Page 31 of Darcy's Guarded Heart
She wanted to ask her more questions about this topic but found their time cut short when Georgiana turned to her.
“Say, do you mind if I gallop ahead? I adore jumping, and there is a fallen tree yonder that is ideal.”
“Of course,” Elizabeth replied. “Go ahead, although your brother will likely suffer apoplexy when he sees you.”
“Perhaps,” Georgiana replied, “but I shall hope that he will not see,” she called as she galloped ahead, her hair whipping behind her despite having pinned most of it up. Elizabeth smiled as she looked ahead at the group riders and breathed deeply.
It was a beautiful morning, and the sky was as clear as the ocean, with not a single cloud to be seen. She enjoyed being personable and conversing but it had been a long day with much conversation already, as well as a long day the day before, and thus some solitude was welcome.
However, as they rode deeper into the woods, she found herself falling behind the group, taken in by her surroundings. She was familiar with these woods, of course, and thus did not worry.
Alas, as she directed the horse along the brook, a sudden movement from within the bushes spooked Elizabeth’s horse who suddenly reared in fright. Time slowed, and she felt herself losing control; in a dreadful moment, she was thrown from the saddle, landing hard upon the ground.
Pain engulfed her, sharp and immediate, in her ankle as she attempted to rise. Struggling, Elizabeth winced and realised that her horse had run further away.
“Come, Bellevue,” she called for the mare but the horse only trotted further away. The rest of the group was some distance away, and she could no longer see them. She would have to walk, albeit carefully.
She hobbled along, forcing herself forward despite her discomfort. Each moment felt like an eternity, and as she reeled from the pain. Using trees to support herself as she clambered from one to the next, she felt both foolish and frightened. What if she hurt her foot further doing this?
“Miss Elizabeth?” A voice called and then a familiar figure emerged from the trees.
Mr Darcy.
“Miss Elizabeth!” he called, his brow furrowed with concern as he dismounted swiftly. He approached, scrutinising her with an intensity that made her heart race for reasons she could not easily define. “I saw your horse wander away riderless a little ahead,” he continued, his voice low yet urgent. “Are you hurt?”
She nodded slightly, her resolve wavering as she glanced down at her injured ankle. “It is nothing serious, truly,” she assured him, though the tremor in her voice betrayed her.
Mr Darcy knelt beside her, his demeanour shifting from worry to focus. “You need to rest,” he commanded gently, his tone wrapped in a tenderness that made her pulse quicken. Captivated by the sincerity in his gaze, Elizabeth found herself increasingly aware of the weight of his concern.
“Let me assist you upon my horse,” he offered, his strong hands reaching out. Hesitant, yet compelled by an unspoken force, she accepted his support as he offered his arm.
He clicked his tongue and his horse approached at once, making it clear he knew this stead better than she’d known her mare—naturally, given it was one of the estate horses.
She raised her right foot up into the stirrup, wincing as her weight was placed more upon her injured foot though Mr Darcy’s assistance kept some of it off. Then, he boosted her up and she found herself in upward motion until she was safely in the saddle.
“There we are,” he said. “Now, let us see if we cannot catch up to the others and find your horse. You are certain you are not hurt other than the foot?”
“I am. And thank you. I would have hobbled all the way back to Netherfield if not for you.”
“A very unadvisable activity on a twisted ankle, I am sure,” he said with a small smile. “Pray, how is it you were riding on your own? I thought I saw you with my sister.”
“I was with her but she wished to gallop ahead to…” she bit her tongue, remembering her conversation with Georgiana. However, he smiled and shook his head.
“She wished to leap over assorted objects,” he said. “I wish she would not but I cannot stop her from everything that might pose danger.”
“We wish we could, but we cannot always,” she conceded. Her thoughts drifted back to the Lucas Lodge and the conversation they’d had there. She wanted to find out more about what had happened between the Darcys and Mr Wickham—and now was her chance. After all, she was upon his horse and if he did not like the question he could not very well walk away. Gathering her courage, she cleared her throat.
“Sir, will you tell me why it is you did not wish Mr Wickham to speak to your sister? She appeared quite fond of him. She mentioned him when we rode together as a dear companion in her youth.”
Mr Darcy bit his lip and stared up ahead, his hand tightening around the horse’s lead. It took him a moment before he returned his gaze to her.
“I suppose I ought to tell you, since the matter continues to come up. Very well. Wickham was my father’s ward. He was always the sort of man who could not be trusted. He also possessed an ease of charm, that allowed him to endearhimself to all. My father adored him, almost as a second son, and Georgiana looked up to him. However, I knew him, I knew what he was—if we were to label it, I would say he is not to be trusted.” He narrowed his eyes. “I do not say this because he is beneath me in station; I say this because I have known him since boyhood. He is quite adept at taking advantage. And he sought to take advantage of Georgiana.”
Elizabeth was perplexed. “But how?”
Mr Darcy shrugged. “Two years ago, he returned from wherever he had been… I do not recall the particulars. He requested funds, having squandered all the money I had previously provided him after my father’s demise.”
Elizabeth raised a hand. “He received an inheritance.” Something in her tone must have conveyed she had learned something else.
