Page 17 of Fitzwilliam Darcy, Exile

Elizabeth's heart went out to him. A gentleman's need to earn his living hardly rendered him unworthy of common politeness. She watched him navigate toward the refreshment table while Miss Bingley immediately accepted Mr. Hurst's invitation to dance, her thirst apparently forgotten. Mr. Robinson returned bearing lemonade to discover his intended recipient had gone. Without hesitation, Elizabeth approached. “How thoughtful of you to bring refreshment, sir.”

His grateful smile transformed his features entirely. “Miss Bennet, would you care for lemonade?”

“Indeed, I am most grateful.” She accepted the glass just as someone bumped against her, upsetting its contents and dribbling over her fingers onto the floor. “Perhaps if I wish to drink this rather than wear it, I should seek less crowded quarters. The evening air might prove refreshing.”

Mr. Robinson offered her his arm. “May I escort you outside?”

“I should welcome the company.”

They stepped onto the small terrace behind the assembly room, where lanterns cast gentle pools of light against the darkness and people conversed in clusters. The autumn air carried the scent of dying leaves and hearth smoke.

Elizabeth glanced at his beard, looking away before he noticed. “How long were you away from England?”

He hesitated before responding. “A considerable time.”

There was a sadness to his reply that she did not understand. “Forgive my curiosity, but Meryton hardly seems like a place for a well-traveled gentleman to stay for long…” She paused, waiting for him to answer her unasked question.

He did not. Instead, he turned to her with a gleam in his eye and a slight twitch at the corner of his lips. The contrast between his brooding melancholy and this proof of humor delighted her, and she understood his deliberate silence. He would wait for her to voice her question or let her live with her curiosity unsatisfied. The fiend! Boldly, she asked, “Why are you here, Mr. Robinson?”

His eyes crinkled. “Mr. Philips invited me.”

“My uncle. He did not tell me he had met anyone new.”

“We only met yesterday.”

“You seem to be in each other’s confidence already.”

“He has been helpful to me, and I hope I might return the favor to him… and his family.” His eyes locked with hers, once again grave and intense.

She sensed there was something he wished to communicate with her, something she ought to know. But in the next breath, his expression softened. “What else was I to do this evening? I am new to the village and therefore had no other engagements, so I accepted your uncle’s invitation to the assembly.”

“A fair point. Does it improve your spirits to observe others dancing when you have yet to allow yourself the same pleasure?” She sipped from her lemonade, watching him over the rim of the glass.

“You think my spirits… melancholy?”

“There is a gravity about you that suggests familiarity with sorrow.”

“You give your opinion freely for so new an acquaintance.”

“I merely made an observation. We so rarely have newcomers at the assembly, it is diverting to sketch the character of a person I have not known my entire life.”

He laughed. “I am honored to play a part in this evening’s entertainments.” Just as quickly as his laughter began, it stopped. He looked away, his jaw working visibly.

Elizabeth regretted her prying. “Forgive me. I am too curious for my own good.”

“Your candor is refreshing,” he replied quietly. “I wish everyone could be so honest.” He appeared about to continue, then clamped his mouth shut.

Unwilling to end their discourse so soon, Elizabeth said, “I confess relief at this reprieve myself. I received distressing news recently and do not feel like dancing. There is an excess of ladies present anyway. Nobody shall notice my absence.”

Mr. Robinson's eyebrows rose skeptically. “I doubt that.”

The sounds of music and laughter drifted from within, reminding her of her obligations. “I should rejoin the party,” she said reluctantly.

He escorted her to the door and bowed. “Have a pleasant evening, Miss Elizabeth.”

“You do not intend to leave so soon?”

“I have no reason to stay.”