Chapter 13: Archery contest
The morning dawn was crisp. The sun shown brightly over the freshly fallen snow. The wind was calm. The trees glistened, and the birds chirped about their business. Elizabeth was delighted as she looked out her window and greeted the day. Perfect weather for shooting mistletoe.
Miss Bingley's maid came in record time to assist Elizabeth with her gown. After a quick check to see that Jane was still sleeping soundly, she darted downstairs. Breakfast had been served, and a groggy Miss Bingley presided over the table as she conversed with Lord Devon and Mr. Darcy.
Elizabeth's heart leapt at the sight of Mr. Darcy. Would he remember the previous evening. It had been very embarrassing for her to endure. Her refusal must have mortified him. As if drawn to her presence, he looked up and smiled. Surely, that meant he did not remember.
She compiled her plate and took a seat beside Miss Bingley and across from Lord Devon, as far from Mr. Darcy as she could. Lord Devon spoke of how he had learned archery from his father and mastered it at Cambridge. She easily joined Miss Bingley in listening attentively.
When Mr. Darcy refilled his coffee, he took the seat beside Elizabeth. As he tucked in, he nudged his seat closer to her so that his thigh was resting gently against hers. Elizabeth nearly spit out her tea.
When Lord Devon next paused for breath, Mr. Darcy asked Elizabeth if her mother permitted her father to teach her archery. "While I definitely approve of the pastime for both sexes, I know it is not one of the main accomplishment for ladies."
Elizabeth attempted to laugh at the memory but failed because of his nearness. "My father and I would sneak out of the house early in the morning to practice. Neither of us relished her long speeches. When Kitty and Lydia caught us when they were eight and ten, Mamma put up a fuss, but in the end, we were all allowed then to practice. Mamma never could refuse Lydia anything she asked for." She looked around the room to see if anyone noticed her discomfort, but Lord Devon had begun another conversation with Miss Bingley about fashionable outerwear. It appeared she would be alone with her conversation with Mr. Darcy.
"Your father was a good man to be willing to teach his daughter. I know many fathers who would not consider it appropriate."
Elizabeth looked at him in shock. Was he actually praising her family?
"I can learn to appreciate your family." He said in a voice low enough only she could hear. He leaned closer as he added, "And I have every intention to make certain you are aware of my regard. I am completely sober, as you see." He took another sip of his coffee as he righted his posture.
"Is there something wrong with your food, Miss Elizabeth? You have not touched your plate." Miss Bingley brought Elizabeth's attention back to the table. She had not even realized she had been staring at Mr. Darcy. Blushing, she turned and tucked into her plate. Mr. Darcy was kind enough to let her eat in peace, though he did angle his leg so that his calves also rubbed against hers when he moved, which he did rather more often than Elizabeth thought necessary. At least she was able to keep blushing to a minimum.
At the conclusion of the meal, everyone donned their outerwear and began the walk to the aforementioned mistletoe field. In truth, it was simply a row of oaks that made a fence between two fields. The mistletoe had been left to fester in the oaks, and the clumps were larger than many had seen before. Many tenants would remove the mistletoe to save the oak trees, but this was a special place for the ladies of Longbourn. The trees looked perfectly healthy, even if they had large clumps of mistletoe living on their branches.
Mr. Bennet and Mr. Tippins, one of the tenant farmers of Longbourn, had set up the bows and arrows at one end of the Longbourn field. Lydia and Kitty were already stretching their bows and screeched their greetings when they saw Elizabeth's group arrive. Sir William and the Lucas men were also warming their arms while Miss Lucas watched.
"The rules!" Mr. Bennet announced with a well-practiced air. "First, you must stand here when it is your time to shoot." He indicated a cleared patch of dirt where the wheat had been cleared. "Second, no attempting to distract the shooter. Lydia, you know this one in particular pertains to you." The Lucas men sniggered. Mr. Bennet continued, "Third, you must then retrieve your mistletoe. The largest and most intact mistletoe wins the contest."
Mr. Tippins then pulled out a handful of straws and walked around to allow everyone to take one. Mr. Bennet then explained that each one was a different height. The contestants then lined up accordingly so that the one with the longest straw would go first. Sir William earned that honor this year. He missed his first shot, but on his second, he snagged a small clump of mistletoe that had broken in half on its descent. Everyone cheered as he held up his clump.
Miss Bingley went next. Lord Devon and Mr. Bennet came up to instruct her on proper technique. She did well enough to get her arrow into a tree, but upon three attempts, she had not managed to dislodge any mistletoe.
Lord Devon then took his shot. His first try landed on a large clump of mistletoe, but only a sparse set of leaves fell to the ground. He collected the pile with pride and placed it beside Sir Williams. Everyone cheered good humoredly.
When Mr. Lucas, the eldest of Sir William's sons took his turn, his mistletoe fell onto another branch. "Miss Lizzy, I may need your assistance, for you are the best at climbing trees."
As they walked away, Mr. Darcy heard Sir William tell Mr. Bennet, "He always did prefer her attention to any other lady." Mr. Darcy then offered his help, not wishing for Elizabeth to be alone in a tree with a handsome fellow that was not himself.
Mr. Lucas found a branch that almost gave him the ability to reach the mistletoe. When he barely touched it, a few leaves fell from the mistletoe, so he stopped. "Lizzy, do you think you could get my bough down? You know my fear of heights." He was, of course, neither afraid nor unwilling to go himself, but he hoped this would endear Elizabeth to him. It did not. Elizabeth was about to agree when Mr. Darcy offered. He was already on the branch when Elizabeth picked up a rock and threw it at the mistletoe, causing it to fall to the ground.
