Page 24 of Elizabeth’s Choice

Elizabeth, once again dressed in her gentleman’s garb, steadied her breath as she aimed three arrows at three targets on one longbow and then held still as she released the string. The arrows landed perfectly in the centres of each target and the crowd at the Brighton field cheered excitedly to see the day’s exhibitions by the famous Captain Fairfax of London. She waved to the audience and walked to the side of the field as the last performer took stage, ready to impress with the arrow tip on fire.

She spoke to the gentleman next to her, “I like that we are having two days of exhibitions before the competition begins tomorrow. It is a great concept to show what we can do and make it entertaining for them while the contest itself will be for those who want to win the title of champion. History tells us that people will never tire of searching for something to entertain them and archery can be part of it as well.”

“It is due to your fame that the majority of the people are here, and thank you once again for agreeing to it. I know you do not enjoy exhibiting in front of others but everyone has been very excited to see the greatest archeress in all of England. I only wish my wife were here to see you again. She is heavy with child and was so disappointed that she could not attend,” he smiled at her.

“Oh, I dearly miss Emily and am so excited for you both on your first child! She has been like a sister to me during the past ten years and I could not be happier that she finally agreed to marry you last year. Once your son or daughter is born, I am certain you and Emily will both teach your child to become the greatest archer in the future,” Elizabeth grinned. “You and Emily are the best teachers I had and everything I know, it is all due to you.”

The gentleman shook his head, “We might have had a hand in the beginning years but it is all you, and you are now a captain! You were an exceptional student and through your hard work and dedication are you the champion you are today. Oh, we are all concluded for the day. Allow me to help you gather your arrows.”

“Thank you, Mr. Rochester,” she replied and began to bid farewell to some of the other competitors.

As the crowd began to disperse, Elizabeth filled the quiver across her back with her arrows and spoke to her former teacher, “I feel it my duty to inform you that after this competition, I plan on retiring from the sport. I would like to continue to teach others and practice at my leisure but I am hanging up my bow and arrow publicly. I… I met someone who is changing my mind about marriage…”

Mr. Rochester joyously grinned, “Is it Mr. Darcy? Is that why Miss Darcy is here with you? Never in a thousand years would I have imagined you would change your mind after all these years! I am so happy for you!” He reached for her hands as he joyously bounced on his feet and spoke closer to her ear, “Congratulations, Lizzie! I pray he is worthy of you!”

Just then, there was a thunderous roar of a man’s voice, “ELIZABETH BENNET! What in damnation are you doing, flirting like a simpleton with this man? Sir, step away from her immediately and I demand a duel. She belongs to me and you are a fiend!”

Elizabeth froze to hear her true name being spoken aloud, with several of the remaining spectators turning their heads to look at her and starting to whisper amongst themselves. She saw Mr. Darcy standing several yards away, appearing immensely angry with whatever he was imagining she was doing with Mr. Rochester. She became irate that her family name, the one thing that she had been fiercely protecting during the past ten years, had been revealed, and that the gentleman who had promised to protect her was now accusing her of being a common flirt and she could not think straight. She saw him approaching towards her and growled lowly, “I belong to no one! How dare you accuse me of such a thing? How could you do this to me? Do not come any closer.”

But Darcy, in his own ire, continued to rush towards her and Elizabeth quickly pulled out two arrows and shot them at his feet, missing his toes by an inch to make him stop dead in his tracks.

Elizabeth whispered to Georgiana who had been standing only a few feet from her, “Georgie, I have no wish to speak to that gentleman at this time. Make him leave and I will do the same. In fact, he can stay if he wishes, as I will be departing Brighton immediately.” She felt betrayed that her true identity had been revealed and that her sisters’ reputation might now be in danger because of what Darcy said.

Georgiana drew closer and begged, “Please do not go! Please forgive him and do not go.”

Elizabeth held Miss Darcy’s hand and spoke in a quiet, shaking voice, “I have never been this angry before, Georgie, and everyone is staring at me. Go back to London with your brother and I will invite you to Hertfordshire after I am settled in. You are still welcome but your brother certainly is not. I wanted to visit a friend in any case and will withdraw from the competition to depart Brighton this very moment. I cannot forgive him for revealing the one secret that I have been guarding all these years. Tell him to return to Pemberley for I shall not acknowledge him at all.” And she left the premises immediately on her horse.

Darcy continued to stand still, after realising what he had said for all to hear and wondering if Elizabeth had meant to shoot at his feet or if she had accidentally missed hitting his person. He had been extremely eager to reunite with her after two full days apart from her but had lost his mind when he thought she was having an intimate moment with a well-dressed gentleman who had been whispering in her ear. He saw the same man, who actually appeared older than he initially thought, approaching him and he gripped his fists, ready to fight the man who had stood too closely to his Elizabeth.

But before either gentlemen could say anything, Georgiana ran to her brother’s side with tears in her eyes and hissed, “What have you done, William? How could you betray her like that? You know that when she is wearing her suit, she is ‘Captain Fairfax’ and how much she guards her family name. How could you be so senseless?”

Mr. Rochester slowly approached Darcy and pulled the arrows from the ground near his feet, “Since you are with Miss Darcy, you must be Mr. Darcy. I am Edmund Rochester and Captain Fairfax’s archery teacher from Oxford. She was just telling me about retiring from competitions because she met a gentleman who changed her mind about her future, but I believe you lost your chance with her now. She has been like a daughter to me all these years and in all twelve years of knowing her, I have never known her to shoot her arrow at a person and cannot recall when she has been this upset. I am happily married with a child on the way and take offence that you have not only injured Captain Fairfax’s reputation but that you might have besmirched my own reputation by implying more familiarity between her and myself. It will take a miracle for her to forgive you after today.”

