Page 10 of Timing Is Everything

“I will try to remember that for the future,” Darcy replied, dryly.

When they reached the path that would lead to Oakham Mount, Darcy veered off, asking Bingley to go on to Netherfield without him. When he reached the top he found Elizabeth asleep on the ground. Not wanting to disturb her, he removed his overcoat then draped it over her as a blanket. He also removed his waistcoat, folded it, then placed it under her head as a pillow. Even if it had not already been soiled from her earlier tears, he would still have happily placed it in the dirt since it was a way to give her comfort. He would watch over her while she slept, imagining the future, when he would be free to watch her sleep every night if he so desired.

As Elizabeth slowly woke from her nap atop Oakham Mount, her disorientation quickly gave way to mortification.

She could hardly believe Mr. Darcy was sitting close by, missing both his overcoat and his waistcoat. She was embarrassed to realize his state of undress was to provide for her comfort. It also did not take long for her to realize that he was staring at her. When her eyes reached his, she could not look away.

Darcy’s hand was just starting to stretch towards Elizabeth’s face, planning to wipe away the evidence of her tears, when they were interrupted by the timely intervention of a magpie. The intrepid bird had been chattering in the area for some time. It did not disturb our couple until it decided that a strand of Elizabeth’s hair would make a perfect addition to its nest. A lot of flapping and arm swinging then ensued. After the bird had been driven away, Elizabeth wondered how she came to find herself folded within Mr. Darcy’s embrace twice in one day.

That night, as Sally was helping her prepare for bed, Elizabeth asked her how she had come to Mr. Darcy’s notice. She was intrigued when her maid had a slight blush.

“It was because of Parker,” she admitted.

“Parker?” Elizabeth asked.

“Mr. Darcy’s valet,” Sally clarified. “We got to know each other last year when they visited Lady Catherine. We got to know each other even better this year.”

“So, you wanted to leave Rosings Park? You’re not missing your home?”

“Oh, no, miss!” Sally exclaimed. “My father was a sailor and always came home with the most fantastic tales of faraway places. I’ve always wanted to travel and see some of the places he described, but knew that was never going to happen. Now that my mum’s gone, I don’t have anything tying me to Kent. I would much rather be wherever Parker is at.”

“So, Mr. Darcy gave you the position of my maid to please his valet?” As Elizabeth digested this thought, she tried to decide just how she felt about that.

“Well, he hired me as your maid until you get married. Then he said it would be up to you as to whether or not I stayed your maid or took a different position in the household. Either way, I would be near Parker.”

“That is very generous of him,” Elizabeth murmured.

“He is the best master,” Sally happily agreed.

Chapter 6

Elizabeth did not join her family at church the next day. Someone needed to stay with their father, and she had not yet had an opportunity to say a quiet goodbye. If timing had been different, her father would have been laid to rest this day. Instead, the family would wait one more day, so as not to have the burial on the Sabbath.

Initially, she had reached for her father’s hand, hoping to hold it as she spoke. The icy coldness shocked her, and she quickly dropped it, then felt guilty for doing so. Steeling herself, she carefully arranged his hand back to the position it had been in when she entered the room.

“Oh, Papa, I don’t know what to do,” she finally whispered, as she took the seat next to his coffin. In whispered words, her torment poured out. After expressing her turmoil regarding Mr. Darcy, and her frustration that it did not appear she would be given a choice as to whether or not she would marry him, she calmed. “I miss you so much, dear Papa.”

Darcy had decided to attend Sunday services with the Bennet family. He arrived at the church early, in order to be there to greet Elizabeth. When the Bennet family arrived, sans Elizabeth, he questioned Mr. Gardiner. When he learned that Elizabeth had decided to stay at Longbourn, he reverently exited the church and made his way to the Bennet home. Remembering his desolation at the loss of his father, he did not want to leave Elizabeth alone.

He found Elizabeth sitting in a chair next to her father. Her tears were fresh, and it was clear she had not bothered wiping them away. Taking out a handkerchief, Darcy approached the woman that he loved. Distracted with her thoughts, Elizabeth did not notice him until he had knelt in front of her in order to wipe away her tears. Embarrassed, Elizabeth took the handkerchief from him.

It was only after grasping it that she realized she had now taken a third handkerchief with the same initials in the corner. Thoughts of those initials, and the name that they represented, took her mind back to the letter that Mr. Darcy had written her uncle. She did not remember just how many times she had read the letter while sitting there in the study, but each reading had ended with his signature: Fitzwilliam Darcy. Unfortunately, by recalling the letter she was reminded that she was not being given the courtesy of an opinion in her marriage. As fresh tears began to spill, Darcy silently brought her into his embrace, holding her while she cried.

When her tears had again subsided, Elizabeth pulled away. As she had been sitting while he knelt beside her, this time her tears had made a mess of his cravat. When she lifted the handkerchief to try and wipe away her tears, Darcy caught her hand in his.

“That is not necessary,” he softly told her.

“But I am ruining all of your clothes,” Elizabeth protested.

“I am sure they can be cleaned,” Darcy responded. “And if not, it is inconsequential.”

Elizabeth pulled back further, preparing to object to his disregard for his own wardrobe, when she noticed a black ribbon tied to his upper arm. Hesitantly, she brought her hand to the ribbon, running her fingers through the ends. With watery eyes, she rested her hand on his arm and looked back to Darcy’s face.

“You would wear this for my father?”

“I would wear it for you.”

With one hand, Darcy reached up, using his thumb to wipe away the newly fallen tears. Instead of retrieving his hand, he cupped the side of Elizabeth’s face. When Elizabeth let her head rest in the palm of his hand, he could feel his heartbeat accelerate. It was only then that he questioned his sanity in not calling for a chaperone when he first realized that Elizabeth was by herself.