Darcy gave them a long look.
Both boys bolted.
He watched them race across the side lawn and vanish into the shrubbery, leaving him alone with more amusement than prudence warranted and more hope than sound judgment recommended.
When he finally mounted and turned toward Netherfield, Wilson’s presence continued to trouble him.
But the feeling had changed.
Darcy had seen enough to recognize Mr. Wilson as a genuine rival.
He had also seen enough to understand that the contest was far from hopeless.
Elizabeth smiled at him differently now.
Listened differently.
Challenged him differently.
And now, astonishingly, impossibly, he had allies inside Longbourn itself.
Darcy rode back to Netherfield with the chill wind against his face and the first true sense that if he meant to win Elizabeth Bennet’s regard, he must cease merely hoping for it.
He must act.
Growing Attachments
The first true snow of the season arrived three days later.
Elizabeth woke to pale winter light and a Longbourn transformed beneath white. The lawns glittered untouched beyond the windows, the hedgerows softened into uneven drifts, and every branch along the lane carried a silver burden delicate enough to disappear by afternoon should the weather warm.
The household responded precisely as expected.
Thomas and Toby nearly broke their necks racing downstairs before breakfast.
Lydia demanded permission to walk soon after luncheon.
Kitty declared the grounds picturesque.
Mary observed that excessive enthusiasm for snow generally diminished after prolonged exposure to it.
Mr. Bennet announced from behind his newspaper that wisdom had at last entered the breakfast room.
Mrs. Bennet ignored all of them and instructed the servants to lay additional fires before anyone caught a chill.
Elizabeth stood near the window smiling despite herself while the twins argued passionately regarding fortifications.
“We need walls first,” Toby insisted.
“A proper fortress requires elevation,” Thomas countered.
“Snowballs from above travel farther.”
“That is because you throw badly.”
“I do not throw badly.”
“You absolutely throw badly.”
