Darcy

The rest of the day was uneventful until it was time to prepare for bed. Darcy, once again, had no idea what to do and could only rely upon the basic knowledge that came with being the guardian of his younger sister. However, even that was lacking as he had relied heavily upon Mrs. Reynolds to perform many of the motherly duties on Georgiana behalf.

'Start with the dress and then the hair. That should be safe enough.' He began by removing the the dress itself which left him in a girdle and petticoat. To help ensure Elizabeth's privacy, Darcy again turned away from any mirrors and looked at the ceiling as much as possible. Taking delight in Elizabeth's nakedness would be uncouth. 'I may look like Elizabeth, but I am still a gentleman.' Once he had successfully changed into her night shift, he put on her robe, and sat down at the vanity to unpin and brush her hair.

Taking out one pin at a time, Darcy relished the feel of the soft curls falling down around her neck. He ran his hands gently through them and even pulled one forward to take in Elizabeth's perfume of lavender and rose water. 'My goodness this is going to be torture.'

Jane knocked on the door and entered quietly, already changed and ready for bed as well. Darcy noted that seeing Jane in her night clothes had not stirred up any feelings of desire within him and yet, the mere thought of Elizabeth (much more so this current situation) did. He wanted to possess Elizabeth's body in a very different way than he currently was. And more than that, he wanted her to desire the same.

"Lizzy, you are very far away this evening. I wonder what - or who - can be occupying your mind so?" Jane was not one to pry but she had noticed the marked attention Mr. Darcy had paid to her sister this afternoon and the fact that this time, Elizabeth had seemly accepted his attentions . "Have you decided Mr. Darcy is not so very bad afterall? I have long thought you two were more similar that you realized."

Taken aback, Darcy took a moment to collect his thoughts. 'Why would Elizabeth have disliked me? I can think of no offense I have given her... ' Then it hit him - the assembly! She must have heard his foolish, untrue remarks. 'Oh no, how I wrong I was. I have been laboring under the apprehension that Miss Elizabeth would have welcomed my suit only to find out, now when I am actually considering her, that she had never intended to attract my attention at all!' Somehow, as much as this disheartened him, it made him more secure in the fact that Elizabeth would not welcome his attentions for money. If he could win her over, it would be that she had come to respect - perhaps someday even love - him.

"Jane, you make too much of a simple walk and some shared interests. Perhaps Mr. Darcy is not so bad as I once believed but that does not excuse all this poor behavior. I will proceed in an effort to be friendly. Afterall, I believe is Mr. Bingley likely to call on you and Mr. Darcy will probably accompany him. It would not do to be uncivil."

Darcy decided that not everything about this odd situation was bad. Perhaps in speaking with Jane, he could ascertain her true feelings for his friend. He was not sure how he would relay that information if it became necessary but it would be valuable to have nonetheless.

"Jane, I know you tease me about Mr. Darcy but you can not deny that Mr. Bingley seems to enjoy spending time with you.".

Jane sat on the bed and sighed heavily - a dreamy sigh that attested to her dreamlike state - "Oh Lizzy, he is the most amiable man of my acquaintance. He is kind and thoughtful…"

Interrupting, he added, "And rich…"

"Oh phooey, you sound like mama! You know I'd think him the best of men if he were as poor as a church mouse. I will admit, I don't want to be poor but I would not turn away true respect and affection for a lack of funds. Nor would you, Lizzy! But I believe you almost refuse to see the possibilities before you because you are prejudiced against wealth."

This thought struck Darcy with force. Would Elizabeth hold his wealth against him? He had never considered it. How would Elizabeth respond to this? "I will not pretend that I do not believe that those of great wealth often display an air of pride and even disdain that would be unfounded if not for their inherited wealth but I am not so foolish as to refuse the attentions of a man based solely on his situation in life. Afterall, I would hope to judge people on their merits."

"Most often, Lizzy, you do but in the case of Mr. Darcy, I believe you attribute his actions to motives that may not be his."

Curious now, he could not help but ask her to elaborate.

"For instance, you have often said that you believe Mr. Darcy stares at you only to find fault. I would suggest that perhaps he stares at you because he admires you."

Darcy was flooded with a mixture of emotions, not the least of which was embarrassment. He has thought his 'staring' was merely stealing a glance occasionally and certainly not enough to be noted by others. But he was also disheartened to know that Elizabeth had thought him to be finding fault. What was there to find fault with? Attempting to end the conversation, he simply said, "Perhaps." Yawning, he added, "Goodnight, Jane."

Yawning herself, Jane bid her sister goodnight and left the room to dream of a future she could only hope for with a certain gentleman from Netherfield.