Mr Darcy's Fight for Love, page 10
Happy as they were they observed only in the last moment a rider coming on the principal road. They stopped their enjoyment to look at the intruder. As he approached and got off the horse, Elizabeth and some of the others recognised Viscount Devonshire. He wanted to be a part of their circle and intended to gallantly fight for that right…
The winter cold invaded Elizabeth’s body. Not wholly displeased to see him again, she was also worried. She stared at Darcy with a concerned face, but he was smiling, clearly wanting to reassure her. He was not going to make any move unless provoked and it was unlikely the shrewd viscount would dare a confrontation in public. His way of acting was more insidious.
“Good morning,” the viscount said, making a large bow to all of them.
They answered, each in his or her way but obviously not happy to see him.
It was the duke who made a step forward to receive the guest.
“Your Grace,” the viscount said with much enthusiasm. “It is a pleasure to see you enjoying the winter!”
The duke searched Sophie to explain the situation, “My dear, this is Viscount Devonshire, one of our guests at the engagement dinner.”
Thomas of Sommershire greeted the intruder but did not answer his question. He found the stranger much too friendly to his taste.
The viscount slightly disturbed by the cold reception, tried to advance into a more convivial conversation.
“I came to offer Miss Bennet and you all the best wishes on your engagement.” Both the duke and Mary received his wishes with a small gesture of their heads.
“Thank you, Lord Devonshire,” Mary said.
The viscount’s attention moved to Mary when he said with a pleasant smile on his face, “I hope, Miss Bennet, you will give me the pleasure to wish you a long and happy life also at the small breakfast gathering after the wedding, you have organised.”
Lady Sommershire froze before such an audacity. Both Thomas and Mary were watching her while on her stern face a peculiar expression appeared. She looked at Elizabeth also shocked by his words—the same they had used when they visited Lady Roxanne.
“We are sorry Lord Devonshire the small breakfast gathering is only for family,” Sophie said in such a cold tone that even the duke looked at her in surprise. It was not Sophie’s nature to be sarcastic.
It was such a defeat that the viscount’s broad smile transformed into a grin and only an instant after he left in a mad gallop that made the path stone grind his fury. His last glance was for Darcy making Elizabeth instinctively place her hand on his arm in a gesture of confidence. Darcy took her hand and in front of everybody kissed it.
“You are ruining my reputation,” she whispered without reproach.
“Good!” he said while he looked at the duke who was speaking to Sophie and Lord Montrose, “We do not have guards at the front gates?”
“No, Thomas,” Sophie answered, “it was not necessary…till now!”
“Andrew,” he said to Lord Montrose, making Sophie blush with pleasure at his familiarity, “please help me fix this problem; we need to supervise the gates and permit only friends or guests to enter.”
“Of course, Lord Sommershire, I will,” Lord Montrose answered.
“Please call me Thomas as I took the liberty of calling you, Andrew.”
They all headed toward the entrance, but the surprise was not over as again the duke spoke, “We invite you to take a tea in Sophie’s dinner room…and, gentlemen, will you come tomorrow morning to inaugurate our new gallop track?” He was proudly standing near Mary, hand in hand no longer interested in the behaviour imposed by society.
Chapter 19
Elizabeth and Sophie were spending a quiet afternoon again while Jane and her parents were invited to dinner by Louise Hurst, Mr Bingley’s sister.
“Where is Lord Montrose?” Elizabeth asked as she entered the parlour.
“Lord Montrose took the Sommershire Palace’s security very seriously,” she answered with much tenderness. “He intends to fix all our problems so we should hardly see him!”
“But why you did not go with your family?” Sophie asked.
“I cannot say Mr Bingley’s sisters are my best friends; they had to like Jane, so they concentrated all their frustration on me.”
“Frustration?”
“Yes, they probably wanted Mr Bingley to marry a duchess and our family was far from that ideal.”
“I see, but now?”
“Let us say that it would make me sick to see they like me now! In the future, we will meet, but I need some time before seeing them.”
“Let us forget about them and concentrate on us,” Sophie said with joyful anticipation.
“It looks like the viscount exceeded all the limits of proper behaviour, to arrive uninvited, and then ask the duke to invite him to the wedding party.”
“It seems to me, dear Elizabeth, we have seen for the first time his real face, that grin at the end.”
“And the hate in his eyes when he looked at Darcy,” she said and blushed.
