“None of my sisters could ride her, so my father sold her to purchase a calmer horse. Winnie is as gentle and sweet as they could hope for, but I find no joy plodding along when Persephone sailed over the fields. There was not a fallen tree, stream, or hedge she could not jump over.”
The mare sounded fearless, much like her mistress. Miss Elizabeth was not afraid of a challenge, and she did not approve of or allow for misbehavior. No wonder she had reacted so strongly to my rude comment. I was glad I had apologized.
Avoiding the gravel path leading to the front entrance of Longbourn and doing my best to remain out of view from anyone who might peer through a window, I carried Miss Elizabeth to the back, where the kitchen was usually located.
Near the water pump, there stood an orchard of pear trees. She pointed me to them. “We can tie your horse here.” I felt her hand lift from my shoulder and heard the reins flip around the branch with the flick of her scratched wrist.
We made our way to the back door, which I nudged open with my foot. The cook continued to knead her dough, not even looking up as she scolded, “Do not stand there with the door open or this bread will never rise!”
I kicked the door closed behind me. “My apologies.”
She looked up at the sound of my voice, raising her floured hands to her face. “Miss Lizzy? Are you hurt? Oh! Look at your arms!”
Miss Elizabeth laughed softly. “My gown fared worse than I did, I assure you.”
Slowly, I bent down to set my load on her feet, but Cook’s gasp had me snatching her back up in my embrace. I had no option but to hold her while Cook clucked and mumbled under her breath. “You stay here while I fetch the mistress.” To me, she added with narrowed eyes, “Keep your hands where they are. Do not move.”
The reality of my situation crashed over me. I had been fortunate to have evaded the consequences of one compromise… only to be caught neck-deep in another. One glance at her daughter’s tattered dress, her bare skin covered mostly by my hands, and Mrs. Bennet was certain to demand a wedding.
I straightened my shoulders and widened my stance, waiting for the inevitable and accustoming myself to the idea. Miss Elizabeth was a strong-willed young lady of good character and firm opinions. I could do far worse. In fact, once we adjusted to each other, I imagined we might find some happiness. It was not a hopeless situation.
Mr. Bennet walked into the kitchen with Mrs. Bennet’s voice and then the lady herself trailing behind him. “I shall never speak to Lizzy again! I mean it! I said I would never speak to her and—” She saw me then. “Mr. Darcy!” Mrs. Bennet might not be on speaking terms with her daughter, but she held no qualms about screeching my name.
Mr. Bennet appeared amused. “Do not tell me you brought another gentleman here to propose, Lizzy. One is sufficient for any day.”
CHAPTER 6
Another proposal?
I recalled Mrs. Bennet’s claims from the evening before but, given her inebriated state and Mr. Collins’s general ineptness, I had given them little credence.
Mrs. Bennet continued addressing her complaints to Mr. Bennet, though it was plain they were intended for Miss Elizabeth?—
Elizabeth. I ought to accustom my mind to calling her such if we were to be forced into a union. On my honor as a gentleman, as a Darcy, I would never speak of the incident that had thrown us together in such a precarious situation, but her father was certain to take issue with her arrival in my arms, especially when only a few shreds of fabric and my coat protected her decency.
“If only your daughter had accepted Mr. Collins’s offer! We would be drinking punch and eating cake!” Mrs. Bennet lamented as though I were not standing directly in front of her.
“Mama, how can you believe him capable of making me happy or me of making him anything but miserable?”
Mrs. Bennet looked pointedly at Mr. Bennet. “When your daughter came downstairs in that dreadful old gown, I knewsomething was wrong! No lady would wish to receive a proposal in such a worn garment! And she did nothing with her hair!”
Mr. Bennet leaned toward me with a wry grin. “She is ‘my daughter’ when she does something Mrs. Bennet does not approve of. Most of the time, she is simply Lizzy.”
“Mr. Bennet, what are we to do?” Mrs. Bennet wailed. “If your daughter cared about me or her sisters, she would agree to marry Mr. Collins and secure Longbourn! We shall be cast out into the hedgerows!”
Considering how poorly Elizabeth and her tattered gown had fared against the hedgerow, I sincerely doubted that. Elizabeth coughed, and when my gaze met her smiling eyes, I knew her thoughts were similar to mine. My lips flinched before she looked away, and I gained control of my countenance.
Mrs. Bennet cried into her handkerchief. “I have failed as a mother! How can I entice more gentlemen to notice our girls if word gets out that they might refuse their attention?”
Mr. Bennet patted her on the shoulder. “There will be more gentlemen.”
I waited for a nod in my direction or some indication that Iwassuch a gentleman, but none came. Still, right was right, and I would act honorably. By this point, I was not completely opposed to the idea, though I shivered at the terrifying prospect of introducing this family into society.
“You always take your daughter’s side! If you insist on supporting her foolishness, I swear I shall not speak to you either, Mr. Bennet!”
Another pat. “To whom would you complain then, my dear?”
“I do not know why I bother complaining to you, for all the good it does! You never do anything I ask!”
