Alone with Mr. Darcy: A Pride & Prejudice Variation (22 page)

Not honorable? How dare he think such a
thing! And why had Elizabeth not told her uncle otherwise? But that was a
question he dared not ask. “I had told your father I intended to marry you.”

“When he called on you in London?”

Bewildered, he shook his head. “He never
called on me in London; or if he did, I was out and he did not leave his card.
I went to Longbourn to see him after Stanton reported your reputation had been
compromised.”

Elizabeth’s eyes clouded, then she nodded.
“You said you would marry me, and he still would not tell you where I was?”

It was painful even to revisit in memory.
“He said you wished to have nothing to do with me.”

“He
said
that? Oh, how dare he! He
knew perfectly well I wished to see you, and that I needed to see you.”
Elizabeth looked down, her bonnet hiding her face, but he had already seen her
troubled look.

He placed his hand over hers as it lay in
the crook of his arm. “I am sorry he did so and for the pain it caused you, but
that is past. It no longer matters.”

Now she looked at him again, her eyes wide
and stricken. “How can you say that? I know – and you must know I know
– the terms of your aunt’s will. Pray do not think I blame you; I
understand you have been left with no choice. But pray do not suggest it does
not
matter
!”

What in God’s name did Lady Catherine’s
will have to do with it? Cautiously he said, “I fear I do not understand.”

She withdrew her hand from his arm and
halted abruptly. “I know you must marry your cousin. I would prefer to return to
the others now.”

Bewildered, he caught her arms. “I do not
know where you came upon that idea, but I have no intention of marrying Anne.
How could I be here with you if I were planning to marry another?”

She kept her face averted. “I cannot
believe you would allow her to lose her inheritance.”

“Then you do not know me as well as you
think. Had she been reduced to penury by some accident, I would feel a
responsibility towards her, but her mother did this to her deliberately in an
attempt to force my hand. When I first heard of her plans years ago, I informed
her it would not work, and would only hurt her daughter. She seems to have
decided I was bluffing. I do not bluff, nor do I submit to blackmail.”

Elizabeth blinked rapidly a few times,
then essayed a wan smile. “My father and my uncle should consider themselves
fortunate. Had their delaying tactics created a permanent barrier between us,
they would not have liked some of the things I would have to say to them.”

It was an indirect answer, but it was an
answer all the same. Darcy forced himself to peel his hands from her arms, and
gestured down the beach. She took his arm again; that had to be a good sign.

He gathered his courage. “Speaking of
barriers, when I first enquired of Mrs. Collins about you, she told me you were
on the verge of matrimony.” Even though she was here and with him, the words
still tasted of poison. 

“Oh, that. It is a somewhat embarrassing
situation. My family deemed it necessary that I marry to deflect the scandal,
so my uncle found a man willing to marry me, much as you found one for Maria
Lucas. Charlotte’s invitation to visit came at a fortuitous moment in that it
permitted me to delay a final resolution.” She shivered.

Darcy could not trust himself to speak.

“Is something the matter, Mr. Darcy?”

“Nothing at all, but I do have another
question.” Perhaps they could settle this for once and for all. He knew she
would accept him, so why was his heart pounding? “Now that we have determined I
am not engaged to Anne and you are not engaged to a man in London, may I
presume you might now be willing to become engaged to me?”

She scuffed her half-boots in the stones
underfoot, then looked up at him, her cheeks flushed. “I believe that would be
a safe assumption.”

“So you will marry me? Do me the great honor of
becoming my wife?” Good God, he was practically stuttering!

A bright smile flashed across Elizabeth’s
face. “Yes.”

“Thank God,” he breathed, triumph filling
him. If only he could kiss her! Perhaps he would be more fortunate than he deserved
and the cove would be deserted. But it was enough to have her consent. Finally!

The narrow pathway around the headland to
the cove wound between boulders, requiring them to walk single file. The water
was only a few feet beyond them, but presumably the tide would carry it further
out.

Then they were around the headland and the
beach opened up again, sheer white cliffs rising in a crescent around it. It
would be impossible to build steps into these cliffs. At the far end of the
cove, waves slapped against the base of the cliffs near two fisherman casting
their lines. So much for the deserted cove.

“Oh, my.” Elizabeth shaded her eyes as she
looked up at the cliffs. “No wonder the colonel wanted us to come here. What an
exhilarating sight!”

She was correct, but he was more
interested in looking at her. The presence of the fishermen was disappointing;
he was hungry to hold her in his arms. Later, he promised himself. Somehow he
would find a way to be alone with Elizabeth today.

Elizabeth ran her hand along the fractured
chalk of the cliff. “So imposing. It is a wonder the sea does not wash it all
away.”

“Chunks of it break off regularly.” He
picked up one of the rounded white rocks scattered among the darker flint of
the shingle. “They are washed out to sea, and return like this.”

“Over there – is that one of the
caves your cousin mentioned?” She pointed to a hollow in the cliff.

“The cliffs are riddled with them. I
gather they are popular with smugglers. Most are not deep, though.”

“Would it be safe to look inside?”

How could he refuse her anything when her
eyes sparkled like that? “I cannot see why not.”

Together they picked their way across the
shingle. It was not truly a cave, just a deep hollow in the cliff, but when
they stood within it, it blocked the worst of the wind, making it seem suddenly
quiet and still. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Darcy saw
the fishermen packing up their gear, sharing some joke which made the younger
man roar with laughter. Were they in fact going to leave? Could he be so fortunate?

Apparently Elizabeth had also been
watching them. “Good, they are gone! I do not think I could have remained
proper another minute!”

