Pax, the Canine Cupid

2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Elizabeth froze in place as soon as she realized how she was acting in front of the normally severe Mr. Darcy. She was on her knees, in the dirt, rubbing Pax’s belly. Her skirt would certainly be covered in dirt and decaying leaves when she stood. Drooping slightly with the realization, Elizabeth sighed. She knew that Jane was really beginning to like Mr. Bingley and here she was giving the worst impression to his closest friend and adviser.

As if he sensed her anxiety, Pax returned to a sitting position and proceeded to lick at her blushing cheek. She could not help but smile at her dog’s willingness to console her. Scratching at his wiry hair, Elizabeth still grimaced when she heard Mr. Darcy speak from behind her. “May I assume this grand animal is your dog?”

Unable to catch any inflection in his voice, Elizabeth worried he was trying to hide his distaste for her behavior. Swallowing thickly, she managed to say, “Yes, this is Pax.”

The dog’s ears perked up upon hearing his name, and his tongue flopped out of his smiling mouth. Pax could be so comical, and she long ago realized he knew what he was doing. Tucking her chin, Elizabeth knew she could never be upset with him, though she was becoming disappointed in herself. Was her mother right in saying that her failure to think before she acted would ruin her sister’s chances? She could just picture the look of disdain on the handsome face of Mr. Darcy as he watched her sit in the path's dirt. Taking a breath, she held it for a moment before blowing it out through pursed lips. She would somehow have to fix things. Elizabeth already knew Mr. Darcy felt poorly about her and her family. She could not let her actions hurt Jane’s chances of finally finding a love match.

Forcing herself to turn and look up at him, she prepared for the worst, but was surprised by what she saw on Mr. Darcy’s face. He was smiling. Though his eyebrows were raised, he had a soft look in his eyes and his lips were quirked in what appeared to be an amused expression. She didn’t know he was even capable of such an expression.

Moving to stand, Elizabeth was taken aback when he offered her a hand to help rise to her feet. Who was this smiling stranger? Thoroughly confused, she accepted his help while at the same time trying to free her skirt of the leaves and dirt it had collected. Pax, her large shadow, moved to her side, leaning into her as was his custom. He placed his head under her hand, eager for her to scratch behind his ears. He was so large that sitting or standing on all four legs, she did not need to lean over at all to pet him.

Tilting his head, Mr. Darcy commented, “He is such an unusual animal. I have never seen his like before.” Leaning slightly forward, Mr. Darcy seemed to study Pax closely. Elizabeth admitted to herself that her dog was a distinctive animal, not only for his size. His coat was gray but streaked liberally with random black and white hairs. Notably, he did not seem to have fur like most dogs. The texture of his coat was more like hair. The dog’s penetrating gaze implied a keen intelligence. In fact, Pax watched Mr. Darcy study him, seemingly aware of the man’s interest, and the large dog seemed to study Mr. Darcy right back.

Pax was very protective of Elizabeth and, though rarely aggressive, many people, including men, found him intimidating. Especially when he studied someone. Elizabeth trusted him not to hurt Mr. Darcy. Even back when that older Lucas cousin had threatened her after losing a game to a girl, the worst that Pax had done was to grab the teenager by the wrist and draw him away from Elizabeth. Pax had stood between the boy and Elizabeth and made sure the boy knew any action on his part would be met with swift and violent retribution. She could still remember the sound of his growl. Pax was Latin for peace, and the dog was completely capable of enforcing it.

After studying Mr. Darcy for a time, her beloved dog approached him, tail wagging, despite the fact that he normally always stayed at her side when there were strangers present. Not only did he approach Mr. Darcy, but he also began nuzzling his hand, looking for pets. The traitor.

Mr. Darcy’s deep voice held a tone she had never before heard it carry when he said, “Hello there, Pax. Did you come here from Longbourn looking for your mistress? You must be a very loyal companion.” Scratching behind the dog’s large floppy ears, he actually grinned. “You should not blame her for leaving you, though. She had to come care for her sister. Her loyalty, like yours, is a very admirable trait.”

With that comment, Pax did something even more unusual. He very carefully got up on his hind legs and, placing his front paws on Mr. Darcy’s shoulders, began licking the man’s face. Elizabeth’s mouth fell open. Her dog only ever did that with her! This was the man who, until today, she thought had a heart of stone. He was cold and unfeeling, insulting not only herself but the entire Meryton community. Mr. Darcy thought he was above them all.

