One Thread Pulled: The Dance With Mr. Darcy (35 page)

“Mr. Darcy! Colonel Fitzwilliam!” Mrs. Bennet seemed surprised by their arrival. “You are very welcome.” She bobbed a curtsy and sounded as though they were less welcome than “very.” The two men bowed in answer to her tepid greeting. She then added tentatively, “We had thought that you would be occupied with your own callers at Netherfield.”

At this, Mr. Bingley left Jane's side and crossed the room. “It is your aunt, Darcy. Miss Bennet has informed me that she was here in search of you. She has gone to Netherfield to find you.”

“That is unfortunate for her, for it is plain to be seen that I am not presently to be found at Netherfield,” Mr. Darcy replied. “With no prior introduction to your sisters, she will be forced to leave her card and depart. Such a circumstance will displease her to no end!”

“What do you suppose her business in Hertfordshire is?” Bingley wondered aloud. “Could not most dealings be transacted via post? This is too far from London for a mere social call.”

Darcy and Fitzwilliam looked at each other meaningfully. “I will see to my aunt. She is undoubtedly here on some family business, which she deemed urgent enough to require her personal attention.” Darcy replied to Bingley, who nodded his acceptance of Darcy's reply. Darcy then returned his attention to the group assembled in the sitting room. His eyes swept across their faces expectantly, but he hid his disappointment that Miss Elizabeth was absent from the party.

Bingley did not miss the expectant look on his friend's face, however, and leaned toward Darcy so that he would not be overheard. “Perhaps now would be a good time to address that business with your aunt. Miss Elizabeth has gone for a walk.” Darcy nodded, and turned to Mrs. Bennet as Bingley returned to sit by Jane.

Darcy spoke warmly to his hostess, saying, “Mrs. Bennet, I pray you will forgive me for not staying. If it would be acceptable to you, I will call again at a later hour, once I have attended to some personal affairs.” He bowed slightly as he said it.

Mrs. Bennet eyed him suspiciously; however, it was evident that the colonel was not planning to leave, and this arrangement suited Mrs. Bennet quite well, so she graciously accepted Darcy's apology, and turned to engage Colonel Fitzwilliam in conversation.

~*~

As soon as he was clear of the house, Darcy turned his horse and doubled back toward the lands to the rear of Longbourn. His general sense from their conversations was that most of Elizabeth's walks began either toward Meryton, or into the fields, hills and woods in the other direction. Since he had not passed her on the road coming from Meryton, he guessed that she had gone the other way.

He rode aimlessly, scanning the property around him for some time. Being late November, the fields had long since been harvested and would lie fallow until spring. The wooded bands that separated the fields were all completely barren of foliage, and the golden-red carpet of leaves beneath them was now faded, their colors muted echoes of what they had been just a month before. Although it was mid-day, he saw no movement other than some sheep in the distance. As he searched, what had begun as a certainty that he would find her soon became desolation at the possibility that he would not.

He stopped his horse and together, man and beast stood still, he scanning the vast countryside as his horse patiently waited. Finally, he saw some movement along one of the paths. The curve of the land obscured his view, but he could make out a figure sufficiently well that he pressed his leg into Romeo's side, and together they took off toward the person moving along the path, Darcy's heart hopeful that it was Elizabeth Bennet. It was not.

Instead, he found a young lad gathering kindling. When he was close enough to be heard, he called out to the boy. “You, there!”

The boy stopped, wide-eyed and looked up at Mr. Darcy, his mouth agape.

“Do not be alarmed, my boy.” Darcy said as he came to a stop. “Have you been long in the woods today?”

The boy closed his mouth and nodded, his eyes still saucers.

“Tell me, please, have you seen Miss Bennet along this path?” Darcy asked, softening his voice.

“Yes, sir, she was here, sir, not an hour ago.” The boy looked hopeful.

Darcy retrieved a few coins and asked, “Where did she go?”

The boy pointed down the path. “The cottages,” he said. “She will be ta the end of the row by now.”

