Chapter 2

2

“ E lizabeth!” A moment of panic paralyzed him. Weighing the danger of running to get assistance or slowing to ease her discomfort, Darcy rested against the trunk of a fallen tree.

Her eyes blinked rapidly and then squinted as if the fading sunlight was too harsh. She looked around, and he knew she was trying to gain her bearings. He waited until her gaze finally settled on his.

“Mr. Darcy?” Her voice was soft, though her face filled with anguish.

“Please calm yourself, Miss Elizabeth.” He wanted to stroke her brow until it smoothed. “Do you recall how you came to be at the far side of the lake?”

“I…I do not, although I must have fallen.” Again, her hand came up and touched her temple, pushing against the skin that must have been throbbing below the surface. “There is no lake at Longbourn, sir.” She frowned. “My whole head hurts.”

“I am sorry you are in pain.” Darcy held her closer. “You slipped and fell. I came upon you soon after. Rather than leave you alone to run for help, we are on our way back to Netherfield Park.”

“Why there?”

“Your sister, Miss Bennet, fell ill while visiting Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst. You came to care for her and have been here two days. There was no opportunity for you to walk out of doors this morning, so you left for your excursion after tea. I…I happened to be in the area also.”

“Is my sister well?” She pushed away from him. “If Jane is here, then I must return to her. She will worry. Jane is rarely ill. Why is she not at Longbourn? Why does she remain at Netherfield Park? How long have you been there? Mr. Darcy, I should not be here with you, and you should not be with me. And why are you carrying me? Put me down this instant.”

Her mind was clearly jumbled. He could see her determination and knew she would endeavor to stand. Was it safe enough to let her try?

“Before I do, pray tell me, how many eyes do I have?”

“You do not know how many you have? How unusual. I thought you to be a man of intelligence.” She giggled. “One moment and I will look. Let me see. You have only one eye. Cyclops! And you have two noses, and three mouths. How are you able to eat? Is one for liquid? One for meat and one for sweets? Odd, Mr. Darcy. I had thought you to be a handsome man. Now you look silly.”

He could not help but smile.

Then she pressed her fingertips into her scalp, and his smile disappeared.

“We are in a bit of a muddle, Miss Elizabeth.” Her eyes had closed as she continued to rub her brow. “My first instinct when I came upon you was to wait for help to arrive. The danger of moving someone who has sustained a blow to their head sufficiently to render them unconscious is worrisome. With that said, it shall soon be dark. Frost is in the air. It became too dangerous for you to remain at the lakeshore. I have been carrying you and will continue to do so. I estimate that we are already almost halfway back to the main house.”

“I appreciate your effort.” Miss Elizabeth opened her eyes. “Is the light dimming in the setting sun?”

“It is.”

“Then it will get colder. You need your coat.”

“We need to get you into a comfortable room with a roaring fire more than I need you to return my coat. Do not worry about me. The exercise is warming me.” Stepping away from the tree trunk, he continued toward the house.

“Mr. Darcy, I…” A drop of rain fell on her cheek, and they both looked up at the sky.

“Blast!” Darcy held her tighter. Instinctively, she reached around his neck as he picked up his pace. “I apologize for any discomfort I may cause, Miss Elizabeth, but we must return to Netherfield immediately. It would not be good for you to be caught in a downpour.”

As he spoke the drops fell fast, drops that bounced off the forest floor. His hat protected his face from the rain, but Miss Elizabeth would be vulnerable. He pulled the arm across her back closer to him until her face was pressed into his neck. Her warm breath soothed him. When she spoke, it felt like a kiss.

“Do not be concerned, sir. I appreciate your caring for me for I do not believe I have the strength to take a step on my own, despite Miss Bingley declaring me to be an excellent walker.”

He started back around the lake. Though he had not run across the fields of Pemberley on anything other than on horseback since he was a lad, he could walk and carry a heavy burden for hours. The tenants on his estate knew him to be a man who did not mind hard work.

The mud that lined the path on their journey from the house had become slipperier with the rain. Several times, Darcy had to catch himself as the ground under him seemed to slide away. Each time, the swift movements he took to recover jarred Miss Elizabeth, yet she never complained, only tightened her arms around his neck.

Their progress was slow, and the roof of the house looked just as distant as it had been when they started. He felt dampness against his neck and knew it was not the rain. Had he tasted it, he suspected he would have found the salt of her tears.

He knew not what to do to ease her pain. What he did know was the danger of remaining unprotected in the cold, wet darkness.

“Pray, hang on tightly.” When he felt the muscles of her arms tense, he increased his pace.

“My head is spinning,” she whimpered into his neck.

His heart ached for her pain.

“Mr. Darcy, sir…?”

“Yes, Miss Elizabeth.” He would offer her his all if only he could ease her pain and get her to safety.

“Sir, each time you move your head, the brim of your hat comes into contact with my temple….”

Oh, good heavens! He was causing her pain. He tipped his head back until the blasted hat fell to the ground.

