"So you've seen Georgiana recently? How has my darling niece been?" Catherine asked, as we sat on her couches and were served hot tea and honeyed biscuits by an overly attentive housekeeper.
"She's well. She visited us in New London," Will said, taking the mug of tea that was being forced into his hands, and putting it directly on the coffee table. The housekeeper looked distressed at his disinterest, and quickly shoved a coaster underneath his beverage before withdrawing from the room.
"And is she still playing piano?"
"Yes, she gets better every time I hear her. Elizabeth helped me acquire some more sheet music for her while we were in Meryton, and she's already learned to play half of them." Will was tapping his fingers on his leg and not meeting my eyes, and I wondered if he was thinking about our kiss.
"Do you play Miss Bennet?" Catherine asked.
"Not if I can help it," I said, smiling so I wouldn't offend her. I honestly didn't care what she thought of me, but I didn't want Charlotte to face any difficulties with her on my account.
"Nonsense. You will play for us," she demanded.
"No, really Ms. DeBourgh, it's been years since…" I trailed off as I watched her expression darken, "but I suppose I could see if there's something I could remember…" I stood and walked to the piano in the other room, fairly certain that this was more of a ploy to get me out of the room than to have musical entertainment. I took a deep breath, sat down, and attempted to play one of my favorites.
After a few minutes of getting my bearings and a few minutes of playing, I could feel a presence behind me. Richard, wiping his damp hands on a dish rag, sat down on the other side of the piano bench. He tossed the damp cloth on top of the piano and I wondered how long it would take for his aunt to notice and begin berating him.
"Now that is a very appropriate song for an occasion like this," he grinned, "Pixies, right? Where Is My Mind? Sneaky. That's exactly what I wonder every time I make the decision to visit Aunt Catherine."
"Ha, you caught me. Don't tell me it's this bad every time you visit her," I laughed.
"This is nothing. If the cook gets sick or no one is here to heat the hot water for her bath, she's like an angry bull at a flag factory. It's awful to watch. Or amusing, so long as you aren't her target."
"I can imagine. But I don't suppose you would ever be on her hit list. You're family."
He sighed dramatically and put his hand on his heart, "If only that were the case, Lizzie, if only that were the case."
I grinned. "What have you done to incur her wrath?"
"You mean besides putting my elbows on the table and showing up late to dinner functions, ruining them beyond repair? I once burned a large portion of her wardrobe."
"You did what? Why?" I struggled to contain my laughter.
"In my defense, I was drunk and going through a very strong anti-fur phase. Anne and Darcy tried to stop me, but those coats were so old that they caught like tinder and melted into little balls of plastic. I think Catherine was more pissed that we found out they were all fake."
"And how long did it take for her to forgive you?" I asked, laughing wholeheartedly now.
"Come to think of it, I'm not sure she has. Maybe we should ask her?"
I grabbed his arm as he stood up, devious look on his face. "Not a good idea. Wait until I leave, then you can let the bloodbath begin and tell me all about it in the morning."
"Smart girl. I guess everything I heard about you is true," he said, sitting back down, and waving hello to Will who was glaring daggers in our direction.
"What exactly did you hear about me? And more importantly, who did you hear it from? Because if it was Will, I'm not sure that's entirely fair since he doesn't like me. You can see he's scowling at me from the other room."
Rich laughed, "I'm pretty sure that look is intended for me. He does that whenever I'm getting on his nerves."
"But you're just sitting over here," I pointed out, "It's far more likely that he hates my playing. Or he's just annoyed that I'm at Rosings."
Richard bit back a smile but didn't say anything.
After another minute of playing, the man in question joined us, silently looming over the piano. It was extremely difficult to concentrate, but I was determined not to let him bother me. "Are you trying to scare me Will? Because I promise it won't work, even if your sister is a musical genius. I'm far too stubborn to let anyone intimidate me."
"Come on, I know you don't believe I'm trying to scare you," he said glancing at Richard, "She does this all the time. She enjoys making up people's intentions more than saying what she actually thinks of them."
I chuckled at Will's comment, "Thanks a lot, Darcy. Now your cousin isn't going to believe anything I say," I turned to Richard. "But since Will has unkindly decided to expose my secret identity, I can retaliate with some very terrible stories about him when he came to Meryton."
Will smiled at me, "I'm not afraid of you."
"You should be," I narrowed my eyes at him.
Richard was beside himself in anticipation, " Yes! I want every detail!"
"Prepare yourself, Richard. It was dreadful. The first time I ever saw Will was at the marketplace in Meryton, and what do you think he did the whole time?" I raised my eyebrows at Richard who smirked and shrugged and urged me to continue. "He stood around, looking at his shoes and practically growling at every person that got close enough to introduce themselves, even though Charlie was meeting everyone and trying to get him to join in."
"I didn't know anyone besides Charlie and his sisters," Will protested.
"Yes, I know," I said, sighing with excessive sympathy, "It's so difficult to meet people when there's so many people around." I turned to Richard, "Do you know any songs? I'm not sure I know any more off the top of my head."
