of their acquaintance, everyone was quiet. The steady hum of the carriage, the comfort of the luxurious barouche, and the cessation of conversation conspired to lull her into a midday slumber. Elizabeth refused to succumb. The bright sun’s glare bothered Elizabeth and impeded her reading pleasure. Her repeated attempts to pull closed the curtains proved futile.
“Allow me, Miss Elizabeth,” said Darcy. Surprised beyond measure, she stiffened after she returned to her former sitting position and found her head resting on his arm atop the seat back as he leaned forward and drew the shade. Memories of being in his arms, waltzing about the ballroom, flooded her treacherous senses. Would she ever forget the sensations evoked from his hand about her waist? A hint of sandalwood and spice whiffed the air. By the time he returned to his former attitude on his own side of the carriage seat, her heartbeat pounded in her ears. Why does his nearness disturb my equanimity?
“I trust that is more to your liking.”
Elizabeth said nothing, thinking all eyes in the carriage surely must be feasting upon the unfolding spectacle. On the contrary, Mrs. Annesley was dozing, as was the colonel. When had that happened? It is almost like being alone with him. The sparks generated by his gentle caress of her hand when he assisted her into the carriage had not dissipated. Heaven forbid she would have to talk to him. Suddenly, the idea of peering out into the blinding sunlight held infinite appeal.
The manner in which he scrutinises me is positively unnerving. If I do not say something, I shall grow afraid of him. She summoned her courage. “I am sorry to have disturbed your reading.”
He lowered his arm to his side. “It was no trouble. Besides, I needed an excuse for setting my reading aside.”
“Oh, I take it you were not reading for pleasure.”
“Even a pleasurable experience must yield in the wake of more gratifying prospects.”
Elizabeth’s heart banged against her chest. I must not allow him to rattle me like this. “I can imagine few things more gratifying than losing oneself in a good book.”
“I would expect you to say that, what with you having had little opportunity to experience the types of pleasures of which I speak.”
“You mean to intimidate me, Mr. Darcy. I shall not allow it.” Remembering to look anywhere but into his eyes, she cleared her throat. “Pray, what exactly are you reading?”
He rested his arm over the back of the seat once more, and he eased a tiny bit closer. “You are welcome to have a look.” His book rested in his lap, and he conveyed no intention to hand it to her. Elizabeth had little choice but to lean into his embrace.
Her treacherous body stiffened against him. It is too much—being this close to him. Elizabeth closed her eyes long enough to breathe. I must not allow him to think I am afraid of him. As if oblivious of how their intimate seating arrangement might be perceived were their travel companions to waken, she took him up on his challenge and leaned even closer into the cradle of his arm resting along the back of the seat. A flood of sensations settled upon her and blinded her to the words on the pages. Instead, she was drawn to the perfect lines of his richly tailored jacket, the detailed pattern of his waistcoat, and the steady rise and fall of his chest.
“Shall I read to you, Miss Elizabeth? It might help to pass the time.”
The sound of his voice and the smooth caress of his warm breath roused her. Elizabeth turned her head slightly. Wonderfully amazing blue eyes held her silently captured for what seemed an eternity. Her eyes fell to his lips ... his moistened lips. She ran her tongue along her lower lip supposing that it would help soothe her unrest. It did not. She wanted something. Something never yet experienced. Something dangerous.
“Miss Elizabeth?”
A sudden quiver deep inside awakened her once more. She pulled away just as he shifted his body and lowered his arm to reposition his book. “Yes—no. Yes, sir, I should like that very much.”
~*~
A half hour after their arrival at Bromley, Darcy received unfortunate news from his driver. Their departure would be delayed because of fallen tree limbs in the road just outside the town. It would be at least an hour or two before the debris was cleared. Darcy determined that Richard would not have this time alone with Elizabeth. Having informed Mrs. Annesley there would be a delay in their embarking upon the final leg of their journey and having settled her by the fireplace of the inn, he set about locating his other travelling companions. Where has Richard run off to with Elizabeth?
Recalling how his sister boasted of Elizabeth’s love of the outdoors, Darcy ventured onto the street. He espied Richard and Elizabeth walking arm and arm, pausing now and again to peer into shop windows. He joined them.
“Richard, would you mind returning to the inn and attending Mrs. Annesley? I should like a moment with Miss Elizabeth.”
Both Elizabeth and Richard’s faces bore the question of why he had left Mrs. Annesley’s side if she was in such urgent need of attention. Elizabeth supposed Mr. Darcy was in the habit of arranging things for his own convenience, and this was one such instance. Richard walked away, and Elizabeth accepted Darcy’s proffered arm.
He led her in the opposite direction. “What are you about, Mr. Darcy?”
“There is a delay. I was of a mind to enjoy a leisurely stroll, and I thought you might enjoy it as well. My sister told me you have a fondness for walking.”
“Whenever the prospect of a walk exists, you will find me easily persuaded. However, why did you not mention it to your cousin?”
“I had no desire to walk with my cousin.”
They drifted along in silence, prompting Elizabeth to wonder what his purpose was if he meant to be silent and taciturn. Well, he had rattled her composure quite enough for one day. If they were to have any conversation at all, he would have to be the initiator.
A distant rumble pierced the silence. It started to sprinkle, first a tiny drop and then another. Darcy said, “Perhaps we should return. The skies look threatening.”
They turned to head back, but they did not go very far before the skies opened, forcing Darcy and Elizabeth to seek the closest shelter they could find. It was an old stable. By the looks of the place, it was abandoned. It was dry and thus it would have to do.
Darcy looked at Elizabeth. Her bonnet was dripping wet, streams of water traced paths down h
er face. Her light spencer was soaked. Without speaking, he removed his great coat, shook off the rain, and stepped nearer to drape it over her shoulders.
Disturbed by his intentions, she took a step back. “No, I do not expect you to give up your coat for me.”
“I insist,” he said. He completed his mission and lingered a bit while doing so.
They were standing so close to each other, summoning her to their last dance. Unable to resist, Elizabeth studied his face. Her eyes traced a pattern from his slightly parted lips, to his eyes, back to his lips once more. Why have I never noticed his lips, that tiny scar? She reached up and gingerly traced her fingers across it.
Darcy grasped her hand, suddenly yet gently. A frisson of panic arose in her chest. She did not know what to make of the abruptness of his act. Utterly confused by the dark, clouded look in his eyes, she supposed he was just as likely to scold her or bestow a tender kiss. He lowered her hand, released it, and stepped away.
She exhaled. “Will you tell me what happened?”
“I fell from a horse when I was young—very young and daring.”
His heartbeat racing, Darcy walked to the door and slid it open. He looked outside at the passing storm and filled his thoughts with anything that might keep his increasingly aching desire at bay. It had been difficult enough to maintain his control in the carriage, but alone with her in such an intimate setting as this, solely the two of them, with a door that might easily be secured if necessary to ensure their privacy—it was too much for an honourable man with no intention of marrying even to contemplate. How she tempts me like no other woman!
