Page 4 of You Willfully Misunderstand Me

"It did," Mr. Darcy answered. "The language, the customs, even the manner in which people carried themselves were different, and noticed by me, even though I was only in my eighth year.”

Elizabeth smiled, trying to imagine the proud and reserved Mr. Darcy as a young boy traveling by sea for the first time with his father.

"And did you enjoy it?" she asked, with a raised eyebrow.

He loved how she wore that expression. It was one he had come to know quite often, her inquisitive nature unable to help itself by asking more than he let on.

"At the time, I believed I did not," he admitted. "I was young, and I found many things unfamiliar. I realize now that I preferred what I knew and was impatient with what I did not understand."

Elizabeth looked at him with quiet amusement. "A surprising confession from you, Mr. Darcy."

"Is it? he asked genuinely, and she smiled teasingly in return, a glint present in her eyes. He knew she was teasing, as was her like. Thus, he continued, a little more seriously, “I have since learned that unfamiliar does not mean inferior. Often, the things we are quickest to judge are those we have taken the least time to understand."

The words lingered between them, and Elizabeth wondered whether he spoke only of travel, or whether he referred to lessons learned in matters closer to home.

Mr. Darcy knew he had offered Elizabeth a double sided response, and he hoped she had understood his meaning. He had tried to tell her that he had judged her unfairly, and he would not make the same mistake again.

Whether she understood his meaning, he could not tell, as Elizabeth offered a small smile but did not press him further. The conversation had reached a natural pause, and neither seemed inclined to disturb it. As the vessel continued across the water, they turned their attention toward the sea beyond them.

CHAPTER 3

After some time, Elizabeth turned her attention away from the window. The sea had changed since their departure, the earlier uncertainty of the crossing giving way to a calmer rhythm. The sky, though still overcast, held a brightness that suggested the weather might improve.

"It seems we have been fortunate," she remarked. "I had expected the crossing to be considerably more unpleasant."

Mr. Darcy glanced toward the window. "Indeed. The sea is often less predictable than one hopes. We are fortunate that the weather has been so agreeable."

Elizabeth smiled slightly. "I suppose the Isle of Man would be a rather disappointing destination if one could not even arrive there comfortably."

His attention returned to her, "May I ask what brings you to the island?"

The question was asked with genuine curiosity, and she was not surprised by it.

"To visit your cousin, Miss Anne de Bourgh," she replied. "Miss de Bourgh wrote to me some weeks ago and invited meto stay with her. I assumed that was also the reason for your journey."

For the briefest moment, Mr. Darcy's composure faltered. His eyes widened slightly, and lips pursed together in a stern grimace; it was the look of genuine surprise, and it crossed his features before he could conceal it. It was a rare display of emotion from a man so practiced in restraint, and Elizabeth immediately recognized that her words had revealed something entirely unexpected.

"Anne? My cousin wrote to you? From the aisle of Man?" he repeated, astonished.

"Yes," Elizabeth said, now uncertain. "She mentioned that she and Lady Catherine were residing on the island for a time. I thought perhaps you were traveling there to join them."

Mr. Darcy looked toward the sea, as though attempting to reconcile the information. "Anne is on the Isle of Man?" he asked more to himself than her, sounding entirely unconvinced.

It is ridiculous; there is no possible way my cousin and aunt are on the island. What on earth is she talking of, he said to himself.

Darcy was silent for some time, and Elizabeth studied him carefully. Finally she said, "Your cousin wrote to me about her residency with Lady Catherine."

The surprise in his voice was unmistakable. "I confess, Miss Bennet, I was not aware of this."

Elizabeth blinked, returning her own astonishment. "You were not?"

"No," he replied. "My journey to the island was for entirely different reasons. I had no knowledge that my cousin had taken up residence there."

The revelation left Elizabeth equally surprised. She had assumed that his presence aboard the vessel was connected to Anne, just as hers was. The possibility that their journeys had converged by mere coincidence seemed almost too unlikely.

"How odd," she said confused. "I had thought it was the explanation for your presence here."

"No indeed, I travel to view a property passed down to me," Mr. Darcy replied, distracted.