Chapter 3

When she returned to the inn where she was staying while she remained in England, she was too weak to order anything to eat, although she had barely touched the food Darcy had served her. Lady Drake climbed the finely-carpeted stairs to her simple suite, bidding the innkeeper a good evening over her shoulder. As she had requested, a hot bath had been readied and her nightgown laid out on her bed. Had the steam rising from the inviting confines of the tub not been so appealing to her tired body, she would have collapsed into bed without removing a stitch of clothing. However, she resisted, and slowly undid the bodice and skirts of her black gown, letting it flutter to the floor with a soft sigh. She pulled the remainders of her undergarments from her frame and stepped carefully into the bath.

It was every bit as marvelous as she had hoped. Her lips parted in a relaxed O as she let her muscles slowly ease out of the bind she had tensed them into all evening. Lady Drake rubbed her eyes, still red and swollen from the copious amount of tears she had shed and dipped her head under the surface of the water. She hadn't expected him to understand, to forget let alone forgive her for the past, but her skin wasn't quite as tough as she had counted on it being. She missed her childhood companion, the summers they spent together, exploring and digging and racing through forests so dense only a fraction of the brilliant sunlight could pierce the brush.

Faster, William, faster!—

He was a good ways behind her now, and she was winning. The lake was in clear view, sparkling and reflecting the sun's summertime rays. She tore the ribbons from her hair and threw the heavy linen sun dress she wore over a light cotton shift to the ground. Shrieking in delight, she threw herself into the cool waters of the lake as the blur of a boy behind her disappeared from sight.

She sank as deep as she could until her toes reached the loose, slimy layer of earth along the lake. Above her the surface of the water glimmered gold and silver and blue underneath the clear sky. Where was William? She hadn't gone that far ahead of him, had she?

A pang of concern crept into her ten-year-old mind and she quickly pumped to the surface as fast as her legs would allow. Gasping for air as her head popped out of the water, she treaded water and glanced around, her toes reaching the plateau of earth along the shallow part of the lake.

William!—William?—

A body collided with hers and rammed her, squealing and laughing, against the grassy beach. As the water drained from her eyes and she could see clearly through her nervous laughter, William's head came into focus, his hair raining a shower of water over her.

You scared me to death! Where were you? Where did you go? I was right in front of you!—

He grinned and flopped onto his back so that they both lay parallel to the sky. —You may have speed, and, well, everything else that I don't, but I know the lake.— He pointed to a barely visible groundhog hole in the lawn that led beneath the surface of the lake.

She smacked him, the nasty feeling she'd had beneath the water slowly ebbing away. —Don't ever scare me like that.—

I won't.— He rolled on his side to pluck a fat brown worm from the ground and dangle it over her head. She giggled and offered her palm for it to squiggle upon. —I promise.—

Lady Drake's body jolted awake in the now lukewarm water as loud knocking at the door broke into her thoughts. She glanced at the time to discover three hours had passed. As she expected, her skin was wrinkled and pruned from over-exposure to the water, and she stepped out of the bath, wrapping a heavy blanket around her shivering form.

"A moment, please!" she called impatiently to the insistent fists that hammered on the door. Checking that she was appropriately covered, she unlocked the door to find the innkeeper and a young maid waiting outside.

"Pardon, m'lady," the innkeeper stuttered, his eyes dropping to the pool of water gathering at her feet. "Marissa 'ere mentioned you wasn't respondin' when she asked ye if there was anythin' you needed and was a-feared you'd drowned."

"No, I believe I can manage myself in a three-foot bin of water, thank you," Lady Drake snapped. The innkeeper blinked rapidly, clutching the fearful young girl to his side. The now unpleasantly chilled lady sighed and put a hand to her forehead. "Never mind, it's no fault of yours. Please, I'd like not to be disturbed again for the rest of the evening.'

"Yes, m'lady,' the innkeeper mumbled, yanking the girl down the hall and bowing simultaneously. "T'won't happen again."

She watched them disappear absently for a moment before her eyes filled with tears and she slammed the door hard behind her.

"What a lovely evening!" Elizabeth sighed as she rubbed medicinal cream onto her dry skin. She smiled into her vanity mirror from the powder room and unpinned her long, mousy hair. "You were wonderfully civil, my love; I'm very pleased with you. I know what a trial these fetes are to you."

Darcy smiled from the bedroom and continued to unbutton his waistcoat. Her reflection in the vanity mirror laughed and disappeared. "I'm happy you enjoyed it, Elizabeth."

Her head popped into view suddenly as she reappeared in the bedroom, her white night-shift billowing around her slender figure. She rubbed her hands along her husband's tense shoulders gently.

"What's the matter, Mr. Darcy?" He turned to her, his fingers halting mid-button, and instead moved to her face. Planting a kiss on her smooth forehead, he shrugged out of his waistcoat and hung it on a chair.

"Nothing, darling, everything's fine," he answered, his back to where she sat on their four-post bed. "I simply saw someone tonight who I hadn't expected to see." Ever again, he added to himself as a bitter taste formed in his mouth. Darcy threw off his shirt and turned back to Elizabeth. He could tell by her eyes that she wished he'd open up to her, but he couldn't. Not now, anyway.

"All right, Darcy," she sighed as he lowered himself into bed. Her eyes watched his broad chest rise and fall softly next to her, and traced a familiar scar on his shoulder with her fingers. They paused, quivering, above his skin before tucking themselves firmly under a pillow. "I'm not pregnant."

He opened his eyes and turned to her. Through her sleep-heavy gaze he saw a great deal of sadness that pained him as much as it did Elizabeth. Darcy placed a hand on her cheek and smoothed away a stray tear with his thumb.

"We'll try again," he whispered, but she had already turned away from him. He watched her slightly trembling body long after she'd snuffed the candle by their bedside.