Chapter 16 #2
Elizabeth spent another night in her sister’s home. During dinner, she tried to keep her spirits high. However, when alone in her bedchamber, she realised she had thought more of Darcy, and what he was doing at that party, than of her soon-to-be husband.
The following morning, after breakfast, Elizabeth and Mary bade a warm farewell to their relatives.
Lady Kendal’s carriage and two servants took them away from the lively centre of Brighton to the quiet and solitude of the cottage.
Although she looked forward to seeing Philip and her ladyship again, each of the horses’ steps made Elizabeth more nervous and strangely heavy-hearted.
When they arrived at the secluded property, the silence was deafening compared with the town’s bustle.
“Oh Lizzy, how quiet everything is!” Mary exclaimed. Elizabeth smiled in agreement as the carriage stopped in front of the cottage. In the drawing room, Elizabeth found her betrothed and his grandmother waiting. At her entrance, she saw their faces brighten.
Her heart melted, and she buried any other thoughts deeply in her soul where they could not disturb her. She then embraced the two with affection.
“We missed you so much, Elizabeth,” Lord Alveston confessed.
“I was only gone for two days,” she replied, touched by his apparent joy.
“But we are so spoilt with your presence, we felt lost without you.” Philip kissed her hands. “I am so happy to see you.”
“I am happy to see you too,” Elizabeth replied.
Through the open windows, she could hear the sound of the waves and the wind rustling the branches of the nearby trees. And she felt content.
∞∞∞
During the next week, life returned to calm and routine at Lady Kendal’s house.
Philip resumed his daily treatments, and his state of health was mainly good.
The doctor examined him regularly, and his strength seemed to increase.
He spoke of their upcoming wedding more often and even made plans for some parties during the upcoming Season in town.
Elizabeth split her time between sea bathing with Mary and Lady Kendal, playing chess or cards with Philip, and studying the family business.
The Bennet and Gardiner families called on them one day and remained until dinner. The increasing ease and friendship between people so different from each other was entirely due to Elizabeth. Philip often called her the centre of their lives, and that responsibility grew heavy on her shoulders.
Anne, Georgiana, and Jane visited them twice. Each time, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Bingley delivered them and then returned to escort them home in the evening, accepting Philip’s invitation to join him for a drink before departing.
Darcy did not come at all. His friends delivered his best wishes, mentioning he was busy or caught up with other engagements. And each time, Elizabeth realised how she longed to see him again and struggled to keep such feelings at bay.
At the beginning of July, on a cool afternoon when the sun was hidden behind light clouds, Elizabeth found a moment to escape from the house while all the others were resting.
It was one of the few days they had received no guests, being not warm enough for sea bathing but excellent for sleep.
She informed her maid and Philip’s butler that she was going for a walk.
With a slight headache, she welcomed the fresh air and light breeze that caressed her face.
To the right side of their property stood two houses that had been rented to other families.
They were far enough away to preserve their privacy, but people could be seen in the distance, nevertheless.
Elizabeth therefore turned left and walked along the shore to where the long grasses and wildflowers grew undisturbed, and the paths were lined with bright yellow gorse.
She took off her shoes and waded into the sea up to her ankles, the waves caressing her feet. The air was cool and refreshing, but the water felt warm.
With the cottage behind her, the bay revealed itself to her eyes. As the wind blew through the line of trees, it mixed with the sound of the waves, as if in a symphony. There was no sun, so she took off her bonnet and unpinned her hair. She yearned to feel uncaged, unrestrained.
The bay was as beautiful as she remembered. The combination of colours and sounds, and the feel of the shingle between her toes at the water’s edge, enchanted her. She turned towards the hidden place where she had fallen asleep and gasped in astonishment. There, stood a horse tied to a tree.
She immediately minded her own appearance, looking around. With her bonnet removed and her hair blowing free, she was in no state to be seen and had not imagined meeting anyone in such a place.
She saw nobody nearby, until her eyes were drawn towards the shore where waves, stirred by the wind and tide, crashed noisily.
It seemed surreal as a man rose from the water, stunning her senses. He wore nothing but a white shirt and dark trousers, striding unrestrainedly until he noticed her. At that moment he stopped, the waves pushed him forward, and he almost fell but still did not advance.
Even at that distance, their hearts recognised what their eyes still hesitated to admit.
Eventually, he seemed to gather the strength to approach and so did Elizabeth. Slowly, hesitantly, as if in a dream.
When they were only steps away, she could see the look of yearning on his handsome features. His curled hair, wet and dishevelled. His dark, longing gaze. The water dripping from his face. His white shirt soaked, unbuttoned, revealing his neck and torso.
He stared at her, narrowing his eyes, his lips half parted as though he was struggling to speak.
Before either of them could say a word, Elizabeth’s heart finally defeated her mind, freed itself from any restraint, any rules, any demands of duty and decorum, screaming the truth inside her with such power that it shook her body and weakened her knees.
She loved the man in front of her with every sense and every fibre of her body! She had loved him for such a long time that she could not even remember when it began. She loved him against her own will and reason and judgment. She loved him most ardently.
“Miss Bennet…”
“Mr Darcy…”