Chapter 1.12
Mr Darcy and Elizabeth, arm in arm, continued to walk in pleasant silence, keeping their distance from the others in the party until both were startled to hear the children’s heightened voices and then Rebecca’s loud cry.
Elizabeth left Mr Darcy’s arm and hurried to her cousin although Mrs Burton, Jane, and Mr Bingley were already there.
The girl had fallen in the snow, and the boys were denying any blame for what happened.
Jane caressed Becky and lifted her to her feet.
But when Elizabeth approached and knelt beside her, the girl threw herself at her neck and continued to cry in her arms.
“It is all right, my love—don’t cry. Tell me what happened.” Lizzy’s voice was sweet and comforting, and she wiped the little girl’s tears, shaking the snow from her clothes and the curls of her hair.
“Thomas and Henry pushed me, and I fell. They are always so mean to me—”
“Now, sweetie, you know that is not true.” Lizzy tried to calm her while her brothers were formulating different excuses and explanations for Mrs Burton. “Are you hurt?”
“Yes I am,” she cried. “I hurt my hand so bad that I cannot move my leg.”
“I see. Show me where you are hurt.” After a short inspection, it was clear nothing harmful had occurred.
“We shall take care of you at home, dear. Let us go now, for it is very cold.”
Mrs Burton was about to take her little hand gently, but the girl protested. “I cannot walk so far; I am hurt.”
“Oh, yes you can, little miss,” answered Mrs Burton. “And it is not too far. You walk this distance at least twice every day.”
“Yes, but now I am hurt, and I am cold, and I am so upset, and I cannot possibly walk with all those three problems.” Her eyes again filled with tears, and her lower lip trembled.
She turned her sad, little face to Lizzy and begged her, “Please, Lizzy, can you carry me home?”
“Miss Rebecca, if you will agree, I shall carry you,” offered Mr Bingley, but the girl shook her head. “Please, Lizzy?”
“Aha, now I understand,” answered Mrs Burton in a more severe voice. “What you really want is for Miss Elizabeth to pay you more attention. I am completely against this kind of spoiled behaviour.”
“Sweetie, I cannot carry you. You are a big girl now, and you are too heavy to be carried.”
Becky wiped her tears with her sleeve and took a few steps, obviously upset, and then suddenly she turned and addressed Mr Darcy. “Can you carry me, please? You look much stronger than Lizzy.”
Her request, after so decidedly refusing Mr Bingley’s offer, took everyone by surprise, Mr Darcy most of all.
Until that moment, he had retreated somewhat from the group, watching them a little detached and selfishly hoping everything would be resolved quickly so he could resume his walk with Elizabeth.
He had never been in the close proximity of little children, except his sister, and he never really knew how to act around them.
When Becky addressed him, so small at his feet, he almost did not even hear her.
Somewhat confused, he lowered his eyes and saw her small face lifted to him and waiting, and he simply did not know what to answer.
He looked at Elizabeth, silently asking for an indication, but she did not understand the meaning of his gaze and thought he was displeased.
“Becky, it is very impolite to bother Mr Darcy with such a request—not to mention that you are so dirty and wet. Please, be a nice girl, and we shall walk slowly home.”
Finally, Darcy passed his initial surprise and reacted as he should, forcing a gentle smile to his face. “Miss Elizabeth, she is not bothering me. I shall carry Miss Rebecca—no trouble at all.”
“Are you sure, sir? Believe me, it is not necessary—” But the girl quickly threw her small hands up to him.
“Thank you, Mr Darcy! Now we can all walk together—the three of us.”
He held her in his arms, and with everyone finally calmed, the whole party resumed the walk to the Gardiners’ home, Mr Darcy and his two companions a pace behind. She encircled his neck with her arms, her head close to his, and began to search his face.
“As you can see, sir, Mrs Burton was absolutely right earlier when mentioning that this disobedient, little girl only wanted to remain close to me. It is my fault; I have always been too indulgent with her.”
As much as she loved her cousin, Elizabeth was troubled by the thought that Mr Darcy would be displeased at being forced into such familiar behaviour in a public place.
However, he leaned his head to hers and whispered with the hint of a flirting smile at the corner of his mouth. “A very strong reason not to refuse her, Miss Elizabeth, as I can easily understand her wish.”
Although she should have been accustomed by now—from the Netherfield ball especially—to those little hints of his preference towards her, she could not cease to be astonished every time she heard such things from the man she always thought to be austere and reserved.
She preferred not to respond, looking carefully at the ground until the silence was broken by Becky’s cheery voice.