Darcy leaned down in his saddle and dropped the coins into the boy's upraised hand. “I am much obliged!” He made a soft clucking sound, and he was soon cantering toward the cluster of small homes he could now make out in the distance. He slowed his pace to a walk as he approached the buildings. A stray chicken squawked loudly as it flapped its wings and moved out of the road. A small brown dog barked from behind a scraggly hedge, and the curtains fluttered behind the panes as a hand parted them slightly.

A moment later, a man came toward him from the second cottage. He stopped in the middle of the road in front of Mr. Darcy, no welcome on his face, his hands on his hips.

“I am in search of Miss Bennet.” Darcy said after a moment of silence. “Pray, have you seen her?”

The man's demeanor changed instantly, and still saying nothing, he led Darcy to the gate of a cottage. Nodding his head sideways to indicate that she was inside, he turned and walked back down the road. Darcy tied his horse to the branch of a tree and approached the cottage door. It swung open before he could knock.

A young woman stood before him. “Who are you?” she asked curiously.

“I am looking for Miss Bennet. Is she perchance inside?” Darcy tried to look over her shoulder to see into the dark interior.

The girl nodded once and replied, “Yes.”

“May I come in?” Darcy asked in such a way that he could not be denied. The girl simply stepped aside and admitted him to the small home. He could hear Elizabeth's lilting voice, around the corner from the door, and the sound itself put a hint of a smile on his face. He removed his hat and stepped further inside, peering into the small kitchen where the family was assembled.

Elizabeth's back was to him, and Darcy surmised that she was holding an infant, for she was rocking and bouncing slightly as she spoke to the woman seated by her at the table. Two small children milled about the table, and one sat underneath it.

“A weak infusion of tea, made from the herbs I have brought you, should take care of the colic. It is what my Aunt Gardiner has used with her children, and it never fails.” Elizabeth lowered her head to croon at the baby. “What a sweet little one! Such a precious one you are, Hannah! Oh look, she is smiling at me.” Elizabeth reluctantly stood and gently returned the baby in her mother's arms. “I must be going, but I have enjoyed our visit today, Mrs. Miller. I dearly love children, and yours are all a true delight. Please, let us know if there is anything else you stand in need of. Good day.” Elizabeth picked up her now-empty basket from the table and rose.

“Miss Lizzy.” One of the children tugged at her dress.

Elizabeth looked down at the little girl, who shyly held up a perfect pheasant tail-feather to her. “It is beautiful, Lottie. Thank you.” She smiled encouragingly at the girl and curtseyed to her as she placed the feather in her basket. The little one returned the gesture, and Elizabeth turned to leave with a whimsical look on her face. She stopped short at the sight of Mr. Darcy by the door.

“Miss Bennet.” Darcy bowed. “I have found you at last.”

Elizabeth looked shrewdly at Mr. Darcy, highly aware of the presence of curious onlookers from the Miller family. She did not wish to inflame any gossip among her father's tenants, for it would not take long to spread to Meryton from there. “How kind of you to find me, Mr. Darcy.” She quickly led him from the house, and when she reached the tree where his horse was tied, she finished the thought, “I was unaware that I was lost. I pray you, enlighten me on why you are here.”

Darcy looked at the woman who stood before him quizzically. Her eyes were twinkling dangerously, but her eyebrow arched in challenge, and her tone hinted at displeasure. How was he to interpret her? “Miss Bennet, I did not mean to imply that you had lost your way, but rather that I have been most anxious to speak with you.” He held his breath, hoping that she would respond favorably.

“I see.” Elizabeth stroked the side of Romeo's neck and patted it. “We should not talk here.” She started to walk briskly past the row of cottages. Darcy quickly untied the horse and caught up with her when she was nearly clear of the buildings, walking at her side as he led Romeo.

“Mr. Darcy, you are fully aware, I am certain, that you and I walking alone together risks both of our reputations. Tongues will wag.” She turned to face him. “You should at least get on your horse.”