Mr. Darcy felt foolish standing in the tree, and he clambered down with less ease and a foul temper. He returned to Elizabeth's side in time for her to exclaim at Mr. Lucas' bunch of mistletoe which was larger than the others but was missing the middle. It looked very sad indeed.
The trio returned to the group to cheers aimed at Mr. Lucas.
Kitty then took her turn and Lydia ran to Kitty's clump and shook it so that the berries would fall off, making it smaller. Kitty returned to the group in tears that Lydia had ruined everything, even though her clump was smaller than Mr. Lucas'.
Mr. Lucas' brother took his turn with alacrity. He moved expertly, but he spoke longer than anyone wished as he took aim. In the end, he was unsuccessful. Neither did Lydia, though she had managed to hit a couple of clumps, but her arrow not being strong enough to knock them down. She left for home in a huff with Kitty and the younger Lucas boys following in her wake.
It was Elizabeth's turn next. She took her place and aimed her arrow with ease. The first missed, but her second hit an extremely large bunch and the entire piece fell to the ground. Mr. Darcy walked with her to retrieve it and offered to carry it back to the group. Elizabeth blushingly allowed him to, for it was two feet long. There were more cheers as Mr. Darcy placed her fine specimen next to the others before taking his turn.
He stood awkwardly in the dirty patch while preparing to shoot. He watched the trees to see which clump would be the longest before he took aim at one that was lower on an old branch. His first shot missed, as did his second. His third shot hit the branch, and the entire branch, mistletoe and all, fell to the ground. He shuddered at the likelihood that his bunch was ruined. "Would you help me, Miss Elizabeth? There are likely to be large pieces that will be harder to bring back together."
With a roll of her eyes, Elizabeth agreed. They marched out to the stone wall to see that the branch was on the other side. Mr. Darcy helped her over the wall before sliding over himself. Elizabeth bent down into the tall grass and turned her jacket into a makeshift basket that would hold the smaller bits of mistletoe.
Mr. Darcy kneeled beside her and took the larger clumps. When he had picked up his third piece, he turned to observe her. "Have you thought about our discussion?"
"Was there a discussion?" Elizabeth asked in a bid for time. So, he remembered the previous evening.
"I adore you, and I hope you know that I will always be kind to you and your family. I shall endeavor to get to know them as you do."
Elizabeth's heart was beating so quickly, she was certain he could hear it. "Do you expect an answer now?"
"No, but I should like to kiss you again, with your permission."
This shocked her so much that her head snapped up to look at him. She did not pull away as he grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. With his free hand, he cupped her cheek. He kissed her gently at first, and as she responded to his touch, he deepened the kiss. He only pulled away as he heard Mr. Lucas coming to check on them. Thankfully, they were still hidden from view by the stone wall.
"Can you manage those pieces, Elizabeth?" Mr. Darcy asked quickly, gesturing to the bunches in her skirt.
"Of course," Elizabeth replied, though she did not quite register the question.
"Your bunch is ruined, I am afraid," Mr. Lucas said as he gazed over the wall.
"It was inevitable with the shot." Elizabeth gathered her wits about her. "That is why I always find a way to peer up at the mistletoe before shooting, so I can pick one that does not have too many branches under it."
Mr. Lucas laughed and said, "That is why you always offer to help me retrieve. I always wondered."
Mr. Darcy helped Elizabeth stand with her collection of mistletoe and climb the wall. The trio then walked back to the group.
Mr. Bingley took his shot, followed by Mr. Bennet. Between them they had about a foot of mistletoe. Elizabeth was declared the winner.
"And now for the best part." Elizabeth announced. "We shall walk to Longbourn and Netherfield villages and distribute the mistletoe to the tenants."
Elizabeth took Miss Lucas' arm and together they collected the mistletoe onto a ready cart. They walked together so that Elizabeth did not need to think about Mr. Darcy. They began to sing "The Twelve Days of Christmas" with merry hearts. The men and Miss Bingley followed them gaily, singing all the way.
The tenant children ran out to meet Elizabeth and Miss Lucas. The little boys kissed Elizabeth's cheeks as she handed them each small bunches of mistletoe. The girls skipped away delightedly. Mr. Bennet and Sir William then headed home with Mr. and Miss Lucas, leaving the Netherfield party to return home through the Netherfield village. As Elizabeth was not as familiar with these tenants, she made sure to tell them all that her sister would be the next mistress of the estate and she would be glad to hear of anything that would help the tenants prosper.
The rest of the mistletoe went up to Netherfield manor. At the stable, the stablemaster took the cart and assured them that the mistletoe would be cleaned and sent to the house.
Elizabeth took Miss Bingley's arm and led the way to the house. "It may be bad luck to decorate before Christmas Eve, but I find it refreshing and fun."
Caroline Bingley thought over these words and decided they were true. She wished she had focused more on fun while she had been growing up.
AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I loved writing it. My next chapter is probably going to end up being part of this chapter, but I want it to be split for now. It is tilted "sisterly confidences". I think it is time J and E have a little chat about how their lives are turning out. E needs Jane's steady character to help her sort out some things.
I am very tired now, after a long (14) hour day at school. It was a good day though, and your reviews were so lovely, I just had to get this chapter to you. Keep those reviews coming, as it encourages me to keep writing. I need to hurry up and finish this story (without cutting any corners, don't worry) so that the next story which is already taking shape in my head doesn't plow over and damage my vibe in this story.