Chapter 1.4
“Since the rain has stopped, I am going into Meryton,” Bingley said after breakfast. “I will pay a visit to Colonel Forster.”
“Will you stop at Longbourn too?” Louisa enquired, disapproval obvious in her tone.
“I well might; my plans are not settled yet. Darcy, will you join me?”
“Bingley, I am in no disposition for morning calls but I will accompany you half of the way and then will go for a long ride. It might be my last opportunity to enjoy Netherfield Park from the saddle,” Darcy replied.
He had already decided to leave Hertfordshire the day after the ball, with no intention of returning anytime soon, if ever.
Visiting Colonel Forster carried the risk of meeting Wickham again and he was still undecided if, when and how he should best confront that.
As for Longbourn, it was the place where he most desired to be, therefore, the place that he absolutely had to avoid.
A long, solitary ride on the cold autumn day was the only way to soothe his torment and cool his inner heat.
From Netherfield to the outskirts of Meryton, Darcy and Bingley rode together.
The ground was slippery, puddles of rainwater were scattered everywhere and they led their horses carefully.
The sun was bright but several clouds were already gathered on the horizon and the air was freezing, smelling of winter.
“Darcy, are you sure you do not want to come with me? The weather is not good for riding. Look, it might rain again.”
“Do not worry, I can find my way back to Netherfield if needed. Enjoy your day and I shall meet you at dinner,” Darcy answered, pulling the reins of his stallion.
Only after a while, with the wind blowing in his face, did he notice Longbourn in the distance and realise that, willingly or unconsciously, he was heading towards Elizabeth’s cottage.
∞∞∞
After days of rain and wind blowing at the windows, the sudden silence and the bright — although cold — sunshine appeared rather strange.
Mr. Collins was in the middle of another speech, this time in favour of the Netherfield ball, which he planned to attend. Mrs. Bennet and Mary were the only ones at least pretending to listen to him; Jane watched in polite silence while Lydia and Kitty ignored him completely.
“Mama, can we go and visit Maria Lucas? We have not seen her in a week!”
“My dear cousins, this is a very fortunate coincidence, as I intend to visit Sir William too. Cousin Elizabeth, will you join us?”
“Unfortunately I cannot; a headache has been bothering me for several days. But you should go, Mr. Collins, I am certain Sir William is looking forward to your call and will be disappointed otherwise,” Elizabeth answered.
To avoid any insistence on her mother’s part, she quickly excused herself and returned to her chamber, immediately followed by Jane.
“Lizzy, are you unwell? Should I bring you a cup of tea?”
“I am perfectly well, dearest. The headache was only caused by Mr. Collins.”
“Lizzy, you are too hard on him!”
“No, dearest, he is too hard on us. And since my head is still hurting a little bit, I will go for a walk too, before he returns. There is no better medicine than cold fresh air after being trapped inside for days.”
“But Lizzy, I hope you will remain near the house; it might rain again soon. Besides, everything is wet and muddy. It is not a good time for walking.”
“Do not worry; I will not go too far. If the rain starts again I will either return home or take shelter in the cottage until it stops.”
“Should I come with you?”
Elizabeth laughed and embraced her sister. “My dear, I know your kind heart made you offer your company, but your countenance speaks clearly about your fear that I might accept it. Do not worry, I will be perfectly well by myself, as always.”
∞∞∞
As he approached the cottage, Darcy’s anxiety increased and his heart raced, overwhelmed by disturbing emotions.
He felt silly, even ridiculous to be so nervous about a mere building, simply because it was connected to Elizabeth.
Had he lost his mind completely? He had refused to visit Longbourn — where he could have met her in appropriate circumstances, and instead he had come to see an old house, almost a ruin, substituting her actual presence with the product of his imagination.
No, a man in his right mind would not behave so outrageously.
He spotted the cottage between the trees and rode closer, as the path seemed reasonably safe. But he could not see it well enough. Deep in his thoughts, Darcy vaguely noticed that the sky had darkened.
The first clap of thunder startled him, as well as his horse.
The stallion reared and Darcy pulled on the reins, trying to calm him.
He succeeded — for a moment — until the next rumble sounded and a bolt of lightning flashed.
As if from nowhere, the heavens suddenly opened with a cold, heavy rain.
Darcy began to dismount, but the horse moved and its legs slipped, causing the impressive animal to fall.
Darcy barely had the time to free himself from the saddle and leapt out of the way, avoiding being trapped under the horse.
He fell into a dirty puddle, and immediately jumped to his feet, stretching out his hand to catch the reins while the horse struggled to stand up.
