Elizabeth rolled her eyes.“Ignore her, Maria.You are only fifteen.It is good you do not wish for a suitor at this time.Enjoy your girlhood while you may.”
Charlotte sighed but nodded.“Yes, there is no rush.But do not leave it too long.It would be best to marry sometime between eighteen and two and twenty.Old enough to know your mind but young enough to retain your bloom.”
Elizabeth laughed lightly.“Listen to your sister, Maria.She is a font of wisdom.”
Charlotte mock scowled at Elizabeth before passing her a muffin.“I am glad to know you have finally learned to appreciate my judgment,” she said primly.
Elizabeth and Maria laughed while Charlotte sat a little straighter and looked out the window.
Darcy rode alongside the carriage with a light heart.He thought he heard Elizabeth’s laughter coming from within, but it must be his imagination.He would never hear anything over the wheels and the horses.
“Wipe that look off your face.”
Darcy started.“What look?”
“You are gazing at that carriage like a starving man looks at meat.You cannot even see her, man!”
“I am doing no such thing!”Darcy cried, affronted.
Fitzwilliam scoffed.“Whatever you say, Cousin.”
Darcy pulled ahead of his cousin with a glare, though he secretly wondered if he had turned into a moon-eyed calf without realizing it.But he could not truly care.He was entirely too pleased with his life at the moment to be concerned with his cousin’s opinions.
Less than an hour later, Colonel Fitzwilliam called out to his cousin and Darcy looked back at him just as he felt a large drop of water land on his face.
“It is beginning to rain!”called the colonel.
They signaled the driver to stop and climbed aboard the carriage.It all happened so quickly that the ladies looked at them in astonishment before shifting over on the bench to make more room.Elizabeth had taken the back-facing seat with Maria and Charlotte sharing the forward-facing bench.Now Colonel Fitzwilliam happily plopped down between the sisters, making Maria’s eyes grow wide and Charlotte chuckle.He winked at Elizabeth as Darcy stepped in behind him and took the open seat next to Elizabeth.She blushed and smiled happily, only moving over a little to make space for him.
Before anyone could object or suggest a change in the seating arrangement, Colonel Fitzwilliam began speaking.He could be very long-winded when the mood struck him, and he regaled them with tales of marches across the peninsula and incompetent soldiers.Maria was spellbound, and he ate up her attention like a greedy pug.Charlotte gave Elizabeth a look and they shared a secret smile as they opened the basket Mrs.Hopkins had packed and passed out food to the gentlemen.
Colonel Fitzwilliam only stopped speaking long enough to take a bite of a muffin, followed by, “I say, that is an uncommonly good muffin!”
“I have the receipt if you would like a copy,” said Elizabeth.
“Thank you, Miss Bennet, I may take you up on that.”
And just like that, he was back in his story, Maria’s eyes still wide and attentive.
They stopped at an inn to wait out the rain for an hour before climbing back aboard.The change in weather had brought a chill to the air and Darcy fetched blankets from beneath the benches for the ladies.
Colonel Fitzwilliam declared he would ride, for he preferred the open air to a closed carriage as long as he was dry.Darcy opted to ride inside.Charlotte and Maria sat on the forward-facing bench, sharing a large blanket.Maria looked sleepy and settled herself into the corner to rest as Darcy took the seat beside Elizabeth.She smiled and held open her blanket, ignoring the look Charlotte sent her.
What could they possibly get up to with their friends sitting a mere three feet away?
Darcy happily settled next to Elizabeth and within three miles, both Charlotte and Maria had drifted off to sleep.Darcy scooted a little closer to Elizabeth and reached for her hand beneath the blanket.She grasped his firmly and looked back at him with a blush.
“Are you not sleepy?”she asked in a whisper.
“Not at all.You may rest your head on my shoulder if you are tired.”
She smiled and moved around until she was tucked under his arm, her head on his chest.She had intended to stay awake, but the warmth of her position combined with the motion of the carriage soon lulled her to sleep.Darcy held her tighter, making sure she did not fall forward on the seat or sit in such a way that her neck would be sore.
Unbeknownst to him, Charlotte awoke and watched him for some time.She saw how he periodically kissed Elizabeth’s head, or how he stroked the hair that hung over her shoulder.He would take that one long, lazy curl and wrap it about his palm, twisting it up toward her scalp, before releasing it to fall down her back and repeating it all over again.
She saw the look in his eyes as he watched her friend sleep and the protective way that he held her.Charlotte was not romantic, but if anyone could have changed her mind, it would have been Mr.Darcy.
Soon, the carriage pulled into Gracechurch Street and Mrs.Gardiner and Jane stepped outside to meet them.Introductions were made amidst long embraces and cheerful greetings.Mrs.Gardiner invited the gentlemen inside for tea, but they declined.
