Chapter Six

Around lunch time, the carriage stopped in a quiet area, near a singing stream, surrounded by trees and soft green grass. The coachman downloaded a basket and a blanket and set it near the stream.

"I asked my aunt to provide us with some food for lunch. Would you mind serving it?" he asked, helping her to hop out of the carriage.

"Of course not." She walked to where the coachman had left the basket and kneeling on the ground, over the blanket, she started to take out the delicacies Lady Catherine had sent them. Fresh bread, ham, cheese, strawberry jam, roast beef, and a few pastries along with the finest white wine.

She served it all in the plates and cups she found in the basket and Mr Darcy joined her in the blanket, leaning his back against a tree.

"Do you think we can make a truce, dear Elizabeth?" asked he, grabbing a slice of bread with some cheese and beef.

"Will it last, Mr Darcy?"

"Perhaps, if we try harder this time." He suggested.

"Sure." She mumbled to herself before she turned to look at him. "I guess we can try."

They ate almost in silence, but this time there was no tension between them. Apparently, they would never agree on some things and if they wanted a peaceful coexistence they would have to learn to avoid such things.

After they finished, she picked up the leftovers and packed it all back in the basket, before she walked down to the stream to wash her hands with the cool water.

He followed her and kneeled next to her.

"I know this must not be easy for you, and believe me, this is as far as the moon from what I wanted, but we have to learn to live together." He said, taking her hands in his, under the water.

"You do not need to tell me this is not what you wanted. I have that quite clear. But I promise you I will do my best to make it as bearable as possible." She said, in a cold tone, pulling her hands from his and returning to the carriage, scolding herself for the pain smashing her heart.

His feelings should not matter to her and once more, she asked herself why on God's earth had he asked her to marry him. Could it have been on a whim? One that he quickly regretted and would have forgotten it fate had not intervened?

Though, she had to admit he did not strike her as a man that acted on whims. But what else could it be, then?

For the rest of the journey, Mr Darcy did not ride along Elizabeth inside the carriage. He chose to ride next to the coachman and she took the opportunity to close her eyes and get some rest. After all, she had not slept much ever since the night they spent in the shed.

They arrived at the Inn by nightfall. Mr Darcy made all the arrangements as she hopped out of the carriage and had a cup of hot tea by the fireplace in the hostel's main room.

"Would you like to take a bath while we wait for dinner?" he asked her when he came to announce the room was ready.

"Oh, yes, a hot bath would be heaven."

"Very well, I will order it for you. Come, I will take you to the room."

Elizabeth followed him upstairs to a pleasant room with a big bed. Mr Darcy had stopped on their way up to ask for her bath and they had merely arrived at the room when the Inn's servants arrived with the bathtub and the hot water.

"Enjoy your bath, my dear Elizabeth. I will see you downstairs when you're ready."

"Thank you, I will not be long."

She wished she had time to stay in the hot water as much as she could, but she had promised to be quick, so she bathed as fast as she could. When she was done, she put on a dark green dress, and combed her hair as best as she could, before she returned to the ground floor to meet him.

The place was crowded, with people having dinner or simply having a drink, but Mr Darcy had managed to get a private room for them to have dinner.

His hair was wet and he had changed into a clean outfit, so she imagined he had taken a bath too.

Over the table, there was a steaming stew, fresh bread, and some boiled potatoes, dressed with olive oil and finely chopped garlic. It smelled delicious.

They had dinner chatting about meaningless things, trying to keep the truce he had asked for and enjoying a surprisingly good wine.

By the time they finished eating, Elizabeth was feeling relaxed for the first time in days.

"Well, Mr Darcy, I believe it is time for me to go to bed, so I will bid you goodnight."

"Yes, Elizabeth, go ahead. I shall not be long either. It was a very long day."

She got up, bowed and left the room. Only a few minutes later, she was combing her hair in front of the dressing table, wearing her nightgown and her robe, when the door to the room opened up, to let him in.

"Mr Darcy, what are you doing here? Did something happen?" she asked, a bit startled.

"No, my dear Elizabeth nothing happened. As you were able to see, the Inn is to its full capacity and I was only able to get this room." He explained as he started to take his jacket and untie his cravat. "Since we are married and we have shared a room before, I saw no problem in accepting it. The next Inn is two hours away from here."

"But… you… I mean…" she stammered, not knowing what to think.

"Rest at ease, my dear lady, I just want to sleep. I am fully aware of our agreement since I was the one promoting it." He interrupted her, with a self-deprecating scowl on his face.

He unbuttoned his vest as well and taking a seat on the bed, he took off his shoes.

Watching him doing such mundane and yet personal things, coloured her cheeks and she turned back to the mirror to finish combing her hair.

"Which side of the bed would you like to have?" he asked her, in a casual tone.

"Perhaps I should use the small couch and let you use the bed." She suggested, leaving her brush over the comber.

"Do not be silly, Elizabeth. That couch would not fit a child."

"It is just that I..." she started, still not sure what to say or why she was feeling so nervous.

"Please, believe me, I will not be overpowered by uncontrollable lust, just because I will have you in the same bed."

This time, Elizabeth felt the fire in her cheeks. Of course, he would not, especially not because of her. After all, in his opinion, she was just tolerable, not beautiful enough to allure him. How could she have forgotten that?

"Of course not. I would prefer the side next to the window if you do not mind, Mr Darcy." She replied, in a very cold, contained tone.