The rain and the wind intensified so much that even seeing ahead became daunting.
Eventually, with great effort, throwing away his filthy gloves, Darcy managed to help the horse to stand and tried to calm him.
For a while he just stood there, holding the reins, stroking the horse, bewildered, wet, frozen, with water and dirt dripping from his heavy clothes.
Although it was still early in the day, it felt like evening and, in an unknown place, he was lost as to what to do.
Then, at the next flash of lightning, the cottage appeared in his sight again as his only chance.
Slowly, with small steps and infinite care, holding the horse close to him, Darcy walked cautiously, placing one foot in front of the other, almost blind and aware of the danger he had found himself in.
After a seemingly endless amount of time, he arrived at the cottage and entered the barn at the back, pulling the horse with him.
The sudden shelter from the violent storm came as a blessing and, without the curtain of rain, Darcy could easily observe his surroundings.
It was obviously a place that had hosted animals before, with straw on the floor and a trough full of rainwater.
He tethered his horse to a pillar, then spoke to him calmly while he checked each leg and hoof for signs of injury.
The stallion had been his faithful, reliable companion for more than ten years and the notion that he might have been hurt because of his rashness and imprudence was frightening.
The examination quickly dismissed Darcy’s worries and soon enough the horse returned to its usual tranquillity, shaking off the water from his mane.
But the storm continued, with no sign of abating anytime soon.
Darcy’s clothes — dripping, heavy with water and mud, almost frozen to his body — trapped him, barely allowing him to move.
His decision was quick, as there was no other choice: he needed shelter and to keep himself warm while he waited for a chance to escape.
Fighting the rain, he stumbled towards the cottage and hesitated briefly in front of the door, recollecting his conversation with Elizabeth about the key.
What an arrogant fool he had been and how useful her key — hidden so anyone in need could find it — had proven to be.
Darcy opened the door, hurriedly stepped inside then closed it immediately, keeping the rain and the wind outside.
In haste, he removed his boots and all his clothes, except for his shirt and trousers, throwing them onto the floor.
It was so cold that he could barely feel his hands so he hurried to start the fire.
The tinder box was there, but water was still dripping from him and his shivering barely allowed his fingers to hold anything.
He paced the room then moved into the adjacent chamber.
In the middle of it, there was a bed with pillows, sheets and blankets.
Without much consideration he removed the rest of his clothes and wrapped the dusty, rough blanket around his naked body.
Finally, barefoot, he returned to the fireplace and after several failed attempts, sparked the fire and, with a sigh of deep relief, watched it spreading over the logs.
Soft light and a pleasant heat spread through the room and Darcy stretched out his hands and feet to warm his fingers and toes.
Reluctantly, he returned to fetch his discarded clothes, squeezed out the water and placed them near the fireplace.
Then he pulled up a chair and, wrapping the blanket more tightly around himself, wondered how long the storm would last, hoping that Bingley had not been caught outside in the rain.
He had been in the cottage for less than half an hour, but it seemed much longer.
He had just begun to warm up when he was startled by a noise at the window.
He stood up and moved towards it, trying to see whether it was a man or an animal, but there was nothing there.
He looked around for some candles, found one and was ready to light it, when the door suddenly opened.
The freezing blow of the wind hit him and almost extinguished the fire.
He hurried to close the door but the person who entered did so, then turned to him.
From under the wet, dirty clothes — just as his had been until moments ago — the silhouette was hard to recognise.
But the pair of eyes in the pretty face now frozen, dirty and trembling, were unmistakable.
Bewildered, trapped in his own emotions, Darcy stood still and silent, staring ahead, mesmerised.
“Mr. Darcy, I cannot believe you are here! Thank God you started the fire… It is so cold… I saw the horse in the barn and I recognised him…and then I saw you through the window…”
She could barely speak, her lips swollen, blue and shivering from the cold. She tried to move, but her clothes almost pulled her down.
“Miss Bennet!” he cried, stunned and confused, and finally hurried towards her.
With his legs wrapped tightly in the blanket he stumbled and almost fell.
He quickly regained his balance, but in doing so the blanket slipped from his hands and glided down his bare body to the floor.
His naked body — a sight that Elizabeth had not even dared to imagine in her maiden life — tall, strong, somehow frightening, lit by the blazing fire in the dark room, stunned Elizabeth, taking her breath away and making her heart pound wildly.
Her eyes stared at his bare torso, then briefly met his own dumbfounded gaze.
A cry of astonishment appeared on her lips but no sound came out, no move was made.