The Houseguest A Pride and Prejudice Vagary (12 page)

When he looked up and saw her eyes dancing, he said, “As ever, I am glad to be
a source of amusement, Miss Bennet.” He smiled ruefully. 
Suddenly a large snowball landed on Elizabeth’s bonnet and slid down to her
neck. She squealed from the cold and called loudly, “Hit!” She looked at Darcy
who was trying manfully not to laugh at her. “You may laugh, Mr. Darcy. I did
the same to you.” She shook her head and shoulders to dislodge the snow, Mr.
Darcy chuckling quietly, his shoulders shaking. “I see it is my turn to be a
source of amusement, Mr. Darcy.” 
A moment later, he quickly sobered and refocused on the game.
“Now it’s time to take action.” 
They decided on an offensive plan where Elizabeth would run behind a nearby
tree while Darcy continued to lobby snowballs from their current location, thus
confusing the enemy as to their whereabouts. She would pile up more snowballs
until he signaled her. Elizabeth smiled at his serious attention, but found
herself being drawn into the game nonetheless.
When the coast was clear, she made a mad dash for the large elm to her right.
She quickly ducked behind the tree and began rolling up snow and making a small
pile of cannons. Despite knowing it was all a game, she couldn’t stop her heart
from racing. She peered back to her left and saw Mr. Darcy rhythmically
throwing balls over the barricade. 
Once she had about fifteen made, she looked to him for the signal to run to the
next tree where she would repeat the process, while he ran to her previous
location. At his nod, she dashed off again, this time to a tree about fifteen
feet from her, about midway between the two barricades. She looked back and saw
Darcy give her a nod that she hadn’t been seen and she began to make more
cannons.
She heard Georgiana call out “Hit!” once more before looking back to Darcy to
see if it was time to move to the next tree, which would put her only a dozen
feet from the opposition’s barricade, setting up their final attack.
At his signal, she ran for the next tree, but a few steps out, she saw
Georgiana’s back popping up over the snow-wall and turned around before she
could be seen and hit. Just as she was scooting behind the tree, she ran
headlong into Mr. Darcy. 
The force of the impact sent them flying into the air; Mr. Darcy, being the
taller of the two, was positioned to land on top of her, but quickly grabbed
her and somehow twisted partially underneath her, so that he landed on his
shoulder with a loud “Oof!” and she landed halfway on top of him.
“Mr. Darcy! Are you alright!” Elizabeth asked between giggles. “I am terribly
sorry! I always laugh when someone falls down, especially myself. It is a
terrible habit; do forgive me.” She laughed more but tried desperately to
control herself. “Are you alright? Have I injured you?”
Darcy lay on the ground, his hat a few feet away and snow scattered through his
hair, his eyes closed. He still held tightly to Elizabeth, who was so surprised
from the impact, she hadn’t yet noticed the extremely indecorous position they
were in. 
Instinctively, she reached up and brushed the hair and snow away from his eyes,
and suddenly worried, asked, “Are you alright, Mr. Darcy?”
Darcy had been enjoying the sensation of lying in the snow with Elizabeth
partially on top of him, his hands locked tightly about her waist. He was
reveling in the sound and feel of her laughter in such an intimate position,
when her voice changed and she touched his face. 
Coming to, he opened his eyes and said, “I am quite alright, Miss Elizabeth.
You have not injured me in the slightest.” 
Just then she realized their position and colored brightly. She began to pull
away from him, but his hands held her fast. “Mr. Darcy,” she said, her voice
less steady than she wished it to be, “I must ask you to release me.”
He looked at her blankly for a moment as if he didn’t understand, and then he
loosened his grip. “Forgive me, Miss Bennet. Are you alright? Are you injured
at all?” he asked as he reluctantly let her go. 
She sat up, brushing the snow off her cloak, and answered, “No, I am quite
well. Thank you for breaking my fall.” She smiled somewhat awkwardly.
