Page 15 of Searching for Elizabeth (A Pride and Prejudice Variation)

—the next morning—

Fitzwilliam Darcy knew he was the luckiest man in the world. He had found his beloved and begun courting her, and it seemed to be going very well indeed.

He had not known what he would face. How dare he even seek her, when she was so capably running her own household, when she clearly had no need to be rescued? That is what a voice in his head pointed out as he stood by the neat cottage, which had the appearance of a building that had fallen into disrepair and then had been carefully, perhaps lovingly, restored.

If a voice in his head was pointing out that Elizabeth needed no rescue, Darcy was almost certain that fiery Elizabeth would say that and more.

But instead, she welcomed him inside. She welcomed him even before she knew that he had brought her food.

And she was so cheery, it was unbelievable. How could a young woman bear up to her parents attempting to force her into an unwanted marriage and then banishing her from their home and family? Elizabeth not only survived, she laughed, and teased, and worked hard, and, by god, she cooked! The resulting meal was not the finest he had ever eaten, clearly, but it was surprisingly tasty.

He had asked for and heard the story about how Blackthorn Cottage came to be: Elizabeth’s discovery of the ramshackled building, her work to learn about home repair, her physical labor to actually make the repairs, and finally her efforts to furnish it. Darcy could not imagine a more truly accomplished woman. Painting screens was not nearly as impressive as limewashing walls, and netting purses was not as useful as re-thatching a roof.

Today, he would send an express to his agents in London, calling off the search for Elizabeth’s London relatives. Then he would purchase some food, wine, and other goods for the cottage. She would need an axe, because the one she had was broken. He also thought she would benefit from an oilcloth tarp to cover her outside wood pile. Then he planned to call on her and hoped that she would be as welcoming as she had been the day before.

Darcy wrote the express, bathed, dressed, broke his fast, and then went to Meryton. Uncharacteristically, he took his carriage, because he wanted the potential of carrying more purchases than would easily fit in his saddlebags. Of course, he did not want to overwhelm Elizabeth. To bring too much, too soon would send the message that he had found her home wanting.

Or that he did not think her capable of being independent.

Or that he did not want to sit on her mismatched cast-off furniture. Which he did not much want to sit on, to tell the truth, but he would gladly bear old furniture, for her sake, at least as long as it would bear his weight!

Still…Darcy wanted to shower Elizabeth with gifts just for the pleasure of doing so. He hoped she would welcome gifts as well as him.

After posting his express, Darcy purchased toasting tongs, a kerosene lamp, a whisk, a metal bowl, a Dutch oven, a stout bucket, several candles, and a small paper packet of coals, in addition to the axe and oilcloth. He bought butter, eggs, two kinds of cheese, bacon, small jars of pickled beets and carrots, fresh root vegetables, and bottles of wine, sherry, and cream. After he paid for his purchases at the general store, he remembered that Elizabeth’s tea supply looked very low, and he bought black tea leaves in a separate purchase.

Darcy was used to not explaining himself, but he did notice some curious looks from people. He decided that the next round of purchases should be made by Smithson; wealthy gentlemen often purchased clothing, jewelry, and in his case books, but they most decidedly did not purchase groceries and household goods.

He encountered Lady Lucas at the butcher’s shop, and she gave him a most inquisitive look. Stammering, he mentioned that there was a Netherfield Park tenant in need.

She gushed, “Oh, that is very good of you, sir, especially since you have not purchased or even leased the estate.”

Darcy knew that Lady Lucas had a reputation as a gossip, and he hoped that she would spread the story that he was helping a tenant. Which, he supposed, he would now have to do. He sighed and bought twice as much bacon as he had originally meant to purchase.

On the way back to Netherfield, Darcy made a quick delivery of some bacon to the smallest farm he had seen while riding the estate; at the manor, he asked Smithson to discreetly unload the other purchases. The food, candles, coals, axe, and tarp were all packed into a large bag that could be carried on one’s shoulders, and the other purchases were stored in Darcy’s dressing room.

Darcy set off for the cottage on horseback, but he worried it would be noticeable if he left his horse in the same place every day. Instead he rode to a meadow farther from Longbourn house, tied off his mount, and looked around carefully for the landmarks that would help him find the meadow again.

He worried that it would be challenging to find the cottage from a different direction, but he remembered a particular Scots pine tree, and, oriented on that tree, he quickly discovered Blackthorn Cottage. There was only a whisper of smoke rising from the chimney, and the house was quiet; he hoped Elizabeth would be inside. He knocked and almost immediately was admitted.

Both Mary and Elizabeth stood there grinning at him.

“I thought you would come this morning!”

Elizabeth said.

At the same time, Mary said, “I hoped you would arrive before I left, Mr. Darcy.”

“Good morning, ladies,”

Darcy said. He bowed deeply over Elizabeth’s hand, and then he bowed to Mary as well.

As he swung the bag off of his shoulders, Elizabeth asked, “What have you brought me today?”

Her enthusiasm was so artless, Darcy laughed with joy. He unpacked everything, making a quick explanation of the axe and tarp, and Elizabeth flung her arms around him for a quick hug.

His body responded to her friendly gesture as if they were alone in the marriage bed. Just as he had the night before, Darcy blushed and shifted, angling his hips away from Elizabeth’s body and sight. He gave Elizabeth’s shoulders a squeeze and then quickly released them, and he made sure that his smile did not slip.

“I will go chop some wood, Miss Elizabeth. I promise to be right back.”

He took off his morning coat and, as he walked to the large fallen branch he’d spotted near the cottage, he rolled up his sleeves. He made short work of chopping the branch up, stacking the firewood on top of the pile, and covering the pile with the heavy, waterproof tarp.

Darcy returned to the cottage, wiping the sweat from his forehead with one forearm before washing his hands. Turning back to the ladies, he saw that Mary was blushing and Elizabeth was working to contain laughter. He smiled, ready to join in with the joke, whatever it was.

“Did I miss a joke?”

he asked. A bit of laughter escaped his beloved’s mouth, and Darcy treasured the sound.

“Am I the joke?”

he asked further.

“You are not the joke, Mr. Darcy.”

Her voice was like a soothing assurance, but it changed to a delightful teasing lilt as she continued: “You are the show.”

“Oh!”

Mary gulped out, blushing even more.

The younger woman looked mortified, and Darcy regarded her with kind sympathy as he guessed that she had been staring at his current informal state of dress. He quickly pushed down his sleeves again and thrust his arms into his coat.

“Better?” he asked.

“Well,”

Elizabeth drawled, “you are every bit as handsome fully dressed, but I am not sure I do not prefer the sweat and mess.”

Darcy laughed again in delight. He remembered thinking weeks ago that Elizabeth’s arch speeches and penchant for stating opinions other than her own were a subtle form of flirting, but she was now blatantly flirting, and he absolutely loved it. He noticed that Elizabeth was now blushing at her own boldness, and he deliberately walked close to her as he crossed to the little table, whispering, “Indeed, Elizabeth, I quite agree that dishevelment can be enchanting.”

Seeing that a third chair had been moved to the table, and that three plates and a small array of foods were set out, he said to both of the ladies, “Are we going to eat our luncheon now?"

It was not long before the three were comfortably chatting and eating, and Darcy reflected that he had never before so enjoyed such a delicious meal nor such delightful companions.