Mary Simonsen - A Wife for Mr Darcy

It was at that point that the dour Mr. Jackson arrived and, standing as erect as any sentry, waited for orders from his master. Darcy, feeling a little foolish sitting on the floor in front of his butler, finally stood up, dusted off his coat, and asked Jackson to send word to Mr. Littlejohn, the gamekeeper, that the colonel and he would be shooting later in the day.

Darcy explained to his sister that their early arrival was due to the fact that they had not come from London.

“After Mercer heard a noise he did not like, we stopped in Derby so that he could have a look at the undercarriage. We stayed with the Hulstons, and they send their regards. And where are our guests?”

“Mr. Gardiner is still in his room. He has been out fishing every day, and I think he finally exhausted himself. He certainly exhausted Cubbins. Mrs. Gardiner and Mr. Ferguson have become the best of friends, and it is so very touching to see the two of them talking about plants and flowers. Since Mrs. Ferguson died, he has barely put two sentences together, but now the words are flowing.”

“And Miss Elizabeth?”

“I believe she is walking near the gazebo. I did not go out with her today because I was preparing for your arrival, but you have caught me unprepared.”

“No worries, Georgie. We are here for the shooting. Continue to see to your guests as you have done all week, and Richard and I will take care of ourselves. Please excuse me, as I want to spend a few minutes with Mr. Aiken before I meet with Mr. Littlejohn.”

Will was barely out the door when Georgiana turned to the colonel. “What news from London?” and Richard brought his cousin up to date on the unhappy Miss Montford, Georgiana’s equally miserable brother, and the plan he had put into action with Lord Fitzwilliam.

“Oh dear! Are we seriously relying on Antony to solve our problems? He is usually the source.”

“Georgie, you know he is an incurable gossip, and we are relying on him to do just that.”

“And Will is agreeable to this plan?” When the colonel nodded, she said, “He must be desperate to be free of Miss Montford if he is deliberately involving Antony. Your brother gets under his skin like no other. When we were at the Clermont ball, Antony had a wager with Sir Edgar about the color of Lady Eleanor’s eyes and asked Will to settle the bet. Antony lost!”

“Well, it has been awhile since they have been together—years in fact. But never mind that. If Antony performs as expected, your brother will be in his debt.”

“He will not like that.”

“But he is willing to do what he must to be rid of Letitia Montford in a manner that will not embarrass her.”

“Which will free him to be with Elizabeth,” Georgiana said with a smile.

“Exactly.”

After Darcy had finished meeting with his steward, he went to the stables with David and Goliath in lockstep behind him. While he waited for the gamekeeper, he asked Belling to bring out Macbeth, his favorite horse, but one who was starting to show his age. When he had left for town, the black stallion had been favoring his back leg.

“He’s been treated royally, sir, and he’s got used to it. If he give you any trouble about being ridden, it’s because he don’t think he has to earn his keep no more.”

Darcy smiled and then ran his fingers along the white blaze marking on his forehead, and after looking into his eyes, he saw that there was still a fire in them. He knew Macbeth had a lot more to give before being put out to pasture. Darcy had always been attracted to animals with spirit, and he had a good eye for it. David and Goliath had been the runts of the litter, but you would never know it from the way they ran at the bigger dogs, including his father’s Great Dane. The horses he loved the most were those who wanted to show him what they could do.

As Belling took Macbeth’s tether from him, a splash of color at the top of the hill caught his eye, and he immediately recognized Elizabeth Bennet’s blue coat. It was the same one she had worn when she had walked to Netherfield to visit her ailing sister.

“Sir, that lady is Miss Darcy’s friend, Miss Bennet,” Belling said, following his master’s gaze. “She walks up there every morning and usually runs down the hill going at a right good gait. She probably ain’t doing it today because of last night’s rain making the grass as slippery as ice. She’ll be coming this way because she gives Sugar a few carrots before going up to the house.” Before taking Macbeth back to his stall, Belling asked Mr. Darcy if he should send Cubbins to see what was keeping Mr. Littlejohn.

“No, that is not necessary. I am in no hurry.”

As much as Lizzy liked riding Sugar, walking remained her greatest pleasure, and she enjoyed walking to the top of the hill where a gazebo provided a vista of the surrounding countryside. From this vantage point, Lizzy had a clear view of the manor house and gardens, and she would wait for the reds and yellows of the gardens below to rise out of the mist in tiny bursts of color. It was her favorite thing to do at Pemberley.

But as she waited for the first signs of the endless rows of chrysanthemums to emerge, she realized that today everything would change. It was the last morning in which she could roam the grounds freely as Mr. Darcy was expected in the late afternoon. Upon his arrival, all formalities would have to be observed, or she might shock the lord of the manor with her casual dress and bonnet left behind on her dressing table and long braid hanging down her back.

Since Mr. Darcy would be arriving later in the day, Lizzy thought she might ride Sugar around the lake. She had not gone out yesterday because of storm clouds. Now that the morning mist was rising, it looked as if this would be a good day to go riding, and it would be her last opportunity to be with the aging mare.

As she approached the stable, she looked down at her muddy boots and the dirty hem of her coat, and she remembered the time she had arrived at Netherfield in her soiled frock. “Six inches deep in mud,” she had heard Caroline Bingley say, followed by Mr. Darcy’s remark that he would not approve of his sister going about in such a way. “Well, you may have something to say to Miss Darcy about where she walks,” Lizzy said to herself, “but I am not going to let a little rain and some puddles keep me from walking on such a beautiful morning, especially with winter just around the corner. So there, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley.”

As Lizzy walked the path leading to the stables, she was met by a growling David and Goliath, and when she took another step, they started to bark at her, which was unusual. In fact, she had never heard so much as a yelp from either dog. She then remembered something Ellie had said: “If you want to know where Mr. Darcy is, all you need do is find David and Goliath.” After hearing Mr. Darcy’s voice ordering his dogs to stop barking, she came to a complete stop and tiptoed her way back down the path.

“Miss Elizabeth,” Mr. Darcy said, poking his head around a bush.

“Mr. Darcy,” Lizzy said, bowing and wishing for all the world that she had worn her bonnet so that he might not see her wild hair or how embarrassed she was to be found in such a state.

“I thought we agreed at Netherfield that if you wished to go unnoticed, it would be best for you to stay off the gravel,” and looking at her hem, he said, “and I see you are still having difficulty avoiding puddles.”

“We had a brief storm last night, and the path leading to the gazebo is quite muddy as a result,” Lizzy said, pointing up the hill to the cause of her less-than-ideal appearance.

What was he doing here? And why was he so handsome with his amazing eyes, which were gray today, having taken on the color of the sky, and even with his long riding coat, she could see how well his breeches fit him. Oh God, do not look there, she thought. You are already blushing, and you are at risk of embarrassing yourself even more than you already have, and she looked everywhere but at him.

“You were not expected until this afternoon, Mr. Darcy,” she said, talking to the bushes in a voice that was almost an accusation.

“I am sorry to disappoint you by coming so early, Miss Elizabeth, but I have only come from Derby, not London. We actually should have arrived last evening.”

“Well, if you had, sir, I would have been properly dressed today,” and she flipped her braid over her shoulder. Looking at her hem, she added, “I would most certainly have kept to the gravel paths if I had known I was to encounter the lord of the manor.”