AN:
Sorry it took me so long to get this up, things go a little crazy but at least it's the epilogue so hopefully some time passing is in keeping.
FYI: the epilog is about 950 words the rest of the word count is a sample chapter from Darcy Bites.
Epilogue
For the past few months, Darcy had been aware of a change in Wilkes. Wilkes would not admit to anything being wrong but he had the look of someone who had lost a close friend. Darcy was also missing the way Wilkes had once taken him into his confidence. He had transformed into a dog on more than one occasion but somehow it was not the same between them now that he could do it at will. Darcy entered the butler pantry hoping his plan would work.
Wilkes was in his shirt-sleeves going over a list of wines. He jumped to his feet pulling on his coat. "Mr. Darcy! May I take your coat, sir?"
"I will keep it on for now. Stay as you were. I did not mean to startle you. I only wish to speak with you about something."
"I did not hear you ring."
"I did not ring, Please." He took a seat and gestured for Wilkes to sit as well. Maybe coming to Wilkes had not been a good idea after all. He had thought it would be a compliment but it seemed to only make him uneasy."
"Wilkes, if you are willing there is an additional responsibility I would like you to take on."
"Of course, Sir."
"I am sincere in saying that if you do not wish for the job you must tell me. But I hope you will not find it disagreeable…" as he spoke he reached into the pocket of his great-coat and pulled out a puppy, "…to care for this little fellow."
Wilkes's face lit up. "A puppy! Is he….er, that is…"
"He is always a dog, so there will not be his turning human to contend with but I fear he may cause you a great deal of trouble all the same, though less than I did."
"You were no trouble, Sir."
Darcy raised an eyebrow.
"Well, none that I minded much, anyway."
"You are to raise him as you see fit but I have one requirement. Once a week I want you to bring him to my dressing room to groom him."
"Sir?"
"I will be sitting nearby reading. I hope you will speak with the new dog with the same candor you once did with me. Is this agreeable?"
"Most agreeable, thank you, Mr. Darcy."
Darcy held the puppy so that it was facing him, "This is Mr. Wilkes. He is the best master a dog could have."
He handed over the puppy. Wilkes took it and cuddled it lovingly.
"One more thing," said Darcy, "I suggest you give him a proper name. Things may get confusing if you call him Sir."
As Darcy left the room he could hear Wilkes saying, "Whose a good boy then?"
*Good boy?*
There is no reason for me to be jealous. When he gets bigger we can all play together.
*play baby!*
Do not get ahead of things. It could be some time before there is a baby. And even once there is it will be some time before he or she is big enough to play fetch.
*Hope!*
"Yes."
He knew it was too soon to hope but he felt a warm glow as he admitted to himself that he was.
!_!
The feel of a cold wet nose on her neck woke Elizabeth up. "Fitzwilliam what are you doing?"
He shifted into human form. "I thought as a dog I might be able to tell."
Elizabeth repressed a smile, "And?"
"I could not smell any difference."
"Well then, we will have to wait and see like anyone else. It has only been a few days."
"I did not mean to wake you. I am sorry."
She turned to face him, admiring his naked form stretched out beside her. "I do not mind your waking me." She yawned, "I thought I heard you go out earlier."
"Yes. I took Wilkes the puppy."
"Was he pleased?"
"I believe so."
"I am glad."
"After giving it to him I was thinking about our hopes and I wondered if as a dog I might be able to tell."
"So you came back to bed to see if you could sniff out whether I was with child?" she asked in a tone of amusement.
He smiled sheepishly, "I admit it sounds a little silly in retrospect, but that is only after it has been proven not to have worked."
"Fair point, but it seems like a lot of trouble turning into a dog and back just for a short sniff."
"Lately it is no more trouble than the time it takes to undress. The transformation is not painful. I think it must be because I am not only no longer fighting the change— or myself."
"Do you feel as if your personality and the dog's have integrated or is the dog more obedient to your human wishes?"
"It is more as if I have learned to get along with myself. It is not so much a matter of the human part of me trying to make the dog obey or the dog part pulling against the human restraints but as if I am working in partnership with myself. Beyond the occasional rabbit, I am usually in agreement."
"You once told me that as a dog you would obey me without question. Is that still true?"
He sat up gazing at her with a thoughtful expression, "Perhaps I would not obey you so easily, without conviction as I once did but, in either form, Lizbeth, if you whistled, I would come running."
