Deception

by Ola Wegner

  “Colonel Fitzwilliam.” The quiet feminine voice was heard from above.

  All three pairs of eyes flew to the direction from where the sound came. Elizabeth Bennet was standing on the stairway landing. She was very pale, her face tear-stricken. Her hair was swept up on the top of her head in a neat, tight, simple bun.

  “Elizabeth, go to your room. Now,” Darcy said commandingly, but Elizabeth shook her head slowly. ”Elizabeth…,” Darcy started again, but Lady Catherine interjected.

  “Here you are! Shameless girl! Tell me now. What have you done to him to entice him so? What arts and allurements have you used so he forgets about his duty, family, his mother’s wishes? Answer me!”

  “Lady Catherine…,” Elizabeth started, but Darcy interrupted her almost harshly. “Elizabeth, I shall deal with her. I told you to go to your room!”

  Elizabeth shook her head and whispered. “Mr. Darcy, it is not my wish to cause misunderstandings among your family.”

  The expression on Darcy’s face hardened when he looked at his aunt. “Lady Catherine de Bourgh does not count as my family any longer if she is unwilling to accept my future wife and welcome her as her niece. Miss Bennet is my fiancée and deserves your respect.”

  “Respect? That nobody? Welcome her? Are you out of your mind, Darcy?” Lady Catherine stepped forward and cried fiercely in the direction of Elizabeth, pointing with her jewelled finger. ”I know your kind very well. He lost his head for your eyes, smiles and most of all for those dresses cut straight to the stomach. All men are the same...”

  “Aunt, you forget yourself!” Colonel cried sharply.

  “You too? Has she warmed the bed for both of you?” Lady Catherine demanded, looking at Elizabeth with contempt.

  Darcy’s handsome face turned instantly red, his jaw clenching. “Elizabeth, we are leaving!” he announced. “We shall not stay here a minute longer.”

  “You will not go anywhere.” Lady Catherine stepped in his path, speaking commandingly. “You shall put her into the carriage alone and send her to her family at once. Then you will return to Rosings and propose to Anne, as you should have done years ago.”

  Darcy ignored her ladyship, and stepping on the first step of the stairs, said gently. “Come my love. Come to me.”

  He extended his hand to her. Elizabeth did not make a move, but when Darcy spoke her name again she stepped down a few steps, reaching out her own small trembling hand towards him.

  On seeing this, Lady Catherine gave a short shrieking cry and rushed to them. In a split second, Darcy turned around to his aunt and effortlessly grabbed her wrists in one hand, stopping her in motion. “Cousin, take her with you to the carriage,” he said, pointing with his head to Elizabeth.

  Colonel Fitzwilliam immediately moved to Elizabeth and said. “Miss Bennet, we are leaving. I shall accompany you to the carriage.” When Elizabeth did not answer or move, still staring with her mouth agape at Darcy, who was holding his aunt pinned to the wall, Colonel took her arm unceremoniously, pulling her down the last few steps.

  Only when Elizabeth was safely outside, did Darcy let go of his aunt; then without a word, he left the building as well.

  Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth were already standing next to the carriage when Darcy joined them. Elizabeth found her voice at last. “Mr. Darcy, it is so horrible. It has been never my intention…”

  Darcy smiled tightly at her, and cupping her cheek, said gently. “Do not fret yourself over this, Elizabeth. It would have happened sooner and later. Lady Catherine never wanted to understand I had never wished or intended to marry Anne.”

  “You can talk later. We should be going,” Fitzwilliam said, eyeing the parsonage apprehensively.

  “You are right, Cousin. Come Elizabeth,” Darcy said, putting his arm around her, directing her to the open carriage.

  “I cannot go,” she protested. “All my things are still inside, my trunk, my gowns.” She attempted to free herself from his grip, looking at the house.

  “Elizabeth, I am sure Mrs. Collins shall send your trunk later,” Darcy said reassuringly.

  “But how can I go like this, without spencer, bonnet, or gloves; just in home slippers,” Elizabeth cried desperately, almost on the verge of tears.

  Darcy placed his hands on Elizabeth’s shoulders and spoke gently. “We shall buy everything you need on the first stop to change horses.”

