Chapter 2
"What is the matter with you, William?" Richard asked, as he puffed on his cigar after dinner, after everyone else had retired. "You have been restless and irritable all week long and I hate to see you mope about in this stupid manner. I leave the day after tomorrow and I hope I can help you with whatever you are sulking about, cousin. Did you leave a beautiful woman in Scotland? Are you mourning the loss of some temptress who is not fit to be your wife? Crossed in an unrequited love?"
William snapped at his cousin who was his least favourite right now, "Shut it, Richard! You know nothing about love!" He looked up and saw the crushed expression of his older cousin, remembering Mrs. Jenkinson and Richard's care for Anne de Bourgh's companion. He sat down and sipped his drink, "I am sorry, Richard. I should not have said that. I forgot about your situation with Mrs. Jenkinson."
Richard took a deep breath, "Tell me what is wrong. It has to do with a girl, does it not? Is it Lizzy? Do you find her infinitely attractive and wish to marry her but she is only fifteen?" He began to laugh as he watched William's astonished face. "I had wondered why you shooed me off from Lizzy's shooting lesson last week and Uncle George had no idea why you said he had called for me. I have seen your face whenever she makes her daily calls, William. You are in love with her and you have no idea what to do."
William scratched his head, "You are exactly right, of course. My heart dropped to my stomach the first moment I saw her last week and I cannot get her out of my head. This is Lizzy we are speaking of! The hoyden who climbs trees and chastises me to chew my food more. The little girl who dreams of being a pirate and wants to sail the seas; how can she be the one that I fall completely head over heels in love? I have known her for nearly six years and I wrote to her daily during my travels, and she knows me better than anyone else and thinks of me like a brother. I thought of her like a sister and she has been my dearest friend for years, but I see her now and everything is different. My heart beats wildly, I cannot breathe, and my body... my body reacts like no decent gentleman's should. I have resigned to staring out the window to try to calm myself whenever she is near me... She is gorgeous and if it were any other lady, I might have proposed the same day. I do not know what to do."
"Ah," Richard nodded in understanding. "I wondered why you kept insisting that I join your shooting lessons after that first day, and you are never alone with her. Lizzy mentioned that she has not seen you at her tree since your return and she seemed to be sad about it. I think she misses your company."
"I have been going to our tree every morning. I cannot stay away from it since it is the most peaceful place in the world for me. I think about her when I sit there and how much has changed since the first time I caught her in my arms all those years ago, Richard. She was such a beautiful little child then." He laughed, "I liked her immediately and could not wait to hear what else would come out of her mouth. I found her fascinating then."
Richard smirked, "And you find her fascinating still. Just in a more... gentlemanly fashion."
"It is beyond fascination. I find her most tempting and I need some distance from her to think straight. She is not what I had envisioned as a wife and she has no dowry and the opposite of what I had been looking for, but she is... I desire her more than anything I wanted in my life." He sighed, "I am going to ask father if I may go to London with you in two days. I can have Darcy House opened up and you can stay with me instead of at the barracks with the lowly officers." William smiled as he looked at his cousin. "I know how much you detest staying there and I would not mind having you for company. Now that you are a high-ranking officer, you have much more free time and can go to the club with me. I need to be away from her for a while until I can sort this out, or at least until she grows up a little more. I am afraid that I will disgrace myself to be in her vicinity next two months and she is still fifteen."
Richard asked, "What are your intentions? Any woman would be fortunate to marry you, William."
"I never felt like this before, Richard, and cannot imagine life without her. I have always loved her but I want her as my wife now. No one else compares and I envisage my future with her by my side, having a marriage like my parents' and her becoming my perfect companion. If I wait until she is sixteen and propose, I think I can wait for a one-year engagement and marry her as soon as she is seventeen. That is a decent age for a girl to be wed, do you not think?" William asked his cousin, "Mama was seventeen when she married, even if she was closer to eighteen at the time."
"Your mind is made up, then?" Richard asked. "You will take Lizzy for your wife? She is still a fiery little thing but turned out to become a beautiful woman. Her figure... wow... if I were not an engaged man..." He laughed to see William reddening. "I jest, I jest! I am far too old for her!"
William finally relaxed and sat back. "Yes, you are, Richard, and I will not lose her to anyone else. Father said mama has been working on her to convince her to find a husband and I know she will accept me. She will have much to learn to be a good mistress to my homes but she is intelligent and will be a quick study. Yes, it is a good plan, do you concur?"
Richard nodded, "Perhaps you and I will both be wed by next year spring. After my year is up, I plan on retiring and Laura will marry me next year. I saw her at Matlock and she is as beautiful as ever and I was able to convince her to marry me. Our betrothal is still a secret but once I retire, I will have Rosings and my father, the great earl, will not be able to stop me. I know he will disapprove my marrying Anne's companion with a scandalous past but I care naught and Laura will become the Mistress of Rosings when we return there." He laughed. "It will cause quite a ruckus but I will gladly accept it. We will be blissfully happy and laugh at the harpies who are envious of our marriage."
"I am happy for you, Richard." William stated. "I apologise that I was a jealous fool. I thought you might have been desiring Lizzy's attentions and I could not help myself. Look at us, cousin, both of us in love with our ladies and we will marry next year. I am glad we spoke, Richard. Very glad, indeed."
"Well, good night, William. When you have made arrangements with your father, we will depart in two days." Richard stood. "You will have to explain your absence to Lizzy, you know. What will you tell her?"
William smiled, "I will tell her I am seeing to my solicitor for some personal business. I will have to make plans for the settlement papers, am I not correct?"
