Page 96 of See, Hear, Speak No Evil, Mr. Darcy
Chapter 7
Returning to Longbourn
Once home, Elizabeth and Jane went to greet their sisters in the sitting room. Mary, Kitty, and Lydia were found practicing proper conversation. They laughed as each took a turn being the snootiest and proudest of them all. Kitty and Lydia encouraged Mary to be less severe. Mary and Lydia encouraged Kitty to form and speak of her own opinions and wants. And Mary and Kitty aided Lydia in tempering her natural exuberance. The returning sisters had not been within the house for a few minutes before their mother demanded they come to her.
Elizabeth found herself meditating on how pleasant their respite at Netherfield Park had been. Their homecoming revealed, in stark relief, that much tension remained between their parents and all their daughters. On their way to answer the summons, Elizabeth and Jane exchanged a look of foreboding. It was worse than they had expected when they discussed their concerns in the coach during return journey.
“You find the time to speak to me at last. I have been here these many hours alone and quite forgotten,” Mrs. Bennet said by way of greeting them.
The two of them sat down to absorb the brunt of their mother’s anger. Having spent the night away, they took turns attending to their mother’s words. In those moments of freedom from the burden, they were able to think of other things.
It had rained for much of the last week. And though not lasting the whole of the day, each day had begun with it. When she woke to discover it was not raining, Elizabeth rushed through her toilette.
Before setting out, Elizabeth had gone to the study, confident that a few private minutes of conversation between herself and her father would improve their footing. Then they could bridge the gap with the rest of the household. He, however, did not answer her knock.
Elizabeth visited the kitchen, placing two warm pieces of bread on a napkin. Walking toward the edge of the property bordering Lucas Lodge, she wondered if bringing the second a lesson in futility. She was stern in reminding herself it was very improbable that Mr. Darcy would choose to see her again. Certainly not this soon.
And she did not know if she wished him to come. The moment in the gardens had been perfect. No matter what future she found herself in, she would have that memory to take strength from through any time of trial. Would seeing him again ruin it? She had no experience confirming or disproving the worry. But she would regret any degradation of it.
In pressing the flower he had given her, Elizabeth was able to save the memento. She envisioned a future where she would see the token and remember her dreams, once fulfilled by a handsome man who made every effort to please her. A secret the two of them alone kept. But did he know regret?
With no way to know his opinion, Elizabeth’s thoughts shifted to the situation at Longbourn. Something had to change. Her younger sisters impressed her with their determination, encouraging one another to act with more decorum. But their parents presented opposing difficulties for their children.
When she saw the apple trees and the deer searching the grounds and lower branches for the fruits of the season, Elizabeth’s mind again returned to the enigmatic Mr. William Darcy. Reaching the stream, she moved along the side to the natural rise and stood on a rock that was partly exposed and extended out. Looking straight down, it appeared to one that they floated above the water.
Elizabeth scolded herself, trying to force herself to regret her actions. The issue, of course, was that she did not truly regret it. He was as handsome as any prince might be, and made himself vulnerable to her in allowing her to see his playful side. Prince William had been perfect.
Though she knew she should not, Elizabeth wished him to appear, even if by magical means. When she could take no more anticipation, she looked in the direction of Netherfield and discovered her wishhadcome true. Her prince was but twenty feet away, holding a pink camellia in one hand.
Elizabeth stepped from the edge and then rushed down the incline toward him. When she reached him, she stood a foot taller on the bank and all but fell into his arms. She kissed him with near abandon. The infusion of happiness at his arriving, knowing he had come to find her, added to her fervor.
When she pulled back to look at him, Mr. Darcy murmured, “You smell of roses, lemon, and sunshine.”
With his arms wrapped around her so she was fully aligned with him, she breathed him in and said, “And you of autumn, a mix of cloves and oranges.”
Mr. Darcy’s nose brushing across her breast caused her to gasp. Before he could express regret or apology, she pressed a finger against his lips, shaking her head.
“It seems we are shocking one another at every turn, Prince William,” Elizabeth said, one brow arched. At the same time, she waited for proof he, too, accepted this was but another moment of fantasy impossible to include in the reality of their lives.
“Are you? Are you shocked? Or worried?”
“I worry that even were I to have the dowry and connections necessary to be considered a proper wife for you, my actions deem me unworthy.”
“I think you are too critical of yourself.”
“We are certainly not behaving as we should. My only regret is in knowing that sharing these moments with you makes that impossible.”
“I think nothing is impossible for you, and you should do the same. Because you know no regrets, I can allow myself the freedom of regretting nothing.”
“It is not your reputation that would be irreparably harmed.”
“If we are discovered…”
“I would never want you trapped, Prince William.”
“Do I seem unwilling or trapped?” The corners of Mr. Darcy’s lips twitched.
She laughed between them, her exhaled breath caressing his face. “You do not.”
