Mr. Darcy's Bride

Chapter 18

The following morning, Elizabeth was determined to change her attitude towards Darcy. Instead of taking breakfast in her room as she usually did, she dressed and met him at the table for breakfast.

"Good morning," Darcy said tentatively, as if afraid that Elizabeth would find fault with that statement as well.

She smiled warmly. "Good morning. What plans have you for the day?"

He was startled by her interest. These were more consecutive words than she had spoken to him in quite some time. It took him a moment to answer.

"Mr. Chase and I have some business to attend to this morning, but my afternoon is unscheduled."

"Perhaps we can take a ride in the curricle? I still feel that I have not seen much of the countryside that is outside Pemberley's borders. It looks to be a fair day."

Darcy took a moment to look at her. Could this be some sort of new test she had come up with? If it was, he had no idea of the purpose, nor did he know what the correct answer was. On the chance that she was being authentic, he said, "That would be a wonderful way to spend the afternoon."

"It is decided, then," said Elizabeth with a smile. "Do you think that Georgiana will be too upset if we do not invite her to go?"

"She has been out in the curricle many times; I daresay she will not be upset to stay at home."

"We have a plan, then," she said.

The two of them sat in silence for the remainder of their breakfast, but it felt much different from the cold silence that had existed between them. Occasionally Elizabeth would catch Darcy's eye and give him a small smile. He could not help but smile back at her. He did not know what had caused this shift in her attitude, but he was utterly grateful for it.

***

Elizabeth dressed carefully for their afternoon trip. She and Miss Stewart looked at most of her dresses before deciding on a cream-colored walking dress with a beautiful blue spencer. She could not remember dressing with such care at any point since she had come to Pemberley. Now that she had decided to be sympathetic towards Darcy rather than confrontational, his opinion of her seemed to matter much more. Would he like the dress? Could they get through an entire ride without arguing? She was unsure about the answer to either of those questions, but she was determined to be as agreeable as she could. If he needled her, however, she would not be able to hold her tongue. She hoped that he appreciated the thaw in their relationship and that he would be on his best behavior, as well.

For his part, Darcy had been quite useless during his meeting with his steward. His mind kept wandering to Elizabeth. Not only had she been pleasant to him, she had actually suggested that they spend time together! He still wondered if Elizabeth was laying a trap for him. Could she have something she wanted to say that required a captive audience? He certainly hoped that was not the case. He did not think he could have another conversation like their previous one.

Darcy took lunch in his office and Elizabeth in her suite, so they did not see each other again until it was time for the ride. It was hard to say which of them was more nervous as they prepared for the afternoon. Certainly, both of them were in a state of agitation, hoping the afternoon would be pleasant.

They met in the main hall. Darcy bowed, and said, "You look lovely."

Elizabeth felt her cheeks color at the compliment. "Thank you for making time for me today," she said.

Darcy resisted the urge to tell her that he would do quite anything that she asked. Instead, he reached out to take her hand. She willingly let him and was surprised to feel that once-familiar spark between them again. She glanced at his face and caught his eye, and they just looked at each other for a moment, each trying to take the measure of the other.