Mr. Darcy My Saviour
Last Time: Darcy looked down at Elizabeth and slowly lowered his head. Elizabeth felt her body rise to capture Darcy's lips with her own. This was what she wanted.
Chapter 12:
Telling Mr. and Mrs. Bennet the happy news was one of the most amusing and frightening circumstances Mr. Darcy had ever encountered. To begin with, Darcy had felt certain that Mr. Bennet would be the one to kick up a fuss and the thought left him in a state of apprehension. In the end, the fuss that was created was not of a similar nature to what he had previously thought. Mr. Bennet had seemed to be the epitome of calm and contentedness. Mrs. Bennet, however, was a flurry of excitement and had left the room squealing for the housemaid to run into town to bring the clergyman. Mr. Darcy had felt his heart become a shade lighter when Mr. Bennet slapped his shoulder in comradeship.
He could hardly retain his laughter when Mr. Bennet leant forward and whispered "Welcome to the family, my boy. You best prepare yourself because it will be one exciting journey." The old man leant back and walked over to his daughter and embraced her. He whispered something to her and Darcy saw Elizabeth's eyes fill with love and unshed tears. She held onto her father tighter as he placed a soft kiss upon the top of her head.
At that moment, Mrs. Bennet re-entered the room, dragging Jane along behind her. She let her eldest daughter go and went over to Mr. Darcy and embraced him with a silent "Thank you", whispered into his ear. He could not remember the last time he had felt the touch of a motherly figure. Over the last few months, Mrs. Bennet had been a source of comfort to him and he had begun to see her as the mother he barely remembered. When the woman pulled away from Darcy, he could see her eyes shining with glee and his heart filled with pride. This was the moment that he realised that he was going to gain another mother and father; as well as four more sisters. That was all Mr. Darcy had wanted since he was eleven.
"Congratulations Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy, I wish you every happiness. You both deserve it." Jane said as she wrapped her arms around her younger sister. They held tight to each other for a few moments and then moved apart until they just held each other's hands. Darcy had held out his hand to Elizabeth and she had reached out hers as well. The clasping of their hands sent a vibrating pulse down his arm and left a small bundle of butterflies fluttering in his stomach. He lifted his gaze to Elizabeth's and saw the happiness in it which had been missing for months. That was a reassurance for Darcy because it meant that the thing between Darcy and Elizabeth was real. There was no pretending or second guessing or one sided emotions because what they had was real.
There was a knock on the door and the house maid entered the room. Her breathing was erratic and her face was as red as an English Rose. The way her body was leaning, it looked as if she might have collapsed if she had not steadied herself on the doorframe. She dipped into a curtsey and addressed Mrs. Bennet, "Ma'am the Parson is 'ere ta see ya." Mrs. Bennet nodded and waved her hand towards the door to indicate that the maid should fetch the man. Mrs. Bennet's face was glowing with happiness and Darcy felt pride when she turned her smile towards him.
The room was buzzing with excitement by the time the Parson entered followed by a young trainee. However, Darcy felt the mood drop slightly when the young man met the eyes of the members of their assembly. But one person in particular seemed to be the centre of his attention and Darcy felt his spine become rigid with protectiveness. Darcy moved forward slightly, whilst pleasantries were being exchanged, and squeezed Elizabeth's hand in reassurance. Elizabeth turned her haunted gaze unto Darcy and he felt his heart skip a beat. She had been so happy; what had caused such a drastic change in her mood? Who was that man who had such a sway over his Elizabeth? He squeezed her hand again whilst his eyes tried to convey his query; how are you? He hoped that Elizabeth would gather his meaning but sometimes the words are lost in translation. The meaning seemed to reach her because her eyes grew darker as she began to nod that she was alright. Why was she lying to him? However, her nod had quickly changed into a shake and she began to slightly dip. Darcy broke the link between their hands and placed his hands around her waist to keep her up straight. Without causing too much of a scene; Darcy manoeuvred Elizabeth to the nearest chair and sat her down in it. He turned back to the room and saw worry lining the face of Mrs. Bennet. She made a slight indication, with her head, towards Elizabeth and Darcy shook his head in answer; no, she wasn't alright. Mrs. Bennet nodded and traversed the room to land in the seat next to her daughter.
Darcy, however, turned his attention and his glare towards the unwelcome entity. "Mr. Heralds, I did not know you were training to be a clergyman. Last time I heard you were working in your father's shop." Mr. Bennet inquired with barely concealed curiosity.
"I am still working in my father's shop, sir. But, I thought I might try a different profession. One that is more… respectable." Mr. Heralds said, graciously. His beady gaze made its way towards Elizabeth and Darcy had felt the hairs on his neck stand on end as the gaze dragged its way down Elizabeth's body.
Darcy cleared his throat and glared at the man when he turned his predatory gaze onto him. There was something familiar to Mr. Heralds' eyes that put Darcy on edge. They were very similar to Madame DuBois; maybe he was a relation. Dread rippled through Darcy's bones and he felt his knees begin to buckle. This cannot be happening, Darcy's thoughts had cried.