I just wanted to take a moment and thank those who left reviews. I just went back and did a quick edit of the first two chapters, just spelling and grammar errors - I'm usually pretty hasty when editing so do forgive me if I miss a few mistakes here and there. I'll get to them eventually, especially if you point them out to me. This story is something I am working on presently just for fun, mainly little one shots I make up that work together to make this a story. I hope to continue to please with this one. Happy reading and thank you again for the reviews!
The image never left his mind; not after Elizabeth and the Gardiners had departed (and he would not let them leave without his invitation to tea the next day), not after he had greeted his sister and the Bingleys well into the evening, and not after he had retired for the night to the sanctuary of his chambers. That picture of her standing so sweetly on his lawn and looking at him with that expression resembled the materialization of a dream. And how demurely she presented herself! Whether she knew it or not, she only catered to Darcy's passionate admiration and she left him in an even deeper wanting of her refreshing company. Her eyes wide and doe-like as she looked up to him after he complimented her; he had never seen her so. How the sun danced in her hair on the lawn, the shimmering contrasts of its dark, luscious color truly exposed in mid-day's light, and how perfectly well she looked altogether, despite that curious expression he could not place. What was he to do? How do you save a hopeless man from a love he had no chance of achieving?
Darcy loomed over the mantel of his fireplace, pacing for a few moments, then returning. Sleep, he knew, would not come easy. No, her image would remain in his mind's eye, keeping his thoughts racing, his heart pounding. Tomorrow was a chance he could only have dreamed of and she had agreed to his invitation with such a happy expression, he almost allowed himself to hope a little more. Another chance to show her he was no longer what he was, another chance to see her again in his home, another chance to make her smile at him the way she had when he handed her into her carriage. She had squeezed his fingers before lingering on their release, their eyes never breaking. He wanted to show her nothing but admiration, remedy all that he had done for that one little smile. Oh, he dared not hope this much; he could not bear it to build himself up too high. A second failure would be devastation. After seeing her again and on the fine cut grass of his front lawn, there could never be another woman in her place. Should he never marry her, he shall never marry. That was that, and Darcy had come to these terms decidedly. But he could not think about the very prospect of never having her. For now, he was happily occupied with the image in his head and the glass of wine that helped that image sink into his dreams.
"Your guests for the evening have arrived, sir," Mrs. Reynolds snapped him out of his daydream. He turned away from Georgiana, who sat in front of him at the pianoforte. He could feel the color in his face draining, expressing outward distress rather than the pure excitement he felt. The others in the room had their eyes searchingly on him.
"Thank you, Mrs. Reynolds. You may escort them here." His posture went straight and rigid as he watched the old housekeeper leave once more. With a side glance to Georgiana, he could see she understood his feelings. She gave him a small, but reassuring smile and stood to stand with him, her arm curling under his delicately. He remained unmoved, only lifting his elbow enough for Georgiana to fit her arm through. His eyes remained on the door.
Had Georgiana not given his arm a knowing squeeze, he might not have remembered to stop holding his breath as the door reopened and Mrs. Reynolds returned, leading Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, and Elizabeth following after them with her hands clasped politely in front of her. Darcy immediately stepped forward, Georgiana followed diligently, and greeted them with a formal bow.
"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner;" he said, then turning and releasing his sister's arm, "good evening, Miss Bennet." Elizabeth curtsied with a suppressed grin that matched the one on Darcy's face.
"Mr. Darcy, thank you once more for your generous invitation," she said.
"I thank you once more for so graciously accepting," he could not help but smile now. "Please allow me to introduce to you my sister, Georgiana." His sister stepped forward and they curtsied to one another.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Darcy."
"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Bennet," Georgiana replied. "My brother has told me so much of you, I feel as if we are friends already." Darcy looked to her sharply then, noticing the two ladies seated had looked to Georgiana then wide-eyed.
"Oh, thank you," Elizabeth said with a genuine smile. "Though I am sure your brother has perjured himself most profusely and exaggerated my qualities."
"That could not be so; my brother tells the absolute truth, except perhaps he is a little too generous to me."