She smiled and gently stroked his cheek. "Given that I am awake and you have already undressed…"
fin
AN:
Thank you again for taking a chance on a quirky idea and for all your reviews. I had a lot of fun writing this and I'm glad people enjoyed it. If you liked this story, and haven't already done so, I hope you will try some of my other stories on this site or my book, Darcy Bites: Pride and Prejudice with Fangs, by Amy Elizabeth Davis. It is available on Amazon for purchase or on Kindle Unlimited, a sample chapter is included below.
Darcy Bites will be 99 cents through July 3 on Amazon and .99 pounds on Amazon UK, June 28-July 4.
Sample Chapter from
Darcy Bites: Pride and Prejudice with Fangs
Chapter 3
Prey
Elizabeth was visiting again at Lucas Lodge a few days later and had been so caught up in her visit with Charlotte that she had forgotten the time and dusk was beginning to fall as she took her leave. Sir William had been quick to offer her the carriage and pressed her to take it, but she politely refused. It was only a short walk back to Longbourn and she was sure she would be well at home before it became truly dark. Elizabeth did not mention the greater reason for her refusal: she did not wish to alarm the horses. Horses were skittish when she was nearby and she had no wish to discover whether Sir William's driver was up to the challenge.
As Elizabeth walked, she experienced a peculiar feeling as if someone were following her. At first, she dismissed this as her imagination and merely increased her pace, but the sense of danger grew stronger until she could no longer ignore it. Someone—or something—was approaching, something evil. In vain did Elizabeth try to convince herself of the improbability. Logic and reason deserted her. Every instinct, every part of her being, clamored for her to run.
Disregarding modesty, Elizabeth lifted her skirt and ran as fast and as hard as she could. At first, she continued in the direction of Longbourn but she soon felt a second evil presence coming from that direction and changed course, running she knew not where. Her cloak, flying out behind her, got caught on something and the bindings pulled against her neck, almost choking her. She undid it and ran on.
Elizabeth was in excellent physical condition but she had never run so far or for so long. She knew she would not be able to continue much longer; the evil presences were getting closer by the moment. She could now hear as well as sense them. Gathering her wits, she forced herself to remember her training.
The words of Elizabeth's master came back to her, "You cannot outrun a vampire, save your strength." Elizabeth stopped running. Before releasing her skirt, she bent down and retrieved the silver dagger she always wore strapped to her calf, reflecting with gratitude that she had never given up the practice. She held the dagger tightly in her right hand. As she turned to face her attackers, she took hold of the silver cross her father insisted she always wear around her neck. With her left hand, she gave it a strong tug so that the chain broke and she could hold it in front of her at arm's length.
Elizabeth's pursuers had slowed down and were approaching her more cautiously. They were now close enough for her to make out the details of their appearances. There were two men dressed in dirty tattered clothing, their hair a mass of knots, and they each displayed large fangs, leaving Elizabeth in no further doubt as to what she faced.
Growling and hissing, the vampires separated, approaching Elizabeth slowly from different angles. She had been expecting this. With her left hand, she used her cross like a shield to keep one of the vampires at bay while she lunged at the other vampire with her dagger. Her aim was true and she had the satisfaction of seeing it fall to the ground screaming, her silver dagger embedded in its heart. But she had misjudged how hard it would be to withdraw her dagger and when the vampire fell, she lost her hold on it. The second vampire was quick to move between her and his fallen comrade; Elizabeth had no hope of retrieving her weapon. All she could do was use her cross to keep the vampire from getting too close—a cross that suddenly seemed very small.
^;;^
The Netherfield gentlemen had ridden out to do some shooting. As dusk fell, they returned to the house. Just after the sun disappeared below the horizon, Darcy froze and his expression became grave. "Something is wrong!"
With no further explanation, he abruptly turned his horse and took off at top speed.
"Darcy, what…?" Bingley quickly took off after him, calling some of his dogs to follow even though Darcy's horse was much faster and he already had a lead. Mr. Hurst judged it best that he return to the house so that he might acquaint the others with the situation and let them know not to wait dinner.
