The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy

by Sara Angelini

  “Mmmmm, delicious,” Elizabeth said. She offered a bite to Darcy, who agreed that it was delicious. “You’ve never roasted them before?” she said, amazed.

  Georgiana shook her head.

  Elizabeth continued. “When I was little, we went camping for at least a week every year. With five kids, my parents couldn’t afford to take us on big vacations but we always could go camping. We’d ride our bikes around and go fishing and walk in the creeks. And we’d always roast wieners on sticks.”

  Fletcher nodded. “So did we,” he said. “What’s the purpose of building a campfire if you’re not going to roast things in it?” He tossed a bag of marshmallows to Darcy.

  Darcy roasted marshmallows in the fire, pulling the little flaming blobs over to Elizabeth, who watched until they were burnt to perfect crispy blackness and then blew them out with a puff of breath. She pulled them from the stick and handed them to Darcy.

  She tipped her head back and dropped one of the crispy, blackened marshmallows into her mouth with unaffected delight. She was completely unconscious of the picture of sensuality she presented as she sucked the sticky goo off her fingers.

  You have really got to stop thinking about sex, Darcy told himself as he tried to dampen the little flame of desire that was lighting in his belly.

  Georgiana watched them closely. Darcy seemed barely able to keep a smile off his face. Even when he wasn’t really doing or saying anything, he seemed to have a private smile, as if he were thinking about something pleasant. She watched as Darcy sat on the ground and pulled Elizabeth to sit between his legs before the campfire. Elizabeth talked animatedly to Fletcher, twitching her head for emphasis when she spoke. Her ponytail swung and flicked Darcy in the face; he repeatedly brushed her hair from his face and finally pulled the band from her hair and spread it out over her shoulders. Georgiana saw him put his nose in Elizabeth’s hair and sniff then rest his chin on her shoulder in contentment.

  After dark, both couples retreated to their tents. Georgiana sat up playing cards with Fletcher. They talked about their friends and tried to ignore the sounds coming from the tent next to theirs. They heard Elizabeth exclaim “Ow!” followed by Darcy’s laughing “Shush!” There was an “Oh,” from Darcy and a giggle from Elizabeth. There were lots of sounds of sleeping bags being zipped and unzipped, and a curse from Elizabeth followed by Darcy’s laugh. Then there was a long period of silence, punctuated by an occasional sigh or grunt, and finally, a soft, gasped “Lizzy!” from Darcy.

  Georgiana threw her cards down in disgust and Fletcher laughed silently.

  “Come here, sweetie, you’re just jealous,” Fletcher whispered, pulling her to him. She smiled reluctantly and soon her mind was distracted from Darcy’s love life and more pleasantly engaged on her own.

  Darcy lay behind Elizabeth, his knees tucked snugly into hers, one arm draped over her waist and the other folded under his head. He breathed in deeply, smelling the damp earth and pine needles. He smiled. Here he was, naked, in the woods, the alpha male having just taken his mate; he felt primal. And yet that primal feeling was tinged with a savage tenderness. His chest swelled a little and before knew what he was doing, he was crooning into her ear.

  He stroked her arm with his finger and traced the outline of her ear with his nose before continuing.

  He rose to his elbow, gently rolled her to her back and tipped her chin up to look at him.

  Although his initial intent had been to sing her to sleep, his soft melodic voice whispered into her ear, for her ears only, had quite the opposite effect.

  ***

  “Will, I’m going to suggest that the tents be moved a little further apart,” Georgiana said delicately the next morning as Darcy helped her prepare breakfast. He looked up at her, and she gave him a meaningful look. He blushed deeply and mumbled an apology but nodded. Later, he claimed to have slept badly on a rock and he and Elizabeth moved their tent further away.

  After breakfast, they took a hike. Elizabeth and Fletcher seemed to be getting on famously, to Georgiana’s approval. They seemed to have quite a bit in common; Georgiana idly wondered if she and Darcy had a propensity toward a certain type of personality. They crested a hill and looked down over a valley. Elizabeth put her arms around Darcy’s waist and gave him noisy, rapid-fire kisses on his neck. He smiled and hugged her tightly.

