Pride & Prejudice: Behind the Scenes by Abigail Reynolds & Susan Mason-Milks & Maria Grace & Mary Simonsen

Author:Abigail Reynolds & Susan Mason-Milks & Maria Grace & Mary Simonsen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Jane Austen, classic historical fiction classic historical romance, Darcy, Pemberley, JAFF
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2016-07-11T00:00:00+00:00

Walking in the Grove

by Cassandra Grafton

April 10, 1812

Darcy strode firmly down the path, away from Rosings and towards Hunsford, half expecting a shout from behind him and for his cousin to come after him. Not finding Richard lying in wait for him outside his chamber on cautiously opening his door had been a relief. He had not relished the notion of using the servant’s staircase instead.

Despite his desire to leave the house undetected, however, Darcy knew he must speak to the Colonel regarding one portion of his letter—that pertaining to Wickham. His pace eased a little once out of the immediate grounds, and he pushed aside any difficulty which may arise with his cousin. It was not his focus; for now, he must just keep walking, keep putting one foot in front of the other. Why was it his head knew his purpose, the only option for private delivery of his letter being to meet Elizabeth out on one of her walks. Yet his body showed such reluctance to retrace his steps from the previous day?

As he reached the parkland spanning the southern edge of the estate, he slowly came to a halt, his gaze scanning the trees and paths. Where might Elizabeth be on this fine morning? What if she had chosen not to walk for fear of encountering him?

What if he came across her, but she would not take the letter? Perhaps she might take it but never read it, consigning it to the grate in the way his first attempts were! How will he ever know if she permitted him the liberty of an explanation?

A sense of panic gripped Darcy, and he stopped abruptly. Had he seen his last of her already? Anguish almost overwhelmed him at the thought of never seeing her again, never hearing her voice.

“You fool,” he muttered bitterly. “What possible good could come from seeing her again? She despises you; you heard it from her own lips.”

After their heated exchange the previous day, the accusations leveled at him, her words still cut through Darcy like knives. He felt wounded—hurt and humiliated by her. With the stirring of his anger again, Darcy harnessed it. He needed to feel his outrage once more, to enable him to stay strong, to do this. Straightening his shoulders, he stared ahead, scanning the park for any sight of the lady; then, he set off towards the grove where he had most often encountered her.

Soon he passed beneath the outer trees of the grove, and for some time, Darcy paced to and fro under their canopy, his courage wavering one moment, his irritation drawing him back a moment later. Where was she? He flicked open his watch; he had been here nigh on twenty minutes. How much longer should he stay?

Perhaps this was how it was meant to be. Writing the letter could never be considered a sensible action; perhaps he was being saved from making an even bigger fool of himself. Darcy pulled the letter out and stared at it.

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