Alone with Mr. Darcy: A Pride & Prejudice Variation (10 page)

This time Elizabeth’s head shook more
vigorously. “I cannot tell you that! It will go badly enough for her.”

“Elizabeth, listen to me. I have cleaned
up George Wickham’s messes more times than I can count, but I can do nothing
for the girl if I do not know who she is. You may trust me on this; I will say
nothing to harm her.”

She said nothing for a long minute. “Her
name is Maria Lucas.” Her voice was low and hopeless.

“Related to your friend Charlotte?”

“Her sister. You would not have met her;
she was not out until Charlotte became engaged.”

The poor thing. Wickham and his cronies
would not even care they were ruining a young girl’s life. And if Elizabeth had
not been halted on her walk by discovering him lying by the roadside, she might
have ended up at the tavern that day. He shook his head to free it of the
painful image. “I will do my best to find a way to protect Miss Lucas.”

Elizabeth’s eyes were downturned. “You are
very kind.”

“I should have warned everyone here what
sort of man Wickham was. It was my responsibility.”

“Do not blame yourself. You did nothing
wrong, and you cannot protect the entire world.”

“I wish you would allow me to protect
you
.
I know you do not wish to hear it, but it is true.”

She raised her eyes to his face. “I
promise to contact you if there is any difficulty, and I would be more than
happy to accept your protection should those circumstances arise. Is that
enough?”

No, it was not enough, but he could not
say that. “Thank you.”

“Now, we cannot stay here forever. We
still have a long walk ahead.”

They started forward again. More than once
he reached to steady Elizabeth as she floundered in the snow. Her half-boots
were ill-suited for the slippery conditions. As they approached the tavern, he
could see her growing tense. He moved to walk at her side, even though it meant
struggling through the deep snow. 

Fortunately, the only person outside the
tavern was a boy clearing a path to the stables. Telling Elizabeth to wait out
of sight, Darcy approached him and gave him a coin. The boy ran inside, then
returned with two thick slabs of bread. He found Elizabeth just beyond the
curve in the road.

Her eyes widened at the sight of the food.
She took the slice he offered and bit into it with alacrity, then closed her
eyes as she chewed. “It is even still warm! And slathered with butter. I think
I must be in heaven.”

“I thought you might be hungry, after all
this exercise on an empty stomach. I wish I could have brought you a real
breakfast, not just a slice of bread.” He took a bite of the other slice. She
was right; it was heavenly. He had never before appreciated how good freshly
baked bread and butter could taste.

“This is perfect. It could not be more
delicious. Believe me, slaying a dragon would be worth far less to me than
bringing me this.”

He was oddly heartened to see her spirits
somewhat restored, and to know he had played a part in it. “To tell the truth,
I could not agree more.”

Elizabeth was just finishing the bread
when she gasped and looked down at a white cat clawing at her skirt. “Snowball!
I cannot believe you followed us all the way here. You must be frozen!” She
scooped her up and cuddled her close.

“She must have followed our path.” He felt
a little lighter just knowing the small cat was not lost in the snow.

“Oh, your little paws are like ice! Well,
if you are determined to follow us, I suppose you might as well come to
Longbourn where there is a nice, warm stable you can stay in.”

He held out his hands. “I can carry her.”

“She will no doubt be happy to keep her
paws out of the snow!” Elizabeth eased the cat into his arms.

He was even more grateful they had been
able to slake their appetites when they discovered the rider who had traveled
ahead of them had apparently stopped at the tavern, leaving them to face a long
stretch of unbroken road. It would take them an hour to go a mile at this
rate. 

The pace was hard, and he was already
weary when Elizabeth stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm. He was
breathing rapidly as he turned to look at her.

“Although you would not know it now, there
is a lane going off to the right here which leads to Longbourn. I think I
prefer to try that, since it would allow me to avoid going into Meryton where
we might be seen. It is not far; I am certain I can manage it on my own.”

Allow her to walk alone through the snow,
especially after what had happened at the tavern? Not likely! “An excellent
idea, but I would prefer to accompany you, at least until we are close to
Longbourn.”

“That is very kind of you, but it would
take you out of your way.”

“It is no matter. I would much rather that
than to worry about your well-being.”

Her face lightened. “If you put it that
way, I suppose I can only agree. At least it should provide you amusement to
watch me gracelessly flounder through the snow.”

He chuckled. “As you know, I enjoy
watching you regardless of what you are doing.”

“If I were not entirely sick of snow and
the cold, I would see if you enjoyed watching me throw a snowball at you, sir!”

