Chapter 4 And Third time's the . nope .
"Goodness gracious, have we arrived?" Georgiana said wearily peering through the carriage window .
"We're here!!!" Kitty said practically jumping out of the carriage window in her excitement.
Mary only looked at a crushed hatbox by her feet and said, "I hope that MAN isn't here. He would probably destroy the rest of my luggage. I swear ."
"Don't swear Mary, its not polite." Mary only glared in Kitty's direction.
"As I said before, I do believe," Mary glancing with half closed eyelids at Kitty, "That he is the most inept man alive."
"Mary, he did say he was sorry." Georgiana said trying to placate an angry Mary.
"Well, I do not forgive him. He SAT on my hat!"
"He didn't mean to."
"Yet he did sit on it." Mary said grumpily recalling the incident.
* * * Flashback .
Liam, embarrassed by his lack of grace, saw the girls standing by the carriage as he was horseback riding with Darcy and the Colonel, who were still tittering over his awkwardness with Mary even more so as they saw the object of his observation.
"It's not funny!"
"Oh but it is Harcourt! Look at it from our perspective. Normally, the ladies are always swooning because of your charm, yet that famous Harcourt charm has shriveled up in the presence of a country miss."
Mary could make out three figures on horses from far away even with her poor eyesight and asked Elizabeth, whose robustness extended even to vision, "Lizzy someone is watching us."
"Don't worry its only Fitz, the Colonel, and Lord Harcourt."
"Harrumph!"
"Mary don't make a face or it will freeze that way."
"Stop sounding like a mother Lizzy!" At that comment, Elizabeth put her hand on her stomach and looked thoughtful, and murmured so low that none could hear, "Maybe I'm just practicing."
"Darcy!" He had spurred his horse and headed in the direction of the ladies. The Colonel only shrugged and spurred his horse too, Liam sighed.
"Baa! I am a sheep!" And he bounded forward.
Fate had a funny way of doing things, and at the moment its attention was focused on the poor Lord of Weston, Liam Harcourt.
He bounded and he was about to stop his horse when a rabbit skittered in front of his horse frightening it and the horse reared.
Liam tried to maintain control, but it was he versus a large frightened beast. Liam never had a chance and fell off as carefully as possible . onto a hatbox.
Mary glowered at him.
"Oh dear." He stood and pulled the hatbox still stuck on his posterior. He unstuck it and passed it to her, "Was this yours?"
Mary snatched the box away and tried to pop it back into its previous shape. The attempt failed and she only glowered even more fiercely at Liam who tried to apologize.
"Please forgive me Miss Bennet." He did his best to look contrite, and on his handsome face contrition worked very well. He knew, offhand, that several young ladies would have needed smelling salts, but not Miss Mary Bennet.
"No." She said simply and stepped into the carriage with her crumpled hatbox. Liam, knowing her for such a short time, recognized that fulminating look and it meant that he was in deep trouble.
Mary was quiet throughout the ride to London. She was planning the downfall of Lord Liam Harcourt. The man had injured her and hers TWICE already! She must not let a third time occur.
* * *
Back to the present .
"Mary he is very sorry for accidentally landing on you and very sorry for ruining your new bonnet. It is best to forgive and forget." "I'm sorry Elizabeth. I know he is a good friend to Mr. Darcy, but he has injured my honor. For that, I can never forgive and certainly never forget!"
Mr. Darcy opened the carriage door and assisted his sister and Elizabeth out. The Colonel could only assist Kitty out because Kitty threw him several hatboxes that one arm would certainly never be able to carry. It was amusing to watch him try to balance a Miss Bennet in one arm and several hatboxes in the other. The Hatboxes were winning. A gloved hand extended to help Mary out of the carriage.
She balked.
"Please Miss Bennet." And Lord Liam begging was a sight never seen before. What did this young lady have that sent this man to almost to his knees?
Mary sighed; even she could not withstand the puppy dog look on Liam's face.
"Just this once, nothing better happen to AIEEE"
Everyone stared.
Mary and Liam were once again lying in a heap. Limbs tangled together. The carriage step had broken when Liam had put one foot on to pull Mary out.
Darcy frowned.
"That has never happened before. I wonder if it is because . " The Colonel interrupted at this moment.
"Liam is fat."
The girls began to giggle. Liam glared, as he lay prone on the ground.
"Miss Bennet, are you all right?" Liam asked righting himself and slowly untangling himself from Mary.
"I don't think so. My ankle hurts." Mr. Darcy signaled the butler to fetch a doctor.
Liam picked Mary up in his strong arms.
"This is the third time, Lord Harcourt!"
"I really am terribly sorry. How can I make this up to you?"
Mary's green eyes held a wicked gleam. "Oh I think I can come up with something."