"Maybe you would have thought better of me if I had introduced myself, but it's difficult for me to make new acquaintances."
"Why do you think your cousin, who happened to be the one of the most educated and well-travelled men in the room, wouldn't excel at meeting new people?" I tapped out the Jeopardy theme and looked at Richard.
"Hmmm, okay Trebek, I believe the answer is: 'What is one thing that Will Darcy doesn't want to be bothered doing?'" Richard cheekily grinned at Will, who shot a dirty look at his cousin.
"Unlike some of my family members, I'm very uncomfortable talking with strangers. Even when I do push myself to talk with someone I don't know, they seem to think that I'm uninterested or I end up talking about things they don't care about."
"Unlike some of your family members, I kind of suck at playing this piano. But I would say that it's my fault, since it's been about ten years since I've bothered to practice. Potentially, my fingers could be just as skilled as Motzart's."
Will smiled a little, "You're right. Though, to be fair, you play well enough that I doubt anyone would think you didn't practice."
Ms. DeBourgh, catching only the last snippet of Will's observation, interjected from the other room, "Yes, it does sound like you didn't practice. You can come over anytime you want and improve your playing. There's another piano in the basement, so we won't hear you when you're down there."
Will and Richard looked at each other, Richard smirking and Will rolling his eyes.
"I think I am going to go remind her about the fur coats..." Richard said, standing up again.
"NO!" Will and I spoke simultaneously, and Will put his hands on Richards shoulders, forcing him to sit.
"Well, at least you both agree about something," Rich said with a laugh.
The majority of nights were spent dining at the DeBourghs, and every morning, Charlotte attended Collin's daily spiritual activities at Catherine's house. I had no desire for yoga or meditation with crystals, so most mornings I was at loose ends. I had brought books with me, but the warm breeze wafting through the curtains called me outdoors more often than not. After a few days of exploring, I found an overgrown jogging trail outside the confines of Rosings. Though unkempt, the creeping vines and encroaching foliage only added to the wild beauty of the crumbling asphalt pathway. And a few miles out, the trail looped by a wide stream that was deep enough to swim in. I began a morning routine of running before breakfast, beating most of the direct sun and high heat. It was a quick run from the house to the gate, and then a leisurely jog to the trail and onwards.
One morning after a few weeks at Rosings, I woke up already sticky and overly warm, and I could tell it was going to be scorching before it reached noon. Though I left the house shortly after getting up, it was boiling hot and extremely humid by the time I hit my turn around point at the stream. I crouched down by the stream and splashed water on my face, relishing the cool temperature of the water. It looked so inviting, and I decided to swim for a while before I headed back to the house. Stripping off everything but my undergarments, I dropped my shoes and clothing on top of a slab of rock and stepped in to the water. Goosebumps prickled up my legs, but the temperature was instant relief from the heat. I walked to the center of the stream, and let my whole body sink under.
I surfaced and lay back in the water, listening to the sounds of birds and the wind and enjoying the feeling of the current flowing around me. The sound of a branch snapping suddenly sent my adrenaline into high gear. Panicked, I stood and rushed to where I had left my clothing, all the while looking for the source of the sound. Relief then annoyance washed over me when I realized it was Will.
"You know, a little warning would be nice if you feel like creeping up on someone when they're alone in the woods," I grumbled as I clutched my clothing to my chest and glared at him.
"Sorry, I didn't realize you were there," Will was dressed in gym shorts and an old t-shirt. He looked flushed and sweaty and his hair was a tousled mess, which irritatingly only made him more attractive.
"Yeah, well, this is the only good place to run."
"You've been running here a lot?" It didn't really sound like a question.
"Yeah, every morning. It's beautiful," I said.
"It is. I'll run back with you if you want."
Unsure of how to refuse him, I agreed. He was still staring at me, and I was steadily becoming more conscious of how little I was wearing and how the water in my hair was running in rivulets down my shoulders. I silently cursed the universe for constantly putting me in these awkward positions.
"Hey Darcy?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you turn around?"
"What?"
"I'd like to get dressed without an audience."
"Oh. OH, sorry!" He turned around, and I watched the color on the back of his neck flush a shade pinker. At least I wasn't the only one feeling uncomfortable.
I pulled my shirt and shorts on, and slid my feet back in to my shoes. I knotted the laces, and walked back up to the trail where Will still had his back turned. He gave me a sideways glance, "Ready?"
"Ready to beat you back," I scoffed jokingly, and began running back towards Rosings. Though I knew that Will was definitely in good shape, I wasn't expecting him to be able to keep up with me since I'd been running for years. He did, and easily. I pushed myself harder, but I couldn't lose him. He seemed to enjoy the competitiveness, and occasionally got ahead of me, forcing me to run faster in an effort to pass him. We kept up our back and forth until we reached the gates of Rosings simultaneously, exhausted and out of breath.
"See you at later?" he asked, as we walked to his Aunt Catherine's driveway.
"Yeah. I think Catherine invited us to dinner tomorrow."
"Okay," he nodded, as I left.
