He had barely slept and his humor was as
sour as it could get. Rosings had the worst beds in all England; dusty, too soft
to hold his big frame, drapes too thin that let the first sunrays wake him too
early, too big washing room that made his bath water cool too soon. Aside from all the impracticalities of his
Aunt’s estate, he kept wondering what it was that damned Caroline Bingley had
on the fetching Elizabeth Bennett to blackmail her.
And to top it all, he had been wandering
the grounds for three quarters of an hour and still the fetching vixen was
nowhere to be found. His valet said she walked every morning after breakfast
and that she received a letter sealed with a coat of arms. That kept him on his
toes. Caroline Bingley wanting to tie his
vixen to her brother – former friend
of Darcy if Bingley thought he could steal her from under his nose. Coat of
arms, letter, hot weather, sweat running down his back, sun shining on his eyes
and making it difficult to look ahead, a morning dress that let her light
figure’s silhouette show him all the loveliness inside-
‘Mr. Darcy!’
‘Oh, Miss Elizabeth.’ He bowed and tipped
his hat. ‘How are you doing this morning, miss?’
‘Fine.’ She curtsied. ‘Taking a stroll to
survey the park, sir?’ He nodded still with the unnerving pressed smile on his
face. She sighed to herself. ‘Let me not disturb you. Good day, sir.’
‘Miss, may I accompany you?’ He immediately
started to walk alongside her when she passed him by.
‘I thank you, but there is no need.’ She
pressed her hands together behind her back so he would understand she didn’t
want his arm in any form.
‘A lady alone in the park is not safe, may
someone come upon you I could defend your honor.’
She stopped short, he raised his brows and
she frowned at him. ‘Pray, sir, this should not happen here for the great Lady
Catherine de Bourgh would not have cads wandering her park!’
‘Indeed!’ He laughed openly unable to curb
his amusement.
Elizabeth blushed violently, realizing too
late she had repeated a silly joke she had been using to mock Charlotte’s
husband. ‘I beg you forgiveness, sir, I didn’t mean to offend-’
‘You didn’t, miss!’ He was still chuckling
and offered his arm to her. ‘If I may be so bold, I would like to ask your
permission to tell my sister of this new law our Aunt has decreed. You see, we
have a list of all the orders she has ever set upon her estate and family.’
Vanquished, Elizabeth giggled and took the
crook of his arm. ‘You may.’ She gave him one of those devilishly fetching side
looks with her fine eyes smiling. ‘But only if you tell me some of them.’
‘Let me see…’ He took the path leading up
the hill towards the lake. ‘There was a time when the swans couldn’t swim
around the lake. She used to say they made the view from the dining room too
white.’ Satisfied with her giggle, he decided to try his hand. ‘I believe in
reciprocating, Miss Elizabeth.’
‘Oh, dear! What the evil swans did to
vindicate their denied area?’
He chuckled shaking his head. ‘I meant us,
Miss.’ He said and she twisted her head to him so her bonnet would let her look
at his eyes. ‘An information for an information. May you trust me?’
She frowned prettily. ‘But I already did,
sir, and you paid with information of more value than mine. I am grateful.’
‘Touché.’ He smiled, she smiled back and
they walked in silence for a few minutes.
‘Have you seen Mr. Bingley lately, sir?’
She asked after curbing her curiosity for as long as she could and saw the
question took him by surprise. ‘My sister is in London, she wrote saying she
called on Miss Bingley but he was not in town.’
‘Are you interested in Bingley, Miss
Elizabeth?’
‘Well, yes. He seemed to be very partial to
my sister when you visited…’
‘His sister knows more than me, I am
afraid. Perhaps she sent word to him speaking of your sister.’
She snorted. ‘Perhaps not.’ Elizabeth
mumbled.
They arrived at the top of the hill;
gallantly he extended his handkerchief over a flat rock and smiled. ‘So you can
rest, madam.’ She nodded her gratitude and sat with his help. ‘There.’ He
pointed. ‘The lake where the swans only could occupy the hear.’
As she smiled craning her neck to look, he
lost his sight on her loveliness, face and bosom flushed from the exertion, the
few tendrils of hair escaping the bonnet, the small hands, small feet inside
boots, the clasped knees. Could all this belong to a man out of wedding lock?
How else could damned Caroline Bingley ruin her?
‘Miss Bingley can be a trifle too
opinionated sometimes.’ He said following his line of thought but for her it
didn’t make much sense. ‘I know so, Bingley has been my friend since Cambridge
and we have discussed our siblings occasionally.’
She blinked looking up at him and raised
her hand to shade her eyes. ‘Pray, sir, come closer.’
He smiled gladly walking towards her,
chuckled when she directed him a little more to the side so he’d stand between
her and the sun. ‘Opinionated how?’
‘She seems to believe her views are good
enough to direct people’s lives.’
Elizabeth considered that for a few
moments. ‘You imply she is directing her brother’s life?’
He eyed her carefully. ‘Miss, you can trust
me. I can solve a problem you feel to be trapping you.’
‘Sir?’
‘Miss Bennett.’ He leaned and caught one of
her hands for a tender squeeze. ‘Let me help you.’
Her face reddened, her ears burned. ‘You
overheard me and Charlotte…’ She bit her lip.
‘Please, let me help you.’
She withdrew her hand from his and shook
her head. ‘It is nothing, sir.’
‘Miss Elizabeth, I won’t let Caroline
Bingley or anyone ruin you.’
‘Ruin me?’ Her face and bosom grew
impossibly more crimson, it was the second time that morning he implied her
virtue was at risk. ‘Whatever do you mean, Mr. Darcy?’
‘If Miss Bingley has proof a gentleman engaged
you in any sort of activities, I can vouch to save-’
She stood in a jump. ‘Stop, sir. Miss
Bingley is a silly little spiteful woman who thinks she can profit from me, but
I can handle her. It is nothing, really.’
‘Your friend seems to think you need help.’
‘Charlotte- Mrs. Collins is of the idea I
used to be as spiteful as Miss Bingley.’ She huffed. ‘I am not.’ She raised her
small nose petulantly and he smiled wishing with all his bones he could place a
kiss on its tip. ‘You need not waste your time with it.’ She brushed her dress
thinking Charlotte did manage to make things worse.
‘I am obliged to comply, Miss.’ He
collected his handkerchief and stored it in his pocket. ‘But I want to make it
clear my offer stands. Whenever you consider it time, I am ready to aid you.’
She sighed. ‘Shall we return?’
Silent for the time it took for him to walk
her until the Parsonage came into view, both brooded the situation trying to
find a solution. Unfortunately for Elizabeth, fortunately for Darcy, Mr.
Collins was hurrying back home to tell his wife they had been invited to dine
at Rosings that night.
- To kiss a spy by Jane Feather:
