Mr. Darcy's Forbidden Love-kindle (4 page)

Just for tonight,
he told himself.
Just this once I will dance with her and then leave all thoughts of her behind forever and return to London.

Having made up his mind, he decided that he needed a breath of fresh air first and headed to one of the open double doors that led onto a terrace that ran across the back of the house. The cooler air was invigorating, and he took a deep breath. He noted that the wind had picked up since the ball began, and the moon was now going in and out of ever-increasingly dark clouds. Whenever it was hidden, the night was black as pitch, but as soon as it reappeared, he could clearly make out the fountains and statues that graced the gardens.

Enjoying the silence, he was startled to hear the sounds of young women talking animatedly—whether they were happy or distressed he could not tell. Deciding that he should investigate, he went down the few steps to the ground and headed in the direction of the voices. Rounding a large group of hedges, he could see a smaller terrace that led from the ballroom on another side of the room. It was occupied by Miss Elizabeth and another young woman whom he recognised as Charlotte Lucas from their introduction earlier in the evening. Since they had not seen him and they appeared well, he turned to leave. However, he halted after a few steps, when he heard his name mentioned. Though he knew he should not eavesdrop, he found that curiosity got the better of him.

Elizabeth’s voice was unmistakeable. “I do not care how much of Derbyshire Mr. Darcy owns, I refuse to join in the speculation, Charlotte. It is unseemly to talk about people in regards to their wealth. I prefer to judge men in terms of their character and their good nature.”

“Only you would choose a man using such criteria, Lizzy. And, you have to admit that he is certainly a mystery.  My father was barely able to get any information out of Mr. Bingley regarding his friend, other than the fact that he owns half of Derbyshire. And, we know from what Caroline Bingley said to her sister that she means to marry him. I think she said that aloud so that the other ladies would realise they had no chance.”

The melodious laughter he had come to expect from Elizabeth echoed across the wind. “She certainly keeps an eye on him.” William could not help but grin at this pronouncement.  “But that is his business, I am sure.”

“Well, as I tried to tell you earlier, he certainly has been studying you tonight, and you should take every opportunity to put yourself in the path of eligible men. After all, we are alike in that you have nothing to recommend you, either—no dowry and no connections.”

Elizabeth sighed, dropping her head. “Must everything be about money or connections?  Cannot the most important decision in our lives be about love?”

“Elizabeth Bennet! Have you not listened to a thing I have said for the last two years! Love means nothing! Get your head out of the clouds, or you shall be left behind as a spinster while your sisters marry.”

“I do not wish to marry unless it is for the deepest love.” She took a deep breath of air, puffing up her cheeks and then blowing it out. “I would rather teach Jane’s children to embroider and play the pianoforte ill than to marry someone I do not love!” William covered his mouth to keep from chuckling aloud.

Charlotte huffed, “Well, I see that I have wasted my time trying to advise you about Mr. Darcy, so I shall return to the ball. Perhaps you need time to be alone and consider that you may be alone for the rest of your life, unless you change your way of thinking!”

With these words, Charlotte disappeared back into the ballroom, and Elizabeth stepped down off the terrace and began to walk the gravel path to the lower garden. William continued to watch her from afar. Suddenly, Mr. Bennet stood beside him.

“Elizabeth knows better than to walk out alone in the night.”

William did not answer, wondering instead what her father was thinking. They both stood watching her silently. The elderly man finally spoke again. “I am grateful that you were watching over her and not attempting to meet with her alone.”

William turned to study Mr. Bennet just as the moon lit up the area. He could see that her father’s expression was sincere, thus he nodded at the truth of Mr. Bennet’s assumption.

“I saw her walk out, and I was afraid for her. I am the guardian for my younger sister and have a tendency to be protective with any woman I fear may be in an unsafe position.”

Now it was Mr. Bennet’s turn to study William, whose eyes were still trained on Elizabeth. Satisfied with what he had just learned of this enigmatic man, he nodded though William did not see.

“I know little about you, Mr. Darcy, other than the fact that Mr. Bingley credits you with being a good and decent man, one who has been his friend even in the face of censure from those members of the
ton
who would never accept a man from trade.  However, the fact that you seemed to watch my Elizabeth a great deal during the ball and that I find you watching over her now concerns me, though you have acquitted yourself by not going into the garden with her. I can tell from your clothes and your coach that you are a wealthy man of a higher society. My Elizabeth has nothing that could interest a man of your stature other than her quick mind.” 

William studied the childlike woman still strolling the gravel lanes, her delicate hands outstretched to brush the tops of the flowers planted along the paths. His heart literally ached as he lied, “I have no feelings toward your daughter other than friendship.”

“Good. Then I shall concern myself with your intentions no more. If you will excuse me, I shall retrieve my child.”

As he watched Mr. Bennet walk down the path towards Elizabeth, William knew what he must do. There would be no dance and tomorrow he would conclude his survey of the grounds of the estate and give Charles his evaluation. Then, he would leave this area of England and the sprite of the bookstore forever. 

~~~*~~~

Netherfield
The Next Day

Everyone at Netherfield slept late the day after the ball—everyone but William. He had left the soirée after talking with Mr. Bennet and retired early. But sleep would not come, and after tossing and turning until the early morning hours, he had risen, dressed and readied himself to ride over the balance of the estate. He purposely did not disturb Charles, as he wanted to be alone to consider his feelings for Elizabeth. Leaving Meryton as quickly as possible was now his top priority and he needed a clear head if he was going to get the rest of the tenant houses inspected.  If Thomas Bennet could
discern
his interest in his daughter, then things were getting out of hand, and the best he could do was put plenty of distance between them.

After he heard the staff stirring downstairs, he located Mrs. Watkins and asked her to have food and drink readied so that he would not have to return to Netherfield until late that evening. She had been most helpful and supplied him with a sack of food and a bottle of water that he placed in a pouch and threw across the saddle of the horse that he was going to ride. It was just beginning to get light as he rode out of the paddock, headed in the direction of the farthest reaches of Netherfield—the border with Longbourn. Little did he know that today would definitely not turn out as he had planned.

~~~*~~~

“Elizabeth, that goat of yours escaped again!” Mr. Bennet stood looking into the dining room where his second daughter was wrapping two buns in a serviette for her usual morning walk to Oakham Mount. “This time she ran the ducks out of their pen before she scampered off down the front lane.”

“Oh, Papa, I do not know what I am going to do with Juliet!”

Mr. Bennet tried not to smile at the name Elizabeth had given the kid. The goat seemed anything but a
Juliet
to him.

“Mama is angry that she got into her flower garden and ate all the blooms from her roses and that she chased the hens until they would not lay eggs. And twice she has run away and I found her near where the wild dogs have begun to gather in the woods.  If I cannot keep Juliet in her pen, I am afraid that I shall have to give her back to Charlotte for her own good as the dogs are concentrated in this area. But I would truly miss her if that were the only choice.”

Mr. Bennet patted his favourite daughter’s arm. “It is amazing how something so small can cause so much mayhem. But, if your Juliet is determined not to stay in the barn or the pasture, we cannot let her destroy your mother’s gardens, and it would be preferable to give her back to Charlotte than let her become dinner for the dogs.”

Stuffing the serviette in her pocket, Elizabeth declared decisively, “I shall take a rope and find her. I have an idea that she is just where she was last time—in the meadow right below Oakham Mount.”

“Do not stray too far. It is going to rain today, and I don’t want you to get stranded on the other side of the brook.”

“I will be careful, Papa. I did not enjoy having to stay at Lucas Lodge the last time the stream rose. John Lucas seemed to think that I made the brook rise just so I could be in his company.”

Mr. Bennet schooled himself not to smile. “You do not care for John Lucas? I thought you and he were great friends.”

“We were when we were younger, but now that we are no longer children he assumes too much.”

“Such as?”

“Such as assuming that I will marry him.”

“He would not be a bad choice as a husband, Lizzy. He is to inherit Lucas Lodge when his father passes, and he is a steady sort of fellow. I believe he would treat you well.”