Richard laughed and departed for his rooms while William sat in the library and contemplated his future. Lizzy would be a wonderful companion for him and even if she was rough around the edges, his mother would be able to help model her in the areas she was deficient and Lizzy would become his perfect wife. He planned on treating her to anything she wished, to fence with her and teach her to shoot, and even climb trees with her if she desired, as long as it was in private and she could assimilate to what the accomplished ladies did in the drawing rooms the rest of the times. He was certain she would be readily willing to forfeit some of her masculine capabilities in order to meet his expectations as Mrs. Darcy. Lizzy would have her heart's desire as his wife and he would have his heart's desire with her.
"I did not think I would see you here, Will." Lizzy spoke from the tree branch where she sat. "You have not come to see me all week and you have not spoken with me like you used to do. Are you very disappointed in me? I know I have changed on the outside but I am still the same person inside." She climbed down then patted Snowflake's nose. "I missed you, Snowflake. You were kept at Pemberley for so long these years."
William dismounted from the horse, "You have grown beautifully and I am pleased to be here, my dear. I had a decision to make before I could come here, Lizzy, and I made it last night." He drew close to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I am sorry for having been distant. I have missed you." He lifted her to her toes and embraced her, burying his nose on the crook of her neck.
Lizzy laughed, "Your face tickles! You are behaving so strangely, Will!" She wiggled and broke free from his embrace. "Can we go riding on Snowflake today? I missed riding with you so much!"
"Yes, my dear," William chuckled. "We will do anything you wish today. I will be departing to London with Richard in the morning but I will spend the entire day with you today."
"But I thought you were done with your travels!" Lizzy frowned. "You were to stay here for several months."
William gently stroked her hand with his fingers, "I must go on a matter of urgent business, Lizzy. Father said the Bennet clan is joining us for Easter again in London so I will see you there in March and we will have your birthday celebration there once again. It has become quite the tradition, has it not? I hope it will be a very special birthday for you this year."
Lizzy, with her affectionate and natural disposition, was not made for melancholy and she immediately cheered. "Papa has promised me to take mama and Jane to the horse races this year and I will be able to show them how to place their bets like you showed me, Will. I was able to attend the theatre last year and although I detested the dinner parties, your mama has promised a grand ball with Lady Matlock and I am most curious if these exclusive events are all that they are rumoured to be. I will laugh at all the ladies dripping in jewels and perhaps one of them will trip and fall on her face! Good lord, that will likely be ME! I hope you will be there to help me, Will! I am still terrible at dancing and I cannot remember all of the steps in order."
William assisted her up onto his horse and raised himself up to sit behind her. "I will teach you the steps and we will dance every set together. We will cause a scandal for dancing too many sets and everyone will frown and we will laugh." He chuckled. "You are definitely big enough now, Lizzy. Your papa was right. You are ready for your own horse."
"I am going to go fast, Will. You can hold on to me if you do not wish to fall." Lizzy confidently stated. "I have learned to ride a side-saddle, did you know? Your mama taught me, but I like riding astride best." She commanded, "Fly, Snowflake! Make us fly!"
William laughed and kicked the horse as he held onto the saddle, and Lizzy soon stood upright with her arms raised as he took over the reins. She walloped in joy and leaned back against his body when she sat back down, and William wrapped one arm around her waist with a large grin on his face, eager to propose to her and make her his betrothed as soon as possible.
After they travelled to Netherfield and dismounted, William grabbed Lizzy's hand and pulled her in excitedly as they ran into the house. "I have something for you, Lizzy. I brought it for you from a small shop in Scotland that I found and I thought you would like it."
He walked her to the library where he had left the gift. It was a small box that fit in one hand and Lizzy rapidly unwrapped it.
"I brought gifts for the others and I handed them out earlier but I wanted to make this one special and waited to give it to you, Lizzy. I was... I had to make a decision and after speaking with Richard, I know what I need to do and I wanted you to have this before I left. I will see you in two months and I will continue to write to you, but I hope you remember me every time you see it."
Lizzy gasped when she saw the beautiful gold watch. It was on a chain that could be worn around her neck, but she was especially surprised to see the beautiful engravings of flowers on the casing. She opened it and the watch began to play music.
"It is a musical watch from Switzerland. The owner of the little shop escaped France after the war began and brought the most valuable of the pieces with him." William explained. "There are little metal pins that run across the steel teeth and it makes the music notes as the rod spins."
Lizzy looked up and smiled with her eyes moist, "It is the most beautiful watch I have ever seen, Will." She placed the chain around her neck, "Thank you for thinking of me. You have been always so kind to me and you are the best brother I could have ever asked for! Thank you, Will!" She reached up to kiss his cheek but he turned his head and she pecked him on his lips. She smiled as she released him and took a step back to gaze at her watch again. "Thank you! I wish to go and show it to Georgiana immediately! Did you get her one as well?"
"No, Lizzy. I purchased the finest lace for her but the watch only for you. I remembered." William responded as he attempted to steady his heart. "Go on, dear; off with you to your lessons. Father said you are now studying Spanish and Miss Carter is learning more from you than she is able to teach you." He chuckled. "You are incredible, Miss Elizabeth Bennet."
Lizzy grinned and ran off to the nursery to meet with Georgiana and the governess. Now being out in society, she had no further need to sit in the nursery with the eleven-year-old girl, but Lizzy enjoyed learning constantly and wished to never stop.
William rubbed his chest where his heart had nearly beat out of his chest after her lips met his. He hoped the next two months would fly as Snowflake could run, so that he could propose to the woman of his dreams.