^;;^
Elizabeth was so focused on fending off the vampire that she could not spare any attention for the sound of approaching hoofbeats, nor did she think to cry out in an attempt to obtain help. She held the cross in front of her with two shaking hands, blocking the vampire's attempts to swipe at her as it snarled and growled. The creature was so menacing that she could not prevent herself from taking a step backwards. She stepped back again. She tripped. As she felt herself falling, Elizabeth's arms flew out to her sides. She hit the ground. The fiend was on top of her. Its hands were grasping her shoulders. Its fangs were… It was no longer on top of her. There was a scream. In an instant, Elizabeth was back on her feet, unaware of how she had been granted this momentary reprieve. She only knew that the vampire was coming toward her and she had dropped her cross.
The vampire came closer. Without thinking, Elizabeth delivered an unladylike kick to the location where a kick might be calculated to do the most good. With another scream, the creature collapsed in front of her doubled over in pain.
Suddenly, Elizabeth realized the kick should not have worked. Lydia had attempted it once during training and their master's reproach had been severe, "That is not only a low-class form of self-defense but it would not work on a vampire! I have taught you the only ways a true vampire can be harmed! If you kicked it like that it would feel nothing and would only grab your foot and put you off balance!"
Now that Elizabeth had a moment to catch her breath, she realized, to her mortification, that the creature lying at her feet which she had taken for a vampire was actually "Mr. Darcy!"
^;;^
Darcy had fought feral vampires many times and had never lost control like this before.
He had sensed the vampires the moment they began to run down their prey and had lost no time in going after them. They were far enough away that he despaired of arriving in time to save their intended victim but that did not stop him from making every effort to do so. He was, therefore, very much gratified to find upon his arrival that Miss Elizabeth Bennet had managed not only to fend the creatures off but had actually incapacitated one of them. Seeing that the second creature was upon her, Darcy spared no time in leaping from his horse, grabbing the creature by the shoulders and pulling it off. As he did so, Darcy exposed his fangs and growled, "Mine!"
The fiend turned on him but Darcy was ready with a wooden stake that he quickly drove into the creature's heart. He then turned to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, who was already back on her feet. It had been Darcy's intention to offer his assistance but he was suddenly aware of how quickly her heart was beating, that her skin was damp with perspiration and that she smelled delicious.
Somewhere deep inside of Darcy, a part of him cried out that he was not a monster, that the person in front of him was a human being he intended to help, but this part of him was nearly drowned out by a deeper instinct. With a low growl, he took a step toward her. He took another and was lost to everything beyond a sudden and acute pain.
Darcy's nature and training allowed him to withstand considerable pain without succumbing. Even so, it was some time before he was able to regain his composure and make a civil reply to Miss Elizabeth Bennet's apologies. Luckily, she seemed to assume her perception had been in error when she thought him a vampire and, although he despised himself for the partial falsehood, Darcy let the matter stand.
Once Darcy had recovered enough to take in his surroundings, he perceived that he and Miss Elizabeth Bennet were in the midst of several corpses in various states of decay. She seemed to have made the same discovery. As she looked at the nearest body, she gasped and exclaimed, "I knew her… from the milliner's shop…she waited on me once…I tripped over her body…how?"
Afraid she would grow weak, Darcy quickly moved to her side. "They must have driven you to their feeding grounds. Come away." And offering her his arm, he led her to a spot upwind of the cadavers. Observing that she shivered, Darcy took off his coat and placed it around her shoulders. The sleeve was covered in gore but no more so than her dress.
"Are you harmed?" he asked as he gently lifted her chin and turned her head from side to side, running his eyes over her neck.
"I do not believe so."
The sound of approaching hoofbeats recalled Darcy to the situation at hand. He quickly let go of Miss Elizabeth Bennet's chin and stepped back to a respectable space. Bingley was approaching on his horse but the animal stopped some distance away and could not be persuaded to come closer so that Bingley was obliged to dismount and run the rest of the way on foot. Three of his hunting dogs accompanied him, though they were clearly unhappy about it.
"Darcy! What is the matter?" Before Darcy could reply, Bingley took in the scene before him; an unfortunate change in the breeze brought the full horror of it to his olfactory senses and he promptly embarrassed himself by losing the contents of his stomach. Darcy was quick to reassure his friend that such a reaction was to be expected from one who was not accustomed to such carnage but it was not lost on either of them that Miss Elizabeth Bennet had not reacted in such a way.
While Bingley was recovering, Darcy went to his own horse and removed one of the saddlebags. It contained a mallet and several wooden stakes, which he always carried with him. He explained that the feral vampire Miss Elizabeth Bennet had immobilized would soon recover unless it was staked and that, choosing to err on the side of caution, he needed to stake the victims as well, and then ride to Meryton to notify Colonel Foster of the situation. He asked that Bingley escort Miss Bennet home, to which Bingley replied in a tone of astonishment, "Unchaperoned? Darcy, it is after dark and with Miss Bennet in such a state it must not be thought of!"
