Update ch 16

Lady Catherine was thoroughly pleased to have her favorite nephew dressed to perfection and sitting between herself and Anne. She could think to herself how fine a couple they presented. She knew not to say anything within Mr. Darcy's hearing, so she contented herself with ignoring Mr. Collins' appreciation of each dish while thinking of a future where she would be alone at Rosings. Anne of course would be at Pemberley, probably with Mrs. Jenkinson also. She was too proud of what would be her greatest achievement to realize how lonely she would be.

She was also too happily lost in these reflections to realize that Mr. Darcy was staring at Elizabeth for almost the entire meal, only looking away when he realized she might notice. Mrs. Collins noticed and felt indescribably happy that she was getting to counsel her friend to prefer and accept such a decent, intelligent, rich, handsome gentleman. She could go on and on about his merits, but she was too busy ensuring her husband and benefactress not notice anything amiss.

The colonel also noticed the staring, but only interjected when he could to keep the conversation with Mr. Collins flowing. This only turned out to be necessary twice throughout the three courses.

Elizabeth was almost completely ignorant of his staring and the conversation around her. Lost in felicity for Jane, she ate each course quickly and quietly, thinking of how happy Jane must be to be with Mr. Bingley again. Perhaps they were on a trip to the Little Theater together. Mr. Gardiner always procured tickets, or maybe the Bingleys had a reserved box. Bingley and Jane would stare at each other instead of the play and the Gardiners would cough slightly to remind the couple of propriety, which the couple would completely ignore.

Laughing, Elizabeth looked toward Mr. Darcy, hoping to thank him silently for the joy he had given her, but he turned away with his disapproving mien each time. Insufferable man! She had already thanked him, so she must expect that to be enough. She would not allow his negativity to affect her. Instead, she turned toward her cousin and pretended to listen while imagining Bingley and Jane's next foray to see the sights of London. The menagerie, Covent Gardens, Hyde Park, the shopping district, and many others flitted through her mind.

When the dinner ended, Elizabeth almost leapt up to walk with Lady Catherine, eager to play the pianoforte and continue being lost in her thoughts. When they reached the drawing room, her demeanor deflated quickly as she noticed the card tables were out. Lady Catherine insisted that she and Mrs. Collins play whist opposite Mrs. Jenkinson and herself so that Anne could rest with Maria before the gentlemen returned. Resigned to listening to the great lady speak plainly of many things she knew nothing about, she took her seat and helped distribute the cards so they could begin.

"Ah, spades, a good trump to be sure!" Lady Catherine began. "Anne prefers hearts to be trump, but I find spades much more to my liking."

Elizabeth refrained from rolling her eyes. Playing her first card, she watched the others play and rejoiced silently when Mrs. Collins won the trick.

The game continued while Lady Catherine spoke of how well Mr. Darcy and Anne had looked at dinner and how much attention the two would garner when they had their first London season together. Mrs. Jenkinson agreed while Charlotte attempted to abstain from making any comment. Elizabeth readily agreed that Mr. Darcy and Anne would look very well together. To herself, she added that with such a wife, he could quietly remain at home and not attend any balls he did not wish to attend.

She then regretted such negative thoughts. She really could not imagine the two together and assumed the match to be entirely made up in Lady Catherine's mind. Her disingenuous agreement allowed the game to continue, though Mrs. Collins appeared very confused and lost the next three rounds by playing low when she could have won the tricks.

When the gentlemen arrived half an hour later, the tables were reorganized. When everyone was settled, Elizabeth teamed with the colonel against Mrs. Collins and Mrs. Jenkinson. They spoke quietly of inconsequential matters as they played. Every time Lady Catherine would mention how well Anne might play if she were up to it, Mr. Collins ready agreed and the colonel hid his laugh behind a few coughs. Elizabeth was better at laughing silently at the colonel's antics.

Mr. Darcy barely heard anything as he strained to hear Elizabeth's laugh. Her back was turned towards him, so he could only watch the curls around her face dance with each silent laugh. Destined to boredom, he wished the evening would end quickly as he imagined walking alone with Elizabeth in the morning.

Anne's coughing fit put an end to the evening. Each group had played three rounds and were glad to end early. The group silently climbed the stairs and split when they reached the top. Lady Catherine's presence meant that Mr. Darcy could make no communication with Elizabeth or even kiss her hand. Instead, he simply looked bored as wishes for a good night's rest were shared. Mrs. Collins took Elizabeth's arm and turned them away with Maria on her other arm. The colonel bumped into Mr. Darcy before anyone could notice he was staring down the hall where the ladies had disappeared. Shaking his head, he turned and moved to his own chamber.

