“Thank you, I shall.”
Darcy saw the calculating look in his eyes and knew Wickham believed he had just trapped another fool who he could manipulate.No, my former friend. You will be caught in the snare of your own creation. Not I.
The golden sunlight peeked through the trees, and Elizabeth stepped lightly along the path a distance from the main road. She had walked far that morning, further than usual, but she was lost in thoughts of Mr. Fitzroy and his handsome countenance. It was in a moment of pleasant recollection she heard the voice of Mr. Wickham—“Blast that Gafton. And blast Fitzroy!”—and she immediately stepped back into the trees to assure her concealment.
She realized the danger of her situation if he were to find her alone and cursed herself for not bringing a maid with her as her sister had recommended.
Wickham had stopped his horse, allowing him to nibble a patch of grass. “He suspects nothing.”
He urged his horse and immediately shot across the pasture toward Rosings, allowing Elizabeth to remain undetected. After, she stepped out from behind the tree and returned to the path, watching him fade into the distance, her concern for Mr. Fitzroy increasing.
Her dislike of Mr. Gafton was as strong as for Wickham. Having been trapped in Rosings’ library a month previous by the gentleman, she was grateful for a footman opening the door, unwittingly rescuing her from hisunwelcome attentions. Maintaining her distance had been challenging in company ever since. Pushing thoughts of Mr. Gafton aside, she wandered down the path, contemplating the miserable life her friend must have to live with such a man as Wickham.I do hope it is not a detriment to Mrs. Wickham.Poor Georgiana.“For someone so young to be eternally tied to such a despicable man.”
Startled out of her reverie by the sound of more hoof beats behind her, she turned to face Mr. Fitzroy, who had at once alighted from his stallion.
“Miss Bennet. I hope I did not frighten you.”
“Forgive me, sir. I was lost in thought and wandered further than I ought. I am gladdened to see you.”
He glanced over her shoulder toward Rosings and said, “I imagine your worries are justified. But you must also be wary of the gypsy encampment. Often their people can be more bellicose, and I do not wish any harm to come to you.”
“I cannot imagine even the gypsies would attempt to set up their camp in Rosings’ woods. Miss de Bourgh would have none of that and send them packing.”
He smiled a dimpled grin that almost took her breath away. “Whether it be the gypsies or a threat from a…different quarter, do not fear, Miss Bennet. I will not allow harm to come to you from either realm.” He held out his hand to indicate the direction, and they walked down the road, his horse content at his side.
Elizabeth looked hesitantly at the large horse, and he said, “Do not worry about my horse. I raced the blue devils out of Ulysses this morning.”
“He does seem quite tame. I wonder how you came to lose your seat that day I found you.”
He shrugged and touched his brow as if to remember his recent injury. “Will you be staying in Kent much longer?”
She shrugged her shoulders as he had and said, “The time of my departure is not yet fixed. Jane has asked me to reside with her in Hunsford so she may acclimate to the role of wife.”
“Do you miss your family?”
“In a way, yes. But Jane and I are the closest of sisters, and I am grateful our bond was not severed by distance.” She stepped lightly over a limb in the path. “What I do miss is the land of Longbourn, my father’s estate. Rosings Park is beautiful, but it is not home.”
He answered with a knowing nod. “That I understand.”
“Many a day I would lose myself amongst the bluebells, rolling hills, and streams. There is nothing as restorative as a good ramble through the countryside.”
“Do you often walk this early in the morning?”
“I do, but rarely so far. I was lost in thought and was unaware the distance my feet had taken me.”
A deep chuckle came from him, and she wondered at the comfort she felt in the sound.
“That has happened to me on occasion when I am wandering through Pem…brook and wished I could forget my obligations and just reside in nature for a time.”
“We are kindred spirits, Mr. Fitzroy. Too often my mother has had to send one of the maids out onto the estate looking for me.”
“And where would they find you?” he asked, a grin spreading across his face.
Her breath caught, and she lowered her eyes, hoping he could not read her admiration. “Depending upon the season, they would find me in a tree with an apple or curled at the base of my favorite stump reading.”
“And in the winter?”
She bit her lip and snickered. “Winter was when I shamed my mother the most.”
