I understand this particular story line has been done many times. However, I like to play with these characters that (I think) I know so well. It allows me to explore the possible alternate plots that could have occurred given just slight tweaks in circumstance. I hope I do these characters justice.
Elizabeth's stomach dropped. He was not supposed to be at home until tomorrow! He must despise the very sight of me. The man in question was walking towards her, his strides long and purposeful. Elizabeth could do naught but stand there, barely holding herself back from hiking up her skirts and sprinting in the opposite direction. Maybe I could feign amnesia and act as if I do not know the man.
Mr. Darcy's thoughts were quite the opposite. He could not move his legs fast enough to match the excitement that he felt seeing Miss Elizabeth again. Darcy had made the decision to ride horseback to Pemberley that day rather than taking the carriage with his guests, thus causing him to arrive earlier than expected. What good luck! But what on earth is Elizabeth doing here? Mr. Darcy knew better now than to let hope take hold in his heart, so he forced himself to not presume anything behind the reason for Elizabeth's presence at his estate.
"Miss Bennet! How do you do?"
"I am quite well, sir. And you?" Mr. Darcy was standing just slightly closer to her than socially acceptable, forcing Elizabeth to tilt her head back to look into his eyes. Dear lord, but he is tall, she thought to herself with a wry smile.
"Very well indeed. It is a surprise to see you here," he said before his eyes widened at his words. "A good surprise, of course! Are you staying in Derbyshire? With- well I suppose with family?" Mr. Darcy nearly winced from how idiotic he sounded. He was finally speaking with Elizabeth again, and he had no idea how to go about conversing normally with her.
Elizabeth smiled at Darcy's apparent stumbling over his words. Since his time in Hertfordshire and her time in Kent, she had gotten to know his quirks better. His proposal and subsequent letter truly opened her eyes to his character, and she found his current awkwardness charming rather than off-putting as she once would have. For whatever reason, he seemed almost… happy to see her. Elizabeth would have thought him displeased at seeing her on his property after the way she had refused him. While she may not regret her refusal (she thought, at the time, that she had very well-founded reasons for doing so), she sorely regretted her mode of refusing him. She had called him ungentlemanly, yet how had she responded? Certainly not as gentlewomanly as she could have, that was for certain.
"Yes, sir, I am. I am traveling with my Aunt and Uncle Gardiner. We intend to tour the Lake District. My aunt is actually from Lambton, so she has always wanted a glimpse of Pemberley. We-," Elizabeth stumbled on her words, "we were under the impression that you would not be at home, Mr. Darcy. Please believe me when I say that, had I known you would be here, I would not have come."
Mr. Darcy's heart dropped. Apparently, he had allowed his hopes to rise because the disappointment he felt at her words nearly crushed him.
"I was not expected home until tomorrow, but my plans changed. I am sorry to make you uncomfortable, Miss Bennett. Given our last…conversation, I am sure you are wishing me gone." He made a move to walk away.
Elizabeth paled, her hand shooting out on its own accord to grasp Darcy's forearm.
"Oh no, Mr. Darcy, you misunderstand me!" Elizabeth nearly pleaded. "I-I am not uncomfortable with you or wish you gone. I only meant that, well, I assumed you would not want me here. I would not wish to put you out with my presence at your home. I can only imagine, given our last conversation, how you feel towards me."
Darcy could only blink at Elizabeth's words. She is worried about my discomfort?! I am the one who insulted her! And, dear lord, she was still touching his arm. Darcy was struggling to think straight.
"Elizabeth- er that is, Miss Elizabeth, I am not at all upset at your being here at my home. Indeed I-," Darcy was cut off by a loud clap of thunder. Their conversation had rendered both Elizabeth and Darcy numb to anything happening outside the bubble of the two of them, and thus they had not noticed the inclement weather.
Before either could react, torrents of rain began pelting them from above. Without thinking, Darcy grasped Elizabeth's hand and began pulling her with him to the nearest shelter available. Fortunately for the young couple, that was a small greenhouse only a short sprint away. Mr. Darcy quickly unlatched the door and ushered them in, shutting it behind them.
"Don't fret, Miss Elizabeth, these summer storms usually pass quickly. Even from here, I can see the end of the clouds to the west and they seem to be moving fairly quickly."
Elizabeth could barely hear any of the words Darcy was speaking. His hair was tousled and wet from the sudden downpour and his white shirt was sticking to his chest. Elizabeth could see sprinkles of chest hair through the soaked shirt and suddenly she felt burning hot. I knew him handsome, but he looks glorious. Her mouth had gone dry and she stood there stupidly, blinking the raindrop from her eyelashes.
"Miss Elizabeth? I said the storm will pass soon enough. We are protected from the rain in the greenhouse and I have not heard anymore thunder." He stepped close to Elizabeth. "Are you alright?" Without thinking, he reached out to brush her fallen curls off her forehead.
