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LIZZY REPEATED THE story for Jane a couple of hours later, after Papa had given her leave to go to bed. He’d wanted to hear more than once how she’d put it all together, and he’d seemed pleased by Mr. Darcy’s contribution, though he clearly recognized Lizzy had done the lion’s share of the work. “You are my clever girl,” he’d said after pressing a kiss to her forehead before letting her leave his study. “Do not put yourself in unnecessary danger next time though.”
“I swear I did not at all, Papa. Mr. Darcy bore the brunt of the danger.”
Her father had winced unaccountably, though she couldn’t understand why. “Indeed, he did.”
Lizzy wanted to ask for clarification, but she sensed it would be useless. When she’d tried earlier upon relaying what Mr. Darcy’s words had been about his injury, her father had winced in a similar fashion, but he had refused to elucidate the subject for her. He’d simply placated her with the information that sometimes, there were things a lady would never understand and didn’t need to know.
Now, she wound down the tale, and Jane looked more frightened than her father had. Mr. Bennet had been more awed by the experience, whereas Jane was clearly letting anxiety get the best of her. “Oh, Lizzy, you could have been dreadfully injured.”
“Mr. Darcy was there to help me.”
Jane frowned. “You were alone with Mr. Darcy in the woods all that time?”
She flushed slightly. “Yes, but you do not need to reveal that part to Papa. I led him to believe it was more of an unexpected situation. Mr. Darcy and I had run into each other as I was leaving Meryton and he was heading that way, but he offered to walk me home. We came across a burglar entering the building, recognized the goods, and Mr. Darcy volunteered to stay behind to ensure he didn’t escape.” She lowered her voice. “You understand why I do not want the full story to get out. I do not wish to have people assume there was something sordid about it, nor do I want to be forced to marry Fitzwilliam Darcy.”
Jane tilted her head, giving Lizzy a look that was far too penetrative. “Despite your protests, I suspect you like Mr. Darcy.”
Lizzy’s eyes widened. “I never said I did not like him.” She flushed, recalling just how obvious her dislike had been after the assembly ball, and the number of times she had brought him up in an unfavorable light that evening and since. “I suppose I do not like him, but he is not as bad as I thought.”
“I am glad you are giving him a second chance.”
Lizzy frowned. “There was hardly anything to it, Jane. We simply united for a common goal. It is not as though we are going to become dear friends and spend hours together endeavoring to catch criminals. Besides, he would be an unsuitable partner. He allowed Mr. Wickham to escape.”
Jane frowned. “It seems to be through no fault of his own. Papa was sympathetic for whatever reason.”
Lizzy shrugged. “I agree, but if a man has an area that sensitive, he can hardly be relied upon for protection. Someone facing off with him would simply need to exploit the spot.”
Jane frowned. “What do you think the spot is?”
Lizzy flushed and looked down. “I do not know specifically, but I suspect it is something in the general region of...there.” She waved her hand over her pelvis, and Jane’s eyes widened. “Mr. Darcy was cradling that particular area when I found him with Colonel Forster.”
“I see. I wonder how a man is different from a woman? I suppose it would be a sensitive area, but do you think a woman can be incapacitated in a similar fashion?”
Lizzy shrugged. “I have no idea, and I am not eager to find out. Truly, I do not see such an occurrence happening again. This is most certainly a one-off, and Mr. Darcy would be the last person I would choose to partner with for such future endeavors even if I were to willfully seek them out, I assure you.”
“If you say so.” Jane seemed unconvinced, but apparently, she decided not to tease Lizzy. She must have recognized her sister’s exhaustion.
There was no denying it, and Lizzy laid down in her bed a short time later, fully expecting to fall asleep right away. Instead, the evening’s events played through her mind, and she was startled to find she was more concerned about Mr. Darcy than she’d expected, especially knowing the outcome. He was clearly going to recover just fine, so she did her best to banish him from her thoughts.
After some struggle, she managed to fall asleep, and she dreamed of walking with Mr. Darcy in the same meadow where they had stopped the burglar. This time, the sun was shining down upon them, her hand was tucked in his, and they were pressed far too closely together to be proper.
The dream caused her to wake with a smile, though she firmly refused to admit dreaming of him had left her in such a fine mood as she got up to prepare for the day. Whatever had occurred with Mr. Darcy was certainly never going to happen again.
******
This series needs to be read in order, just like Jane Austen’s masterpiece.
The series in order:
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