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“Darling.” William’s arms encircled her shoulders, drawing her down to his chest. “Did you have a bad dream?”
Elizabeth seized on the explanation. “Y-Yes. Just a b-bad dream.”
He pressed a tender kiss to the top of her head. “Will you tell me about it?” he asked.
A recounting of the dream would not reflect well on Elizabeth and might hurt William. She shook her head. “I would rather forget it.” How ironic: she struggled and strained to remember everything else.
William murmured his agreement and pulled her down next to him, nestling her body against his. “Very well. Go to sleep, my darling.” Her muscles were tied in knots, her body as pliable as a wooden board.
But he made a contented noise and pulled her closer. His warm breath tickled the back of her neck, and the warmth of his body seeped into hers, helping her to relax. As she dropped off to sleep, Elizabeth was still contemplating the dream. She had wished for her memories to return, but perhaps her life was better without them.
Chapter Eleven
Recovering from the rigors of their journey, Darcy and Elizabeth slept quite late that morning. He noticed happily that the dark circles under Elizabeth’s eyes had lightened, and her eyes regained some of their sparkle. His fear that her exhaustion heralded a relapse of her lung fever abated.
After they arose, Adele served them a leisurely luncheon in her garden. It was simple fare—a bit of ham, cheese, grapes, and bread—but the food was fresh and delicious. To Darcy’s delight, Elizabeth ate with relish.
The garden itself was small but well-maintained, surrounded by high walls that preserved its privacy from the surrounding houses. The roses were in bloom, and their subtle fragrance added to the meal’s pleasures. Elizabeth and Darcy were introduced to Marie, Adele’s niece, a girl of fifteen who was as bright and cheerful as her brother was dark and brooding.
Conversation soon focused on how Darcy and Elizabeth would reach the coast. After clearing away the food, Adele spread a map on the table so she and Darcy could debate which roads to travel and which ports would be safest. Finally, they settled on a rather circuitous route that would eventually lead to Calais while avoiding the roads most likely to be frequented by soldiers.
The conversation then turned to other subjects. Bright-eyed and fascinated, Marie asked Elizabeth many questions, particularly about the amnesia. “You do not remember anything at all of your life before awakening in Saint-Malo?”
Elizabeth hesitated briefly before replying in stilted French. “Recently I have had a few memories.”
Darcy leaned forward in his chair at this news; his skin prickled with apprehension.
“Only a few remembrances from my childhood,” she reassured him with a smile. “I recalled when my sister and I thought we must rescue a baby rabbit from beside a pond, but the rabbit ran away and we both got wet.” Everyone joined Elizabeth’s laughter. As it died down, Elizabeth said wistfully, “I do not remember my
sister’s name.”
Darcy’s heart ached anew. How lost Elizabeth must feel!
Elizabeth mustered a smile. “I do not believe such was an unusual occurrence. I think my mother complained about my ‘wild ways.’” She looked ruefully at Adele. “I am sure William did not provoke similar complaints as a child. He must have been always polite and well-behaved.”
Oh no. Darcy was not pleased with this turn in the conversation, but Adele had a knowing smile on her face. It was already too late to prevent disaster. “Oh, he was very well behaved.”—she rolled her eyes—“except, of course, for the time he slid down the front stairs on the best silver tray from the butler’s pantry.”
Darcy could feel the heat rise in his cheeks. Naturally that would be the story Adele chose first.
“William!” Elizabeth exclaimed in mock horror. “Now I learn the truth of your misspent youth? Did you disclose this to me before I married you?”
“Another time,” Adele continued, “he climbed into Pemberley’s attic and dropped apples and potatoes into the courtyard.”
Elizabeth gave him a dubious look.
“I had been studying about Sir Isaac Newton and thought to conduct my own experiments with gravity,” Darcy said with as much dignity as he could muster.
The hand over Elizabeth’s mouth surely concealed a smile. “And what did you discover?”
He could not completely suppress an answering smile. “I discovered that when you drop apples and potatoes into the courtyard, it creates a mess on the stones that your governess will require you to clean up.”
Adele nodded. “Precisely. And you never did that again.” Everybody laughed.
“Of course, it was your cousin Richard who caused the most trouble,” Adele remarked. “I certainly hope the army has tamed his wild ways.”
Darcy drank from his teacup. “That might be beyond their power.”
Adele turned to Elizabeth. “Richard would organize all the local children into battalions and send them into battles with sticks and wooden shields. I was forever treating bruised shins and scraped arms.”
