Mary Simonsen - Mr. Darcy's Bite

And what of dear Mrs. Reynolds, the faithful housekeeper? Lizzy actually smiled as she thought of Georgiana’s praise for her brother. It was taken almost verbatim from what Mrs. Reynolds had said to Lizzy and the Gardiners on their tour of Pemberley. The housekeeper was obviously in the habit of saying the same thing to everyone who toured the estate, and over the years, Georgiana had memorized her speech.

It would be impossible for his manservant not to know his secret, and she wondered if Mercer had to sweep up tufts of fur like the Bennet girls did for Magic. And what clothes did Mercer lay out for his master on those nights when he knew he would shortly be transformed? Or did he just wear a great coat with nothing underneath? Lizzy understood that these ridiculous notions were a result of her being physically and emotionally exhausted, and she wondered who else might be privy to this dreadful secret.

Of course, Mr. Jackson, the butler, must be among the select few. Surely, he had the most challenging job because he would need to make sure that none of the junior servants learned of their master’s condition. If such news got out, it would spread like wildfire, and Lizzy thought about the possible repercussions. A vision of torches and a mob marching to the manor house shouting, “Kill the beast!” appeared before her, and Lizzy pulled her knees up to her chin and closed her eyes to blot out any scenario in which Mr. Darcy might be in danger.

Although her eyes were closed tightly, Lizzy had the feeling that she was being watched, and when she looked up, she saw a shadow moving along the treeline and then a pair of gray-green eyes. Slowly, the animal crept closer, one studied step at a time, so as not to frighten her. But she wasn’t frightened; she was mesmerized. The form coming toward her was a wolf, a magnificent animal with a lustrous black coat and a well-muscled form. Mr. Darcy had come calling.

She could not take her eyes off of him, but then she heard laughter coming from the stables, and fearing that one of the grooms might walk their way, she stood up and tried to shoo him away.

“Go. You should not be here. Run away.” She waved her hands in an attempt to get him to move in the direction of the woods, and then she saw a second pair of eyes. Nell was nearby in case she was needed, but from her uneasy movements, Lizzy knew that Mr. Darcy’s friend was uncomfortable with him being so close to the manor house.

“Nell has more sense than you do. Please, go now. You might be discovered.” But the wolf continued toward her, and without thinking, she extended her hand, palm up, to let him know that it was safe to come to her. He closed the short distance between them, and while she was thinking what she should do next, he pushed her with his nose, and pushed her again, so that she was forced to take a step back toward the French doors. And then again and again. He wanted her to go into the house.

“You may push me all you want, Mr. Darcy, but I will go inside when I am ready and not before.” Then he nudged her again. “Stop that. You are not going to force me to do something I do not want to do.” But he ignored her complaints and continued pushing her with his nose until he had backed her up to the doors.

“You are not a werewolf at all. You are a stubborn mule or worse, a bully, who is used to having his own way. Don’t you need to go chase some rabbits?”

But then Lizzy looked around, and she realized that with the light of a full moon shining down on the landscape, he was completely exposed, and if anyone were to walk between the house and the stables, they would see him. Nell confirmed this by inching closer to the manor while making whimpering sounds to warn Darcy that he had gone too far and needed to retreat.

“All right,” Lizzy said exasperated. “I will go into the house as soon as I see you and Nell safely back into the woods.” Darcy ran circles around her to show his approval for her decision before sprinting toward Nell. But then he came to an abrupt halt, turned around, and ran toward her at full speed. Just before he reached the terrace, he leapt so high into the air that he was almost vertical, and then he made a dash for the treeline.

“I don’t believe this!” Lizzy said with her mouth hanging open at the spectacle she had just witnessed. “I am being courted by a werewolf!”

It was nearly noon before Lizzy came down to breakfast. Her face was gaunt with dark circles under her eyes, and she felt a listlessness that she had never experienced outside of the sickroom. She poked her head into the breakfast room and found Anne waiting for her.

“All the dishes have been cleared away, but I can have Mrs. Bradshaw make something for you if you would like.”

“No, thank you. I am really not hungry.” The events of the previous day had completely unsettled her, and the very thought of eating made her queasy. “It seems that I have slept half the day away, and you should have done the same. You look very tired.” But Lizzy understood that Anne would not rest until her cousin had returned to his human form.

“Do not worry about me. I intend to have a very quiet evening, and if it makes you feel any better, Georgiana is still in bed. On an average day, she can easily sleep ten hours, and since it was so late when she finally fell asleep, I do not expect to see her until after two o’clock. But her absence will provide an opportunity for you and me to visit. I imagine that you have a great many questions for me.”

“After last night, I have even more.” Lizzy related the scene on the terrace with her nocturnal visitor.

“Forgive me for laughing,” Anne said, “but there is something quite funny about William putting on such an exhibition, although I should not be completely surprised. You may find this odd, but until a few years ago, my cousin was fairly content to be a werewolf for those two days each month. Because he is one of England’s most eligible bachelors, mothers and fathers are always seeking him out on behalf of their daughters, but because of his unique situation, he can show no emotion, as it would be interpreted as a sign of interest in one of the ladies. And, of course, that cannot happen. So you can imagine what a release it must be for the staid Mr. Darcy to run wild and free.”

“Mr. Darcy is content to be a werewolf? Are you in jest?” Lizzy could hardly imagine such a thing.

“Why wouldn’t he be? When he is a wolf, he is free of all societal restraints. For twenty-six days of the year, he becomes a part of Nature with no responsibilities other than to his pack.”

“You said he was content to undergo this transformation ‘until a few years ago.’” She turned around to see if anyone was listening. “What has caused him to change his mind?”

“He wanted to find a mate and have pups.” Anne said, repeating a phrase that her cousin found amusing, but Lizzy’s expression showed that she did not.

A mate? Pups? Lizzy swallowed hard, and there was that queasiness again.

“I know that sounds awful to the ears of someone who is fully human, but no matter the words, what William is saying is that he wants to get married and have children.”

Lizzy felt her heart sink. Children? She had not given any thought as to what the offspring of Mr. Darcy would be like because she was still dealing with the idea of what it would be like to be his “mate.”

Anne could see from the expression on Elizabeth’s face that she believed that as Mr. Darcy’s wife, she would give birth to a litter of pups, but she explained that that would be impossible.

“A werewolf can only sire human children, and they can never become werewolves themselves. In the womb, they develop an immunity to whatever transmits the characteristics of the werewolf.”