"Miss Elizabeth!" he cried, in shock.
"Mr Darcy," she replied, offering a curtsey.
Both blushed and turned their eyes away in embarrassment, but his eyes would not obey such a stricture for long. They insisted on returning to the object of his affection. She really was there, the most wonderful woman he had ever met! But his mind quickly reeled from delight to mortification as he realised that Elizabeth Bennet must have heard him singing, and must have heard the comments which followed!
Elizabeth gathered her courage to break the silence. "I had not expected to find anyone along this path, sir," she said, hoping to let him know that she had not deliberately sought him out.
"Nor I," he answered. "You must know I thought myself quite alone. I would not have embarrassed you for the world."
"It is nothing, sir. I dare say I will survive the experience. I apologise for intruding on your solitude. Please excuse me." She turned to leave, but then turned again, her eyebrow quirked in challenge: "But I must ask, sir, whether your Elizabeth knows of your devotion?"
"Only you can answer that question, Miss Elizabeth," he said, his look earnest and intent.
Elizabeth gasped again. Could he possibly mean what he implied? That it was she who he had been speaking of? It was not so much the impropriety of his words but the improbability of them having been aimed at her that prompted her to say, "But you do not even like me!"
"Not like you? Not like you? Whatever could make you think so?" he asked in amazement.
"Mr Darcy, forgive me for saying so, but you have made no secret of your disdain. From the very beginning – from the first moment, I may almost say – of my acquaintance with you, your manners were such as to impress upon me your dislike of my person, my conversation, my family and my neighbourhood. You must forgive me if I took you at your word when you declared me 'not handsome enough to tempt you'!"
His eyes, which had gradually widened during this recital, closed in mortification at her final parry. He had been ready to decry her lack of discernment, but her reminder of words he should never have uttered and had long since regretted brought home that his conduct had been lacking. How could she have perceived his admiration when he had struggled so hard to disguise it? If she thought he disliked her, he could not blame her. He had laid the foundation himself! Was it possible to be more ashamed? He rallied to answer her charges.
"You have said enough, madam. It only remains for me to apologise for my foolishness and attempt to explain the truth of the matter, if you will be merciful enough to hear me, despite my offences."
This was not what Elizabeth had expected from the proud Mr Darcy, but then, everything that had happened since she first heard the strains of his singing defied her expectations. She felt all the awkwardness of his situation, and could see no harm in allowing his apology. To tell the truth, she was all curiosity to find out what explanation he might offer for his conduct.
"I will hear you, sir," she said quietly, and moved to sit on the low branch of a nearby tree.
© 2017
