a/n: A portion of this chapter was inspired by an idea given by a reviewer. I owe my thanks to you.
Elizabeth tensed. So he had found her again. Both stood in silence as Darcy was unsure of how to speak. Elizabeth sensed Darcy's cowardliness and anger spewed out of her uncontrollably.
Without a word, she bent over, picked up a stone, and threw it at Darcy's reflection. The stone momentarily destroyed Darcy's reflection, sending ripples out in every direction as its weight displaced the water. When the ripples calmed, Darcy's reflection appeared as it was. Without another thought, Elizabeth picked up another pebble and cast it at his reflection again. The pebbles came one after another; one after another.
Darcy gazed at Elizabeth, standing as still as he could. Her loose brown curls hung gently around her face, her dress blowing from the gentle breeze. Through Elizabeth's reflection, Darcy saw her eyes. Her wounded eyes were full of abandonment and pain. Her face was pale and her expression was disheartening. Her body was stripped of its usual flawless posture and was now slightly slumped. She looked so vulnerable; so fragile. How he wanted to shield her from everything in the world that threatened her happiness.
His heart ached for her. His heart ached for every stone she unhesitatingly cast at his reflection; every feeling of hurt that ruthlessly rendered her helpless. His heart ached for her misery and felt for her despair. His heart longed to attain what should have been, and his heart deeply regretted every action he had taken that landed him away from Elizabeth.
Unable to contain himself any longer, Darcy found himself addressing Elizabeth.
"If it will help you any more, Miss Elizabeth, may I be so bold as to advise you that throwing the rocks directly at me will actually inflict more pain than what you are currently doing."
Elizabeth dropped her arm and the pebble she held in her hand fell to the floor with a gentle thump. A moment of silence passed between the couple.
"I will never hurt you in my knowledge, Mr. Darcy. I can never hurt you. Surely you must know that."
Her large, hazel eyes sincerely stared into his, sending waves of heat that coursed through Darcy's body. Darcy gazed back at her, unsure of where to begin. Wishing more than ever that he had taken the time to compose a respectable and admirable apologetic speech, Darcy found himself at loss for words.
In response to Elizabeth's statement, all he had to offer was a meek nod.
"Miss Bennet," he finally croaked. "I have some explaining that I need to do. There are misunderstandings between us that need to be sorted out and taken care of."
"Mr. Darcy, I have already heard what you have to say. Quite frankly, I have little interest to whatever else you might have in mind to tell me," Elizabeth curtly responded as she tried to distant herself from him.
"Miss Elizabeth—please—it pains me greatly to know that we are not on the same level of understanding. Therefore, I earnestly beg you to listen to me."
Darcy was pleading now. Elizabeth saw right through his eyes and found the sincere desperateness of the man standing in front of her. Her gaze softened on him, and she took a step closer to him.
"I will hear what you have to say, Mr. Darcy. However, it must wait until after the wedding celebrations. I must hurry back now, for the wedding toasts are soon to begin," Elizabeth answered, looking at the ground.
"As long as you will hear me, Miss Elizabeth—I will wait as long as I have to," Darcy responded, a look of relief spreading across his face.
"Please allow me to escort you back to the estate," Darcy said as he offered Elizabeth his arm.
Elizabeth hesitated. Concluding that it was probably going to be the last time she could ever slip her arms around Darcy again, Elizabeth took his arms and the two proceeded towards Netherfield. Although Elizabeth wanted to savor the time she spent by Darcy's presence, she forced herself not to allow her own selfishness result in her missing Jane's wedding toast.
Elizabeth and Darcy were one of the last people to enter the grand ballroom. Jane's face radiantly blushed as Charles stood next to her, holding a glass of wine.
"I am more than blessed to have Jane as my wife," Charles beamed. "I have never thought before that such a beautiful woman would one day be alongside me as my bride. I have always wished, but now I am more than delighted to know that my wish has become reality. Therefore, I would like to hold the ball today in the honor of my dearest Jane. I would also like to offer my deepest gratitude for all who are present today—our wedding day is something truly memorable and special to the both of us. Thank you for being part of it."
The crowd of people cheered and clapped. Jane's cheeks crimsoned as she threw a shy smile and look at Charles. The music promptly began, and the couples broke off as the dancing began.
