Page 17 of Searching for Elizabeth (A Pride and Prejudice Variation)

—the next morning—

Fitzwilliam Darcy woke up feeling better, he thought, than he had ever felt in his entire life. He remembered so many moments, as yesterday’s sunny afternoon trembled toward a chilly evening, when he felt ecstasy such as he had never felt before:

Elizabeth for the first time attempting to use charcoal to grill vegetables, and proudly bringing the food to the table with a dark smudge on one cheek. He wanted to kiss the smudge away, but of course he did not; instead, he ruined his handkerchief on her behalf.

Elizabeth expounding on Sir Humphrey Davy and his discovery of various chemical elements. Where did she come up with these topics? Darcy loved reading about such things, but it had never occurred to him to bring them up in conversation, even with men, let alone in mixed company.

The two of them spotting winter thrushes, apparently newly arrived from northern lands. Elizabeth identified them as fieldfare and redwing thrushes. As always, Darcy was impressed; was there any subject she did not know?

Elizabeth arguing passionately that her sister Miss Kitty was nearly as invisible at Longbourn as she and Mary.

“And do you know what the worst part is?”

she asked Darcy.

“It is that I have largely ignored her, too. I treat her like she is Lydia’s appendage. I have never really tried to get to know her.”

Darcy disliked that Elizabeth was hard on herself. But he also realized that one reason he so esteemed her was her high standards, and the fact that she was willing to investigate her own behaviors and attitudes proved that she was as perfectly perfect as anyone could be.

Of course, the best thing that happened last night was that Elizabeth kissed him!

As he left, she spontaneously stood on tiptoe and kissed him. It was just a chaste kiss, a quick kiss on his cheek. He responded by planting a tender kiss on her forehead and, a few minutes later, on the back of each of her hands. Then her wrists. Finally, the palms of her hands.

He supposed that he had gotten carried away, but she had not seemed to mind.

This morning he would take her some more gifts. He packed up the Dutch oven, bucket, and toasting tongs, plus a new batch of bacon, bread, eggs, honey, fruits, and roots. He also packed some wine.

While breaking his fast, Darcy read correspondence that had arrived the day before. There was a letter from Bingley. His friend was responding to Darcy’s letter; Darcy had written to inform his friend that he needed to stay at Netherfield, but he had not revealed the reason he stayed. Darcy had assured Bingley that he was paying the grocery bills, but he had offered to also pay for rent and servants’ wages. Bingley’s reply was, as usual, full of blotches and nearly indecipherable, but was also as affable as the man himself. Darcy eventually interpreted the griffonage as assurance that the rent and salaries were pre-paid, and that Darcy was welcome to stay as long as he liked. Bingley also reported that his business in London was complete, but with his sisters having abandoned Hertfordshire, he felt content to stay in Town, for now. He did not mention Miss Bennet.

Darcy refolded the letter and put it into his pocket. He would show it to Elizabeth; he had no intention of hiding things from her.

Remembering that just the night before he had admitted to her that he had experience with courtesans, he blushed. Did other men tell women they courted such things?

Darcy was almost certain that, if he asked advice of other men, not one would recommend telling a maiden about intimate experiences of any kind, and most especially would recommend not discussing courtesans.

However, Darcy truly wanted a marriage of equal respect, of honesty and openness. He also realized that Elizabeth seemed warmer towards him, not cooler, after that overly frank discussion; given the results, he could not categorize his behavior as mistaken.

After breakfast, Darcy rode to yet another area of forest where his horse had plenty of grass to nibble, and then he hurried on foot to the cottage. No sooner had he knocked than the door was opened and he was welcomed again into Elizabeth’s home, her smiles, her good humor.

“Good morning!”

she said.

“It is so nice of you to call.”

Her eyes twinkled up at him as she took his hat, gloves, and overcoat. She placed his things neatly on her cot.

He unpacked the shoulder bag he carried and then spread his arms wide, saying, “I present to you today’s gifts.”

“This is amazing!”

she said as she inspected the Dutch oven.

“Oh, I really needed these,”

she went on, putting the bucket, toasting tongs, and groceries in their respective places.

“Thank you so much. Would you care for some tea? I assume you have had breakfast, but if not, could I make you a meal?”

Darcy assured her that he needed neither food nor drink.

“What should we do with ourselves this wondrous morning?”

Elizabeth asked.

“Can we replenish your water supply, chop some wood, and maybe tour the cottage to see if anything needs fixing?”

