A/N
Thank you for all your engagement with this story. Your comments and appreciation were overwhelming. In fact, they encouraged me to not only come up with a tentative cover for the book but made me hurry up with the next chapter for your perusal. Hope you all enjoy.
Since this story is all about ODC's slowly changing feelings for the other, understanding their heart and realizing own follies, some chapters maybe heavy on internal musings like this one. Please do let me know if your mind starts to wander while reading :-)
To reader Lisa – Thank you so much for pointing out typos and taking time out to clear doubts about etymology of the word 'intimate'. Since I was sure about the verb usage, I had just started to wonder if anachronism was the problem highlighted when your review popped up! Thanks once again. [BTW I am still waiting for a beta reader ;-)) ]
To reader dghaoishnoiah – Your comment suggested you have noted some more mistakes in the chapters posted, would appreciate if you could share the same to help!
A Chance EncounterCopyright © 2021 by S. Neha
All rights reserved.
Chapter 3Only after they had been travelling for nearly ten minutes did Elizabeth feel comfortable enough to loosen her death grip on Poseidon's mane and look around her. She glanced at Mr Darcy and found him attempting to distract Millie from periodically peeking at Poseidon and then hiding her face in his neck with a soft whimper. Elizabeth had to marvel at the expertise with which he was handling the child and her antics. She felt sure that his patience was getting tested but there was no sign of irritation in his demeanour. Feeling rather charitable towards the man, she found herself addressing him before she could think better of it.
"When you offered to take us to Bassingtonstoke, sir, you would have hardly imagined yourself attending to a young damsel so petrified of your magnificent horse."
Darcy glanced at her askance and raised his brow in challenge. "Only one petrified damsel?" He asked dryly. Elizabeth flushed a dark red as she understood his meaning and silence fell between them.
After a while, she asked tentatively, "How could you tell?"
Darcy smiled ruefully, "If you had seen your own expression when you first mounted Poseidon, you would not be asking me this question." Suddenly he chuckled. "For one moment, I was quite worried that you would jump down the other side, taking with you the tuft of Poseidon's hair that you were clutching so hard! And that would have been a great tragedy, for my poor horse is rather proud of his mane."
Despite her chagrin Elizabeth found herself chuckling along with him at the absurd imagery he created with his words. When Lady Catherine had invited them to Rosings the day after Mr Darcy's horrible proposal Elizabeth had dreaded the embarrassment of facing him again. Now she was discovering that fate worked in mysterious ways. The circumstances of their chance encounter today had gone quite a long way in reducing the awkwardness of meeting him again.
"And here I was congratulating myself for displaying commendable stoicism." She said wryly.
The comical look she got in response had her chuckling all over again. Suddenly, Millie cried out, and Mr Darcy spent some time shushing her gently. When the little girl had quieted, he cleared his throat and inquired, "If you do not mind, I would like to ask you something, Miss Bennet."
At her nod, he asked, "Your fear of horses goes much against the image I had of you and I…"
"What image would that be, Mr Darcy?" Curiosity made her interrupt him.
"A feisty woman in complete accord with nature. That is why I was wondering why you are so uncomfortable around horses?"
"We all have our Achilles heel, sir." She replied ruefully. When she did not add anything else for a while, he imagined that she did mind answering his query and fell silent.
"I was about six when I was thrown by the horse I was riding. That I fractured a leg did not scare me as much as the crazed eyes and flailing legs of the horse above me as I lay on the ground cowering. Till today I shudder to think what would have happened had my father not flung himself over me and took the blow meant for me." She glanced at him and smiled. "As a full-grown person, I can understand that it was the burr under his saddle that made Thunder behave in that violent manner. But to a six-year-old child, just the possibility of that animal going wild like that for any reason whatsoever was a hurdle she could not overcome. A year down the line, I did try to ride once more on papa's insistence, but somehow my heart was not in it. After a while, he also stopped insisting."
"Hmm… a terrifying experience by any standards, especially for a small child. I think I can now understand your aversion."
"I am sorry to have disappointed you, Mr Darcy, that I am not nearly as feisty as you imagined," Elizabeth said with a wry smile.