“That would never do!” Although not for
the reason she would think. Playing in the snow with Elizabeth would be far too
dangerous. It would be bound to end in kisses. “Besides, I have the Snowball
with claws.”

Fortunately, Elizabeth was correct about
the short distance. Despite his rapidly numbing fingers, Darcy slowed his pace
as he noticed she was lagging behind him more. When they finally reached the
intersection with the road to Longbourn, he turned to discover she was
shivering. He cursed himself for his inattentiveness. He should have made her
wear his greatcoat, even if she fought against it. The lines of fatigue in her
face felt like a brand of his failure. “I think I had best accompany you to
Longbourn,” he said.

She shook her head stubbornly. “You can
see it is very close. I will be fine, and it would be very difficult to explain
your presence.”

He wanted to argue, to somehow keep her with
him, but more than that, he did not want her to suffer any longer. “I will bid
you farewell here, then.”

She reached out her hands, and for a brief
happy moment he thought she meant to embrace him, but then he realized it was
merely for the cat. He had to extract Snowball’s claws from the wool of his
greatcoat before placing her in Elizabeth’s hands. He stretched out his arms,
stiff from carrying the cat, but feeling strangely empty without her. Seeing
her in Elizabeth’s arms brought home that he would likely never see either of
them again, and his gut clenched.

“Thank you for accompanying me this far. I
appreciate it more than I can say. Perhaps we shall meet again someday, Mr.
Darcy.” Her smile was wan.

“I hope that will be the case. Now go warm
yourself at Longbourn.”

She nodded, her teeth chattering, and
began to tramp through the snow. He watched her struggling to make her way,
clenching his fists as if somehow that would give her his strength. God, but he
hated to see her in such discomfort! His punishment was to stay there until she
reached the door of Longbourn, on the chance she might fall and require his
assistance. But she did not. He told himself he was not disappointed.

At the last moment, she looked back and
froze for a moment when she saw him waiting there. Then she waved and went
inside.

As he turned to leave, he took one last
look at Longbourn. He had an odd foreboding he was making a terrible mistake.

Tears pricked Elizabeth’s eyes as she
hurried into Longbourn. It was not just saying goodbye to Mr. Darcy, or
discovering he had watched after her to be sure she was safe. After her long,
cold trek, all she wanted was to curl up by the fire underneath every shawl and
wrap in the house. She stopped short at the entrance to the empty drawing room.
The hearth was cold. Her footsteps echoed as she checked the dining room and
the library. No fires there, either. Was the house as deserted as the little
cottage? Had she not seen smoke rising from the chimney, or had it been a
dream?

If there were a fire anywhere, it would be
in the kitchen. After hobbling to the back of the house with all the speed her
numb feet would provide, she threw open the door to the kitchen, and almost
burst into tears of relief at the rush of warm air and the sight of Cook,
asleep in her high-backed chair, snores issuing from her open mouth. The hearth
was full of red, glowing coals. Elizabeth crouched as close to it as she dared,
releasing Snowball. The welcome heat was almost painful against her cold skin.

Chair legs scraped against the flagstone
floor behind her. “Is the family finally back then, Miss Lizzy?” said Cook with
a yawn.

“I am the only one so far, it seems. Where
is everyone?”

Cook heaved herself to her feet. “All gone
off before the storm for the free ale and food, and none returned. There are a
few of us here – Nell did not wish to go, and one of the scullery maids
had taken a chill. Two of the stable boys had to stay here to watch the horses
while the grooms went off.”

Elizabeth peeled off her wet gloves and
held out her hands to the fire. “No one has returned from Meryton yet?” It was
odd, since it was a shorter distance than she had traversed, but presumably
others were not in the same hurry to avoid being discovered and would prefer to
wait until the roads were clearer.

“Why, did you not come from Meryton? And
where did that cat come from?”

So much for her ability to disguise her
whereabouts! Though if everyone in the area was stranded in Meryton, they would
all know she was not there. “I found her freezing by the side of the road. I
was out walking before the blizzard and took refuge in a cottage. Can you
imagine – I have been wearing this dress day and night since I left for
Charlotte’s wedding two days ago! I daresay it will continue to stand up by
itself after I remove it.” Perhaps that would distract Cook.

Cook made a tsk-ing sound with her tongue.
“Best you should change to something fresh before your mother returns!”

“May I leave the cat here? She needs to
warm up.” Snowball was already sniffing the kitchen floor, seeming perfectly at
home in these new surroundings.

