Darcy held his breath, her smile temporarily dazzling him, “you have nothing to be grateful for; had I not interfered, your sister might have been married by now.”
Their eyes met and held the gaze, each seemingly unwilling to relinquish the moment; and so they might have remained for an age had not a disturbance from behind a not-far-distant tree broke the spell.
They turned to see Lady Catherine walking away in some haste.
***
Lady Catherine had noted when Darcy and Elizabeth left the house for their walk. Today they had not stayed near the house but made their way into the woods.
She followed.
She could not get close enough to hear their conversation until they stopped and sat on a fallen log.
She hid behind a tree. She realised the light breeze was blowing gently from the east and every word they said was as clear as crystal to her ears.
She was furious to see how careful and how gentle Darcy was with the chit. How he spread his own handkerchief on the tree trunk for the woman to sit. He had never shown even half of such care with his cousin, his intended.
This could not go on. She knew what to do.
It was risky, but her daughter deserved the effort from her.
Marrying Darcy would be a very good thing for Anne, but ultimately the goal was to remove Anne to Pemberley once and for all, leaving herself forever in charge of Rosings without anyone challenging her. That was, without a doubt, the most important thing.
Hearing that he intended to usurp her authority and fill her house with lowborn interlopers, simply to appease the chit, was more than she could bear. Yet with the threat of Lord Matlockhanging over her head she could do nothing. Her brother was not a man to be manipulated nor swayed by entreaty or intimidation, so he held all the cards. Not only did he alone know the real circumstances of how Sir Lewis de Bourgh had died but he was also the executor of her late husband’s will and could, at a moment’s notice evict her from the great house.
Good God, he could even see her hanged if she pressed him too far. After all it was he who had saved her from the noose all those years ago and kept her secret; not out of love for a younger sister, nor from any sense of familial duty but as an ace card kept hidden up his sleeve, to be played whenever it suited him.
This time she would be smarter than she had been all those years ago; she would not leave a string of witnesses as she had before, when she had told her maid to ask her stable master to acquire the product from the apothecary. No, this time she would get it herself so nobody would be any wiser of her activities, therefore nobody would be able to betray her.
She would go along with Darcy’s plans and pretend to agree with whatever he suggested... but in the end there would be only one victor and it would not be Miss Elizabeth Bennet.
Chapter 10
Meanwhile Elizabeth wrote to Jane immediately after returning to the house, as did Darcy to Bingley.
At afternoon tea time she gave him her letter to Jane and he added it to his pile of express letters to be taken by his personal rider that very day.
“She will have it tonight Miss Bennet.”
Elizabeth nodded, “Did you talk to Lady Catherine? I would hate to see my sister arriving here to only be turned away at the door,” she asked, looking at the great lady apprehensively.
“Yes I did. As expected she was not happy about it but she agreed with my request without fighting back... which was unexpected.” He also looked at his aunt feeling a bit uncertain.
“Was it her in the grove? Did you ask her why she was there?”
“Yes I did. She said she went for a walk but turned around when she saw us talking so as to not intrude in our conversation.”
Elizabeth frowned thoughtfully, “This report does not sound like Lady Catherine’s normal behaviour at all. Do you believe her?”
“I do agree with you and I do not know what to believe. But she cannot forbid her guests from talking or walking in the woods, can she?” He smiled at her and Elizabeth again noticed those blasted dimples. She blushed when she realised she was staring at his mouth.
What is wrong with me? I must never forget how awful this man truly is! I have Mr Wickham’s story to fortify me against his charm... Charm... I never thought this word would ever be applied regarding Mr Darcy.
Elizabeth squared her shoulders in firm resolve and walked away from Darcy to the other side of the room, sitting herself by the Colonel, who smiled at her and asked about Charlotte.
“I believe she is feeling a bit better.”
“Yes,” The Colonel said, “I visited her this morning with my cousin Anne. She even sat up to talk to us. She looked healthier than I have ever seen her before.”
