Chapter 25 #3
“I wonder if you two ever agree on anything. I would wager you do not,” Lady Hardwick inquired one evening when Mr. Slade was also invited for dinner.
The two seemed puzzled by the statement and exchanged a look.
“Of course, we do,” Darcy eventually declared.
Elizabeth blushed and released a small laugh.
“And may I ask on which matters you agree?” the countess continued her questions to Darcy.
“Well, I believe we both appreciate good music, good books, good plays…”
“Of course you do —you and half the population of England. Can you be more specific? Or should we drop the subject and admit I am right?”
“We both like Georgiana and your ladyship —and Mr. Slade and Pemberley.” Elizabeth decided to be of help, venturing another glance at Darcy.
Lady Hardwick rolled her eyes.
“Of course, you do. Georgiana, Mr.Slade, and I are very pleasant people. Everybody likes us. That only points out that I am right once again.”
This final statement raised peals of laughter from around the dinner table.
“Disagreements bring out the most interesting conversations,” Mr. Slade declared. “I believe Mr. Darcy is accustomed to everyone always agreeing with him. He looks more…animated since he has the opportunity to debate more often.”
Darcy’s face coloured slightly while Elizabeth hurriedly raised a napkin to her mouth to conceal her sudden flush. Their eyes met, filled with mirth.
Without much consideration, Elizabeth turned to her other companions.
“Perhaps people have not argued with Mr. Darcy until now because everybody knows he is always right. That was common knowledge even in Hertfordshire. I must be the only one who ignored this universal truth.”
Darcy’s eyebrow rose in challenge, and he held her gaze for a moment then answered with pretended arrogance, “I am not always right —just most of the time. It is a burden with which I must learn to live, and it is my goal to convince even you of this, Miss Bennet.”
His stern reply provoked laughter again; he was the only one who remained serious, trying to suppress the smile that narrowed his lips.
Elizabeth’s amusement was overcome by her embarrassment. She could not believe that she had teased him so in front of his relatives nor that he had answered in such a manner. Still, the exchange pleased her and made her heart race.
She stole a look at him then turned her attention towards her plate.
Georgiana gazed at her brother with keen interest and such curiosity that it finally drew his attention.
He smiled at her. “Is everything well, dearest?”
“Oh yes, of course…I was thinking…you look very different when you smile,” she confessed genuinely.
“Yes, he does —he should smile more,” the countess agreed.
Darcy appeared confused and slightly uncomfortable, and Mr. Slade intervened again.
“A man cannot smile all the time; he must have good reason to do so, or else he looks ridiculous.”
“I disagree,” the countess interfered. “An amiable man with a pleasant smile is much more to the liking of all ladies.”
“He might be; but for some gentlemen —not many, I admit —being to the liking of all ladies is not a goal, not a purpose in itself,” Mr. Slade replied.
Elizabeth decided to take a side in the debate.
“While I agree with Lady Hardwick about amiable gentlemen, a sincere smile on the face of a man who is usually stern and aloof might be more appreciated. An excess of smiles, meant only to charm the ladies, might be as unpleasant as continual haughtiness.”
“I am happy to discover a new subject on which Miss Bennet and I agree,” Darcy concluded then changed the subject, asking Elizabeth whether she had recent news from Mrs. Bingley.
“Lizzy, do you know how to skate?” Georgiana asked when desert was served.
“I do, indeed. In fact, Miss Darcy, I daresay I am quite good at it. Perhaps that is one sport in which I am better than you.”
Georgiana smiled, amused by her friend’s challenging tone.
“Well, we shall see. I have skated since I was four years old.”
“I must say, you are a little annoying, you know. I have never met anyone so talented and proficient in everything she does,” Elizabeth declared in mock frustration.
“It is not that I am talented, but I had the good fortune to have an excellent teacher and to practice with him quite a lot,” the girl answered, gazing lovingly at her brother.
“Yet another reason that I regret not having a brother,” Elizabeth replied, her smile widening.
“Well, I am sure Georgiana would not mind sharing hers with you,” Lady Hardwick said between sips of wine.
The statement dumbfounded Darcy for several moments; then he elegantly ignored his aunt’s last words and moved the conversation to safer ground. He did not miss Elizabeth’s embarrassment, so he attempted to put her at ease with a friendly smile.
“I am glad to discover another matter on which I completely agree with Miss Bennet. You are indeed very talented, dear Georgiana, and your accomplishments are all yours. And speaking of talent —may we have some music, please?”
The evening ended pleasantly with Georgiana and Elizabeth playing,
Lady Hardwick and Mr. Slade sitting on the couch, enjoying music and drinks, and Darcy alone on the settee, staring at the pianoforte and lost in his thoughts.
The countess’s statement distressed and amused him at the same time.
He could easily read his aunt’s intentions, and he knew she would not hesitate to do or say anything to reach her desired result.
On this, she was not all that different from Lady Catherine except that she had in mind his well-being and future felicity.
Of course, the countess did not know that such an outcome had little chance of occurring.
He could easily see that Elizabeth’s manners towards him had become warmer.
Also, he had no doubt that her opinion of him had improved, not just because of her affection for Georgiana but also because of her better knowledge of him.
He was almost sure that, if he proposed to her again, she would agree to be his wife.
And they would —likely —have a good marriage, ensuring a worthy mistress for Pemberley and a beloved sister for Georgiana.
However, now he could not settle for so little.
After the distressing conversation with his aunt and the tormenting discovery about his father, he knew he had the right to more —at least to hope for more.