A few moments later, Elizabeth glanced at her mother and her face quickly darkened with embarrassment. Mama's smile was spread from ear to ear as she pranced around the room, patting the shoulders of guests, loudly exclaiming, "That's my daughter! That's my Jane. And do you see that rich, wealthy man standing next to her? That's my daughter's husband. My eldest daughter has married someone of good standing! Oh, imagine that!"
Elizabeth's face swiftly turned into an even darker shade of red when she discovered that Darcy was also looking at her mother and was evidently taking a note of amusement over her ill-bred behavior.
Without another thought, Elizabeth hastily hurried over to her mother's side and tugged at her sleeve. It took several tugs to get her mother's attention.
With a glass of wine in one hand and a fan in another, Mrs. Bennet whipped around.
"Yes Lizzy? Oh, married, your dear sister is. Jane married to such a rich man and such a high-classed family!"
Her speech was slurred. It was clear that she had taken one drink too many.
"Mama, as happy as you may be with Jane getting married, I strongly advise you to keep your ecstatic thoughts to yourself," Elizabeth said through gritted teeth, reaching over to take the wine glass from her mother's hand.
Her mother threw an angry look at her and snatched her hand away.
"Elizabeth Bennet!" Mrs. Bennet screeched and pointed her finger at Elizabeth. "Your sister has married and I, as your mother, am free to express my own feelings at my own will. You have no right to put an end to my frivolity, Elizabeth Bennet—no right. I will have my frivolity—I will have my wine!"
Elizabeth felt her cheeks burn as quite a few people turned their attention to her yelling mother. Elizabeth gave an apologetic look to the guests and desperately glanced around the room for her father. Mr. Bennet was nowhere to be seen. With a heavy sigh, she attempted to drag her mother out of the room.
"Mama, please, come with me," she urged, slipping her arm around her mother.
"I—am—not—going—anywhere," Mrs. Bennet loudly shot back, shrugging off her daughter as the wine in her glass swayed dangerously to her dramatic motions.
"Mama—you need to leave right now," Elizabeth pleaded, attempting to drag her mother out once again, her own voice and temper rising. She was not going to have her mother's behavior bring shame upon her family. Especially on Jane's wedding day.
"Elizabeth Bennet I demand that you get out of my sight! I will not have you—"
"My dear Mrs. Bennet, would you mind if I escorted you out of the room for a brief moment?" asked a deep voice behind Elizabeth.
Elizabeth spun around at the familiar voice and found herself face to face with Darcy. She turned to look at her mother, curious to see what her response to Darcy's offer would be.
Mrs. Bennet confusingly squinted at Darcy's face for a moment as though she was trying to match his face with his name. It took her a few seconds to recognize the tall man offering his arm to her.
"Mr. Darcy? You are back? The rich man who once courted Elizabeth? Well, I am telling you now that you shall have no regrets. This girl is impossible, trying to separate me from my own merriments. If you are not careful, she will take away all your happiness too," Mrs. Bennet irritably said as she scathingly glared at her daughter.
"Yes, I will take heed of that. Now would you be so kind as to let me escort you?" Darcy patiently repeated his question.
Mrs. Bennet looked up at Darcy and nodded. "Why yes, of course, anything for you, Sir. And what a handsome face you have. Elizabeth must have been a fool to turn you away."
Elizabeth gritted her teeth and felt her face hotly burned. Her mother's behavior was beyond the descriptions of ill-breeding. Mrs. Bennet somehow managed to get herself intoxicated and was now rambling about inappropriate and completely irrelevant things. Never in her life had Elizabeth seen someone so out of control after a few glasses of wine. Although she had heard stories of several drunken accounts, she had never witnessed such a scene—let alone a tantrum thrown by her own mother.
As Darcy led Mrs. Bennet out of the ballroom, Elizabeth followed closely behind. More than once, Darcy had to stop and steady her mother, for Mrs. Bennet had lost her ability to walk upright and straight. She stumbled and swayed to and fro, waving her arms around with her glass of wine still in her right hand. It seemed like an eternity until Darcy finally managed to settle Mrs. Bennet into an armchair in a private room.
