Chapter 1

Dangling one leg over a tree branch, Elizabeth Bennet inhaled the smells of autumn after a fresh rainstorm. Yesterday’s downpour would likely be the last spirited storm until winter’s drab anger left much frost but no fun puddles or musty smells. Despite Jane still being at Netherfield, for she had ridden the horse to her tea with Miss Bingley and been unable to return last evening, Elizabeth had spent the morning enjoying the fine weather and avoiding breakfast with her family. Her stomach rumbling, she fetched a treasure from her skirt pocket.

The crunching bite of an apple startled birds above her. As the duo flew away, Elizabeth reluctantly agreed her own freedom had also best come to an end. She shrugged and placed the apple in her mouth to secure it. Her hands free, she walked out on the thinnest branch that would hold her, bent her knees, and swung down as she had hundreds of times since she was a young girl before jumping the remaining three feet to the ground.

Behind her a horse neighed and Elizabeth turned around with the apple still in her mouth and brushed her hair away from her eyes. The sun blocked her vision of the rider until she removed the apple hastily from her mouth and covered her eyes to squint. The tall, erect posture could be no other, but she confirmed it was Mr. Darcy.

“Perfect,” she muttered and bowed her head with a slight curtsy as the horse neared.

“Miss Elizabeth, are you hurt?” he asked as he dismounted and walked around to join her with his horses’ reins in his hands.

Elizabeth smiled and took another bite of her apple. Of course it would be the proud and reserved Mr. Darcy who caught her enjoying the last days of autumn. Chewing carefully, she couldn’t resist making the man who had insulted her at last month’s assembly wait a moment in worry. Swallowing, Elizabeth flashed him a smile as if to dare him to say anything about her hoydenish behavior.

“Perfectly uninjured, Mr. Darcy. Simply enjoying my morning, and you?”

Mr. Darcy scrutinized her person from head to toe as if to question her ability to judge her own well-being. Frustrated that he kept staring at her, Elizabeth placed a hand on her hip and took another bite of apple. Deciding she was finished with his haughty judgments, she nodded and began to walk around the horse and rider towards her own home.

“I’ve just come from Longbourn,” he said, softly.

The tremor of his voice was very different than the harsh tone she was accustomed to hearing. She turned around to look at him, her curiosity piqued.

“It’s too early for a social call. Pray, why did you ride to my home, sir?” The apple pieces in her stomach began a most dreadful tumble as Elizabeth worried.

“Your sister. I am afraid to say she is unwell.”

Elizabeth’s mouth opened in horror and she quickly tossed the apple to the ground. “Excuse me, Mr. Darcy” she said as she gave another quick curtsy and quickly began to walk down the road towards Netherfield.

Watching her for a few moments, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Was the woman truly walking the mile and a half to Netherfield? Distracted by her form as a fine walker, he watched as she traveled further and further away. Shaking himself back into good sense, finally Mr. Darcy called after her.

“MISS ELIZABETH!”

About twenty yards away, Elizabeth kept walking and ignored Mr. Darcy calling after her. Her mind was elsewhere wondering just how sick must Jane be that Mr. Darcy would ride to Longbourn first thing in the morning? Had Mr. Jones been called? Each step added more and more mud to her walking boots, but she didn’t notice the increasing weight to her feet and underskirts.

Facing no other choice, Mr. Darcy began to walk his horse after her to catch up. His longer gait made short work of closing the gap and once more he called after her. Without stopping, Elizabeth looked over her shoulder.

“Please do not make me tarry any longer.” She marched on.

Darcy realized he was uncomfortable at not being in control. She wouldn’t speak to him and he felt quite silly nearly running with a horse’s reins in hand to keep up with a young woman.

“I must insist, the roads are not in good condition. Sit atop Poseidon and I will hold his reins.”

“I really could not,” she replied, still walking with fury.

“But your dress…”

“Is already three inches deep in mud. Really, Mr. Darcy, let’s not try to pour spilled milk back into the glass.” Walking stride for stride with him, she only had to look to her side to raise her eyebrow at him in mockery.

Silent once more, Darcy continued to walk beside Miss Elizabeth despite his horse’s impatient tugging due to the pace they were keeping. If it had been any other next to him, he would have thought it strange that she refused to speak to him. But he had accustomed himself to her particular manner of flirting where she pretended to show no interest. He remembered well how she had spoken to all around him at Sir Lucas’ house party for over half an hour, before engaging with him in witty banter over the militia holding a ball.

By the time they reached the edge of the drive, Elizabeth had finally considered every possibility in her mind and was prepared to hear the worst of it.

“Could you tell me how ill my sister is?”

Her voice startled Darcy as he had become perfectly content silently admiring her person while they rambled on the country dirt road between Longbourn and Netherfield. The exercise brought a lovely glow to her porcelain skin. Clearing his throat, he reminded himself of the harpy, Miss Caroline Bingley, likely awaiting his arrival to regulate his inner yearnings.

“Aside from a headache and sore throat, she appears to be perfectly fine.”

Aghast, Elizabeth abruptly stopped, causing Darcy to turn around and look at her once he managed to stop Poseidon and himself.

“Excuse me, but are you trained in the medical arts?”

Stunned, Mr. Darcy scoffed at such a preposterous question.

