A discreet knock interrupted his thoughts. Before he could answer, the door opened a few inches and Colonel Fitzwilliam looked cautiously inside.
He took one glance at his cousin and pushed the door fully open. "Good God."
Darcy looked up. "You look," Richard continued, "as though somebody has just informed you that Pemberley has burnt to the ground."
"It has not."
"I am relieved."
Richard closed the door behind him and regarded Darcy with growing curiosity. "I had half expected to find you asleep after today's exertions."
He crossed the room without ceremony and settled himself in one of the armchairs near the fire. For a few moments he merely watched Darcy continue his restless progress across the carpet. At length he said quietly, "Something happened on that terrace."
Darcy stopped walking, his whole body stilling.
"I thought as much."
Darcy moved to lean upon the mantelpiece. The fire had sunk to glowing embers and their dull light threw uncertain shadows across the room. "I kissed her."
Richard stared at him. "I beg your pardon?"
"I kissed Miss Elizabeth." He broke off and shook his head. "God help me, Richard, I kissed her. I have taken a liberty no gentleman ought to take with an unmarried lady, and now I scarcely know what honour or responsibility requires of me."
The colonel continued looking at him, his customary levity disappearing altogether. He leaned back slowly in his chair, as though attempting to reconcile what he had just heard with the cousin he had known since childhood. "Tell me."
Darcy hesitated only briefly before doing so. He spoke of Elizabeth's request, of her apology for her own conduct and that of her companions, of the truce they had reached and the handshake that ought to have concluded the matter.
"I cannot explain why I did it," he finished quietly. "One moment we were merely standing together and the next..." He shook his head. "I had already crossed the line before reason had any opportunity to intervene."
Richard considered this for some time. "And Miss Elizabeth?"
"She returned the kiss." His voice softened almost imperceptibly. "For a moment."
"And afterwards?"
Darcy gave a humourless smile. "Afterwards she recovered her senses rather sooner than I recovered mine."
Richard's expression became thoughtful.
Darcy turned away towards the window. "I have behaved dishonourably."
Richard did not answer immediately.
"I keep asking myself what possessed me."
"And have you found an answer?"
"No."
Darcy looked across at the window. Outside, the moonlight lay across the lawns where only hours before the competitors had laughed and argued over the day's events.
"I believe," Richard continued, "that you are attempting to persuade yourself that this has something to do with impulse, when in truth it has rather more to do with inclination."
Darcy gave a short shake of his head. "No."
"No?"
"I have known Miss Bennet scarcely two days." Darcy resumed his slow pacing before stopping and appearing to come to a conclusion. "I shall leave tomorrow."