He frowned. This was not how he had envisioned the conversation. “Miss Bennet, I will get on my horse, but only because you wish it. Tongues will wag regardless.” He mounted and nudged Romeo's head ahead of Elizabeth, so that Darcy was still side by side with her.

“You said you were anxious to speak to me, Mr. Darcy. I will hear you now.” Elizabeth said with an upward glance.

“I am indeed anxious to speak with you.” Darcy began, “However, I find myself at a disadvantage.”

“I think that riding up there in all your state gives you a distinct advantage.” Elizabeth replied. “You should speak now while you have it.”

“Miss Bennet, I will wait to speak until I can see your face. I cannot speak to your bonnet.”

Elizabeth turned her face to look up at him. “Mr. Darcy, be warned. If I walk this way, I am bound to stumble. You said you must see my face, and you have it now. Does this please you?”

“I would not have you stumble, Miss Bennet.” Darcy replied. Elizabeth turned her head back to facing forward. Darcy rode alongside her in silence, analyzing. Even this conversation, incomprehensible as it was, delighted him as much as it vexed him. At length, he stopped and dismounted again. Elizabeth also stopped and looked at him expectantly. He was surprised to see a smile on her lips and an amused look on her face.

“Miss Bennet, I was serious when I said that I needed to speak with you.” Darcy planted himself in front of her and stood his ground in the path.

Elizabeth's eyes shifted nervously, but she raised her chin and said archly, “Do you mean to frighten me with your satirical eye, Mr. Darcy? I must warn you that my courage always rises with every attempt to intimidate me.”

“I am not afraid of you,” Darcy said, a trace of humor crossing his features. “Will you hear me now?”

Elizabeth nodded and clasped her hands in front of her, around the handle of the basket. “I will.”

“I must insist that you allow me to speak my peace before you reply.”

Elizabeth pursed her lips and said nothing.

Darcy took a deep breath. “Miss Bennet, a few days ago, I followed you from your house, afraid that you were in distress, but found you overcome instead by laughter. You claimed that the reason for your amusement was a secret, and although I had a theory, it seemed indelicate at the time to press the matter. Do you recall this?”

Elizabeth grudgingly nodded, her lips still pursed.

“My theory related to the embroidery work you had in a tambour frame. I had commented on its unusual design, which I fear was the source of your laughter. I know not whether the pattern was intentional or not, but I did see that the initials E and D were a prominent element. I confess Miss Elizabeth, that I was astonished to see it. Is your middle name Deborah?”

Elizabeth, blushing now, shook her head.

“Diana?” Darcy guessed.

Another shake, her lips pursed so tightly that she looked almost comically puckered for a kiss.

“Does your middle name even start with a 'D'?”

“No.” Elizabeth glared at him. “If you want me to be silent, you must stop asking me questions!”

“Of course.” Darcy nodded, tipping his head to the side with a boyish charm. “I will press you no more on the secret I allowed you, but am bound to reveal my own secret, in light of a certain event. In telling you, I acknowledge that I may open myself to ridicule, but that cannot be helped. I must confess to you now, Miss Bennet, that I was fascinated, or rather,
 
intrigued
 
by the mystery of what the 'D' might mean.”

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and she folded her arms across her chest, the basket now nestled in the crook of her elbow. In her eyes, however, Darcy saw not surprise at his revelation, but a spark of bewildered comprehension, so he continued.

“When I was at Longbourn yesterday, it appeared as though you were adding lace trim to the very same handkerchief, although I could not be certain. When you set it down on the table, I had hoped to discern it but could not make out the pattern from my vantage point, although I studied it several times in an attempt to detect whether it was the same cloth.” Darcy paused, knowing that she was now expecting him to confess that he took it, and he secretly relished knowing that he had not. “My cousin, Colonel Fitzwilliam, noticed my interest in the article, and in what can only be characterized as a sorely misguided act, he picked it up when your attention was diverted. He gave it to me when we returned to Netherfield.” Darcy reached into his pocket and handed Elizabeth the handkerchief without ceremony.