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Darcy combined the titillating thoughts that raced through his mind with a less than innocent sweeping of his alluring eyes over her enchanting body. He took Elizabeth’s hand in his and uttered tantalisingly, “I love the sound of that.” He brushed his lips tenderly against the back of her hand and then looked deeply into her eyes, “Especially, as I consider the implications.” He spoke in a manner that rendered Elizabeth speechless and trembling inside. They stared intently into each other’s eyes as if completely lost in themselves.

Young Ben considered the looks that passed between them in bewilderment. Though the implications his friend spoke of were rather unclear to him, it was enough to cause him some concern. He reached up to release his mother’s hand from Darcy’s gentle grasp. Pretty certain he was not yet ready to share his friend with anyone, he declared, “Allow me to think about it.”

Darcy relinquished his gaze from Elizabeth’s amazing eyes and regarded Ben with a bit of curiosity. He knelt to his level to speak with him man to man. “Pray tell, what is there to think about, young sir?”

Mindful of his mother’s sensibilities, Ben walked away from her side a few steps and beckoned Darcy to join him. With his back to his mother, the young lad spoke in a hushed tone. “She is a girl.”

Young Ben did not speak so low Elizabeth could not hear him. She tried mightily to suppress her smile, even as she and Darcy looked good-humouredly at each other.

Darcy directed his attention to Ben. “Well, yes, there is that. However, is there any harm in her being a girl?”

“Indeed there is! Girls cannot do anything. They cannot sword fight; they cannot wrestle. Girls cannot climb, and I know for a fact my mama does not ride horseback.”

Darcy paused as if in deep consideration of Ben’s argument. “That is indeed a long list of failings. Perhaps you and I might teach her to do all those things.”

“But she does not even like horses!”

“What say you to giving her a chance? I say we start out bright and early tomorrow morning for a day of games. I suggest you bring her around to the spot I pointed out to you earlier today. We shall test her mettle to determine whether she is worthy.”

Elizabeth felt compelled to join the two gentlemen who seemed intent upon making plans for her day, as though she had nary a word to say in the matter. She walked over to them, wrapped her arms about Ben’s shoulders, and leaned down to bestow a light kiss upon his forehead. “Where is this place the two of you speak of in guarded tones, as though it were a great secret?”

“Pardon me, my lady,” Darcy remarked, “it is just that Sir Lancelot and I believe we have discovered the location of Excalibur! We have plans to return there for a bit of adventure. I am doing my best to persuade him to bring you along for our next exploration.”

“And what say you, young sir? Are you quite persuaded?” Elizabeth asked her son, teasingly tickling him until they both found themselves upon the ground. Ben acquiesced as a desperate measure of surrender. Neither seemed intent upon giving up their newly found and rather unconventional, but comfortable, seating arrangement, prompting Darcy to join them and sit side by side with Elizabeth as she cradled her son in her lap.

Elizabeth spoke to the two of them, embracing the younger one tenderly in her arms and embracing the elder with the warmth of her smile. “It would seem the two of you have quite a bit of explaining to do, as regards your close camaraderie. Seeing the two of you together, I can comprehend you going on charmingly, when you had once made a beginning. What I wish to know is how it all came to be. Pray tell, starting with you, Mr. Darcy.”

“Where do I begin? Let me see. Once upon a time, a valiant warrior set about on his mighty stallion—” Darcy waxed poetically.

Ben eagerly interrupted, as he sprang from his mother’s lap and climbed into Darcy’s, “Oh! Allow me to tell the story, my King! Please!”

“Calm down, young man. If you insist upon having your share, then I suggest we do it together.”

“I insist,” declared he with a smile as wide as could be. “Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, a brave young knight travelled along a long and winding road in search of a place to rest his exhausted and weary soul, when all of a sudden—” he began. And so it proceeded as Ben and Darcy went about telling Elizabeth the story of the history of their friendship, taking turns where they would, and mixing in Arthurian legend where they could, and thoroughly entertaining her in so doing, with little regard for the passage of time.

