A/N: Not that much to answer this time since I only published the last chapter yesterday. I'll have to resort to shameless bragging and/or begging. I'm up to 182 reviews and itchy to get to 200 (so I can start panicking about 300), so go on, I dare you.
Meanwhile back at the Darcy coach, Elizabeth found much to her chagrin that she would be traveling for days with Anne de Bourgh, and she had never really spoken with her at all. How many times had she been to Rosings without having a single conversation? She remembered her first observation that she was a pale and sickly looking creature that would make a proper wife for Mr. Darcy. Ouch! It was quite an uncharitable thought when you got right down to it, so she resolved to try harder to be a better person.
Anne for her part was a little disappointed that she wouldn't be traveling with Darcy's bride, Maria, but not very much, because she was traveling with the infinitely more interesting bridesmaid, Elizabeth Bennett. Maria appeared to be traveling with her sister and the parson, and she couldn't think of anything that would induce her to enter that carriage. Miss Bennet was quite a fierce creature, and Anne was determined to get to the bottom of her disdain (probably deserved) for her idiot cousin. Maybe she could even keep her from killing him during the trip. It seemed unlikely, but she thought it would be somewhat inconvenient to have to haul Darcy's corpse all the way back to Pemberley for burial. She hated Pemberley. It was such a dull place, and with Darcy buried out back in the cemetery, it would be pretty much unbearable, plus she really didn't have any black clothes that she liked. So all in all, it seemed the best thing was to keep him alive for the moment.
Darcy approached the pair with Elizabeth still admiring the coach and said, "Ladies, after my exertions at the decanter last night I believe I need an hour or two on horseback, and it wouldn't hurt the two of you to get to know each other. Besides that, my horse is mad at me… Probably for getting engaged without his permission. Do you object if I ride until our first stop?"
Elizabeth looked a bit disappointed, but it seemed unlikely she was going to be able to share any intimacies with her betrothed with Anne in the coach anyway. This would be a perfect opportunity to get to know her new cousin, so she agreed to the scheme. Darcy handed both ladies in and they were off, with the Collins family following in Lady Catherine's coach.
As soon as they were out of sight of Rosings, Anne turned and asked, "Miss Bennet, we are to be stuck in the coach for days, and our formal names seem quite unwieldy. Might we agree to use our given names?"
Elizabeth could see a gleam of amusement in Anne's eyes and a small nearly invisible smile that she would never have suspected. It looked like there might be more to this lady then she previously thought. If Miss de Bourgh could tease, she could play along.
"I am agreeable to that scheme, but I'm afraid it would not be to your benefit. In my case, I will be trading three syllables for one… a clear victory in vocabulatory efficiency. You however, will be trading three syllables for nine, which is not to your benefit. I feel guilty that you will get the poor end of this bargain."
Anne had to laugh at the absurdity of the answer. She asked, "Are you telling me your numerous, plentiful, abundant and multitudinous sisters always call you by the full mouthful, Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth played along and said, "Of course not. They naturally call me Lizzy. I give you leave to do the same, though I still feel like I'm gaining the most benefit."
"Well, you are obviously a very fair-minded person. It seems like it must be Liz and Anne, or Lizzy and Annie. Perhaps we should establish a schedule for alternation, or choose randomly, or maybe use the longer version only when we are certain to be in mischief."
"That seems a good scheme. Escalating to Lizzy certainly beats 'Elizabeth Grace Bennet, get out of that tree this very instant. You will never catch a husband if you continue these hoydenish ways. I swear your petticoats are six inches deep in mud'."
That brought a good laugh to both ladies, and the ride proceeded apace.
After a few minutes of companionable silence Anne asked, "Do you mind if I ask you a few questions Liz. It would greatly assist me in my endeavors."
"May I ask to what these questions tend?"
"Merely to the illustration of your character," said she. "I am trying to make it out."
"And what is your success?"
She shook her head. "I do not get on at all. I hear such different accounts of you as puzzle me exceedingly."
Anne sat in confusion as Liz laughed, and laughed and laughed to the point where she was giggling and snorting like Lydia. Maybe this wasn't quite such a silly-sister-free a trip after all.
After some time, she was finally able to quit giggling and explain to Annie that she had a nearly identical conversation with Mr. Darcy at the Netherfield ball.
Annie asked, "And what was his reply?"
"It was quite grave, and I believe it was something like, 'I could wish, Miss Bennet, that you were not to sketch my character at the present moment, as there is reason to fear that the performance would reflect no credit on either.'"
Liz sat pensively for a moment and then added, "He was right you know. I thought I had his character thoroughly sketched, but I did not know him at all."
"And do you now?"
"Oh yes, I think I do" she said with a smile.
Anne said, "Lizzy, I heard you play in the pianoforte the other night and while you seem a little bit bashful about your talents, I can tell you that you gave everyone in the room great pleasure. It's actually quite a rare gift."
"I can only think those that took pleasure were simply polite in ignoring all the difficult sections I had to muddle through."
"That's just the thing though. Fitzwilliam's sister Georgianna is much more technically proficient than you are, but she would practically die of mortification after a single missed note, sufficient to run from the room crying in terror. You could miss an entire section, and be perfectly content, and your audience would be as well. People might appreciate her proficiency, but people enjoy your performance. That is a rare talent."
This new intimacy was quite surprising to Liz. She had obviously underestimated Annie, who was clearly trying to become a friend.
"Annie, have you any talents that I don't know about? I apologize that I've been in your company many times without ever having a conversation with you, which is really quite unforgivable."
"It's perfectly all right Lizzy. I go out of my way to make myself a small target when at home, so it's not surprising that you would have missed it. I actually do have two talents of note.", she said a bit shyly.