Stopping under another tree, he rested his back against the gnarled trunk. The only thing visible above the treetops was the smoke from Netherfield’s chimneys.

“Is the world still circling inside your head?”

“Constantly,” she whispered. “Please, I beg you, put me down. I fear I may be ill if we continue.”

Carefully, he set her on the ground, where she leaned her head against the trunk of the tree, her eyes closed.

“Can you hear the ringing, sir?”

“I cannot.”

She covered her ears only to let her hands fall to her lap.

“Mr. Darcy, I wonder how you came upon me, sir. You are dressed in riding clothes, yet you have no horse.”

“What do you recall, Miss Elizabeth?” He had just decided not to ask when it blurted out of his mouth. He rolled his eyes at his stupidity. Why bring this up now?

She seemed to stare at him for a long while, and he felt uncomfortable that she did. He wondered if his constant gaze had made her feel the same.

“We were at the assembly in Meryton. After being introduced, Mr. Bingley asked Jane for a set.” She paused. “I believe you walked to the fireplace and stood as you are doing now.”

He held his breath. She had lost a whole month. The assembly was held exactly one month prior. “And this is all you can remember? You recall nothing else from that evening?”

Miss Elizabeth closed her eyes, furrowing her brows for several seconds until she shook her head slightly, making her flinch. “No, sir, I remember nothing else until the moment I woke up here.”

Darcy wanted to click up his heels. She did not remember the insult! He wanted to hug her close. He was relieved. And distressed.

“Did we dance, Mr. Darcy?”

He wished to tell her that they had. He wished he could fabricate a tale of the way he should have acted rather than the way he did. His honor would not allow it.

“No, we did not.”

She opened her eyes and lifted one brow in a move that captivated him.

“Do you mind if I close my eyes?” she asked. “But please, talk to me, sir. I desperately need the distraction. I care not which subject you choose.”

“Then, please make yourself as comfortable as possible.”

“Mr. Darcy, perhaps the better choice would be for you to go for assistance now that I am settled?”

“Absolutely not!” While it may have been more practical for him to have done so, he could not leave her unprotected.

“We cannot be found here alone, sir.”

“Miss Elizabeth, is your father a reasonable man?”

“He is.”

“Then, as soon as you are safely at Netherfield, I will go to him to explain the circumstances. He is a gentleman and will understand that I could not abandon you. I will not do so.”

“You must be terribly cold.”

“The exercise was quite invigorating. Do not be concerned.”

“Telling me not to be concerned will not remove my worry, sir.”

“Truly. I am well.”

“But, Miss Bingley, sir.”

“Miss Bingley? Why do you speak of her?”

Again, her brow wrinkled, closing her eyes as if it made it easier to remember or the pain of movement was too much to endure.

“Are you not attached? She stood close to you at the assembly and seemed to look upon you with fondness,” she asked.

“Me attached to Miss Bingley? No, Miss Elizabeth, that was not fondness you saw but greed. She desires my wealth and the power that comes with the Darcy name, not me.”

“I beg your pardon.”

“We have been in company several times since I arrived in Hertfordshire. Sir William Lucas included both our parties at a gathering in his home where I heard you sing.”

She wrinkled her nose.

“You have a lovely voice, Miss Elizabeth.” Darcy smiled at the memory. Her voice, the passion with which she sang, had filtered into his cold heart, melting a thin layer of the glacier that had grown steadily since his first appearance in society. “We also gathered at your aunt’s home for cards. We later paid a visit to your family at Longbourn.”

“I do not recall any of those events.” She rested her head cautiously against the tree.

“I imagine you do not. The blow to your head was powerful. You are wearing a spectacular lump on the back of your head because of that rock.” He sucked in a breath, wondering how much to share with her. The last thing he wanted to do was overwhelm her.

“A lump, you say. I wonder if the fashionable ladies of the ton would consider this the newest form of headwear. Although I doubt that they would want the ache that comes along with it.”

What a woman!

“You amaze me with your frivolity, Miss Elizabeth. I know of few women, my sister included, who would not be sobbing with tears, begging for the constant attention of all.” He shook his head. When he added this to what he already knew of Elizabeth Bennet, her value grew exponentially.

“Why cry, sir? What would tears do except make my eyes swell and you feel worse? My mother has used them for years to try to get her way, and I have found her efforts rather tiresome.”

She was correct. Few things made a man feel more powerless than a woman’s genuine tears and enraged when they were not honestly done.

“I will rest now if you do not mind. My stomach is still churning. I fear that if I were to attempt to move now, the consequences would be unpleasant.”

“Pray do, Miss Elizabeth. I will protect you from harm.”

He watched her settle into the fabric of his coat and thought of all that could threaten her. He fully comprehended the situation and became aware of his most constant worry. She was weak and hurt.

Darcy did the only thing he could under the circumstances. Quickly placing his arm behind her shoulders and the other under her legs, he lifted her. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck. He wanted to smile at her low grumble but knew better. Instead, he headed towards Netherfield Park.