Chapter 1 #4
His mission having been accomplished and exceeded his wildest expectations, Darcy was more than ready to call it a day.
After checking with the porter’s desk to ensure his purchases were accounted for and prepared for delivery to Darcy House—they were—a famished and weary Darcy hastened toward the exit with the securely wrapped vanity set inside the lone bag he carried.
The prospect of a restorative brandy had never sounded more appealing. So much so that he barely stifled a curse when his name was shouted from some distance away.
“Mr. Darcy, is that you?”
He instantly sifted through a dozen excuses to avoid conversation, not even caring if his abruptness came across as rude.
A rapid assessment of the distance to the door revealed that he could make a run for it.
Between preoccupation and overall irritation, no attempt was made to identify the voice.
Then, in the split second before settling on a plausible evasion, the woman—that fact had unconsciously registered—answered her own question.
“Oh! It is Mr. Darcy! See, Lizzy, I told you I glimpsed him from afar while we were in the haberdashery.”
For several seconds, Darcy froze in place. Shaking off his astonishingly bad luck, he forced a pleasant smile and turned around. Mrs. Gardiner, wearing a beaming grin, was bearing down on him fast. Flanking her, a step or two behind, were Elizabeth and Jane.
As instant as his annoyance over being waylaid it disappeared, to be replaced by happiness flooding his soul.
Elizabeth’s eyes sparkled with delight as she focused on him to the exclusion of everything surrounding, a radiant smile curving her luscious mouth.
The crystalline image of her visage never faded from his mind, yet when he saw her in the flesh, especially after nearly a full day apart, he was struck anew by her breathtaking beauty and the effect her very presence had upon him.
“What a delightful surprise, is it not?” Mrs. Gardiner’s question was a vague hum.
Darcy could not tear his eyes away from Elizabeth.
“In a city the size of London, the odds of encountering a friend or acquaintance are remote. Yet here we are! And not merely anyone, but your betrothed. Quite fortuitous and extraordinary, would you not agree, Lizzy?”
“Indeed, I do agree. It is immeasurably fortuitous and supremely extraordinary. How are you, Mr. Darcy?”
“I am improving by the moment, Miss Elizabeth.” Pausing to clear his bone-dry throat, and belatedly remembering his manners, he shifted his gaze to Jane and Mrs. Gardiner. “I pray the three of you are equally as well and enjoying your afternoon?”
Mrs. Gardiner and Jane responded in the affirmative, as did Lizzy, after which she inquired, “What brings you to Harding, Howell, and Company on this fine day, sir? I never conceived of this being an establishment you frequent.”
The tease was not lost on Darcy, nor was the hint of acrimony.
Honestly perplexed by what would cause the latter, and therefore concluding he must be mistaken, he shrugged nonchalantly and replied in a lighthearted tone, “I endeavor to retain a bit of mystery, Miss Bennet, but shall enlighten since you have caught me in the act. I have discovered the supreme benefit in enlisting the aid of other women when acquiring objects explicitly created for the fairer sex. Far more efficient and wise, as it turns out, than trying to judge for myself what is best for a lady. The women at Harding and Howell are surprisingly willing to assist.”
“I see,” she stressed, the teasing tone disappearing in favor of the acrimonious.
“The error is in my assumptions, obviously. Are you intimately familiar with the mall then? Perhaps your superior knowledge of where to obtain feminine products will benefit us as well, Mr. Darcy, if it isn’t too much trouble to share your accumulated wealth of information? ”
Elizabeth’s smile remained but with a stiffness to her lips that corresponded with the sharp undertone of her outwardly cordial words.
Her eyes, Darcy noted with increasing mystification, had taken on a hard glint.
Confused, he looked to Jane and Mrs. Gardiner for a clue.
Each woman wore an expression of suppressed amusement.
Mrs. Gardiner shook her head slightly and swiveled her eyes pointedly toward a cluster of attractive young women standing not too far away who were quite blatantly admiring his figure.
Darcy frowned, then looked back at a pursed-lipped Elizabeth. Abruptly the pieces fell into place.
She is jealous—positively green with it!
The possessive fire within her lovely eyes loudly proclaimed the degree of her sentiments toward him, and perhaps it was an unattractive reaction, but his spirit soared.
