Alone with Mr. Darcy: A Pride & Prejudice Variation (29 page)

Darcy broke into a wide smile. “I wished
to think of the past, or at least a part of it which definitely gives
me
pleasure.” He set down the cat, opened the carriage door and jumped out, then
handed her down.

They were stopped in front of a freshly
white-washed wattle-and-daub cottage, roses blooming around the doorway and
smoke rising merrily from the chimney. Elizabeth could not help laughing. “Is
this what I think it is? It looks quite different without the sea of snow. But
it must be it – I recall that paving stone. At least my toe recalls
hitting it!”

“Let us see if the inside is as you recall
it.” Darcy stepped forward and lifted the latch.

“But the tenants…”

“The tenants are enjoying a stay in a much
larger cottage not far away, and are perfectly happy to give us the freedom of
this one.”

“But…” Elizabeth shook her head in
amusement. Clearly Darcy had gone to some trouble to arrange this visit, and in
truth she was curious to see it again. She stepped inside as he held the door
open.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to
the dimness. The room was both familiar and different. She blinked twice. The
walls were freshly painted here as well, and a simple carved bed stood against
the wall by the hearth. A small table sat under the window, and marvel of
marvels, the floor had been leveled and was swept clear. Yellow curtains
fluttered at the window. But it was the same cottage, with the familiar shelves
and wardrobe, and the hearth where they had passed so much time. 

“Are you responsible for all this? Surely
the silver you left them after our stay could not perform such a
transformation!”

“It is all Crewe’s doing. He apologizes
profusely that he was unable to have the floor tiled before our arrival. Even
he can perform only minor miracles on two days’ notice.” From behind her, he
slipped his hands around her waist.

“But why? It is beyond generous, and for
people we never even met.”

“Their house and firewood saved our lives;
but this is not for them as much as for us.”

“For us?” She leaned her head back against
his shoulder.

“Very well, for
me
.” He nuzzled her
neck, sending shivers down her spine. “There were so many times while we were
here that I longed to kiss you, to touch you, to make you mine – and to
see caring and concern in your eyes. So I arranged for a second chance. We will
stay here tonight, but this time Crewe will bring us dinner and breakfast, and
we shall be much more comfortable. If you do not mind, that is; we can still
return to London today if you prefer.”

She turned in his arms and locked her
hands behind his neck. “I can think of nowhere I would rather be -- as long as
I am not required to produce onion soup.”

He laughed and nibbled her earlobe. “I can
think of better things to whet my appetite upon.”

***

Once again Darcy awoke with Elizabeth’s
head on his shoulder and sunlight streaming in the window. With a contented
smile, he pulled her even closer.

“Mm?” she said sleepily. “Where…oh, yes.
Back to our cottage again.”

“And very pleasurably so.” He tangled his
hands in her hair and kissed her thoroughly.

Sometime later, he curled a lock of her
hair around his finger. “I am all astonishment that Snowball has not
interrupted us yet. As I recall, she took her role as chaperone very seriously
last time.”

Elizabeth’s dimples showed. “Perhaps she
understands we are married now.” She raised herself up on her elbows and looked
around the small room. “She must still be in her basket.” She pushed back the
coverlet, allowing him to enjoy the view as she took the few steps necessary to
reach the basket. As she looked inside, she burst out laughing.

“What is it?”

Still laughing, she said, “Snowball has
been busy.”

Darcy padded over to stand behind her and
put his arms around her waist. He could not resist the temptation to kiss the
soft skin of her neck, which was much more interesting than whatever the cat
was doing.

“Pray permit me to introduce to you
Snowflake, Snowdrop, Snowdrift and…let me think… Blizzard.”

Startled, he released her and peered into
the basket. Four little creatures that looked more like mice than kittens were
suckling on Snowball’s exposed belly. He reached down and stroked one with a
fingertip, its short fur downy soft. “They are so tiny.”

“So it was not just better food that made
her fill out, apparently. And I was worried enough about the reaction of the
housekeeper at Darcy House to one small cat, and instead we will be bringing
five!” Her expression of comic dismay made her look even more kissable than
usual.

He decided to take advantage of his good
fortune. “Since I doubt Snowball would be happy about traveling today, I
suppose that means we must stay here another few days.”

She smiled up at him with that delightful
arch look. “I do wonder how we shall manage to pass the time.”

He scooped her up in his arms and
proceeded to demonstrate his solution.

Master Richard Darcy put his hands on his
hips and addressed the white cat in his mother’s lap. “
When
are you
going to have those kittens? I have been waiting for months!”

“Days, perhaps,” his father corrected him.

“But they were
long
days,” the boy
said gloomily.

