Lady Alexandra's Hunt Chapter 11, a pride and prejudice fanfic

~~H~~

Meetings

The following morning, as was their custom, Lady Beatrice and Lady Alex reviewed their evening.

'You seemed to enjoy yourself last night,' commented Lady Beatrice.

'I did, thank you. For once the company was interesting,' replied Lady Alexandra.

'Did anyone in particular interest you?'

'Mr Darcy and Lord Bassington were interesting and pleasant conversationalists.'

'What about Sir Marcus. I noticed you had a most animated conversation with him during supper.'

Alexandra blushed. 'I did indeed have an elegant discourse with the gentleman.'

'Y-e-s…' prompted her aunt.

'I would enjoy speaking to him again,' admitted Alexandra.

'Go on…'

'He appears intelligent, well educated and has a remarkably liberal attitude towards women's accomplishments. Would you believe he actually complimented me on my handling of Cousin Frederick. Most men would have been horrified that I deliberately injured him.'

'Gregory would have congratulated you too. Particularly when it comes to Frederick,' chuckled Lady Beatrice.

Alexandra joined in the laughter. 'So, Sir Marcus is not unique after all.'

'Unusual, yes, but not unique. I am pleased to hear that he likes your spirit.' Lady Beatrice was curious about Alexandra's reaction to Sir Marcus but decided not to pry. Instead, she enquired about the other potential matches. 'What about Mr Darcy and Lord Bassington? What did you speak about?'

'Books, travel, politics and philosophy.' Alexandra grinned when her aunt shook her head.

'Did you raise those subjects or did they?'

'Lord Bassington asked me what subject I would like to converse on while we danced. I returned the favour for Mr Darcy. Both of them seemed relieved when I gave them those options. I gathered that they are also not over-fond of the weather, unless it affects the ability of their tenants to grow their produce.'

'Are any of them likely to call on you?'

'They might…'

'Will you encourage any of them?'

'I would like to get to know them better before I make that kind of a decision,' demurred Alexandra.

'Very well. You have plenty of time,' agreed her aunt.

The discussion made Alexandra consider one particular gentleman and his response after she told him that she was free to make her own choices. He seemed to become a little more reserved. Alexandra wondered why.

~~H~~

The next afternoon Lady Beatrice called on her friend Lady Cordelia, who had suggested the meeting at the ball.

After their greetings they settled comfortably in the informal parlour to enjoy their tea and chat.

Lady Cordelia enquired, 'did Alexandra enjoy the ball?'

'She did indeed. She was very complimentary on the quality of guests you invited,' replied Lady Beatrice with an indulgent smile.

'I admit I invited a number of the gentlemen to look them over because Theresa is coming out next season,' explained the hostess, whose daughter was rather nervous about having to deal with society.

'You are getting in early, my dear,' teased Lady Beatrice.

'As a matter of fact, it is rather late. Are you not aware that Theresa is nineteen? But because she was terrified of society, I gave her the extra time to gather her courage.'

'I had forgotten her age. Since she has not yet had her presentation, I kept thinking of her as younger. She is the same age as Alexandra.'

'That was why I wanted to check out the potential prospects – and the competition.' Now Lady Cordelia grinned at her friend. 'Did I notice your niece being rather taken with our neighbour, Beatrice?'

'I could not say. After all I do not know who all your neighbours are.' Lady Beatrice was intrigued.

'Sir Marcus owns the estate next to ours. Did you not know?'

'Considering I met the young man only the other night at your ball, no I did not.'

'He is keeping secrets again. Worthington and I had been friends with his parents until their tragic death. It must have been about three years ago. He sometimes played with Theresa when they were children.'

That information concerned Lady Beatrice. 'Do they still have a… connection?' she wanted to know.

'Rest easy, Beatrice,' laughed Lady Cordelia. 'Neither Theresa nor Marcus have any romantic interest in each other. I admit, I had hoped he would show an interest, but I do not believe they would suit. He needs someone much stronger than my daughter. Theresa needs a man who wants to cosset her, while Marcus needs a woman who will challenge him...' She left the question hanging.

'You mean someone like Alexandra.'

'Possibly. I had not thought of her before or I would have introduced them, but now that I have seen them together, I think they would suit very nicely. Has your niece said anything about him?'

