Please review :) Sorry for not updating in ages - I am on holiday and I do not have my laptop.
Translations of phrases will be in brackets.
"Will, Caroline has been following me around the whole night. She even followed me outside the assembly hall, as if to compromise me! Will, we cannot stay here, until one of us is willing to be dragged to the altar by the end of the month. And I assure you, it shall not be myself. And even if you, brother mine, are willing to go to the altar by the end of the month, it shall not be with Caroline Bingley. I shall not allow you." Henry whispered urgently, pulling his twin around the dance floor, making some of the Hertfordshire residents thinking they were imagining the most handsome identical pair until they finally reached the carriage where Bingley stood waiting for them.
"Henry, Caroline has been attempting to compromise us since she knew of my existence. I do not understand why we must leave." Fitzwilliam said, regarding his brother with annoyance. Suddenly Bingley was in front of them, his expression filled with worry.
"Henry, Will, I am so sorry…" He faltered, and Fitzwilliam and Henry, taking pity on their friend, told him it was no worry. "So you will stay at Netherfield?"
"Of course, Bingley. Though please do not allow your sister to know where either of us are staying within the building." Fitzwilliam said, whilst Henry grimaced. Honestly, Fitzwilliam was entirely too forgiving, first with George Wickham and now Caroline Bingley? Bingley grinned.
"I shall endeavour to ensure that Caroline stays away from the both of you as much as possible… I am truly sorry, Henry." Bingley added with his traditional puppy dog eyes. Henry smiled; no one could stay angry at Charles Bingley for long.
"Jane, why do you think the Netherfield party was rushed away, so soon?" Lizzy asked, tugging a brush through her stubborn curls.
"Oh Lizzy, I know not. Were they not the most charming group we have ever met? Mr Bingley's sisters were so amiable and kind, whilst the Darcys were seemingly excellent dancers, do you not agree?"
"I think you found Mr Bingley himself much better company than any others; I believe I only ever saw you on the dance floor with him!"
"Lizzy, you know that is not true." Jane protested weakly. "But Mr Bingley's company was rather wonderful," she admitted with a blush, causing Elizabeth to giggle slightly. "Goodnight, Lizzy!." Jane added to quieten her sister.
"Goodnight, Jane," Lizzy said, falling asleep the moment her head touched the pillow, dreaming of a certain dance with a certain person with the deep blue eyes.
The door to Fitzwilliam's door opened and admitted his brother. Henry sat down on the armchair in Fitzwilliam's room.
"Fitz, you must apologise to Miss Elizabeth."
"For what, Henry?" Fitzwilliam demanded irritably, holding a pillow over his face.
"You were rather rude, you know. Asking someone to dance whilst staring at your own shoes? Honestly, do you not remember mother's words? 'You must make eye contact, else you do not look sincere.'" Henry recited.
"Henry, I would like to sleep, and it would be much appreciated if you could leave." Henry sighed.
"Fitz, if you want to know Miss Elizabeth better, and do not lie to me and say you do not care about her opinion of you, you must, at least, explain yourself, if not apologise," Henry said, leaving the room. Fitzwilliam groaned into his pillow. His brother was right.
Fitzwilliam Darcy lay on his bed, staring at the cursive of his little sister's letter, none of the words going into his twisted mind. He could not stop thinking of his one, and only, dance with a particular woman who probably slept only three miles away from him. Pemberley was more than that around, so Fitzwilliam did not think of that distance as long. How could she have entranced him so, as to stop him from finding sleep? He was fascinated by her, why was she not fawning over him as the ladies in town would? There was something about her… He pulled the thick curtains open a crack, and the room flooded with light. Was it already so late? He had only slept in short bursts, yet he wasn't tired.
Fitzwilliam walked into the dining room to collect a muffin before his ride out but was instead greeted by a sleeping Caroline at the table, probably waiting for his company during breakfast. The Darcys seemed to consistently wake early. But since there was no muffin nor pastry awaiting him, he had no choice but to leave as soon as possible without sustenance. Fitzwilliam would never be caught alone with Caroline Bingley. He mounted Apollo and noticed his brother's horse missing from the stables. Damn Henry, he must have taken his muffin. Hopefully, he would find his vexing twin on his ride and manage to trade the undesired apple in Fitzwilliam's hand for a buttery muffin from Henry. Honestly, his brother deserved to be in prison for the amount of thievery he had committed against Fitzwilliam! Apollo galloped across the open field, and Darcy's face split into a wide smile as the wind rushed through his locks, the fresh air on his face. Spotting another figure on the landscape, thinking it to be his brother, Darcy had his horse gallop the remaining distance. But Henry's horse Dionysus was nowhere to be seen, and instead, a slightly terrified Miss Elizabeth stood before his horse. His rather too friendly horse now was gently nudging Elizabeth, probably trying to take the apple wedge from her hands. Darcy rolled his eyes and dismounted.
"I am so sorry, Miss Elizabeth!" He said, tugging his horse backwards. But she wasn't even looking at him; she was looking at Apollo as she fed him the apple wedge. How was Apollo more confident with women than Fitzwilliam Darcy? It truly was unfair.
"Oh, do not worry, Mr Darcy," Elizabeth said with a smile as she patted his horse. So she wasn't scared. "Your horse seems lovely. What is his name?"
"Apollo," Darcy grinned. It was certainly easier to talk when they weren't being watched by half of Meryton.
"After the Greek god?"
"Of course." Their conversation came to halt, and Fitzwilliam shifted on his feet awkwardly as he watched Elizabeth stroke his horse. Oh, why could he not think of anything to say?
"Mr Darcy, do you enjoy Greek mythology?" She asked, sparing the sapphire-eyed man a slight glance. He was almost too handsome to look on for any longer period of time! His eyes lit up, and his face was rendered even more handsome by his boyish enthusiasm.
