Chapter 21

The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain.
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

She had been sure she would make it home in time to avoid the rain, but about half-way on her way back home the skies opened and it poured down. Two choices were before her, either to seek shelter somewhere or to run. The former was, at this time of year where the trees barely just sprouted their leaves more of a futile effort while the other was made difficult by the many boxes, parcels and bags she was carrying. They were not heavy, nor were there all that many, but to protect them from the rain Elizabeth had tucked them rather awkwardly under her pelisse. She surely must look silly, but at present that was the least of her worried.

Both options, however, were shortly and unexpectedly joined by a third, when she perceived a man walk down the lane carrying an umbrella. A man she knew. A man she thought about all too often already anyway. There, amidst the pouring rain, whistling a cheerful tune William rambled along on his way into town and no sooner did he spot her where she stood underneath the insufficient shelter of the branches of a lithe willow trying to make up her mind, that he hurried his pace and was soon by her side holding out his umbrella to her.

"Miss Elizabeth, please take this or you will be soaked in no time."

Adding after a glance at her and in a wry voice: "If you not already are."

She did not take the umbrella, however, asking instead: "And you?"

"Never mind me. I'm a sturdy fellow, I'll be all right," he grinned back, now holding it over her head while the rain slowly but surely soaked his own ragged looking clothes.

"Are you posting letters again or are you picking some up?"

"The former, Miss."

Well, now was as good a time as any to start her 'investigation', was it not?

"To your sister or one of your cousins?"

"Both actually."

"My father told me you are now teaching the other servants as well."

"Yes, I guess I am. It happened quite by accident, but when they heard that I had written to my sister they were all eagerness and hard to refuse."

"You, William, make me heartily ashamed of myself. I should have thought of it myself. You know, when I was little, Jane and I taught Smith and Mr and Mrs Hill."

"Which is just as well, for there is nothing better than to learn by teaching it to others."

"Very true."

"So it is only natural that when you outgrew your ABC that you would forget all about sharing it with the others. At home, it is such a normal thing that I quite forgot that not all masters have the same sentiment."

"But yours had."

Ha, the conversation went exactly where she wanted it to go!

"Yes. I was fortunate in that respect."

"Only in that?"

"No. It was a good position I held."

"Had it not been for the sake of a girl."

He did not reply to that but merely cast his eyes down an unreadable expression crossing his features.

"Are you happy here?"

"Very. I prefer the country to town."

"But surely, if you had told Mr Darcy he would have found work for you on his estate in Derbyshire."

Again he startled, looking almost shocked, before shaking his head slightly and replied vaguely: "Perhaps."

"But alas, there was this girl."

Once more he did stay silent but longingly glanced towards Meryton as if he wanted nothing more than just run from her.

"You never said what your position was, William, and I have to admit that I am quite curious," she carried on undeterred despite his apparent discomfort.

"I... - I worked around the house most of the time," he positively stammered now, not looking her in the eye.

"Ah, that explains why you are so good with horses," she remarked archly.

"Well, occasionally I had to accompany Mr Darcy."

She seized her chance: "You mean your father, I suppose?"

At this, all colour left his face and Elizabeth was almost worried he would faint if that were not such a ridiculous notion. Men did not suffer fainting fits.

"Mr Darcy is about my age, Miss Elizabeth. He has no children," William pressed out from between his teeth.

So, she had hit a nerve. Oh! She had completely neglected that possibility... - He could be Mr Darcy's illegitimate brother, of course, just as well as the man himself. It did happen, more often than people liked to admit, and it again would explain why he might have left his previous position. Odd she had not thought of that before. It would also explain why he looked so much like her aunt's description of Mr Darcy.

"Only a sister," she remarked absent-mindedly.

Her head was spinning.

"Yes."

Again, the girl in question could be both men's sister.

"And a handful of cousins?"

"Yes."

No, this line of questions would not get her anywhere and he appeared to grow impatient. Well, he was getting soaked by now, the brim of his hat was threatening to fall into his face with all the water gathered there and his clothes had wet patches all over.

"Do they know you are here?" she ploughed on, however.

"Who?" he asked, looking puzzled now.

But at least the colour had returned to his face, this times heightened and he did shift uncomfortably from one foot to the other all the while ceaselessly holding the umbrella over her head.

"Your family."

"Of course."

"And they think nothing of it?"

"Well..."

No, again this would lead to nothing. As yet all of his answers were too open for interpretation and that would not do! She had meant to be more subtle, but alas, her curiosity had gotten the better of her and now there was no way back.

"Why are you really here, Mr Darcy?"

For a moment there was nothing but silence and then there was merely the soft thud as the umbrella fell to the ground and into the mud beside them, splattering them both.

It was not before several long minutes had passed that he finally answered in a rather harsh tone of voice: "I was so tired of all the pretence of London society that I just needed to get out. Needed to be with people who would accept me for who I am without the need for me to put on a mask. Every night I wished myself far away, turning more and more bitter as the weeks passed, up to a point when I neither knew nor liked myself anymore. Is that reason enough?"

There was no doubt that he was speaking the truth. He looked like a lost little boy as he stood there in the pouring rain. Yet, at the same time, there was a decided stubbornness about him that showed that he was anything but a boy. And at any rate, it was a good enough reason. One that explained everything.

"It is. Your secret is safe with me, William, for as long as you like. By the way, where is your little friend?"

The informal address towards a servant, not a master was enough to assure him that she meant what she had said and with a soft smile he reached into his pocket and pulled out the sleeping hedgehog.

"I didn't have the heart to leave him out in the rain," Darcy answered softly before tucking the little creature back in.

A.N.: So, Lizzy now knows...

Thank you all so much for your kind reviews, I greatly appreciate them and a massive THANKS to Shey72 for betaing this story. :)

And yes, I know the chapters are rather short, but this way, they are easier for me to handle.

Love

Nic