A Scandal at Hunsford Page 2

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  Dear Lady Catherine de Bourgh,

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  I write you, my most generous patroness, with a matter of some importance. I believe there is scandal afoot and it is fundamental that you know of it before it becomes a public embarrassment. I am sorry to say that the matter involves your nephew, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy…

  2

  Lady Catherine’s Suspicions

  It had been several days since Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy met in the wildflowers and the cool grass outside Rosings, and as many days since Charlotte questioned her about what transpired in her absence. It had been difficult for Lizzy to hide her dalliance with the gentleman from her dearest friend, but should she have informed Charlotte, she would have been bound by duty to inform her husband. Should Collins discover Elizabeth’s secret, all of Meryton would know it as well, and that was a shame she could not bear.

  It did not help Lizzy’s worries that Collins had been absent from Hunsford more often than he had been at his parsonage. Charlotte assured Lizzy that it was want to happen; he might have been ministering to the sick or preaching to his flock. Though it was most likely he was at Rosings Park with Lady Catherine de Bourgh, as she expected his presence daily, come rain or sunshine. The knowledge that Mr. Collins might be with the famously pitiless Lady Catherine did not calm Elizabeth at all. In fact, it only increased her concern tenfold.

  Evening arrived on Lizzy’s fifth day at Hunsford and though it was time for supper, Mr. Collins was yet to be found. Charlotte summoned her friend from the sitting room with a smile, unbothered by her husband’s continued absence.

  “Elizabeth, please come to supper. Cook has prepared shoulder of mutton, sausages, running pottage, and potatoes fresh from William’s garden. A hearty supper will go a long way to making you feel well again.”

  Lizzy looked up from her lap. “Do I not look well, Charlotte?”

  Charlotte joined her in the sitting room and took her place across from her friend.

  “You look troubled, Elizabeth. Please, tell me what is distressing you so. We have never kept secrets from one another.”

  Lizzy knew she could not tell her friend the whole truth, so instead, she attempted to find a way to express her feelings without telling Charlotte the events that inspired them.

  “Charlotte, before you married Collins, did you ever find that you were intrigued by a gentleman who so wholly irritated you, you thought you might go mad?”

  Charlotte sat back in the chair and set her hands in her lap.

  “I think I should ask the cook to hold our supper…”

  One of Lady Catherine’s many servants entered the drawing room with a tray of tea for Mr. Collins and her mistress. Collins often met Lady Catherine for afternoon tea to discuss the more important matters that required her attention in Meryton, or to listen to her views on rumors and events in the town. But today, Collins had arrived at Rosings Park with most distressing, perhaps even scandalous, news. He worried that such news might cause Lady Catherine such worry, it could drive her to sickness, but the news could not be kept from her. Certainly not when it might have bearing on the Lady’s own house.

  Collins took his tea from the servant, his hands shaking so severely, he had to place to the cup down on the table no sooner than he had taken it.

  “Mr. Collins, are you ill? If you are ill, I would prefer you return to Hunsford, lest you further contribute to my daughter’s weak nature.”

  He shook his head with vigor.

  “Oh, my. No, Lady Catherine. I am in perfect health. I am here, I am afraid, with most troubling news, and that is the cause of my tremors. I thought it necessary that you hear this news from me before the rumors reached you from ones of the ladies in the town.”

  The servant remained standing next to the tea cart, as if she were hoping she might be allowed to stay and hear what Collins was going to say next. Instead, Lady Catherine turned to her with an angry frown.

  “Leave. We have no further need of your services, girl.”

  The young lady curtsied and hurried out of the drawing room before the Lady could grow angry with her. She was known to dismiss her employees with little provocation and it was better to be ignorant of impending scandal than unemployed.

  Once Collins was sure they were alone, he leaned in a little closer to Lady Catherine.

  “My dear Lady Catherine, I fear you must prepare yourself for confirmation of what I wrote you only a few days ago.”

  The old woman huffed in disbelief.

