“It is a perfect day for ices at Gunter’s.” Darcy sent Elizabeth a teasing look.
“Are you by any chance making fun of me?”
“I am merely remembering a time when you thought it was a good idea.”
“That is an unfair way of expressing it. I was panicking.”
“That is no excuse,” he said, relentlessly. “Though, in a way, I am glad you panicked, because I do believe that was the moment I fell in love with you.”
“When I mentioned Gunter’s?” she said, laughing.
“No, when you gave me that look.”
“Which look?”
“The one which you always give.”
“I have no idea what you mean.”
“That half-teasing, half challenging look, as if testing me to see how I would respond.”
“Do I really do that?”
“You do, and it is one of the things I love best about you. You always challenge me.”
By now they had reached the Serpentine, and Darcy held out the bundle of bread wrapped in a handkerchief and started to undo the knot.
“Who wants to feed the ducks?” he said loudly.
“Me!” Elizabeth laughed as they all shouted it in unison.
As soon as the knot on the bundle was untied, four little hands reached out to take fistfuls of bread.
George Edward Fitzwilliam Darcy threw the breadcrumbs on the ground, laughing as the ducks and the geese rushed forward, honking and quacking. Anne Elizabeth Madeline Darcy followed suit, running after one of the geese and getting hissed at for her efforts. Darcy watched her with a heart full of love. She was growing to look more and more like her mother every day, thought Darcy. She took after Elizabeth in other ways as well. She was constantly moving, and she liked to tease her younger brother. Her mind was quick, and she had a lively imagination.
George, meanwhile, was more like Darcy. Earnest, determined, and a stickler for rules. It still surprised him how different the two children were.
Anne spotted a swan who was swimming towards them and began to run towards the lake.
“Stay away from the water, Anne!” said Darcy, his voice sharp. Both children had been warned several times before they came not to go too close to the edge, but Anne rarely listened. “If youfall in, you will have to save yourself. I will not dive in to rescue you as I did your mother.”
“Of course you would, Papa!” she replied, pertly. “You would never leave me to drown!”
“He would dive in to save you, because he is the kindest gentleman I know,” said Elizabeth. “But you will both be very cold, and Papa may catch a chill and be miserable. I am sure you would not want that, would you?”
Anne shook her head vigorously. “Tell the story again,” she said, her eyes bright with anticipation. She loved hearing about the lake rescue. “How did you manage to carry Mama out of the water? She must have been heavy.”
“As heavy as a sack of potatoes,” said Darcy, his eyes twinkling as they met Elizabeth’s. “It is a good thing I am very strong.”
Anne giggled. “But Mama is nothing like a sack of potatoes, Papa.”
“Thank you, Anne,” said Elizabeth, ruffling her daughter’s hair. “Papa is just being silly.”
George piped up, eager to have his say. “Iwould have carried a lady out if she was drowning, too,” he remarked.
“Of course you would have,” replied Darcy with a smile. “You must always be noble and come to the assistance of those inneed, no matter what the consequences. Will you promise me that?”
“Yes, Papa,” said George, solemnly. “I promise I will always be noble.”
