Copyright 2023 Elizabeth Frerichs

Cross-posted on elizabethfrerichs dot com and wattpad

"Mr. Darcy," Elizabeth greeted as he reached their corner in Mrs. Phillips's drawing room.

"Miss Elizabeth," he returned.

Elizabeth studied him as he settled into the chair next to her. Though she had gotten to know Mr. Darcy fairly well in the past weeks, she did not recognise his expression. There was something warm in it that made her blush, but underneath that, he seemed uncertain.

She hesitated for a moment, before deciding that she might as well ask. "Are you well?"

"Pardon?"

"You have been very quiet today; is something amiss?"

Mr. Darcy shifted in his seat. "I—yes. I am well. Merely preoccupied. I apologise if I have seemed inattentive."

Elizabeth waved his concern away. "You have not been rude—merely quiet. And you are certainly allowed to be preoccupied."

"Thank you," he said with a small smile.

Elizabeth mock-glared at him. "You do not have to tease me with excessive gratitude for granting rights that you already possess."

"What penance can I offer?" Mr. Darcy asked playfully.

Elizabeth raised one eyebrow. "I am open to suggestions."

"If the lady wishes, I shall wipe away my inattention by focusing entirely on her tonight," he said, gazing into her eyes.

Elizabeth smiled. It still caught her off guard when Mr. Darcy teased her. Her smile dimmed as she wished that he might concentrate on her tonight and every other night. She had been worried this afternoon, but more than that, she had missed him. "Very well. See that you do not repeat your offence," she said with mock severity. "What did you do this afternoon?"

Mr. Darcy began fingering his coat sleeves—a sign she had learned indicated some agitation.

"You do not have to tell me, if you do not wish to do so," she hurried to put in.

Mr. Darcy shook his head. "No, I—I would be glad to tell you about my day. Bingley and I inspected the west fields—"

"Again? Are you not sick to death of riding through them?"

Mr. Darcy pursed his lips. "I am. However, I would much prefer to spend the day out of doors rather than cooped up in Netherfield. After all, the weather is quite nice." He sighed. "Besides, it is not as though I can go back to Netherfield and make notes with Bingley about what improvements to make."

"True. I do wish Miss Engel would have provided a means for keeping records. Rewriting my notes on Longbourn's tenants every morning is quite tedious."

"Indeed. What did you do this afternoon?"

Elizabeth smiled. "Practised pianoforte and told Jane that I would explain my uncharacteristic behaviour tomorrow; in other words, a normal day."

"I wish it was not so. You could try to tell Miss Bennet the truth," he offered half-heartedly.

Elizabeth shook her head. "I despise repeating that conversation. I would much prefer to wait until Wednesday to have it again."

"I understand," Mr. Darcy said solemnly. After a moment, he cleared his throat. "I was wondering if—perhaps—would you care to ride up to Oakham Mount tomorrow morning?"

"On what horse?" Elizabeth asked with a laugh. "You cannot mean Belle, and our horses are needed at the farm."

Mr. Darcy brushed away what seemed like imaginary lint from his coat sleeve. "I could have the groom saddle Belle for you tomorrow morning."

"And have the neighbourhood wondering why exactly Mr. Darcy is taking two horses with him on his morning ride and whom he is meeting?" Elizabeth asked, one eyebrow raised.

Mr. Darcy clasped his hands tightly together. "Very well. Then I shall simply ask if you wish to accompany me on a walk to Oakham Mount tomorrow morning."

Elizabeth nodded, suppressing a flash of joy. It would be nice to see Mr. Darcy outside of their regular rest-day activities. "I shall be ready by eight."

The man beamed at her. "I shall await your arrival."

By mutual consent, they ended that topic and resumed their ongoing discussion about Shakespeare's poetry, knowing that the card tables would soon make an appearance.

A/N: Like I said, short chapter today. Another longer one tomorrow :) Thanks for reading and engaging with the story! I so appreciate all your feedback!

I'm still in need of some beta-ing. Ideally, I would have someone to read for consistency, characterizations, and what needs cut or clarified, someone to edit the posted but unedited chapters for grammar and someone to edit the as yet unposted chapters. If you are interested in any of those things, please let me know!

Please let me know if there's anything you notice that will make the story better. I super appreciate all your feedback!