Encounter to Remember Chapter 2

Congratulations to the winners of Encounter to Remember giveaway! Mary A Coble won the paperback, and Lara and Linny B won an ebook. I will be contacting soon you by email!

Today is LAUNCH DAY of  the “Encounter to Remember” kindle, and here is Chapter 2.  (The paperback went live two days ago!) If you did not read Chapter 1 in the post yesterday, here is the link for that. As I mentioned yesterday, there is a giveaway, and there will be 3 winners – one paperback book (US only) and 2 ebooks.  All you need to do is comment on the post and your name will be entered into the drawing. If you comment on both days, you will get 2 entries. So good luck, and with no further ado, here is Chapter 2.

Chapter 2

No sooner had Elizabeth comprehended Mr. Darcy’s presence than it appeared he noticed her, as well. He gave a slight nod of acknowledgement towards her and immediately moved back behind the shelves.

She came to an abrupt stop, her heart pounding. He had certainly seen and recognized her. Her mind was beset with thoughts and questions as she pondered what to do. He most likely did not wish to see her. She ought to turn around and walk out of the shop, or she could peruse the shelves in the front of the store and then leave. Her feet, however, seemed disinclined to do her bidding, and she unwittingly took a step forward.

He had given her a brief nod, and she recollected it was much like the one he had directed at Mr. Wickham when the two men encountered each other in Meryton. She knew how he felt about that man, and Mr. Darcy now likely felt the same about her, considering their last encounter. Her foot took another step forward.

Oh! Their last encounter had been disastrous! His proposal had been brash, demeaning, and so unexpected! Her refusal had been so much worse. She could barely recollect the words she had lashed back at him, the accusations she had hurled at him, and the names she had called him in her refusal of his suit.

She still had time to turn around and walk out of the shop, but there was a tugging deep within that tried to convince her to do otherwise. He had been in her thoughts almost daily since first reading his letter back in Kent. As she had walked through his home in Derbyshire and heard the highest praise of his housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds, her heart had softened, and her feelings towards him had begun to improve. She took another step. The floor creaked beneath her.

Her heart pounded fiercely with each step as she drew near him. It beat with the same ferocity as it had when she had walked the halls and into the rooms of his home. She had been so fearful of encountering him, yet at the same time, she felt an inexplicable hope that she would. She had greatly enjoyed seeing the rich splendour of Pemberley.

Her foot unwittingly took another step as she considered her only regret that day had been not being able to tour the grounds, as it had begun to rain. They had subsequently left with only a view of the beautiful grounds from inside the carriage.

She heard Mr. Darcy place a book back on the shelf, and she took another step forward.

Would he consider her impertinent for approaching him? Was his retreat behind the bookshelf due to his not wanting anything more to do with her? Was she being foolish to even consider walking up to him? She could barely think, let alone direct her feet. They seemed to move without any prompting from her, and she could not bring herself to stop and turn around, as she ought.

She took a deep breath, stepped past that last bookshelf, and watched as he gently pulled another book from the shelf. He turned his head, drew his shoulders back, and straightened when he saw it was her. She perceived a small intake of breath, a slight twitch of his lips, and finally, another slight nod.

“Miss Bennet.”

Elizabeth dipped a curtsey. “Mr. Darcy.” She attempted to smile, but whether it was perceived by him to be genuine or forced, she could not know.

After a moment of awkward silence, Mr. Darcy spoke. “What brings you to London, Miss Bennet?”

“I am visiting my aunt and uncle. They are across the street having a final fitting for some new clothes they are having made.”

A barely perceptible smile appeared. “And you could not resist coming to a bookstore unaccompanied?”

She tilted her head and gave him a wide, genuine smile. “Yes. As my aunt claimed, I am stubborn and impertinent to even consider doing such a thing. You know me quite well.”

He was silent for a moment, his brows lowering. “In some ways, perhaps, however in other ways…” He gave his head a quick shake and quickly turned his gaze back to the shelf of books.

Elizabeth cast her eyes down, and her fingers clutched the fabric of her dress. She, who loved to sketch a person’s character by observing their facial expressions, the tone of their voice, and their posture, could discern nothing that would indicate how he felt about seeing her again. She had never been able to judge him accurately! Was he perturbed by her presence or enjoying it? Or worse, was he altogether indifferent about seeing her again?

There was silence again for a moment, then he turned back to her. “When I saw you just now, I… I stepped back, as I was not certain you would want to acknowledge me.”

Elizabeth took her time to answer, realizing he had stepped back for her comfort, and not so much for his.

“Yes,” she said slowly, “I can understand why you might be under that… misapprehension.” She held her breath for a moment as she watched for his comprehension of what she meant. She detected a slight raised brow.

She continued. “I am… pleased to have encountered you, for I…” She shook her head to gather her thoughts. “Mr. Darcy, I feel as though I must apologize for my words and actions when we last saw each other in Kent. I was misled, deceived, and completely mistaken about you and your character.” She paused and cast her eyes down. “As well as someone else’s character.”

Darcy drew in a breath. “I feel it is incumbent upon me to apologize to you, Miss Bennet. I was unfeeling, unkind, and could not have behaved more unforgivably to you in my… in what was supposed to have been a declaration of my hopes and feelings.”

Elizabeth heard the quiver of emotion in his voice while noticing the struggle to maintain his composure reflected on his face. She wished with all her might that she could reach out and take his hand. She smiled, instead. “It seems we both behaved badly that day.” She smiled. “I certainly accept your apology and ask that you please accept mine.”

