Chapter 26

Mr Darcy arrived at Longbourn on horseback and full of frustrated energy. When he alighted and gained the threshold, he was surprised to hear that Elizabeth was not within the house, for she had left for a walk in an agitated state shortly after his aunt had returned to her carriage. He should have expected as much, as much as his heart sank to hear it. But by his reasoning, she must have been gone for about forty five minutes. Thinking that such a time must have been long enough for her to have cleared her head, he sought out Mr Bennet for a conversation on a book he had previously recommended and settled in to wait for her.

About a quarter of an hour later, when the first drops of water hit the cold glass of the window pane, he began to worry about where she had got to. He tried to pay attention to the words of his companion, but all he could think about was her being caught in the rain by herself.

"Mr Bennet, pardon the nature of my question - I assure you it stems from my concern for her health and not any other purpose. But in any case, did Elizabeth wear a coat when she left for her walk?"

The all-too-present reminder of Mr Darcy's improper interlude with his daughter was clear in the elder gentleman's furrowed brow, for she had been found under his coat that day under the Netherfield steps. However, Mr Darcy's question did startle him from the conversation he had been enjoying, and he noticed for the first time the rain that had picked up in earnest throughout the time they had been talking.

"She did not, for she left in quite the hurry, after she had calmed down." Mr Darcy's heart sank. The fact that her father had spent such a pleasant interlude with him reassured him somewhat that she was not upset at him, but he disliked being the source of her unhappy agitation, even by association.

"I am sorry, I believe my aunt said some rather unpleasant things to her," he said, grimacing.

"Yes, that much is certainly clear," came the wry reply.

Ever a man of action, Mr Darcy stood abruptly and said, "I shall endeavour to find her and bring her back into the dry, sir. It would not do for her to catch a cold on account of my aunt and her careless actions."

"Indeed, let me join you," Mr Bennet acquiesced. "I am sure she will have not gone far."

The two gentlemen rushed to put their overcoats on, and Mr Darcy took one of the feminine items from the coathook to be on the safe side. Though he would gladly give her the coat from his back, the recent memory of all of their discretions was written on her father's face, and he decided to err on the side of propriety.

~.~

Fifteen minutes later, though it seemed to the gentlemen in question to be much longer, both had had a fruitless search and were growing increasingly anxious for every minute she was not found. Though both were soaked through, their determination grew when they heard a great clap of thunder from overhead.

"I think we should split up," Mr Bennet shouted over the noise. "We shall cover more ground that way." He was plagued with visions that she had perhaps sprained an ankle or worse, for he could not think of another reason she would not yet have returned. His concern outweighed his general desire to prevent any private interludes between his daughter and her fiancé.

"Wise idea," he said, and checked his pocket watch. "Let us both return to the house within the next twenty minutes either way, for it would not do for you to catch a cold either."

This was readily agreed to, and Mr Darcy set off towards Netherfield Park.

As his boots sunk into increasingly wet ground, he became more and more inconsolable with concern. What if she had gotten stuck in a bog? What if she had hurt herself? He willed his feet to continue forwards at pace, even as his mind raced. He sent a prayer skywards in the hope she would be well, and found, soon.

~.~

His prayer was answered not five minutes later, when he caught the sight of her stalking towards him and grumbling under her breath. Her hair clung to her face in a similar manner to that with which her clothes clung to her form. God, he thought, what an enticing figure! She was pure temptation, sent to challenge him and his baser instincts. The urgency of his desire was matched only by his profound relief at seeing his worst fears contradicted by her walking towards him. There was an energy to her gait which told him of her anger. He winced to see the evidence of her disquiet.

"Elizabeth," he called, his relief displaying itself in the long exhale of breath that accompanied his words. "I am so sorry, my aunt-"

"Y-y-y-yes she was h-h-here," she interrupted, teeth chattering and frame quaking. "But d-d-do not worry, I s-s-sent her on her w-way."

"Goodness, you are freezing," he said, tone laced with concern. "Here," he made to put the spare coat over her shoulders. It was the right thing to do, and he found great pleasure in being able to help her, but the moment her slightly translucent dress was covered he could not help the quiet groan of disappointment that fell from his lips. The wet fabric and the manner with which it clung to her suggestively had provided a tantalising glance of what would soon be his to explore and enjoy, and he was not quite ready to lose the particular privilege of seeing her so.

"Whatever she said, I bid you to forget it immediately. It carries no weight here. I love you and I find her to be all that is ridiculous."

"T-t-thank y-y-ou," she stuttered. It was clear that she was not only talking about his kind gesture in bringing her another layer to warm her. Satisfied that she had forgiven him and his aunt for whatever she had said in her storming, he decided to lighten the mood.

"This shall not do," he said, mischief seeping in through his concern. "The coat is not working fast enough. We shall have to find a more efficient manner with which to warm you."

