Page 32 of Count the Cost (The Secrets of Elizabeth Bennet #2)
D arcy washed hurriedly in the water in the ewer. He did not want to wait for Maunder to fetch hot water, and in very few minutes he was dressed warmly and striding out along the paths surrounding the house.
He was thinking of Miss Bennet, and almost wishing he could still call her Miss Elizabeth, but without her elder sister present, that was not possible. Miss Elizabeth — the name suited her very much.
It was as if his thoughts had charmed her into existence. As he rounded the first corner, he saw her walking briskly along a parallel path.
“Miss Bennet!” he called out without thinking, and she turned in surprise. But she gathered her composure quickly enough. “Good morning, Mr. Darcy. I see you have escaped the house for some fresh air.” Her smile was friendly enough, and he was already forgetting his promises to himself.
“Might I join you, madam? I will endeavour not to slow you down.”
She laughed. “I had determined to walk fast, so if you are able to keep up, then of course you may join me.” A maid hurried up behind her, and Miss Bennet turned towards her.
“Take a moment to catch your breath, Clarke. Mr. Darcy and I will walk down that path, so you can keep us in sight even if we go too fast for you.”
Darcy nodded at the maid as he approached them and held out his arm to Miss Bennet. She tucked her hand lightly onto it, barely touching him.
“Lead on, Miss Bennet.” He smiled at her. It was all too easy to be drawn in by her presence, but she was refreshing, and his spirits lightened.
It took but a moment to adjust his stride to hers, and they fitted beautifully together. All other ladies he walked with merely strolled or ambled, and that was excruciating to him. But not this morning, and he relaxed as he looked out at the misty fields beyond the gardens.
“I believe I can see some hills in the distance, Mr. Darcy, although the mist makes them difficult to discern.”
He narrowed his eyes. Yes, they were just visible to the south east. “I believe they are the edges of the Cotswolds, Miss Bennet. It is lovely countryside, although very different to Derbyshire, where I was raised.”
“I believe the Peak District is very rugged and dramatic; it must make all the southern lands very tame.”
“They are all beautiful in their own way, although I suppose where one is raised is always the best of all counties. Perhaps you have visited the south coast? Kent and Sussex have very dramatic cliffs and beaches.”
She laughed softly. “It is a dream of mine to see the sea. But I think I would rather prefer to visit the wild coast of Wales and north-west England, where the tides are stronger. If I were ever invited to the south coast, people might think I wished merely to go to Brighton!”
He chuckled; she was indeed the most captivating of ladies. “I am certain you could make your wishes known to those planning the trip, madam.”
Her demeanour seemed to falter. “I doubt there is much choice of travel when I return home; so I will have to continue to enjoy the illustrated travel books I borrow from the library.” She brightened and appeared more lively within moments.
But he was bemused; was she angling for an invitation to Pemberley? It could not be. He thought a moment.
“I seem to recall you said once that you travelled occasionally with your aunt and uncle. Perhaps there will be a seaside trip or two in your future.”
Her laughter echoed through him, and he felt younger, reinvigorated. “Oh yes! In fact, we are planning a trip to the Lake District next summer. I have never been there and am already planning what landmarks I wish to visit.”
“I am sure you will find it delightful, Miss Bennet.” They had reached the end of the path, and she stopped to wait for the little maid to catch up.
“I think I will. But I suppose we had better return to the house — perhaps a bit more slowly. Clarke must catch her breath before my aunt needs her assistance.”
He nodded, and waited with her. His mind insisted he ought to leave her and hurry back to the house, but his heart was rooted beside her for as long as possible.
“I wonder if you can tell me, sir. Are house parties usually filled with arranged activities like this one, or are others generally more informal?”
He glanced down at her contemplative expression, and shook his head. “I do not attend many such gatherings. Although I do not have a vast experience of them, usually there is rather more informality involved.”
“I am glad of it, sir. I cannot imagine truly enjoying being constantly entertained for more than a few days.”
Her droll tones made him laugh, and she grinned sheepishly at him. “It must be worse for you, at least I can claim Lady Palmer needs me to sit with her. Nobody tries to make her join in activities she does not wish to.”
“No, I do not suppose they do,” he said thoughtfully.
Upstairs, Maunder had his bath ready, and Darcy lay back in comfort — and thought of Miss Bennet.
When the sunlight caught her hair, he noticed a chestnut tint in what he had first thought a very dark brown, similar to his.
Her figure was light and pleasing, even in her heavy winter coat, and her movements were lithe and energetic.
They were so unlike the ennui and languid movements practised by the ladies of high society that they would criticise it, but to Darcy she was the most desirable of them all.
He sat bolt upright, water splashing over the edge of the bath. Desirable? Why was he thinking like this? He …
But why not? He was a country lover at heart. Pemberley was a long way from Longbourn, and he was not likely to have to engage much with her family. And she was a gentleman’s daughter; in that, they were equal, even if he was the nephew of an earl and she the niece of tradesmen.
Georgiana would love her, and gain confidence with her for a sister.
He must think.