part0024

When Elizabeth came down for breakfast the following morning she found Darcy already there. That did not come as a surprise. She knew him to be an early riser. The surprise, nay, the unmitigated joy, came from the open look of adoration in his countenance when he stood to greet her, take her hand and lead her to the table to sit beside him.

“May I say that you look utterly charming this morning?” he whispered close to her ear as he pulled a chair for her and Elizabeth smiled, delighted by the way the precious moments of privacy were put to use.

He resumed his seat, carelessly draping his napkin over his lap as he did so, and Elizabeth looked on, suddenly overcome by the absurdly joyful notion that she would see him do just that, every blissful morning, for the rest of their lives. She took a muffin from the plate before her and began to butter it as she considered the danger of turning into a swooning miss at the mere sight of him. No, perhaps not swooning, not quite. That would be too much of a change. The thought brought an impish smile to her lips, and Darcy put down his coffee at the sight.

“‘Tis of no consequence, then. I am perfectly satisfied to merely witness the effects.” At her uncomprehending look, he leaned forward and whispered, “This is the vision that captured my heart, Elizabeth, within moments of making your acquaintance. This lovely smile, and that look in your eyes. ”

She blushed at the compliment, surprised that the ever so private Mr Darcy would say anything of the sort at the breakfast table. Not that he could have been overheard by the footman busying himself with the serving dishes at the other end of the room. However, she would have thought him wary of such displays. She glanced up, the warmth in her eyes an open acknowledgement that the surprise was in every way agreeable.

And then another thought intruded. Within moments of making her acquaintance? She almost arched her brow – but succeeded in refraining from doing so, just as she refrained from mentioning the Meryton assembly. There was too much delightful novelty in this, the first private breakfast of their engagement, as well as in the open avowal of his affection, and she had no wish to ruin the joy of the moment for either of them, merely for the sake of a witticism. She dabbed her lips with the napkin to conceal a traitorous smile. There would be other opportunities, no doubt, to tease him about having deemed her merely tolerable.

“What I would like to do and what I should are two very different matters. I would like to take a long stroll towards Oakham Mount, but I fear I should busy myself with writing to my relations instead.”

“Your relations. Aye. Would you think…?” he began, but then checked himself, knowing that the subject was too sensitive to be discussed at breakfast. “Would you think there might be time for that after a walk?” he rephrased the question. “I must confess to a great curiosity to see the view from the Mount,” he added with a very private smile.

Before he could say more, their privacy was gone, for Georgiana and the Colonel joined them. As to Mr Bingley and Jane, they did not. Instead, a message was delivered to Elizabeth, to inform her that her sister was unwell. At once, Elizabeth hurried to Jane’s chambers, only to find her resting, her face haggard and drawn. Quite anxious, she came to sit on the side of the bed and took her hand.

“Do not trouble yourself. ‘Tis nothing out of the common way,” she said, but at Elizabeth’s uncomprehending look, Jane felt compelled to elaborate. “I was told ‘tis quite common to experience such discomfort… in my condition.”

Jane closed her eyes again and Elizabeth reached to rearrange her quilt and smooth her hair, then took her hand, smiling at the memory of tending to her dear sister in almost the same fashion, all those months ago. The room became perfectly quiet, the silence barely broken a little later, when the door opened slowly to admit the master of the house – for, to his great comfort, unlike the last time Jane was ill at Netherfield, Mr Bingley was now at liberty to walk in and look after the woman he loved.

She turned away from her sister to smile at her husband and offer him her hand. Bingley readily took it, the look of deep affection and concern in his countenance making Elizabeth feel very much de trop . She stood and excused herself, wistfully aware that, first and foremost, Jane was now his wife rather than her dearest sister. She closed the door quietly, her exit barely acknowledged, and despite her own unexpected sense of loss, she could not fault Jane for the wish to be alone with the man she loved. She would have felt the same, Elizabeth thought with a smile, and made her way down the wide staircase towards the drawing room, or perhaps the library, where hopefully the man of her choice was to be found.

“Adamant that she is not ill, just in need of rest,” Elizabeth replied with a conscious smile, trying not to blush. She had no notion whether her brother had chosen to inform his best friend of the true state of affairs, but even so, it was hardly appropriate to comment upon it, so she endeavoured to change the subject. “I see the Colonel is not with you.”

“Your brother said he would like to see the view from Oakham Mount. I was hoping you would care to join us,” Elizabeth replied with a welcoming smile, and was not surprised to see her future sister fidget, in blushing discomfort.

“’Tis not so very long, dearest, and you would enjoy it,” he encouragingly said, although this was not the arrangement he had in mind when he suggested a long walk with the woman he loved. Still, he could not abandon Georgiana to her own devices, and was grateful to Elizabeth for taking pains to include her in the morning’s plans.

“No, not too long, and not strenuous either,” Elizabeth concurred in her turn. “There is an incline at the end, but nothing to the hills you must be used to. It offers a fair prospect though, and sometimes, in early autumn, one can even see entertaining sights, such as reckless gentlemen engaging in merry pursuits and breakneck races,” she added with a saucy look towards her betrothed.

