Chapter 36

Bingley, satisfied with how the assembly ball had gone last night, had decided that today would be the day he would propose to his angel. With this in mind he requested she stroll with him in the gardens. David was quick to volunteer himself and Elizabeth as chaperones for their stroll since Georgiana was practicing her music and Anne, after the late night last night, was assumed to be resting.

As Elizabeth put on her outer wrap, he waggled his eyebrows at her and said, "What type of chaperones shall we be, little sister? Shall we plague them and dog their steps or shall we be laxidasical, perhaps going so far as to loose them entirely so that Bingley can ask the ever important question?" He paused for drama and said, "Do I look good in orange?"

"David," Elizabeth chided, laughing lightly at his joke.

"What? Tis an important question for Bingley," David protested. "Who does not wish to parade around in orange? And with feathers too!"

...

As Darcy entered the room, closing the door, Anne exclaimed "Darcy!" in shock, sitting up from where she lay on the couch resting.

"Anne, I did not expect to find you here," Darcy said startled. "Your mother asked me to fetch her longrette," he said looking around the room and spotting it.

"Quickly, try the door," Anne said faintly.

Thus ordered Darcy reflexively did so, only to discover it was locked.

"It is locked," he said confused why Anne looked panicked. "There is no need to panic. I will ring for a servant and someone will come open the door."

"Do not be obtuse," Anne hissed. "We are alone together in a locked room."

"We are cousins," Darcy scoffed. "We are allowed more leeway, there is hardly anything compromising about our position considering our situation. No one in the family would consider us honor bound to the other."

"Mother invited, Mrs. Preston to call on her. I believe Henry reffered to her as a great source for all the local on-dits. And if she is present, you and I alone in a locked room will become the next piece of juicy gossip. I hardly look presentable having been resting," Anne said crossly. "My mother knew I was in here, she must have deliberately left behind her longerette and some how jammed the lock. "

"It seems a bit far fetched," Darcy said doubtfully. "This is not a gothic novel. Aunt Catherine has always preferred a more direct approach. If she wished to resort to compromise, I would think she would have tried something long ago, likely at Rosngs where her word is law. "

"That was before you started mooning over Lizzy," Anne said rolling her eyes.

"You think she hopes to trap us?"

"She suggested I rest in here, referring to it as a peaceful room. She sent you for her longerette she left behind after sitting with me, around when she expected Mrs. Preston, and the lock is presumably faulty. It is all too convient. Why did you allow the door to close behind you?"

"Miss Bingley," Darcy said grimacing. "I did not wish her to walk past and attempt to join me in here if your mother's longerette was not immediately in sight and easily found. It is a habit to avoid Miss Bingley's notice. I often close doors so she cannot pass by and spot me."

"And I daresay my mother picked up on it. Well, we must find away out before my mother and Mrs. Preston find us. I daresay if we ring the bell for a servant, mother and Mrs. Preston will show up instead."

"We had better not risk it," Darcy agreed. "Perhaps the window could be useful."

"This is not the ground floor," Anne protested. "We are a story up. You cannot possibly jump down without injury."

"I was not intending to jump," Darcy said dryly moving to open the window. "I am hoping to spot one of our cousins and recruit them to our aide. They can slip inside without Aunt Catherine's knowledge and get the bla- the door unlocked."

Peering out the window, eventually Darcy was relieved to see, Richard, David, Georgiana and Elizabeth ambling toward them. He hailed them in a low voice, not wanting to draw any other attention to himself.

"Darcy, I think you have things confused. Even this old sailor knows that Juliet is to be on the balcony and Romeo is below," David called out cheerfully.

"Keep your voice down," Darcy hissed. "Anne and I are locked in."

"Pah," David laughed. "And what? You are concerned you will be called upon your honor to marry our cousin? The only one that would wish to believe the situation was such is Aunt Catherine, and she won't find any support amongst the family and she cannot start gossip about her own daughter. It would be to suspicious. I dare say you are safe, ring for a servant and obtain your freedom."

