Fitzwilliam Darcy, Traitor by Jennifer Joy

Author:Jennifer Joy [Joy, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-10-17T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

Miss Elizabeth’s cool fingers against his burning skin were heaven. Darcy wanted to wrap his arms around her … after he shook some sense into her.

“Why are you here? Do you realize what you have done?” He stepped back, away from her comforting touch.

Her words were as sharp as his. “Some thanks for saving your life!”

Before he could expound on the folly of her thinking, she grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the dark room. Darcy followed blindly, the sunlight reflecting off the snow hurting his eyes when she flung open another door.

Blinking madly, Darcy realized he stood in the middle of a muddy paddock just as Miss Elizabeth shoved a bridle at his chest. Too slowly, he gained his bearings and the use of his senses. Miss Elizabeth led a horse out of the paddock and around to the back where they were not so easily seen.

She climbed to the top of the fence and hopped on the back of the sorrel gelding. He knew that gelding. It was his gelding.

Darcy should have told Miss Elizabeth she had chosen the horse that gave his stable boys the most grief. The ingrate liked to reach behind him and bite.

But Miss Elizabeth took off and there was no time to do anything except fling his leg over the back of Bingley’s bay to give her chase. The danger of what she had done sharpened Darcy’s senses.

Carriages and horsemen had trampled down the snow on the main road, but it was slippery, cold, and wet. They would make better time on the road, but they would draw more attention to themselves. However, if they went off of the main road, their trail would be easily followed in the fresh snow.

Darcy weighed their options as he caught up to Miss Elizabeth. The agonizingly pain he experienced with each jolting step of his horse darkened his vision, but Darcy gritted his teeth and pressed on.

“We are too conspicuous,” he grimaced, signaling they take a turn off of the main road.

Slowing to a canter, Miss Elizabeth smiled. “You mean ladies do not ride without a saddle in their morning dresses in this bitter cold?”

She was kind to focus on herself rather than mention how poorly he must have appeared. For a moment, Darcy considered offering her his coat, but it was filthy and he did not know if he was capable of bending to take it off. Every part of him ached.

Miss Elizabeth smiled encouragingly. “I see what you are thinking, Mr. Darcy, and allow me to decline what you hesitate to offer. I am in far better health than you are and hardly feel the cold given the excitement of these past few minutes.”

He allowed himself to be carried away with her humor, teasing, “There is nothing like breaking a traitor out of prison to stir the blood.”

Darcy regretted the words as soon as he voiced them. There was nothing to laugh about in their situation, and he would not make light of it — not when Miss Elizabeth had irrevocably tied herself to him.

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