“Well, your mother will not be pleased to
find a cat in the house, but perhaps she can catch a few of those pesky mice
before the mistress notices. Nell can help you dress. I had best put myself to
cooking dinner if the rest of the family will be here today. I tell you, Miss
Lizzy, the five of us had quite a feast when no one returned from Meryton to
eat all the good food I had made.”

“And I am certain you deserved every bit
of it!” The last thing she wished to do was to leave the hearth, but restoring
her normal appearance would have another advantage. It might make her parents
believe she had been at Longbourn all this time. 

***

Darcy’s feet ached as he finally trudged
into Meryton, but not as much as his heart did. It had been a battle every step
of the way not to turn back toward Longbourn and Elizabeth. It made no sense.
He had always been perfectly satisfied with his own company.  He should be
eager for some time to himself after so much time trapped in a small room with
another person, but instead the lack of her felt as if part of him had been
amputated. He wanted to be able to turn to her and share his thoughts.

But he did
not
wish to speak to any
of the townsfolk sweeping away snow from their doorsteps. It was only Elizabeth
he wanted. Besides, his appearance must be unkempt at best, and he needed to
avoid any questions. If he could only reach the livery stable without anyone
stopping him, all might yet be well.

But not a dozen paces from the livery, a
familiar figure crossed his path, almost as if Darcy had created him from his
imagination. Mr. Bennet was wrapped in an overcoat thick enough to disguise his
figure, but his face was plain to see.

Somehow Darcy managed a correct bow.

Mr. Bennet stopped short. “Good heavens,
if it is not Mr. Darcy! I had not known you were in the area.”

“Simply passing through,” Darcy said with
all the firmness he could muster.

“You have picked poor weather for it, I
fear.” Mr. Bennet gestured at the snow surrounding them.

The man had no idea how much trouble that
weather had caused him! “Indeed,” he said brusquely, trying to force back the
impulse to grab Mr. Bennet’s arms and tell him his daughter had spent the last
two nights sleeping in his arms. Then he would have no choice but to return to
Longbourn and formally propose to Elizabeth, who would have to accept him this
time. But Elizabeth did not want that, and he could not destroy Georgiana’s
prospects. The damage to his own name was something he no longer cared about.
“Pray give my regards to your family. Good day, sir.”

Somehow he managed to step past Mr. Bennet
and into the safety of the livery. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to
the dim interior after the sunlight reflecting on snow, and even longer for his
heart to stop racing. 

An elderly man came from the back of the
office, wiping gnarled hands on his leather apron. “Anything I can help you
with today, sir?”

He handed the man his card. “I need a
horse to travel to London.” If whatever old hack they gave him could actually
be called a horse.

The fellow squinted at his card. “You that
fellow who was visiting Mr. Bingley at Netherfield?”

As if it were any business of his! “Yes.”

Rubbing his chin, he said, “You can have a
horse, but it won’t be what you’re used to. The good posting stables, they’re
in Ware.”

“And I am here. Anything that can get me
to Town will do. My own horse bolted in the storm. If anyone reports finding a
blood bay, 16 hands, with tooled saddlebags, send to me at that address, and I
will make it worth your while.”

“Oh, so that’s
your
horse, then! He
is right here. Came charging into town two days back, nearly ran over a little
boy and broke the wheel on the grocer’s cart.”

Destroying everything in sight. “That would
be Mercury.” He had chosen to ride the half-trained horse from London in hopes
the challenge would keep his mind from Elizabeth Bennet. Instead, the miscreant
had thrown him straight at her feet.

“He were hard to catch. Didn’t like the
snow, that one.”

“So I observed. Hence the bolting.” 
Darcy dug out his remaining silver, saving one coin for some decent food, and
dropped the remainder on the counter. “For your trouble, and for the grocer’s
cart.”

The man’s eyes widened. “Thank ye, sir.
I’ll bring your horse around front right away, soon as I’ve saddled him.”

“Very good.” The sooner he left Meryton,
the better. Otherwise he might not be able to resist the urge to return to
Elizabeth.

***

Mr. Bennet was the next arrival at
Longbourn, but to Elizabeth’s surprise, he was alone. “Where are my mother and
sisters?” she asked anxiously. It had never crossed her mind any of her family
could have been lost in the blizzard.

Her father snorted. “At your aunt
Phillips’s house, which I have been sharing with all of them. The constant
chatter was torture! I escaped at the first possible opportunity, even if it
meant fighting my way through the snowdrifts. I was far less frightened of the
snow than of another discussion of lace and gowns.”