“You are calling Mr Darcy, Darcy?” asked Sophie with an insinuating tone.
“Yes, Sophie, I was foolish not to see the evidence. Darcy is an honest and kind man while the viscount, with all his impeccable manners, is a deceiver. Darcy told me that in their youth, ten years ago, the viscount developed a kind of rivalry between them, making his life hell. The viscount was always entangling Darcy’s life with his schemes and his obsessions. And I believe Darcy, he is rude sometimes but incapable of lying and deceiving.”
“It is also what Andrew told me, he despises the viscount but has only good words for Mr Darcy; they attend the same club and sometimes meet when they are in London.”
Elizabeth clapped her hands with joy, “It is so good, now that…” but she stopped.
“Now, come Miss Bennet,” her friend said, “you have to tell me all the truth, what really happened between you and Mr Darcy? Do I see an event on the horizon that could make you happy?”
“Nothing has been said,” Elizabeth whispered.
“But something has been felt!”
“Yes, yes, Sophie.” From whispering she arrived at almost crying while she went to the window. “I could never imagine there are so many feelings I did not know.”
“Indeed, there are, my dear.”
“Do you…?” she wanted to ask an intimate question but stopped again.
“Yes, Elizabeth, yes, I also feel the same about Andrew.”
They stood still watching the park and their footsteps in the snow; it had been a marvellous time of joyfulness and friendship.
“We have known you and your family for only for a few weeks but how important they have been for Thomas and me. I consider you my best friend and your family as my family. You will be my niece-in-law,” she said and continued, “my sister if you permit me.”
Elizabeth took her hands in her own, “Of course I do, Sophie, it is exactly what I feel, that there are now six Bennet sisters.”
In the middle of those joyful confessions Sophie’s eye filled with tears that began to pour down her face.
“Sophie, what is it?” Elizabeth asked worried, while the woman in front of her shook her head. “They are happy tears. I have been so alone and now our house is full again of noises and people and happiness.”
“Sometimes, too crowded…” Elizabeth said. Sophie did not let her continue, “No, absolutely not, it is exactly how a house must be, with kind and attentive parents and many of young people. When Thomas and Mary are married and gone to Bath, I will ask Mr Bennet one huge favour.”
“Anything,” Elizabeth said wholeheartedly, “I can promise anything in his name as I know father so well.”
“I will pray Mr Bennet to be my father for an afternoon and receive Andrew to ask me in marriage. I need to have some normality in my life.”
“My dear, you do not have to pray…only to ask. I am sure Papa will be honoured to give you in marriage to Lord Montrose. He is beginning to have some experience in giving his daughters away…”
“And when will he give you...?” Sophie said.
“Soon, I still need a little time, I enjoy this moment before being engaged, I adore discovering all these emotions.”
“But there is so much more…” and it was Sophie’s turn to blush.
“No!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “Did you really...?” But then she immediately added, “I do not want to intrude or to be inconsiderate.”
“No, Elizabeth, I want to tell you, I need to speak with someone. Usually, one has a mother or a sister while I am all alone.”
“I am here, my dear, your sister, forever. It is such a special sisterhood between us, I feel I am not shy with you and I also need to speak with someone; do not imagine I could speak to my mother…not even to Jane.”
“Yes, Elizabeth, I was with Andrew. Some nights ago, after dinner, he came to my drawing-room to bring me this…,” and she caressed the ruby and diamond necklace she was wearing, a delicate and precious jewel, so right for splendid posture. “We kissed, and I completely lost my mind in his arms. I did not know what it meant to yearn for someone, yet I found out that evening, and what happened was natural and beautiful. We have waited for this moment for seven years, I cannot say it was unexpected.”
“You are so courageous,” Elizabeth said.
“It is not courage, but love, we were on the verge of engaging when the tragedy struck.”
“Poor you! And he waited for you.”
“Yes, lately he said that he was determined to come one night and take me away…like an outlaw, but it is no longer necessary.”
“You look so happy near Lord Montrose.”
“I am, it is not only our love but also all this life I found after so many years of solitude. I even reclaimed possession of our box at the theatre; during all these years it has been used by Thomas’s relatives from his mother’s side.”
Sophie saw the question in Elizabeth’s face and she made a vivid gesture with her hand while saying, “Believe me it is not worth our time to discuss those kinds of people. They did not come once during all these years to see how Thomas was doing. And they are close relatives. Sometimes, the family offers no support, but it does not matter anymore. The important thing is we are going to the theatre and I intend to see all the plays.”