“Am I too heavy, Mr Darcy?”
“No, you are not, Miss Gardiner,” he answered politely, making the girls chuckle.
“You called me Miss Gardiner?”
“Yes, I did. Are you not, by any chance, Miss Gardiner?” Mr Darcy was determined to participate in the girl’s game to please Elizabeth.
“No, I am not Miss Gardiner. Margaret is Miss Gardiner; I am a spoiled, naughty girl,” she answered seriously as an introduction to herself, making him suppress a laugh.
“Spoiled and naughty is not good, you know,” Becky explained most sincerely in a low voice. “Mama and Mrs Burton call me that when they are angry with me.”
“I see. And how should I address you?”
“Oh, you can call me Becky.”
“All right then, Miss Becky.”
She shook her head, discontented with his lack of understanding. “Not Miss Becky—just Becky.”
“I am sorry; now I understand. Just Becky.” He cast a quick glance towards Elizabeth, content to meet her merry eyes watching them approvingly.
“You are very tall, Mr Darcy—taller than Lizzy and Papa. I feel like I am in a tree.” He did not really know how to respond, so she continued.
“My Aunt Bennet from Longbourn said you are tall and handsome and have ten thousand a year. I do not know what ten thousand is, but I think she is very fond of you, for she speaks about you all the time.”
Elizabeth lifted her eyes to her cousin, mortified and alarmed at what she might say next. She opened her mouth to stop her, but Mr Darcy quickly interceded.
“Thank you, Becky, and to Mrs Bennet too.”
He was smiling, amused not just by the little girl’s honest, unrestrained chatter but by Elizabeth’s obvious distress. She probably knew her cousin well and expected additional surprises to be revealed.
Breaking all the rules of proper behaviour, he could not help inquiring of Becky further, taking Elizabeth quite by surprise.
“And did Mrs Bennet say anything else about me?”
“Mr Darcy! You should not encourage her in this improper discussion! Perhaps a more neutral subject could be found?”
She was openly censuring him. Mr Darcy, however, was not desirous to lose such an unexpected opportunity of enjoying himself.
“I am sorry we upset you, Miss Elizabeth. We were only talking about—”
Becky leaned her little head closer and whispered into his ear, though loudly enough for anyone nearby to hear.
“I cannot tell you for sure what else she said, for I am not supposed to listen to the grown-ups talk.”
“I see. That is very proper indeed. I am glad you obeyed.”
He looked at Elizabeth, silently saying, Do not worry; I shall not ask anything to embarrass you further, and she relaxed a little.
Nevertheless, paying more attention to them than the path, her foot slipped and she was about to fall; at the last moment, she grabbed Mr Darcy’s arm.
“Miss Elizabeth, are you all right?”
“Yes, sir, I am perfectly fine.”
“Please take my arm. It will be safer that way.”
She could easily see the wisdom of his advice and kept her hand under his arm, her closeness making him feel a delightful sense of completion. But his moments of silent enjoyment disappeared in no time when Becky, helpfully, offered them a much better solution.
“Mr Darcy, you should carry Lizzy too. It would be safer that way!”
Elizabeth felt not only her cheeks but also her whole body blush violently. Her embarrassment grew beyond limits as the conversation continued.
“I am afraid I cannot do that, Becky.”
“Why not? Is she too heavy?”
He turned his head, looking at Elizabeth earnestly and intently as though measuring her, while Elizabeth, mortified and red-faced, desperately tried to hide her eyes and control the sudden shiver that overwhelmed her whole body under his stare.
“No, I do not think she is too heavy, but it would not be proper for a gentleman to carry a lady.”
Becky remained silent a few moments, thoughtful. “Are you certain about that, Mr Darcy? ’Cause I am sure I saw Papa carrying Mama to her room one evening after we were all gone to bed and I woke up to ask for a cup of milk.”
It was too much for him, and all he could do was look at the little girl in his arms, speechless, his eyes wide, as she obviously was expecting his opinion on the subject.
He dared to cast a glance at Elizabeth, and to his surprise, this time she was amused and smiled ironically at him.
Her expression said, I warned you not to encourage her.
“Uh…I am quite certain it would not be proper to do such a thing in public, but I am sure your father had a very good reason to do so. Perhaps your mother was not feeling well—and it was not in public, was it?”
She nodded her agreement, but her face still expressed puzzlement as Mr Darcy noticed a moment later.
“So it would have been proper for you to carry Lizzy if not in public? And if Lizzy felt unwell and still in public, would it then be proper to carry her?”