"An ideal elder brother, then."
"Oh, yes. I could not imagine a better or a kinder one." They both looked to him then as he watched them with a most serene smile on his face. It was at this moment that Mr. Bingley and Mr. Hurst joined them from the billiards room.
Mr. Bingley then reacquainted himself with Elizabeth and introduced himself to the Gardiners – Mr. Hurst had chosen to take an immediate seat and separate himself from the rest of the room. It was suggested after some time that they take a tour of the grounds before sitting for dinner and Darcy found himself conveniently paired with Elizabeth as they walked under the ascending twilight – his sister had taken the arms of Mrs. Hurst and Miss Bingley and kept them at a comfortable distance ahead of them, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner walking with Bingley just ahead of the ladies, and Mr. Hurst left back at the house, asleep in his arm chair. He and Elizabeth walked considerably slower than the others, keeping behind the group ahead of them a comfortable distance, and it was in this semi-solitude that they began to converse more comfortably than they ever had before. They talked briefly of how gorgeous the day had been, of books they had read recently and their favorites, of which they had mutual titles. As he had known, she was an avid reader, eager to enrich her mind in all kinds of literature; as he had guessed, she loved visiting the country with her aunt and uncle and wanted to see more of the world outside the boundaries she had reached. She spoke of her kin with loyalty and absolute adoration, though she admitted they had plenty of their faults about them with a chuckle. Darcy laughed with her, relishing the sweet sound that broke from her lips; though he would never make her love him, he could give her his devoted friendship. He would be anything she wanted.
At dinner, she had been placed to his right and they continued much of their conversation during dinner, as well as keeping up with the conversations of the table. If they had to pause their interaction, Elizabeth would betray a moment of disappointment in her eye before glancing to the rest of the table and joining the majority. When she turned back to him, she would smile brightly and carry on with great pleasure. She looked directly into his eyes when she spoke to him, listening intently to each response he gave and she continued to look at him curiously as she had the previous day, that mixture of emotion he was presently blind to. Her dark pools of deep amber hardly strayed away from his eyes; he could see somewhere in her gaze that she was measuring him and he hoped against his odds that she now had a more favorable view of his character. If only he could absolutely assure her how deeply she moved him, how he had memorized every word she had said to him and had come to humbly agree with her; could he but prove how fervently he loved her and would do anything to secure her happiness. He knew his train of thought was showing through his features; Elizabeth's smile began to fade as she checked over his countenance with quick eyes.
"Mr. Darcy, are you well?" she inquired in between statements.
"Quite well, I thank you," Darcy insisted. "Pray, continue." He took note that she hesitated, worrying her bottom lip as she glanced over him once more, then continued on with her statement. The small action had his lips forming a charming grin, one Elizabeth found suited him very amiably. He thought it must be giving him away, that his outward display of perfect happiness was surely the thing to betray to Elizabeth his very present, very passionate love for her (if she hadn't already guessed he still felt such feelings), but if it was, she showed no sign of apprehension, no hint of disgust or distaste – she was all loveliness and especially sweet towards him.
Her attention was stollen from him after dinner when she walked arm-in-arm with his sister into the drawing room, having agreed to accompany Georgiana for a duet on the pianoforte. The party had situated itself about the room as the ladies prepared which piece they would perform. Darcy had just taken his seat at the end of a settee when Georgiana began to play. He had only ever heard Elizabeth perform on the pianoforte, never had he heard her sing, but as she took a breath, her chest rising elegantly, and he heard the first notes escape in her tone, he thought that perhaps he had never heard anything more beautiful. He stared openly at her as she sang in a soft, pure soprano that wrapped around his heart and filled his ears with such wonder. Whatever mind he had paid to his other guests was completely forgotten. All that existed for him in that moment was the music and Elizabeth. Her eyes followed the words along the page as she sang steadily, timing her breaths with the music, turning the page for Georgiana when the time came. She sang with expression and feeling, allowing herself to be distracted only when she made a mistake or two, and then she would smile and try not to laugh in between notes. She was perfect and he had no place ever believing otherwise.