“That is true.” Darcy looked at him wryly. “May I inquire something of you, Wendell?”
“Certainly!”
“If we are now on our way, and as you are the captain, who is sailing the ship?”
“Ah, how often I am asked that question! I do have others perfectly capable of taking the helm. Be not dismayed, Darcy, you are in good hands.”
“I did not doubt that, sir.”
“Good.”
Darcy noticed the young lady he observed earlier coming toward them and pass by them. She nodded to the captain, glanced in Darcy’s direction, and continued on.
“Captain, another question, if you do not mind.”
“Yes?”
“Do women often make this voyage unescorted?”
“Yes, frequently. On each voyage I normally have a handful. They do it for various reasons, usually financial. But do not fear, Darcy, I issue them some commonsense guidelines and try to ensure that there is no impropriety aboard this vessel. You can be confident of that.”
“Thank you, Captain. I am reassured to hear that.”
“Good. I would not want to have to use my upper hand in keeping you in line with the ladies on board.”
“Do not worry yourself, Captain. I have only seen meagrely tolerable women on this ship; certainly none handsome enough to tempt me in the least.”
The captain laughed. “Darcy, you have not changed one bit in the years I have known you. You and your impeccable, fastidious nature. I have seen several whom I would regard as quite pretty.”
“I have no intention on this voyage to give consequence to ladies who have been unable to secure a husband for themselves in England and who are determined to find one aboard this sailing vessel even before arriving in America. It is apparent to me that the ladies on this ship, for the most part, have very little beauty and no breeding at all. Most are decidedly beneath my station.” At this the captain raised his eyebrows. Darcy continued, “As it is, my main goal is to retrieve Georgiana and return her to England, not to seek out a female diversion; let alone secure for myself a wife.”
“You are still the interminable critic. Always determined to be displeased with everything and everyone you meet. Well, Darcy, I shall leave you to your scrupulous musings. If you will excuse me, sir, I need to see to the passengers on my ship.” The captain smiled and walked away, wondering just what it would take to penetrate the Darcy armour.
“Of course,” Darcy nodded as the captain turned and walked away.
Elizabeth’s eyes opened wide and her jaw dropped in derision as she heard the gentleman’s disagreeable assessment of his fellow passengers. She turned and eyed the man who had been standing with his back to her, talking with the captain. She had not intended to eavesdrop, but as she walked past them, there was a vague sense of familiarity with the gentleman, but not such that she could put her finger on. When she saw a bench situated directly behind where they were standing, she decided to take a seat there, hoping to hear something that would help her determine if she had met him before. However, after overhearing his caustic words, she was quite certain she had never made his acquaintance and was even more certain she did not wish to.
At that moment, Darcy turned to walk on and saw Elizabeth sitting directly behind him, her eyes mocking, one brow raised. Darcy tensed, feeling at the moment the object of this young lady’s scorn, believing she had heard his every word. He turned away from her and briskly walked to the other side of the ship.
He certainly seems to think himself above everyone, she mused. Not one lady handsome enough to tempt him, and most everyone decidedly beneath his station. She stood up and brushed her hands lightly over her dress, walking over to the ship’s rail. If Jane were here, or perhaps her good friend Charlotte, she would heartily laugh at this gentleman’s blatantly proud and arrogant manner.
Darcy proceeded to the other side of the ship and leaned against the hull, holding himself stiffly. He watched people coming and going, trying to appear as indifferent and as invisible as he could, so he would be left alone.
The winds picked up a little and the sails billowed out even more. Darcy was anxious to see the Dover cliffs and watch the coast of England as they sailed past. He turned to walk over to the other side of the ship and took in a deep breath, recognizing that first scent of salty air. He contentedly let it out slowly when suddenly a great sound from above caught his attention and prompted him to look up.
Elizabeth had been drawn out of her reverie, watching the land pass by, when the remaining sails were unfurled and, in catching the wind, abruptly propelled the ship faster.
“Oh my!” exclaimed Elizabeth in awe as she glanced up at the magnificent ship in full sail. She brought her hand up to secure the bonnet on her head as she stepped back a few steps to get a better view.
Darcy continued to gaze upward at the magnificent sight as he strolled across the deck of the ship. Being more captivated with the sails than where he was going, he was suddenly dismayed when he inelegantly collided with someone. He looked down and found himself face-to-face with the young lady he had seen earlier.
Elizabeth’s eyes continued to sparkle in delight from the sight of the sails as she turned her gaze to the man into whom she had just collided. Unwittingly, Darcy found himself captivated by those eyes, but when Elizabeth saw who it was, the sparkle quickly departed.
“Excuse me. Please forgive me!” As he said these words and reached out his hands to steady her, a very fleeting memory teased his thoughts. He looked at her, wondering if she would return a look of recognition, but instead she gave him one that reflected an air of indifference, laced with a touch of agitation, as she coolly replied to him that no harm was done.
After Elizabeth collected herself and walked past the gentleman, she wondered, as well, what it was that swept through her mind when they collided. He was of a higher class than she and not someone she would have an occasion to know. So what was that tenuous recollection that touched her mind and then evaporated? She shook her head absently as any sort of remembrance eluded her. She doubted that he would ever have heard of the little village of Meryton, let alone visited it. And when she was in Town visiting her aunt and uncle, it was highly unlikely that he would frequent the Cheapside area in which the Gardiners lived.
Her determined departure from his presence, however, did not remove thoughts of her from his mind. He concluded she was definitely not a woman of society, most likely had very little fortune and connections, and would, by all means, be most ill suited for him. He turned back to the cliffs, which were now growing smaller in the distance, and for some strange reason found himself sighing.
Chapter 3
Elizabeth walked briskly away from the gentleman whose character she had determined to be proud and disagreeable, but lingered up on deck as long as she was able to see the coast of England. She leaned against the rail of the ship, letting the breeze lightly play against her face as she kept her eyes set upon the shore. At length it slowly grew smaller and smaller and soon the last vestiges of it disappeared from the horizon. At that moment her stomach quickened and she wondered with a fleeting sense of apprehension whether she had made a sensible decision in making this voyage. Tears pooled in her eyes as the realization hit her that she would be at the mercy of the unpredictable seas, changing weather conditions, and this large piece of floating wood for at least the duration of a month, and then have to endure it on the return voyage. Would she ever see her family and England again?
With land no longer visible, the ship was completely surrounded by a vast array of blues from both the sky above and the sea below. Each was dotted with splays of white, in the puffy clouds and the tips of the waves as the ship glided through the water. The weather was comfortably warm, but the constant breeze demanded that she wear her shawl. She hugged it closer to herself as a chill swept through her. Whether it was from the breeze or a disquieting feeling, she could not settle on.