Page 88 of The Cheapside Runners
She had an arrangement with the local rector for exclusive use of a small balcony with a screen that allowed them to worship in private. She did that because some of her charges wanted to worship and some did not. Publicly worshiping was obviously incompatible with their anonymity, nor would most congregations be sanguine with four to eight strangers appearing for a few weeks, only to be replaced with yet other strangers a fortnight later.
The balcony solved the problem handily. It was a fairly common accommodation for people in mourning or recovering from illness. They made it a point to arrive early and leave late, wearing a veil if necessary to preserve their anonymity.
Since the start of their courtship, Darcy had joined them. Ordinarily, a man like that would attract more attention than a church fire, but with clothing a step below Mr Gardiner’s, he slipped in and back out without a second glance.
~~~~~
Back home, they had a nice noisy Sunday dinner that was almost like a more refined Longbourn. Elizabeth was quite in charity with her little family.
It was the twenty-fourth day of their sojourn into London. In less than four weeks, nearly everything had changed. The heathen savages of the Netherfield ball were gone, but they had become decorous without losing any of their spirit. Amber, Jasmine, Maria, and Georgiana had bonded with the others, so it was more like a family of eight sisters than anything else.
Naturally, she was also being courted by a handsome, kind, and witty man, and to be honest, there was not a lot to complain about in that front. His interest had been quite a surprise, but certainly not an unpleasant one. Given how badly they had started out, it was just short of a miracle—but she was happy toaccept what fate had placed in her path.
All in all, she wasquitesatisfied with her lot.
~~~~~
After dinner, they retired to the parlour immediately. Separation of the sexes made no sense when Darcy was the only man in the house other than the servants.
Elizabeth and Darcy sat by themselves slightly apart from the others, whereslightlywas the propriety-compliant way to say—as far apart from the others and as close together as possible.
They spoke for a while, and she found herself quite contentedly leaning her head against his shoulder, silently reminiscing about some of their acquaintance, while Darcy seemed happy to just contemplate the other ladies’ activities.
She giggled slightly, which made Darcy give her his full attention.
“What is so funny, Elizabeth?”
She sighed. “I was thinking about what I would like for Christmas, and the thought brought up some memories thatshould, by all rights be distressing, but it struck me as amusing instead… which I believe is the best way to handle such remembrances.”
His full attention was on her. “If you have a Christmas present in mind, I would love to hear about it. I will do my best to obtain your heart’s desire.”
“What if it is too much?”
“I cannot imagine you asking too much, but I suppose you can tell me what you want, and I could tell you if it is obtainable.”
She smiled and thought about it a bit.
“Mrs Black would definitely disapprove of both my remembrance and my desired gift.”
“Now you have my curiosity fully piqued! Will you tell me either the remembrance, the gift, or ideally, both.”
She looked into his eyes and gave him a soft smile with a hintof mischief.
“The remembrance is just something I heard some time ago that now strikes me as rather amusing. Someone suggested a wager that seemed a sure bet at the time.”
“I hope he knew how good of a gambler you were, else he may not have exactly prospered,” he replied with a laugh, quite enjoying the little byplay. “Now, will you quit messing about and give me the remembrance.”
“All right… I shall give you the remembrance and my Christmas wish all with one breath. I once overheard a man say,‘I would happily bet a year’s income the future Mrs Darcy will not be some niece of a Cheapside tradesman,’and my Christmas wish is for him to rejoice that he did not actually make the bet, because he would lose.”
All joking put aside, Darcy was caught with a great deal of chagrin about his earlier comment, but great joy to see that Elizabeth looked on the event with amusement, or possibly even approbation. He was embarrassed by his earlier faux pas, but since that had been the start of his reformation, he had no real reason to repine.
He stared into Elizabeth’s eyes, and then at her lips, and asked softly, “Was that what it sounded like?”
“If it sounded like a propriety violation that would put Mrs Black to the blush, because a lady is strongly implying that she would like a proposal for Christmas… then it was. If it sounded like anything else, you really need to get your hearing checked.”
Darcy laughed lightly, but not enough to draw anyone else’s attention.
She looked chagrined, and was embarrassed to see she could not keep looking in his eyes, so she leaned her head down to his chest and spoke from the heart.
