“Not where Uncle Darcy is concerned. You can gainsay him all you want, but he never listens. It is better to let him speak and then forget all about it. Though I did not remain silent in this instance. If you had eavesdropped a while longer, you would have heard me curse him to the devil for his preposterous suggestions.”
“I do not believe you.” Elizabeth searched his face for signs of subterfuge but found nothing but earnestness in his expression.
“Why would I travel the continent to find you if I wanted to divorce you? I could have continued none the wiser if I truly wanted you out of my life.”
“Then why are you so enraged?”
“A man who felt less might have held himself under better regulation,” Mr Darcy bellowed. “I am not that kind of man. My rage’s auxiliary strength is born out of fear and loss.”
Elizabeth studied her husband. The semicircles of shadow beneath his eyes were so dark they resembled bruises, and the red rims made his blue irises livid. His face had a strained, blank look, and parentheses of fatigue bracketed his mouth. Mr Darcy appeared as if he was contending with a significant amount of pain and desperation.
A shard of ice thawed in Elizabeth’s heart. She was not the only one who had suffered.
“Is this all the reply I might expect, after all the pain you have caused me for the last five weeks. A deafening silence?”
Mr Darcy closed the remaining gap between them, and for the first time, Elizabeth felt a shiver of intimidation running down her spine. His countenance was reddened in anger, his rigid stance loomed over her like a thundercloud, while his rapid breath tickled the ringlets around her face.
“Do you know how I discovered your absence?”
Elizabeth shook her head.
“Martha came running into my study, crying that you had drowned in the Serpentine.”
Well, that explained his earlier remark about her resting on the bottom of the river. His anger was better understood with this pertinent information.
“I waited for hours before the poor girl was brought to the rescue house and it was established that it was not you.”
“I am sorry you had to suffer that experience, but you know as well as I the incentive for my leave-taking. When left with the choice between inconvenience to me and to my sister, I shall always choose my family. But it is not only that which made me flee your company…”
“I may repeat to exhaustion that I do not want a divorce. Will you do me the honour of believing me in earnest?”
“I may have, if you had not mistaken me for Miss Bingley. In my own bed, I might add. Your disappointment on discovering it was your wife rather than your mistress made you shove me to the floor.”
Mr Darcy barked a laugh, then stared at her like a fish on land—wide eyed and mouth agape. An extremely uncomfortable minute elapsed where neither said a word.
“You are jealous of Miss Bingley?” Mr Darcy finally spoke, derision marring his handsome appearance.
Elizabeth did not deign to answer but pursed her lips and folded her arms across her chest.
“That is ridiculous!”
His mocking tone unravelled her pent-up emotions into a volcano of ire. She waved her hands and cried. “Why?” Planting her hands upon her hips, she approached him in the one step forward–two steps back dance in which they were engaged. “Because Miss Bingley is a beautiful, accomplished woman of wealth.”
With each praise, she poked him in the chest. Mr Darcy stared at her impaling finger, but he did not retreat.
“Yes,” Mr Darcy agreed.
Elizabeth gasped, spun round, and marched away from the insufferable man. Moving further from the house and deeper into the garden, to escape the half-witted libertine, she managed quite a few angry steps before he followed.Idiot! Why can he not leave me in peace?
Mr Darcy grabbed her arm and halted her movement. She glared at the offending object arresting her.
“Will you let me finish?” His plea was delivered with jagged edges.
Elizabeth seriously contemplated disobeying, if only to prove her independence. But her heart was not interested in disobedience—she remained as surely tied to him as if she were a puppet on a string. His fingers trembled on her elbow, the uneven in-and-out of his breathing moved her, and she understood how difficult this was for him.Safe!She admittedly was safe with him. She slowly closed her eyes and braced herself for whatever was to come.
“I suppose it is to Miss Bingley’s advantage that she is not subjected to the derision of thebeau monde.”
Mr Darcy released his hand on her arm to swing it towards the heavens.