“But they are well?”

“They are in fine fettle. Since no one
could leave the town, it has been one long celebration since the storm began.
Dancing and prattling, cards and games – I thought I should lose my wits.
No, they are perfectly well, and plan to return once the snow on the roads has
been trampled down. I, for one, hope that will be none too soon. I am looking
forward to locking myself in my library for quite some time.”

“I shall not disturb you!” she said with a
laugh, but in truth she was glad of the opportunity to be alone. Her heart was
too heavy to pretend all was well for long.

Her reprieve proved briefer than she
expected. Only a few hours later, Nell came to tell her Mr. Bennet was asking
for her in the library.

She went to the library with trepidation.
Could he have discovered the truth?

“You wished to speak to me?” Elizabeth
stood in front of her father’s desk.

“Yes, Lizzy. I wished to ask you about
your whereabouts during the storm. The gossip among the servants has it you
were not here.”

Elizabeth took a deep breath. “That is
correct. I went out walking after the wedding and was caught in the storm, so I
took shelter in a cottage until it passed.”

He removed his spectacles and set them on
the blotter. “What cottage would that be?” 

“The tenants were away, so I do not know
their name. It is a small cottage just north of the Hatfield road, perhaps two
miles past the tavern.”

“I believe I know it – a tiny
wattle-and-daub one set back from the road?”

“The very one.”

“And you went into this stranger’s empty
house alone?”

“There was little choice, sir, unless I
preferred to freeze to death. It was not a comfortable lodging, but it provided
the shelter I needed.” Hopefully he would not notice she had said nothing about
being alone.

“I see. And then you returned here after
the storm ended.”

“Yes.”

Mr. Bennet sat back in his chair. “When I
returned from Meryton, I was apparently not the first to travel the road to
Longbourn since the snow. There was a set of footprints heading toward the
town.”

“That is hardly surprising.” Her heart
hammered.

“What is surprising, though, is that when
I passed the lane which runs to the Hatfield road, it appeared two people had
walked there. One turned toward Longbourn House, and the other toward Meryton
– an odd route to choose in the snow, since it is far from direct. I
assume the footprints coming toward the house were yours, but I wonder who
might have been accompanying you along the lane.”

She had not once considered that their
tracks might betray them. How had she missed it? Her best bet would be to tell
as much of the truth as possible, since that way she was less likely to be
caught out. “I met Mr. Darcy on the Hatfield road, and he was kind enough to
escort me most of the way here. He said something about going to the livery
stable in Meryton as his horse ran off in the storm.”

“Yet you said nothing of meeting him to
me.”

Elizabeth attempted a laugh. “Should I
have advertised that I had been alone with a wealthy gentleman? He did me a
courtesy, and I do not wish to repay it by making my mother claim he somehow
compromised me as we fought our way through the snowdrifts, which would have
been quite a feat. If you do not believe me…”

“Oh, I believe you, my dear, if for no
other reason than that I crossed paths with Mr. Darcy myself in Meryton.”

Elizabeth had never wished so hard for the
ability to stop a blush from rising in her cheeks. In an effort to sound
indifferent, she said, “Oh? Did you speak to him?”

“Nothing beyond wishing one another a good
day. He did not mention meeting you.”

Here she was on safer ground. “You would
be the last person he would wish to tell he had been walking alone with me! Can
you imagine the degradation it would be to him if he were forced to make me an
offer?” Bile rose in the back of her throat.

Her father chuckled. “I seriously doubt he
would consider you worth the trouble. If you were compromised by him, that
would be your problem, not his. What an unpleasant fellow he is! I am sorry you
were forced to walk with him. I hope his pride recovers from the experience.”

If only she could tell her father he was
not like that at all – and that he did indeed think her worth the
trouble. But those were things she must keep locked up inside forever, along
with her memories of the last few days and an empty ache in her heart.

***

The snow was already beginning to melt
when the remainder of the Bennet family returned the following day. Mary looked
drawn, and Kitty’s red eyes were a stark contrast to Lydia’s excited demeanor.

“I declare, the road to Meryton has never
seemed longer!” Mrs. Bennet cried as soon as she entered Longbourn House. “I
thought we might freeze to death at any moment, and you would find our bodies
in the hedgerows after the thaw. What is this world coming to? I have never
known such a winter!”

“At least not since last year,” Elizabeth
murmured to Mary, then she spoke more loudly. “I am glad to see all of you
safely home.”