He chuckled and did as he was bidden. She took his hand and gave it a brief squeeze before dropping it then turned the easel as carefully as she could, and stepped away.
“Ye may look now.”
* * *
Dreading what was to come, he shied away until his gaze fell upon his own likeness. He stared at his face. How in the world she had done it, how she had matched him exactly without the benefit of his sitting for her? He stood and held out his hand to her. She stared up at him and her mouth twisted a little, as if trying to gauge his response. He was shocked, obviously, but his disregarded emotions were now kicking up dust in the recesses of his soul.
“When did you begin this?” His heart felt heavy, as though made of cloth and soaked in oil. He had been so wrong about her gift, and the irony that she was wrong about his was not lost on him.
“The night ye gave me the paint set.”
“When you kissed me,” he whispered, almost to himself. “Why paint me?”
“The canvas called out for ye. I simply obliged.”
It seemed she had never even thought of painting George, and his joy was close to overwhelming. Trying to remain steady, he held fast to her hand in hope that she could feel every bit of the immense gratitude, elation, and wonder that he was undergoing himself. “You have an incredible talent, Elizabeth. I am honoured to have been the first subject you painted in the North.”
“This is thy wedding gift.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“This is my gift to ye.”
“I cannot accept this! My gift is not nearly as good.”
“I was not aware that we were engaging in competition, my lord. I shall make a note of it, but, until then, this is thy wedding gift, and I shall be most offended if ye do not accept with the grace befitting a prince.”
He squeezed her hand and chuckled. “I must say I figured a portrait of me by you would have been in a different light. The sort of light, I suppose, that gives me horns and three eyes.”
“I did consider a third eye upon thy abrupt departure the other day, but I could not bring myself to mar thy countenance. It is a lovely face.”
“Did you just pay me a compliment?”
“I did,” she replied, turning to him. She placed her hand on his cheek, her fingers dancing over his cheekbones, eyes, and lips. “See, ye have the most incredible angles here and here and the way thy mouth curls when ye smile, which is all too rarely, is superb. Ye are devastatingly handsome when ye are not acting ugly.”
Overcome, Darcy pulled her into a hug and held her for a long time, staring at his visage over the top of her head, still incredulous that she had captured him in such an easy manner and that she had chosen to paint him at all. Finally, he pulled away, dragging her behind him. They were at the door to the courtyard, and he was on the verge of going out of doors without footwear when Elizabeth dug her heels in and refused to budge.
“What is wrong?” he asked.
“Ye have no shoes, and it looks very much to me as though ye are making thy way outside.”
He stared down at his feet as though seeing them for the first time.
“This obsession with covering my feet is a bit disturbing.”
“I shall not have ye catch thy death and make me a widow so soon.”
“Just think of the advantages to becoming such a young widow,” he replied in a mocking tone.
“I have never wished death on another person and will not start now. Ye are still a human or, at least, ye show characteristics of my species.”
He laughed outright and pulled on a pair of boots that he kept in the rear vestibule. Quickly, he lifted the hem of her gown. Her satin slippers would be destroyed in the stables. He looked around and found another set of leather boots. Sitting her down on a nearby bench, he slid them over her slippers.
“Do they fit properly?”
“They fit fine, but they do not go with my dress.”
Darcy laughed again and held his hand out to her. He led her through the courtyard and down the short lane to the stables. The stable boy was already mucking stalls and dispersing fresh hay, grain, and water. He made a note to reward the boy as soon as possible. He cast a glance at Elizabeth, who seemed uncertain and a little nervous.