  “Nonsense, Mr. Collins. My nephew would sooner marry my scullery maid than align himself with the Bennet girl. Your eyes must have deceived you.”

  Collins shook his head once again.

  “No, Lady Catherine… And I believe I have proof.”

  The Lady leaned forward in chair and surveyed Collins for any sign of deception but found none.

  “What is this proof you speak of sir?”

  Dinner at Hunsford had long passed and Mr. Collins had yet to return, without so much as a word to his wife about his absence. As they sat together in the small library, reading quietly, Elizabeth was compelled to express her surprise that Charlotte seemed not to be worried. But Charlotte confirmed her suspicions from earlier.

  “I am sure all is well, Lizzy. He is likely at Lady Catherine’s still, or perhaps he is visiting a parishioner in town. It is more likely that we would have received word if something were wrong. Do not fret, dear friend. William will be home soon enough. Are you sure it is not your own worries that weigh heavily on your mind?”

  Elizabeth was not given a chance to answer Charlotte’s question because as soon as she raised it, there was a knock on the door.

  “Now, who could that be at this late hour?” Charlotte asked as the housekeeper arrived to answer the door. Elizabeth and Charlotte followed behind her but kept their distance, as it was unusual for travelers or strangers to walk upon Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s grounds after dark. When the door opened, all of the ladies in presence gasped at the same time when they saw Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy standing on the doorstep. Mr. Darcy nodded his greeting, then directed his attention to Charlotte.

  “Mrs. Collins, Miss Bennet, I am sorry to intrude, but I need to speak to Mr. Collins at once.”

  Charlotte stepped forward with a hint of hesitance, still ill at ease with being the lady of the house, especially in her husband’s absence.

  “I am sorry, Mr. Darcy, but my husband is not here. He left this afternoon to attend to some business and has yet to return. Of course, you are welcome to wait in his study until his arrival.”

  Darcy took a step forward over the threshold and shook his head.

  “I am afraid it is of the utmost important, Mrs. Collins. Is it possible he is at Rosings with my aunt?”

  Charlotte glanced at Elizabeth, unable to hide her confusion.

  “I suppose that it is possible.”

  “Then, Mrs. Collins, might you go there and request that he return home so that I might speak him?”

  Elizabeth, who had been listening in silence thus far, stepped closer to Charlotte and, by extension, Mr. Darcy. Nothing the gentleman was requesting seemed to be sensible.

  “Mr. Darcy, I must interfere on Charlotte’s behalf. What possible reason could there be for her to go out into the night when it is your own aunt’s home in question? Why not just go to Rosings Park yourself and speak to Mr. Collins there?”

  Lizzy believed she saw the faintest hint of a smile appear on Darcy’s face, then pass just as suddenly.

  “I am afraid, Miss Bennet, that I am here to discuss concerns that pertain to my aunt and thus, our conversation cannot transpire at Rosings in her company. I would be happy to send you in my coach, Miss Collins, if that should make the trip to Rosings easier.”

  Charlotte took a moment to consider what Mr. Darcy was offering, but Elizabeth knew her friend would never say no to a gentleman of Darcy’s stature. Finally, Charlotte relented and called to the housemaid.

  “Joane, would you fetch my coat and bonnet, please? I must go to Rosings to fetch Mr. Collins.”

  The housemaid appeared aghast. “But my lady, the hour! It is far too late for me to fetch the groom.”

  “Do not worry yourself, Joane. Mr. Darcy has offered me his coach. It is waiting outside.”

  Charlotte turned to Elizabeth and took her friend’s hands.

  “Lizzy, will you be well in my absence? I will not be gone long.”

  Lizzy smiled at her friend’s good heart.

  “Of course, I shall be well. I may even turn in, given the hour. Take care in the darkness, dear friend. And give my regards to Lady Catherine. Tell her I am looking forward to supper tomorrow evening.”

  And with that, Charlotte departed Hunsford for Rosings Park, leaving Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy standing alone in the foyer. When the housemaid returned to her room in the back of the house, Elizabeth was finally able to confront Darcy.