  Elizabeth blushed, humiliated because he presumed he would buy her things, as if she had been his kept woman.

  “You cannot go back there,” he told her.

  “Darcy is right, Miss Bennet. Aunt is surely rallying the troops by now,“ Colonel supported his cousin.

  Elizabeth was still shaking her head in denial. It dawned on her that the moment she stepped into that carriage with Mr. Darcy, there would not be return from for her.

  The next moment, she felt his hands on her, one on her elbow, the other on her hip as he handed her into the box. Colonel Fitzwilliam climbed quickly in after her, and when Darcy was preparing himself to do the same, a feminine voice was heard chanting, “Lizzy, Lizzy…”

  Elizabeth looked out of the vehicle, and seeing her friend running towards them instantly jumped outside. “Charlotte!” she cried and soon the two women were embracing tightly. It was Mrs. Collins, who stepped back first. “Lizzy, I have got your things,” she said, holding forth Elizabeth’s brown spencer, bonnet and gloves. “I shall pack the rest of your clothes and send your trunk later,” she assured.

  Elizabeth took her possessions and hugged her friend again. “Thank you, Charlotte. I am so sorry about all of this, I did not want for any of this to happen...,” she whispered brokenly.

  “I know, Lizzy. Do not worry about me. I shall be fine,” Charlotte said, smiling at the other woman. ”But you should really go now,” she added seriously, looking at Darcy, who stood guard behind Elizabeth the entire time. She observed him guiding her friend gently, but decidedly, back into the box, the door shutting behind them.

  Mrs. Collins stood on the lane staring after them until the carriage disappeared around the turn in the road.

  Chapter Four

  For the first minutes of the ride, Elizabeth sat numbly staring at her things gathered in a small heap on her lap. She did not move or say anything, neither did she remove her eyes from her belongings.

  Colonel Fitzwilliam sat on the opposite seat while Mr. Darcy sat closely next to her, looking at her with great concern. She did not return his persistent gaze, as if she had not been aware of it. But she was, because when he leaned a little closer towards her, she stiffened instantly.

  Darcy covered her small cold hand with his large one and spoke tenderly. “Let me help you with these, Elizabeth.”

  She lifted her face to him, their eyes meeting.

  “I thank you, sir, but I will manage on my own,” she said, dodging from him as far as the length of the carriage would allow. She sat very close to the window, turning slightly with her back to both men and hastily, with trembling hands, put on her spencer, bonnet and gloves. Having secured the bow under her chin, she stared out of the window at the passing countryside.

  Darcy, clearly disconcerted by her behaviour, looked at his cousin with a question in his eyes, but Colonel just shook his head. Darcy’s attention returned to Elizabeth, who was now almost completely turned with her back to him.

  Moving from his place, he sat on the opposite seat, in front of her. His eyes rested on her delicate profile, not leaving her face for a moment. She must have found his staring uncomfortable, because she stilled herself, clasping her hands together tightly.

  Colonel Fitzwilliam nudged Darcy with his arm, pointing with his head to Elizabeth and shaking his head again, creasing his brows this time. Darcy rolled his eyes at him, saying nothing. Colonel moved closer to the other window. He stared pointedly at Darcy until his cousin very reluctantly moved to his previous place. Elizabeth was left alone in one corner of the carriage, still partially turned with her back to her compan
ions. However, judging by her less ridged posture, she had relaxed a little.

  None of them spoke until the carriage stopped at Bromley to change horses. Colonel Fitzwilliam got off first. Darcy moved to Elizabeth, turning her gently to him. Her head was lowered still, and she would not look at him.

  “Elizabeth, let us go. You shall have some tea. Have you eaten anything today?” he inquired gently.

  Elizabeth shook her head slowly. “I will stay here. I do not want to go anywhere,” she whispered.

  “Elizabeth, you cannot stay here. Come. Let us go.” Darcy’s arm crept surely around her frame and he leaned closer to her.

  Elizabeth pushed at him strongly. “Sir, I do not want you to touch me. I do not wish to go anywhere,” she repeated angrily, her lips pressed tightly in a thin line.

  Colonel’s fair head appeared in the open door. “What is taking you so long?”

  Darcy looked helplessly at him. “She does not want to go.”

