“I accept, Miss Bingley,” Elizabeth said.
Jane concurred. “Let us speak of it no more. Everything has happened as it should.”
Miss Bingley frowned. “Indeed.”
Chapter Thirteen
Darcy’sgazesweptexpertlyover the ice, searching out any areas of weakness. Mr. Bennet had pulled him aside and asked him to be certain, for the weather had been so changeable, and the day before Christmas was usually rather early for the Longbourn pond to be frozen over.
“The ice is all clear,” Elizabeth said with a laugh. “Do you think we are so unused to winter weather that we do not know to avoid skating on snow ice?”
“You shall have to become accustomed to it, Lizzy,” Georgiana said fondly as she strapped on her skates. She had made the trip back from London with him. “Fitzwilliam has a personal interest in making everything as safe as possible. It takes him an hour every morning when we travel just to check the carriage for damage.”
“Oh dear,” Miss Bennet replied with a little laugh. She and Bingley were standing on the bank watching everyone prepare. The Hursts had remained at Netherfield, her for the fire, him for the wine. Bingley no longer required a sling and had been eager to skate, but Miss Bennet had asked him not to, and promised to keep him company. Bingley had readily agreed.
“Mr. Darcy,” cried Miss Bingley pitifully. “The strap on my skate is not holding properly.” She held out her foot just enough to offer the slightest flash of her ankle. “Would you be so kind as to assist me?”
Darcy glared at Bingley, who approached Miss Bingley to offer his help.
Georgiana was embarrassed by the blatant demonstration, but Elizabeth’s eyes sparkled with humour as she turned her gaze on him.
Teasing woman.
Darcy pitied Bingley for having such a sister, but his friend’s accident and Miss Bingley’s disdain had led them all to a far happier Christmas than he could ever have imagined. Without the bitter jibes and constant harping of Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst, Bingley had very quickly found his happiness, and Darcy . . . well, he had stopped denying himself his.
“Careful,” he warned, as Georgiana stepped out onto the ice. She smiled at him and followed his instruction, all grief and timidity from the summer seemingly gone.
Darcy had introduced Georgiana to the Bennets not long after arriving, and his sister had been immediately whisked away for the remainder of their visit. He had not had even a moment alone with Elizabeth that day and was still rather put out about it.
Georgiana was nearly in raptures to have so many sisters all at once. She had made a special effort to spend time with Elizabeth, however, and the budding alliance between his sister and his intended was both pleasing and somewhat alarming.
Darcy turned to offer his hand to Elizabeth. “It has been a year since you skated. Be careful at first.”
Elizabeth was all complaisance. She put first one shaky skate on the ice, then another. Darcy was a little surprised at how unsteady she seemed. Given her enthusiasm for the outing, he had expected her to be more proficient. She skated away from him, teetering on the blades, and Darcy followed her. He would not wish her to fall.
He glided easily to her side, but just as he reached for Elizabeth’s arm, she teetered on the edge of one skate and glided off in the opposite direction.
“Oh!” she cried, her arms rotating in an excellent approximation of a windmill. “Do not let me fall!”
Darcy approached and grabbed for her again, but this time she lifted one foot and came to an awkward but sudden stop. He sailed past her, nearly losing his own footing when his hands closed around nothing but air.
He was determined to reach Elizabeth before she hurt herself, but after his third attempt to reach her failed, every Bennet girl, those on the ice and the one on the bank, began to laugh as though they would never cease.
Elizabeth turned to face him with a wide smile on her face. She began to skate backwards with great ease, her hands clasped behind her back. She then skated in a circle around him as he stood still, shaking his head at her.
“Can you not catch me, Mr. Darcy?” she called. “What a shame, for I am in great need of your strong arm.”
She had been leading him on a merry chase and was now skating rings around him. Backwards.
Darcy would never have expected to enjoy being the object of a joke. But Elizabeth’s archness was accompanied by such sweetness that she could not ever really affront him.
Georgiana, who would never laugh at him, was biting her lower lip very hard indeed.
“You may as well join them,” he said dryly. “You will do yourself an injury otherwise, and we have had quite enough of that.”
“Laugh at Mr. Darcy!” cried Miss Bingley, who was also pretending to wobble atop her skates. Darcy was not fooled, for he had seen her skate before. While she was not as proficient as Elizabeth, she was certainly skilled, for Miss Bingley did nothing if her performance of it would not garner praise. “Who could laugh at such a faultless man?”
“Indeed!” Elizabeth cried cheerfully, as she skated faster. “A faultless man, is he?”