What was happening? Pax was normally an excellent judge of character, and yet he was showering Mr. Darcy with affection. It was obvious that he saw something in the man, something that she could not see. Did he have food in his pockets? Pax never begged other people for attention, but it was the only idea that came to her that did not end with the thought that she had completely misjudged Mr. Darcy.

If her dog liked Mr. Darcy that much, perhaps she could stop ignoring that little voice in the back of her mind that kept saying she would probably never meet someone able to debate so intelligently ever again. Not to mention the voice that pointed out the way his dark brown hair curled on his forehead. Despite his reserved demeanor, there was no denying that the gentleman possessed a striking handsomeness that captivated her.

Elizabeth shook her head, berating herself for allowing such foolish ideas to enter her mind. She was at Netherfield to care for her sister, not to dwell on impossible daydreams. There was no point in pursuing the impossible. She would have to double her efforts to help Jane recover so that she could return home and leave the impossible behind at Netherfield.

Darcy found the way that Pax could look him in the eye while standing on his hind legs unsettling. Miss Elizabeth’s dog was an enormous creature, but he seemed to know his strength. The move could have easily knocked him down had the dog wished it, but Pax was careful with him. It had been some time since Darcy had his face washed so thoroughly by a dog. Part of him wanted to giggle like a little boy, but he knew he could never protect himself from such an opponent and hoped he did not taste too good.

“I do not know if I should be angry at you or him. He never does that with anyone but me,” Miss Elizabeth admitted, her tone teasing despite her narrowed gaze.

Mr. Darcy could only marvel at the image of Miss Elizabeth, who was rather petite, being treated in the same manner by her enormous dog. Mr. Darcy could only say, “Then I will look at his behavior as an act of friendship, though the realization of my own relative size compared to Pax is rather daunting.”

“Yes,” Miss Elizabeth agreed with a grin, “I am so used to his size that I sometimes forget that not all dogs are larger than I am.” Snapping her fingers, Miss Elizabeth called her dog back to her side. “Pax, leave the poor man alone. He does not need your help grooming himself.”

With one last lick, Pax reluctantly hopped back from him and returned to Miss Bennet’s side. Free of the dog’s weight, Darcy breathed a small sigh of relief. Pax could certainly be overwhelming up close, not that he begrudged the animal. He was a friendly dog, that was for sure. Watching Pax nuzzle Miss Elizabeth, Darcy said, “I do not begrudge him a little affection. The genuine nature of dogs is something that never fails to amaze me; they always express their true feelings without hesitation. Unlike humans, they don't feel the need to put on a facade of liking you.”

Miss Elizabeth’s eyes danced as she said, “I do not know. I am sure if you had a nice juicy steak, there would be many a dog willing to sit pretty for such a treat, whether they liked you or not.”

Letting loose a bark of laughter, Darcy amended his earlier comment. “You are right. Dogs will be honest as long as their bellies do not influence them unduly.”

“Are you sure you do not have any bacon from breakfast in one of your pockets?” Elizabeth asked with a playful smirk. “It might explain why he likes you so much.”

“No, no bacon,” he assured her, silently hoping she could not tell how that smirk unarmed him. “I do not know why, but most dogs like me,” he added with a shrug.

Miss Elizabeth’s gaze went to his shoulders, and her jovial features dissolved into a worried frown. Darcy looked down, trying to see whatever had disturbed her. “Pax has left paw prints on your shoulders. I am so sorry about that. He probably got very muddy on his journey from Longbourn.”

Darcy brushed at the large paw prints halfheartedly. “Do not worry about it. I will just change my jacket after I come back in from my morning ride. I must give my valet something to do, or he will get bored.”

His joke elicited a warm smile from Miss Elizabeth, her eyes sparkling with mirth. Yet her expression turned to one of embarrassment as she rediscovered the dirt on her dress, prompting her to hastily brush at it. He was surprised when she said, “I do not know what came over me kneeling in the dirt like that when I saw Pax. My mother is forever scolding me for my thoughtless behavior. I would hate for you to think that all the Bennets are so uncouth. Jane is always so much more mindful of acting like a true lady.”

