Page 5 of You Willfully Misunderstand Me

A small silence followed as they both considered the strange circumstance. They had boarded the same vessel, bound for the same distant island, yet neither had known the other's purpose.

What in tarnation is happening? Elizabeth off to see my cousin? That is nigh impossible. She is unwell, and at Rosings… It is absurd,he reasoned.Perhaps it’s a farce? What if Elizabeth is hiding something? No, she wouldn’t do that, would she?Darcy was determined to uncover the truth.

As though a new concern had occurred to him, he turned slightly toward her. "May I ask when you received this invitation from Anne?"

"Several weeks ago," Elizabeth replied. "She wrote to me asking me to visit her.”

"And Anne mentioned Lady Catherine was with her?" Mr. Darcy added to confirm what he had heard earlier.

"Yes," Elizabeth said. "She explained that family matters had required them to remain on the island for several months."

Mr. Darcy frowned. "That is most unusual," he said. "My aunt is not one to travel without informing those closest to her."

Elizabeth regarded him with interest, "Then you truly had no knowledge of their plans?"

"None," he answered. "Had I known Anne was there, I would have expected to hear of it before now."

There was a pause as he considered the matter further, "Did Anne say where on the island they were staying?"

Elizabeth hesitated, surprised by the seriousness of his questions. "She mentioned only that their residence was near the coast, and that she had grown fond of the scenery and the quiet of the countryside." She added, “Anne had told me to take this vessel and that a male servant and Mrs. Jenkinson would be awaiting my arrival to take me to their residence.”

Mr. Darcy looked toward the window, his thoughts clearly elsewhere, "And when was her last letter?"

His direct questions began to make her feel somewhat uncomfortable, but Elizabeth continued to answer them honestly, though with some growing alarm for what Mr. Darcy had revealed, "Not long ago, perhaps a fortnight."

He nodded slowly,it is not possible; she must be lying, thought Darcy. He was growing increasingly convinced that Elizabeth was, in fact, lying, "I confess, Miss Bennet, I find this rather unexpected."

Elizabeth wore somewhat of a frown, feeling increasingly uncertain at her predicament. "I had not intended to deliver such surprising news upon our first conversation of the voyage."

His expression softened slightly at her remark, "Nor had I expected to receive it."

The exchange left them both contemplating the strange arrangement of circumstances that had brought them together. Elizabeth had thought she was traveling toward Anne, and Mr. Darcy had believed his relatives comfortably at Rosings.

***

Lady Catherine and Anne on the Isle of Man? No, it is impossible,Darcy thought. If Anne truly had written to Elizabeth, this proves that she is not in her right mind. And, that thought concerned Darcy further. Is Anne losing her mind? Has she a wasting disease?He was resolved to send a London doctor to her as soon as he returned to England.

The information and circumstances surrounding Elizabeth’s travel had entirely unsettled him. Lady Catherine, who was rarely inclined to make even the smallest decision without announcing her plans to the family, had somehow removed herself and Anne from their familiar surroundings without his knowledge.

And yet, before he could fully consider the strange implications, his attention betrayed him by returning to the woman seated before him, Elizabeth Bennet.

He had not expected the sight of her to affect him so profoundly. He had prepared himself for many possibilities upon seeing her again, but he had not prepared for the simple reality of her presence, the familiar brightness of her expression,the ease of her conversation, and the painful reminder that she remained the same woman whose rejection had wounded his pride more deeply than he had ever admitted.

Worse still, she appeared entirely at ease, he reflected.

She spoke to him without resentment, without triumph, and without the slightest indication that she remembered the severity of the moment in which she had refused him. Meanwhile, he found himself painfully aware of every detail he had once attempted to put behind him, the intelligence that first attracted him, the wit that challenged him, and the beauty that had made his efforts to remain indifferent entirely unsuccessful.

He forced his thoughts back to the matter at hand, Lady Catherine and Anne. And Elizabeth's invitation. The coincidence was too remarkable. Anne had written to Elizabeth and invited her to the Isle of Man. Elizabeth had accepted and was traveling there now. On that very same day, he had boarded the same vessel, bound for the same destination, without knowing of either arrangement.

It was not merely surprising; it was almost impossible to accept without suspicion.

Mr. Darcy was not a man inclined toward superstition, and circumstances of this nature demanded explanation. How had his cousin arranged such a visit without his knowledge? Why had Lady Catherine chosen the Isle of Man? And why had Elizabeth, of all people, been invited to join them? Blast!

He studied Elizabeth briefly, careful not to reveal the questions troubling him.

Could Anne have written the invitation independently?That seemed unlikely, though not impossible. His cousinhad always been gentle and obedient, but perhaps he had underestimated her. Perhaps years under Lady Catherine's influence had not prevented her from developing a will of her own.

Or perhaps there was another explanation, she is sick.