  Colonel Fitzwilliam took quick look at Elizabeth’s pale features and the adamant expression on her face before speaking to his cousin in what seemed to be a casual voice. “Darcy, go see to our places at the Bell. I am sure Miss Bennet would like something warm to drink.”

  Darcy hesitantly and very unwillingly stepped out of the carriage while the other man stepped in. He walked slowly towards the inn. Just before reaching the entrance, he turned around, but the door to the carriage was closed, and neither Colonel nor Elizabeth were anywhere to be seen.

  He knew Elizabeth was in shock because of all that had happened this morning, and still devastated with the news of her father’s sudden and unexpected passing. However, her behaviour towards him baffled and worried him most seriously. Since they left Hunsford, she had treated him the same as the day before in the grove, not letting him touch her, pushing him away, refusing to look at him.

  The moment he entered the inn, the owner himself rushed to him, offering the place in the quiet corner of the room, next to the large window. Darcy ordered tea and some light snacks for Elizabeth, hoping he could convince her to eat something. Darcy sat at the simple wooden table, covered with a clean white cloth, and stared out the window, locating his carriage. With relief he noticed the door being opened and his cousin stepping out of it. Colonel held out his hand, and Elizabeth appeared in the open door looking hesitantly at the muddy ground beneath her. It was indeed very muddy, and Darcy remembered that she wore her thin slippers, the shoes certainly not appropriate for the journey, not to mention wading in the clay. Colonel must have noticed the same as he stepped into the mud in front of her, and placing his hands around her small waist, carried her effortlessly a few steps, putting her safely on the dry ground.

  Darcy‘s heart cringed in his chest with jealousy.

  He should be helping her, not his cousin! Yet she had refused to go with him, had said she did not wish him to touch her, though she had just allowed the Colonel to carry her without a word of protest, without one grim or defiant look, with trust!

  Darcy wondered whether she preferred his cousin. As painful as it was, he reminded himself that she had always seemed to welcome Colonel’s company. More than once he observed how animated she had been with his cousin, smiling openly at him, playing the pianoforte for him.

  But only this very morning she had let him comfort her; it was he, Darcy, who held her in his arms.

  He could not deny himself the pleasure of basking for a few seconds in the memory of that short moment when she allowed him to hold her so closely to him, cuddled against him in the armchair. He knew she was devastated, miserable, in utter despair, but he could only think of the weight of her warm, soft body, cradled against his.

  He felt ashamed that while she was dozing in his embrace, exhausted from all her crying, he could only think about her full breasts pressed against his ribcage. It was enough for him to just peek a little towards her décolleté to see her soft mounds spilling out of the low cut of her dress. He was sure he had even seen the trace of one pink nipple. He knew it was wrong to feel aroused at such a moment, when she was weak and not thinking straight, but it could not be helped. After all, he was just a man and totally besotted by her. The curve of her hip, her tiny feet dangling in the air, her small palm with tapered fingers clasped on his shirt…

  “Darcy, have you ordered our tea?” His cousin’s voice brought Darcy abruptly from his pleasant musings.

  “Yes, I have,“ he answered, standing instantly and eyeing Elizabeth. She stood demurely, very close to Colonel, her eyes lowered to the floor.

  “How are you, my dear?” he enquired gently, reaching towards her with his hand but not touching her.

  “I am fine. I thank you, sir,” she answered quickly, not looking at him.

  She motioned herself to the chair on the other side of the table from him. The moment she sat down, the gentlemen did the same.

  The uncomfortable silence remained, during which Elizabeth removed her gloves and bonnet methodically. Darcy was staring at her while Colonel occupied himself with glaring at him disapprovingly with a frown on his forehead. Fortunately, the owner’s wife came with a young girl carrying the tray with tea and sandwiches. The whole company busied themselves with the cups which were placed in front of them.

  Elizabeth sipped her tea slowly. Her hand shook slightly, when Darcy touched her arm. “My dear, please you must eat something,” he tried to convince her. “You shall faint without any nourishment. I am certain you have not eaten anything since yesterday.”

  She did not answer, but looked to the side, her lips again pressed together in a tight line.

  “Miss Bennet,” Colonel inquired gently. “There are still a couple of hours of ride before us. Perhaps you should try to eat something?”