  She broke away from him and said “Last one down is a pasty-faced limey!” She and Fletcher began a breathless, laughing run down the slope. They turned somersaults at the bottom. Georgiana and Darcy took a slower approach.

  “You love her, don’t you?” Georgiana said. Darcy nodded and looked at her.

  “Yes. I do.” He laughed and looked around. “I do. I love her.” He seemed to enjoy just saying it. “I want to spend the rest of my life with her, I want to marry her, have kids with her, grow old with her. All the clichés.” He smiled at Georgiana. “You don’t approve?” he asked nonchalantly.

  “I’m not sure. I want to know her better. She put you through hell and I don’t want it to happen again,” she said. They walked slowly down the hill.

  “I’m not innocent, Georgie, we put each other through hell,” he corrected her. “It’s a risk I’m willing to take. I can’t let her go again. I’d rather die,” he said simply. “I believe she loves me but I wouldn’t care if she didn’t, as long as she could be content living with me. I’m not happy without her.”

  Georgiana nodded. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand.

  “When will you ask her?” she asked. He shrugged.

  “I have no plan. We have things to work out. The work situation, living arrangements. I don’t want to rush her. I’m content for now.”

  Elizabeth and Fletcher were lying on their backs in the grass, basking in the sun, talking and pointing out cloud formations in the sky.

  “Well, if it isn’t the pasty-faced limeys,” Fletcher said, sitting up.

  “Not me, just him,” Georgiana said, hitching her thumb at Darcy behind her. “He’s the last one down and he’s the pastiest and the limiest.”

  They spread out a blanket and Fletcher pulled out some snacks for lunch. Darcy and Elizabeth strolled about the meadow, picking flowers. He stuck some in her hair and she smiled. He pulled the band from her hair, releasing it from its loose knot at the base of her neck. She stood obediently as he put more flowers in her hair.

  “When did you fall in love with me?” she asked quietly. He smiled ruefully.

  “I can’t fix the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words that laid the foundation. It’s too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew I had begun.” He paused and tucked a daisy behind her ear. “But I remember exactly when I discovered I was in love with you,” he continued. “It was the day we picked wildflowers. I put them in your hair and you sat up and brushed the stems off your blouse. I knew at that exact moment that I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you,” he mused. She smiled at him and turned her face up for a kiss. He gave her a gentle kiss on the lips and squeezed her fingers in his.

  “We are going to have to tell Mr. Gardiner and everyone else soon,” she said. “That run-in with Charlotte was nerve-wracking, and I want to get it out in the open.” Darcy nodded.

  “I’m ready when you are,” he replied.

  Unbeknownst to Darcy and Elizabeth, Georgiana was watching them like a hawk. Fletcher did not fail to notice. As they walked back to camp, he pulled her a discreet distance behind Elizabeth and Darcy.

  “What is it with you?” he said quietly to her. Georgiana looked at Fletcher in confusion. “You haven’t taken your eyes off them all day,” he smiled. “I’m feeling a little ignored.”

  She shrugged. “I’m just looking out for him,” she replied somewhat crossly.

  Fletcher put his arm around Georgiana’s shoulders.

  “Look at them,” he said softly. “I mean, really look at them. Stop trying to find fault with her, and look at how happy he is.”

  As he sai
d this, they watched Darcy give Elizabeth a piggy-back ride. Then Elizabeth attempted to give him one, taking one staggering step beneath his weight before they tumbled into a giggling heap in the grass. Georgiana smiled despite herself.

  “She does make him laugh,” she conceded.

  “Be fair, Georgie. He loves her. You have to support that, or he’ll never be truly happy.”

  Georgiana nodded and looked down. Then she looked up at Fletcher and smiled brightly.

  “At least he’s too preoccupied with her to see how unsuitable you are for me,” she teased, and gave him a quick peck on the lips. He laughed at her, and they caught up to Darcy and Elizabeth.