'Not much. I know she enjoys his company and she is intrigued by him. But she is cautious about sharing her feelings. Even with me,' replied Lady Beatrice. 'Apart from that, they have only met twice. It is much too early to speculate.'

'Maybe we should give them opportunities to get to know each other,' suggested Lady Cordelia. She smiled conspiratorially. 'I think I shall invite a few friends to an intimate dinner next week. Are you available next Tuesday?'

Lady Beatrice returned the smile. 'I believe we have no other engagements that evening.'

'Excellent. I look forward to your company.'

Having settled their immediate concerns, the two old friends continued their chat until Lady Beatrice had to take her leave.

~~H~~

On the agreed upon Tuesday, Lady Beatrice and Lady Alexandra were again guests at Worthington House.

They were warmly greeted by their hosts. Lady Cordelia said, 'I believe you know everyone here.'

They did know everyone, since it was indeed a small intimate dinner party with a few friends – a total of a dozen people. Even Lady Theresa Worthington was present.

Lady Cordelia had invited another couple of their contemporaries and a widowed uncle on her mother's side, who, although in his late fifties, was very debonair and enjoyed flirting with Lady Beatrice.

Their party was rounded out by one of Lord Worthington's newly married nieces, her husband and brother-in-law. And last, but not least, Sir Marcus was amongst the guests.

'Lady Alexandra, we meet again. Providence must be smiling upon me,' Sir Marcus greeted her.

'I believe providence had little to do with our invitation, unless Lady Cordelia has changed her name. Shall we enquire?'

'There is no need, My Lady. I do not care by what name Providence likes to be known, as long as I again have the pleasure of your company.'

Alexandra laughed. 'You are in fine form tonight, Sir Marcus. Such flattery so early in the evening. You shall quite turn my head.'

'Nothing could be further from my mind. I speak nought but the truth.'

'In that case, Sir, let me assure you that my head is very firmly attached to my shoulders.'

They laughingly continued their banter until they were called to dinner.

Lord Worthington offered his arm to Alexandra to escort her to the table and seated her to his right.

That was the only true nod towards propriety and precedence. The others followed as they wished.

Alexandra was delighted to discover that her second dinner partner was Sir Marcus.

During dinner, she discussed politics with her host, while with Sir Marcus she argued the superiority of ancient Roman plumbing to modern English arrangements, or more accurately, the lack thereof.

Lord Worthington, who listened in on some of the conversation, shook his head and smiled. Those two were peas in a pod. They simply did not know it yet.

~~H~~

After dinner, the gentlemen had had their port and cigars, before they re-joined the ladies.

Sir Marcus immediately sought out Lady Alexandra to resume their conversation.

It was not long before they were in full flight again.

'And not only was their plumbing superior, they even managed to heat the floors of their villas,' argued Alexandra. 'Admittedly the climate in Italy is milder than in England, but imagine not getting cold feet and being in a room that does not smell of smoke.'

'I must admit that sounds very exciting, although at times the smell of smoke is very welcome around some of my more odiferous acquaintances.'

'True, but that problem could be taken care of by improved plumbing,' Alexandra was not to be gainsaid.

'The servants would certainly appreciate not having to clear the fireplaces every day or carrying all those heavy cans of hot water, which is usually not so hot by the time it is in my bathtub,' Marcus was ready to officially concede her points. Privately he had agreed with her all along, but he enjoyed hearing her arguments.

'My father worked around that problem when he converted one of his dressing rooms into a bathing room. He had a copper installed and a pump to refill the copper and to add cold water to the bathtub. It may not be a perfect solution, but he was able to enjoy a hot bath whenever he felt like it,' explained Alexandra.

She did not mention that that bathing room was now her own. It would not do to lead the gentleman to think of herself undressed.

Her comment gave Marcus pause. A copper and a water pump in an upstairs room. Yes, he could see possibilities with that. He would think about this later, since now he was in the company of a charming lady.

Their conversation was interrupted by Lady Cordelia, who thought that they had monopolised each other enough for one evening. 'Lady Alex, would you be willing to entertain us on the pianoforte?' she asked.

'Gladly, Lady Cordelia. If you can tolerate my mediocre abilities.'

Alexandra selected a song that she had practiced enough to be competent and performed it quite creditably.