"Yes, Miss Elizabeth! Classics was one of my favourite classes, back in Cambridge. I hardly get time to enjoy Ancient Greek as much as I would perhaps like to; Henry takes little interest in Classics, and I have little free time to spend in any case."
"I too, rather enjoy Classics. Though, I do prefer Greek literature, to Roman literature."
"Truly?" He asked in disbelief. No woman of his acquaintance even realised the difference between Greek and Roman literature. "That is rather singular, though the same is true for me," he told her with a wide smile, his dimples clearly displayed. "Can you read Greek then, Miss Elizabeth?" He asked, curious about her education. She seemed highly educated; yet her sisters, from what he had seen, were much less so.
"Yes, Mr Darcy. My father taught me how to read Greek when I was rather young. I have always had a keen interest in it."
"Perhaps you could convince Georgie to learn." He sighed. "She is terribly reluctant; she believes that to learn a language such as Greek is terribly useless, for it is not spoken here in England."
"If I see her, I shall be sure to try!" Elizabeth joked. Fitzwilliam smiled. Perhaps Miss Elizabeth would be a rather good influence on his little sister.
"Fitz! FITZ!" Henry shouted across the field, sprinting towards the back of his twin's head. Fitzwilliam turned around in time to see Henry halt when he realised Fitzwilliam had company. He saw Miss Elizabeth and immediately recognised her as one of the Bennets. He bowed quickly, and she gave a polite curtsy in return.
"Good morning, Miss Elizabeth!" He said, smiling widely, giving his brother a meaningful sideways glance. Honestly, Fitzwilliam could be so sly. Aforementioned twin brother glared at Henry. Was it so necessary to interrupt his private time with Elizabeth? What girl would choose him over his identical brother with more charm? Certainly not one as lively and sweet as Elizabeth, that was for sure.
"Henry, what is it that you need from me, that caused you to shout my name so loudly over the entire field?" Fitzwilliam asked irritably. Henry looked at his twin. Fitzwilliam can't truly have forgotten his breakfast; he usually ate two muffins, for the older twin had an extreme sweet tooth. The younger twin? Well, he also had a sweet tooth, but was not nearly as active as his elder brother, and therefore did not require as much sustenance. Henry opened his clasped hands to reveal a muffin; baked to perfection, still warm, with chocolate chips on it.
"I think you missed this in the breakfast room, brother dearest," Henry said, picking off a chunk with his fingers and swallowing it. Fitzwilliam's eyes lit up, and he grabbed the muffin from his brother's hands and devoured the entire muffin in three bites. "Please, excuse my twin, Miss Elizabeth. He does not know how one must eat in polite company, and that resembling a horse is perhaps not the best way to eat in front of a woman." Fitzwilliam scowled at his brother, crumbs lingering on his lips. Perhaps he should not have eaten like so in front of Elizabeth. But he was hungry, and deceit was his abhorrence, no matter how trivial. Elizabeth, however, simply giggled.
"Do not worry, Mr Darcy. I have seen worse eating before, and I am sure I will see more in the future. Besides, this impromptu meeting could hardly be considered as polite company."
"Nevertheless, Miss Elizabeth, I am sorry," Henry said, mockingly sincere.
"Do not be, Mr Darcy. I too can be rather irritable before I have eaten in the morning." She turned to Fitzwilliam. "You have nothing to apologise for, however, you are entirely forgiven."
"How truly gracious of you, Miss Elizabeth," Fitzwilliam replied sarcastically, adding a deep bow. "And now, mi hermano, por favor, déjanos." (My brother, please leave us) He added, turning to his brother.
"Hermano, ¿De verdad quieres que te deje sola con una mujer? ¡Estás loco!" (Brother, do you truly want me to leave you alone with a woman? You are crazy.) Elizabeth looked between the twins, confusion written across her expression.
"Might I enquire as to what you are saying?" She asked, addressing her question to both of them. Fitzwilliam gave her a mischievous grin, although Henry said nothing.
"Henry, a sólo dos minutos." (Just two minutes) Fitzwilliam pleaded, his eyes engaged in a staring contest against his brother's. Fitzwilliam won, and Henry gave Elizabeth a quick bow, before rolling his eyes at his brother and walking away.
"Shall we continue our walk?" Fitzwilliam asked Elizabeth, steering her gently in the opposite direction that his brother had taken.
"Of course, Mr Darcy. Though I must ask, what language were you and your brother conversing in? Or am I simply not proficient in English?" She joked.
"I am Fitzwilliam Enrique George Darcy, the firstborn son of George and Anne Darcy. My brother is Henry Roberto Darcy. My sister is Georgie Carmina Rodriguez Darcy."
"You are Spanish," Lizzy stated, noticing the clear Spanish accent in Darcy's voice, now understanding why he and his brother had much darker features than anyone she had ever seen.
"Sí, eres muy intelligente." He told her. Lizzy giggled.
"I don't understand."
"I said yes, you are very intelligent. Te enseñaré, cuando ensemos cansados." He told her, a light blush coming across his own cheeks. (Translation: I will teach you when we are married.) Lizzy looked at him quizzically. "I said I will teach you." He told her, omitting the second part of his sentence. She either did not realise, or did not care, and instead distracted herself by attempting to pronounce his full name.
"Miss Elizabeth, you must roll the 'r' if you wish to sound Spanish!" Fitzwilliam told her.
"Alberto. Alberto." Fitzwilliam shook his head. "No, I can say it!" Lizzy insisted. "Alberto?"
"You'll improve, in time." Should he bring up the day before? No, there was no question about it, he had to tell her. "Miss Elizabeth, you must allow me to apologise for my rudeness yesterday."