"Oh, but I am not all disappointed, Miss Bennet. A woman who could conquer fear of such longstanding without complaint because circumstances demand it of her, is even more spirited than I thought previously." Elizabeth flushed at the admiring glance he threw her way, not really knowing how to take the compliment.
"Although unsolicited, I would advise you to take up riding once again now that you have finally overcome the mental barrier that impeded you for so long. You never know when the skill would come in handy- like today." He said, smiling encouragingly at her.
Elizabeth could very well appreciate the good sense in his advice but responded with a forced smile and a noncommittal, "Hmm.."
The reason behind her abrupt change of attitude was a sudden recollection of exactly whom she was speaking to. 'How could she have forgotten that Mr Darcy held her loved ones in utter contempt?'But she had felt so comfortable conversing with him today that for a while, she had forgotten. She was disconcerted at the sudden reversal in her feelings as the memories of that awful evening came rushing in. His behaviour that day had reminded her why she held him in aversion, but now she was finding it difficult to hold on to that dislike. How could she? When he had come to their rescue so heroically, that too with considerable trouble to himself. More surprisingly, he did not appear to hold a grudge against her, despite how she had rejected his offer so… so cruelly. Yes, she could finally admit to herself that she had been as cruel to him as he had been to her. But whatever the reason for his benevolence, she could not consider it prudent to lower her guard against him, and God forbid, give him an erroneous impression of her feelings! Yet how could she behave coldly to him now when he had treated them with such consideration. What was she to do? Her confused and disturbed musings suddenly made her conscious of the throbbing in her head, and she grimaced wearily.
Ever since Darcy had come upon the accident site, he had been operating almost without conscious thought. He would have done what he had for anyone else in such distress, but that one of the afflicted was Elizabeth had accorded the incident with a special significance. He had never believed in such things, but now he felt convinced that it was meant - that he be the one to help her today. Had he not stopped his journey and fallen asleep in that uncharacteristic manner, he would have passed the site of the accident long before it happened. The Almighty, however, had kindly ensured his presence when she needed it, and she had been interacting so naturally with him since then that he had forgotten what lay between them. It was the sudden reserve in her manner that reminded him of her first words when she saw him today. It reminded him that she disliked him intensely, that he was the last man… His desperate thoughts were interrupted by a whimper from Millie, and he welcomed the interruption!
He looked down at the fretful child in his arms and concluded that sleep was what she needed. Otherwise, she would continue to get agitated at every nicker that poor Poseidon let out. As he pondered on how to achieve this, he remembered the lullaby he used to croon to his sister Georgie when she was a baby. Although it was quite some time since he sang that song, he felt confident that he remembered most of it. 'Millie would hardly be offended if I miss a word here or there,' he thought wryly.
When the soft crooning of a melodious song flowed in her ears, Elizabeth turned to look at Mr Darcy in surprise. The arresting image the man and the child made brought a lump to her throat, and she looked away hurriedly. Millie's face was nestling in his neck. His head was bent forward slightly as he hummed, his dark hair contrasting sharply with the child's fair ones. To distract herself from the strange feelings coursing through her, she tried to identify the song. Although she failed in her endeavour, the song did manage to work its magic on her.
Darcy was only halfway through the song when a gentle snore fell on his ears. He looked down at the sleeping child and smiled. 'I have not lost my touch even after all these years.' He thought in amusement and almost involuntarily glanced askance to share his success with Miss Bennet. He started when he found her swaying lightly on Poseidon's back, her eyes closed. Well, this was not the outcome he had envisaged when he started on the lullaby!
Much though he hated to disturb her, he could not let her take a tumble. He sighed and cleared his throat loudly, "Miss Bennet?"
The speed with which she turned to look at him told him that she had not really dozed off. "Yes, Mr Darcy?" Elizabeth asked, feeling unreasonably disappointed that he had stopped singing, but a look at Millie told her the reason.
"I have been wondering… umm… why you were in that unfortunate carriage? If my memory serves me right, you were to stay almost a fortnight more with your cousin and Mrs Collins?"
