Chapter Nine #5
When thoughts of how she had felt in his arms began to overpower him, Darcy concluded his bath and dressed in the clothes Sir Thomas Parker had provided.
He would not allow his fancy to be carried away by the events of the afternoon; he did not think he could even countenance perpetuating Richard’s lie about courting Miss Bennet.
It had been a pleasant flight of fancy, but nothing more.
Darcy found Miss Bennet in the corridor, exiting the other guest room as Lady Parker helped her slowly hobble on her injured ankle.
“Here is my handsome beau to the rescue again,” she said with a breathy giggle, reaching her arms out toward him as if she were a small child who wished to be picked up.
Darcy was so stunned that he almost obliged her, but Lady Parker swatted at her friend’s outstretched arms. “The doctor has been sent for, and in the meanwhile I have given some of the elixir I used last time I was in a great deal of pain.”
Miss Bennet gasped, looking at her friend as though the lady had been mortally wounded. “Oh Charlotte, if my ankle hurts this badly, whatever will I do when I have a baby?”
“How rapidly you leap from courtship to motherhood,” Lady Parker said drily. “Look at what you have done to poor Mr. Darcy.”
He knew it was the blush that was hot on his cheeks that Lady Parker referred to, but Miss Bennet did not come to the same conclusion.
She shambled away from Lady Parker and latched on to Darcy’s arm.
“Poor Mr. Darcy,” she repeated. “I am very sorry that your fiancée is so horrid. I hope I helped a little when I did not contradict your impudent cousin. Whatever possessed him to say that we are courting? Ah, no, I see. It is clever.”
As Miss Bennet dissolved in giggles, Darcy held her by the elbows, wishing to steady her without taking any liberties in the presence of her protective friend, who was observing them with a shrewd eye that wavered between indulgence and apprehension.
“I apologize, Miss Bennet. Richard contrived—entirely against my expressed wishes—to concoct a false courtship purely for the sake of inspiring jealousy in our cousin Anne.”
“You ought to have warned me first, so that I could make it more convincing. I am not often speechless.” Miss Bennet chortled again, then reached out to stroke Lady Parker’s face and coo over its loveliness.
“She is never ill, has never even been the least bit injured—I ought to have known to give her a smaller dose of the medicine.” Lady Parker smiled apologetically at Darcy.
He gave an appreciative nod. “Shall I carry her downstairs? I do not think it wise for her to walk—if she feels little or no pain at present, there is greater risk she could aggravate her injury without realizing it.”
“I begin to think it unwise for her to be in company at all.” Lady Parker gave her friend a skeptical frown as Miss Bennet nuzzled her head against Darcy’s shoulder.
“Very gallant,” Miss Bennet said airily, tapping his chest with exaggerated flourish.
“Just the sort of beau I like. I will go to sleep now, and you can make a great show of fretting and worrying over me, which will vex your frigid lady. And then she will say something spiky about how I will be unable to perform my servant’s duties, and Sir Sidney will make an absolutely mad observation about his own odd behavior and she will congratulate him on his incomparable perfection, and then your ghastly aunt will pop out of a closet and beat them both about the head with an umbrella. ”
As much for Lady Parker’s sake as Miss Bennet’s, Darcy said, “My cousin spoke out of turn—I have no intention of perpetuating a false courtship. I would certainly never ask such a thing of any respectable lady, let alone my sister’s particular friend.”
“Oh, but it would be excessively diverting,” Miss Bennet crooned. She paused to yawn, swaying as she turned to Lady Parker. “He reminds me of Mr. Penny.”
“Me too, dearest, but you are entirely out of your senses.” Lady Parker attempted to guide her friend away from Darcy, but Miss Bennet resisted.
She stood up on her toes, her body brushing clumsily against Darcy as she attempted to whisper.
“But do not let Georgie fret over me or blame herself for our mishap. I am sure I distracted her.” Miss Bennet withdrew and allowed Lady Parker to wrap an arm around her waist. “We were speaking of Miss Bingley, Charlotte. Georgie despises her, too! Did you know that being disdained by her is not half as bad as her actually liking you? Ugh!”
“That is very true, dearest. We shall talk about it more later, but first you must sleep. In fact, I think you should stay the night.” Lady Parker glanced over her shoulder and gave him a nod of thanks that he knew to be a dismissal as well.
Darcy bowed and walked toward the stairs.
He paused just long enough to turn back and glance at the retreating ladies.
Out of her right mind from the doctor’s elixir, Miss Bennet clumsily blew him a kiss and attempted to wink with both eyes at once.
It was the most nonsensical, inelegant, and utterly bewitching sight Darcy had ever seen.