Every line and muscle in Mr. Darcy’s face softened at her words. “Indeed, I do most readily accept yours.”

She gave him a nod of appreciation. There was silence again between them, until Darcy suddenly pulled out his pocket watch. He quickly pocketed it and looked intently at her.

“Miss Bennet, I fear I have an appointment with someone, and I must take my leave directly or I shall be late. Would you… I would be honoured if you – and your aunt and uncle, of course – would be my guests at Darcy House tomorrow. Do you know if you have any plans? I leave the day after to return to Pemberley, so tomorrow afternoon would be the only time for a visit.”

Elizabeth could feel the pulsing of her heart from her head down to her toes. She was astonished that he would extend to her such a courtesy and honour by inviting them to his home after everything she had said to him. She felt her cheeks warm, but she looked up with a smile. “We have no plans, Mr. Darcy, and I believe I can speak for my aunt and uncle. We would be delighted.”

He replaced the book he had been holding back onto the shelf. He pulled out a card, as well as a pencil, and wrote something on it. Here is my card with the address. Will four o’clock be acceptable?”

“Yes, that would be ideal.”

“Good. He wrote something else down and handed it to her.

Elizabeth reached out for it and felt his fingers brush her gloves. She shivered and felt her cheeks warm. She silently debated whether to tell him of her visit to Pemberley a few months back but quickly decided against it – at least for the moment. She would wait until tomorrow when her aunt and uncle were with her.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Until tomorrow, then.” He gave a slight bow, and then a smile appeared. “Four o’clock.”

Elizabeth quickly nodded as he turned and walked away.

“Did you not find anything to your liking, Mr. Darcy?” Mr. Cryderman asked as he approached.

“Not this time, Mr. Cryderman.” He suddenly stopped and turned to look back at Elizabeth. “At least, I did not find what I came in for. I wish I could stay longer… to look around more… but unfortunately, I have an appointment. I shall stop back in when I return to town in a few months.”

“I am certain you will find something then. There are always new books coming in.”

He said goodbye to the owner and his wife and walked out the door. Elizabeth looked down at the card, his printed name and address on one side, and on the other, he had written ‘Four O’Clock, Until then,’ and then signed his name. She ran her fingers over the even letters. The pencil lead smeared slightly, but his penmanship still looked neat.

As she looked at his name, Fitzwilliam Darcy, she was suddenly taken back to the morning after he had proposed. He had gone out specifically to meet her, and when he encountered her, he handed her a letter. She had initially decided against reading it, but curiosity and a desire to affirm her accusations against him had prevailed.

Just as now, she had been struck by the neatness of his hand. Miss Bingley had been correct in her assessment of it. It was not just the neat, even strokes of his writing that had instantly impressed her as she had read his letter, but the open and articulate manner in which he had defended himself to her.

She slowly walked back to the front of the store, keeping her eyes on the card as she did. When she reached the front of the store, she looked up. “Thank you. I must return to my aunt and uncle, who are across the street being fitted for clothes. You have a lovely store, and I look forward to coming in again in the future.”

“I hope you will do that,” Mr. Cryderman said.

“And be sure to ask for me if you do,” Mrs. Cryderman added with a smile. “I can give you many good recommendations.”

Elizabeth thanked them both, retrieved her cloak, and stepped out.

As she gazed back down at the card, her hand began to shake, and she grasped it with her other hand to still it. She let out a small breathy laugh as she considered what had just occurred. She would never have believed, when she had been walking through Pemberley last summer, that an encounter with him would be so pleasant.

After their tour of Pemberley and hearing the praise of his housekeeper, her aunt had declared that he had to be a fine gentleman. His own father had been highly esteemed by the people in Lambton, the small village where she had grown up, and she was convinced he must be, as well.

Her aunt had heard her speak of her initial dislike of him, but Elizabeth had never mentioned his unexpected proposal and her subsequent refusal. As she had read and reread his letter, and then later as they toured Pemberley, her feelings towards him had begun to change for the better.

And now… she felt… could it be?

Elizabeth pinched her brows slightly as she tried to recollect what her aunt had told her and Jane several years ago when they had asked her how they would know whether they were in love with someone. She bit her lip as the words slowly came to mind.

“You know it is love,” her aunt had said, “when you catch the twinkle in his eyes but cannot catch your breath; you feel a blush in your cheeks, and your knees feel weak.” Elizabeth sighed. She had just experienced all those things, but the last line evaded her. She knew there was one more part.

She turned back to look at the bookstore, and a smile suddenly came to her face. “Ah, yes! Your heart gives a shudder, and your mind is in a flutter, that is when you know it is love.”

She laughed, nodding an affirmative to those two traits, as well. She glanced down at the card one more time before placing it into her reticule. She took a step as she turned around, but suddenly, she found herself sliding. She flung her arms and tried to regain her balance, but the patch of ice refused to give her a firm footing. She looked about in horror as she grasped the air for something to hold onto. There was nothing she could do. She let out a cry as her feet twisted beneath her. Her foot crumpled down the step, she hit her head on the stone wall next to the walkway and fell limply to the ground.

I hate to leave you with such a cliff-hanger, but it had to be done. I hope you enjoyed it, and good luck in the giveaway! Oh, and if you were one of those who received the ebook today, please NO SPOILERS in your comments! They will be removed. LOL!