Chapter 20
The next day a beautiful sun appeared in the winter sky, and as if by magic all the snow that covered the park only a day ago vanished.
“It is a spring day, not a winter one,” Jane exclaimed full of joy. She was pretending to look in the park in search of the snow when in fact she was waiting for her betrothed. Bingley and Darcy were expected to come on horseback to participate in a race that Thomas organised for the men on the gallop track. It was the first social engagement he had organised and he was incredibly proud. Traversing the property, his gallop track had an acceptable length to host races between men.
“And between women,” Mary said with much conviction.
Thomas looked at her, almost shocked.
“Not today, my dear, she said, “but one morning between you and me…?”
Bingley arrived accompanied by Darcy at 9 o’clock making Jane frantic with impatience and happiness. “He is coming,” she cried, while her mother and sister smiled. Then blushing she corrected herself, “They are coming, Charles and Mr Darcy.”
Thomas and Andrew were already on the track waiting for them.
“Come, come, ladies hurry up,” she said. “Let us get dressed and go to the park—please hurry; the competition could begin at any moment!”
“Calm down, my dear,” Mrs Bennet said, “they will wait for us to come, we are, after all the audience.”
They saw in the distance the four horsemen speaking near their horses. Mary was already waiting for them in the park, her cheeks red from the cold, a sign she had been outside for some time.
“Imagine,” she said, “Thomas made me accompany him to his track an hour ago, I just watched him riding, all this time…I am a block of ice.”
Her sisters and Sophie surrounded her to offer some warmth, enjoying every moment of that morning while Mr and Mrs Bennet looked at them with pride and delight. “Oh, Mr Bennet, I could not imagine living such a cheerful morning and us so calm and confident about the future. Not our future, but our daughters’.”
They were slowly walking towards the ladies, it was rare for them to spend time outside, strolling, “Remember Mr Bennet, how we used to walk for miles when we were their age?”
Mr Bennet remembered, but he also recalled that his future bride did not like to walk and he had always suspected she agreed to those long walks only to charm him. They were always accompanied by his future brother-in-law and their mother, but still, they were pleasant moments.
“I can hardly wait to go home, Mrs Bennet!” he said while Mrs Bennet scolded him, “I cannot believe that you are not feeling wonderful here. As for me, I will miss this life.”
“Well then, Mrs Bennet you could come whenever you want...if the young duchess will agree.”
He could not help but mingle, besides love and admiration, a little irony when referring to Mary. He looked at her as she was standing in front of them and he had to admit she was beautiful.
Preparing for the start, the gentlemen hardly greeted the ladies, causing a little disappointment, mostly for Jane and Elizabeth. They stared at each other for a few seconds before the stallions whinnied loudly and started to canter towards the start line. A young man from the stables was there to sound a gong.
They decided to have three races, each time the last would be eliminated.
Elizabeth wondered how in just a few moments the men could become children again, enjoying the cold and the competition. Forgetting everything else like love or future brides or…future betrothed. As she looked at Darcy riding, she imagined his thrill being on horseback, his emotion at high speed and that turmoil took her over as if she were one with the man on the horse.
And then he was near her. Darcy was the first to lose a race. She suspected he had done it on purpose just to have the occasion to be with her watching the other races. In the fever of the race nobody was looking at them so he came from behind so close to her that she could hear his respiration; still recovering from the race; his breath made Elizabeth quiver. She shut her eyes, incapable of following the track as her whole body was responding to his approach.
The final race was won by Thomas, he was the youngest but also the only one who really wanted to be the first. He looked so proudly at Mary that everybody agreed he deserved to win.
They rushed to the house, hungry and cold but cheerful.
“Please give us 15 minutes to refresh,” Thomas said in the hall, “and then we will have a colossal breakfast.”
They all spread into the house, some in the dining room others to refresh themselves. The last to enter the hall, Elizabeth and Darcy found themselves alone. They looked around, but it took Darcy just a second to take Elizabeth’s hand and invite her into the empty parlour.
He shut the door and stopped at some distance to let her understand what was happening. She could have protested, leaving the room, but instead she looked into his eyes as he approached her, closer and closer, till their faces nearly touched and he kissed her. In the beginning, their lips just touched, but he could not content himself anymore and took her into his arms. His kiss grew from a mere touch to lust, urging her to react, to cling to him; her hands caressed his neck and it was his turn to lose the last bits of reality.
