Meanwhile, Miss Bennet was avoiding his gaze. She, too, did not have anything to say. The merriment that had captivated him when they were in Hyde Park was nowhere in sight.
What if the bland young lady in front of him was the real Miss Bennet, and the remarkable version he had met in the park was the product of their perilous situation?
“So, Mr. Darcy, have you recovered completely from your illness?” said Mrs. Gardiner.
“Completely,” he said. “And Maggie, is she well?”
“She is. She was very lucky,” said Mr. Gardiner.
The mention of her name must have drawn her attention, because, at that moment, Maggie burst into the scene. She ran to him and threw her little arms around his waist. Since she could not reach very far, it made him aware of how fragile and small she was, and how vulnerable to the elements. She had seemed strong at the lake, fighting against him, but it was a strength born of desperation and the urge to survive.
“Mr. Darcy!” she said, her smile revealing her missing tooth. “Did you bring the rocking horse as you promised?”
“Maggie!” intervened her father, dismayed. “You cannot ask Mr. Darcy for things! You must apologize right away!”
“I am sorry, Mr. Darcy,” she said, with a little curtsey.
Darcy nodded in response. Her father was right, of course, and he would not gainsay him.
He was looking forward to seeing her reaction when she discovered what he had brought. “As it so happens, I do have something for you,” he remarked, with a smile.
“What is it?” she replied eagerly.
“You will have to wait and find out once it has been brought up.”
“Can you give me a hint? Please?” she begged.
“Leave Mr. Darcy alone, Maggie,” said Mrs. Gardiner, with an indulgent smile. “You will find out soon enough.”
The little girl looked disappointed. Luckily, she spotted Georgiana and her attention shifted. “Miss Darcy! Will you tell me a story like you did last time?”
“Of course,” said Georgiana.
Maggie squeezed in next to Georgiana, wriggling until she found a comfortable position, her legs swinging as she waited expectantly for Georgiana to begin.
It suddenly struck Darcy that he hadsavedthis little girl. Miss Elizabeth might have been able to bring Margaret out eventually, but it was because of him and his timely intervention that she had not suffered any unpleasant effects. She was here, sitting amongst them, because of him.
His heart swelled with pride. He had done a good deed. He had every right to congratulate himself for his hasty intervention.
Thiswas why he had come here today. Not to see Miss Elizabeth Bennet, but to fulfil a promise made to a little girl who had almost drowned.
Chapter 8
As if on cue, the housekeeper entered, followed by two footmen carrying trays of pink ices served in goblets from Darcy’s house. Mercifully, the ices were still intact, with no signs of melting.
“What is this?” said Mrs. Gardiner, in surprise.
“Strawberry ices,” said Mr. Darcy, in a loud voice.
Margaret jumped up. “Strawberry ices!!! Oh, you remembered, Mr. Darcy! I thought you had forgotten. Lizzy said—”
“Never mind what Lizzy said,” interrupted Mr. Gardiner. “You had better thank Mr. Darcy and eat your ice before it melts, which would be a pity, since Mr. Darcy has brought it all the way.”
Darcy cast a glance towards Miss Bennet. She was regarding him with an expression of pleasant surprise. Their gazes met. She sent him a conspiring look, and his lips moved up of their own volition in a mixture of laughter and relief. The young lady he had met was still there. He had not imagined her. She had not disappeared.
“Well, Mr. Darcy, I see you were paying attention to Maggie’s preferences after all,” she said, in a playful tone.
Her aunt and uncle looked puzzled.
