Change of Heart

by Tina Marie Noel

  Chapter 8

  As had become his usual practice, Darcy met Elizabeth when she took her early morning walk. She saw him and smiled.

  “What a surprise running into you this morning, Mr. Darcy.”

  “Are you at least happy to see me, Miss Bennet?”

  “I am truly happy indeed, Mr. Darcy.”

  As soon as they were out of the sight line to Longbourn, Darcy picked Elizabeth up and swung her in a circle before setting her down.

  “What was that for?” Elizabeth asked in surprise.

  “I have missed you. I wish you were still staying at Netherfield. If that were the truth, I would still see you every day and rejoice in my close proximity to you.” He looked at her and smiled. “I also happen to be in possession of a letter for you from Georgiana.”

  “Mr. Darcy, you should have started with that information. You were well aware I would want to read the letter as soon as I saw you.” She held her hand out for the letter.

  “I will make you a deal.” His eyes lit up with humour, “You give me one kiss and I shall give you the letter.”

  “I will not bargain with you for a letter that belongs to me.” She had a stern tone, “You give me the letter, and I shall freely give you a kiss.”

  “I accept.” Darcy handed Elizabeth the letter, “I am waiting.”

  Elizabeth laughed and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek, “As agreed upon, one kiss to Mr. Darcy.”

  “That was not an acceptable kiss.” He reached for her, but she moved out of his way and started to run across the field. “So you want to play do you?” He chased after her and easily outpaced her with his taller frame. He caught her and picked her up off her feet.

  “I surrender.” She cried with laughter bubbling, “I am at your mercy.”

  “Now as your penalty, I shall collect on that kiss you so sweetly offered me.”

  He raised her higher and bent to claim her lips. Her arms clung to his shoulders, and she returned his kiss. When he raised his head, he was smiling.

  “I like this kind of prize.”

  “Now if you will put me down, I would like to read the letter you have brought for me.”

  He set her down on her feet, “I am at your service is there anything else I can do for you.”

  “If you would be a gentleman and lay your outer coat on the ground, I shall make myself more comfortable while I read.”

  He was very obliging, “As long as I can share it with you.”

  “You may as long as you keep to your side and,” Her voice was stern as she sat down. She looked through her lashes at him with a smile, “there will be no repeat of such shocking behaviour as occurred last time we were together.”

  “I cannot believe there was any such shocking behaviour.” He looked down with a satisfied expression, “Except my valet did wonder how my coat got into such a state yesterday.”

  “May I ask what your answer was?”

  “I told him I had been particularly thoughtless and set my coat down in the mud.”

  “Did he believe you?” She asked with tears stinging her eyes as she tried to keep from laughing.

  “No, he did not.”

  “No wonder you wanted a kiss as payment.”

  “Well if I must be laughed at by you and my servants, I shall need to receive some kind of recompense.”

  Darcy settled himself on the coat and waited while Elizabeth read.

  Elizabeth opened Georgiana’s letter and started to read. She knew at once this girl was shy by nature and exceedingly humble about her own accomplishments. She was happy to accept Elizabeth’s offer of friendship. Georgiana expressed her congratulations on the courtship of Elizabeth and her brother. As for Miss Bingley, she did not think Elizabeth evil. Her only wish was that she could have been at Netherfield to have witnessed the incident first hand. The young lady closed by writing that she looked forward to coming to Hertfordshire for Christmas to meet Elizabeth. She was longing to meet all of the people in Meryton of whom her brother had written.

  “She is a very sweet girl.” Elizabeth smiled indulgently when she had finished the letter.

  “Yes, she is.” Darcy smiled with pride. He resettled himself by laying his head on Elizabeth’s lap, “She is like me so what other word could you use to describe her.”

  “Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth laughed, “You were supposed to stay over on your side. Besides, I have many well-chosen words I could use for you. Sweet is not one of them.”

  He laughed and smiled up at her with those dimples she loved so much. “You have me at your mercy. Whatever shall you do with me?” He asked with a wolfish grin.