“I love you,” he whispered against her ear, feeling her tremble as a unique answer. He tightened her body closer…his caresses more daring, till she sighed and put her forehead to his chest. It took a long time for them to separate. Elizabeth leaned on him, her shyness almost vanquished by the power of her sentiments. She wanted him to ask that question again—the one she heard many times in her dreams. But Darcy was silent, he lovingly caressed her face and then he touched her lips burned by the kiss, overwhelmed by happiness and hope. His eyes followed her as she left the room, remembering the kiss and her maddening reaction.
Elizabeth’s luck was the winter from outside, they all had red cheeks and burned lips from the cold. Only her mother’s intense look discovered more, noting the stars in the eyes that each person in love had. She was happy for her but also worried. Elizabeth was so independent and unlike other women that she could love someone and still end up alone. But then she looked at Mary, and she knew love could change a person.
Sophie just glanced at her and knew why she had arrived later than the others, ‘Good for you, Elizabeth,’—she thought. She hoped that it was more than a kiss and she had finally answered ‘yes’ to the question she had denied or avoided in the past.
Ultimately Elizabeth was sure she wanted to be with Darcy, but he let her leave that room without a word. Before they kissed he tried to ask her to marry him but after…he just kept silent. She dreamed their kiss to be the perfect time for him to ask and for her to say yes, but things went differently. And she could not understand why.
She kept on gazing at him, hardly eating while in front of her at the table, he just smiled. That kiss had changed everything between them, however how different were their reactions. Darcy received his answer most stunningly, he was filled by happy expectations while Elizabeth wanted to hear the words.
“How can a kiss change everything?” she whispered to Sophie, who was seated near her.
“It is the difference between being someone’s friend and betrothed.”
“But he did not ask me to marry him, neither before nor after the…” Elizabeth said and Sophie guessed the fear behind her words, so she smiled and said, “He will, my dear; he looks at you with such a hunger that it is not going to take long, just have patience. You told me you want a little time to enjoy…”
“Now I want just to be with him!”
Chapter 21
The night of the theatre party the whole house was in chaos. The maids ran from one lady to another and more than once Elizabeth, Jane and Sophie reunited in one another’s room to ask or give an opinion.
The winter cold invaded Elizabeth’s body. Not wholly displeased to see him again, she was also worried. She stared at Darcy with a concerned face, but he was smiling, clearly wanting to reassure her. He was not going to make any move unless provoked and it was unlikely the shrewd viscount would dare a confrontation in public. His way of acting was more insidious.
“Good morning,” the viscount said, making a large bow to all of them.
They answered, each in his or her way but obviously not happy to see him.
It was the duke who made a step forward to receive the guest.
“Your Grace,” the viscount said with much enthusiasm. “It is a pleasure to see you enjoying the winter!”
The duke searched Sophie to explain the situation, “My dear, this is Viscount Devonshire, one of our guests at the engagement dinner.”
Thomas of Sommershire greeted the intruder but did not answer his question. He found the stranger much too friendly to his taste.
The viscount slightly disturbed by the cold reception, tried to advance into a more convivial conversation.
“I came to offer Miss Bennet and you all the best wishes on your engagement.” Both the duke and Mary received his wishes with a small gesture of their heads.
“Thank you, Lord Devonshire,” Mary said.
The viscount’s attention moved to Mary when he said with a pleasant smile on his face, “I hope, Miss Bennet, you will give me the pleasure to wish you a long and happy life also at the small breakfast gathering after the wedding, you have organised.”
Lady Sommershire froze before such an audacity. Both Thomas and Mary were watching her while on her stern face a peculiar expression appeared. She looked at Elizabeth also shocked by his words—the same they had used when they visited Lady Roxanne.
“We are sorry Lord Devonshire the small breakfast gathering is only for family,” Sophie said in such a cold tone that even the duke looked at her in surprise. It was not Sophie’s nature to be sarcastic.
It was such a defeat that the viscount’s broad smile transformed into a grin and only an instant after he left in a mad gallop that made the path stone grind his fury. His last glance was for Darcy making Elizabeth instinctively place her hand on his arm in a gesture of confidence. Darcy took her hand and in front of everybody kissed it.
“You are ruining my reputation,” she whispered without reproach.