Elizabeth sighed as she reflected on what to tell him. For a while, she thought of inventing urgent summons from her uncle that had hurried her journey but soon gave up the idea as unworthy. After all, she had done nothing wrong, 'except, maybe blurting out about his proposal to all and sundry,' she thought uncomfortably. But it was his actions that had led to that fracas at Rosings, and he would anyhow get to know the truth soon enough. If she had understood Lady Catherine at all, that lady would be seeking an account of Mr Darcy's version of the events before long. Therefore, she decided to tell him the unvarnished truth. Let him realize the outcome of his heedless conduct!
"Frankly, sir, I had to leave early as my cousin was not prepared to let me stay in his home anymore."
"W… what?" Darcy appeared dumbfounded. "But… why would Mr Collins behave so reprehensibly?" He asked after a moment of shocked silence.
"Because your aunt ordered him to do so," Elizabeth replied enigmatically.
"Excuse me?" Darcy stopped walking and stood staring at her with his mouth hanging open.
Instead of answering, Elizabeth just raised her brow at him in challenge. Although she felt a little mean for toying with him thus, she firmly believed that he deserved to stew a little after his own less than exemplary conduct.
Poseidon did not stop when Darcy did, and for a few minutes, he stood staring stupidly after a rapidly moving horse and the woman atop him. Then he came out of his stupor and hurried after them. "Surely you jest, Miss Bennet! Why would my aunt do something like that?" He exclaimed as he neared them.
"Because you did not think it appropriate to inform her when you decided to quit Rosings, sir."
If anything, Darcy appeared even more stunned than before and opened and closed his mouth several times without one word leaving him. Taking pity on him, Elizabeth decided to enlighten him finally. "I am not sure why your aunt would come to such a conclusion, Mr Darcy, but when you left Rosings without the curtsey of informing her, she somehow got it in her head that you would have shared that information with me."
She smiled ruefully when Mr Darcy's widened in disbelief. She added after a moment, "She invited us to tea on the day you left and without much ado asked me to reveal where you had gone. When I expressed my inability to do so, she chose to disbelieve my assertions. She became further incensed and accused me of … ahem… using my arts and allurements to trap you into matrimony."
Elizabeth then had to keep quiet for some time as Mr Darcy began to mutter under his breath and continued to do so for several minutes! She could not hear what he was saying, and maybe it was fortunate because she was sure she would not have understood half of what he was mumbling!
Once he finished letting off steam, Elizabeth continued, "I swear to you, sir, I was all set to laugh off your aunt's accusations, but unfortunately, my dear cousin just then chose to enlighten us all with his thoughts on immoral hussies who dare to look so far above their station." She raised her brow at him sardonically as she remembered some of his lamentations on the fateful day of his proposal.
"Oh, God!" Darcy groaned, looking near ready to tear off his hair.
"Yes.. well… I am sorry to have to tell you, sir, that at that moment, I lost my cool and… and blurted out that far from trying to ensnare you, I had already rejected your proposal." As Darcy closed his eyes in mortification, Elizabeth found herself apologising to him. " I am sorry, Mr Darcy, I had no intention of revealing …"
But he interrupted her in a constricted voice. "No… no. Please do not apologise. I… I think I can understand how that happened."
"Unfortunately, your aunt was not as understanding. Accusing me of trying to entrap you by telling such tarradiddles, she ordered Mr Collins to throw me out of his home."
Darcy shook his head disbelievingly. "I do not know what to say, Miss Bennet. I can only thank the good Lord for small mercies - at least my aunt had the decency to give you enough time to make arrangements for your journey."
"I apologise for disillusioning you further, Mr Darcy, but your aunt asked my cousin to throw me out immediately, and he was more than willing to oblige her."
For the second time in less than ten minutes, Darcy was left standing with his mouth agape, observing the slowly swaying backsides of his horse and the woman atop him! He again hurried after them and immediately burst out as he drew abreast, "But… then… how did you manage?"
"For that, I have to thank Charlotte and your cousin Miss deBourgh for their kindness. To put it succinctly, Charlotte arranged for my travel and the intervening stay with Mrs Dawson, and your cousin bullied Mr Collins in keeping mum so that your aunt continues to remain unaware of my extended stay."
"Bullied?" Darcy couldn't help but ask.