Shaking his head, Darcy could not quite understand Miss Elizabeth’s train of thought. He quickly responded to her statement, anxious to put her at ease. “I saw nothing to criticize. You did nothing but greet an old friend.” Losing the strength of his smile, Darcy became lost in thought, remembering how happy he always was to see his dog whenever he had been away. Locking gazes with Miss Elizabeth again, he added, “I will admit to similar behavior when I returned home to Pemberley and my own dog would come to greet me.”

“Would? Did you lose your pet, Mr. Darcy?” Elizabeth spoke, her voice soft with compassion, and Darcy wondered if she was familiar with the pain of losing a beloved pet.

Remembered pain drew his mouth into a hard line for a moment before he said, “Yes, it was not so very long ago that my dog, Rex, died. It is only lately that I have been thinking of finding another companion.” As Darcy spoke, he could have sworn Miss Elizabeth’s eyes had gone misty for a moment. Was it the early morning light playing a trick on him?

Miss Elizabeth confirmed his guess when she said, “I can understand the hardship. Was he the very king of dogs, as his name would imply?”

Mr. Darcy’s face split with a smile as his mind filtered through so many happy memories of his time with Rex. He had thought his dog was large, but now, seeing Miss Elizabeth’s magnificent beast, he knew otherwise. “I certainly thought so when I named him at nine, though he would never compete with Pax here for size.”

Patting Pax’s enormous head where it hovered near her waist, Elizabeth laughed. “Few could. I have been told he is large even among his litter mates and breed.”

Silence seemed to grow between them for a moment, as if they had both forgotten that they did not converse easily together until they were halfway through their conversation. Eventually, Elizabeth cleared her throat. “Well, I should take Pax around to the stables. Hopefully, they will tolerate Pax staying there well enough. Now that he has found me, there will be no getting him to leave until I do.”

“I was going there myself. I had hoped to go on a morning ride while…” Darcy knew he could not politely finish that sentence. It would not do to tell Miss Elizabeth that he was avoiding Miss Bingley. “Why don’t we walk there together? How do horses normally respond to Pax?”

“I think they typically view him as an odd, horribly deformed, hairy cousin that should be accepted in the herd.” As she chuckled at her small joke, Darcy's senses were awakened by the delightful sound, which filled the air with a joyful melody. It was a melody that he knew he had to hear again. Miss Elizabeth continued, “Pax is used to spending time in the stables with horses when I am not available to shadow.”

As they made their way to the stables, Darcy’s mind raced with how he could make Miss Elizabeth laugh again. All of his ideas evaporated, however, when a crooning voice broke the comfortable silence. “Oh, Mr. Darcy, you are always up and about bright and early,” Miss Bingley said as she approached. Cringing, Darcy instinctively moved his arms behind his back so that she might not latch onto him, while maintaining a certain amount of distance between the two of them. The sight of the woman up so early and dressed in yet another garish orange outfit, complete with an abundance of lace and swaying feathers, left Darcy confounded. Miss Bingley was normally one to be abed much later than the rest of her brother’s household.

While he was trying to come up with a response to Miss Bingley’s non-question, she started speaking again, but Darcy paid no attention to her words because Pax had caught his eye. Pax appeared to be watching Miss Bingley’s actions closely. He moved stealthily on enormous, yet delicate, paws creeping closer to the woman. Darcy wondered what the dog might be thinking. Was he trying to protect him from Miss Bingley?

Miss Bingley's intense focus on Darcy’s face, or possibly the way she was fluttering her eyelashes, made her completely oblivious to Pax’s movements and Miss Elizabeth's presence. Darcy glanced over to Miss Elizabeth, only to see her completely unconcerned by Pax’s behavior.

Meanwhile, Miss Bingley continued to complain about the lackluster gardens at Netherfield. Finally taking a breath, Miss Bingley glanced briefly at Miss Elizabeth before cooing, “Really, Mr. Darcy, you do not have to waste your time with pathetic hangers on who cannot keep up their appearance. Why not take a walk with me along the paths here? It is a poor excuse for a garden, but I am sure the company will more than make up for it.” Her attempt to step forward and grab his arm was thwarted by Pax, who had strategically positioned himself to impede her progress.

