Hi everyone!
Thank you to all of you lovely readers! You keep me going. Really.
Thank you very much to these dear reviewers:
Eleoopy, Maria Teresa C, ChrisM0519, Lisa, Happy Lizzy, Shelby66, Levenez, pemsnowy, MK543, RHALiz, liysyl, Deanna27, Guest, Guest, Malous66 , LC-Elsie, PDS1, Mystylight, Jansfamily4
Sorry if the story feels like there are too many unnecessary fills. I wanted this story to not just be about ODC. I also wanted to include how the other characters get involved in their lives and how they develop. This is my first (and maybe only) long story so I am trying out different ideas. I hope you can bear with me.
A guest commented that there are duplicate chapters posted. I have tried several times to find out which chapters are duplicates but I failed to find them. Help, anyone, please? Sorry, I blame my terrible eyesight ;-)
By the way, I attempted a rough sketch of a rose. Not sure if it is showing as the cover. Darcy could draw better to be sure… ;-)
Here is the next chapter…
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The next morning saw Mr Darcy waking up with a sense of purpose. After calling at Longbourn yesterday, he had returned to Netherfield feeling quite optimistic. While still in bed, he reimagined his recent encounters with Elizabeth in his mind. He was convinced that she now smiled at him more and welcomed his company. How he had loved watching her cheeks flush when he had complimented her beauty. Surely that was a sign that she was not entirely unaffected by his attentions.
I wonder if she understood that the rose I had drawn was really intended for her.
His plan today was to find a way to speak to her without so many of their relations around. There were some questions he wanted to get answers to before he took the big step of asking her for a formal courtship. He was well-aware of how caring and loyal she was to her family, and these traits endeared her more to him. In that sense they were similar, being both quite protective of their loved ones.
Bingley is making steady progress with winning Miss Bennet's hand. They would settle at Netherfield, only three miles away from Longbourn. Miss Mary would live with Mr Collins at the Hunsford parsonage, which is nearly fifty miles away. But Pemberley is three to four times that distance. Could Elizabeth be persuaded to live so far away from her family and childhood home? Would she be happily settled without her relations nearby?
Knowing Elizabeth was an early riser and a keen walker, Mr Darcy went for a longer morning ride in the hope of meeting her. He guided his horse to the areas Elizabeth frequented and was fortunate to be rewarded for his efforts, for soon enough he caught sight of a light and pleasing figure seemingly heading back in the direction of Longbourn. After dismounting, he walked over directly to greet her.
"Good morning, Miss Bennet," Darcy opened with a smile.
"Good morning, Mr Darcy," Elizabeth replied, then grimaced as she noticed her hems were all muddied. Not only would her mother be annoyed with her carelessness, she also became conscious that the handsome gentleman was surveying her appearance. She raised her head when she heard him chuckling.
"Are you laughing at me, sir?" she challenged.
"I would never, madam," he said in a solemn voice, but his eyes twinkled.
"I think you are, but you are just being polite. Surely you have noticed the state of my dress, and perhaps even how unkempt I look," she said with a pout.
"I have indeed noticed your dress and how very well it suits you. With regards to how you look, I can only say that you always look lovely," came Darcy's sincere reply. He cared little whether or not some strands had escaped her loose bun. In fact, he longed to remove her bonnet and gently tuck the unruly curls behind her ears himself.
"Now I know you are in jest, for you once declared me only tolerable. And the whole of Meryton knows Jane is the beauty of the family," she replied matter-of-factly. She had been so used to hearing this all her life but could never begrudge the honour bestowed upon her beloved sister.
"Must you always remind me of my poorly worded remark? I have apologised for my rudeness, and I am willing to apologise again should it be required. But believe me when I say that you are one of the handsomest women of my acquaintance," Darcy said, gazing into her eyes.
"I… I… There is no need to apologise again, Mr Darcy. I am just not accustomed to hearing compliments about myself… especially regarding my appearance," she stammered.
"Then you must learn to accept them, for they are true. You are, without doubt, very beautiful," he said, and resolved to himself to remind her often.
"I… I thank you, Mr Darcy," she answered in a soft voice.