His touch jolted Elizabeth. "I-I am fine. It does seem to be moving quickly. Thank you." What she was thanking him for, Elizabeth did not know. She could not seem to put her words together in a rational manner and was fumbling inwardly to speak like the intelligent woman she was.
Finally, Elizabeth came to her senses and began talking to dispel the feelings that were assaulting her mind and body.
"Well, since we are stuck here for the time being, I suppose we must have some conversation," she said with a cheeky smile. Both were reminded of their conversation on the dance floor many months prior.
"Ah, yes, of course we must! How is your family, Miss Elizabeth? Are they all still at Longbourn?"
"All but my youngest sister, Lydia. She is a guest of Colonel Forster's wife and followed the militia to Brighton," her voice tapered off towards the end of her statement. "I apologize, I do not mean to mention the militia as certain members are not fit to be spoken about." Elizabeth's nose wrinkled as she thought of that blackguard Wickham.
Mr. Darcy's heart soared at her obvious distaste towards Wickham. Clearly, she had taken the words from his letter to heart. If she had believed him about Wickham and changed her opinion of him, perhaps she had changed her mind in other ways as well.
"There is no need to apologize. While I do not wish to discuss he-who-must-not-be-mentioned, I appreciate your acknowledgment of my honesty. I hope I did not scandalize you with such information, but I could not run the risk of you becoming further ensnared in his deception."
"Why?" Elizabeth asked softly.
Darcy's brow wrinkled in confusion. "I do not understand."
"Why would you go out of your way to warn me against trusting him any further? Did you not think I deserved- after my stupid belief in his trustworthiness- to be proven wrong and face the consequences on my own?"
Darcy and Elizabeth were now standing so close to one another that they could feel the other's body heat.
Elizabeth took a deep breath and muttered, "I deserved to fall on my face after the way I believed him and shunned you."
Darcy took Elizabeth's hand in both of his and held it gently. "Because I love you, Elizabeth. Because even though it nearly killed me to walk away from you in Kent, knowing that you would never be mine, it would hurt even more knowing that you could be in danger."
Elizabeth could feel her heart pounding in her chest. He still loved her? He still loved her! She opened her mouth and closed it, not sure how to express the rush of emotions that were causing her vision to blur with unshed tears.
Darcy spoke with fervor. "If your feelings are what they were last April, I understand and will never bother you with my sentiments again. Do not fear my renewal if that is not what you wish."
"My feelings are so different, I can hardly express them, sir," Elizabeth said with a watery smile, "but I must try. Mr. Darcy, you have proven to be exactly the man that would suit me in every way. More than that, you are one of the best men I have ever known. You are such a good and worthy man, it is quite unfair that you are also so very handsome. As I am sure I will eat my words from early on in our acquaintance for many years to come, I will be brief and to the point now," Elizabeth smiled brilliantly at Darcy.
"I love you, Mr. Darcy. Most ardently."
Darcy pressed his lips to Elizabeth's, his hands moving to her waist to pull her close to him. Elizabeth responded immediately, bringing her hands to grip the lapels of his jacket. The desperation of the past months apart, combined with the relief of their current understanding of one another, fueled their embrace. They would have continued had the sun not decided to make its appearance.
Darcy and Elizabeth broke apart, both breathing heavily with silly smiles on their faces. Darcy pressed his forehead to Elizabeth's and smirked.
"You forgot rich."
"I beg your pardon?"
Darcy chuckled. "In your speech. In my list of qualities- you forgot to mention my ten thousand a year."
"Mr. Darcy!" Elizabeth giggled, unable to keep a straight face at his teasing. Mr. Darcy, teasing! I knew he had a sense of humor.
"Yes, well, that was probably the first quality that I learned of you but even your ten thousand a year could not knock that frown off your face, sir!" The irony that Mr. Darcy had hardly stopped smiling since seeing her was not lost on either of them.
"It is Fitzwilliam, by the way."
Elizabeth pretended to look in either direction. "Your cousin? Where?"
Darcy rolled his eyes but a smile dimpled his cheek. "My name is Fitzwilliam. Would you call me by my Christian name?"
Elizabeth tapped her chin pensively and said, "Well, that would be perfectly acceptable to me if I were speaking to my intended. Otherwise, it may seem a bit presumptuous of me to refer to you as such."
Darcy looked into her eyes with a serious set to his mouth. "Am I your intended? That kiss would seem to suggest yes."
"Are you proposing, sir? Because if you are, I must let you know know that I am very much in love with the last man who proposed to me and will only be saying yes to him."
"Marry me, Elizabeth? I would say more, but given my record I am terrified to say too much and ruin it."
Elizabeth threw her head back and laughed. "Yes! Of course, Fitzwilliam. You dear, dear man."
The young couple would have shared their second kiss had it not been for the three figures walking towards the greenhouse.
Elizabeth smiled up at Darcy. "Well, it is good we ironed out the details of being engaged while in here. I would be horribly compromised, otherwise. Happily so!"