He was still lying on the ground in front of her, propped up on one of his elbows,
wiggling his shoulder carefully. “Have I hurt your shoulder?” she asked
guiltily.
“Do not worry, Miss Bennet. I shall be fine.” Elizabeth reached her hand out
slightly in front of her, as if she would touch him, but pulled it back before
she could make contact. 
She was just about to insist he have it looked at when Colonel Fitzwilliam and
Georgiana came around the tree, their arms filled with snowballs, mercilessly
pelting them at Darcy and Elizabeth. Darcy groaned and turned his back to them
while Elizabeth ducked her face in her knees and covered her head with her
arms. 
“We surrender! We surrender!” she called. 
They finally relented and Elizabeth was able to poke her head back up to see a
triumphant Georgiana and Colonel Fitzwilliam beaming down at them.
The Colonel reached his hand out to help Elizabeth up. “I thank you, sir,” she
said upon rising. The Colonel did the same for Darcy, and Elizabeth noticed how
he winced when Fitzwilliam pulled his arm. 
“I think I am ready to warm up and have a cup of cocoa,” she said to no one in
particular. 
As they were walking in, Elizabeth looked at Darcy questioningly, but getting
no response, she stepped next to him as they were entering the courtyard and
spoke quietly.
“Mr. Darcy, I am so sorry for running into you. It was completely my fault. I
know you must have fallen rather hard and I feel terrible that you were hurt
because of me.” Seeing he was about to protest, she held up her hand and
continued. “Please take care of your shoulder, I can see you are in pain. It
will only compound my guilt to know you are hurting and not receiving any
relief. Please take care.” She lightly touched his arm and looked up at him
imploringly.
Touched by her solicitousness, he nodded silently and strode into the house.

Chapter
9, Part II

After
requesting a mug of cocoa and relinquishing her wet cloak to a maid, Elizabeth
gratefully sunk into a hot bath. She let the warm water relax her sore muscles
and soothe her nerves. 
I’m starting to
sound like my mother
, she thought. She closed her eyes and tried to
empty her mind, but it was proving to be a difficult task.
She felt guilty about running into Mr. Darcy and wondered how badly he was
hurt. She was sure it was a bad bruise at the least, and felt silly that she had
run into him so clumsily. As she recalled lying on the ground, half her weight
across him and his arms about her waist, she felt a blush spread across her
cheeks. She had never been that close to a man unrelated to her. It had been
oddly comforting and warm despite the snow she was lying in. Had she actually
touched his face? How inappropriate! What had made her do that? Elizabeth was
tiring of all the mixed emotions inside her and wished, again, that this could
just be simple.
Once again, she wondered why she cared whether Mr. Darcy thought she had
breached propriety. Had he not always been rude to her and quarreled with her
every chance he got? That was how he had behaved at Netherfield. 
But
, she reminded herself, 
he is not behaving like that here.
 He
had been quite polite, ever the gracious host, and even kind to her. She had
actually begun to enjoy his company. A sobering realization began to dawn on
her. 
Could it be? Could she be friends with Mr. Darcy?

~

“How on earth did that happen?” Colonel Fitzwilliam gestured to the bruise
beginning to turn purple on Darcy’s right shoulder. 
“I took a spill,” he said wryly.
“Uh-huh.” The Colonel was not convinced.
“Fisher, you may go. I’ll ring when I need you,” Darcy dismissed his valet.
Colonel Fitzwilliam moved to sit on the chair in the corner.
“So are you going to tell me the real story or do I have to drag it out of
you?”
Darcy shifted in the tub and released a sigh. “I ran into Miss Bennet. Or
rather she ran into me. She is a surprisingly powerful runner,” he said as he
shifted his shoulder painfully. The movement made him wince and Fitzwilliam
looked at him incredulously. 
“How the devil could you have run into each other?”
Darcy heaved an exaggerated sigh. “She was running to the next tree when
Georgiana stood up, and not wanting to be seen, she turned back and ran into me
running for the tree she had just vacated.” He looked around uncomfortably. “We
collided.”