“Then you are not qualified to say she is perfectly fine if you must ride to my home and inform my parents of her condition.” Elizabeth’s eyes flashed with anger, but they had nearly arrived at the front steps of the estate.

His requisite cold mask firmly in place, Mr. Darcy managed to keep his biting rejoinder to himself. With a bow, he dismissed himself from her company and mounted his stallion. Kicking the horse towards the stables, he took a deep breath and rationalized Miss Elizabeth’s rudeness as a sign of concern for her dear sister. He would be greatly distressed if Georgiana were in bed with such an illness. Although he had only quoted Miss Jane Bennet’s own words, even he should have realized the woman likely concealed the true severity of her illness to prevent her family much concern.

…❄…❄…

Two days burdened by caring for her sister and playing drawing room games with the aloof Mr. Darcy and acerbic Miss Bingley had driven Elizabeth desperate for respite out of doors. Therefore, on the second morning of her unexpected stay, she accepted an invitation to stroll in the gardens by the increasing Mrs. Hurst after they were the last remaining in the breakfast parlor.

Discussing flowers, Mrs. Hurst impressed Elizabeth with her knowledge and breadth of insight. Elizabeth concluded the older and married Bingley sister was not half as bad when she was separated from the younger. Though, was not that her own lot? She shuddered as they took a turn in the garden when she considered others judging her and Jane on the conduct of their younger sisters Lydia and Kitty. Directly in front of them Caroline walked on the arm of Mr. Darcy.

“—and the eyelashes, so remarkably fine, might be copied.” said Miss Bingley.

The foursome paused at a crossroads in the path and Miss Bingley’s eyes bulged as she gave her sister a nonverbal warning. Elizabeth didn’t concretely know the subject of Caroline’s conversation, but she recognized the woman’s tone as when Caroline criticized her family or her own person. With a brilliant grin, she schemed to place Miss Bingley on her toes.

“I did not know you were such a student of art!” Elizabeth did her best to mimic the high-pitched feigned interest voice that Caroline used every time she offered ‘helpful advice.’

Mrs. Hurst silently released Elizabeth’s arm and took the empty arm of Mr. Darcy. This put the gentleman in an awkward position and he cleared his throat.

“This walk is not wide enough for our party. We had better go into the avenue.”

Elizabeth had no inclination to continue walking with the party until she considered that if Miss Bingley would criticize the Bennets or herself too much, it might impair Jane’s abilities to secure an offer from Mr. Bingley. That would be a failure that would surely break her sister’s heart.

“On such a beautiful day, why not we take the avenue around the park at large? It was a favorite of mine as a child, and I have not enjoyed the same since the property was resided in by the previous owners.”

Darcy brightened at the suggestion for such an excursion while Caroline’s face soured.

“But that is neigh three miles around! We should better employ the curricle for such an exercise, considering my sister’s condition, of course.”

Elizabeth laughed and started down the path towards where she meant to walk. “You and Mrs. Hurst must absolutely secure the curricle, but I am such a great walker as you have repeatedly pointed out, I should prefer to not ride. Besides, it only seats two. I hope you are able to drive, Miss Bingley?”

Darcy felt delighted at the turn of events as the Bingley sisters had no choice but to follow through on Caroline’s suggestion leaving him to walk with Miss Elizabeth alone once more. Charmed by the woman’s ability to maneuver around the machinations of Miss Bingley, Darcy stood convinced not a drawing room in London would be a danger with Miss Elizabeth by his side. Unfortunately, though he offered his arm to her, she declined the assistance and turned the topic to discussing books, asking him many questions, yet revealing very little of her own tastes.

Later that evening, Jane felt recovered enough to join the group after dinner, sitting well nestled in blankets by the fire. As Mr. Bingley paid his particular care to Jane to the exclusion of everyone else, Elizabeth once again found herself entertaining the disagreeable trio of Caroline Bingley, Mrs. Hurst, and Mr. Darcy.

After an hour of literally taking turns about the room physically and verbally, Elizabeth used a time-tested sign between the sisters to convey she was ready to retire. Unfortunately, Jane was so occupied with Mr. Bingley, Elizabeth had to specifically mention that she wished to retire by feigning the long walk around the park that day actually fatigued her. She hated to play the arts of a frail woman, but couldn’t rise above the deception when they conveniently suited her needs.

Mr. Darcy immediately rose when Elizabeth did and offered to assist her up the stairs as he was responsible for agreeing to their lengthy walk, but Elizabeth demurred. She wouldn’t further denigrate herself by actually pretending to be physically fatigued, even though a curious dizziness was beginning to creep over her.

In the end, Jane bade goodnight to Mr. Bingley and traversed the stairs with her sister. Elizabeth parted from Jane in the hall to enter her own room and took no more than a few steps when the curious case of dizziness became a much more emphatic one. Suddenly very warm, Elizabeth began to feel as the room were spinning and reached out for a piece of furniture to steady herself. Needing help, but unable to find her voice for the tremendous pounding in her head, she closed her eyes, thinking to rest until her senses returned. Vaguely, she heard the door opening behind her.

“Lizzie, I wondered if we had to leave so early in the morning—”

Smiling as she heard Jane’s voice behind her, Elizabeth swore she opened her eyes and turned around to address Jane. Instead, the eldest Bennet daughter called out for help as her younger sister collapsed to the floor.

…❄…