Mr. Darcy Goes Overboard by Belinda Roberts Page B

of her action caught Darcy off guard and he fell backwards into the water. Lizzy, not knowing what to do next, skimmed away as fast as she possibly could.

Chapter 35
    An hour later, Lizzy, now back at Little Rosings on the Rocks, found herself restless and unable to settle at any useful occupation. Her surprise at what had just passed could not be greater. Her heart and soul were in turmoil, so she resolved to indulge in air and exercise. Slipping the wooden sailing dinghy that came with Rosings on the Rocks from its mooring, she hoisted the white mainsail and jib and set sail for the open seas.
    The breeze was strong, and white horses broke threateningly over the top of the waves as she left the safety of the estuary. But Lizzy was in no mood to be cautious. The more the spray threw itself over the bows, the more reckless she felt. Feelings of fury, insult, and humiliation lashed her as cruelly as the bite of the wind. It was only as she passed Prawle Point she became aware of another sailing boat coming up fast to her starboard. It cut suddenly across her bow.
    'Hey, you idiot!' yelled Lizzy, when to her surprise, the boat tacked and drew up alongside her. It was Darcy!
    'Miss Elizabeth!' he called.
    Lizzy was furious and gybed to escape him. It was a dangerous move, and she nearly capsized, but righting the boat just in time, found he had tacked and was sailing along her port side, whereupon he handed her a bottle with a screw top, within which was a letter.
    'Miss Elizabeth,' he shouted above the wind and the waves. 'I have been sailing back and forth around Prawle Point some time in the hope of meeting you. Will you do me the honour of reading that letter?'
    And with a slight bow, Darcy himself gybed and was soon out of sight.
    With no expectation of pleasure but with the strongest curiosity, Lizzy turned into the wind and allowed the sails to flap wildly whilst she tried to extricate the said letter from the bottle. It was not an easy task, as the sea was choppy and she was constantly rocked from side to side, but Lizzy persisted, and at last she had the letter freed and in her hand. Spray caused the ink to splodge in many places, but huddling over and constantly wiping water away, she endeavoured to read through the two sheets of letter paper written quite through in a very close hand.
    'Be not alarmed, madam, on receiving this letter.'
    Lizzy was alarmed, and being alone at sea, found herself reading out loud those phrases that struck her most:
    'I will not repeat my sentiments which were so disgusting to you. I write only to clarify the two offences you laid to my charge. Yes, Bingley was in love with your sister, but from my observations, I did not think she reciprocated, and this, combined with the ghastly behaviour of certain members of your family--sorry to offend you--encouraged me, as a friend, to discourage my friend. There is but one part of my conduct in the whole affair on which I do not reflect with satisfaction--I did conceal from Bingley your sister's presence in town. If I have wounded your sister's feelings, it was unknowingly done. As for Wickham...'
    A sudden spray made much of what followed illegible, but enough remained for Lizzy to understand the heinous behaviour of that young gentleman. Wickham had wasted money and opportunity bestowed upon him by Darcy's generous father. When this source of money had dried up, he planned to elope with Georgiana, Darcy's sister, his object being the young girl's fortune! But at the last minute, Georgiana confessed the plan to her brother, whom she looked up to as a father, and Darcy foiled the elopement, saving his sister from disaster and writing to Wickham who, seeing the game was up, left immediately!
    So Wickham wanted revenge on Darcy! All along, he had tainted Darcy's character in her eyes--in the eyes of all Salcombe society!
    The final words of Darcy's now-soggy letter swam before her eyes.
    I will only add, God bless you.
    Fitzwilliam Darcy

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