Page 11 of You Willfully Misunderstand Me

She turned toward him, and Mr. Darcy lowered his voice. "You and I know the truth of what has occurred. We know there has been no impropriety. But society does not always require truth before forming an opinion."

Elizabeth felt a sudden discomfort, not because she doubted his character, but because she understood precisely what he meant.A lady's reputation could be injured by circumstances beyond her control.And here she was, in a distant place, with no family present and no explanation for why she had arrived.

She was quick to reassure him, "I cannot imagine that this island is so severe in its judgments," she said, though without complete confidence.

Mr. Darcy's expression softened slightly. "Perhaps not. But we should not assume that every place views such matters differently from the society in which we were raised."

Elizabeth looked away, unsettled by the thought, as she realized the greater concern was not their discomfort with one another, but the world around them. And Mr. Darcy, whether she wished to acknowledge it or not, was already considering how to protect her from it.

CHAPTER 7

Mr. Darcy remained standing beside the window, his attention fixed upon the harbor, though Elizabeth suspected he no longer saw it. His mind was occupied elsewhere, carefully weighing possibilities and rejecting them one by one.

At length, he turned. "Miss Bennet," he began, with deliberation, "I believe there is only one practical course open to us."

Elizabeth looked up, uncertainty brimming in her eyes. "What course is that?"

"I would not propose it," he began, "were our circumstances less pressing."

Elizabeth's eyebrows raised, and she replied, "You alarm me, Mr. Darcy."

"I fear it may do so,” he added, as he drew a measured breath.

He lowered his voice, "The difficulty is not merely that we require lodging for the evening. It is that we have already been seen together, and I will not leave an unwed woman alone, without a chaperone or maid by herself at an inn."

She frowned slightly, "I do not understand, sir, why you should not leave me. I shall be perfectly safe." While Elizabeth knew she would not like to stay at the inn by herself, she would do it, were she required to.

Mr. Darcy reached up, unbidden, to push several locks of hair away from his head, feeling mounting frustration with the woman before him. It was not the first time she had stirred his ire, and he felt it would not be the last. "Madam, we crossed from England aboard the same packet boat. Every passenger who remains in this inn knows that we arrived together. They know we are traveling without family or servants. By tomorrow morning, if we continue to occupy separate rooms beneath this roof, every person here will also know that we are unmarried."

Elizabeth blinked, looking startled, "But would that not improve matters?"

"Quite the contrary."

She stared at him, confused as to his meaning.

"The appearance," he continued carefully, "would invite precisely the sort of speculation we must avoid. Two unmarried people arriving together under mysterious circumstances, neither expected upon the island, it is a story that will improve with every telling."

Elizabeth felt her cheeks warm, "I had not considered..."

"No," he said gently. "Nor should you have been expected to."

She lowered her eyes, watching her fingers twiddle with one of her gloves, "I have considered little beyond finding Anne."

"As any reasonable person would." He resumed, resisting the urge to pace.

"The inn is, in fact, the worst place we might remain. Every movement we make will be observed. Every conversation overheard. Every delay remarked upon."

Elizabeth felt a growing uneasiness, "What, then, do you propose?"

Mr. Darcy stopped, "My family's cottage lies some distance from the harbor. It is secluded, attended only by an elderly caretaker and his wife. They have known the Darcy family for many years and are discreet."

Elizabeth looked at him expectantly, but he did not immediately continue. Instead, he seemed to summon a degree of resolve she had seldom witnessed. "If we travel there," he said almost whispering, "I believe it would be prudent to present ourselves as husband and wife."

The words hung in the air, and Elizabeth looked at him in complete astonishment, "Husband and wife?"

He was quick to add, looking altogether embarrassed, "Only in appearance."

She rose so abruptly that her chair scraped against the wooden floor, "Mr. Darcy!" Her voice, raising in alarm.