His mother reached out and tousled his
chestnut curls. “Remember, even once they are born, your kitten will have to
stay with his mama until he is weaned.”

Richard pouted. “Who chooses their kitten
first, Jenny or me?”

His father smiled down at the infant in
his arms. “I think Jenny is a bit young for a kitten. Perhaps you could choose
one for her to have when she is a little older.”

His mother smiled at him. “A good plan.
Richard, I do believe you are more excited about the kittens than about your
baby sister!”

He gave her an incredulous look. Who would
choose a squalling baby who could not even play games over a kitten?

Richard found a faded scrap of silk in
Snowball’s basket and carefully wiggled it in front of the sleepy white cat.
She deigned to reach out a paw to bat at it. “She is not very interested,” he
informed his parents. “Perhaps she needs a new ribbon. This one is all
tattered.”

“Snowball is particularly fond of that
ribbon,” his father told him.

His mother laughed. “Snowball would be
particularly fond of
any
ribbon.”

His father’s face lit with a slow, warm
smile. “Very well;
I
am particularly fond of that ribbon.”

She smiled back at him, and it was as if
they had forgotten Richard even existed. “I am very fond of it myself.”

Richard did not like being ignored. “What
is so special about that old ribbon?”

“Your mother gave it to me,” said his
father.

Richard screwed up his face in puzzlement.
“Why did she give you a ribbon? You do not wear ribbons, do you?”

His father coughed and covered his mouth.
“No, I do not wear ribbons. It was a token of her affection.”

“Shouldn’t she have given you something
you could use, like boots or a cravat?”

His parents seemed to find this eminently
practical idea amusing, but fortunately Uncle Richard strolled in and crouched
down beside the boy. “Allow me to tell you a secret, young man. Women are not
always practical in matters of love – nor are men.”

“Well, I hope no girls try to give
me
ribbons,” Richard announced, then added generously, “But if they do, I will
give them to Snowball.”

~The End~

I
hope you enjoyed your visit with Elizabeth, Mr. Darcy and their friends! If you
liked this, please consider trying one of my other books, like
Mr. Darcy’s Noble Connections
,
The Darcys of Derbyshire
,
Mr. Darcy’s Refuge
,
or any of
my
other books listed on
my Author Page at Amazon
. You can find out
more about my books, as well as some free stories, at
my
website
. Thanks for reading
Alone with Mr. Darcy!

Yours,
&c.

Abigail
Reynolds

Dave McKee, Maria
Grace and Elaine Sieff read early drafts of this story and offered helpful
advice. Rita Watts, Catherine Grant, and Connie Hay helped with great feedback
on the final version and are responsible for there being far fewer typos than
there otherwise might have been! The readers and my fellow writers at Jane
Austen Variations provided encouragement and occasional threats when I posted
excerpts from the book as a work in progress.

My family, as always,
deserves endless thanks for their patience and support. Samoa, Floof, Pip,
Beatrice and Satsuki kept the house free of mice (no mean feat when you live in
the middle of the woods), and Snowdrop the Miracle Kitten provided inspiration
through her extraordinary will to live. You can read more about Snowdrop at
www.austenvariations.com/writing-kittens-and-other-miracles/
.

Abigail Reynolds may
be a nationally bestselling author and a physician, but she can't follow a
straight line with a ruler. Originally from upstate New York, she studied
Russian and theater at Bryn Mawr College and marine biology at the Marine
Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. After a stint in performing arts
administration, she decided to attend medical school, and took up writing as a
hobby during her years as a physician in private practice.

A life-long lover of
Jane Austen's novels, Abigail began writing variations on 
Pride &
Prejudice
 in 2001, then expanded her repertoire to include a series of
novels set on her beloved Cape Cod. Her most recent releases are the national
bestseller 
Mr. Darcy's Noble Connections
, 
The Darcys of
Derbyshire
, and
Mr. Darcy's Refuge
. Her books have been translated
into five languages. A lifetime member of JASNA, she lives on Cape Cod with her
husband, her son and a menagerie of animals, including Snowdrop the miracle
kitten. Her hobbies do not include sleeping or cleaning her house.

http://www.pemberleyvariations.com

http://www.austenvariations.com

The Pemberley Variations

What Would Mr. Darcy Do?

To Conquer Mr. Darcy

By Force of Instinct

Mr. Darcy’s Undoing

Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy: The Last Man in the World

Mr. Darcy’s Obsession

A Pemberley Medley

Mr. Darcy’s Letter

Mr. Darcy’s Refuge

Mr. Darcy’s Noble Connections

The Darcys of Derbyshire

The Woods Hole Quartet

The Man Who Loved Pride & Prejudice

Morning Light