  After dinner, Fletcher, Georgiana, and Darcy all pulled out guitars and began to strum. Elizabeth watched with some envy, wishing she had learned to play, as they picked out aimless tunes and snippets of songs. Elizabeth sat next to Darcy and began to hum; he picked up on the melody, and soon they were playing the Dixie Chicks’ version of ‘Landslide.’ Elizabeth sang in her soft voice with Georgiana and Fletcher singing backup. For the first time, Georgiana and Elizabeth felt a connection through this expression. They smiled at each other and seemed to come to a truce.

  They spent Sunday fishing at the river and crossing streams. Darcy caught several fish, much to the consternation of the others.

  “My worm keeps falling off,” Elizabeth wailed in frustration. Fletcher and Darcy both tried to show her how to secure it on the hook properly but she kept getting grossed out. In the end, Darcy loaded her hook for her each time. Which was quite a few times, considering that she kept losing her bait. She sighed at him.

  “Are you good at everything?” she asked him, annoyed. He laughed.

  “Certainly not. I can’t speak in public, I can’t dance, I’m a terrible cook.” He thought for a minute. “I have a hard time controlling the weather,” he grinned at her. “But I can bait a hook. You might even say I’m a master at it.” He glanced at her with a smirk on his face; she tried unsuccessfully to suppress her giggle at his uncharacteristic saucy joke.

  Elizabeth gave up on fishing and waded in the water instead. Despite being early October, the weather was hot. Fletcher joined her and together they hopped river stones to the other side. On the other side of the bank they walked to a waterfall and then, daring each other, dashed under it and emerged wet and shivering but laughing.

  Darcy caught enough fish for dinner and Georgiana scaled and gutted them with few exclamations of disgust. They ate crispy fried fish while Fletcher and Elizabeth dried their clothes and hair by the fire. Darcy took off his own sweatshirt and pulled it over Elizabeth when she shivered next to him. She accepted it gratefully, enjoying both the warmth and smell of him that it gave her.

  “Lord, when did I get so old?” Darcy groaned as he sat on a stump before the fire. His back was sore from their day of fishing and hiking and he was ready for bed at only 9 o’clock.

  “Poor old Judge Darcy,” Elizabeth said, standing behind him. She began to massage his shoulders. “Did you have your strained peas today?” she teased him.

  He smiled and closed his eyes and let Elizabeth work the knots out of his shoulders.

  “That feels very nice,” he said.

  “Lou taught me,” she answered.

  “Then I supposed he is good for something,” he said under his breath. He had not forgotten Lou’s refusal to disclose Elizabeth’s whereabouts in San Diego.

  “I heard that,” she replied.

  Darcy was ashamed of it but he was jealous of Lou. Lou had grown up with Elizabeth, was her confidante and best friend. He wanted to be those things to her. When she had broken up with Darcy, Elizabeth had sought solace with Lou. He suspected that Lou knew an awful lot about him; it made him uncomfortable.

  Elizabeth had picked up on this undercurrent of jealousy and knew that Lou had his own reservations about Darcy. She wondered if they could be reconciled; she did not want to be forced to choose between the two most important men in her life.

  She sighed, and put her arms around his neck.

  “He’s my friend but you’re my lover,” she whispered in his ear. “Just so we know what you’re good for.”

  He could not repress his smile at that.

  ***

  By the time they drove back on Monday morning, Georgiana was satisfied that Elizabeth loved Darcy; she gave her private blessing on the relationship and relinquished her brother to the woman he loved.

  Chapter 29

  With the San Diego office set up and her return imminent, Elizabeth and Darcy asked for a meeting with Mr. Gardiner. He greeted them warmly in his office and they told him that they would be continuing their relationship. He smiled warmly and hugged both of them.

  Both were relieved to have this conflict over. Announcing their relationship after returning from Pemberley would have been impossible; their vacation together would call into question whether Darcy had been impartial in the weeks leading up to that vacation, thereby putting into question all of her prior trials before him. Both were confident that he had remained impartial, but the appearance of impropriety was overwhelming. By removing herself for several months, they were able to assert that their relationship had started during her absence; any question of her prior trials was therefore less likely. While the deception itself was distasteful to Darcy, there was nothing else to be done. Therefore, the only issue was how to handle her return and her future appearances.