"Ah… she just reminded my cousin that she was the heir to Rosings."
"Oh, well done, Anne!" Darcy exclaimed, then fell silent. 'No wonder Miss Bennet hated him.' He thought in despair. After an awkward silence that lasted for a while, he began, "Miss Bennet, I… ah… I can do nothing but apologise most profusely. I cannot imagine how my aunt and your cousin could have even contemplated acting so reprehensibly. To… to turn out a gently bred woman from home without help or recourse… I do not know how I would have ever forgiven myself if you had come to harm because of the machinations of my family. Please… please do forgive me."
Until now, Elizabeth herself had been blaming Mr Darcy for what had befallen her. However, as she sat staring at him, it suddenly hit her with a force of a hammer that by holding him guilty of Lady Catherine's actions, she was doing to him exactly what he had done to her and Jane – held them guilty of their family's conduct! It was very hypocritical of her to do so, and as she gazed into his tormented eyes, she found herself wanting to ease his guilt. "Please do not be uneasy, Mr Darcy. If your aunt acted in a less than exemplary manner, then it was your cousin who ensured that I do not suffer any harm subsequently. Ultimately we all are responsible only for our own conduct. It would not be fair of me to hold you accountable for the actions of others, even if they are your family.
"You are too kind, Miss Bennet, but I cannot help but dwell on what could have happened had Mrs Collins and my cousin not gathered courage to defy my aunt. I can only lament my hasty conduct now. Had I not left Rosings in a fit of anger that day, none of this would have happened. Although I fail to understand why my aunt should latch on to you… " His voice tapered off as he continued to brood.
Elizabeth nodded thoughtfully. "I have been quite puzzled about that myself. How did your aunt become aware of … of your… interest when even I was not aware of it…" Elizabeth broke off in confusion as she saw the sudden hurt that flared in his eyes.
"Yes, it is quite ironic, isn't it, that the person I thought I was courting had no inkling of my feelings, and where I believed that I had successfully hidden them, they were perceived so easily. Maybe, Aunt Catherine knows me too well." He said with a bitter twist to his mouth.
'Wait, Mr Darcy believed he was courting her all this while? Was that what those all too frequent meetings during her morning rambles were about? And she had been so foolish as to consider them coincidental! It seems she had allowed her resentment against him to overshadow her reason completely.' She thought ruefully.
While they both were still pondering how to break the oppressive silence, the weather came to their rescue, if one could really call it that. The rain that was threatening to come all this while came pelting as the skies opened up.
Darcy swore and looked up at the sky worriedly, then at the two charges under his care and came to a sudden decision. "Miss Bennet, will you please hold Millie for me?" He asked as he brought Poseidon to a halt.
Although she felt hesitant, Elizabeth nodded and held out her arms. As soon as the little girl was ensconced there, Darcy removed his greatcoat a second time that day. He then carefully wrapped it around the woman and child and proceeded to button it up securely.
"I am sorry, Miss Bennet, but I will have to ride along with you to speed up our journey to the inn. I cannot take any further risk with your or Millie's health."
Before Elizabeth could make sense of his words, he took Poseidon to a nearby tree stump, climbed behind her and took the reins in his hands - both literally and metaphorically. Soon the big beast was trotting along as fast as Darcy could make him in those inclement conditions.
In the beginning, Elizabeth held herself stiffly in an attempt to minimise contact with Mr Darcy. However, she soon realized the futility of the exercise as the sleeping child kept pushing on her from the front. With Millie's comfort in mind, she leaned back with a sigh, her head coming to rest gently under his chin. The sensation of comfort and… reassurance pervading her senses in response to that small action left her feeling quite unnerved.
As Elizabeth leaned into him, Darcy's arms tightened around the precious pair in front of him. His jaw clenched as he understood that had he not made a mull of his proposal, this could have been his future! But he had bungled everything so terribly, first in Meryton and then at Rosings, and now Miss Bennet hated him. Bittersweet emotions assailed him as he realized that this was the closest he would ever come to holding her in his arms. After a while, he shrugged mentally. There was no point in dwelling on the what-ifs. At this moment, his responsibility lay in getting Miss Bennet and little Millie to safety, and that is what he would do.
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