Mary Simonsen - Mr. Darcy’s Bite

“Elizabeth, there is no way I can win this argument, so I apologize for any past, present, or future transgressions.”

“You are a quick learner, Will Darcy,” Lizzy said smiling, and she kissed him on his cheek.

In the midst of all the hubbub caused by the wedding preparations, Lizzy could almost forget that the man who would shortly be her husband was also a werewolf, but when the snow started to fall on the morning of December 22nd, Lizzy was jolted back into the reality of a life lived by the lunar calendar and the necessity of reaching Pemberley by the afternoon of the twenty-eighth.

“Elizabeth, I know what you are going to say,” Darcy said as soon as they were behind the closed doors of the sitting room. “You are concerned about the weather, and because I know that you worry about such things, I am going to tell you exactly what will happen in the next few days.” They walked hand-in-hand to the sofa.

“Because of the snow, we will leave early on the morning of the twenty-fifth. This is now a hard and fast date, and all entreaties for us to remain must be firmly rejected. We will leave Netherfield at dawn, but we will not have far to go—only about twelve miles—where we will change from my carriage to a coach. Mercer has already left to see to these arrangements.

“The ride will be less comfortable than in my carriage, but the coach can go faster and will have horses better suited to our purpose. Our first night will be spent with Mr. and Mrs. Gowland. Although they are paid by the Council, you are not to engage them in conversation. You will call me sir, and you will be addressed as madam. Georgiana is miss, Mercer is my manservant, and Metcalf is the coachman. No names are to be used. I have stayed with the Gowlands before. The rooms are small, but clean, and their home is amply provisioned.

“I am afraid that you and Georgie will be very tired from traveling, but we will leave first thing in the morning and press on to my aunt Marguerite’s house. Weather permitting, we will stay there just the one night before leaving for Pemberley. If all goes well, we will arrive home with plenty of time to spare. If necessary, I can transform at Ashton Hall. I have done so on three occasions, so a plan is already in place. Since Jeanne and George Wimbley are in town, there is only Aunt Marguerite in residence, and she knows what to do.”

All the while Darcy was talking, Lizzy was holding his hand, and she felt as if she had not taken a breath since he began speaking. He was making it sound as if every contingency had been considered, but what if the snow prevented them from reaching the Gowlands’ refuge?

“There is another Council house along the route, but I would more likely take you, Georgie, Metcalf, and Mercer to an inn, and I would stay outside.”

Lizzy shook her head, and tears began to pool.

“Darling, please remember that I spent two years near Hudson Bay. By the end of my first winter, I lost a quarter of my weight, but I survived. If I can survive in one of the most hostile environments in the world, I can spend two nights in the woods in the English countryside, but I do not think any of those things will happen. We had a light dusting of snow this morning and nothing since. I am taking all of these precautions because of you.”

But when her expression remained unaltered, he continued. “Elizabeth, I would never have asked you to marry me if I did not think you were strong enough to deal with my altered state and all that goes with it. You are afraid for me because everything is new to you, but after a few nightfalls, you will not give it a second thought. My sister is an example of this. While you are sitting here worried, Georgiana is at Netherfield playing cards with Jane and Bingley.

“However, there are things you can do to help. When we are this close to nightfall, I will ask that you do everything I ask as soon as I ask it. If I say we must leave now, please stand up and leave with me. If I say that you must remain and I must go, you must not argue. Do you understand?”

Lizzy nodded because she could not speak.

“Elizabeth, the day after tomorrow, we will marry unless…”

And Lizzy put her fingers to his lips, “Entreat me not to leave thee or return from following after thee; for wither thou goest…” But that was all she could manage to get out before he pulled her into his embrace.

*   *   *

The following morning, while Jane and Lizzy were discussing the next day’s nuptials in their once-shared bedroom at Longbourn, Bingley and Darcy were visiting with Mr. Bennet, who was trying to stay clear of his wife. Mrs. Bennet was running hither and yon but in her husband’s opinion, to little effect, and so he had lured the two young men into his study for a discussion of Napoleon’s expansion of his empire on the Continent.

While the men plotted strategy for military campaigns, the sisters discussed a much more important subject and one that was foremost on the minds of all brides. What would her wedding night be like? Jane confessed that first night she had found the whole ritual to be embarrassing and that she had insisted Mr. Bingley extinguish the one candle that had been left burning so that she would not bang into something if she needed to use the chamber pot during the night.

“I would rather have had a bruise the size of a goose egg than for Mr. Bingley to see me without any clothes on.” With that statement, the giggling began. Jane assured Lizzy that although there was some discomfort, the deed was done in just a few minutes. “But I should warn you that the scene was repeated during the night and again in the morning. You could say that the sun and Mr. Bingley rose at the same time.” The sisters collapsed onto the bed laughing. “By the time I got out of bed to see to my toilette, I was an old hand at it.”

But Jane’s laughter ceased when Lizzy informed her that Mr. Darcy and she would leave Netherfield Park immediately after breakfast on the twenty-fifth, and her response was exactly as anticipated.

“But why must you depart on Christmas morning? Is it absolutely necessary for you to leave for Pemberley the day after you are married? I do not understand the need for such haste.”

“Mr. Darcy promised his aunt Marguerite, who lives near Leicester, that we would visit. Lady Ashton is the elder Mr. Darcy’s sister and the only one left from that generation of Darcys.”

