Disclaimer: I do not own Pride & Prejudice, the plot is of my own imaginings, and any characters that are unfamiliar.
10 December, 1811
As the sun rose further into the sky Darcy noted that it grew darker. It wasn't a sudden darkening. It was a slow thickening of clouds in front of the sun. If, Mr. Darcy were walking with anyone else, he may have paid more attention to the weather. As it was, Darcy was walking with Elizabeth Bennet, someone who not only thoroughly distracted him, but also made him willfully negligent. Darcy did not want to even suggest turning back. In fact, Darcy had been so absorbed he was not quite sure where they had wandered too.
"And so," Elizabeth spoke, "I was forbidden from climbing trees."
Darcy frowned, "You actually hung every single one of your mother's bonnets in a tree?"
"Oh yes," Elizabeth nodded. "I had very little choice."
"I can't believe that," Darcy chuckled.
"And what would you have done if your mother or father had forced you to dress as a sheep for a Christmas party?"
"I suppose you are right," Darcy admitted. "That is a little hard to bear."
"A little," Elizabeth asked indignantly. "I looked ridiculous!"
"No," Darcy denied, "I am sure you made a very pretty sheep."
Elizabeth scoffed, "And you call me a tease, you Sir, are the one teasing me now!"
"Well, Miss Elizabeth, perhaps we should make a pact," Darcy asked, a slight grin taking over his face.
Lizzy breathed deeply, "What kind of a pact, Sir?"
"We will never force our children to dress up as animals," the tone he spoke with was so warm, warm but innocuous.
Elizabeth could do nothing but smile, she would certainly never dress her children up, and if Mr. Darcy could learn from her pain, she supposed that was a good thing. "Consider it made."
Darcy's left hand moved to lay over the hand on his arm. He stroked the back of Elizabeth's hand gently, god how he wished she would understand him. He had made a small step in the right direction. Elizabeth no longer misunderstood his intentions, she simply didn't understand. Fitzwilliam Darcy was nothing if not determined. If he wanted something, he worked for it. Elizabeth Bennet was no different, Darcy desired her beyond anything else he ever had in his life, and he would make her fall in love with him.
He watched her, Lizzy's face was serene, her body relaxed. The pulse in her neck had calmed. Darcy knew he needed to unsettle her, putting her off balance would make her wonder, make her understand.
"We talked about your cousin Edward," Darcy continued, "does that mean you are fond of all children?"
Elizabeth nodded, "Yes. I love children, especially babies, they are just so sweet and loving."
The relaxed smile and spread to her eyes, brightening them, Darcy thought. That was good. "Did you help care for your youngest sister?"
"I was too young to be trusted with Lydia, but when I was a little older, my father would take me to visit the families that reside on our land," Elizabeth explained, "I remember that was the first time I held a baby on my own."
Darcy chuckled, "I remember the first time I held Georgiana, she was so small, and if you can believe it I was very small then too. I cannot imagine how small she seemed to my father."
Lizzy smiled, "Is your sister the only baby you've held?"
"Yes," Darcy admitted.
Elizabeth smiled sweetly, "They always seem small, and some are so tiny it seems impossible."
"Do you often care for others' children," Darcy asked, his own smile coming to the front.
"Jane is better with the older children but she gets a little nervous with the young ones," Elizabeth informed Darcy. "I usually get to help with the little ones."
"Then you must want children of your own," Darcy prodded.
Elizabeth pulled away from Darcy, spinning on the ball of her foot and walking backwards in front of him. "Oh, but you must have heard that I am determined to 'die an old maid'?"
"I cannot believe that to be true," Darcy mourned the loss of her beside him, but this allowed him to watch her more closely.
Elizabeth grinned, locking her hands behind her back, a little pop in each step she took. "Mr. Darcy, any sensible woman would have accepted a proposal of marriage when, as I have been informed, another offer of marriage is unlikely to be made."
"Then why did you reject Mr. Collins," Darcy asked, taking a slightly larger step, bringing him just a slight bit closer to Elizabeth. She didn't seem to notice.
Elizabeth giggled the fresh air and the easy conversation going to her head. "I am hardly sensible, Mr. Darcy."
"Oh," Mr. Darcy took another larger step, "I think that depends on your understanding of sensibility. I think, that had you accepted you would be highly insensible, Miss Elizabeth."
Elizabeth blushed, her head tilting downward softly. "So, in your inscrutable mind, it is sensible to reject safety and future security?"
"Inscrutable," Darcy chuckled at the description. "Yes, I think in this case that inscrutable is an apt description, especially considering the subject."
"You," Elizabeth skipped backwards, her boots crunching on fresh snow, "are avoiding the question."
"I had no intention s of avoiding giving an answer, Miss Elizabeth."
"Then give one," Elizabeth prompted.
"I do not think rejecting future safety and security is sensible, however, those things must be balanced with happiness," Darcy intoned, catching her gaze and holding it.
The smile that had disappeared returned slowly, cracking the near frown that had taken hold of her face. "The same cloth," she whispered softly. "You are in the minority in this," Elizabeth grinned. "Charlotte often tells me that happiness is a matter of chance in marriage."
"And you believe as I do," Darcy pressed, "that happiness is something you make, something you seek?"
"Yes. I do not think we can live merely on chance," Elizabeth nibbled her lower lip. "We take chances, we sometimes regret those choices, but we make them. We choose to walk today, Mr. Darcy, but what if you had left later, would we be here at this moment? We make the best of what life gives us, we make the best choices we can, and make the best of the outcomes."
