Mrs Darcy (Complete)

Chapter 4

I opened my eyes and found myself in a familiar, but still strange bedroom. I sat up in the huge bed and looked about at the bedroom which I hadn't been in for years. It was the bedroom at Pemberley house. Mr Darcey's estate. I got out of bed and dressed myself, tied my hair half up and made my way down the smaller wooden staircase to the ground floor. "Annabelle?" I said through the hallways. My voice didn't echo like it did at Rosings. After calling for a little while and re-exploring the house, I discovered Georgiana in a drawing room reading a book. The girl was ten years my younger, but put herself forward as being quite adult indeed. "Oh, do forgive me, Miss Darcy. I was looking for my sister" I curtsied to the girl and turned as though to close the door while leaving.

"Miss Eve, your sister is not here" The girl replied, standing from her position to face me. "She has been out riding in the estate with her fiance" Georgiana told me.

"Right. Thank you, Lady Georgiana" I curtsied to my host's daughter and closed the door as I left.I made my way to the front door and put my hand on the door knob, ready to open the door.

Suddenly, the door swung open and I leaped back, stunned that I was almost hit by a wooden door. "Ah, Miss Baasch!" The younger Mr Darcy exclaimed as he opened the door and spotted me.

"Mr Darcy" I replied, a little taken aback by his appearance. "And Mr Darcy" I curtsied to the gentlemen as they entered the house one after another. Both of them carried small animals and birds over their shoulders and hunting rifles in their free hands. The elder Mr Darcy must have seen my reaction and acted quickly.

"Son, take these and put them in the shed. You know how our hunting activities infuriates your sister" The elder Mr Darcy instructed to his son, handing him his gun and prised animals.

Fitzwilliam kept looking at me for a moment, as though examining me like I were a zombie. Then he looked at his father strangely for a second, before looking briefly back at me.  "Of course" He replied to his father and took his musket, but struggled to hold both sets of slaughtered animals and both muskets.

I stepped forward and took the muskets from Fitzwilliam's dodgy grip and held them in my hands. "I will carry these for you" I told the younger Mr Darcy with a small smile.

"Thank you, Miss Baasch" The gentlemen replied at the same time. The elder gentleman held the front door open for me as I walked out in front of his son and stopped just outside the door to wait for Fitzwilliam. He came out after me with two hands full of dead small animals and started to walk beside me. He was quite at first, but when I spoke, the mood shifted.

"The zombies at Rosings..." I began, being careful what I said.

"Yes. I'm told the one you were faced with had her brains splattered all over you and the room" Darcy told me, glancing at me only twice.

"She was so kind to me and did not threaten me at all. Does that mean that all undead could be like her... without first consuming brains, that is?" I asked Darcy as we walked together down the path in the centre of the front garden toward the large shed at the corner of the house beside the wild berry bushes.

"A newly infected zombie is almost impossible to detect. Until they've ingested their first human brains, at which point the transformation accelerates with every subsequent kill" Darcy said to me, almost completely ignoring my eyes. We arrived upon a small wooden room with no windows and a small door. I opened it and checked inside before stepping in. There was a small candle in glass in the corner by the door and I picked it up, illuminating the face which appeared beside mine, which surprised me. It was only Darcy as he stepped past me to hang the birds on hooks. "I would like to speak to you soon" He suddenly said while I handed him each musket.

"I am here with you now, you can say what you want to" I replied, constantly confused it seemed at his puzzling words. "The lakeside at sunset" I suggested.

"Until then, Miss Baasch" Darcy said and kissed my hand nicely.

A little while later, the sun was shining and I was sitting on a chair in the garden in front of the house. The huge stone staircase of the gardens were before me and I looked at them, watching as peaceful ducks and swans chose to fly up and down or use the sloping grass on either side of the stairs. How I envied creatures who could fly. I thought to myself how my sister would feel if she found out how I felt about Mr Darcy and the games that he played to mould and reshape my affection. For years I had been subject to his touching games, but I was never able to force myself to touch him as he seemed to do to me. It was fun games when we were children to try and get the other one to laugh or scream, and as young adults our emotions played on us even more. Mine did at least. But now as I turn 26 and Fitzwilliam will be 27, it really is time that we stop with the silly games and find ourselves marriage partners before my status becomes lower and I lose my friends.