“That is all well and good, but why must you see her at this time?”

“Because Mr. Darcy wishes it, and I am agreeable to it, and that is all there is to be said.” Lizzy said this in a harsh tone, but it was necessary for her sister to know that this was not a subject open to discussion. “Jane, if Mr. Bingley had asked you to do this on the day after your wedding, you would not have said no. I do not wish to begin our marriage by denying my husband the first thing he has asked of me.”

“Well, I hope that Mr. Darcy will allow you to return to Longbourn when I am near my confinement,” Jane said with a catch in her voice.

“Oh, Jane, please. I would not miss the birth of Baby Bingley for anything. I shall be here. I promise.”

But Jane was now clearly unsettled. “Please forgive me, Lizzy, but there is something I must say, even at the risk of offending you. I have thought for some time that there is something unusual about Mr. Darcy. I cannot put my finger on it, but he has a tendency to stare. When he does, it is almost as if he knows what a person is thinking. The other night, just as I was about to ask Mr. Bingley to bring me a cup of tea, Mr. Darcy went and poured a cup for me, saying that he could tell that I was thirsty. Another time, he retrieved my fan because he knew that I was overly heated when I had said nothing about it. It was very kind of him, but I swear he sensed…”

“I understand why you have that impression,” Lizzy said, interrupting, “but contrary to what you think, Mr. Darcy is not staring at you but through you. I have mentioned this to him, and he is trying not to do it. But old habits are hard to break. I think part of the problem is that you are comparing Mr. Darcy’s quiet nature to that of Mr. Bingley’s more animated disposition, but one should not be criticized for being overly attentive to another’s needs.”

“You do understand that I only want what is best for you.” Jane began to cry, which was something she was doing quite frequently now that she was in her sixth month.

“Then your wish has been granted as I do have the best. Mr. Darcy and I are perfectly suited to each other. He loves me deeply, and when I am with him, there is no one happier than I am.” Lizzy stood up and offered her sister assistance in rising. “Now, you must return to Netherfield Park. Tomorrow is my wedding day, and you are my matron of honor. I want you well rested so that you will enjoy the wedding breakfast. I do believe that half the county is attending.”

“Only half?” Jane said, smiling, and she went in search of Charles just as Darcy came looking for Lizzy.

“If you are beginning to think about what you will need for our journey,” he whispered, “make sure you have your gloves, muff, boots, extra stockings…”

“Sir, you have told me what to expect, and I shall pack accordingly. You should really take your own advice and stop worrying. Since my mother has turned our wedding breakfast into a spectacle to rival a harvest festival, I plan to enjoy myself.”

By this time, Georgiana had come downstairs, accompanied by Kitty and Mary. The siblings had already received an invitation from Mr. Darcy’s sister to come to Pemberley in the spring. After nightfall, Lizzy said to herself, and she realized that every plan she made would have that contingency attached to it.

After seeing the Bingley carriage turn out of the drive, Lizzy pulled her shawl tightly around her and looked up into an obsidian sky punctured with a thousand points of light and a waxing moon poised over a distant wood. Although Mr. Darcy had told her that in time the rising of a full moon would not merit a second thought from her, she knew differently. The welfare of her husband and her family depended on her being acutely aware of the moon’s every phase.

“Thank you, Mama,” Lizzy said as her mother tightened her stays, “but Jane and I have already had this conversation.” She could hardly believe that her mother had chosen the morning of her wedding day to have “the talk” with her daughter.

“But you might encounter a very different situation than Jane’s as Mr. Bingley is of a slight build when compared to Mr. Darcy, so…”

“Mama, at this point, there is nothing to be done, and I wish to enjoy my wedding day without thinking apprehensively about my wedding night.” Lizzy gave a silent prayer of thanks when Kitty arrived and handed their mother a letter.

“Oh dear!” Mrs. Bennet said after briefly scanning its opening paragraph. “It is from Lydia. She will not be coming to the wedding after all, as there are no funds to pay for her coach fare. It is too bad that she did not write sooner as there is nothing to be done now.” She continued perusing the letter. “Oh, goodness me! There is more news. Lydia is to be a mother, and she expects to be delivered of her child in midsummer. How wonderful! I shall be a grandmother twice over in the new year.”

Lizzy made no comment. Her sister’s announcement that she was with child should have been joyfully received, but how could it be when it was coupled with the news that she did not have enough money to pay the coach fare to come to her sister’s wedding. As her father had so succinctly put it at the time of Lydia and Wickham’s marriage, “Lydia has married one of the most worthless men in Great Britain.” No good could come out of such a union, and the letter proved it.

But then Mrs. Bennet burst forth with the happy news that Lydia would shortly be coming home, as Mr. Wickham’s regiment was to go to fight in the Peninsular campaign. With Wickham gone, there was no point in Lydia remaining in Newcastle. Although her mother was happy that her youngest daughter would be coming back to Longbourn, Lydia’s sisters were not, not even Kitty, who had learned a lesson from her sister’s mistakes. Everyone understood that with Lydia’s arrival the house would be topsy-turvy once again. But this gray cloud did have a sliver of a silver lining for Lizzy: Mrs. Bennet had left the bedroom to share the good news with Mr. Bennet, and all discussion about Mr. Darcy’s size had come to an end.