Her answering smile was weak but sincere as she took a sure step towards him. When his arms came to rest around her back, she sighed in contentment. He encouraged her into the safety of his greatcoat, to better share his body heat, and moved his arms across her back to generate some friction.

Mindful of their recent brushes with impropriety, he was largely content to remain in such an attitude for as long as it took the cold to leave her. That was until he felt her small, cold hands exploring the planes of his chest. Her purposeful movements stirred his passion, and he tried to restrain himself to a simple and chaste kiss to her forehead.

He tasted the rainwater in her hair, which was plastered against her forehead with the water that had collected there, and he was reminded of the urgency of their situation. He cursed himself, for here he was allowing himself to become lost in his imaginings and desires, when she needed to return inside with all due haste.

"We must return to Longbourn, Lizzy," he asserted.

"But I was just beginning to feel warm," she whined softly, looking charmingly up at him from her place at his chest. "And I like it here… even with the rain." He was not convinced, despite sharing her feeling of contentment.

"I refuse to monopolise you when you are still shivering." When you are not, and when we are wed - well that is a different story, he thought. She was silent, so he added a request, "let us return where I am sure your mother will have a fire blazing."

"Thank you for coming to my rescue," she stalled. "I had intended to walk to Netherfield to warn you of your aunt's intent, but I had been walking about forty five minutes when the heavens opened and the path ahead became difficult to traverse. So I turned back, and here I am."

"Well, my dearest Elizabeth, it is about time I began to repay the favour, given how many times you have performed your heroic services for me or my sister," his tone was light, but she felt the weight of his statement. "I hope my services are to your satisfaction." If she were not so deliciously folded around his waist, he would have bowed to add to the playfulness of the moment.

"Indeed, though you have created a problem for your future self."

"Is that so?" He replied, kissing his way back and forth across her hairline.

"If this is how I am to be rewarded for running away and getting lost in the rain, you have only provided inducement for me to do so all the more often once we are wed and I have all of the Pemberley estate to lose myself in." He lost himself for a moment in the anticipation of such a time, and smiled subconsciously. Her answering smile was dazzling, with raindrops caressing her face and cascading downwards, only to be captured by her waiting chest, where he longed to situate himself and not resurface for some time.

"When we are at Pemberley, you will have no need to lose yourself to engage my services," he promised, tone thick with anticipation. He proceeded to lose whatever train of thought or conversation they had been having in thinking about a time when he would be granted such extraordinary rights as her husband. She seemed to be out of the immediate danger of any kind of hypothermia, but he knew somewhere in a distant corner of his mind that he had a responsibility to see her back safely, and expediently.

"Elizabeth, as much as I am enjoying our solitary interlude, I must insist that we return. Your father is extremely worried."

"I shall see to it that you have it your way, my love," she smiled. He knew a tease was coming when he saw her arched brow. "On one condition."

"And what would that be?" He asked, happiness bubbling into his tone.

"My lips are still feeling rather chilly," she smirked.

"That is not a request," he teased back.

"I should like for you to warm them, please." Her eyes were dancing with mirth.

"I am sure your mother has tea or hot cocoa for that very purpose, waiting for you this instant at the house," he chuckled. He was not usually in the habit of denying her advances, but he was enjoying the playful back-and-forth of their teasing.

"But it would be much more efficient if you were to provide such a service before we return," she challenged, reaching on tiptoes to place her mouth closer to his.

"Well then," he breathed, lips parted at the precipice of hers, "if your lips are cold."

He had become rather practised at the art of kissing her in the past few weeks, but it still felt new and exciting to have her so willing a participant in such activities. He managed to prevent himself from getting too carried away, his damp hair in his eyes a reminder of the need to return her to her parents. He was also mindful that both of their clothes were soaked through, so any evidence of their time together would need to disappear rather quickly upon return to the main house. Even with the rain, and the concern for her health, it was more enjoyable of a moment than most.

When they naturally broke apart a few moments later, he pulled her hands from around his waist and put one of them gently on his arm. Guiding her back to the warmth of her family home, he was buoyed by her consistent acceptance of him and all that he brought her way. He had worried that whatever his aunt had said would have scared her off, but he should have known that her love was not fragile. His heart leapt at the evidence that it was anything but.

He knew the next few weeks would be as interminable as the past half hour had been, waiting and worrying until she was Mrs Darcy and he could allow himself to finally believe she was his. But he also knew that the wait would be more than worth the consternation the coming weeks would bring. For at the end, they would finally be together with no further barriers to their love. The sun broke through the rain for an instant, and bathed her in a warm yellow light. His throat caught at her beauty, transformed as she was in the sparkling light that reflected off the freshly fallen rain. He thanked his lucky stars that she was content to be his.