“Good!” he said while he looked at the duke who was speaking to Sophie and Lord Montrose, “We do not have guards at the front gates?”
“No, Thomas,” Sophie answered, “it was not necessary…till now!”
“Andrew,” he said to Lord Montrose, making Sophie blush with pleasure at his familiarity, “please help me fix this problem; we need to supervise the gates and permit only friends or guests to enter.”
“Of course, Lord Sommershire, I will,” Lord Montrose answered.
“Please call me Thomas as I took the liberty of calling you, Andrew.”
They all headed toward the entrance, but the surprise was not over as again the duke spoke, “We invite you to take a tea in Sophie’s dinner room…and, gentlemen, will you come tomorrow morning to inaugurate our new gallop track?” He was proudly standing near Mary, hand in hand no longer interested in the behaviour imposed by society.
Chapter 19
Elizabeth and Sophie were spending a quiet afternoon again while Jane and her parents were invited to dinner by Louise Hurst, Mr Bingley’s sister.
“Where is Lord Montrose?” Elizabeth asked as she entered the parlour.
“Lord Montrose took the Sommershire Palace’s security very seriously,” she answered with much tenderness. “He intends to fix all our problems so we should hardly see him!”
“But why you did not go with your family?” Sophie asked.
“I cannot say Mr Bingley’s sisters are my best friends; they had to like Jane, so they concentrated all their frustration on me.”
“Frustration?”
“Yes, they probably wanted Mr Bingley to marry a duchess and our family was far from that ideal.”
“I see, but now?”
“Let us say that it would make me sick to see they like me now! In the future, we will meet, but I need some time before seeing them.”
“Let us forget about them and concentrate on us,” Sophie said with joyful anticipation.
“It looks like the viscount exceeded all the limits of proper behaviour, to arrive uninvited, and then ask the duke to invite him to the wedding party.”
“It seems to me, dear Elizabeth, we have seen for the first time his real face, that grin at the end.”
“And the hate in his eyes when he looked at Darcy,” she said and blushed.
“You are calling Mr Darcy, Darcy?” asked Sophie with an insinuating tone.
“Yes, Sophie, I was foolish not to see the evidence. Darcy is an honest and kind man while the viscount, with all his impeccable manners, is a deceiver. Darcy told me that in their youth, ten years ago, the viscount developed a kind of rivalry between them, making his life hell. The viscount was always entangling Darcy’s life with his schemes and his obsessions. And I believe Darcy, he is rude sometimes but incapable of lying and deceiving.”
“It is also what Andrew told me, he despises the viscount but has only good words for Mr Darcy; they attend the same club and sometimes meet when they are in London.”
Elizabeth clapped her hands with joy, “It is so good, now that…” but she stopped.
“Now, come Miss Bennet,” her friend said, “you have to tell me all the truth, what really happened between you and Mr Darcy? Do I see an event on the horizon that could make you happy?”
“Nothing has been said,” Elizabeth whispered.
“But something has been felt!”
“Yes, yes, Sophie.” From whispering she arrived at almost crying while she went to the window. “I could never imagine there are so many feelings I did not know.”
“Indeed, there are, my dear.”
“Do you…?” she wanted to ask an intimate question but stopped again.
“Yes, Elizabeth, yes, I also feel the same about Andrew.”
They stood still watching the park and their footsteps in the snow; it had been a marvellous time of joyfulness and friendship.
“We have known you and your family for only for a few weeks but how important they have been for Thomas and me. I consider you my best friend and your family as my family. You will be my niece-in-law,” she said and continued, “my sister if you permit me.”
Elizabeth took her hands in her own, “Of course I do, Sophie, it is exactly what I feel, that there are now six Bennet sisters.”
In the middle of those joyful confessions Sophie’s eye filled with tears that began to pour down her face.
“Sophie, what is it?” Elizabeth asked worried, while the woman in front of her shook her head. “They are happy tears. I have been so alone and now our house is full again of noises and people and happiness.”
“Sometimes, too crowded…” Elizabeth said. Sophie did not let her continue, “No, absolutely not, it is exactly how a house must be, with kind and attentive parents and many of young people. When Thomas and Mary are married and gone to Bath, I will ask Mr Bennet one huge favour.”
“Anything,” Elizabeth said wholeheartedly, “I can promise anything in his name as I know father so well.”
