“Who do you know who is more beautiful than she, and do not say me?”
“I have seen portraits of Lady Hamilton, Lord Nelson’s amour, painted by Romney. She is very pretty,” he replied, while putting his hands around Lizzy’s waist. “I am partial to brunettes.”
“I too have seen a portrait of Lady Hamilton, but she cannot hold a candle to Nell.”
“Again let me say, it does not matter. I do not love her. Besides, she is boring.”
“What do you mean she is
Darcy let out a sigh. This was not the way he had envisioned the evening ending. Rather, he had pictured something more intimate involving the use of lips and hands.
“When we are in the woods together, there are only two topics of conversation with her: food and grooming. She eats every bit as much as I do, and I have twenty pounds on her. Allow me to give you an example of the enormity of her appetite. In the spring, four of us took down a deer. By the time we had finished, there was no meat left on the carcass and everyone was satisfied, except Nell. No sooner had we finished eating than she ran out and caught a rabbit, and when it comes to pheasant, she kills more than the best gun I have ever hosted at Pemberley.”
That statement made Lizzy wonder. If Nell gained weight while she was a she wolf would she keep the weight on once she had regained her human form? She might end up looking like Wolfie, the Darcy Newfoundland. One could hope.
“What do you mean by grooming?”
“Tonight, you may have gathered that Nell spends a lot of money on jewels and dresses and whatnots. She devotes a lot of time to her appearance. Well, in the wild, you tend to get dirty, have grass and twigs in your coat, etc., but she will not let anyone rest until all unwanted material is removed.”
“And how is it removed?”
“Thank goodness for Teddy Brotherton, as that chore usually falls to him, but since Teddy and Rupert are in Scotland, I have to do it. So I rake through her coat with my claws.”
“Hmmm.”
“I could do the same for you,” he said, stepping closer to her. “Would you like me to help you take your hair down?”
“You are very kind, sir, but I must refuse your generous offer. However, may I suggest that we journey to Longbourn as soon as possible so that you may ask my father for his consent to our marriage? After doing so, we will share our good news with all our friends and that would include the family of the Earl of Granyard.”
Darcy started to laugh. “That is fine with me. But, again, I must tell you that it does not matter what Nell wants. She cannot have me.”
Lizzy leaned into him, and after placing her cheek against his, she whispered in his ear, “No, she cannot have you.”
Chapter 14
Rather than have a repeat of the previous day’s unfortunate speculation by Mr. Darcy as to the meaning of her coming down so late to breakfast, Lizzy was in the breakfast room by nine o’clock. Even so, she was the last one to put in an appearance. She understood the reason for Georgiana’s early arrival. Mr. Darcy’s sister wanted to make sure that she did not miss anything, especially any comments made about the previous night’s ball. But Anne looked exhausted and should have stayed in bed.
Georgiana did most of the talking, and a good deal of her conversation concerned Mr. Albert Norwall. Although not the handsomest of men, he had a most pleasant disposition and was an excellent dancer. When Darcy was asked by Anne for his opinion of the young gentleman, he merely grunted. When pressed by Georgiana, he said, “He is too young. He has not even finished his studies at Oxford.”
“Will, all I want to know at this point is, did you like him, because I most certainly did.”
“I shall need to know a good deal more about him before forming an opinion,” he said, looking at his sister with a furrowed brow. “I have reason to question his judgment in choosing Oxford over Cambridge, and to the best of my knowledge he neither plays cricket nor attends the matches, which makes him suspect in my book.” Georgiana groaned at her brother’s comments.
Between yesterday’s grumbling and today’s grouchy responses, Lizzy was getting the impression that Mr. Darcy was not a morning person. Another possible cause for his grumpiness might be the realization that he would soon have gentlemen asking for his permission to call on his little sister. A third reason, and the most likely for his being peckish, might have to do with Anne. Had she said something to him about his performance at the Granyard reception? She had hinted at her displeasure during the carriage ride to Pemberley, but Mr. Darcy had ignored her comments and had stared out the window, saying nothing.
“Perhaps we may all go for a walk after breakfast,” Lizzy suggested. “Granted, the day is chilly, but the sun is out. And the ground is carpeted with fallen leaves that make that wonderful rustling sound.”
Anne excused herself, citing fatigue, and Georgiana declined, stating that she had to practice on the pianoforte because she would be performing a particularly difficult piece at a dinner party in Berkeley Square during Yuletide.
“And what is your excuse, Mr. Darcy?” Lizzy asked.
“I have none. Nor do I want one. However, you will need to wear a heavier coat and bring your muff and scarf. If you are agreeable, I thought we might walk up to the gazebo. You can see all of the manor house and the gardens from there, but it does get windy.”
As the ladies rose to leave the room, the slightest of smiles appeared on the lips of Anne and Georgiana. It had turned out exactly as they had hoped.
When they reached the top of the hill and the gazebo, there was a stiff breeze, and Lizzy stood behind Mr. Darcy to use him as a windbreak. But he had an even better idea, and he pulled her to him and held her tightly without saying a word. He just wanted to experience the joy of being able to take her in his arms knowing that it was where she wanted to be.
“After we have admired the view, we shall walk over to the copse where it will be less windy.”
“As long as you hold me close, I do not mind because I love the view from here.” She thought about the first time she had ever seen it. It had been two months after she had rejected Mr. Darcy’s offer of marriage at Hunsford Lodge. On the occasion of her visit to Pemberley with her aunt and uncle Gardiner, he had been so gracious and forgiving, and by that time, she was in need of forgiveness because in his letter he had exposed Wickham’s true character. The weight of her error in judging Mr. Darcy so harshly had crashed down upon her, and the thought of what her misjudgment had nearly cost her was something she did not wish to dwell on.
“Before you came into the breakfast room this morning, both my cousin and sister were admonishing me for neglecting you last night,” Darcy said. “Their criticism is justified. I should have asked you for at least the third dance before we ever left Pemberley, but my mind was more agreeably engaged. I was thinking about how fortunate all of Lord Granyard’s guests were to have an opportunity to meet my Elizabeth.”
“My goodness, William, such flattery. But since you are not known for meting out excessive amounts of praise, you may continue.” They both laughed, and Elizabeth assured him that his sister and cousin had judged him more harshly than she had. “If the purpose of your kind words is your way of asking for my forgiveness,” Lizzy continued, “there is no need, as I was treated to an exceptional performance by Nell.”
“How so?” Darcy asked, genuinely puzzled.
“Nell had the whole thing planned out. From previous balls, she knew that because of Anne’s health the first dance would go to her, and of course, being a family friend, you would engage Lady Elaine, who was coming out, for the second set. And while you were dancing with Lady Millicent, Anne explained to me that the lady is a ward of His Lordship, and although she seems to be perfectly lovely, she is somewhat plain, her fortune is meager, and she is dependent upon the kindness of Lord Granyard for all her expenses, which explains the lack of dance partners. Nell correctly anticipated that if she asked you to dance with the plain Millicent, you would not refuse. After you had agreed to that request, and with Nell standing right there, what could you do but ask
