Mary Simonsen - Mr. Darcy’s Bite

After several minutes of silence, Lizzy finally spoke. “He is out there right now, isn’t he?”

“Yes, he will be gone tonight and tomorrow night. But as soon as the sun rises the day after tomorrow, he will return to human form, and it will be as if nothing had happened.”

“As if nothing happened? How is that possible?”

“Because he was bitten fourteen years ago, nearly half of his lifetime. He is quite used to it.”

“But to be all alone, roaming the countryside.”

“Oh, but he is not alone. He runs with a she wolf from a nearby estate.”

“What?” It was hard to believe that such a thing as a werewolf existed. Now, she was being told that there were at least two in England, and one of them was a female. Lizzy felt something stir within her. Mr. Darcy was out there loping through the countryside with another woman. No that wasn’t right. Another she wolf.

Anne explained that William and the neighbor were far from being the only persons living in the country who had been bitten by a werewolf.

“It is ironic that it happens almost exclusively to people from the higher echelons of society or their servants because they are the ones who have the money to travel and who can hire private carriages. People who travel by coach are much safer because a wolf will not go near so large a party. But if a carriage breaks down in the woods with only a few passengers, then a wolf might be bold enough to go near it, or in William’s case, not even be aware that he was there. That is what happened to Nell as well.”

“And who is Nell?”

“I would rather not use her real name without her permission, but she is the daughter of a peer who lives on a nearby estate. Her family was traveling in Ireland when their carriage broke down. Nell told me that she went into the woods to relieve herself and was bitten on the leg. The werewolf remained nearby until someone responded to her calls for help, which, of course, was very dangerous for her to do. If she had been caught, she would have been…”

“Please, do not say it. I couldn’t bear to think that something might…”

“Yes, I understand your feelings, but William is quite safe here. While Nell and he are transformed, they remain on the Pemberley estate where there is plenty of food for them to eat, and both are expert hunters.”

“Of course, he hunts. That explains why he knows so much about all of the animals hereabouts. He said it was a matter of survival.”

“He was referring to werewolves in general, and for some, it truly is a matter of survival. When a wolf is hungry, he is more inclined to take risks and to come out into the open, but William and Nell do not have such concerns.”

“I am happy to hear that he is not alone. How old is Nell?”

“I believe she is just shy of her twenty-first birthday.”

“But if Nell is of a marriageable age, why does Mr. Darcy not marry her? He would be marrying one of his own kind.”

Anne was careful in formulating a response. She did not want to say anything that would further distress Elizabeth, but Miss Bennet was in need of correction.

“In order for William to marry ‘one of his own kind,’ as you put it, he would need to marry a human as he was born a human and that is the form he takes for all but two days in every month.”

Lizzy could see that her question had stung, but was it possible to be both human and animal?

“What I meant to say was that if he married Nell there would be no misunderstandings. Both would come to the marriage knowing each other’s altered state, and his chances of being happy would be much greater.”

“That is true that there would be no secrets between them. But there is a problem. William is not in love with Nell; he is in love with you.”

Lizzy fell back into the chair. She felt as if someone had reached into her chest and pulled out her heart. Yes, Mr. Darcy was in love with her, and she was in love with him. She had come to Pemberley with such high hopes, only to find that her handsome gentleman turned into a furry Mr. Darcy with every full moon.

At that moment, there was a mournful howling very close to the manor house, and Anne looked alarmed.

“William is nearby. I do not understand. He never comes this close to the house. It is not wise.” Anne went to the window, but before she could unlatch the door leading to the balcony, Georgiana came running into the room.

“Anne, did you hear Will calling? He is too close. A servant or one of the grooms might see him.”

“Yes, dear, I know. But William has a cool head on his shoulders, and he will soon depart.” But no sooner had that statement been uttered than another heartbreaking howl was heard.

“Oh, God, Anne. He knows. That is why he is nearby.” Georgiana fell to the floor in a heap, her body wracked with great heaving sobs, and then she looked up at Lizzy, her face a picture of the anguish she was feeling for her brother. “He knows that there will be no candle in the window, and he cries out in his grief.”