“I will pray Mr Bennet to be my father for an afternoon and receive Andrew to ask me in marriage. I need to have some normality in my life.”
“My dear, you do not have to pray…only to ask. I am sure Papa will be honoured to give you in marriage to Lord Montrose. He is beginning to have some experience in giving his daughters away…”
“And when will he give you...?” Sophie said.
“Soon, I still need a little time, I enjoy this moment before being engaged, I adore discovering all these emotions.”
“But there is so much more…” and it was Sophie’s turn to blush.
“No!” Elizabeth exclaimed. “Did you really...?” But then she immediately added, “I do not want to intrude or to be inconsiderate.”
“No, Elizabeth, I want to tell you, I need to speak with someone. Usually, one has a mother or a sister while I am all alone.”
“I am here, my dear, your sister, forever. It is such a special sisterhood between us, I feel I am not shy with you and I also need to speak with someone; do not imagine I could speak to my mother…not even to Jane.”
“Yes, Elizabeth, I was with Andrew. Some nights ago, after dinner, he came to my drawing-room to bring me this…,” and she caressed the ruby and diamond necklace she was wearing, a delicate and precious jewel, so right for splendid posture. “We kissed, and I completely lost my mind in his arms. I did not know what it meant to yearn for someone, yet I found out that evening, and what happened was natural and beautiful. We have waited for this moment for seven years, I cannot say it was unexpected.”
“You are so courageous,” Elizabeth said.
“It is not courage, but love, we were on the verge of engaging when the tragedy struck.”
“Poor you! And he waited for you.”
“Yes, lately he said that he was determined to come one night and take me away…like an outlaw, but it is no longer necessary.”
“You look so happy near Lord Montrose.”
“I am, it is not only our love but also all this life I found after so many years of solitude. I even reclaimed possession of our box at the theatre; during all these years it has been used by Thomas’s relatives from his mother’s side.”
Sophie saw the question in Elizabeth’s face and she made a vivid gesture with her hand while saying, “Believe me it is not worth our time to discuss those kinds of people. They did not come once during all these years to see how Thomas was doing. And they are close relatives. Sometimes, the family offers no support, but it does not matter anymore. The important thing is we are going to the theatre and I intend to see all the plays.”
Chapter 20
The next day a beautiful sun appeared in the winter sky, and as if by magic all the snow that covered the park only a day ago vanished.
“It is a spring day, not a winter one,” Jane exclaimed full of joy. She was pretending to look in the park in search of the snow when in fact she was waiting for her betrothed. Bingley and Darcy were expected to come on horseback to participate in a race that Thomas organised for the men on the gallop track. It was the first social engagement he had organised and he was incredibly proud. Traversing the property, his gallop track had an acceptable length to host races between men.
“And between women,” Mary said with much conviction.
Thomas looked at her, almost shocked.
“Not today, my dear, she said, “but one morning between you and me…?”
Bingley arrived accompanied by Darcy at 9 o’clock making Jane frantic with impatience and happiness. “He is coming,” she cried, while her mother and sister smiled. Then blushing she corrected herself, “They are coming, Charles and Mr Darcy.”
Thomas and Andrew were already on the track waiting for them.
“Come, come, ladies hurry up,” she said. “Let us get dressed and go to the park—please hurry; the competition could begin at any moment!”
“Calm down, my dear,” Mrs Bennet said, “they will wait for us to come, we are, after all the audience.”
They saw in the distance the four horsemen speaking near their horses. Mary was already waiting for them in the park, her cheeks red from the cold, a sign she had been outside for some time.
“Imagine,” she said, “Thomas made me accompany him to his track an hour ago, I just watched him riding, all this time…I am a block of ice.”
Her sisters and Sophie surrounded her to offer some warmth, enjoying every moment of that morning while Mr and Mrs Bennet looked at them with pride and delight. “Oh, Mr Bennet, I could not imagine living such a cheerful morning and us so calm and confident about the future. Not our future, but our daughters’.”
They were slowly walking towards the ladies, it was rare for them to spend time outside, strolling, “Remember Mr Bennet, how we used to walk for miles when we were their age?”
Mr Bennet remembered, but he also recalled that his future bride did not like to walk and he had always suspected she agreed to those long walks only to charm him. They were always accompanied by his future brother-in-law and their mother, but still, they were pleasant moments.
“I can hardly wait to go home, Mrs Bennet!” he said while Mrs Bennet scolded him, “I cannot believe that you are not feeling wonderful here. As for me, I will miss this life.”
