“Are you not attached? She stood close to you at the assembly and seemed to look upon you with fondness,” she asked.
“Me attached to Miss Bingley? No, Miss Elizabeth, that was not fondness you saw but greed. She desires my wealth and the power that comes with the Darcy name, not me.”
“I beg your pardon.”
“We have been in company several times since I arrived in Hertfordshire. Sir William Lucas included both our parties at a gathering in his home where I heard you sing.”
She wrinkled her nose.
“You have a lovely voice, Miss Elizabeth.” Darcy smiled at the memory. Her voice, the passion with which she sang, had filtered into his cold heart, melting a thin layer of the glacier that had grown steadily since his first appearance in society. “We also gathered at your aunt’s home for cards. We later paid a visit to your family at Longbourn.”
“I do not recall any of those events.” She rested her head cautiously against the tree.
“I imagine you do not. The blow to your head was powerful. You are wearing a spectacular lump on the back of your head because of that rock.” He sucked in a breath, wondering how much to share with her. The last thing he wanted to do was overwhelm her.
“A lump, you say. I wonder if the fashionable ladies of thetonwould consider this the newest form of headwear. Although I doubt that they would want the ache that comes along with it.”
What a woman!
“You amaze me with your frivolity, Miss Elizabeth. I know of few women, my sister included, who would not be sobbing with tears, begging for the constant attention of all.” He shook his head. When he added this to what he already knew of Elizabeth Bennet, her value grew exponentially.
“Why cry, sir? What would tears do except make my eyes swell and you feel worse? My mother has used them for years to try to get her way, and I have found her efforts rather tiresome.”
She was correct. Few things made a man feel more powerless than a woman’s genuine tears and enraged when they were not honestly done.
“I will rest now if you do not mind. My stomach is still churning. I fear that if I were to attempt to move now, the consequences would be unpleasant.”
“Pray do, Miss Elizabeth. I will protect you from harm.”
He watched her settle into the fabric of his coat and thought of all that could threaten her. He fully comprehended the situation and became aware of his most constant worry.She was weak and hurt.
Darcy did the only thing he could under the circumstances. Quickly placing his arm behind her shoulders and the other under her legs, he lifted her. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck. He wanted to smile at her low grumble but knew better. Instead, he headed towards Netherfield Park.
3
He had been walking only a few minutes when she spoke. “You have made an enemy of me, Mr. Darcy.”
He felt her words whispering against his neck. How lucky his cravat was stuffed in his pocket.
“I suppose so.” He wanted to smile, and this time, he did not hold back. Although he felt terrible that his movements caused her misery, his admiration for her was higher than it had ever been for a lady.
“Does the thought of having me at enmity with you bring you joy?” she asked.
“That it does.”
“You are a strange sort of man, sir.”
“You think so?” His smile grew. “I believe I have in my arms a strange sort of woman.”
“Whatever do you mean, Mr. Darcy?”
He discerned her incredulity as he felt her brow furrow against the side of his face. Only then did he realize she would have felt his cheek move with his earlier change of expression. She did not need the light of day to know he had been happy at her words.
He shifted her weight as they cleared the lake trail and started up the long incline to the house. Involuntarily, or so he assured himself, he pulled her even closer. Darcy forced his mind back to their conversation.
She felt wonderful in his embrace. He sighed, determined again to strive to regain control.
“It is a simple matter of reviewing the facts, Miss Elizabeth.” Again, he felt her brow move and imagined her lifting the right one as high as possible. At her groan, he asked, “Are you well?”
