Page 4 of Darcy in Distress (Pride and Prejudice Variation #17)

The girl shook her head in amusement. “No, though perhaps one day I shall learn. But Mrs. Hurst plays the harp. I was thinking perhaps we could play duets together.”

“Ah. I shall ask her then. I am certain you would perform beautifully together.”

“Tell me about the assembly last night, Fitzwilliam,” Lady Anne requested, her fingers busily hemming a handkerchief. Darcy regarded her work with satisfaction; even two years ago, she had been unable to manage such fine work.

“It was pleasant,” he said in a reserved tone.

“Did you dance?” his mother inquired, lifting her head to stare menacingly into his eyes. For a brief moment, Darcy thought back to his childhood when his mother took him to task for stealing jam tarts from the kitchen. (Of course, George Wickham had put him up to it…)

He was suddenly thankful that Bingley and Wickham had pushed him to dance. “Yes, Mother, I danced with Mrs. Hurst and three of the local ladies.”

“Good for you! Did you like them?”

Darcy cast his mind back to the previous night.

Of the three unfamiliar women whom he had partnered with, only one had made a lasting impression.

“I enjoyed my dance with Miss Elizabeth Bennet, one of the daughters of Mr. Bennet, master of Longbourn. I believe his estate shares a border with Netherfield on the west.”

“Is she beautiful?” Georgiana asked curiously.

Darcy considered this question and said, “She is quite beautiful, though her elder sister is apparently the acknowledged belle of the area. Miss Bennet is one of the most handsome women I have ever observed; Bingley was quite taken with the lady.”

“Can I assume that Miss Bennet is blonde and blue eyed?” Lady Anne inquired in an amused tone.

“Yes, you can. I danced with her as well, and she seems a refined, courteous lady. I enjoyed Miss Elizabeth’s conversation more; she is a lively, well read, curious woman, and we had a pleasant discussion about the country surrounding Pemberley and the Lakes, farther north.”

“Has she ever been near Pemberley?” Georgiana asked eagerly.

“I believe Miss Elizabeth has never traveled farther north than Hertfordshire,” Darcy said, glancing sympathetically at his sister. Georgiana adored Pemberley and felt safe there; it was a pity that they were forced to stay near London for the foreseeable future.

“I would relish visiting the Lakes again someday,” Lady Anne mused. “Georgiana, we took you to the Lakes when you were only a few years old, so I daresay you do not remember that journey, but the area is beautiful.”

“Did we go on a little boat?” her daughter inquired, her brow wrinkled in thought.

“Yes, we did! It was intended to be a simple expedition so that we could picnic on a small island but oh, Fitzwilliam, do you remember the creature?”

For the first time in many days, Fitzwilliam Darcy laughed aloud. “I do, Mother, I do! I have not thought of that mouse in many a year, but I could never forget it.”

“A mouse?” Georgiana asked in confusion .

“Yes,” Lady Anne responded, her blue eyes twinkling.

“You, Fitzwilliam, and I were in a large rowboat along with two oarsmen and several servants. Fitzwilliam was in the front seat, and you and I occupied the seat behind him, when your brother heard a strange sound in the bulkhead at the front of the boat.”

“It was a scratching sound,” Darcy continued with a comical roll of his eyes. “I commented on it and one of the boatswains assured me it was merely the sound of the paddles creaking.”

“But it was not?” Georgiana asked, leaning forward eagerly.

“It was not. The scratching continued, then I observed a small, pink claw slipping in and out of a small gap in the wood which separated us from the enclosed bulkhead.”

“I saw it as well,” their mother said comically. “I confess that I was quite distressed; I was terrified that an unknown creature would escape into the bottom of the boat and, horror of horrors, climb my skirts.”

“What did I do?” her daughter asked breathlessly.

“Oh, you were far too busy looking around at the water and scenery to be particularly concerned. In fact, at that time, you were very fond of small creatures of any kind, up to, and including, caterpillars and slugs. I believe you would have been delighted to have a mouse to play with.”

“Did it escape into the boat?”

“It did not,” Darcy declared, “and I was most thankful. It scrabbled about and poked its appendages into our line of sight many times, but we made it to the shore of the island without mishap. Since Mother and I had both seen it, the oarsmen begrudgingly turned the boat over once we reached shore and it found its way out, thus allowing us to discover it was only a mouse as it scampered away safely.”

“Oh, I am glad that you let it go!” Georgiana sighed happily, and Darcy looked upon her fondly. It seemed that even at sixteen years of age, his sister still had a tender spot for small creatures.

“I am too,” Lady Anne remarked as the door to the sitting room opened.

“Mr. Darcy?” a footman said respectfully.

“Yes?”

“Mr. Wickham requests your presence in the library.”

“Thank you.”