It was an easy ride to the trailhead, allowing Lizzy to take in the vista spread wide before her. She had visited many beautiful places in England, but there was something about the rugged beauty of the Peak District that enthralled her. Man’s hand was less evident here, and it was Nature stripped to its essentials that she found so compelling.
Accompanying the foursome was a lad of little more than ten. “This young man is Ben Avery, Ellie’s brother,” Darcy said by way of introduction. “He has been given the important job of carrying the torch when we go into the cave.” After tousling the boy’s hair and sending him on his way, Darcy shared with Elizabeth that Pemberley was awash in Averys. “In addition to Ellie, there is a sister who is a maid, their cousin John was one of the footmen who played the fiddle last night, and you practically trip over Averys when you are in the stables or carriage house. However, I imagine having an unlimited supply of Averys will soon change as a flannel manufactory has opened nearby, and one groom has already resigned his position to go to work there. But I believe in progress, and the factory will provide much needed jobs for those in the Derwent Valley.” He then pointed in the direction of the path. “But please allow me to go ahead of you.”
“Do you feel safe with me walking behind you, Mr. Darcy, on such a narrow path and on an incline?” After seeing how he had acted with Ben, her heart had warmed, and she felt the beginning of a thaw.
“Perfectly safe, Miss Elizabeth, as there are too many witnesses about,” and he returned her smile.
It was good to see Elizabeth smile because the whole idea of his coming to Pemberley had been a total disaster. Darcy could not even remember the reasoning behind it. It would have been better if he had remained in London, dealt with Miss Montford, and rode posthaste to Pemberley to be with Elizabeth. Instead, he found himself starring in a bad play with no third act.
And why had he thought it was a good idea to go to a cave? Instead of slip-sliding his way through a wet cavern, his preference would have been to stroll a woodland path. Better yet, he would take Elizabeth’s hand, walk into the woods, make a bed of leaves, and make love to her. Of course, such a thing only occurred at night—every night—as he lay awake in his bed. In his imaginings, Elizabeth and he had made love in every room at Pemberley, and their lovemaking had now moved to the gardens.
When they arrived at the mouth of the cave, Darcy handed each of the ladies their farmer’s hat, and Georgiana and Lizzy broke into giggles at the sight of the horrid things.
“Georgiana, all I can say is that I hope the hat looks better on me than it does on you.”
“Sorry, Lizzy, but you are no example of
While the ladies were laughing, Darcy and the colonel decided how best to proceed.
“Fitzwilliam, you go first, followed by Miss Elizabeth, and then…”
“I am not going first, Darcy. I am the tallest. The last time I went into that cave, I got a nasty scratch from one of those calcium icicles. I suggest you go first, and if you bump your head, I will know where to duck. Miss Bennet should follow you, then Georgie, and I will protect the rear.”
“Protect the rear? From what? Wayward sheep? Never mind. Let us proceed.”
Little Ben, with his torch, was the first into the cave, and when all were inside, Darcy explained that the front part of the cave was used by shepherds as a place to sleep at night and to shelter during a storm.
“You can see some tally marks scratched into the wall, which I am sure were used to count sheep as recently as this summer. The interesting part is through here.”
Lizzy crouched as she passed through a narrow opening before emerging into a much larger room smelling of minerals and accompanied by the sound of the drip, drip, drip of water. Ben’s torch revealed large cones of calcified water rising up from the floor and bursting forth from the ceiling. Lizzy looked around and was filled with the wonder a child experiences when presented with an unexpected gift.
“Remarkable.”
“Yes, it is, but there is something even more remarkable beyond,” and he directed Ben to proceed. Taking her by the hand, Darcy led her to an inner cavern where there were pictures of animals drawn with charcoal on the walls of the cave. Although the pictures were more representational than realistic, Lizzy got chills thinking she might be looking at something that was 5,000 years old.
“The archaeologists from Cambridge believe this room served a sacred purpose because the animals depicted here are either predators, such as wolves and bears, or animals that would have required great courage to hunt, like elk or wild pig, and the cavemen, with their spears, are definitely on the hunt. There are finer caves with better drawings in England and certainly on the Continent, but I take some pride in this little depository of the history of an ancient people being so close to where I live.”
While Lizzy took her time in studying the sketches, Darcy was thinking about how he could kick himself for wasting such an opportunity. Here he was in a dark cave standing next to the woman he loved, and he was regaling her with stories about wild pigs and a primitive people who lived in caves and wore animal skins. He had done the same thing with Miss Montford. Was it any wonder she had looked frightened when he had discussed the American and French revolutions and the great explorers? And now he was doing it again.
“Mr. Darcy, did you read in the London paper that a young girl in Dorset, I believe her name is Mary Anning, discovered the fossilized skeleton of what appears to be an ancient crocodile? It fell from a cliff following a storm. Can you imagine?”
“You read about such things?”
“Why does that surprise you? Because I am a woman?”
“You are right. I should not be surprised, but there is so much about you that does surprise me.”
Seeing that the couple was getting along famously, Georgiana signaled to her cousin that they should leave. “Will, Richard and I will wait for you outside. There is a steady dripping on my head, and I have seen all of these drawings, but please take your time.”
And Lizzy and Mr. Darcy did. He stood as close to her as he could without scandalizing the young Avery. Even with that ridiculous hat on, she looked beautiful. He watched as the flames from the torch cast her profile in flashes of shadow and light, and he had to fight the urge to take her in his arms. Instead, he shared all that he knew about the cave and the valley below. After they had returned to the first room, Darcy stopped Lizzy before she could go out.
“Elizabeth, I am truly sorry…” but then he said no more, and after a long pause, Lizzy spoke.
“Mr. Darcy, I can see that you are troubled, so perhaps I can put your mind at ease.” Believing that he was apologizing because nothing could ever come of their relationship, she told him about Mr. Peterson. “There is a certain gentleman who owns a large farm near Watford, and he has expressed an interest in calling on me. He is a fine man and a worthy suitor.”
Darcy was dumbfounded. How could such intelligence possibly ease his mind?
“Please explain to me how revealing the presence of a suitor waiting for you in Hertfordshire is supposed to put my mind at ease? It does no such thing.”
If Darcy was dumbfounded, Lizzy was shocked by the vehemence of his response and felt the need to defend herself. “I only mentioned Mr. Peterson because I thought you were unhappy with your performance regarding… I thought you might have felt that you had given me the wrong impression about… Oh, never mind.”
Once again he stopped her from leaving. “There are complications.”
“Complications? Forgive me if I appear confused, sir, but it is my understanding that you are about to become betrothed to a lady in London. There is nothing complicated about that.”
“No.”
“No? No what? No, you are not about to become betrothed? I see that you hesitate. I would think that such a question could be easily answered with a simple yes or no.”
“There is nothing simple about this whole matter.”
“I beg to differ. If I had been asked the same question, I would have had a ready answer.”
If Georgiana had imagined listening to the sound of cooing lovebirds coming from inside the cave, she was quickly brought down to earth by loud voices speaking in anger.
“Richard, they are quarreling.”
“I would not call it quarreling. It sounds more like fighting to me. Apparently, Miss Elizabeth has tired of our games.”
“Ben, go into the cave and ask Mr. Darcy if he needs a light to find his way out,” but the boy stood frozen as he had heard the same angry words coming from the cave. “Tell Mr. Darcy that I sent you. Now please go.”