For the rest of the evening Alexandra enjoyed her conversation with the other guests, as Sir Marcus was now being monopolised by Lord Worthington.

As they were leaving, Lady Beatrice extended an invitation to tea to Sir Marcus, who was pleased to accept.

~~H~~

One morning, Alexandra was awake very early, since she had not accepted any invitations for the evening before. She had felt that she needed some time to herself, since she suspected her aunt of meddling. It seemed that wherever she went, Sir Marcus was also in attendance. For a change, she wanted some time to herself.

Therefore, this morning she was eager to exercise Pegasus in Hyde Park. She dressed and had a hurried snack, intending to breakfast with her aunt on her return.

The morning was crisp and cool, despite the sun which had risen perhaps half an hour earlier. Alexandra breathed deeply in contented enjoyment as she made her way to Hyde Park, followed by the ever present Larkin.

She was about to enter the gate at the start of Rotten Row, when she encountered an acquaintance. 'Good morning, Mr Darcy.'

The young man coloured slightly at being addressed, but raised his hat as he bowed in the saddle. 'Good morning, My Lady.' He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but remained mute.

Darcy cursed himself. It was ever thus, that he did not know what to say to a lady, especially one whom he liked. The dances he had shared with her at the Worthington Ball, had been the best which he could remember. The conversation of Lady Alexandra had been delightfully lacking in overt flirting and fawning. She had spoken to him knowledgeably and as an equal, and he was considering calling on her. After all, as the daughter of an Earl, she was eminently suitable for him.

'Are you also here to exercise your horse? It is after all too early for the promenade.'

'Indeed, My Lady. Prometheus prefers the uncrowded road which this hour provides, and he is eager for a run.' As if to confirm this statement, Prometheus danced in place. 'I do not mean to be rude, but I hope that you will excuse me, while I let him work off his excess energy.'

'By all means, Mr Darcy. Enjoy your ride,' Alexandra responded pleasantly.

With a final nod, Darcy directed his horse onto Rotten Row, where Prometheus took off without prompting from his rider.

Pegasus let out a gentle nicker, indicating that he too wanted to run.

Since the trip from the house had warmed up his muscles, Alexandra gave him the signal to take off. Pegasus did not need a second invitation, as he went from a walk to a full gallop within a few strides.

Alexandra bent forward and raised herself slightly from the saddle to make the gallop easier for her mount. She laughed in exhilaration at the speed with which her stallion covered the ground.

About three quarters of a mile later, she overtook a startled looking gentleman.

Darcy could not decide what offended him the most. The fact that he was being overtaken by a woman, even though Prometheus was his fastest horse, or the unseemly display by that same woman, since her position made it very obvious that she had an exceedingly shapely posterior. He could not, of course, acknowledge even to himself that the sight was most appealing to his baser instincts.

As they approached the end of Rotten Row, Alexandra returned to an upright position, and gradually slowed Pegasus. She was still grinning and flushed with excitement when Darcy caught up with her.

'My Lady, pardon me for saying so, but do you think such a display is ladylike? Riding astride and in such a position…' He flushed as he remembered the sight of her… attributes, as she raced past him. 'Not all men are gentlemen, and might take your behaviour as an invitation to… ah…'

Alexandra laughed. 'Mr Darcy, please do not concern yourself. The advantage of riding astride is that I can outrace any gentleman, which I could not do if I was riding side-saddle; at least not without risking to break my neck.'

Darcy was again affronted. He had meant well in pointing out that her behaviour was unacceptable to polite society. Instead of listening to and acting upon his advice, the lady laughed at him. Such an attitude was insupportable. 'Very well, My Lady, since you seem to be bereft of common decency, I shall no longer importune you with my presence.'

Darcy rode off in a huff, while Alexandra thought, that solves the problem of whether or not I want to get to know him better. I could never tolerate such a stuck-up prig.

~~H~~

A/N: Some of you wondered about Marcus' reaction to Alexandra.

I admit he is partially based on a friend, who is intelligent, a great conversationalist, a thoroughly nice man, and easy on the eye. He knows who he is and is self-confident, except in one respect. After years of marriage he still cannot understand what his wife sees in an average guy like him. In his opinion she is highly intelligent, independent, successful, fun to talk to, stunningly beautiful and the list goes on – and she is completely out of his league. Go figure.

~~H~~