And if he was eventually forced to settle for a “convenient” marriage, it could not possibly be with a woman he loved more every moment, a woman whose laughing eyes brightened his days and whose lips and skin he dreamt to savour every night.
With Elizabeth, he could not accept sharing less than a complete, blissful, passionate love. With any other woman, he would be content with less as he had little left to offer.
∞∞∞
The following morning, immediately after breakfast, Darcy left to attend to estate business. The countess returned to her room while Elizabeth and Georgiana went to the library. They wrote letters, then chose a book, and read for half an hour until Georgiana became restless.
“Lizzy, would you like to go skating? The weather is too pleasant to stay indoors. I will inform Mrs. Reynolds, and by the time William returns, we will be home.”
“That would be lovely, but where will we skate? The weather is too mild to freeze the lake.”
“There is a swamp not more than a mile away. It is right by the bridge —I am sure you remember it. The water is not deeper than twenty inches; it should be frozen. It is the place I have skated since I was very young.”
“I believe I remember it. It will not take us more than a quarter of an hour to walk there.”
Dressed properly —arm in arm and holding the skates —they left the house at a rapid pace. By the time they reached the swamp, it had turned even colder as the sun slid behind the clouds. A chill breeze blew the snow from the trees.
They held hands and stepped tentatively onto the slippery surface; there was no doubt that it was solidly frozen.
Elizabeth and Georgiana brushed the snow from a fallen tree limb, sat on it, and helped each other put on the skates.
“Lizzy?”
“Yes, my dear.”
“Are you and William on friendlier terms now? He seems not to avoid either of us as much lately, and you look more comfortable in his presence.”
Georgiana’s question startled Elizabeth, and she tried to find the most suitable answer.
“Mr. Darcy’s manners towards me are beyond reproach. I have no complaint. He is respectful and kind,” she answered after a brief hesitation.
“He is exceedingly handsome too; would you not agree?”
“Yes, he is…”
“Better looking than Lord Mowbray and Cousin Richard?”
Elizabeth laughed nervously.
“Dearest, are we ranking the gentlemen’s handsomeness?”
To her complete disbelief, Georgiana replied with serenity, “Yes, we are. So who is your favourite?”
Elizabeth laughed wholeheartedly then glided onto the ice.
“Come, let us race. I wager I am at least better than you are on skates. I am tired of seeing you more proficient than me in everything we do.”
“Lizzy, do not change the subject! I am sure my brother is the most handsome. And although he is not titled, his fortune is at least as large as Lord Mowbray’s. And Richard must marry a woman with great wealth; I have heard him say that many times.”
The girl slid elegantly and stopped next to Elizabeth, who met her with mock severity.
“From what I see, I fear I might not defeat you in this sport either. Now —may I ask what the purpose of this conversation might be, Miss Darcy?”
“I do not want you ever to leave us, Lizzy…” the girl whispered.
“My darling…” Elizabeth embraced her tenderly and held her tight. “Come now, let us skate. I am sorry I troubled you with my silliness.”
Georgiana suddenly withdrew from her.
“You never trouble me, dearest,” Elizabeth replied, but the girl was already away, gliding speedily over the frozen swamp.
With joyful cries and laughter, the time flew. It started to snow again, and the increasing wind intensified the cold, but so caught up were they in their joyful play, they did not even notice it.
They made a few final rounds, racing side by side. Then a strange noise, partially covered by the sound of the wind, alerted Elizabeth, and she looked down to avoid a possible obstacle.
With horror, she saw the ice cracking under their skates, and panic momentarily froze her.
She grabbed Georgiana’s arm so quickly that they both fell and the cracking widened.
On her knees, Elizabeth pushed Georgiana with all her strength, so violently that the girl slid in disorder to the edge of the swamp.
Then the ice broke completely, and Elizabeth’s feet sank into the water.
It seemed that hundreds of knives cut her feet to the bone, holding her prisoner.
“Lizzy!” cried Georgiana and hurried to her.
“No! Do not come closer —you will fall in too,” Elizabeth yelled at her.
“The water is very shallow —look, it is below my knees. Search for a branch, a stick —something to help me out.
“Yes…I will find something. Can you take my hand? I will pull you out, and we will run home…”
“No, do not come here; we will both become stuck!” Elizabeth shouted again.
With the skates on her feet, clumsy and scared, Georgiana crawled through the fresh snow, searching for something to help her friend. Then she started to cry for help, hoping the wind would carry her voice and someone from the house or the stables might hear her.
Fighting the freezing water, Elizabeth managed to move her feet a few more steps.
She was also wearing the skates, and her gown was heavy, soaked with dirty, cold water that started to freeze around her legs.
She put one knee up, but the ice broke again.
Fortunately, she was close to the edge, so she took Georgiana’s hand, grabbed some protruding reeds with the other hand, and pulled herself out of the water.
The girls embraced, resting their heads against each for a few moments, struggling to breathe.
“Lizzy, are you hurt? Do you feel any pain? Can you move?”
“Dearest, listen to me. You must take off your skates at once and run home. I will try to follow you, but you must bring help because I do not know whether I can walk.”
As she spoke, Elizabeth started to untie the girl’s skates, but her frozen fingers were so numb that she could barely move them.
Georgiana was more successful, and she had removed one skate when the sound of footsteps broke through the noise of the wind and a voice shouted:
“Georgiana, Miss Bennet! Dear Lord, what are you doing here?”