  “This.” She leaned down until her lips were almost touching his and she shoved him off her lap. With a quick movement, she jumped up and ran along the hillside.

  He caught up with her swiftly and growled, “You are taking great enjoyment in playing with me today. How am I going to punish you?”

  He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. She laughed, giggled and struggled to get down. He set her down on his outer coat. Before she could protest, he had pinned her with his body. He gloried at the feel of her body beneath his and ran a hand gently over the curve of her hips to the softness of her breast. He felt her intake of breath as her anticipation built. He placed the gentlest of kisses along her throat and collarbone. Her breathing grew heavier and he felt her fingers tugging the shirt from his trousers. He groaned with excitement as her hands explored the warmth of his abdomen. He trembled as he unbuttoned his coat, waistcoat and untied his cravat to allow her greater access to his body.

  With wild abandon, she explored the hard muscles of his chest. She kissed his neck and shoulders as a shudder of longing raced down his body. With a moan of arousal, he pulled her face to his and claimed her lips. His tongue invaded her mouth with a passion she returned in full as she arched her body to meet his.

  He pulled back from her as he realized he was on the verge of losing control of his actions. He felt bereft at the loss of her warmth and pulled her to a sitting position.

  He searched Elizabeth’s face for her reaction and saw her grimace slightly as she noticed his state of undress. With soft hands she began to button his waistcoat until he stopped her hands with his, “I will do that.” She glanced up into his eyes, “I cannot have you touching me at this moment otherwise I might lose control of myself completely.”

  “Oh.” She lowered her eyes in embarrassment.

  He tilted her face to look at him, “You have done nothing wrong. You are everything I want in a woman.” He shrugged his shoulders, “I had to stop you from touching me because if we were to continue as we started, we would find ourselves married at the end of a shotgun.” He grinned, “Now I would not mind as long as we were to be married. However, I am aware of how much you would hate being forced into anything.”

  “I would say you are entirely correct in your assessment.” She smiled as she looked up into his eyes.

  Once he had made himself presentable, “I must walk you home, it is getting late.”

  “Are you coming with Mr. Bingley when he calls later today?”

  “You know I would not miss an opportunity to see you.”

  “Mr. Collins will be there.”

  “I think I can manage not to strangle him as long as he does not talk to me.”

  “I believe I can guarantee Mr. Collins will speak incessantly about nothing important.”

  He pulled her to him and gave her a gentle kiss before releasing her. “I guess I shall just have to take my chances.”

  “If you have a return letter for Georgiana by the time we arrive, I will take it with mine to post.”

  On the walk back to Longbourn, Elizabeth suddenly asked, “What happened between you and Mr. Wickham?”

  His voice was hard, “I told you before that I will not speak to you about this matter.”

  “I cannot believe you will not trust me with this.” Her voice cracked with the emotional pain, “If you will not tell
me, I shall find someone who will.” She lifted her dress and ran away from him as fast as she could. Darcy was left standing, routed to the spot, watching her until she reached Longbourn.

  “It is not that I do not trust you.” He informed the wind.

  When Elizabeth arrived home, she found a few of the militia officers had arrived including Mr. Wickham and devised a plan.

  “How do you know Mr. Darcy?” She asked Wickham as she strolled in the garden of Longbourn with the office. “I thought I noticed some tension between the two of you when you met the other day.”

  “I was certain you observed our animosity.” Wickham replied with a smile.

  Elizabeth walked with Wickham and listened to his tale of woe. The officer spoke of how Mr. Darcy had denied him a living and left him in his current state of poverty.

  She had her next question ready when he finished his story, “What is your impression of Miss Darcy?”

  “She has developed into a proud and disagreeable girl. She is very much like her brother, I am sorry to say.” Mr. Wickham answered with just a hint of regret in his voice that always made him sound more believable.

  “It is truly odd that you should say that,” Elizabeth murmured, “for I was told she was shy and sweet.”