“But I do not love him, Papa. He is like a brother to me.”

“Love has little to do with marriage, my daughter.  And besides, compatibility is much more desirable than love.”

“Why do you say that?”

Her father looked wistful as he explained. “Because you can be fooled into thinking you are in love with someone, only to find out that it was just a passing infatuation. If there is nothing more substantial to bind you—friendship, mutual interests—then you can find yourself very unhappy for the rest of your life.”

“Then I will just have to be sure that I marry for the deepest love.”

Mr. Bennet smiled. “I hope that you can, my dear. Now, if you are to have any chance of finding that scamp, you had best be on your way. Remember what I said about the rain.”

As her father turned in the direction of his study, Elizabeth swallowed her last sip of tea, grabbed her cloak from off the chair and slipped past him. “Do not worry.  I shall return before the rain begins in earnest.”

~~~*~~~

When William left Netherfield, there was only a light mist falling, but sometime during the day it had turned into a steady drizzle. Now that it was after noon the rain had begun in earnest with torrents beginning to blow sideways as the wind picked up. In the distance a wall of dark clouds approached with thunder and lightning heralding its severity. 

William was very weary, not having slept. Nevertheless, he had managed to visit every tenant dwelling along the northern perimeter, save one, and it was in the furthest corner, where Netherfield’s property adjoined Oakham Mount. The last tenant he called on had given him direction for finding the next house, though he informed him that the tenant, an old woman with a teenage boy, had gone to visit her daughter four months before and had not returned. 

With the darker clouds fast approaching, William briefly considered returning to the manor, but it was at least three miles back to Netherfield. And knowing that he had only one empty tenant house to inspect before he could leave Meryton forever, he made the decision to continue. Besides, he reasoned, he could wait out a storm at the cottage if necessary, and if he was any judge of the weather, a severe one was brewing. Untying the cravat that had choked him since early that morning, he wiped some of water from his brow and thanked the Lord that he had worn his great coat. There was no doubt that he would need the protection against what was to come. Hence, kicking his horse into a trot, he headed in the direction of the mountain.

Finally, through the blowing rain, he could make out two small structures at the base of Oakham Mount and he found himself sighing in relief. Not one to be afraid of storms, nevertheless he had a healthy fear of the damage they could cause. He had not traversed far in the direction of the cabin, when he caught sight of a small white animal crossing in front of his steed so quickly he could not identify what kind of creature it was. Regardless, it caused the horse to bolt upright, almost tossing him to the ground as he had not anticipated such an event. He had barely gotten the stallion calmed, when he heard what sounded like a woman’s voice.

“Juliet! Juliet!” 

Was his mind playing tricks, or could that be Elizabeth?

William sat deathly still for several minutes, turning first one direction in the saddle then another, straining to hear the voice again, but gaining nothing for his efforts. Try as he might, the tossing of trees, limbs and brush back and forth with great ferocity masked further confirmation. Beginning to believe that the howling wind may have deceived him, he kicked the horse forward and had gone perhaps another fifty feet when three large, snarling dogs ran past about twenty feet ahead. They were headed in the same direction as the previous creature and almost caused his horse to bolt anew.

Fear welled up. He knew how vicious wild dogs could be towards man or beast, and if the voice was not a figment of his imagination, a woman could be in their path. Turning the horse around, he followed the dogs.

He had not gone far when he came upon an alarming sight. A stream was beginning to overflow its banks, the swiftly moving waters sweeping everything in its path downstream. In the middle of this stream Elizabeth sat on a fallen tree that must have served as a bridge when the water was calm. She had one arm wrapped around a small white goat and the other wrapped around the remains of a large limb sticking up from the log.  On the bank were these same grey dogs, teeth bared and growling. One was just attempting to climb atop the log, as the small goat bleated and struggled to break free from Elizabeth’s grasp. Each time the frightened animal thrashed about, it almost dislodged her from her insecure perch. His heart leapt into his throat at the realisation that if she were to fall into the rushing water, she would most likely be swept away before he could reach her.