"Please enlighten me Anne"
"I'm actually an author, and somewhat famous."
Lizzy's astonishment at this knew no bounds. She had never actually known anyone accomplished enough to be an author. She knew plenty of women like Carolyn Bingley who liked to pretend to accomplishments, but had never actually met anybody who really had the makings.
"What type of books do you write? Would I have heard of any of them?"
"I write novels, and it's entirely possible you have. They're mostly based on the absurd things I see it Rosings. I even have my cousin Fitzwilliam in one of them… I couldn't resist the absurdity of his manners. I'm continually sketching characters, which was the reason I asked you the questions a little while ago. I'm trying to make out yours, and I find that I do not get on at all. Don't be surprised to find yourself in one of my books, and I dare say it may be my best."
Elizabeth had to laugh about this. While she would now probably defend her betrothed to death, she did have to admit that his manners had been a little bit ridiculous in the beginning (all right, a lot)."
"Be careful Annie. I too love to sketch characters, but I find I'm sometimes both wrong and confident in my assessment, when I should be ignorant and humble."
"Excellent advice, Lizzy"
"I should very much like to read your books Annie."
"And so you shall. You may have already."
With that, Annie described a few of her books, and it turned out that Lizzy had actually read one of them. She was quite looking forward to reading the rest of them, and delighted in making a new friend.
Annie looked a little pensive, and then said, "I also have another talent. I can draw, but I never show anybody. Would you like to see?"
This was again surprising, and equally agreeable. To be the first one to see Anne's drawings was a something she would cherish forever."
"Yes, I would like to see them very much!"
Annie opened a secretary from the side of the coach, and pulled out a small sketch on parchment, which she handed over.
Elizabeth looked at the drawing in astonishment. It was extremely good. The sketch was done in charcoal, and the characters seem to jump right out of the page. She had managed to catch the essence of her character and her story in just a few spare lines.
The drawing showed a group of people milling around in a room, probably a ballroom. She had to smile when she saw a vampire crawling across the walls along the outsides of group, scowling, and looking hungrily for his next meal of blood. She recognized her betrothed almost immediately, and had to laugh at the characterization. She said, "This is incredible Annie. You have captured his essence entirely."
Anne was very happy with the praise. She had been publishing her novels for many years now, and felt completely confident in her ability with the written word; but had always been afraid to show her drawings to anyone. Elizabeth had set her completely at her ease, and she was now reaping the rewards.
"Thank you so much Lizzy. I've been afraid to show them to anybody. Would you like to see more?"
"Yes, very much!"
This is a subject I paid hardly any attention to until recently. She made a surprisingly good match though, so I thought I should sketch it immediately.
The drawing showed a respectable but slightly rundown church, nearly empty with some bells in the background. Scampering around in the pews, you could see a tiny little church mouse with a face that looked exactly like Maria Lucas. It was well done, although not to quite the quality of the previous one. It had the look of a rush job that Annie must've created that very morning.
Elizabeth was confused by the reference to a good match. Had Maria somehow managed to secure Colonel Fitzwilliam? She was coming along to Scotland, when there was no other obvious reason, so it seemed that must be the case; but they seemed a very odd match. Once again, Lizzy was astounded at her lack of discernment about what was going on around her. Right now, she would rate her observational capabilities on par with Caroline. Elizabeth was mystified by Maria's match, but really had trouble worrying very much about anybody's betrothal other than her own, so she put it aside for the moment. Maybe she could ask Baby Bear about it later.
"Annie, that one is good but it looks a little bit rushed. So Maria is to marry your cousin?"
"Yes Liz, I thought you knew that", Annie said with a clear look of confusion. It seemed odd that the formidable Miss Bennet was going all the way to Scotland without even knowing the particulars of who is getting married, but she had seen stranger things in her mother's house.
Annie next removed another drawing. This one was done in charcoal and chalk, but with a slightly different style. She'd obviously been experimenting with different techniques, and must have either experimented a lot or perhaps had instruction from a master. In this drawing, she could see a large group of people cowering around a throne, with their hands pressed over their ears, which appeared to be bleeding, listening to an actual Dragon at the front of the room. Elizabeth had to laugh at the image, and said, "I presume your mother will never see this one?"
"You presume correctly. Would you like to see my favorite of all", Annie asked breathlessly?
Without waiting for an answer, she removed a drawing that was slightly larger than the others. Even from across the coach it looked like it was more intricately done. This drawing was done in ink, and it was by far the best of the lot… actually the best drawing Liz had ever seen. The lines were clean and sparse, but everything about it spoke of an uncommon skill. Not a single line was wasted, every single stroke contributed to the overall effect. The drawing seemed to pull her down right into its midst, and made her feel almost as a participant.
The scene was chaotic, some type of battle or disaster. While she could not see all the details of the mayhem, it was clear that it was a scene of utter destruction. You could almost smell the sweat of the horses, and blood of the vanquished; and you could hear the screams of pain of the wounded. Striding through the middle of it was some type of Valkyrie. She was at least nine feet tall, heavily muscled, wearing a flowing black cape and leather armor like a gladiator. On her head was a helmet of iron with horns sticking out. Her long brunette hair was streaming out wildly in the wind. She looked like a Viking's nightmare. This Amazon warrior was the most fearsome looking creature she had ever seen. The warrior queen was holding her hands high overhead, with the hammer of Thor tightly gripped in both fists. She was furiously swinging it down as hard as she possibly could, doing her best to smite her lowly opponent. Elizabeth gasped to see her own face under the helmet, with Thor's hammer falling unerringly towards the head of her mortal enemy… Fitzwilliam Darcy.
"Oh my!"