Mr. Darcy's Bite Read Free

“hoped” to see Lizzy later in the day.
    â€œWhat a curious thing to say. Why would I not see them?” Lizzy asked Mr. Darcy. “Surely, they will be here when we return. After all, we are only going for a walk in the gardens.”
    â€œI think they meant to say that they hope you will want to see them after our walk. So shall we go?”
    Lizzy found that statement to be even odder. What could possibly happen during a stroll in the park that would make Lizzy not want to be in Georgiana and Anne’s company, and she felt a queasiness growing in her stomach.
    The pair did not walk alone. David and Goliath, Mr. Darcy’s whippets, were at their master’s heels. They were as lively a pair as Lizzy had ever seen, and they loved to run just for the pure joy of the exercise. It was truly a sight to behold when they went all out.
    â€œYou like dogs, don’t you, Elizabeth?” Darcy asked, following her gaze.
    â€œI am very fond of dogs. At one time, we had as many as five of them in the house, but after each one died, Papa asked that they not be replaced. Since he now requires the use of his spectacles, he found that he was always tripping over them. The only one remaining is Magic, our little Scottie.”
    â€œDo you know that dogs are descendants of wolves?”
    â€œYes, I did know that, but it is hard to imagine Magic running with a pack.”
    â€œYes, that would be hard to imagine because pack animals are not selfish. But it is true that dogs are domesticated wolves.”
    Lizzy decided to let the comment about Magic pass. It would be difficult to defend the Scottie’s behavior considering that she basically ran the household and listened to no one, except Mr. Darcy, even though he spent so little time with her.
    â€œYou seem to have a real interest in wolves, sir. Is this another scenario you imagined as a boy—running with a pack of wolves?”
    â€œNot a large pack—more on the order of one or two other wolves—or werewolves.”
    â€œWerewolves!” Lizzy started to laugh. “Surely, you do not believe in such legends. Vampires and werewolves. They are stories made up to scare children into behaving themselves.”
    â€œI agree with you that stories about vampires are utter nonsense and are believed only by the simpleminded, but a lot of legends have their roots in fact.”
    â€œThat is true of some things, but not werewolves.”
    Darcy stopped and turned to Lizzy, and she looked into his eyes. They were a beautiful gray-green and one of the first things she had admired about him. But he had never looked at her with such intensity, and a sense of foreboding came over her.
    â€œI love you, Elizabeth Bennet. Whenever I see you, I am filled with joy.” After stepping away from her, he continued. “I actually never thought I would fall in love for reasons I shall shortly explain. However, I am in love—deeply and profoundly in love—and if after I share my secret you have not run back to Pemberley, I shall have a question to ask you.”
    â€œMr. Darcy, you are making me nervous. What secret could you possibly have that would cause me to run away from you?”
    â€œThat is a good question, and my answer begins with an event that happened fourteen years ago when my father and I were traveling in the Black Forest in Germany. Our carriage became mired in mud, and while the men tried to dig it out, I went into the woods. Not very deep, but Nature called. This next bit is rather embarrassing, but it is necessary for you to understand what happened. Nature required that I have my pants down, and just at that moment, a wolf walked by. She had not seen me, and because I had startled her, she scratched me with her fang. I know that it was an accident because she began to cower and whimper.”
    â€œMr. Darcy,” Lizzy said, interrupting, “are you saying that you were bitten by a wolf in the forest and that