  Before Wickham had a chance to reply, there was a voice behind them, “Miss Bennet, your sister indicated I would find you in the garden.” She could hear the coldness in his voice. When Elizabeth turned, Darcy’s eyes were an unreadable mask.

  “Miss Elizabeth, I must depart at once.” Wickham bent to kiss her gloved hand, but she subtly moved away from his lips. Wickham showed no reaction as he made his escape without a backward glance.

  There was murderous jealousy in Darcy’s eyes as he watched Wickham’s retreating back. “What do you think you were doing?”

  “I was trying to get answers to my questions since you do not trust me enough to tell the truth.” Elizabeth’s anger was no less than Darcy’s.

  His anger evaporated, and his shoulders sagged as he asked in a ragged whisper, “You believed him?”

  For just an instant, as a result of the anger she was feeling. Elizabeth wanted to shout ‘Yes’ but instead she put a hand on his arm, “Of course not, I trust you.”

  “I trust you too, but I cannot tell you what happened, please understand.” He pleaded, “I cannot speak about my family’s business. I cannot tell you now, not yet.”

  “You shall tell me one day.”

  “I promise.”

  “You know I will never stop asking questions until you do?”

  “I will count on it.”

  “Alright”

  “What did Wickham tell you?” He asked quietly.

  They heard an annoying voice before Elizabeth could answer, “Cousin Elizabeth... Cousin Elizabeth...”

  “Yes Mr. Collins.”

  “Mr. Bingley has brought an invitation to the ball at Netherfield. I have come to ask you for the first two dances.”

  “Fine, Mr. Collins.” Elizabeth agreed between gritted teeth. “Let us walk back to the house.”

  As Mr. Collins turned and walked back, Elizabeth and Darcy hung back a little bit.

  “Damn that man is fast.” Darcy complained, “I was going to ask you for the first dances.”

  “You know you could not do so even had Mr. Collins not asked first.” Elizabeth whispered, “If you had taken such action, you may as well just have announced our engagement at the same time. You know I speak the truth as the neighbourhood and my mother would have started planning our wedding in an instant.”

  “I would be willing to marry you tomorrow.” Darcy countered but conceded before Elizabeth could reply, “May I at least have the second set.”

  “Yes, you may.” With a naughty smile, she ran into the house and left Darcy grinning with satisfaction.

  Chapter 9

  The morning of the Netherfield ball was a bleak and rainy day. Darcy was restless as he roamed the library. He had not been able to see Elizabeth on their usual early morning walk and was not pleased to have been denied that opportunity. He was also dreading the ball because it meant a house full of people he could not converse with easily. He sighed and closed his eyes in silent thought. At least Elizabeth will be here. Just thinking about her lifted his spirits. She had become so much a part of him that it was hard to remember the time when he had wanted to distance himself from her.

  Elizabeth could not concentrate on her needlework, and her eyes kept going to the window. The rain was dreary, and she had not been able to get Darcy out of her thoughts all day. It was amazing to think less than a month ago she had thought of him as proud and disagreeable. Now she knew he was loving, playful, intelligent and the best of all men.

  That evening, when the Bennet family arrived at Netherfield, Darcy was watching for Elizabeth from the window. His heart soared when she looked up, spotted him and smiled.

  Once inside, the Bennets made their way to give their regards to the Bingleys. Caroline greeted Mr. and Mrs. Bennet then Jane. Her face was filled with contempt as she saw Elizabeth. “Miss Eliza Bennet, how quaint you look in all of your finery.”

  “Miss Bingley, you are charming as usual.” Elizabeth’s sarcasm was not lost on the older woman, and Caroline Bingley’s face was flushed with rage.

  “May I escort you ladies?” Mr. Bingley asked Jane and Elizabeth. They each accepted the arm that Mr. Bingley proffered.

  Darcy saw her as soon as she walked into the room. She is so beautiful. He could not drag his eyes away from her.

  Elizabeth’s glance found Darcy immediately upon entering the room and smiled. He returned the smile with a fleeting one of his own.