He curtly bowed to Miss Darcy and walked away, leaving the siblings reeling from what had just happened. Darcy turned to ask his sister, “Did I truly say what I said? Did I blurt out Elizabeth’s name and accuse her of being a flirt? This is only a nightmare, is it not? Did I make the biggest mistake of my life just now?”

Miss Darcy cried, “You did and she will never forgive you. How could you be such a jealous monster? Mr. Rochester is a kind, old gentleman who adores his wife and has been a great mentor for Lizzie. He was her first teacher and happily married to another teacher after pursuing her for five years and she has been like a sister to Lizzie. How could you think so little of her? And to reveal her family name… Fix this, William! You must fix this but I fear she will never forgive you.”

Darcy walked back to his carriage with his sister and drew the curtains before he buried his head in his hands. “Tell me how to fix it. I will do anything for her forgiveness. What have I done? What have I done, Georgie?”

Miss Darcy instructed the driver to the inn where they were staying and consoled her brother, "You must beg for her forgiveness and I pray that she will change her mind. She is more stubborn than you and you wounded her; possibly irreparably.”

As soon as they arrived at the inn, they both hurried up the stairs but were met with Mrs. Annesley who explained, “She is gone. She took Susie and I know not where she has gone and told me very little but she said Mr. Darcy exposed her family to ridicule and that she could not forgive him. She said she will be at Ashworth next week but revealed nothing else and left.”

Darcy could only sit in a chair as his world began to crumble. He knew he had to beg for her forgiveness but knew not where to go. Georgiana and Mrs. Annesley discussed what needed to be done, while Darcy thought of a hundred ways he should apologise to Elizabeth and could only wish he could turn back time so that he might have controlled his unfounded jealousy instead of lashing out at the innocent woman.

Chapter 16

Darcy took another breath in exhaustion from listening to Miss Bingley’s incessant complaints to her sister about the crassness of the villagers in Hertfordshire and how much she missed the polite society of London. He had been at Netherfield for two weeks, and although he had initially thought her manners had improved, it was not long before her deficiencies revealed themselves again and she was the same, ignorant Miss Bingley that she had been at Pemberley.

Bingley reported to Darcy that his sister was certainly aware that a proposal would not be forthcoming, but her efforts to gain his attention had redoubled instead and she was relentless in complimenting him and constantly flaunting herself in his presence. He was glad that Georgiana had remained in town to await Elizabeth’s invitation to Ashworth but nearly three weeks had passed since she disappeared from Brighton and there was no word of why she was delayed. Darcy wondered if she was somehow aware of his presence in Hertfordshire to avoid him but he was determined to see her again to plead for mercy.

His time during the past fortnight in Hertfordshire had been spent overseeing the estate with Bingley and he had met only a few gentlemen in the area, mainly Sir William Lucas, the only knight in the county, and Mr. Phillips, a solicitor who was married to Mrs. Bennet’s sister, being Elizabeth’s uncle. Having been in a constant foul mood after his blunder with Elizabeth, he found both men to be beneath his notice and could hardly tolerate their presence, so he chose to keep his distance to discourage any interactions. But, he had yet to meet Mr. Bennet and his family and having been anxious to gain Elizabeth’s father’s acquaintance, his ears perked upon hearing Miss Bingley mention the name to her sister Louisa.

“…Mr. Bennet was a close friend of our father’s long ago but is now a recluse and is connected to no one of any import. The entire family has been ill for over a week and Mrs. Philips said that Mr. Bennet was the last to recover but that they will be at the monthly assembly tonight. From all accounts, Mrs. Bennet is the biggest gossip and actually flaunts the fact that all five daughters have been out since fifteen! They have no dowries to speak of and the matron must be desperate to get all of them married off, since Mr. Bennet has been in poor health for years and their home is entailed to a distant cousin. I certainly pray none of them will bother us tonight. I despise mingling with destitute spinsters and we must discourage Charles from falling into any of their traps. Thank goodness that Miss Grantley quickly moved on to another gentleman and has ended the courtship, but it will be dreadful to be stuck in this backwater county because our brother made several terrible investments and we are expected to retrench now,” she harrumphed. “He should have listened to me and found a place in Derbyshire long ago instead of choosing Netherfield and we are now forced to stay here.”

Darcy smiled to himself that Bingley’s test had been successful to discover Miss Grantley’s true nature and that Miss Bingley’s candid opinions had been evident as well. He shook his head in disbelief that he might have made the biggest mistake of his life if he had not met Elizabeth and instead married this harridan. His heart pierced to think of Elizabeth again and sighed, praying that she would return to his side and forgive him of his horrid behaviour, when he suddenly felt movement next to him. He turned around to find Miss Bingley standing only a few inches from him and flinched. “Did you need something?” He bluntly asked.

“No, no,” she replied, “not I, but thought you might need something. Are you well, sir? Can I get you a glass of wine? I know you have been sullen since your arrival and I can guess at the cause. I know you must dislike being in Hertfordshire as much as I, since society here is terribly lacking, with only us for good company. The monthly assembly will be insufferable but I suppose our arrival will be the highlight of the evening.”