AN: Oh, such nice reviews - made me think that I am making this all a little too angsty. Didn't set out to do that, but it's just where the story is going. SO I thought maybe I'd give you nice people a slightly frothy interlude here. It's a bit of a detour, but not a derailment; back to our regularly scheduled angst soon.
Elizabeth rose early and set out on a walk, following her customary path. The mist rose lazily off the ground and the dew sparkled on the edge of the leaves. She felt a profound sense of comfort at being in these familiar places, as though the woods were an old friend with a warm embrace.
She had reached her favorite spot, a promontory on the edge of the forest that overlooked a meadow, when she realized there was a saddled horse there, grazing. She looked about and saw Mr. Darcy, sitting against a tree, his arm casually resting against one knee.
"I thought I remembered correctly where you preferred to walk."
She looked at him, stunned at first and then slowly smiling.
"You left without saying goodbye," he said softly, looking up at her with a serious expression on his face.
She undid her cloak and spread it on the ground, sitting next to him.
"Ah, but it is you who did not come to see me off!"
He smiled, "True. I thought you might like some breathing room."
"And yet here you are."
"Indeed. Well, it was quite rude of me to let you go without a farewell and I felt I must make amends."
"Very sensible of you. Quite gentlemanly."
His smile faded and he took her hand. "The truth is that I could not bear knowing you were so close without seeing you."
"You went years without seeing me, Fitzwilliam," she pointed out.
"Yes," he said, "but it is not the same; you know that."
"Is my Thomas well?" she asked, not meeting his eyes.
"Yes, very well," Darcy responded. "The ship captain vanquished the tiger and turned his hide into a cape. Now he is on an expedition to rescue the lost Hindu princess."
She smiled at him. "How came she to be lost?"
"A powerful sorcerer has stolen her away and hidden her in a castle concealed in the clouds."
"And how will this brave captain rescue her?"
"It will be a long and arduous quest," he said, lowering his voice dramatically, "with many obstacles in the path."
"What manner of obstacle?"
"The road is bewitched to take many turns and be difficult to follow, and there are demons along the way, distractions and temptations, jealous kings..."
"My goodness," Elizabeth exclaimed. "It sounds as though he may never reach her!"
"Those obstacles are nothing to our intrepid hero," he promised. "He will not be dissuaded."
"So he will find her?"
"Ah, that depends," he said solemnly. "For the magic that keeps her prisoner in the clouds is very powerful, albeit deceptively simple."
He paused for effect. "She has to want to be found."
She laughed delightedly and swatted him on the arm.
"You do have a way of making your point, sir!" They both laughed, then he stretched his long frame and stood.
"I should return to Netherfield," he said, "Shall I walk you back toward the house first?" He offered her his hand, helping her to her feet. Then he retrieved her cloak and fastened it about her. Elizabeth held her breath, amazed that such a commonplace act could carry so much meaning.
"How is Mrs. Bennet?" he inquired as they walked.
"I fear she will not live much longer," Elizabeth responded, and he murmured condolences. "But she is true to form to the last. I have never been my mother's favorite, and in turn have found her behavior to be a frequent embarrassment," she said, matter-of -factly. "I never understood why my father married her; they seem so ill-matched. I did not like to think he would be swayed by beauty alone." Elizabeth sighed, "but I begin to understand that just as many do not have the opportunity to choose whom they will marry, we do not always choose who will be master of our hearts, either. Some are unlucky in their marriages; some are unlucky in their masters."
"That seems to hold true in the bonds between mother and daughter. As burdensome as my mother can be, I love her and find I am not ready to lose her. So I will not stay long in London," she concluded.
They walked in silence for a moment. "I think I should leave you here," Darcy finally said, as they approached the house. He turned to face her, holding both her hands in his. "I feel very lucky, indeed, that you are the master of my heart, Elizabeth. I hope those are feelings you might return someday."
"I already do, Fitzwilliam, I think you know that. We are past the age of pretense, and neither of us was ever much given to it" she said in a level voice. "But my heart still has more than one master to contend with." She looked at him with a small, sad smile: "I am not yet ready to be found."
He smiled back at her, and then leaned in to kiss her once again. This kiss persisted a bit longer than the one in the library, and when he pulled away, Elizabeth found her arms acting of their own accord, reaching up around his neck and pulling him back to her. He eagerly kissed her again, their lips moving against each other naturally, as dance partners familiar with each other's steps. She felt an energy sweep through her, suffusing her face and tingling at her fingers, a small sound of surprise escaping her at the intensity of the feeling. As their lips parted and tongues touched, a swooning sensation came over her.
They broke away from each other, faces close together, both breathing heavily.
"Elizabeth," Darcy said wonderingly, his fingers touching her face.
They stood like that for some time. Elizabeth felt as though the laws of gravity were bending to hold her there; she could not move away from him. He, however, seemed free from such constraints and took a step back. He reached for her hands and brought them reverently, lightly to his lips.
"Elizabeth, I am nearly 40 years old now," he said, "And while it is true I have not traveled on the continent, there is not much that is new to me. Not much that surprises me. But that was a surprise: I have never, in all my years, felt anything near to that."
Elizabeth nodded, not trusting herself to speak.
He touched his lips to her hands one more time before releasing her. "Hurry home, Lizzy," he said, voice husky with emotion. Then he turned on his heel and strode purposefully away.