Page 115 of Obligation and Redemption
Elizabeth was at a loss as how to respond.
They gazed at one another for a brief moment while Clark stood watching.
Abruptly, Darcy then turned to the footman with the tray and said, “Now about our snowman.” So the two got to work adorning their creation.
After they had finished, Darcy said, “Elizabeth, I did not realise that you were so accomplished in the art of snowmanship .”
Laughing at his description of her skills, she replied, “Oh yes, if there was ever snow to be had, I was out in it. Jane and I played as young girls, but then she became a proper lady, so I amused myself or played with my younger sisters or the local boys.” At his raised brow, she continued playfully.
“That was before my coming out, sir. I have always been the model of propriety since that time. Surely there were young girls around the area with whom you played as a child.”
“Only my cousins.”
“I suppose with so large an estate, you could not so easily walk to a friend’s home for entertainment.
Well, now you have me as a playmate, for better or worse.
” She blushed at her own words, but then directed her attention back to their creation.
“I had wanted to name him James, after your cousin, but now I believe he more closely resembles my own cousin.” At his questioning look, she clarified, “Mr. Collins.”
“Ah, Mr. Collins.” He took in a deep breath. “If you had married that man …“
“Please, do not even think such a thing! I shudder at the idea. No, we will call our snowman James. I can well-imagine that as a child he would have been at Pemberley fashioning snowmen with you. – And he has always been gracious to me. He seems to be the kind of man who searches for truth, regardless of where it might lead. ”
“Well, as you only bestow your praise where there is merit, I suppose I will have to accept James as a fixture on our lawn. I am glad that I have at least one relation whom you can admire.” He looked down to his feet and then at the snowman, considering their time in London spent with his family, unexpectedly uncomfortable with the conversation.
Just then he was sideswiped with a snowball followed by laughter.
He watched Elizabeth bend down to pick up more snow and responded in kind, forgetting for the time about the painful memories of London.
And so the building of the snowman soon turned into a snowball fight that had the two of them giggling in unexpected pleasure as they had finally found a more propitious means of waging a battle.
WITH THE GROUNDS COVERED IN SNOW, Elizabeth would walk the passageways of Pemberley house in the morning with Darcy searching her out to take in the exercise with her.
At first she was reluctant for him to find her, so she would try to elude him.
But then she had begun thinking of her walks as a game, like hide-and-seek.
Elizabeth would attempt to stay hidden from her husband in some distant passageway, looking carefully before going around a corner, and running past a particularly vulnerable opening.
Elizabeth could not have guessed whether or not her husband knew of her particular game, as she was without need of his consent for the amusement.
But he soon discovered his wife’s diversion several days into the week.
Darcy was looking for Elizabeth yet again, puzzled as to where she might have gone.
Each day it had gotten progressively more difficult to locate her.
He was on the top floor and had devised a plan to begin there while systematically making his way down to the ground floor.
He was rounding a corner and saw a flow of blue gown disappear around a junction in the far passageway.
Not wanting to lose her, he quickly went in her direction.
When he turned to where he had seen her go, she was nowhere to be seen.
“Elizabeth,” he called, but received no reply.
Could that have been an apparition? he sceptically asked himself.
He called out again while still moving forward, then hearing a noise behind him, he turned and saw the same blue flash by, but this time he definitely saw that it was indeed his wife.
She had a look of excitement upon her face that drew him in.
He called out to her saying, “I see you, Elizabeth.” Then he heard something from her direction.
Was that a squeal? He then took off at a run towards her.
She is playing games with me . “I see how it is. Well, I hear your challenge, Elizabeth Darcy, and will do your bidding, but you must remember that I grew up at Pemberley and have played this game many times in the past with James. You cannot win!” He heard her laughter in the distance and quickly went in that direction.
She managed to elude him at every turn. How is she able to escape from me?
They each covered a large part of the uninhabited portions of the house, as Darcy would hear or see evidence of her presence.
What started as a bit of fun on Elizabeth’s side turned into a morning of escalating competition.
At length, Darcy decided to employ the aid of his first footman, Clark.
They formulated a plan of attack to catch her unawares.
Clark would feign following Elizabeth as her husband, while Darcy would wait in hiding to pounce on her when she ran by.
Their scheme was a good one, for Elizabeth was taken fully by surprise as she rounded the corner. When her husband said, “I have you!” grabbing hold of her waist, Elizabeth let out a peal of laughter that would have stunned the staff had they not known of the little game going on.
She continued in a fit of merriment the likes of which Darcy had never seen from her before.
He was completely caught up in the moment and began laughing himself.
“You win!” she said, “which is a good thing because I was beginning to get a little hungry. I almost made my way to the breakfast parlour to await your arrival. How fun that would have been.” Her eyes were beaming up at him, and how he wanted to kiss her!
She must have noticed his glance to her lips because she looked down and stepped back.
“Well, I am truly quite famished. I will see you in the breakfast room after I refresh myself in my own room,” said she, looking flustered and nervous before leaving.
The staff of Pemberley talked about the morning’s activities throughout the entirety of the day, but never in the hearing of Mrs. Reynolds or Peters, for discussing the family was frowned upon.
Nonetheless, the topic was too amazing to so easily let go.
Mrs. Darcy had quickly become a beloved mistress.
She was kind, humble and altogether lovely, but with good understanding.
She had a different way of doing things to what they had experienced before, but they found that they quite approved of her eccentricities.
The question everyone pondered, however, was how did the staid Mr. Darcy end up with such an energetic wife?
— So unlike all of the others of society, especially those whom he had brought home with him for house parties or in the company of other friends.
The rumours had indeed reached Pemberley about the scandal surrounding the marriage, and all but Mrs. Reynolds were prepared to dislike their new mistress, but Mrs. Darcy had arrived and put everyone’s mind at ease.
And they could not even recognise their master, who seemed completely enamoured with her, while she seemed neutral at best concerning the man whom they admired so greatly.
“OH, JANE HAS WRITTEN AGAIN. I hope she is well.” Elizabeth had received a letter from Jane and another thick correspondence from Lydia. The mail arrived and was presented on the salver during breakfast.
“Has she not been?” Elizabeth looked over to him with low spirits, not answering. “Elizabeth, if your sister is not well, I would have you tell me.”
“She has no real physical malady. Her sufferings are of a more emotional sort.” Then Elizabeth looked away and began to read her letter. She sighed, looked concerned, smiled, then refolded her letter, putting it down next to her plate.
“Elizabeth, I am your husband. You can tell me what affects your sister so.”
“No, I cannot. Truly, Mr. Darcy. I think it best that we not bring up things from our past that have given us pain.”
“I would have you tell me anyway. ”
Elizabeth took in a deep breath and looked over to the servant standing at attention ready to attend them.
Darcy dismissed the man with a nod, and so Elizabeth began, “My sister, Jane, is the dearest of all people to me. Any action done against her is also done against me. I cannot easily forget or forgive what you did to her and Mr. Bingley, however noble you claim your motives to be. And every note, every communication I get from her confirms her continued suffering – and at your hands.” Elizabeth looked away and put down the roll she had been holding. Her hands were trembling.
Darcy wanted to reach over and hold her hand to stop the shaking, but he knew that it was not from cold as much as anger and grief, and she would not welcome any comfort on his part.
“Tell me about your sister.” She looked up at him perplexed.
“You say you are close, more so than with your other sisters. Why is that?”