Darcy returned a blank, puzzled stare at first and then, to her amusement, she could see understanding dawning. His brows shot up and his eyes warmed at the thought of Elizabeth there, somewhere, ensconced in the unfamiliar countryside, observing their chase towards Netherfield as though from behind the looking-glass – the as yet unknown young woman who was to completely rule his heart .

“Oakham Mount is a great favourite of mine, and even more so for such recollections,” Elizabeth mischievously concluded, before turning towards Georgiana to advise her on the sort of footwear she needed for the local paths.

The skies were dull and overcast, but posed no real threat of rain, so they set off as soon as they were ready. They did not talk much. The newly engaged couple felt that what they wished to say to each other could not be safely said before a third party, and as for Miss Darcy, she was acutely aware of the old adage about three being a crowd. After a while, once they had emerged from the woodland bordering the park, the prospect opened, providing some opportunities for innocuous conversation. Elizabeth could point out Meryton, easy to spot due to its tall church spire, then Haye Park in the distance, and the path to Longbourn.

“Do you intend to write to your relations about our engagement, or would you prefer to inform them in person?” Darcy asked, when the reference to her former home provided a reasonable opening.

It was not strictly true. She knew she should announce it in person, especially to her uncle and aunt, but she was extremely reluctant to leave Netherfield as yet. If she returned to town, she would have to trade his company for her mother’s and Mrs Jennings’ or, at best, her aunt’s. The more she thought of it, the less she liked it. She loved her aunt dearly, and knew she had a great many disclosures to make in order to reconcile Mr and Mrs Gardiner to her choice – but it was so new, the engagement and her happiness, and she could not bear to be parted from him yet.

Her mother would be thrilled regardless and, although fond of her, Elizabeth could only rejoice at the prospect of being miles apart at the time of Mrs Bennet’s first raptures. Her uncle and aunt were a different matter, and she knew she would have to write a very good letter indeed, in order to appease them.

She brushed her gloved hands together to shake off the blades of grass. It could not be helped. She would write to them, as best she could, assure them of the strength of their attachment, and somehow persuade them that she knew what she was about. In time, they would get to know him, value him and accept her choice. How could they not? His past dealings with her family might give her uncle and aunt pause, but they would come to see beyond that, surely. They would see his kindness and loyalty, his unwavering solicitude for all of those who found themselves under his guardianship. They would see his gentleness and devotion to her. They would understand that he could very well be – that he was – the only man in the world whom she could ever wish to marry.

At the sound of his voice, Elizabeth started. She had not just said his name aloud… had she? Blushing to the hairline, she cast a sidelong glance in his direction, only to be met with a look of surprised delight at her unprompted use of his Christian name – and the undeniable proof that she had him in her thoughts. There was no doubt in her mind that, had they been alone, she would have been in his arms by now. As it was, he only took her hand, the lifeless texture of gloves a source of acute discontent to both.

She looked down, overcome by his fervent words, and even more so to find how perfectly they matched her feelings. Her former, girlish expectations of how she might feel when she fell in love almost made her laugh. How colourless and flat and pale they were, compared to this – this overwhelming, incredible feeling; this desire to proclaim herself the happiest creature in the world, to all who would listen; this earnest wish to share every moment, every thing and every thought with him .

Despite the disappointing barrier of gloves, Elizabeth tightened the hold of her hand around his fingers, and returned such a look of joy as to make him wonder how in the world he was to bear it until he could kiss her again.

Their walk was long and pleasant, although devoid of the privacy they craved. Nevertheless, they both cared for Georgiana, and the day was dry, the path was good and, when they reached the top of Oakham Mount, the prospect proved worthy of their exertions.

As they paused to gaze at the serene beauty of the southern countryside, so different form the windswept wilderness he was accustomed to, Darcy turned towards the remarkable young woman who had agreed to be his wife. The rosy hue of exercise brightened her complexion, her eyes sparkled – but a distant, almost wistful smile curled up the corners of her lips. He sighed.

Darcy stopped abruptly, suddenly aware that he had already caused her removal from these parts. He bit his lip. They would have to discuss Farringdon before too long. A loathsome task, but it had to be done.

Plans were laid at last, largely thanks to Jane and Mr Bingley. When everyone returned from their pursuits, Elizabeth had the joy of finding her sister fully restored to her usual self, but Jane had other delights in store. A ball, to begin with, to honour the engagement of her dearest sister to her husband’s best friend. It would be held on the last day of the following month, and in one masterstroke bring a resolution to all of Elizabeth’s conundrums. Her relations would be invited to stay at Netherfield in preparation for the ball, and thus the engagement could be announced in person. But as they would arrive no sooner than a fortnight, the precious time of courtship would not be severely curtailed. And, to cap it all, in her quiet wisdom, Jane had come up with a sterling scheme: both their glad tidings should be shared at the same time, when their mother would join them at Netherfield.

“And thus,” Jane concluded with a smile, “as the intelligence we have to impart is equally momentous, hopefully neither of us will be overcome by the… fullness of her attention. What say you, Lizzy?”

Her eyes sparkling, Elizabeth could only laugh. She held her dear sister in a warm embrace and then, arms linked, they wandered towards the drawing room together, for yet another evening of unadulterated joy.