Mrs. Bennet collapsed onto it with a heavy sigh.
"Oh, this feels so much better," she breathed, fanning herself as her eyelids started to droop.
"Please, have some rest, Mrs. Bennet," said Darcy, handing her a seat cushion.
"Oh, yes, I think I'll just—"
Nobody learned of what exactly Mrs. Bennet planned on doing, for after a few short moments, she began to snore soundly.
Elizabeth stood by the doorway, anxiously stepping in the room after she was sure that her mother had fallen asleep. She slowly approached Darcy and cleared her throat uncertainly.
"I am so sorry—I had no idea that my mother did not know of her wine tolerance level. I apologize for her temper and any inconvenience it has caused you. I am so sorry, if there is anything I can do—anything at all, I would—"
"The pleasure is all mine," Darcy interrupted, breaking Elizabeth's stammer. "Although I will suggest that you keep a closer eye on her alcohol intake the next time another member of your family marries," he added with an amused smile.
"Thank you so much for coming to my rescue, Mr. Darcy. I do not know what I would have done with my mother throwing a scene in the middle of a ball. I have no idea where my father went," Elizabeth said, giving Darcy a weak smile.
Darcy nodded.
"I do believe your mother will be all right after she wakes up," Darcy finally said, breaking the silence between them.
"Yes, it would be nice to have a mother with her senses back. As much as I thought Mama had been without her senses, I am now thankful for what she has after seeing how she is like completely without them," Elizabeth guffawed as she imagined what life would be like if her mother acted like that everyday.
Darcy chuckled. "Perhaps we should leave her in here and allow her to sleep?"
Elizabeth nodded in agreement and the two proceeded towards the ballroom. When they reached the room, Darcy spoke.
"If I remember correctly, I was told a couple years back that dancing was one among the best ways to socialize with another besides its apparent act of encouraging affection," Darcy started, blushing slightly in embarrassment.
"Even if one's partner is barely tolerable, yes," Elizabeth eagerly replied, wishing to hear her suspicions of Darcy's true intentions confirmed.
"Then will you, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, do me the honor of having this dance?" Darcy asked, slowly bowing to her.
Elizabeth smiled and nodded, curtseying in response. Darcy took her hand and the couple began gliding up and down the hall, losing and regaining contact as they danced to the music. Elizabeth's face merrily blushed and her eyes sparkled under the light. Her dress flowed to the rhythm of the music and her movements were graceful as she moved to the beat. Darcy's hand was firmly planted around her waist and he steadily guided her, balancing and keeping her in time to the music.
Elizabeth tossed back her head and laughed as the music took a turn for a faster beat. The violins in the orchestra now fiddled at an upbeat tempo. Couples began clapping their hands to the beat, and Elizabeth happily joined them, skipping and twirling to the beat. Seeing her merry and cheerful, Darcy could not help but smile and join in. It had been a while since he last allowed him to indulge in such frivolity.
As the music slowed once again, Darcy cut in.
"Why so quiet this evening, Miss Bennet? Not a single word? Are you in the mood of being unsociable and taciturn? However, seeing as though I have already attempted to spark a conversation, it is your turn to speak," Darcy teased as he spun Elizabeth around once again.
Elizabeth attempted to bite back a smile, but found her attempt to be useless. Darcy's remark recalled her memory of their first dance together when she complained of Darcy's reticent behavior. It was she who had teased him that night, daring to test the borders that surrounded his line of patience.
"Dear Sir, I am afraid that you are soon to regret your observation, for I do not aim to keep my mouth shut at all—not even for a split second—for the rest of the night," she playfully retorted.
"Well, if that be the case, I hereby challenge you to make me regret and take back what I have just said," Darcy lightheartedly said.
"Your challenge has been accepted, Mr. Darcy. I strongly advise you to prepare yourself," Elizabeth said with a slight smirk. In her headstrong and competitive nature, she was determined to talk as much as she ever had.
Just as she was about to open her mouth and speak again, a voice joined in.
"Thank you, Mr. Darcy. I will take it from here now."
a/n: please review--not only are they encouraging, they are helpful as well. Make some suggestions or give some ideas, and they may very well be used for future installments! Last but not least, Happy New Year!