Excitement for the following day would not allow his mind to settle, so instead, he paced his room until he knew everyone would be asleep and moved to the library quietly. Finding the lamps still lit, he entered to find Elizabeth and the colonel laughing as they sat in separate chairs by the fire. He knocked to announce his entrance and attempted to hide his eagerness to join them.

Elizabeth shot up from her seat, knowing she should not be alone with a gentleman. She relaxed slightly when she saw it was only Mr. Darcy. He would not speak of this meeting. "Your cousin has been telling me of his favorite of Shakespeare's plays. As I had predicted, he firmly prefers the comedies and his favorite is Much Ado About Nothing, but of course you know that." She paused and fidgeted with her dress as she realized her mistake.

Mr. Darcy claimed the seat beside his cousin. "Yes, Much Ado About Nothing is a pleasing show when you wish to laugh. However, I prefer more thoughtful productions like Twelfth Night."

Elizabeth reclaimed her seat opposite the men. "So you prefer comedy as well. I am not sure I would have thought that of you. Your serious mien makes me think you would prefer a more dramatic play like MacBeth, Othello, or Hamlet."

Mr. Darcy observed her for a moment, wondering if she were entirely serious. "It is not my preference when everyone dies at the end."

Elizabeth sat up straight, bristling at his manner. "I suppose their lies and conceits do not sit well with you either."

With a nod, Mr. Darcy agreed with her, so she continued.

"That would make you not prefer Much Ado About Nothing as well. However, there is deceit in Twelfth Night as well."

Mr. Darcy sat up, "Yes, and I cannot approve of it, but there was not much choice in the matter. She was at the mercy of a bunch of men, and to appear as a man was her safest choice."

Elizabeth smiled, "If only women could be safe just as themselves, however, it would have made the play less interesting."

They discussed the merits and plot of Twelfth Night for so long they did not even notice the colonel leave. When the clock chimed midnight, Elizabeth startled. "I ought to return to my room. I only came to pick a new book."

Mr. Darcy rose with her, but he could not wish for her to leave. In a bid for time, he asked how she liked her last book.

"I had read it before, so it was not surprised to find that I enjoyed it very much." Feeling a little nervous about being alone with him, she moved to the pile of books that he had picked for her before. Other than a book that Maria had borrowed, the pile remained the same.

"Which shall you choose now?" Mr. Darcy asked as he poured two glasses of Port and moved to her side.

"I believe I am in need of more of a comedy this time." Elizabeth said as she moved through the pile and selected A Comedy of Errors from the short selection of Shakespeare in the pile. When she turned to observe his reaction, she was surprised to see him offer her a drink. They had remained unnoticed for this long, perhaps a few more minutes would not harm her reputation. She took the drink and resumed her seat. "Not a single tragedy in your pile, I see now. I should have taken that hint to realize you would prefer a comedy."

His only thought was that he would love to read the book to her and listen to her laugh at all the right points. That would make his ideal evening, nestled together at Pemberley.

Elizabeth frowned at his lack of response, so she took a sip to give him time. She coughed, as the Port was stronger than she was used to.

"You do not drink Port often, then." He stated, finally being brought to the present.

"My father has offered me his on occasion, but no, Port is generally not given to ladies. It is a little strong but incredibly tasty."

Mr. Darcy smiled. "Perhaps one of these evenings I shall offer you a brandy. If you can get past the strength, the taste is incredibly…" He paused as he realized he did not know how to explain.

"The blend of fruit and oak is interesting." She offered.

Mr. Darcy could only agree as he wondered if she had already tried some with her father as well. He wished to be the one that taught her about his world. He wished to share everything with her. Not wishing her to guess his thoughts, he took a quick drink, but he misjudged the movement, and took a larger gulp than he had intended, causing him to cough for a full minute.

When he recovered, he found Elizabeth's lips pursed together to stop her from laughing at him, but her eyes were nearly watering from holding back her laugh. "Perhaps you should stick with Port until your constitution is stronger, Mr. Darcy." She took another sip in an attempt to remain calm.

Not trusting himself to take another sip, he set his drink down and asked after her new book. Finding out that she had read it with her sister Jane brought a more natural conversation. He described how he enjoyed reading it to his sister in his youth.

The clock had to remind them of the passage of time, and this time, Mr. Darcy allowed her to leave, hinting that he hoped to meet her on her walk in the morning. Elizabeth knew not how to answer and simply restated that she enjoyed the path along the grove. "It is not too far, and the grove is very pretty with daffodils and bluebells dotting the path."

Mr. Darcy reached for her hand, but she had already turned away. At the door, she paused to wish him a pleasant night.

AN: Camping was hard (as in, the ground is harder than I remember), but a lot of fun. My little 6 year old nephew is adorable, and he taught us all he knows about camping.

Anyway, I hope this chapter does not upset you, as Darcy seems to take a couple steps back, but the process is difficult.