Mr. Darcy's Bite

unknown after fourteen years of secrecy to all but the most trusted servants.

As her long curly hair was being brushed, Lizzy asked Ellie about her master. “Is he often at Pemberley?”

“Oh, he comes and goes quite a lot, but he’s usually here at least once a month. And he’s always here for May Day, which is a big thing hereabouts. The Darcys always take part in the village celebrations, and they usually supply all the meat. Mr. Darcy is a big meat eater.”

“Yes, I noticed.”

“And he’s sure to be here for the Harvest Festival because the Darcy family is the host of it. It is the biggest event of the year. Everyone from the village and farms comes to Pemberley for a day of feasting, and I do mean feasting—what with a hog being killed and tables filled with all kinds of fruits and puddings and breads and lemonades. By the time you’re finished eating, you feel like a stuffed pig. After everyone has had their fill, they push the tables out of the way, and the dancing starts. Mr. Darcy and Miss Darcy and their partners always lead off the first dance, and they can really kick up their heels.”

After putting Lizzy’s hair in a braid, Ellie continued, “Mr. Darcy really is the best master, and he is very kind to his servants. Before Christmas, we get gifts and some coins so that we can buy gifts for others. And the cottages for his tenants are always in good repair, and I can tell you that that is not true on a lot of the other estates. Some of them are frightful—little more than caves, and he does other things as well. People around here have lots of kids, and they need to work. So he helped to pay for the building of the potteries and a flannel manufactory.” Ellie put the brush down. “I think that will do for your hair, Miss Bennet. Is there anything else you want?”

“No, Ellie, I will have no further need of you tonight, so you may retire.”

“Thank you, Miss. Mr. Jackson said if we got all our work done early, we could have a story. He started reading Robinson Crusoe to us last night—me and all the other junior servants is what I mean. Have you read that book, miss?”

“Yes, I have. It is about a man stranded on an island, far away from any friend or family.”

“That’s the one. I can’t wait to hear what happens next.”

Lizzy wondered if such things were planned to coincide with the nights when Mr. Darcy was transformed. If Mr. Jackson was reading to the servants, all would be accounted for, and no one would be wandering about the estate. Then Lizzy thought of something else.

“Ellie, where are David and Goliath? I have not seen them all day?”

“And you won’t. Not until Mr. Darcy comes back. It’s the funniest thing. When the master ain’t at home, the dogs disappear. No one knows where they go, but we know they’re about because, in the morning, their food and water dishes are empty. And here’s another funny thing, we always know when the master is coming back because the two of them are on the prowl looking for him in every nook and cranny.”

Was it possible that the whippets knew what happened to their master and that they stayed away from him so as not to put him at risk of discovery? This whole thing was becoming stranger by the minute.

Before Ellie left, Lizzy told her that she would ring for her in the morning when she was needed. “I am not sure I will have breakfast tomorrow, and since the weather is still so mild, I will not require a fire.”

“Yes, miss,” Ellie said, and after curtseying, she left. After she heard the door close, Lizzy went to the window and stepped in front of the drapes.

“Where are you, Mr. Darcy? Are you nearby watching as you did last night?” But because of the emotional events of the last few days, a wave of fatigue descended, and she went to her bed. As she closed her eyes, she thought, one more day and I will be on my way to Longbourn, and I shall try very hard to put all of this behind me. But she knew that it was unlikely that she would succeed.

Chapter 7

Lizzy awakened, and after looking at the clock, fell back onto the pillows. It was only midnight, and she had been asleep for less than two hours—another seven hours until dawn. But there was a restlessness within her that would not allow her to remain in bed. She went to the armoire, took out her cloak, and quietly made her way down the stairs and out the French doors that led to the terrace. Hugging the wall of the manor house, she walked until she had reached a point where she could see the woods but where she would not be seen. She searched the treeline for any sign that Mr. Darcy and Nell were about, but all she saw were silhouettes of towering pines and the sound of rustling leaves stirred by a quiet breeze.

At the far end of the terrace, she pulled the draping off the long chair closest to the stone wall and positioned it in such a way that neither human nor animal could see her. After gathering the cloth cover about her to keep out the chill, she leaned back in the chair and looked at the silver moon. If there had never been such a thing as the moon, would there still be werewolves, she wondered? As much as she loved seeing this spectacular orb glowing in the night sky, she would do without it if it meant that Mr. Darcy would remain human.

There were other things that she wondered about as well. For instance, what was she doing curled up in a chair on the terrace in the wee hours of the morning? Was it because she wanted to be a part of Mr. Darcy’s world and to feel some of what he was experiencing or was it because she wanted to be near him on this their last night together? And when she thought of her departure, she felt the tears welling up in her eyes. How cruel Nature could be. Because of a brief encounter on a mountain road in the Black Forest fourteen years earlier, she would never be Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy. She would be willing to give up everything: Pemberley, the carriages, and all the other worldly goods, if only she could have a fully human Mr. Darcy. But such a thing was not possible because becoming a werewolf was not a disease that could be cured or an affliction that could be healed. It was a state of being, and he could no more stop being a werewolf than she could cease to be a woman. Pulling up the hood of her cloak, she turned her back to the moon and eventually sleep overtook her.

Unaware of how much time had passed, Lizzy was awakened by a cold wind, and with its arrival, the last of Indian summer departed. Even if the weather had remained balmy, falling asleep on a chair had probably not been a good idea because her neck and shoulders were stiff, and with her eyes closed, she made circles with her head trying to loosen the tension in her muscles. But when she opened her eyes, she saw him, lying in the grass, no more than ten feet from her, and he had probably been there the whole time she had been sleeping.

She swung her legs over the side of the chair until she was facing him, her eyes never leaving his face. He had the most remarkable eyes, and she felt as if she was in a trance, held in his power by his piercing gaze. Under any other circumstance, she would have been uncomfortable with anyone staring at her in such a way, but that was not the case with Mr. Darcy. It was actually a comfort for her to know that he had been watching over her.

“I suspect you have been there awhile, Mr. Darcy.” Lizzy shook her head and smiled at the absurdity of someone talking to a wolf. He probably did not understand her any better than her little Scottie did, but then again, Mr. Darcy was not a dog, but a wolf and a man. So it was possible that he was able to comprehend what she was saying.

“Is Nell nearby?” Lizzy asked, and Darcy turned his head in the direction of the woods. “Ah, so you do understand me. And how have you been occupying your time this evening? Have you been hunting rabbits or did you flush out some pheasants from their coveys? You are not saying. I understand. You do not want to reveal the secrets of your hunting success. All right then, shall we speak of that business in the clearing this afternoon? I shall tell you what I think happened. You knew I was watching you as you ran circles around Nell. I am also of a mind to believe that you and Anne had planned that excursion so that I might see what a fine animal you are. Am I correct, Mr. Darcy?

“Yes, I can see that I am right. You turn your head away from me because I have guessed correctly. You staged a bit of theater for my benefit. Well, I shall concede that you and Nell were quite entertaining, but I do not approve of how you run at her. She is a girl, a lady, a female, whatever you want to call her. You should not be so rough.”

Darcy gave a low growl. “Oh, I know all about your being the alpha male and that you command total obedience, but, sir, that is only in the wild. I imagine that it must be very hard for you to return to your human form and find that there are those who will not agree with you all of the time.” Darcy lifted his head as if pointing at her, and Lizzy gave a quiet laugh. “You are remembering when we first met—when I would not defer to you in all things. I believe that is what fixed your attention. I daresay you had grown tired of too much deference, and you wanted