Stumbling, she glared down at the dog and attempted to shove him out of her way. Only the dog was far too large to be easily moved. With a grateful smile, Darcy's hand caressed the dog's hair, and giving him an appreciative pat for his protective stance. Miss Bingley was less appreciative. “Why is this unmannerly beast here?” she screeched. “Mr. Darcy, I will have him removed immediately.”

Miss Bingley grabbed a fist full of Pax’s hair from the scruff of his neck and began tugging. Pax looked up at Darcy before looking back at Miss Bingley and yawning, completely unmoved. Miss Elizabeth coughed and Darcy wondered if she was hiding a laugh before she said, “Miss Bingley, Pax is not easily swayed from his decision to protect those he likes. Besides, you are likely to get your dress dirty.”

Her attention diverted from Pax, Miss Bingley let out an annoyed “hurmpf” before remarking, “You! You wretched woman! I should have known your pet would be just as terribly ill-mannered. You arrived without invitation, so of course your great beast would do the same. Can you not see that you are not welcome here?”

Unfazed by the attack, Miss Elizabeth cooly responded, “I can easily tell by the incivilities that you have leveled towards my sister and me that you wish us to leave. Believe me, the moment Jane is well enough to return home we will, but I will not endanger her health by leaving any sooner. Maybe if you had given Jane the necessary assistance upon her arrival, when she was drenched to the bone, we wouldn't find ourselves in such an uncomfortable state.”

With a flushed face, Miss Bingley huffed in frustration and made yet another futile attempt to separate Pax from Darcy. In her struggle, she lost her footing and fell unceremoniously into the dirt. Pax’s tail thudded in amusement as he leaned down and began to sniff about her head. Frustrated beyond measure, she heaved herself up and bolted back into the house with a wail, her dirt-streaked appearance not escaping Darcy's notice.

With his tail wagging and tongue lolling to the side, Pax stood and eagerly looked up at Darcy. Chuckling, Darcy ran his hand through Pax’s wild mop of hair, happy to reward Pax for his valiant attempt to protect him from Miss Bingley. Finding the need to say something, Darcy turned to Miss Elizabeth. “I am honored to have Pax’s loyalty. He was very well behaved despite Miss Bingley’s provocation, and I have enjoyed his company.”

Smiling widely, Miss Elizabeth answered, “Pax is very protective of those he likes.” Looking in the direction that Miss Bingley had hurried away, she remarked, “It appears that he wasn't particularly fond of Miss Bingley.”

“Perhaps it was all the feathers?” Darcy was happy to hear the laugh that his comment prompted as he continued to walk with her toward the stables. Soon enough, he was introducing Miss Elizabeth to the head groom. Though surprised at seeing a dog of such a size, the groom was more than happy to allow him to stay in the stable with his other charges for the time being. Before they knew it, it was time for Miss Elizabeth to bid him farewell.

“I need to go change out of this dress and check on Jane.”

Chagrined at not having been courteous enough to ask about her sick sister, Darcy said, “I should have asked about her earlier. How is Miss Bennet faring?”

“I think her fever came down some in the night, but I fear it might be some days before she is fully recovered. Thank you for asking.”

“Do let us know if you or your sister should need anything at all.” Darcy paused to ponder a moment. He did not want to be rude, but he wanted to make sure that the maids helping the Bennet sisters were compensated for the extra work. He decided the best way was to simply ask her about them. “Which of the maids have been helping you and your sister? I am sure one of them could help you with that dress while you are here.”

Darcy watched in fascination as a blush spread across Miss Elizabeth’s cheeks. What was she blushing about? “Oh, we do not have a maid per se, but everyone has been kind to bring the things that I have requested. Mary packed me plenty of dresses in the trunk she sent over. I am sure I will have something to change into. Once I get back to Longbourn, my maid will see to it. Do not worry.” With a quick curtsy and a loving pat on her dog’s head, Miss Elizabeth went on her way, disappearing into the house.

Tilting his head, Darcy pondered her statement. Had Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst refused to assign the sisters even one maid between them? Was this lack of consideration and common courtesy evidence of their ineptitude or spite? Judging from the earlier argument, it would seem that it was the latter. Frowning, Darcy forced himself to accept his horse’s reins from the groom and offer his gratitude for his swift work. Deciding it was only fair to let his friend savor his morning coffee before confronting him with the problem that was his sister, he elected to go for a ride beforehand. Miss Bingley’s reign as mistress of Netherfield was going to be at an end if he had anything to say about it.