  “What is this, Mr. Darcy? What are you doing here? That story you told Charlotte was pure nonsense.”

  Darcy laughed, almost loud enough to rouse the neighbors, and Elizabeth worried he might draw Joane back to their company.

  “I knew a clever young lady like you would see through my scheme. But I needed to speak to you, alone, and Rosings has more than its share of curious eyes and ears. I suspected if I could send Mrs. Collins away for a time, we might be able to speak in private.”

  Elizabeth turned on her heel and walked back into the library, afraid of what might happen if she were alone with Mr. Darcy once again. But of course, he followed her, so she could not escape his company.

  “Mr. Darcy, there is nothing for us to speak of. It would be best if you returned to Netherfield. Or Pemberley. Or any other location that is
not the library at Hunsford.”

  Darcy stepped forward and took Elizabet’s hand, gently turning her around so they were forced to face one another.

  “I cannot leave without telling you, Miss Bennet, that I have been unable to cease thinking about you. Not a moment has passed since that day in the grassy meadow where you have not been on my mind. And…”

  Mr. Darcy paused, just long enough to arouse Elizabeth’s curiosity.

  “And?” she asked.

  “And it is possible that news of our flirtation has already become rumor which has spread to Lady Catherine’s home.”

  Elizabeth felt her nerves flush all of the color from her face.

  “Oh, Mr. Darcy! You must leave immediately! Please…”

  But instead of leaving, Darcy pulled her close, so close their forms were touching. His strong, muscled chest felt lovely against her own body, but Elizabeth did all she could to look away from him.

  “Mr. Darcy, please, we cannot do this again,” she begged.

  But he was too overcome to acquiesce to her demands. Instead, he reached out to her and ran his fingers along the curves of her shoulders, all the way down her arms, until their fingers were entwined. Lizzy felt a bolt of lightning spark at the top of her head and travel all the way down to her toes, causing her legs to shake until she thought she might tumble to the ground. Even through all of his expensive, gentlemanly clothing, she could see his manhood growing stronger, and it incited a desire in her that was entirely new, pleasurable and frightening at the same time.

  Before she could say a word, Darcy shut the doors to the library, then returned to Elizabeth’s arms, drawing her to him for a long, delicious kiss. He tasted of the cool night air and sweet spring dew, and she wanted more. His powerful, yet gentle caress made her whole body quiver, and the more his hands explored as they kissed, the she craved his touch. She never expected to be this close to any gentleman, let alone Mr. Darcy, and now, she could not imagine ever being with anyone else.

  Much to her surprise, the fear she felt the day they were in the meadow had all but disappeared, and now believed she would go anywhere and do anything Darcy asked.

  “Oh, Mr. Darcy,” she sighed as he kissed her neck, “this is all so unexpected.”

  Before he answered, Darcy slid his hands under Elizabeth’s skirt and lifted her off the floor, setting her down on the library desk.

  “It should not be quite so unexpected, Miss Bennet. By now, I would think it was quite clear how I feel about you. Do you feel the same as I, Miss Bennet?”

  Lizzy could not speak, or even answer, afraid she might cry out from his touch. Darcy kissed his way down her neck and shoulders, across her collarbone, then back up to her full, waiting lips. As their tongues entangled with desperation, he let his fingers trace their way up her milky thighs, until they reached her undergarments, and her most intimate place.

  As they kissed, Darcy kept his eyes open wide, watching Elizabeth’s every sigh, her every quiver, with rapt attention. He wanted to see her reaction to his touch, her desire for him. When he allowed his fingers to slide beneath her undergarments and inside of her, he eyed her hungrily, desperately, anxious to feel his own manhood take the place of his fingers.

  The minute he began to explore her, Lizzy lost control of herself, and before she even had a moment to become aware of her actions, her own hand slid down his trousers and touched his trembling manhood. At first, she felt surprise at the feel of it, the heft, the strong, powerful length of him. But then she wanted more, to continue to touch him and hear his manly moans as they reverberated into her own waiting mouth.