Fitzwilliam let out a great guffawing laugh. “So that’s why you were on the
ground! I wondered about that but didn’t want to ask in front of the ladies.”
He leaned forward, and putting his elbows on his knees, looked at Darcy
conspiratorially. “So how was it?” he asked suggestively, his eyebrows raised.
“Fitzwilliam!” Darcy waved him off, intending to splash water on him, but only
succeeding in sprinkling him faintly and making his injured shoulder smart.
“I see. That good.” Colonel Fitzwilliam nodded his head in silent appreciation.
It took Darcy a moment to respond as his mind was occupied reliving the moment
after the collision when Elizabeth had brushed the snow off his face. She had
been so caring and concerned for him, at least after she had stopped laughing
at him. She was the only woman he knew who could laugh at him and make him feel
cared for at the same time. And she had fit so perfectly against him.
His reverie was lost as he realized Richard was talking again. “I’m sorry,
Richard. What did you say?”
Fitzwilliam only laughed and said, “Nothing of import cousin. I shall leave you
to dress in peace.” 
Now on his own, Darcy had the chance to plan his next move. He wanted to
propose to Miss Bennet, but how to go about such a thing? He’d never done it
before, and it wasn’t exactly the sort of thing men talked about in the club.
He had to struggle to keep his thoughts on task and not dwell on the feeling of
Elizabeth in his arms, or the way she felt when her body shook with laughter
against his, or the touch of her hand on his face, or the look in her eyes when
she asked him to take care of himself; she had been so sincere and tender. Yes,
she would make him a very good wife.
Pondering how he would propose, Darcy came to a few conclusions. He knew he
would have to go to Longbourn shortly after the proposal to ask Mr. Bennet for
his consent. He wasn’t looking forward to it, but it had to be done. 
He didn’t want to leave while Elizabeth was still in London and give up what
little time he had with her. Once they were engaged, it wouldn’t be proper for
them to stay under the same roof together, either. He decided he should ask her
right after the ball, just before she was due to depart.
Eight more days
. 
Then he could offer her his carriage home, which he had planned on arranging
anyway, and escort her, buying him a few more hours with her, without the
presence of her family. Georgiana would have to accompany them, but surely she
wouldn’t mind. And Georgiana always fell asleep in the carriage, so they would
have plenty of time to themselves to talk and make plans for their life together.
He leaned his head back with a sigh, content with the plans he had made.
That night dinner was a jovial event. Georgiana and Colonel Fitzwilliam were
still high from their victory, Darcy was feeling particularly pleased with his
recently made plans, and Elizabeth felt a newfound freedom in acknowledging her
friendship with Mr. Darcy. They talked and laughed and joked and had altogether
the most pleasant evening of her visit so far, and one of the loudest the staff
could remember in quite some time. 
After dinner, as they sat in the music room, Georgiana was excitedly telling
Elizabeth how much snow they had in Derbyshire and was already planning the
massive snowball battle they would have at Pemberley next winter. 
Everyone was grinning at her enthusiasm when she looked at Elizabeth and said
bluntly, “You must come to Pemberley, Elizabeth! It’s the most wonderful place
on earth!”
“Next winter is so long away! You can’t possibly be making plans so far in
advance,” Elizabeth said in an attempt to dispel the awkwardness caused by
Georgiana’s unapproved invitation. 
“Of course. You must come sooner than that, Miss Bennet.” Darcy’s deep voice
startled her and made her look up at him quickly.
“Oh yes! You should come for the summer! Pemberley is beautiful in the summer!
And we already planned to be there. Didn’t we, Brother?” Georgiana was looking
at Elizabeth expectantly, obviously waiting for her acquiescence. 
Elizabeth looked from Georgiana to Darcy and back again, not sure what to say.
Mr. Darcy, seeing her conflict, stepped in. “We would be honored to have you at
Pemberley this summer, Miss Bennet. If you can arrange it, of course.”