Darcy’s eyebrows shot up, but apparently
her version of impropriety ran along different lines than his. She hurried off
toward the water’s edge, first at a trot, then stopping abruptly and continuing
at a more sedate pace. He caught up to her in a few strides.

She halted when a wave curled towards her
skirts, stopping just a few inches away. As it receded, she tugged off one of
her gloves and stooped down. When the next wave came, she dipped her fingers in
it, jerking them back in surprise, no doubt at the temperature. She looked up
at him mischievously as she touched her forefinger to the tip of her tongue.

A surge of desire rushed through him, but
somehow he managed to master it. “Salty?” he asked huskily.

“Oh, yes!” She jumped to her feet and
gathered up her skirt. Like a huntress, she began to chase the waves, stalking
each one as it retreated, then racing back as the next one chased her. “Is it
not glorious?”

How could he do anything but smile at her
obvious delight? “Glorious indeed.”

She halted, the light in her face dimming.
“Am I shocking you?”

“Not at all.” But she did not appear
convinced, so he added, “I am trying to decide if I dare join you.”

“Oh, do!” She held out her hand to him
just as a gust of wind blew her bonnet back, leaving it hanging by its ribbons.

As if he could possibly stay away when her
eyes were alight and her chestnut hair glistened in the sun! He grasped her
hand. Almost immediately both of them had to jump back to avoid the next wave.

He had not laughed like this in years.
Creeping forward after each wave, then rushing back, enjoying even Elizabeth’s
shriek when a wave almost caught them. Back and forth, back and forth.

A particularly large swell moved towards
them. “Oh, dear!” cried Elizabeth through her laughter, gripping his hand more
tightly as she turned to flee. The wave surged towards them, unstoppable. Even
at a half-run, they would not make it.

He had been waiting for this. He swept her
up in his arms, making her shriek once again. Water rushed around his boots as
he straightened.

She linked her arms around his neck, her
eyes dancing. “I did not know you also rescued damsels in distress, sir.”

“Now you know, but I warn you, like the
smugglers, I am not without my price. There is a ransom to be paid if you wish
to be set free.” The retreating wave tugged at his boots before releasing them.

Her eyes darkened. “And if I do
not
wish to be set free?”

Darcy swallowed hard, then said huskily,
“There will be a ransom for that as well.”

The tip of her tongue darted out to touch
her upper lip, then retreated more quickly than the fastest wave. “Then I
suppose I must pay.”

“Indeed you must.” To his delight, her
lips met his halfway. Good God, she wanted this as much as he did! But he held
himself back, sharing only the sweet pressure, until she sighed and opened
herself to him. 

His arms tightened around her as he
accepted her invitation, exploring her mouth as he tried to express the fire
within him and his aching longing for her. Time ceased to have meaning as the
tides of desire raced through him.

Finally Elizabeth drew back, her breathing
ragged. “You taste of salt,” she informed him with a breathy laugh.

“So do you. Salt…” He dipped his head and
kissed the tender spot just below her ear. “…And fresh apples…” His tongue
traced her collarbone to the sensitive notch in the middle. “…And honey.”

“All that?”

“All that and much more, every bit of it delicious.”
Hungrily he claimed her mouth again, and this time he could feel her arch
upwards towards him.

He was barely aware of the ebb and flow of
water beneath him, washing over his boots and then tugging at them. He was in
no danger from the ocean’s depths; he was drowning in Elizabeth’s kisses. She
trembled in his arms as he stroked his thumb against her skirted leg. He should
thank heaven he was ankle deep in water, since it was likely the only thing
holding him back from taking his need for her to the next stage.

In the meantime, supporting her body
against his chest and the intoxication of her kisses was enough to make the
world fade away, at least until a blast of icy water soaked his knees. With a
yelp, he turned and strode back to the beach, clutching a laughing Elizabeth to
him as the water trickled down his legs inside his boots. Stopping a safe
distance from the water, he cast a dark look back at it. How had it become so
deep? The tide was supposed to be going out, and he had not been kissing Elizabeth
for
that
long. Not that he had been giving a single thought to time or
tide, but still….

A thought struck him, and he twisted his
head until he could see the headland, its base now submerged in waves.

Elizabeth followed his gaze. “I thought
the tide was going out.”

No question about it; the path was long
gone. Damn Richard! “It seems my cousin was incorrect.”

“Are we trapped here?”

“So it would seem, at least until the tide
goes down again.”

Her eyes widened. “How long will that
take?”

“It is just over six hours between high
and low tides, but it may be less than that, depending on how far above the low
tide line the path is.”

“Oh.” She pulled her pelisse around her
more tightly, then smiled. “Well, if we must be trapped here, at least we are
already accustomed to being stranded in each other’s company.”

Any other young lady of his acquaintance
would be having vapors. “Unfortunately, my fire-building skills will be less
useful here.” Hours stranded alone with Elizabeth. His mind whirled with the
possibilities.

“Then it is good we both know other ways
to keep warm.” Her eyes lit up as she produced a reticule. “We shall not
starve, at least. Charlotte thought to give me a bag of biscuits.”

“Richard gave me a flask of wine. I am
glad he insisted I wear my greatcoat if we are to be here for hours.” A sudden
suspicion crossed his mind. Richard had encouraged them to explore the cove.
Mrs. Collins had suggested Elizabeth take her pelisse and gave her biscuits. It
was almost as if they had
expected
them to be stranded. But why? Slowly
he said, “They planned this. Richard knew perfectly well the tide was rising.”

Her expression of perplexity was adorable.
“They
planned
it?”

“Why else were they so careful to make
certain we would be prepared to stay here a long time?”