The gentleman smiled before continuing,
"Miss Bennet, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you, genuinely, for your kindness towards my family, most of all, to Georgiana. You have received her warmly and I know that she loves every minute of your company. It has not gone unnoticed that your sisters and your mother have also gone out of their way to make her feel welcome in your household," Darcy spoke in earnest.
"Your sister is positively charming and delightful. We very much enjoy spending time with her. I just hope that my relations will behave well in her presence," she said.
"I trust that they will. I know that she will be safe under your influence and that you will be a good friend," he replied with confidence.
Elizabeth marvelled at hearing this statement and thought how much her relationship with this gentleman had dramatically changed over the past fortnight.
"Does… does your sister have many female friends, Mr Darcy?" she gently enquired.
"Not many. She now has Mrs Annesley as a companion. I guess it is partly my doing that she has lived a sheltered life. My cousin Anne used to come with her parents to Pemberley during the summer. The visits have become less frequent after her father passed away," Darcy shared.
To Elizabeth's knowledge, this was the first time that Darcy brought up the topic of his cousin Anne in a discussion with her.
"Were they very close? Miss Darcy and your cousin?" she asked.
"Yes, they were. They were inseparable. Anne always looked after Georgiana. She was like the sister Georgiana never had. And in turn, Georgiana adored her and followed her around everywhere. It sometimes felt like she preferred Anne's company over mine. She was excited to be able to engage in activities more suited for girls," Darcy recounted, fondly remembering the times when they were younger. Anne was much livelier then, he thought.
Elizabeth grew silent for a time, then regained her voice to say,
"Perhaps they can reconnect now that Miss Darcy has grown into a young lady."
"Perhaps. That is certainly something worth considering," Darcy replied then took a moment to pause. "How about yourself, Miss Bennet? Have you always been at Longbourn growing up?"
"Oh, I… yes, I have spent most of my childhood here. But I have been in London numerous times. To stay with my Uncle Gardiner and his family," Elizabeth supplied, mentally comparing her relations who were in trade with Darcy's connections who were titled and had greater consequence.
"Whereabouts in London do they reside?" Darcy asked.
"In Cheapside, sir," she answered, worried about his response.
"I see. Is your uncle by any chance related to the Mr Gardiner who is a respected tradesman, importing goods from the East?"
"I believe he is the very same person," Elizabeth answered, trying to discern any displeasure in his reaction.
"Do you like London, Miss Bennet?" Elizabeth felt this question quite strange.
"I do enjoy some of the entertainment offered in London. I am quite fond of watching plays. I love strolling in the parks with my nieces and nephews. The Gardiners are my favourite relations, outside of my own family," she replied.
"Do you prefer to live in town or in the country?" he continued.
Elizabeth was puzzled by the turn of their conversation, yet she did her best to respond.
"I think I would prefer to live in the country, but would like to take occasional trips to town, mainly to visit relatives and to partake in some amusement."
Darcy was quite satisfied with her answers. He had a townhouse in Grosvenor Square and a box in the theatres.
"And how do you fare with travelling? Do you find that you miss home when you are away?"
"I do not mind travelling at all, sir. I quite enjoy the sights enroute. I could always pass the time with a book or a nap. With regards to missing home, that is unavoidable. But I find comfort with the thought that there would be a forthcoming reunion. And I do love writing and receiving correspondence."
"How do you feel about your sisters securing matches? And the prospect of them living away from Longbourn?"
"I would be very happy to see my sisters comfortably settled, even if Mary will be situated quite a distance from here. Mr Collins is, in essence, a good man, though he may not always be sensible," she said.
"Hunsford is but fifty miles away. I consider fifty miles of good road an easy distance. It is only a little more than a half day's journey," Darcy assured her.
"Indeed. I have no worries about Jane. Your friend Mr Bingley is amiable and attentive to her. I think they would do well together. And… I can easily walk three miles to Netherfield."
Content with how their exchange turned out, Darcy smiled and allowed himself to hope. Soon after, they parted at the gate to Longbourn, with Darcy confirming that he would call later. He wanted to do everything properly and intended to seek Mr Bennet's approval of their courtship, perhaps even that very day. Unbeknown to him, Elizabeth, though pleased to have spent time with the man, was left confused by some of his odd, unconnected questions.
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The time came for the Netherfield party to call on the Bennet family. It was quite difficult to identify which individual was the most eager about the visit.