Before Darcy could reply, Miss Elizabeth Bennet spoke. "Mr. Darcy, I would not wish to inconvenience you any further. I assure you I can make my own way home."
Darcy was surprised but answered evenly, "Miss Bennet, you must allow us the honor of escorting you home. You are, perhaps, unaware of how far you are from Longbourn and we can by no means be sure there are no other feral vampires in the area."
This was enough to secure her agreement. Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Bingley waited at a distance while Darcy took care of the grisly business of staking. The bodies would need to be burned but that Darcy would leave for the Militia. They would be well enough for now; even in a country neighborhood such as this, it was unlikely anyone would be foolish enough to remove the stakes.
As he went about his work, Darcy reflected that it had been a foolish idea asking Bingley to escort her home. He was sure under the circumstances that her parents would forgive the impropriety but Bingley did not have the training to fight a vampire and, the evidence suggested, Miss Elizabeth Bennet was more likely to be capable of protecting Bingley than he of protecting her. Darcy was normally more cautious and he wondered why he was so unlike himself tonight.
Darcy finished his work to find Bingley standing alone. "Where is Miss Bennet?"
Bingley gestured to a nearby stand of evergreens. "She said she needed some privacy. I did not think she should go off alone but it seemed ungentlemanly to stop her if…erm…"
"Yes, well, she is safe enough for now. I would sense it if there were another feral vampire hunting."
"Oh, well, good." They stood awkwardly for a few moments and Bingley added, "I sent the dogs with her. I told them to bark if there was any danger."
"Good." From anyone else, the statement would have sounded absurd but Bingley's dogs were remarkably well trained and could follow complex verbal commands.
After another awkward pause, Bingley asked, "Do you think we should check on her?"
"Certainly not! I cannot think she would appreciate it."
"Yes, right, yes."
Bingley shifted from foot to foot. "You do not think it is taking unusually long?"
"I have no way of judging."
"But you are sure it is safe?"
"Yes, Bingley. I am sure it is safe."
"Then do you think I could…er…step into the bushes myself?"
"Yes, well, be quick about it will you?"
Miss Elizabeth Bennet returned before Bingley did. Darcy was afraid of having to explain Bingley's absence but she asked no questions. They both stood without speaking while Darcy wondered with some impatience why this all could not have been taken care of while he was doing the staking.
^;;^
Darcy had not intended for Miss Elizabeth Bennet to ride with him but Bingley's horse balked whenever she came within five yards of it and, upon discovering she had never had so much as a single riding lesson, Darcy realized she could not be left to ride alone even on a horse as well trained as his own. Whether because she was too shaken to protest or from a sincere wish of causing as little inconvenience as possible, Miss Elizabeth Bennet allowed herself to be to be lifted up in front of him and for him to put his arms around her.
Darcy's injury made the arrangement disagreeable but walking was out of the question. He really did need to report the incident to Colonel Foster as soon as possible and he would also need to feed soon. The thought startled Darcy as he realized that, after the events of the evening, his thirst ought to be stronger—especially with a temptation like Miss Elizabeth Bennet at such tantalizingly close proximity. That his thirst was merely bothersome was something he could not account for.
Miss Elizabeth Bennet was quiet and Bingley was obliged to keep his horse at a distance, which was not conducive to conversation, leaving Darcy alone with his thoughts. He had been quite surprised to find the vampire's intended victim to be someone of his acquaintance. The daughters of gentry were usually better protected and Darcy was divided between disapproval of her being out so late alone and admiration of her skill. Although he knew her to have had some training, Miss Elizabeth Bennet had astonished him. There were not many ladies who had the proficiency to take down a feral vampire, nor had Darcy come across many would-be victims who managed to remain so composed after their rescue. In spite of a suspicion Darcy had begun to form, he could not help but be impressed.
After a time, she began to cry. Not with the hysterical sobs, Darcy had often encountered under such circumstance, but quietly, as if she did not wish to be heard. Darcy did her the favor of pretending not to notice and only whispered a few words of comfort so quietly that she would not hear them on a conscious level. He was convinced that he held her no more tightly than he had been doing, as was necessary to keep her on the horse.