Through a Window
By Agent Malkere
Disclaimer: I own nothing – it was the great Jane Austen who created these characters. Except for the dog – that was a creation of Pamela Aidan's who wrote a trilogy based on P&P, but I digress. The gist of it is – I claim no ownership or copyrights.
Miss Elizabeth Bennet slowly made her way to the edge of the crowd near the windows where the air was slightly cooler and the gossiping was maintained at a far less intense level than the center of the party. Normally, Lizzie would have enjoyed a social occasion like this, but as usual all of her family – except for Jane – seemed to be doing their best to once again publicly humiliate her and themselves. Marry had gained control of the pianoforte and was mercilessly banging out something that might have been Bach, Kitty and Lydia were dancing and flirting unabashedly with every young man in sight, and Mrs. Bennet was gossiping in a circle of other women at the top of her voice. There were a few bright parts to the dinner party however. It was being held at Netherfield Hall and therefore Mr. Bingley and Jane were able to spend more time together and Mr. Darcy had yet to make an appearance. Actually, from the conversation Elizabeth had accidentally overheard between Bingley and another man, Darcy should have been back by then. He was riding somewhere on the Netherfield grounds which was just as well as far as she was concerned. And it had been raining all afternoon which wasn't really a good thing but Lizzie took a small, malicious pleasure in imagining a wet and bedraggled Mr. Darcy.
With a sigh of relief, Elizabeth finally broke free of the crowd and glanced out one of the tall, dark windows which looked out over the stables. Lanterns reflected brightly and almost appeared to dance on the surfaces of the long, black puddles. Elizabeth was about to turn away from the window when a flicker of movement in the darkness caught her eye. As she watched, the shapes of a horse and rider and a dog seem to form from the congealed shadows of the stable yard.
Elizabeth frowned slightly to herself and moved closer to the window. Who could be out riding in such ghastly weather?
The dog, a hound of some sort, bounced and weaved enthusiastically between the horse's legs causing the steed to jig nervously in place, but the hound was undeterred. Lizzie smiled, the dog reminded her of several people who were attending this party. The rider swung off the horse lightly and nimbly then handed the reins to a groom who had also materialized out of the gloom of the stables. The groom waited patiently as the rider also removed his hat and stripped off his gloves and handed them over as well before finally leading the horse away. Giving his horse one last pat on the flank before it was returned to its stall, the rider turn his attention back to the hound who was now sitting, its tail thumping against the ground. Elizabeth had the impression that the rider was smiling, though she wasn't sure because she couldn't actually see his face. He knelt down, careful not to let his knees touch the muddy ground, to scratch the dog behind the ears but this turned out not to be a very good idea on the rider's part. As if suddenly realizing his mistake, the man made several frantic gestures just as the hound launched itself off the ground, hitting the rider in the chest with both front paws and bowling him over backwards straight into a mud puddle where on the dog proceeded to enthusiastically lick the rider's face.
Elizabeth had to cover her mouth with one hand to prevent herself from laughing out loud as she watched the scene before her unfold.
The rider squirmed in an attempt to get out from under the dog's weight and finally managed to roll the animal off. He surveyed the damage the hound had done then threw his head back and laughed, scratching the dog behind the ears as it tried to knock him over again. The rider finally stood up slowly stretching his shoulders as he did so, still smiling widely, and Elizabeth let out a small gasp as the lantern light finally caught his face. It was Mr. Darcy!
She watched in stunned shock as Darcy, dripping wet and grimy, slowly headed for a more discreet entrance into Netherfield than the front door still smiling and laughing to himself.
Miss Bennet shook her head to herself in amazement, turning away from the window. Maybe, Mr. Darcy isn't quite so bad after all.
A/N: Please review! For now this is a oneshot, but I'm open to suggestions if people out there would like me to continue! Oh, and I solemnly swear that I will up date 'Another Chance' just as soon as I have a clue as to what could happen next. I promise to do my best to up date that story soon!