  “We need to meet with the Presiding Judge and ask his advice,” Mr. Gardiner said. They all went downstairs to Darcy’s chambers, where he called Oliver Boyd; Judge Boyd was available and invited them to his office for the meeting.

  “Oliver, Miss Bennet and I have developed a relationship since her transfer to San Diego. She will be returning soon and we would like to know what to do with the scheduling of her appearances,” Darcy said in a business-like manner. Mr. Gardiner and Darcy sat on either side of Elizabeth. Oliver looked speculatively at Darcy and Elizabeth for a moment.

  “It’s serious?” he asked. Elizabeth, Darcy, and Mr. Gardiner all nodded. Oliver sighed.

  “Then you cannot have any trials before Will,” he said to Elizabeth.

  She nodded. “Yes, I understand that.”

  “We are concerned whether she can have any type of hearing before Judge Darcy and whether this affects the entire firm,” Mr. Gardiner said. Oliver thought for a moment.

  “Well, my inclination is to bar her only from trials where Will would be deciding the outcome. I’m sure you would decide them fairly regardless of your relationship with Elizabeth but you can see that there would be at least the appearance of conflict,” Oliver said, stroking his chin. Both Darcy and Elizabeth nodded.

  “You wouldn’t be deciding any material issues in settlement and case management conferences, so my inclination would be that Elizabeth could continue to appear at those hearings without any conflict.” They both nodded again. “I leave it to you whether you feel you need to disclose the relationship when it’s not Elizabeth appearing before Will. I don’t see a conflict in that situation but, again, I leave it to you, Milton,” Oliver said to Mr. Gardiner.

  “I would of course wish you to respect our privacy and not disclose our relationship unless absolutely necessary,” Darcy interjected. Both Oliver and Mr. Gardiner nodded.

  “Then I think it need only be disclosed to Judge Clayton at this time so that she understands the situation and doesn’t transfer any of Elizabeth’s trials to you.”

  “What about situations where my opposing counsel objects to Judge Clayton?” Elizabeth asked. “Will I have to remove myself from the case completely? If I’ve worked up the case, I can’t in good conscience turn it over to another attorney for the trial,” she said. Everyone nodded.

  “If that arises, I suggest we disclose the conflict to opposing side. If they still object to Judge Clayton, I propose that we assign another attorney with Elizabeth overseeing the case but not actually trying it. That way the case wouldn�
��t be jeopardized by a new attorney subbing in and we’d have the conflict aspect removed as much as possible. Of course you would need to get waivers from your clients,” Oliver said. Everyone nodded in agreement. “Well, shall we call Frances in?” he said, picking up the phone.

  Judge Frances Clayton came into Oliver’s office and was surprised to see Darcy, Elizabeth, and Mr. Gardiner there. The situation was quickly explained to her. She looked from Elizabeth to Darcy and back again. Great, she thought. I’m going to be appealed from now to Tuesday on every one of her trials.

  ***

  “What do you mean, no?” he asked, confounded.

  “I don’t feel comfortable with that just yet,” she answered. Darcy looked at her across the bed. She sat curled in her robe on the bed.

  “You stay here every night as it is,” he protested.

  “I know but I still have the option of going home if I want to,” she replied. He sighed in disappointment. She wouldn’t move in with him.

  “Are you so intent on dumping me?” he asked. “Do you really need a back-up plan?”

  She laughed. “No but I suspect you may want to throw me out at some point. Like now.”

  He smiled at her and patted her thigh in a paternal manner.

  “Very well, continue to sleep, eat, and do your laundry here. Pick up your mail somewhere else and pretend you don’t live here, if it brings you comfort,” he said.

  She laughed at him.

  “Don’t be such a sourpuss on our anniversary,” she said. He raised an eyebrow at her. Anniversary?

  She sighed. “Men are all alike. Exactly one year ago, Speed Racer picked up Azreal and took her for a wild spin in a Ferrari.”

  He laughed. “And they have careened out of control ever since!”

  “I thought we should celebrate our milestone,” she said with a mischievous look. He raised his other eyebrow. She undid her robe; beneath she wore a black leather teddy, garters, and black fishnet stockings. She gave him a sultry look and ran her riding crop down his leg where did that come from?