“Well, all of those things sound very, very exciting,”

Elizabeth said.

“I had supposed you might want to view the latest panorama, go out for ices and sorbets, or perhaps view a private art exhibition, but your suggestions are even more enticing.”

Darcy shook his head at her and grinned.

Elizabeth fetched a pitcher from her little kitchen area and placed it with the new bucket. She continued to tease, “Are you sure you are up for this much excitement? You are quite a bit older than myself, I believe.”

Darcy shook his head, bemused.

“What is this? Do you purport to know my age?”

Smiling mischievously, she replied, “I make it a practice not to purport knowing anything, sir, on general principle. Certainly I would never purport to know the age of one of the great gentlemen of our nation. However, Mr. Bingley once told me that you became master of your estates when you were two and twenty, and he made it sound ever so long ago.”

Darcy suggested drily, “Decades ago, I suppose?”

“The way he was talking, I thought he might have meant centuries ago. However, I judged that to be farcical.”

Looking briefly solemn, Darcy said, “My father did pass when I was but two and twenty. It was sudden and shocking, and I went from being called the Monk, in university, because I was judged too serious and not given to…licentious behaviors, to being regarded as the most eligible bachelor in the ton. The nickname was meant to be an insult, although I did not much mind it, and the most-eligible-bachelor description was meant to be a compliment, but I hated it.”

Elizabeth looked very sorry to have brought the subject up, and she laid her hand on his arm for a moment.

“I am grieved for you, and I apologize for my inappropriate taunts.”

“No, I love your taunts, most especially the inappropriate ones. But it is difficult for me to talk about some things without feeling sad. In any case, your disguised question deserves an answer: all of that happened about five years ago, and I am now seven and twenty.”

“Well, sir, that is not so very old!”

Elizabeth looked at Darcy with such sympathy, such care, that he could not help hoping to make her laugh again.

“Not too old to fetch water and chop wood?”

he suggested.

“Not too old for anything at all! Perhaps we might even endeavor to make that tour of the enormous house and its extensive grounds.”

After laughing at one another’s silliness, Darcy and Elizabeth donned their outerwear and then picked up the old pitcher and the new bucket for water. Elizabeth led him to the spring she used as a water supply, and each of them carried a filled container back to the house.

“Now for the wood chopping session, sir,”

Elizabeth said with a teasing smile.

“I may just allow you to do all the chopping. I am of a mind to just stand about, watching the show.”

Darcy chuckled and replied, “I do not mind putting on such a show, as long as you promise to pay me with blushes.”

Of course, those words provoked a blush, and Darcy quickly removed his jacket, rolled his sleeves up, and exited to begin to wield the axe. He was pleased to see a great many blushes, and he wondered what Elizabeth was thinking, to produce so much embarrassment.

It had been more than a month since Darcy had fenced, and he enjoyed the kind of aches in his arms that resulted from exercising his muscles. If he was honest with himself, though, he would have enjoyed any activity if Elizabeth was watching with…that look on her pinkened face.

Having chopped enough wood, according to Elizabeth, Darcy washed his hands and restored his clothing.

“I feel ready for luncheon. After that, we can do our tour of inspection,” he said.

Elizabeth and Darcy cut up some apples and drizzled them with some of the honey he had brought that day. Darcy cut thick slices of bread, and Elizabeth spread butter and jam on the bread. Darcy convinced Elizabeth to sit in front of the fire he built to have a sort of indoor picnic. Sitting on the floor turned out to be far easier for him than for her, and she laughingly complained about women’s clothes being designed to keep women needing help to sit down, help to stand up, help for everything from sun up to sun down.

“And yet,”

Darcy said, “you do look so very fetching.”

She said, “We seem to be done eating, sir. I require you to stand and offer me your hand.”

“Yes ma’am.”

They started the tour of the cottage inside, and Elizabeth explained every repair she had made over the past decade. He was impressed all over again, but she modestly pointed out that the cottage had only fallen into disrepair, not ruin; she had not had to do major structural work to make it safe to use.

“Even I would not have been able to erect walls single-handedly,” she said.

“Well, perhaps not when you were just ten years old,”

he returned.

“However, now….”

“Now it is time to inspect the outside, sir. I hope you are not too exhausted; the place is at least eighty feet around.”

Darcy laughed as he donned his coat. He decided against the hat and gloves, as it was not an especially cold day. He followed Elizabeth to the door—

“Mary!”

Elizabeth sounded very pleased, but immediately her voice changed.

“What has happened?”

she asked with concern.