"No," Richard hissed. "Mrs. Preston is here. That is why Georgie and I snuck out while you two chaperoned Bingley and his Miss Bennet on their stroll. She is the biggest gossip in Newmarket. If she got wind of this, well Anne and Darcy might very well find themselves honorbound. I suggest you and Georgie sneak inside and free them while Elizabeth and I stand guard out here. If the worst happens, perhaps our presence out here, conversing with Darcy and Anne, will migate any consequences."

"We have a problem," Anne said appearing in the window beside Darcy. "My mother is outside the doorway and making a lot of noise about the door being stuck. It appears you will need to climb out the window and down, William."

"That would be impossible," Elizabeth exclaimed. "I am smaller. I am an adapt tree climber, this cannot be much different if I use that vine. If Richard and David can give me a boost up, I shall join you two in the room, preserving everyone's reputations. Quickly now," she said shedding her outdoor wrap in preparation to climb and gesturing to her brothers.

David and Richard quickly lifted her and with the aide of the vine, Darcy was assisting her into the room without a second to spare. When Lady Catherine, Mrs. Preston, and the housekeeper with a key, who had been summoned by Lady Catherine, burst into the room, Darcy still held Elizabeth's hands clasped in his from helping her in through the window. Lady Catherine looked on in shock, having expected to find Darcy and Anne alone.

"That was absolutely marvolous," Anne exclaimed quickly, rising to grap Elizabeth's hands as she withdrew them from Darcy's and at the same time blocking the rooms view of Elizabeth's skirts that showed minnor signs of her climb. "You just missed it mother. My cousins were entertaining me by treating me to the reenactment of a scene. Was it not good of them to take such care of me? It sounded like there was a commotion in the hallway. Miss Bingley again, I assume?" Anne said airly.

"Elizabeth has been in the room with you the whole time?" Lady Catherine asked, ignoring her daughter's question.

"Of course, mother. Sorry Darcy did not retun immediately with your longerette. I am afraid we begged him to indulge us and he kindly agreed to Lizzy and I's whim," Anne said holding tightly to Elizabeth's hands, giving them a squeeze to indicate Elizabeth should remain silent.

"Well I am not sure what I think of scenes were two young people hold hands, but I guess as cousins it is not untoward," Lady Catherine said with a sniff, narrowing her eyes.

"A word in private if you do not mind, Aunt Catherine," Darcy said tightly.

After Darcy and Lady Catherine departed, Anne moved toward Mrs. Preston and persuaded her out of the room, suggesting the head toward the drawing room. Elizabeth decided that while her dress would pass a quick muster, it would behoove her to change it before anyone noticed the tears in it from her mad scramble up to the room.

With this objective in mind, Elizabeth headed toward her room, unaware Darcy and Lady Catherine had selected an empty room along her route for their conversation. Hearing their voices, she would have continued on, but Darcy deep baritone caused her to halt momentarily not wanting to interupt. Lady Catherine and Darcy, unware of Elizabeth's presence in the hall continued their conversation.

"She is a cousin to me and nothing more, madame," Darcy bit off. "Any developing fondness you may have witnessed during this visit, is that strictly of a cousinly nature. She may have rank and fortune, but she remains unsuitable. Your brother, my uncle, knows my opinion on marriage and we have agreeded to respect each other's positions. I will not be budged and family consideration is not even a consideration for me for-"

Elizabeth not wishing to be caught eavesdropping quickly scurried past the doorway without hearing anything further, her thoughts far from reparing to her room to change her dress before its state was noticed and remarked on. She had constantly reminded herself that Darcy only treated her with the kindness he did because he was her cousin. But her heart, wayward organ that it was, had apparently not heeded her mind's council and set itself on her cousin, if the pang in her chest was any indication, Elizabeth thought as she swipped at a tear. She did not stop to consider that it was not her he referred to, since Lady Catherine had walked in on the two clasping hands, but rather Anne.