16. Chapter 16 #2
Miss Elizabeth looked up from the board and met his gaze. She smiled at him and moved her chess piece. As Darcy considered his next move, he could feel her eyes on him. He played his turn, then settled back to enjoy the view once more.
Darcy’s father had taught him to play chess when he was a boy.
His skill improved over the years, and he even participated in several tournaments at Cambridge.
Darcy enjoyed playing chess. What were the odds that he would find himself drawn to a young woman who was also a chess player?
A small smile came to his lips as he thought about her words from that morning, “ . . . it would be ideal to have some things in common,” she had said.
Darcy now knew of several things they had in common.
Darcy focused back on the chessboard, then raised his brows in surprise.
He looked at her again. This time, she was grinning at him over the rim of her teacup.
While he had been woolgathering, she had been mounting an attack.
Darcy deflected by threatening her pawn with his king.
It would buy him some time, but he did not have high hopes of winning this match.
She was a skilled player, and he had been having trouble concentrating from the very beginning.
Miss Elizabeth’s presence had thoroughly distracted him.
Elizabeth saw the moment Mr. Darcy recognized his defeat.
“Well played,” he congratulated her.
“I think you were a bit distracted,” she said, squinting her eyes at him.
“Yes, I was, but that does not change the fact that you are a formidable opponent.”
She smiled. “Thank you. Even though you were distracted, victory did not come easily.”
“Good. I am glad to hear it.”
She laughed. “There is something I have long wanted to ask you."
He looked at her with a curious expression. “Is that so? And, what might that be?”
“What are your thoughts on Malcolm Dean’s first volume?” Elizabeth asked.
Mr. Darcy looked at her as if he were confused.
She started laughing, and it was not long before he joined her.
“I am sorry,” she said, smiling. “I suppose that question seemed to come out of nowhere.”
He smiled as well and gave a quick tilt of his head. “Well, I was not expecting it.”
“What were you expecting?” she asked, curious.
He chuckled. “I do not know, but not that.”
They began laughing again.
Elizabeth got control of her mirth and said, “I did not mean to preface the question in such a misleading way.” She giggled. “I just wanted to bring it up.”
“I see. And you say you have wanted to bring it up since . . . ?”
“Since the day we met in the bookshop and you mentioned you had also read Malcolm Dean,” Elizabeth said. “I was excited to meet someone who had also read the book, and I was eager to know your opinion of it. However, you were not very approachable back then, as I am sure you recall.”
“Ah, yes, indeed. Well, I thought Dean’s first volume was very interesting. His descriptions of how rough and dangerous the Canadian wilderness is make you feel like you are there experiencing it with him.”
“Yes! I thought the same!” Elizabeth said excitedly. “There was danger lurking everywhere. The wildlife, the Indians, unscrupulous individuals!”
Mr. Darcy nodded his agreement.
“With the booming fur trade business, I sometimes wonder what will happen to the beaver population in Canada with so much demand for pelts.”
He nodded. “It is certainly possible for it to become an endangered species with so many trappers hunting them.”
“Yes . . . what did you think of his initial encounter with the Iroquois?” she asked him. “I was so nervous just reading it!”
He chuckled at her words, then they each discussed their impressions of what Malcolm Dean learned from his time spent among the tribes of the Iroquois Nation.
They spoke at length about Dean’s book.
“Have you read much of Volume II?” Mr. Darcy asked.
“Only a little so far. How about you?” she asked.
“The same. I have not really found the time,” Mr. Darcy said.
“Well, I am glad we finally had the opportunity to discuss the first book.”
“As am I. I admit when I learned that day you were reading Dean's book, it made me curious to know more about you.” He smiled. “I have enjoyed getting to know you better during our stay here in Hertfordshire, Miss Elizabeth.”
She grinned at him. “Likewise, Mr. Darcy.”
After the ladies and Bingley retired for the evening, Darcy followed Fitz to his room, where they continued to visit over a glass of port.
“So, Miss Elizabeth gave you a sound thrashing at chess. Is she that good, or were you distracted?” Fitz asked.
“Both. She is absolutely that good, and yes, I was distracted . . . by her,” Darcy admitted.
Fitz threw his head back and laughed as quietly as he could. “I knew it!” he said, still laughing.
Darcy laughed as well. “So, what do you think of her, cousin?”
“I like her! I look forward to getting to know her better. I like her sisters, too. I am surprised Bingley does not show Miss Bennet more attention. He does tend to gravitate toward blondes, and she is beautiful.”
“That is because he has been reining himself in,” Darcy said.
Fitz raised his brows in surprise. “Is that so?”
“Indeed. The day we met the Bennet ladies, Bingley and Miss Bennet conversed at length. He showed her a great deal of attention. When we got back to Netherfield later that evening, he made it clear he was eager to be in her company again. I cautioned him about showing her so much attention if he was not going to do anything about it. In a village like this, with such a confined society, single gentlemen are probably hard to come by.”
“No doubt, and his singling her out would be taken by her neighbors as a declaration of his intentions,” Fitz added.
“Not to mention how it would be taken by her mother.”
“Hmm . . . so, he did not find her lacking in some significant way?”
“No, he repeatedly sang her praises. He insisted that she was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside,” Darcy said.
“So, the issue must have been that she was not highly connected or wealthy. I know those are the priorities of his social-climbing sister.”
“Yes, they are, but Bingley is not coldly calculating like his sister. I think he feels an obligation to fulfill what his father wanted for all of them, and that is at the root of all his decisions.”
“Yes, he has mentioned before that his father wanted them to marry up and move up in society,” Fitz said.
Darcy nodded. “I know for a fact, though, Bingley wants to have a real connection with his wife, a genuine relationship.”
“With the direction he is going in, it will be hard to find such a thing.”
“Indeed,” Darcy said, then looked back at Fitz with a smirk.
“Yes, cousin?” Fitz asked with a wide grin.
“Is this where you tell me that you are thinking about pursuing Miss Bennet?” Darcy asked.
“You know me too well, cousin!”
Darcy chuckled and shook his head. “Yes, I do.”