He patted his mount’s flanks and could feel his muscles rippling in anticipation of what was to come. He first walked the animal, then a trot, and then a canter. Darcy hardly touched Zeus with the heels of his boots before the horse surged into a gallop.
Without paying too much attention to where he was, horse and rider sailed over a few fences. By the time he brought his horse back to a trot, he was close to the only hill in the area. He had never been near it before and, if memory served, he had heard one of the stable hands mention the eminence was on Longbourn’s land. He hoped the Bennets would not object to his riding on their land. It was then he sawher. She looked like a wood nymph. His heart almost seized at the beauty he was seeing before him.
Miss Elizabeth was skipping along a path which, if Darcy guessed correctly, led to the hill. Her bonnet was off, held in her left hand, and her hair was practically free of restraint as it flowed behind her.
It was obvious she had not seen him as she broke into a run. Her tinkling laugh reached his ears as she ran freely. Never had he met another, man or woman, with herjoie de vivre.
His first instinct was to ride to her, pull her into his arms and declare his love for her there and then. As it always did, his head reminded him regardless of his infatuation with her, she was not an appropriate person to become the wife of Darcy of Pemberley.
Darcy thanked goodness she had not seen him. Had she, he would have had to greet her and then who knew what he would have done—regardless of what his head was telling him.
She was truly magnificent, but she was not for him. Thinking that, he felt a stab of pain as if someone had just broken his heart in two.
Chapter 19
Delivery of the dispatches to militia headquarters had not taken very much time, so George Wickham found more time on his hands than he had planned. He would meet Karen Younge at her boarding house on Edward Street later that evening.
She was far too old for him, but thanks to him talking her into forgiving him for her grievances from his last stint in London, he would—as he had in the past—pretend he was attracted to her and bed her in order to have a free night at her home, thus saving the stipend he was given for his night’s stay as funds for the tables.
He made his way over to Grosvenor Square to see Darcy House, which in his mind should have been bequeathed to him and not to that prig Darcy. He wondered if little Georgiana was in residence.
He still smarted from his plans to elope with her and claim her dowry of thirty thousand pounds being thwarted because that bastard Darcy decided to visit Ramsgate earlier than expected. He tried to ignore what Darcy had told him about the terms of the release of her dowry. As much as he had not wanted to believe the dowry would have been forfeit, one thing he did know was Darcy did not prevaricate, the idiot abhorred disguise. Though he would not have gained the funds he wanted, he would have still exacted revenge on Darcy. As he thought of his failed plan, having forgotten his derisive words about her before he departed Ramsgate, Wickham wondered if Miss Darcy still held him in tender regard.
Just then he noticed the door at Matlock House across the square open and out stepped none other than the subject of his ruminations. She was not alone. She was accompanied by the pretty Fitzwilliam cousin, Tiffany, Wickham remembered, two older ladies, and two rather large Fitzwilliam footmen.
As he watched, he saw them enter Hyde Park via the Grosvenor Gate. He followed at a distance. To determine if there was any chance he might be able to work on Miss Darcy, Wickham decided achanceencounter was in order.
He noted the direction his quarry and her party were walking. He took off at speed to circle around so he would place himself ahead of them on the path walking towards them.
Tiffany and Giana were having a pleasant walk and did not pay attention to the man in uniform who approached them. That was until Giana heard the voice of the man she never wanted to see again.
“Why if it is not little Miss Darcy,” Wickham greeted in his best charming voice.
Rather than feel fear, Giana felt a rage build within her. The temerity of this reprobate to approach her. Without thinking, she stepped forward and pulled her right arm back. Wickham was pleased when he saw Georgiana step towards him, right up until a mighty slap connected with his cheek.
Never in her life had she ever struck another person, but Giana put all the anger and feelings of betrayal she had into the force of her arm as she brought it forward as fast as she was able.
Her hand stung where it had connected with the black-hearted man’s cheek, but it was satisfying, nevertheless.
“How dare you approach me? Did my brother not warn you never to do so again?” Georgiana hissed. “Leave now without a word or I will have them,” she inclined her head towards the two large footmen who were now very close to where the confrontation had occurred, “force you to do so.”
Wickham had his answer. Miss Darcy had no residual tender feelings for him. One of the large men would have pummelled him, never mind two of them. His only option was to retreat.
With his cheek paining him considerably, to save what little dignity he had, Wickham doffed his hat and with all haste gave Miss Darcy and her party a wide berth and made towards the nearest exit from the park with all speed.
As soon as the blackguard was out of sight, Giana broke into tears. “Why wouldthatman try to approach me?” she wailed.
Thankfully, there were few people in the park as it was not close to the fashionable hour, so there were no witnesses outside of their party to what had occurred.
Tiffany pulled her younger cousin into a hug while Mrs. Annesley and Tiffany’s companion were making sure Miss Darcy was well. “Giana, you were so brave,” Tiffany told her cousin softly.
“W-was I-I n-not brash in my a-action?” Georgiana stammered between tears.
Mrs. Annesley handed her charge a square of linen. “In my opinion, Lady Tiffany has the right of it and you stood up for yourself. I know not why that libertine approached you, but I am confident he will never do so again.”
“Did you note your handprint forming on his cheek?” Tiffany pointed out.
Giana dried her tears which had ceased now the tension had been released from her body. “My slap was rather hard, was it not?” Georgiana smiled for the first time since the man attempted to talk to her.