“I don’t know whether my father can spare me, I am already doing much traveling
this year, but I shall consider it.”
“Good. We can talk about it more later, then.” 
“Where will you be traveling, Miss Bennet?” asked Colonel Fitzwilliam.
“In March, I will go to Kent to see my friend Mrs. Collins, who has recently
wed a cousin of mine. I will be staying through Easter.”
“What a coincidence! I shall be in Kent for Easter as well, visiting my aunt
Lady Catherine, as I do every year at that time. Where does your cousin live?”
“I believe it is more of a coincidence than you originally imagined, Colonel.
My cousin lives at Hunsford Parsonage. He is Lady Catherine de Burgh’s
rector.” 
“Well that is lucky for me! And Darcy as well. We always make the Easter
pilgrimage together. I dare say Kent just became a little more appealing.” He
smiled openly at her and she grinned back. 
“When will you arrive, Miss Bennet?” asked Darcy.
“I shall first travel to London to spend a day with my aunt, then we expect to
be in Kent by the middle of March; I believe it is the eleventh. I am traveling
with Sir William Lucas and Miss Maria Lucas, Mrs. Collins’s family. I intend to
stay six weeks with Mrs. Collins, then another week with my family in London on
my way back to Hertfordshire.”
“We will be arriving the week before Easter, I believe. At least that’s what we
usually do. And staying a fortnight, or something like that. We’ll have to call
on you at the parsonage, Miss Bennet.”
“I hope you will, Colonel.” 
Darcy was silently planning, and looked up in time to catch a smile between
Elizabeth and Richard. He hoped Richard wasn’t falling for Elizabeth; that
could prove to be awkward. 
Darcy didn’t like the sound of all of Elizabeth’s travels; it might make it
difficult for him to see her regularly after they were engaged. Of course he
could always stay at Rosings to see her while she was at the parsonage, but
Lady Catherine would not look kindly on this engagement, and he didn’t want to
expose Elizabeth to her wrath, so that idea wasn’t really plausible. 
In fact, she may need to rethink the trip altogether once their engagement was
announced. He probably wouldn’t want her anywhere near Lady Catherine,
especially without him to protect her. Perhaps she could stay in London with
her aunt and uncle? Then he could still see her every day and wouldn’t have to
deal with her mother. But then he would have to deal with her Cheapside
relations. They couldn’t possibly be as bad as Mrs. Bennet! Could they? Maybe
he should meet them before he decided on a plan. He wouldn’t want to commit to
a course of action only to find he had made the poorer choice.
“I believe my cousin is woolgathering, Miss Bennet.”
“What was that Fitzwilliam?” Darcy snapped out of his reverie.
“Where were you just now, Darcy? You clearly weren’t here. And judging by the
expression on your face, it wasn’t pleasant.”
“Forgive me; I was thinking about some business I need to attend to.”
Fitzwilliam knew he was lying, but decided to get the truth out of him later –
in private. Standing to leave, Fitzwilliam wished the ladies a good night and
told them he would see them at the ball. 
At the door, he turned and said, “Oh, Georgiana, Mother tells me that you will
be permitted to dance with the family. May I take this opportunity to secure a
dance?”
Georgiana’s face brightened and she answered, “Of course Richard! Which would
you prefer?”
“The first, if you are not otherwise engaged.”
“Actually, she’ll be dancing the first with me, Fitzwilliam.” Darcy was
standing next to Richard and the two gave each other a look, knowing they were
reverting to an old game they used to play with Georgiana when she was little
where they would fight over her affections. They each puffed up their chests
and put on their most courtly faces, trying to win her favor.
“Then I shall dance the first with Miss Bennet, and the second with Georgiana,
if that suits you ladies.” 
“I would be happy to accept you for the first set, Colonel Fitzwilliam,” smiled
Elizabeth, seeing the game they were playing. Darcy found he did not
particularly like her choice of words.
“And I shall accept you for the second, Richard.” Georgiana was trying very
hard to act like a lady and not giggle.