"Goodness gracious, have we arrived?" Georgiana said wearily peering through the carriage window .
"We're here!!!" Kitty said practically jumping out of the carriage window in her excitement.
Mary only looked at a crushed hatbox by her feet and said, "I hope that MAN isn't here. He would probably destroy the rest of my luggage. I swear ."
"Don't swear Mary, its not polite." Mary only glared in Kitty's direction.
"As I said before, I do believe," Mary glancing with half closed eyelids at Kitty, "That he is the most inept man alive."
"Mary, he did say he was sorry." Georgiana said trying to placate an angry Mary.
"Well, I do not forgive him. He SAT on my hat!"
"He didn't mean to."
"Yet he did sit on it." Mary said grumpily recalling the incident.
* * * Flashback .
Liam, embarrassed by his lack of grace, saw the girls standing by the carriage as he was horseback riding with Darcy and the Colonel, who were still tittering over his awkwardness with Mary even more so as they saw the object of his observation.
"It's not funny!"
"Oh but it is Harcourt! Look at it from our perspective. Normally, the ladies are always swooning because of your charm, yet that famous Harcourt charm has shriveled up in the presence of a country miss."
Mary could make out three figures on horses from far away even with her poor eyesight and asked Elizabeth, whose robustness extended even to vision, "Lizzy someone is watching us."
"Don't worry its only Fitz, the Colonel, and Lord Harcourt."
"Harrumph!"
"Mary don't make a face or it will freeze that way."
"Stop sounding like a mother Lizzy!" At that comment, Elizabeth put her hand on her stomach and looked thoughtful, and murmured so low that none could hear, "Maybe I'm just practicing."
"Darcy!" He had spurred his horse and headed in the direction of the ladies. The Colonel only shrugged and spurred his horse too, Liam sighed.
"Baa! I am a sheep!" And he bounded forward.
Fate had a funny way of doing things, and at the moment its attention was focused on the poor Lord of Weston, Liam Harcourt.
He bounded and he was about to stop his horse when a rabbit skittered in front of his horse frightening it and the horse reared.
Liam tried to maintain control, but it was he versus a large frightened beast. Liam never had a chance and fell off as carefully as possible . onto a hatbox.
Mary glowered at him.
"Oh dear." He stood and pulled the hatbox still stuck on his posterior. He unstuck it and passed it to her, "Was this yours?"
Mary snatched the box away and tried to pop it back into its previous shape. The attempt failed and she only glowered even more fiercely at Liam who tried to apologize.
"Please forgive me Miss Bennet." He did his best to look contrite, and on his handsome face contrition worked very well. He knew, offhand, that several young ladies would have needed smelling salts, but not Miss Mary Bennet.
"No." She said simply and stepped into the carriage with her crumpled hatbox. Liam, knowing her for such a short time, recognized that fulminating look and it meant that he was in deep trouble.
Mary was quiet throughout the ride to London. She was planning the downfall of Lord Liam Harcourt. The man had injured her and hers TWICE already! She must not let a third time occur.
* * *
Back to the present .
"Mary he is very sorry for accidentally landing on you and very sorry for ruining your new bonnet. It is best to forgive and forget." "I'm sorry Elizabeth. I know he is a good friend to Mr. Darcy, but he has injured my honor. For that, I can never forgive and certainly never forget!"
Mr. Darcy opened the carriage door and assisted his sister and Elizabeth out. The Colonel could only assist Kitty out because Kitty threw him several hatboxes that one arm would certainly never be able to carry. It was amusing to watch him try to balance a Miss Bennet in one arm and several hatboxes in the other. The Hatboxes were winning. A gloved hand extended to help Mary out of the carriage.
She balked.
"Please Miss Bennet." And Lord Liam begging was a sight never seen before. What did this young lady have that sent this man to almost to his knees?
Mary sighed; even she could not withstand the puppy dog look on Liam's face.
"Just this once, nothing better happen to AIEEE"
Everyone stared.
Mary and Liam were once again lying in a heap. Limbs tangled together. The carriage step had broken when Liam had put one foot on to pull Mary out.
Darcy frowned.
"That has never happened before. I wonder if it is because . " The Colonel interrupted at this moment.
"Liam is fat."
The girls began to giggle. Liam glared, as he lay prone on the ground.
"Miss Bennet, are you all right?" Liam asked righting himself and slowly untangling himself from Mary.
"I don't think so. My ankle hurts." Mr. Darcy signaled the butler to fetch a doctor.
Liam picked Mary up in his strong arms.
"This is the third time, Lord Harcourt!"
"I really am terribly sorry. How can I make this up to you?"
Mary's green eyes held a wicked gleam. "Oh I think I can come up with something."