Darcy couldn't help but admire the fire in Elizabeth's eyes. This is what he loved about her, the passion that resided in her soul that pushed the bounds of her being and infected those around her. "Have you given it much thought," Darcy asked lightly.
Elizabeth blushed terribly, "When you have as many sisters as I, you take advantage of any time you can to think in peace."
"I suppose that is one advantage to being considered taciturn, I am very often left alone with my thoughts," Darcy grinned.
A cool mist brushed Elizabeth's cheeks. She tipped her head back, bonnet sliding off her head the tied ribbon keeping it from dropping into the snow. Peering up into the sky, Elizabeth traced the path of the clouds, they moved slowly to her eyes, but she knew they were actually moving quite quickly. They had darkened, from snow white to a muddy grey. The mist was cold and it left her curls damp, Elizabeth frowned, how had the weather gotten away from her. Usually she was quite aware of the conditions, years of experience teaching her that it was important to be observant.
Darcy had watched her and the concern that flashed in her eyes briefly. He knew well enough that this sort of mist could quickly turn into rain, and rain in this temperature quickly froze. "We should head back before the weather takes a turn for the worse, we should hurry."
Elizabeth nodded, running one gloved hand through her loosed hair. "Netherfield is only about half a mile away."
Darcy blinked in surprise, she was gesturing the way they had been walking, had he gotten turned around as they walked? He didn't know. Darcy shook the thought from his mind and began to walk once again, only to have Elizabeth start off in another direction.
He turned, wrapping his hand around her wrist, "Where are you going?"
"Home," Elizabeth smiled, tugging from his grip.
"No," Darcy took a step toward her. "I cannot allow you to walk alone, we should take shelter at Netherfield and wait until the weather clears before I escort you back to Longbourn," Darcy reasoned hopefully.
Elizabeth looked unconvinced. "It isn't so far, I will fine, Sir."
"This is a choice," Darcy tried once more, "If I allowed you to walk alone, I would regret it, Miss Elizabeth. I cannot take that chance."
Elizabeth bit her lip and agreed with a quick nod.
The mist had gotten heavier and colder, and Darcy had escorted Elizabeth into the safety of Netherfield's stable rather than risk walking another quarter mile in probable rain. The stable was empty but for several horses. Darcy hauled the heavy doors shut, muscles straining and his breath forming a cloud in the air.
When the doors closed with a thud, Darcy turned back to Elizabeth, she stood in the center of the barn, her face slick with moisture. Moving forward, Darcy went and made his way to light the lanterns spread through the space. When he finally stopped in front of Elizabeth Darcy had spread a blanket on the ground and held another in his arms. Not speaking, Darcy unfurled the blanket and wrapped it around Elizabeth's shoulders, he had stepped a little too close, but he couldn't help himself. She looked so sweet and so wild, he wanted to kiss her and feel the heat of her light form pressed against him.
"How are you," Darcy asked, his voice slow and broken with deep breaths.
Elizabeth smiled as best she could with Mr. Darcy standing so near, and his hands curled around her shoulders. "Fine."
He stepped back, pulling Elizabeth with him. Darcy was barely keeping control of himself, it would be so easy to pull her into his arms, warm her better than any blanket could. "Sit," he nodded to the blanket he had led her too.
In a jumble, his hands still attached to Elizabeth, Darcy managed to seat himself in front of Elizabeth, her skirts crumpled and twisted. Slowly, his hands slid from her shoulders, down her arms and to her hands. She didn't pull away, although she did glance away from him.
"Are you hungry," Darcy asked, "it's well past noon."
Elizabeth nodded, "Are you suggesting we pilfer some oats?"
"No," Darcy laughed as he released her hands to dig into his overcoat pocket. Extracting a large red apple and a small covered blade, Darcy set about slicing the apple, having already shed his gloves.
As a slice was cut, he extended it to Elizabeth, watching for a few seconds as it was raised to her lips and how they formed around the fruit before Darcy would have to force himself to look away lest he cut himself.
Somewhere around the third slice, Darcy looked up only to find a figure behind Elizabeth. Darcy bit his cheek as Elizabeth fed the apple slice the tall black stallion that had dropped his muzzle over her shoulder and nosed her lap for more apple. Elizabeth reached one hand up to scratch at the stallion's ear, smiling at the brazen creature.
Darcy tried to frown, "Cricket, that is not how a gentleman behaves."
"Cricket? Is he yours," Elizabeth wondered, watching the man before her in the dim light.
"Yes, named by my sister," Darcy said.
In truth, Darcy was only jealous, jealous of his own horse. Cricket was enjoying her attentions without censure, he was being fed, and stroked, and embraced by his Elizabeth. God how he wished he could rest his head against her neck, to kiss her wrists, and her neck, and God he would give anything to kiss those soft pink lips.
His breathing quickened, Darcy set aside the knife and the rest of the apple and reached out to cup Elizabeth's hands in his. She didn't move, her own bare fingers twining with his on instinct.
"Elizabeth," he breathed.
"Mr. Darcy," Elizabeth asked.
"Fitzwilliam," Darcy corrected. "Please."
Silence fell, their hands still linked before Darcy found his tongue once more, "This is one of the chances, the choices you spoke of."
"Chance favors the prepared mind."
-Louis Pasteur
A/N: 11/25. This is a little late I know. I am finally home, it took me forever to pack and drive home. Someone asked if the quotes are the prompt for the chapter, they aren't. I usually find a word or a theme as I go, something will crop up and I'll take it from there. I do enjoy quotes, they are really fascinating. Anyway, thanks for the reviews, and I'll see you tomorrow!