"It is all yours." He agreed, motioning her to take her side in bed. "You might want to leave that robe on, you know, just in case." He added with a mocking tone that had the ability to make her forget the pain crushing her heart and wish she could smash that scowl of mock out of his face.

She did as he said, and lifting the bedcovers, she slid in and closed her eyes.

He blew up all the candles in the room, just leaving one on, placed on his nightstand, and after securing the door, he too got in bed, under the covers, with his pants and shirt still on.

Elizabeth had a lot of trouble falling asleep, with him so close, struggling to stay as far away from him as she could. After all, the last thing she wanted was for him to accuse her of going after him. But she must have fallen asleep at some point because the next thing she knew, the sun was trickling through the open gaps in the curtains and she was cuddled up in Mr Darcy's arms.

Somehow, they had met in the middle of the bed and now she was wrapped in his arms, her head resting on his chest.

'How could this have happened?' She cried in silence, her heart thundering in her chest, as heat flooded her whole body and her breath became heavier than usual. She had to leave the bed before he woke up, she would die if he would ever see her in those conditions.

But how was she supposed to do that if he had her captive with his arms tightly wrapped around her?

"Good morning, Mrs Darcy." He whispered in her ear, killing all her hopes.

She closed her eyes for a few seconds, trying to find the most dignifying way to get out of this embarrassing situation.

"Good morning, Mr Darcy." She murmured, deciding to emulate his behaviour.

"I believe I could get used to waking up with you in my arms, Mrs Darcy." He said, with a naughty smile on his face, one she was able to see perfectly when she turned to look at him startled.

"What…?"

With a soft chuckle, he kissed her forehead and hopped out of bed and putting on his shoes.

"Please, do not take long getting dressed. I would like to get home before nightfall." With those words, he left the room, carrying his vest and his jacket.

Elizabeth sat up in bed, trying to understand the man, but she was getting to the conclusion that was impossible.

With a sigh, she got up and got dressed as fast as she could, not wanting to make him wait for her. She was aware men hated that and she was not keen to bear his outburst on the subject.

He was waiting for her in the same room they had dinner the night before with a copious breakfast waiting for her.

"Please, let's make of this an early brunch." He asked her when she mentioned the excessive amount of food. "I would like to make the rest of the journey non-stop." He explained.

"I see. I could prepare us a few sandwiches to have in the carriage if we got hungry." She suggested, looking at the fresh bread, the butter, the roast beef, and the cheese displayed over the table.

"That is a good idea. Please do so." He asked.

She started preparing a few sandwiches, while he started to eat his brunch. Once she was done, she started eating as well, grabbing some of the eggs, bacon and sausages he had chosen for his own brunch.

Only half an hour later, they were on their way to Scarborough.

Like the afternoon before, Mr Darcy chose to ride next to the coachman and she had the feeling he was avoiding her.

Well, she could not be happier for his decision. Grabbing a book she had been reading from her purse, she dedicated a few hours to reading, but after a while, she closed the book and stopped trying. Her mind was too busy with its own thoughts to allow anything else.

It kept going to that moment in the morning when he kissed her forehead, and replayed his words a thousand times, trying to figure out what he had meant when he said them but getting nowhere.

Around lunch time, Mr Darcy had the carriage stop for a few minutes while he moved to the seat next to her.

"I believe I could use one of those sandwiches you prepared this morning, Elizabeth." He asked as the carriage restarted its journey.

"Yes, of course, Mr Darcy."

She picked up the basket where she had put them and handed him one of the sandwiches and grabbing one for herself.

"Are you enjoying the journey so far?" he asked, while they ate.

"I'm afraid it has been a bit boring, Mr Darcy. There is not much to observe and no one to talk to."

"I thought you would appreciate the time without my unpleasant presence."

"Even your unpleasant presence is better than nothing, Mr Darcy." She admitted with a self-deprecating scowl.

"Then I apologise for being so rude and leaving you alone all this time."

"You do not have to apologise. I am sure it is more interesting travelling next to the coachman than sitting next to someone you find annoying." She said, finishing her sandwich and pouring some of the tea she had brought in a bottle, into one of Lady Catherine's cups.

"I never said I find you annoying." He protested.

"Some things do not need to be said, Mr Darcy."

"And some definitely need so. You are a very intelligent woman and your company can be quite invigorating. Unfortunately, we do not see eye to eye in a few subjects, but that does not mean I find you annoying." He insisted, finishing his sandwich.

"If you say so. Do you have a good library in this house? I heard you had a good one at Pemberley, so I was wondering if you had one here as well." She said changing the topic.

He sighed but allowed her to change the subject. "Yes, I do. Not as big as the one at Pemberley, but I believe you will find enough reading. Can you ride a horse?" he asked, intrigued.

"No, I am afraid I cannot. My mother never considered it to be a lady's activity and the only horses we kept at Longbourn belonged to my father." She explained, tensing up.

"It is a shame. Perhaps you will allow me to teach you. The feeling of riding a horse is quite amazing." He suggested with a smile.

"Why would you want to do such a thing?" a frown drew on her forehead.

"Why not? We shall have plenty of time for that, and I am sure you will love the experience. Unless you do not like the idea."

She had never considered the idea. It had never been up to discussion at home and she had never been the kind to wish upon impossible things. But now it was possible, and she guessed she could give it a try. Like he said they would have plenty of time.

"Yes, Mr Darcy, I do like the idea. I am sure it will be entertaining."

"I am sure as well." He asked her for another sandwich as he went on talking about the wonders of riding. If she had not been convinced by then, she would have been at the end of his dissertation.