Alone with Mr. Darcy: A Pride & Prejudice Variation Read Free

that regard; but then again, she had not lain unconscious in
the snow, just walked through it. Her pelisse seemed to have protected her
well, though her stockings must be cold and wet. No. He should not think about
Elizabeth’s stockings or how they must cling to her shapely legs. Not that he had
ever seen her legs except as a shadow through that pale blue dress, but he had
imagined them often enough, usually wrapped around him. Devil take it! He
needed to get control of himself.
    He glared at the fire. This was not a good
sign. Here he was, half frozen, stiff from bruises, his head pounding, and in
an old cottage little better than a shepherd’s hut. He ought to be immune to
lust, not thinking about Elizabeth’s legs – especially when those legs
happened to be trapped in a small room with him. Perhaps the injury to his head
had impaired his mental faculties more than he thought.
    In a quest for distraction, he noticed two
buckets sitting by the door. They would need water, and he might as well take
care of that while he was still cold and wet. If only he were not so dizzy!
Somehow he managed to put one foot in front of the other for the few steps
needed to reach the door.
    Elizabeth said sharply, “Where are you
going? Did you not just say it was unsafe to travel in this weather?”
    “I have no desire to travel, only to bring
in some snow to melt. We will want water later.”
    “Oh.” She sounded taken aback. “Thank you
for thinking of that.”
    A deafening blast of icy wind burned his
face and bit through his clothes as soon as he stepped over the threshold. This
was worse than it had been just a few minutes earlier. He filled the buckets as
quickly as he could and hurried back to the relative safety of the cottage.
    It seemed oddly still inside again, even
if he had only been out in the storm a short time. He set the buckets beside
the hearth where Elizabeth stood warming her hands. “The wind has picked up. We
were fortunate to find shelter when we did.”
    “I thought it seemed louder.”
    There was something odd about the fire. It
seemed to be growing, fading in and out…
    Elizabeth’s hand clutching his elbow
brought him back to his senses. “Mr. Darcy, I pray you, sit before you fall
down. One head injury is enough for the day.”
    “I am perfectly well,” he said
automatically.
    She huffed. “In that case, even though you
are perfectly well , would you be so kind as to sit down purely to
relieve my anxiety? You would not wish me to suffer for your
stubbornness, I am sure.”
    How neatly she had trapped him. And how
fortunate she had done so quickly, since the floor was showing a disturbing
tendency to tilt under his feet. “Very well.”  Keeping a steadying hand on
the wall, he lowered himself to sit on the hearth.
    “Thank you.” Elizabeth hesitated, then
hurried away from the fireplace - not that there was far for her to go - and
rummaged through a small wardrobe.
    “May I assist you with anything?” It
seemed polite to ask, though he doubted he could even stand up at the moment.
    “No, thank you. I am simply looking for…
oh, here they are. If you would not mind keeping your back turned for a moment,
I would appreciate it.”
    “Of course.” Darcy bit his lip so hard it
hurt. Surely she was not changing her dress!
    Fortunately for his sanity, she quickly
rejoined him at the fire, still wearing the same dress. “Thank you. Now, if you
do not object, I believe it would be wise for me to examine your injury while
there is still light.”
    As if he did not feel enough like an
invalid already, having been rescued by the woman he was trying to forget! “I
think it is unnecessary. The bleeding appears to have stopped.”
    Her lips twitched. “I knew you to be a man
of many talents, but your ability to see the back of your head is quite
remarkable. Perhaps I misspoke when I said I should examine it if you do not
object. If you do object, I still prefer to examine it.”
    Trust Elizabeth