Miss Elizabeth walked into the room and set a case down on a small table near the fire. She then walked over to Miss Bennet and helped her serve tea.
“Colonel Fitzwilliam, how do you take your tea?” Miss Bennet asked.
“Milk and sugar please,” Fitz said.
As Miss Bennet prepared Fitz’s tea, Miss Elizabeth walked up to Darcy and handed him a cup.
“Here you are, Mr. Darcy.”
“Thank you,” he said.
As Miss Elizabeth walked back to her sister, Darcy took a sip of his tea. He looked at Fitz and smiled his satisfaction that Miss Elizabeth knew exactly how he took his tea and prepared it to perfection.
Fitz apparently read his cousin’s smugness easily. He smirked at Darcy and shook his head. He then turned his attention back to Miss Bennet in time to receive the cup of tea she was handing him.
“Thank you, Miss Bennet.”
“You are welcome,” she said, smiling at him. “Colonel Fitzwilliam, are you also from Derbyshire?”
“I am. Growing up, either I was at Pemberley, or Darcy was at Thornbridge, my family estate. This afforded us many opportunities to get into trouble,” Fitz said with a grin.
“I can imagine,” Miss Bennet said with a quiet chuckle.
“Who usually instigated the trouble?” Miss Elizabeth asked.
“He did!” both Darcy and Fitz said simultaneously, each pointing a finger at the other.
The ladies laughed, and Miss Elizabeth said, “Mm-hmm, I believe we are getting a very clear picture of things, are we not, Jane?”
“Oh, yes, indeed.”
When Fitz asked Miss Bennet about growing up at Longbourn, Miss Elizabeth turned to Darcy.
“Shall we play?” she asked him.
“I am ready if you are,” Darcy answered her.
Miss Elizabeth smiled and took a sip of her tea. She put down her cup, then walked to the table where she had set the case.
Darcy came and stood beside her, that alluring fragrance of hers beckoning him closer still.
“Forgive me, I neglected to set the board up,” she said, opening the case.
“Not at all. It is quickly done with another person to help.”
He smiled at her, and together they set up the chess pieces on the board.
“More tea before we sit?” Miss Elizabeth asked.
“Good plan,” Darcy said with a nod.
They walked back to the tea tray. Her sister was in deep discussion with his cousin. She glanced over to Miss Elizabeth to see she was helping herself and did not require assistance. Miss Bennet then immediately returned her attention to Fitz. Miss Elizabeth poured fresh cups of tea for them both, then led the way back to the chessboard.
Once the match was well underway, Darcy sipped his tea. As Miss Elizabeth considered the board, he watched her, enjoying the opportunity to have her all to himself. Darcy had given her the seat closet to the fire for her comfort. His seat gave him the advantage of having his back to the room. Thus, he could let his eyes linger on her with no one the wiser.
Miss Elizabeth looked up from the board and met his gaze. She smiled at him and moved her chess piece. As Darcy considered his next move, he could feel her eyes on him. He played his turn, then settled back to enjoy the view once more.
Darcy’s father had taught him to play chess when he was a boy. His skill improved over the years, and he even participated in several tournaments at Cambridge. Darcy enjoyed playing chess. What were the odds that he would find himself drawn to a young woman who was also a chess player? A small smile came to his lips as he thought about her words from that morning,“ . . . it would be ideal to have some things in common,”she had said. Darcy now knew of several things they had in common.
