Chapter 21 #2
“Lizzy, I am going to make a snow angel like you taught us!” Thomas announced, then threw himself to the ground, on his back, with his arms wide open, while his brother and sister mirrored his gesture.
However, the snow was deeper and softer than they expected, so in a moment they found themselves covered in snow and started to cry in panic.
Elizabeth hurried to them, and, in an attempt to raise them to their feet, she lost her balance too, going down on her knees in the snow.
While grasping Andrew first, her fingers stumbled upon Darcy’s hands, only then realizing he had come to help them rise too.
Both withdrew their hands as though they had been burned, Elizabeth helping Andrew to stand while Darcy lifted both Ellen and Thomas with little effort.
The snow was freezing their little faces, necks, and ears, while Ellen — the most delicate of them — was caught between laughing and sobbing.
Elizabeth gently untied her bonnet, smoothed her hair, then wiped her face and brushed off her gown.
Jane came to help too, but the two boys were now laughing at how scared they had become for no reason at all and seemed content to be assisted by Darcy, so Jane returned to the carriage.
When the children were safely cleared of most of the snow, Elizabeth tried to stand, but her boots slipped and Darcy tried to grasp her arm to prevent her from falling.
However, since he was kneeling too, he missed, and Elizabeth fell on her side.
Darcy’s hand, instead of grasping her arm, landed on her thigh, only for an instant, and he withdrew it in a desperate hurry.
His abrupt gesture made him lose his balance, and he barely found support with his other hand.
After some moments of confusion, Darcy was the first to stand, and he offered his hand to Elizabeth, who took it hesitantly, averting her eyes from him.
She had felt his hand brushing on her thigh acutely, and the brief touch burned her through the layers of her garments.
When they were both up, the children suddenly started to laugh heartily, very soon infecting the other three.
Elizabeth and Darcy noticed their disastrous appearance; their clothes covered in snow while drops of water were forming on their face and hair.
Darcy’s hat was lying on the ground, and Elizabeth’s bonnet was askew, while a few locks of hair had escaped from underneath it.
Jane tried to adjust Elizabeth’s appearance, but the damage was too great to be completely remedied.
Laughing and batting Jane’s hand away, Elizabeth was half mortified, half amused, her eyes bright with mirth.
Luckily, her embarrassment diminished even more since Darcy’s appearance, usually so dignified and elegant, was no better.
He brushed the snow from his hat, but it remained wet and he decided to let it dry in the sleigh.
“My dears, we should be more careful,” Elizabeth told her cousins.
“The ground could be uneven under the snow, which is softer than we assumed. You could fall and hurt yourselves. Please take someone’s hand to hold,” she insisted, while they took a stroll through the snow, carefully placing one foot in front of the other.
“Lizzy, you may hold my hand, I won’t let you fall again,” Ellen promised, while the two boys claimed their liberty one more time, walking around Darcy and Bingley, keeping to the same rule of ‘boys with boys’.
They continued to enjoy the snow, the December sun warming their backs and faces, either walking or taking turns playing with the indefatigable children, until the wind blowing stronger sharpened the chill.
Mindful of the children, Jane suggested they should return to the sleigh and ride in the direction of the house.
The others agreed, and the children reluctantly accepted after some attempt to delaying their return.
As always, Ellen was the most obedient, and Jane carefully brushed all the snow from her clothes and shoes so that it wouldn’t melt under the warm rugs and make her wet.
She was the first one to enter the sleigh.
Jane and Georgiana, after stomping their feet a bit, followed the girl, wrapping her in a blanket.
Thomas and Andrew turned out to be a challenge, as their coats, trousers, and boots, packed with snow, were already half frozen, making it cling and therefore harder to remove.
Elizabeth took the task upon herself, but Thomas seemed to prefer Darcy and sought every opportunity to be near him.
Eventually the two boys were placed in the sleigh, and Darcy attempted to help Elizabeth in too.
Only then did they notice that Bingley had boldly claimed the seat next to Jane, so the ‘girls’ bench was now entirely occupied.
Unwilling to deny Bingley the close company of his betrothed, there was no other option but for Darcy and Elizabeth to sit on the same side with the two boys in between them.
Before the sleigh started to move, Darcy wrapped the rest of the blankets around Elizabeth and the boys, tucking in the ends so no warmth could escape, then he sat down too.
The gesture was natural and perfectly proper, but his senses were stirred in a strange way, and if he could see inside her, he would have noticed that Elizabeth was equally affected, shivering from cold yet hot at the same time.