  Elizabeth looked at him, and something resembling a trace of smile appeared on her countenance. She took a little bite of sandwich. She finished her sandwich, drank some more tea and raised herself, saying. “Excuse me, I shall go refresh myself a little.”

  Two pairs of eyes followed her until she disappeared behind the small side door, prior asking the girl who had brought the tea about the direction.

  The cousins eyed each other for a few moments before Colonel spoke first. “Darcy, you are pushing her too hard. Remember she refused you only yesterday. You cannot believe her feelings for you have changed over one night.”

  “What did you do with her in the carriage?”Darcy barked, his jaw’s clenched.

  The instant scowl appeared on Fitzwilliam’s face. “Darcy, what the hell are you speaking of!? Listen to yourself! She lost her father yesterday. She is not in mood for any nonsense...”

  “You almost carried her out of the carriage,” Darcy interrupted with force, not convinced.

  Fitzwilliam’s voice raised in irritation. “Because you rushed her so much that she could not even change her shoes and was forced travel in those thin slippers.”

  “It was not me, but our aunt who rushed her so.”

  “Oh, yes, and you, of course, had to march in there and announce your intentions to the world. Could you not have waited and broken the news in more delicate manner? Can you imagine how humiliated she must feel now? Being called your whore, not to even mention mine too, and now being reduced to travel alone with both of us?”

  “She has nothing to fear from me. I shall protect her,” Darcy announced haughtily.

  “Oh, come on, Darcy,” his cousin cried in exasperation.“We are not in Derbyshire, I am not one of your tenants, and your ‘Master of Pemberley' tone does not affect me. As for Miss Bennet, she does not want your protection. She is neither your sister, nor a relative, and you cannot order her around. She is a grown woman, not a little girl under your care.”

  Darcy’s eyes narrowed and he spoke angrily. “She is my fiancée and as such it is my duty to have her in my care. I do not need your lectures on how I should treat her. I would never do anything to…”

  Fitzwilliam laughed unpleasantly. “Your fiancée? Is she tr
uly that? You are convinced that she is of the same opinion? Perhaps we should ask her?”

  Darcy turned red in his face and seethed. “That is none of your business…”

  “Calm yourself, Cousin. She is coming. Keep your hands to yourself and do not refer to her in such familiar way. It upsets her,” Colonel whispered the last words quickly, before standing up to assist Elizabeth, helping her to be seated, again. “Was everything to your satisfaction, Miss Bennet?”

  “Yes, I thank you Colonel Fitzwilliam. It was very decent, very clean indeed.”

  “Would you care for some more tea?” Colonel asked.

  Elizabeth nodded in agreement, and he waved at the servant to bring fresh tea. When it came, she concentrated all her attention on her cup.

  The gentlemen spoke very little, and Elizabeth, nothing. Darcy stared at her steadily, despite the warning glances shot at him by his cousin. When it was time to go back to the carriage, Elizabeth excused herself and went to the necessary room once again.

  The cousins stood next to the carriage, waiting for her.

  Darcy was glancing apprehensively in the direction of the inn every few seconds, when Colonel spoke with sarcasm. “Do not worry. She will not escape. She has nowhere to go. You took care of that, after all. She is reliant entirely upon you.”

  Darcy said nothing to this, but the look he gave his cousin could not be called a brotherly one. His expression relaxed some when he saw Elizabeth making her way towards them. The moment she reached the muddy spot, Darcy approached her energetically, and without a word, placed his hands firmly on her small waist. With the challenge in his eyes sent in the direction of Fitzwilliam, he carried her the few paces and put her on the carriage steps. Elizabeth stiffened visibly, and as quickly as possible, freed herself from his hold and sat in the far corner of the carriage, again with her back to her companions.

  This time Darcy did not try to touch her or talk to her, leaving her alone in her corner. However, when about a half hour later, she started to sag against the window pane, he sat quietly next to her. She seemed to curl into a herself on her spot. Darcy retrieved the soft woollen blanket from under the seat, the same which Georgiana often used during their travels. Then he very gently and slowly turned Elizabeth’s limp body towards him, tucking her carefully against himself, tucking the blanket around her.