  As they touched each other, their hands exploring and discovering each other anew, Darcy leaned Elizabeth back and began to untie the laces of her dress. With each freed lace, he kissed further down, until her breasts were exposed to him and he was able to kiss and nibble each of them in turn. The sensations were overwhelming, causing Elizabeth to do her level-best to remain quiet, lest Joane hear her and believe something was amiss in the library.

  Mr. Darcy continued to kiss and massage each of Elizabeth’s breasts as his fingers slid under her skirts and entered her again, probing her deeper until she began to become dizzy from the sensations. Closer and closer she drew to the apex of her please, and when at last she opened her eyes, she saw Darcy’s beautiful, powerful face. His eyes, sparkling and lovely, watched her with fascination, and when her own eyes locked with his…

  It was just enough to cause her to tumble over the edge of her desire.

  Elizabeth opened her mouth to cry out from gratification, but to prevent her from giving them away, Darcy kissed her sweet and deep, masking her cries inside of his own mouth. Her explosion of pleasure seemed to go on forever, waves of it washing over like the most perfect, warm bath on a cold winter’s day. Darcy held Lizzy close, her trembling causing him to feel a rush of his own. When at last Elizabeth seemed to calm, he picked her up from the desk and carried her over to a chair in the corner of the library. As she regained control of her senses, Darcy gently retied the laces of her corset, then helped her straighten her skirts and undergarments.

  Finally, Lizzy found her voice again.

  “Mr. Darcy, you are a wonder beyond words. But…”

  He reached up and brushed away the hair that had fallen from her braid, tucking it behind her ears.

  “I know, sweet Miss Bennet. I know. We should not be doing this, and yet. I cannot imagine being without you.”

  Elizabeth did not know how to answer him, nor did she have the time. Only a moment later, they heard the front door to Hunsford open, and the sounds of Collins and Charlotte speaking to one another sent them both into a panic. They looked back at the library desk, which was in ruin.

  “Go and welcome, Mr. Collins. He returned to speak to you, after all. Encourage him to have your conversation in the drawing room. I will stay here and clean up. Be sure and inform Charlotte that I have retired for the evening.”

  Darcy gave Elizabeth a quick kiss on the cheek and then slipped out through the doors in to the entrance, leaving Lizzy to try and hide the remains of their indiscretion…

  “Mr. Darcy, it is a pleasure, indeed, to have you at Hunsford, but I must inquire why you have come? Why could you not just meet me at Rosings Park with Lady Catherine de Bourgh if you were aware I was in her company.”

  Darcy took a sip of the tea that Charlotte brought to them and set it back down with a calm that Collins never possessed.

  “Mr. Collins, I have become aware that you are in possession of information regarding your cousin, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, and myself, and that you were passing that information on to my aunt without speaking to either Miss Bennet or me first. I will disregard the fact that such behavior is neither gentlemanly nor very Christian. As such, I will focus solely on the fact that while Lady Catherine is your benefactor, I would prefer that you speak to me about matters involving myself in the future.”

  It was clear that a confrontation with Darcy had elicited a bout of nerves in Collins, but he attempted to look clever.

  “I never intended offense, Mr. Darcy, but it is my duty to inform Lady Catherine de Bourgh of any events that might reflect poorly on her.”

  Darcy leaned forward and smiled politely at Collins.

  “If that is how you feel, then perhaps there is something else you can tell Lady Catherine, something far more scandalous and important than these current, silly rumors you are spreading…”

  3

  Mr. Darcy’s Offer

  The day after Mr. Darcy’s last visit to Hunsford, and after Elizabeth’s last unexpected encounter with the gentleman, the general feeling on the estate was one of gloominess. Charlotte seemed to be consumed with an emotion that she did not share, while Lizzy remained conflicted about her relationship with Darcy. The only member of the household who did not appear to be sullen was Collins. Instead, he seemed to be almost giddy with excitement. As they sat down for tea, Collins hardly seemed to notice that everyone but himself was lost in a world made up entirely of their own worries and fears.