Page 16 of Midnight at Pemberley

“You may choose, Mr. Darcy.”

As they rode off, Darcy maneuvered Ceres’s lead line to bring Elizabeth beside him. “What occurred last evening grieves me,” he offered. “I did not mean to frighten you. In truth, I have never told anyone, not even my sister Georgiana, the whole bloody mess in which I find myself.” He did not turn to look at her. “I plead for your discretion—not for myself, but for Georgiana, and for the people who call Pemberley home.”

“You do not need to ask. Even if what we had these few days ended this very moment, I would not disclose your secret. Moreover, I am involved, too, William. Like it or not, my family is involved.” Her voice demanded his agreement.

“Naturally.” He turned to look upon her. “I would not have spoken of it if I thought otherwise.” His eyes rested on her, in an effort to memorize her features. “How many more days do you expect to be at Netherfield?”

“Likely two—possibly three—but Jane appears determined to return to Longbourn by Sunday.”

“What have you told your sister of us?”

Elizabeth pulled gently on the horse’s reins to maneuver around a fallen tree. Darcy thought it nearly impossible that only yesterday she had first sat to saddle. She would make him a perfect partner. They could ride out over Pemberley’s grounds daily and inspect the farms. It was a travesty that he could not claim her as his mate, but he could not bring himself to involve another into the loneliness he knew all too well.

“I said nothing. Jane thinks you insisted upon accompanying me on my morning walks about the estate. I told her I meant to explain something of the history of the area so you might better serve Mr. Bingley’s request for your input on purchasing Netherfield after his lease expires.”

They fell silent until the house came into sight.

“I rode over earlier with the swords,” Darcy explained. “I assumed you still wish to learn something of the weapons. I thought about lighting a fire, but I feared someone might see the smoke and come to investigate.”

“The activity should keep us warm.” She spoke in what sounded of her customary good spirits, and he admired her generous nature.

At the house, he dismounted and assisted her down. “Go in,” he instructed. “I will move the horses from sight.” Elizabeth headed inside “Do not touch the swords until I join you,” he called in an attempt at playfulness.

“What will happen if I ignore you, Mr. Darcy?” she retorted.

“Do not toy with me, Miss Elizabeth.” He did not look her way, but he smiled. She made him feel light of heart.

When he entered the house, she was in the game room. At one time, a billiard table likely filled the space, but now it was quite empty. “This room appeared best suited for our purpose,” she announced.

“So what will it be? A lesson in self-defense?”

She corrected, “A lesson in self-esteem, Mr. Darcy.”

He raised a quizzical eyebrow. “Self-esteem, Miss Elizabeth? That is not something you lack.”

“Ah, you are mistaken, Mr. Darcy. In my household, Jane is the beautiful one. Mary is the talented one. Kitty is the creative one. And Lydia? She is my mother’s darling. I am simply Elizabeth, superior in no way. What I have to recommend me, if indeed it could be called a recommendation, is a quick wit and a sharp tongue. After today, I will possess a skill no one in my family holds. I will truly be the eccentric.”

“What rot, Elizabeth! I wish you could see yourself through my eyes!” He scooped her into his embrace. “You are astonishingly enchanting. The man who wins your heart will possess a rare jewel.” He kissed her completely.

Elizabeth broke the kiss to bury her face into his chest. “William, this frightens me.”

“May I assume you do not mean the swords?”

She clung to him and made a peculiar noise—half laugh, half sob. “The swords are what I fear the least.”

“Fate brought us to the same place and time. We will decipher this together, Elizabeth. Somehow, we must.” They remained locked in their embrace for several minutes accepting that they could never be together. “Mayhap we should begin the lesson,” he said gently. “It will distract us. Dissipate the gloom.”

Elizabeth nodded her agreement before picking up one of the rapiers lying on a small end table. “My goodness! I never expected them to weigh so much!” She playfully swished it through the air. “What am I to say? En garde?”

Darcy chuckled. “You have read too many novels. Most swords weigh a quarter of a stone.” He picked up the matching rapier. “Let us practice some basic thrusts and parries. Then I will show you a few different attacks and defenses.”

He set her in the proper position, moving behind her to adjust her feet and shoulders. Each adjustment led to a kiss on the back of her neck or behind her ear. On the fifth such adjustment, she turned her head quickly and caught him full on the mouth. Then she said softly, “Thank you, William,” her lips lingering below his.

“Kissing you, Vixen, is payment in full for anything I provide you.” His raspy voice betrayed his rising hunger for her.

“You see me when others do not. They see only the façade I present to the world. You look beyond that.” Elizabeth brushed her lips across his again. “I have never lived until the past few days.”

“You looked beyond your first impression.You permit me to laugh—to know joy, and you have allowed me a few moments of freedom from my darkest secret. It is good to be ‘William,’ not ‘Mr. Darcy of Pemberley.’”