For the first time in what had been an exceedingly long time, Elizabeth found herself especially relaxed, whilst enjoying a bout of frivolousness. She was more than pleased to see just how delighted her son was in Mr. Darcy’s company as she came to know, indeed, it had been his departure from Hertfordshire that had wreaked such havoc on her son’s spirits over the past few months.

She eventually decided it was time they returned to the house, but first she needed to spend a few moments alone with Mr. Darcy. “Ben,” she began, “I think it is long past time for you to go back to the house. Return to your room, and I shall visit you there shortly.”

“Mama, must I return just yet? I do not like parting with my best friend in the world after so short a time together.”

Darcy intervened, “You must always do as your mother advises, young man, without questions. Besides, we shall have plenty of time together in the morning.” Darcy stood to see Ben off and then directed his full attention to Elizabeth and offered her a hand to assist her to her feet.

Elizabeth felt an uncontrollable quivering pulsation as they locked hands. She was convinced he was not unaware of the effect he had over her sensibilities. Darcy rubbed his thumbs tenderly along the soft skin of her wrists as he gently caressed her hands a bit longer than was necessary. Elizabeth was mindful of the need to interrupt their intimacy, as he surely was not inclined to do so. She was speechless in the face of the one man in the world who managed with the slightest touch to shatter her defences and beget a sense of yearning she was simply unable to put into words.

“I wish we did not have to part just yet,” Darcy spoke tenderly. “My thoughts of you have been my constant companions as I struggled to come to grips with your situation. You cannot possibly know what a torment it has been to have to think of you as married to that ridiculous parson, and imagining him as your husband, chasing you about your room each evening, catching up with you, and then having his way with you night after night.” For an instant, he raised his hands to cover his face in affected disgust. “Oh! The horror of it all! How could you so cruelly allow me to go on as I did?” Before Elizabeth could protest, Darcy silenced her with a gentle touch of his fingertip on her lips. Her heart raced. He bestowed a magnificent smile to signify he was merely speaking in jest. “I know you did not owe me any sort of explanation. I realise now your silence on the matter was a reward for my officiousness.”

Elizabeth smiled in acknowledgement of the truth of his words. “There is something to be said of a man who owns his mistakes so willingly.”

Darcy extended his arm to Elizabeth, she warmly accepted his offering, and they began to make their way along the path in return to the parsonage.

“Indeed. And, to make up for my past interference, I shall not utter a single disparaging word as regards my opinion of the new Mr. Collins—how he is all wrong for you, how he would be an extremely contemptible father for Ben, and how I plan to do all that is within my power to see that a wedding between you two never comes to pass.”

“A man who willingly admits his past mistake, then endeavours to make up for it by keeping his opinion to himself,” she began playfully. “Be still, my heart.” At that particular moment, Elizabeth had two choices as she saw it. One would be to point out the glaring inconsistency in his expressed sentiments, and the other would be to continue basking in the easy companionship they had established over the last hour or so. She gladly chose the latter, thinking surely he was speaking in jest, and even if he were not, knowing she would have plenty of time to set him straight over the coming days.

Before either of them would have wished, they stood directly in front of the door of the parsonage, with their next step over the threshold to be met with the reality that was Elizabeth’s life. Darcy reluctantly relinquished his hold over her arm, opened the door, and allowed her to pass through the entryway.

Geoffrey Collins had worked himself into quite a state during the entire span of his betrothed’s absence. He had stood at the window and observed the two of them as they made their way along the path to the garden. He was beside himself with fury when he observed Darcy steer Elizabeth in the opposite direction, along an obscure path beyond his direct line of vision. Charlotte witnessed all this and desperately wished not to see the proud man react to the unfolding turn of events in a manner they might all come to regret. Her carefully chosen words halted him in his steps after he decided he did not trust the haughty gentleman, of Pemberley and Derbyshire, who apparently was no stranger to his intended, to be alone with her.