“Miss Bennet, may I be so bold as to secure your second set?” asked Mr. Darcy
formally.
“I would be honored, Mr. Darcy.” Elizabeth curtseyed, and both gentlemen bowed,
Colonel Fitzwilliam a little deeper and more dramatically than Mr. Darcy. 
“I believe I shall retire before every dance is taken and there are none left
for the other gentlemen.” Elizabeth smiled coyly, and taking Georgiana by the
arm, walked toward the door. They nodded and gave a tiny curtsey to the
gentlemen as they passed by and continued down the hall.
The gentlemen watched them walk away for a little longer than was necessary,
then headed downstairs. “Shall we see you before the ball, Richard?” Darcy
asked him as they descended the stairs.
“I don’t know. I hadn’t planned on it, but seeing how there is more to see here
now, I may adjust my schedule.” He gave a roguish smile and Darcy glared at
him.
“Watch yourself, Richard. Miss Bennet is a lady and not to be trifled with. She
has no dowry; you could never afford to marry her.”
“Who said anything about marriage? Must you always be jumping to conclusions?
You’re as bad as Mother.” He shook his head in mock disapproval. “But now that
you mention it, I just might be persuaded to give up my bachelor ways for the
right woman. She is something else, isn’t she?” he looked up the stairs
longingly.
Seeing Darcy’s dark look, he clapped his back and said, “Don’t worry, Darce.
You’re right; I cannot afford to marry her, or any woman for that matter,
unless she comes with a large fortune. And most of those are taken by men with
equally large fortunes, so it seems I may be a bachelor forever.”
Suddenly Darcy felt bad for needling his cousin and gave him a sympathetic
look, but Richard cut him off before he could speak.
“Don’t feel sorry for me, William. I am not to be pitied. There are certainly
those worse off than I am. I could be Cyril.” He smiled broadly and shrugged
his shoulders. 
He and Darcy had always agreed that if you had to be like Cyril to inherit the
title and the estate, he’d rather be poor, title-less, and like himself. And
they both always knew that should Cyril cut Richard off, Darcy would support
him. They had never spoken it aloud, but they knew it just the same.
Darcy laughed unconvincingly and ordered the carriage. “Apparently I am not the
only one who would rather be happy than rich,” added Richard thoughtfully.
“What do you mean?”
“Miss Bennet. Hasn’t a penny to her name, or not enough to count on anyway, and
turned down a perfectly good marriage proposal.”
“She did? How do you know this? Who did she refuse?” Darcy asked attentively.
“Georgiana told me, said Miss Bennet and she stayed up late talking and she
told her about it. She didn’t tell me his name, but said he was set to inherit
an estate and was an advantageous match, but Miss Bennet didn’t love him, so
she refused. I think Georgiana may have found a new hero.” He laughed. “Her
mother was set to tan her hide, from what Georgiana says, but she said she
wouldn’t have him, and they couldn’t make her! Ha! Can you believe that?”
“Interesting. Very interesting.” Darcy spoke quietly and looked down, deep in
thought. “Do you know when this happened? Perhaps she was young and headstrong.
She might not do the same today.”
Richard looked at him thoughtfully and answered, “Georgiana made it sound like
it was rather recent; I’d guess in the last few months.” He looked at his
cousin carefully and made sure he had his attention. “She said Miss Bennet
would only marry for the deepest love, and that she suspected she might end up
an old maid because of it. Would be a pity. Women like that don’t come along
every day.” He shook his head and headed for the door. “There’s my carriage.
I’ll see you soon, Darcy.” He clapped his back and headed out the door.
Darcy finally looked up as Richard was climbing into the carriage. He mumbled a
goodbye and signaled to Causer to close the door.
Colonel Fitzwilliam leaned his head against the plush seat and let out a
chuckle. “Who would have thought? The incomparable Mr. Darcy of Pemberley, in
love! And with a penniless girl from Hertfordshire! May wonders never
cease.” 
He smiled all the way to back to the barracks.