“I… I believe so.”
His eyes searched her closely. Caroline flushed at the study.
He was the same as always — Colonel Fitzwilliam was not a man she could ever call preciselyhandsome, but he was a man who she found that she now liked to look at very much. However, he tended to silence while they sat there, rather than the effusive and teasing ebullience which Caroline had come to expect from Colonel Fitzwilliam.
The Gardiners’ children were introduced to the room, and Caroline eagerly watched to see how Colonel Fitzwilliam would speak with them, play with them, or ignore them.
As it happened within five minutes he was fully engaged in wrestling with the two boys, being dramatically defeated in their contests again and again, while effusively proclaiming to the eldest Miss Gardiner that she must take care to avoid being captured by any dragons, because if she were a great many knights would lose their lives seeking to save her.
In a word, he was as ridiculous as he ordinarily was.
Oddly Caroline felt… a little hurt.
She’d found herself to expect a certain sort of behavior from Colonel Fitzwilliam towards her, and that he would throw most of his attention at her, unless she’d contrived to make such an impossibility — i.e. by asking Elizabeth to pester him.
And now, while he remained in the same portion of the drawing room as her, he said little towards her.
The simple shine and certainty of the morning began to fade away again. She was still a young woman who had damaged her reputation severely, and who would never be seen without that thought being one near the surface.
Nothing could ever be quite the same, and she accepted that.
But still it gave her a melancholy sense.
Outside a brief shower came a few minutes after Darcy and his cousin arrived, and lasted some twenty minutes.
In the sequel to the rain, Darcy and Elizabeth suggested that they go for a walk out on the street, either going west to walk around the tower and maybe visit the royal animals and the menagerie in the Lion Tower, or they could go the opposite direction to the church yard around St. Paul’s.
“St. Paul’s certainly,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said. “I’ve no notion to coo over leopards, lions and monkeys again. Miss Bingley, join me in pushing the far more sensible notion of a church yard.”
She smiled at him. “From the point of view ofsensibility, I think neither has any advantage over the other.”
Darcy shrugged. “The churchyard can be accomplished more quickly, and I must ride to Longbourn to speak with Mr. Bennet this afternoon.”
“See,” Colonel Fitzwilliam turned to Caroline with a grin, “itwasthe more sensible option. And you nearly left poor Mr. Bennet to be interrupted over his dinner by a proposal of marriage directed towards one of his daughters. For shame! For shame!”
Ah! Nowthiswas more like what she expected from Colonel Fitzwilliam. “Much as I respect, honor and love Uncle Bennet,” Caroline replied with a laugh, “and even though I am sensibleof the importance of his welfare, he would not begrudge us the sight of the lions.”
“Not even to protect his digestion? Singular fellow, but I must bow to your greater familiarity with Mr. Bennet than my own.”
Elizabeth giggled. “Papa will feel no indigestion at having Darcy ask to marry me.”
“I’d certainly be unable to digest it,” Colonel Fitzwilliam replied, “if he applied tomein such a case.”
“Mr. Bennet is better able to handle those with more hair and height than himself than I perceive you can,” Caroline said to Colonel Fitzwilliam.
He laughed, and he grinned at her broadly, and she flushed.
The four of them spilled out onto the street laughing and bantering. Mrs. Gardiner had insisted that her children needed to dedicate themselves to their studies, and so neither she nor they could accompany them.
Caroline and Colonel Fitzwilliam found themselves somewhat in the role of chaperones, trailing behind the eagerly chattering couple. Unfortunately, within a minute of their quitting the Gracechurch Street residence, Colonel Fitzwilliam fell into the same silent manners he had arrived at the Gardiners with. He seemed to be rather preoccupied, and while he willingly shared his arm with Caroline, and looked at her rather frequently, he said nothing except in response to her words, and then little enough.
What to make of him?
Caroline could not decide.
Elizabeth and Darcy, naturally enough for two lovers who had entered into an engagement two days earlier, had few eyes and little attention for anyone else. Elizabeth was happy, she appeared to be even more herself than she ordinarily was, vibrant, excitedly gesturing, full of smiles and rosy cheeks. Frequently laughing.
But Mr. Darcy was both half the same, and half transformed.
