Such an odd, such a kind happy creature as he...’
Then he stopped abruptly while his sister begged him to continue and Elizabeth gazed at him in silent enjoyment.
“I am very pleased to see you ladies finding pleasure in poetry. Forgive me, I did not wish to interrupt you; I only came to find some papers and then I will leave again.”
Despite Georgiana’s assurance that they would love his company, he apologised and exited in apparent haste. Puzzled and troubled, Elizabeth had wondered if he had chosen to leave his own library because of her.
***
“Miss Bennet?” Elizabeth was startled as she saw the object of her reverie in the open doorway.
“Please come in for a moment,” Darcy invited her. “I shall not delay you longer than needed. You must keep good time on your journey so you arrive safely to spend the night at the next inn.”
He seemed preoccupied and distressed, inviting her to sit while he remained standing.
“Miss Elizabeth, I wish to thank you again. Your stay at Pemberley has been of great help to us in many ways.”
“You have no reason to thank me, as it has been my pleasure, sir.”
“Georgiana told me she will keep up a correspondence with you; I hope this is agreeable to you?”
“Of course. Very much, sir. And with you, I hope?”
“With me? Yes, yes, very much so,” he mumbled, less articulately than ever before. His distress was apparent, matching Elizabeth’s.
“Is there anything else you need, before your departure?” he enquired.
“No, sir. Due to your care, everything is settled,” she replied.
“Very well, then…” he paced a little bit, seemingly hesitating on his next move, then he suddenly moved to his desk and picked up a small package.
“Would you do me the honour of accepting this small gift?”
She paled, and then blushed.
“Oh, that will not be necessary, sir. Georgiana has already offered me a stunning necklace which I could barely accept.”
“Yes, I know. Please take it, she gave it to you from the heart. But this is nothing of the kind. As I said, it is really nothing… I mean, just two books.”
“Oh! This I cannot refuse, thank you,” she said, taking the small package. In doing so, their fingers touched briefly and each of them withdrew suddenly, as though the touch burned them.
“Well, then… I believe it is time for you to leave. Let me escort you to the carriage,” he offered politely and she nodded. They walked together, at a certain distance and in complete silence, until they reached the drive where the carriage was standing.
There, the entire household was gathered, including the two young children, Tommy and Amy.
While Elizabeth took another affectionate farewell, Darcy waited separately, with his sister next to him. When she was ready, the siblings approached her again and Georgiana gave her another embrace while Darcy offered his hand to help her climb into the carriage. This time, his fingers lingered over hers only a moment longer than they should have—or at least Elizabeth thought so. His countenance expressed nothing, as usual.
“Have a safe journey back home, Miss Bennet,” he wished her, then closed the door and asked the coachmen to drive on.
As the carriage began to move, Elizabeth looked out of the window, watching Pemberley and its people, until it disappeared from her sight. She was grateful that the soft breeze was wipingaway the tears on her face and Sarah could not see how great her distress was.
She held her reticule and the small package Darcy had given her, without opening it. She was curious but also needed complete privacy to look at it. So only later in the evening, in the solitude of her room at the first inn, many miles away from Pemberley, did she open it to find both volumes of ‘Lyrical Ballads, with a Few Other Poems’ by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the very books that she and both Darcy siblings seemed to know by heart.
***
As the carriage slowly departed, Darcy was the first to return to his library, with little consideration even for his sister, who remained with Mrs. Reynolds. The sharp insidious claw that had sneaked into his chest was so painful that it became unbearable as Elizabeth disappeared from his sight. Never could he have imagined that he might feel so deeply for a woman, or that her absence would cause more anguish than her tormenting nearness. And never had he imagined that longing might be as heavy and persistent as grief.
Bonus Story – Chapter 7