Georgiana was inconsolable. Nothing Lizzy said or did calmed Mr. Darcy’s sobbing sister, and Anne only succeeded in getting Georgiana off the floor and into a chair. When she was finally calm enough to talk, she began a litany of praise for her brother. “He is the best landlord and best master that ever lived. He is generous to a fault, and Mr. Keller, our vicar, would praise him all day long for his attention to the poor of the parish. All of his tenants and servants will give him a good name,” Georgiana said, while making little chirping sounds brought on by all her crying, “and whatever can give me pleasure is sure to be done. There is nothing he will not do for me.”

“I am sure he is kindness itself,” Lizzy said, fully believing that he was, but he was also a werewolf.

“Then you will light the candle?”

When Lizzy said nothing, Georgiana renewed her crying.

“Please, Georgiana, I would ask that you give me time to think. Anne tells me that you have no memory of your brother when he was not a werewolf. You must give some consideration to how I feel now that I have learned that your brother is not fully human. Until yesterday, I was not aware of the remarkable transformation he undergoes during a full moon.” And I certainly did not know he chased mice or that he howled.

“Then you will stay so that you might have more time to think about Will’s offer?”

Lizzy looked to Anne, and although she said nothing, there was such pleading in her eyes that she agreed. “Yes, I will stay for another day or two.”

“The day after tomorrow, when you wake up, my brother will be back in human form, and he will be able to address all of your concerns.”

Lizzy’s commitment to remain at Pemberley satisfied Georgiana, and she went to her room with Anne. As soon as her young cousin fell asleep, Anne returned to Lizzy, who was staring out the window looking up at the moon. She would never look at that celestial orb in the same way again.

“I hope you do not think less of Georgiana for her emotional display. She does have a flair for the dramatic, but then she is only eighteen and her exposure to the real world is so limited. She knows little beyond her own family and friends.”

“On the contrary, her love for her brother is laudable—and quite touching.”

“That is very kind of you. However, if you still wish to leave in the morning, I will release you from your promise to Georgiana as it was made under duress. You have every right to go home if that is what you wish to do.”

“No, a promise is a promise. Besides, it would be wrong of me to leave without saying good-bye to Mr. Darcy, as I came to Pemberley at his invitation, and he deserves the courtesy of a proper withdrawal.”

“Very well. I shall leave you now, but if in the morning you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them. Good night, Elizabeth. Sleep well.”

But Lizzy did not sleep at all. Although totally spent by all the emotional turmoil caused by Mr. Darcy’s revelation and Georgiana’s hysteria, her mind would not settle. Finally, she decided that she needed to go outside into the night air in order to clear her head, and after donning a cloak, she made her way to the terrace that overlooked a great expanse of lawn.

Because of the lateness of the season, the chairs were all covered, and so Lizzy sat down on the stone steps. It was unseasonably warm for late October. The mild temperatures had been a favorite topic of conversation at Longbourn and in Meryton because it had allowed all the villagers and those who lived on the neighboring farms to have more time to visit out-of-doors. The Americans had a term for it: Indian summer.

Lizzy looked up at the moon, and from its light, she could easily make out the lawn that led to a wooded area. Mr. Darcy must have been in that patch of woods when she had heard him howling, and she shuddered at the memory. Was he really crying out in grief as Georgiana had suggested? She did not want to think so because that would mean that he had fallen into despair. But he was with Nell, and perhaps she had a strong shoulder for him to lean on. She knew that when Magic, her terrier, thought someone was sad, she would come and lie next to that person as a way of comforting her. She hoped that Nell would do the same for Mr. Darcy.

And why had he placed himself in such peril by coming so close to the house. She doubted that he was at risk of discovery from the senior servants. They had been on the staff of Pemberley for so many years that they would have to have known him before he had been bitten. What role did the servants play with regard to Mr. Darcy being a werewolf? Did such a creature require a special diet and were such things discussed with Mrs. Bradshaw, the cook? “Mr. Darcy, may I suggest wood mice sautéed in a burgundy sauce and served with a side of lambs’ ears or voles on a skewer? Of course, I can always prepare your favorite, steak tartare.”