As pleasing as her jealousy, in one respect, decency demanded to disabuse her of the notion that he was a seasoned expert who frequently bought trinkets for women.
Then again, what harm was there in a brief bit of fun?
Darcy stepped closer and spoke softly. “My knowledge is not overly vast, but one does overhear conversations that often prove valuable. Harding and Howell has a well-earned reputation. However, you are correct, Miss Elizabeth, in believing I avoid such places unless forced by necessity to enter them.”
“Is that so? And what necessity was it that forced you this time, Mr. Darcy?”
Mrs. Gardiner and Jane were still struggling not to laugh and had taken several steps backward to stay out of Lizzy’s vision.
The latter was too intent on boring a hole of shame through her fiancé to notice.
Darcy bent until inches away from her irritated face and whispered, “This is my first time at Harding and Howell, my dearest love, and the purpose was a wedding present.”
“For me?” she gasped, her eyes popped open wider and body relaxing. A flush spread across her cheeks, and Darcy had to exert all his control not to kiss her.
Instead, he arched one brow and grinned.
“I believe it is customary. Besides, I did warn you that gifts from me would be a common occurrence once we were married, and I intend to begin as soon as possible. But for now”—he captured her hand and pressed a fleeting kiss onto her knuckles—“you are forced by necessity to wait in anticipation for another month.”
* * *
The unplanned encounter at Harding and Howell was not the disaster he had feared after all.
Following his tease regarding the gift in his hand, Elizabeth dropped the subject entirely, to Darcy’s surprise.
Georgiana was worse than a buzzing pest when it came to presents, and he thought this was the natural female attitude.
Other than two or three glances at the bag, Elizabeth expressed no interest whatsoever.
Darcy fervently prayed it was a ploy of indifference, particularly in light of the massive quantity of merchandise soon to be on its way to Pemberley, as well as gift giving being one portion of his agenda for later that night.
He invited the ladies to join him for a light refreshment at the coffeehouse across the street from Harding and Howell.
Their company, particularly Elizabeth’s, had revitalized his lagging energy and suddenly coffee sounded better than brandy.
They did not tarry overlong, as it was late in the day and everyone needed time to clean up and dress for dinner.
Departing from his beloved on this occasion was a painless ordeal, knowing he would soon again be in her presence.
As he had for the past two nights since their arrival in London, Darcy and his sister welcomed the Bennets, Gardiners, and Mr. Bingley to Darcy House for dinner.
While the first night had contained extremely pleasurable moments—Darcy did not think he would ever look at the rear terrace without feeling the bliss of Elizabeth in his arms—it had also been a trial and strain.
Last night—in the wake of Elizabeth forcefully setting him straight while in his mother’s bedchamber that afternoon—the awkward tension had thoroughly disappeared.
One and all had enjoyed a delicious meal and delightful fellowship.
What he had not managed was a second alone with Elizabeth, not even to press a light kiss on to her cheek or brush his fingertips over her creamy skin.
Tonight, their third night in Town and after more than twenty-four hours of nothing beyond one kiss to her hand, Darcy determined to arrange matters to suit his desires. Besides, he did have a legitimate reason to sequester his fiancée, one that did not directly have to do with his ardency.
With this foremost in his mind, Mr. Darcy and Miss Darcy greeted their guests as they arrived with the standard pomp and circumstance.
Retiring to the parlor while the servants finished preparations for dinner, Darcy drew Mr. Bennet to the side as soon as the opportunity arose without attracting undue attention.
“Mr. Bennet, sir. If I may request it of you, I would appreciate a private audience with Miss Elizabeth at some point this evening. After dinner, of course. I have a gift for her, something quite special that belonged to my mother, which I am anxious for her to have but prefer not to reveal in public. We would only be in the foyer area, so not too far away from oversight.”
“I can find no fault in the request, Mr. Darcy. Even if I did, Lizzy would scold me most vehemently for impeding the giving of a present. A scolding by Lizzy is a rather fearsome thing, as I suspect you know. A rousing challenge, most of the time, but I’m not up to it tonight.”
Indeed, Darcy knew of Elizabeth’s temper all too well! And, like her father, he wasn’t in the mood to fight tonight either. Far from it. Emboldened by Mr. Bennet’s approval, he decided on the spot to seek helpful illumination on a nagging anxiety.