After the customary greetings and casual commentaries about the weather, Darcy politely enquired if Mr Bennet was present. To his disappointment, he was informed that the Bennet patriarch was out with Mary, upon the latter's encouragement to look into and, if necessary, attend to their tenants' needs. Mary wanted to become more at ease with meeting and conversing with people, recognising that soon she would be doing similar things when she became a parson's wife. Darcy resolved to call at the earliest possible time the following morning to catch Mr Bennet before he set out on his rounds.
The designated activity for the day was reading. Lydia had started "The Mysteries of Udolpho" as the more adventurous theme of the novel appealed to her compared to Mary's uninteresting choices in books or Lizzy's intellectual ones. She tried to concentrate on the text but only managed to complete a few pages before she let her eyes wander around the room. The youngest Bennet daughter thought it amusing to observe her elder sisters and their male guests, and see how good, or inept, they were at pretending not to look at the object of their affections. After a short while, Lydia could no longer stand the deafening silence and made a suggestion – to take it in turns to read out the lines from her book, and maybe even act it out.
"Are you certain you wish to stay for this, Mr Darcy?" Elizabeth said to the gentleman in hushed tones, taking advantage of the bustle brought about by Lydia's proposition.
"Whyever not?" he asked.
"I am not certain you approve of your sister reading a novel such as this," she replied.
"Georgiana appears very enthusiastic with the idea. I have no objections as long as she is not imprisoned in a castle," he quipped.
"You have read the book!" she gasped.
"And so have you!" he returned.
"I did not expect… I mean… I expected you to read… books of a more… serious nature…" she said.
"Should I take offence by your comment? Do you consider me a bore? Have you tired of my company?" Darcy replied, praying she would answer in the negative.
"Not at all, sir. I was merely thinking of your comfort," she whispered.
"My comfort? I am gratified to know that my comfort ranks very high on your list of priorities," he teased.
"I do not wish to put you in an awkward position if you were tasked to play a role. That is all," Elizabeth replied, unsure if the man was flirting with her.
"Are you underestimating my range of skills and determination, Miss Elizabeth? I thought I have proven to you that I am not easily chased away, not even by ladylike pursuits such as needlepoint. My courage rises with every attempt to intimidate me," he retorted.
"I have no wish to chase you away," she replied.
"Then do you mean you wish me to stay?" he boldly asked.
Elizabeth felt trapped by his direct question and felt her face warm up.
"If that is your wish, sir," she attempted to give a safe reply.
"You did not answer my question. Is it your wish, Miss Elizabeth, for me to stay?" Darcy gave her a meaningful look.
"Yes. Yes, it is," she admitted, and was rewarded by his bedimpled smile.
"Miss Elizabeth… I need to speak to you about something important… about us… tomorrow, when --" he began before they were interrupted by the increasing noise from their relations. Elizabeth nodded to convey the message that she was ready for him.
"Tomorrow," they mouthed to each other, before their attention was demanded elsewhere.
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Very sorry if that chapter felt lacking. I felt that as I reread it… but I am too tired to rewrite it now.
I wanted more ODC interaction… so that was what came to my mind as I was typing… remember this story does not have the time spent in Kent, Pemberley etc. This is very early in the time frame of the book, so I felt like ODC needed more time. I will try to update again soon to move the story on… only a few chapters left, I think…
That was sort of the "equivalent" of the awkward Darcy visit at the parsonage and their walks at Rosings Park in canon. Clearly this story will not follow canon events in order. Most have been covered though done differently -- Caro, Wickham, Lydia… but there is one more I want to include. You probably know what…
Thank you to all the replies to my previous question.
Yes, I love Mr Knightley too, but I am not the biggest fan of Emma (the character, I like the book enough). I do not dislike her but maybe do not love her as much. I feel that she is too officious. JA did think the heroine was not likeable. And I also love Colonel Brandon… his devotion.
Next question: Which TV/film adaptations do you like?
I admit I have not watched many. Of course, I like both 1995 and 2005 PnP adaptations for different reasons. Please avoid lambasting either production. I know some fans feel very strongly for one or the other. We can all agree to disagree peacefully.
Anyone seen the new "Persuasion" yet?
Thank you all and till next time!