“Well then, Mrs Bennet you could come whenever you want...if the young duchess will agree.”
He could not help but mingle, besides love and admiration, a little irony when referring to Mary. He looked at her as she was standing in front of them and he had to admit she was beautiful.
Preparing for the start, the gentlemen hardly greeted the ladies, causing a little disappointment, mostly for Jane and Elizabeth. They stared at each other for a few seconds before the stallions whinnied loudly and started to canter towards the start line. A young man from the stables was there to sound a gong.
They decided to have three races, each time the last would be eliminated.
Elizabeth wondered how in just a few moments the men could become children again, enjoying the cold and the competition. Forgetting everything else like love or future brides or…future betrothed. As she looked at Darcy riding, she imagined his thrill being on horseback, his emotion at high speed and that turmoil took her over as if she were one with the man on the horse.
And then he was near her. Darcy was the first to lose a race. She suspected he had done it on purpose just to have the occasion to be with her watching the other races. In the fever of the race nobody was looking at them so he came from behind so close to her that she could hear his respiration; still recovering from the race; his breath made Elizabeth quiver. She shut her eyes, incapable of following the track as her whole body was responding to his approach.
The final race was won by Thomas, he was the youngest but also the only one who really wanted to be the first. He looked so proudly at Mary that everybody agreed he deserved to win.
They rushed to the house, hungry and cold but cheerful.
“Please give us 15 minutes to refresh,” Thomas said in the hall, “and then we will have a colossal breakfast.”
They all spread into the house, some in the dining room others to refresh themselves. The last to enter the hall, Elizabeth and Darcy found themselves alone. They looked around, but it took Darcy just a second to take Elizabeth’s hand and invite her into the empty parlour.
He shut the door and stopped at some distance to let her understand what was happening. She could have protested, leaving the room, but instead she looked into his eyes as he approached her, closer and closer, till their faces nearly touched and he kissed her. In the beginning, their lips just touched, but he could not content himself anymore and took her into his arms. His kiss grew from a mere touch to lust, urging her to react, to cling to him; her hands caressed his neck and it was his turn to lose the last bits of reality.
“I love you,” he whispered against her ear, feeling her tremble as a unique answer. He tightened her body closer…his caresses more daring, till she sighed and put her forehead to his chest. It took a long time for them to separate. Elizabeth leaned on him, her shyness almost vanquished by the power of her sentiments. She wanted him to ask that question again—the one she heard many times in her dreams. But Darcy was silent, he lovingly caressed her face and then he touched her lips burned by the kiss, overwhelmed by happiness and hope. His eyes followed her as she left the room, remembering the kiss and her maddening reaction.
Elizabeth’s luck was the winter from outside, they all had red cheeks and burned lips from the cold. Only her mother’s intense look discovered more, noting the stars in the eyes that each person in love had. She was happy for her but also worried. Elizabeth was so independent and unlike other women that she could love someone and still end up alone. But then she looked at Mary, and she knew love could change a person.
Sophie just glanced at her and knew why she had arrived later than the others, ‘Good for you, Elizabeth,’—she thought. She hoped that it was more than a kiss and she had finally answered ‘yes’ to the question she had denied or avoided in the past.
Ultimately Elizabeth was sure she wanted to be with Darcy, but he let her leave that room without a word. Before they kissed he tried to ask her to marry him but after…he just kept silent. She dreamed their kiss to be the perfect time for him to ask and for her to say yes, but things went differently. And she could not understand why.
She kept on gazing at him, hardly eating while in front of her at the table, he just smiled. That kiss had changed everything between them, however how different were their reactions. Darcy received his answer most stunningly, he was filled by happy expectations while Elizabeth wanted to hear the words.
“How can a kiss change everything?” she whispered to Sophie, who was seated near her.
“It is the difference between being someone’s friend and betrothed.”
“But he did not ask me to marry him, neither before nor after the…” Elizabeth said and Sophie guessed the fear behind her words, so she smiled and said, “He will, my dear; he looks at you with such a hunger that it is not going to take long, just have patience. You told me you want a little time to enjoy…”
“Now I want just to be with him!”
Chapter 21
The night of the theatre party the whole house was in chaos. The maids ran from one lady to another and more than once Elizabeth, Jane and Sophie reunited in one another’s room to ask or give an opinion.
