Page 17 of He Taught Me to Hope (Darcy and the Young Knight’s Quest #1)
A lthough Darcy had been in residence at Rosings Park for a short while, he suffered the passing hours as though they were days.
Scarcely imparting a proper greeting to his aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Darcy made his way to Anne’s apartment within minutes of his arrival.
Sure enough, she was bed-ridden. However, she did not look nearly as poorly as the urgent plea from his aunt had suggested.
Not that she looked exceedingly well. She looked much the same as she had before his hasty departure at the end of last summer.
The room was dark and dreary, with the heavy shades drawn tightly closed.
Anne’s nurse sat off in the corner, sound asleep in her chair.
Darcy’s sudden appearance startled her, and she immediately set upon moving busily about the room.
To his gentle calling of his cousin’s name, and the not so quiet stirrings of her nurse, Anne responded not one bit.
Richard had imparted the unsolicited but much offered advice that rather than speak to Anne as merely a cousin upon finding himself alone with her, Darcy should regard her with the affectionate words and gentle touch of a lover.
Darcy had considered his cousin’s words with greater attention than he would allow.
To his way of thinking, what Richard suggested was carrying things a bit far, regardless of how innocuous it seemed on the surface.
He was desperate after all, just not that desperate.
Darcy considered it would be a cold day in Hades before he brushed his lips against those of his Cousin Anne, as Richard had recommended.
Rather he sat down on her bed, after making a point of dismissing her nurse, and took her scrawny, fragile hand in his and caressed it tenderly. He raised it to his lips. Then, he leaned towards her and placed a lingering kiss on her forehead. I would rather my lips were kissing a dead fish!
The arousing effect on her maidenly sensibilities was pleasing. Anne opened her eyes almost immediately. “Fitzwilliam! You have returned.”
“Yes, I am here,” said he, having by then released her hand, and placed his hand on her chin. “It seems I have timed my visit to coincide with your recovery.”
“I admit to feeling much better than I have been of late. Now that you have returned to my side, I can only imagine I will soon see a swift and complete recovery.”
Darcy ceased his actions and stood by her bed. “I should like that very much, Cousin, for there is a matter between us that warrants great discussion, as soon as you are up to it.”
“Oh, I agree, Fitzwilliam,” said she with a complaisant smile, “there is much to discuss.”
The look on her face led Darcy to know they could not possibly have the same discussion in mind. “Very well then, I shall leave you now so you might get some rest.”
“Pray do not leave my side again so soon,” she pleaded desperately.
“I am afraid I must. You need your rest. I will return after dinner.”
Dinner with his aunt and his cousin Richard was little better than spending time at Anne’s bedside, Darcy considered. Whereas Anne’s hints were subtle and somewhat indirect, Lady Catherine’s words were outright demanding .
After speaking a few words with her staff in regards to the timing of the dinner courses, the grand matron directed her full attention to her nephew. “Darcy, how did you find my daughter?”
“I found her in far better state than your urgent letter suggested I might, your ladyship.”
Richard chided, “Why am I not at all surprised to hear that?” The question earned him quite a menacing look from the great lady.
“Silence, Nephew!” Lady Catherine demanded. “When I want to hear your opinion, I shall request it. Besides, why should she not be on her way to recovery with the news of her intended’s pending arrival, when it was his own neglect that rendered her thus in the first place?”
“Lady Catherine,” Darcy beseeched, “you know as well as does Cousin Anne that I never intended my ill-considered words were to be taken literally. I will not marry her.”
“You speak nonsense, nephew! You will marry my daughter. It was the favourite wish of your dear mother. Whilst in your cradles, she and I planned this union. Whether you intended to speak the words or not, is of no consequence.” Lady Catherine sought Richard’s backing.
“Is this engagement not frequently spoken of amongst all our family? Is it not widely expected?” To her desperate appeal, Richard spoke not a word, pretending instead not to have heard anything she uttered, in spite of the fact that he had been looking at her directly.
“Well, Nephew, do not just sit there,” she demanded. “Say something!”
On and on, went Lady Catherine, speaking words of a similar vein the following morning at breakfast. Darcy had taken about all he could stand.
