All Hallow's Eve (19 page)

She stopped short and turned around.
“
Yes, Mr. Darcy, what is it?
”
Elizabeth’s breath caught when she saw the emotion in his eyes.
Papa was right.

“
Will you please forgive my unacceptable
behaviour
earlier this morning?
I must extend my most profound apologies
.
”

“
I am sorry,
Mr. Darcy,
but
I do not know
to what you refer
.
”

He stood staring at her for a few moments.
“
I do not have the pleasure of
u
nderstanding.
Do you wish
that I
itemize my
reprehensible
behaviour
?
”

“
No, I do not.
Nothing
out of the ordinary happened this morning, and therefore
,
there is nothing to apologize for.
”
She began
to
walk once again
.

William caught up to her
.
“
Are you saying that this has happened before?
If so, I
assure you that I
have no memory of it!
”

Elizabeth almost laughed, but instead she turned to him again and stated quite clearly,
“
Nothing happened, Mr. Darcy.
Do I make myself clear?
Nothing!
”

William was not quite sure he wanted to pretend
as if
nothing had happened between them, but it was better than having
Elizabeth
angry
with
him for
an extended period of time
.
At least dagger training will keep us closer to each other than that of the longsword
,
and perhaps
I will be able to see what she
is
think
ing
of me in those expressive eyes.

~%~

November
6, 1811

Willi
am had spent the entirety of the previous evening
internally scolding himself for not requesting the
honour
of
having
Elizabeth meet
him
by the gate
the following morning, as had become routine.
During his
ride
to
Longbourn
, William repeatedly proclaimed to himself that she would not be there.
I
t was
a soothing balm to his soul that
, when he arrived
,
he found
Elizabeth
waiting for him at the gate
—
and
it was
a surprise
indeed
when she
asked
that
he
follow her
in
to the house
.

“
My father wishes to speak to us both.
”

He
nodded
and
followed her
directly
t
o
Mr. Bennet’s study.
William was
still watching
Elizabeth
, amazed that she had gone
to
the trouble of waking up
this
early for him after his
behaviour
the previous morning
.
The hope that had
entered his heart
yesterday morning
took root once again
,
until he saw her face fall and concern enter her eyes.
He turned and looked at her father, and
saw what had caused her countenance to change so dramatically.
Mr. Bennet’s
serious
expression caused
him to fear
, as well
.

“
Close the door behind you,
Darcy
.
Please, sit down.
”
Once they were comfortably situat
ed
, Mr. Bennet spoke again.
“
I was informed
at
the town meeting last night...
”
He sighed.
“
I
t seems that on
your return
trip
from the meadow
Sunday morning
,
y
ou
were
seen walking
together
—
alone
.
G
ossip has begun.
Actually, if Mrs. Wright had not been on her way to
nurse
her
ill
mother
,
and had
she
not been
busy
tending to
her
for the past few days
, it
probably
would have begun on Sunday
, in the church yard
.
”

They sat in silence
until Mr. Bennet rose from his chair and
moved
around the desk, coming to
rest
up
on the edge
of it,
directly before his daughter.
Taking Elizabeth’s hand
s
in his own, he said,
“
Lizzy, w
e all know that you are meant to marry
this young man or he never would have been able to attend the
Sanun
.
I know
that
I had promised
you
that
you were free to choose
,
and
that
I would not
insist
that
you
marry him
until you
elected to do
so
, but this situation was not anticipated
—it makes that promise void
.
I
must
announce your engagement at Lucas Lodge this evening.
T
his morning
,
I will speak to the vicar and begin the process of having the banns read
, beginning
this coming Sunday.
You
will
marry in
six
weeks’ time.
”

“
But, Papa...
”

He shook his head;
his tone was
gentl
e, but it also brooked no opposition
,
“
There are no ‘buts,’ Elizabeth!
You know as well as I do that Mrs. Wright is quite imaginative—even brutal—in her assumptions
,
and
her greatest pleasure is
the
spread
ing of
gossip.
The story seems to have several versions already, and
each
one is worse than the
last
.
I will not have
our entire
family ruined
in the eyes of British society
.
Even
y
ou
know
what
must be
done
.
”

Elizabeth
stared at her father for a minute
,
and then her eyes moved down to the carpet.
She
nodded almost imperceptibly.

Look at her expression
!
It seems that the idea of marrying me
is
the same as
a death sentence to her.
This is happening too soon.
What can I do?
I
do
not
want her to
resent me
for the whole of our lives
together
!
William finally
was able to
swallow past the tightness in his throat
and find his voice
.
“
Sir
,
I was only...
”

Mr. Bennet held up his hand.
“
I know, Darcy, I know.
You were doing what you felt
was
necessary to carry out your duty
to protect her
.
I know.
Looking at the circumstances
as a member of
the
T
ribes, it is completely understandable—but once I change
d
my
point of
view and look
ed
at it
through the eyes of
British propriety,
I saw
a much different situation
.
”
He sighed
again
.
“
I think
that
having been
in the exclusive company of so many
Tribal
members
ha
s
affected
my
judgment.
I should not have allowed
you to go off on your own
in the first place
—
especially
not at a time
of day
that you would have been seen walking together
.
It is a complicated life that we lead, is it not?
But c
ertainly
you
do not object to marrying Elizabeth?
”

“
I do not
,
”
William
answered solemnly.
He
saw Eliza
beth flinch, and his heart sank
.
But
I
do not want Elizabeth to be
forced
to marry me!

“
Elizabeth
,
i
f you
had
heard
all that
I did last night
,
and
I am certain the gossip was toned down for my sake
,
you
would understand why I must do this
.
I will not soil myself by repeating the lies that
are circulating
.
Please do not
listen if someone brings it up—especially not you, Darcy
!
I
t will do no one any good i
f you go off demanding satisfaction from every
one in the
neighbour
hood!
”

William’s eyes widened.
It is bad enough that he expects I would challenge the entire
neighbour
hood to du
e
ls
to
defend
Elizabeth’s
honour
.
He saw Elizabeth’s hea
d jerk up to look at her father with steely determination in her eyes.

“
I have had
quite enough of this discussion, Papa
.
I will
do as you say and
marry Mr. Darcy
in
six
weeks
,
and
th
at
is
the
end to
the subject!
My mother can make any
arrangement
that she wishes—it makes no difference to me.
Come, Mr. Darcy, we will go to the
meadow now.
”

Mr. Bennet stood
quickly.
“
Oh, no, you will
not
, Lizzy
.
”

Elizabeth interrupted,
“
Papa, we still have
to
face
the
Olc
when they come
.
Nobody
has ever seen
us walking together this early in the morning
—
it
was only
later in the day
, was it not?
Honestly, w
hat more can they do if
someone
did
see us now
?
Shall I
marry him a week earlier?
”
She stood and
left
the room.