It happened again the next day. And the day after that. I'd start my run, and at some point I'd catch up with him, or he'd catch up with me. I didn't understand why, since I hadn't seen him at all the first weeks I'd run the path. But he didn't talk much and our competitive natures helped to make the time pass quickly while keeping up a rigorous pace. Before I knew it, we were running together almost daily, and dining together every other night at the DeBourghs.
It was the heat that was making me prickly and argumentative, I decided as Will and I began walking to cool down after our run. We had only run two thirds of what we usually ran before the heat was too intense, and in a most un-Will-like fashion, Will was being... talkative.
"But what would you do if someone came after you?"
I snorted, "Really? I don't know, but I'll go consult my street fighting handbook and get back to you."
"I'm not idly questioning you. You go alone to salvage all those houses, there's all kinds of unsavory characters out there."
"Fine, if I'm in danger, I run. Really fast." I caught Will's raised eyebrow. "Hypothetically, I'd run," I added quickly.
"And if they're faster than you, or if they catch you by surprise?"
"Haven't met anyone faster than me and nobody catches by surp-"
I was on my back in a heavy tuft of grass before I could blink, Will crouched over me, face inches from mine. One corner of his mouth curled up as he pinned my arms to my sides. "Care to finish that sentence?" he asked, dangerously soft.
To say that I was disconcerted was an understatement. Shaking off the momentary shock of what had just occurred, I wasn't too turned off of the feeling of his body against mine, but boy was I pissed he'd dropped me so easily. "The actual fuck do you think you're doing?" I growled, "Get. Off."
"Make me get off of you," he challenged.
I attempted to knee him in the stomach, but he scooted forward so my knees were helplessly straddling his waist. I managed to wrench my arms free and push at his chest, but he pressed his whole body weight downward and my arms buckled from the force. And I thought it couldn't get more awkward.
I shivered as his breath grazed my ear, "Close, love, but not quite. Lock your elbows and push at the top of my shoulders, not my chest."
The ease in which I was able to support his weight and keep him off of me was surprising.
"Now, twist one leg underneath me, put your foot against my leg… good. Drop your hands to my elbows, and pull your other leg underneath me."
Both my shins were underneath his chest, and he pulled back when pressing his weight downward yielded no results.
"And now I'm free to kick you in the face," I grinned evilly, shooting one foot upward, but stopping half an inch from Will's nose.
"Exactly," he said, as he took my arm and pulled me up off the ground.
I eyed him suspiciously. "And you couldn't have demonstrated that without throwing me into a wet pile of foliage?"
"Where would you have preferred me to throw you?" His question was loaded with insinuation.
Smug bastard, he wouldn't leave my humiliation on "that night" alone. Still, I could think of a few better places to be thrown. Several places in fact, and I had to shake my head to clear it of the abruptly graphic images that began to barge their way in. I must have been blushing scarlet. I cleared my throat and tore my gaze from him.
"Would you have been receptive to a lecture?" he asked.
"I suppose not," I answered honestly, "but you can't just… manhandle me because you have a point to prove."
"Noted. My apologies for the manhandling."
I began walking the pathway towards the house, then stopped and turned back to him. He regarded me with interest. "But maybe, if you know a few other moves, you could show me?"
"So you're asking for more manhandling."
"No! Well, yes, but just not the unexpected kind. Or the kind leaves twigs in my hair and burrs all over my clothes."
"I think that can be arranged."
As we walked back, he showed me two moves for getting out of a chokehold, the best way to escape if you're grabbed from behind, and pointed out all the weak points to take advantage of on a person's body.
"Where did you learn all these techniques? If you were secretly trained as a ninja, you're not being very stealthy if you're giving away all your best moves," I said, half-heartedly jabbing the heal of my palm to where he pointed, just below the center of his breastbone.
"That'll knock the wind out of someone if you hit hard enough," he said, straightening up and adjusting his shirt, "And you can thank my sister for my extensive knowledge on defensive techniques."
"She's the ninja?"
He grinned, "Pretty much. I hired an instructor for her a few months ago and I've been on her case about keeping up with it. My penalty is getting beat up by her all the time, but she's gotten good and I've learned most of the techniques too."
"I thought Pemberley was the gold standard in safety. Fences and security not keeping the looters out?"
His smile disappeared almost instantly, "If fences could keep out the sodding weasels who lie to your face and threaten the safety of everyone around them, she'd have no need for self-defense instructors. Sorry," he said, noticing the surprise on my face from the venomousness of his outburst, "touchy subject."
"No, I get it. I'd do anything to keep my sisters safe too," sniffing the air as we got close to DeBourghs, "What's that smell?"
"Tacos."
"Liar."
"Not lying, it's tacos. Richard insisted on them for dinner."
I could live off of tacos. In fact, there was a whole year in college where Charlotte and I pretty much did live off of tacos. Cut to several years later with nary a Taco Bell in sight, I was more than ready to divert to any tactic, wholesome or not, to be invited to dinner.
"So about these tacos..." I began.
"I suppose I'll see you at six?" Will smirked.
I broke out into a grin and raised my arms victoriously. As I skipped away, I tuned back, "And Will?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for knocking me over."