He decided to take a break from the madness of Rosings Park for a breath of fresh air; away from his cousin’s sick-bed, away from his aunt’s pressuring him, and away from his cousin making light of the situation with every chance he could find.
He considered his opinionated Cousin Richard certainly was little help in making matters any easier for him.
Fortunately, Anne was recovering . Darcy began to consider he might leave fairly soon thereafter, and in so doing, let her know, in no uncertain terms, that she could pretend all she wanted, he would not marry her.
Furthermore, for her to persist in her deceitful deathbed schemes, she risked alienating any affection he had previously entertained for her as a cousin.
Enough is enough! Darcy was quite distracted as he paced about the immaculately groomed gardens.
Denied a chance to visit Camelot immediately upon his discovery of the enchanting place because, as told to him by Mr. Collins, it would not be fitting as they had not received a proper invitation, young Ben decided to stand watch over the place from a comfortable distance.
As his curiosity, as well as his eager imagination, endeavoured to get the better of him with each passing moment, so too, Ben found himself drawing nearer and nearer to the grand castle.
Ben’s thoughts were of the evil Meleagant, and how he had refused to believe him that this was indeed Camelot!
I will show him, young Ben considered. He was bound and determined to gather the proof he needed, even if it meant returning every day until his mission was successful.
Ben’s tenacity soon paid off! Finally, on the third day of his pilgrimage to Camelot, he espied his king! All nonsensical admonishments addressing formal invitations and the like before setting foot on the grounds of Rosings escaped Ben’s head!
He raced towards Darcy, praising and shouting, “King Arthur! King Arthur! I have found you!”
Before Darcy knew it, the young lad had been directly upon him. He jumped into Darcy’s arms, and Darcy lifted him to the sky. Darcy bestowed a hearty, pleasant smile before placing the child gently back upon his feet and lowering himself to his eye level.
“Sir Lancelot! What on earth are you doing here and so far away from Hertfordshire?”
Ben threw his arms around Darcy’s neck with enough energy to land them both on the ground.
Both fellows laughed aloud. Darcy attempted to reclaim some measure of dignity, but Ben had other ideas as he quickly climbed onto Darcy’s lap.
Darcy allowed the young lad a moment or two to compose himself.
It was obvious to him just how much the child had missed him since they had parted company in Hertfordshire.
He saw no need to press him for details on the circumstances of his being there.
Ben finally spoke, “King Arthur, I have missed you terribly. Say you will never leave me again.”
Darcy knew he could make no such commitment to his young friend. Rather he said, “What say you we take things one day at a time? Pray tell me, what on earth are you doing here in Kent?”
“Where is Kent? This is Camelot, is it not? I am here to see you!”
Darcy looked about the magnificent grounds and imagined just how enchanting it must seem through the eyes of a child.
He smiled in appreciation of Ben’s characterisation, especially as he recalled his own early recollections of the picturesque estate.
“Camelot, indeed! What say you to a tour of the grounds? Would you like that?”
“I should like that very much!” Ben shouted enthusiastically upon standing and racing ahead.
Darcy shouted, “Wait for me, young man!”
Ben turned around and raced back to Darcy; whereupon, he quickly grasped and enfolded his tiny hand in Darcy’s mightier one.
Darcy and Ben walked along the many paths, hand in hand, and Darcy pointed out ordinary sights of interest with embellished descriptions of towers, curtain walls, moats, drawbridges, jousting fields, and the like, and thoroughly entertained the young lad in so doing.
Upon arriving at the stables, Ben was delighted to see teams of impressive stallions all fit for battle. He would not be satisfied until Darcy introduced him to them all. At length, Darcy asked the question of Ben once more, on how he came to be so far from Hertfordshire.
“I am here with my mama! You must return with me and meet her, for she does not believe you are a real person. She believes you are an imaginary friend! ”
“Of course,” Darcy spoke to no one in particular. So, Elizabeth is his mother! “Where is your mother now?”
“She is at the parsonage with Mr. Collins! Come with me. I will introduce you to my mama!”
“I am afraid that is ill-advised. One cannot simply barge in on another without a proper invitation. Besides, I fear your mother might not wish to see me.”
“Of course she will wish to see you! Why would my mama not wish to see you? Moreover, you have a proper invitation already. You will be my guest. Oh, please come back to the parsonage with me!