  She saw Charlotte and made her way over to see her friend. With a quick embrace, Elizabeth greeted the older woman, “Charlotte.”

  “Lizzy, I hope you have been well.”

  Elizabeth rolled her eyes as she caught sight of Mr. Collins coming towards the two ladies, “You have not met Mr. Collins have you?”

  “No, why do you ask?”

  “He is headed this way, and I am afraid we have no avenue of escape.” Elizabeth managed a painful smile as she introduced Mr. Collins to Charlotte.

  “Do not forget, Cousin Elizabeth, the first two dances are mine.” The silly look on his face was enough to make Elizabeth wince at the thought of dancing with this boorish man.

  When Mr. Collins had disappeared from her sight, Elizabeth sought the reassuring vision of Mr. Darcy. He is staring at me with that look in his eyes. The same expression I always thought was one of contempt. I know better now because I recognize that emotion. He is staring at me with passion. Elizabeth felt his desire as it resonated to the very depths of her core. The feelings he evoked in her sent a tingling all throughout her body. How could I have been so wrong about his feelings in the early days of their acquaintance? This man I hated has changed me every bit as much as he has been changed.

  “Lizzy, did you hear me?” Charlotte asked a little loudly.

  “What, I am sorry.”

  “I said Mr. Darcy is looking at you again.” Charlotte eyed her friend with discerning stare. “However, you seem to studying Mr. Darcy, as well. Do you care to explain this change in circumstances to me?”

  For once the timely appearance of Mr. Collins interrupted Charlotte’s interrogation, “Cousin Elizabeth, the dancing is beginning.”

  “Yes, Mr. Collins.” Elizabeth shot a glance back at Charlotte that left no doubt of her disdain for the man.

  Darcy hated to see Collins lead Elizabeth out onto the dance floor. She is mine. She is supposed to be with me. He knew logically she did not want to dance with the other man. However, he could not quite control his jealousy. He did not take his eyes off Elizabeth while she danced. Not only was the imbecile of a man dancing with his Elizabeth. He was also embarrassing her by being such a buffoon. By the time the first dances were over, Darcy was scowling and looked positively miserable.

  Elizabeth saw the mask fall in
to place, and Darcy’s displeasure was evident to her. There has to be a way I can help him to overcome his shyness when it comes to groups of unknown people. Suddenly a thought came to her, and she caught his eye, smiled and arched her eyebrow at him.

  He approached her when it was time for their dances. He was thrilled and exhilarated at finally being able to dance with Elizabeth. He caught her hand and led her to the dance floor to take their places.

  “Mr. Darcy,” Elizabeth greeted him as they came together for the first of the passes, “Would you like a belly rub?” Her smiled bedevilled him as he caught her meaning.

  “What?” He choked out before they were again split by the pass of the dance.

  “If you can somehow manage to get through tonight,” They separated briefly, “as the charming man I know you can be…”

  “Yes.” He breathed the word in her ear, hardly believing she was speaking to him in this manner in a public forum.

  “We can start with the belly and work our way to more interesting places.” With a suggestive arch of her eyebrow, she teasingly glanced upward toward his chest and shoulders.

  “You have a deal.” He brushed by her on the next pass with a shiver of pleasure at the contact.

  “I thought you would see things my way.” Elizabeth’s sly smile brought a laugh from Darcy. His face showed the dimples that so enthralled her imagination.

  After Elizabeth had relaxed Darcy, they conversed easily. They spoke of subjects ranging from his sister and Pemberley to books and concerts.

  Their dances ended too quickly, and Elizabeth was claimed by her next partner. Darcy found himself once again watching her as she danced with another man. With a sigh, he made an extreme effort to leave the people of Hertfordshire with a good impression of his manner and charm.

  Darcy acceded to a dance with Miss Bingley as a matter of propriety. He found it was a pleasure to dance with Miss Jane Bennet who was a naturally gentle lady and a good match for Bingley. While Darcy was dancing with Charlotte Lucas, she explained Lizzy was dancing a set with her brother Robert who had just returned home from university.