Revelations an adaption of Pride and Prejudice

Chapter 131

Having woken up at his usual early hour, Nick spends a delightful half hour watching Anne sleep. He still cannot believe that a beautiful, smart girl with an impressive fortune would fall in love with a man like him, at best mediocre looking, of no breeding whatsoever, his past filled with shameful dalliances.

But he cannot doubt her love, it is as obvious and as real as his own for her. And she is safe from having to live like Nick's mother did, so he will enjoy their time together without worrying about the future. No man will ever rule Anne, Mr Manners will keep his promise to let her live in freedom, if only because he has a dangerous secret to guard. But Nick does trust the man altogether, no pressure will be needed, he is kind and honourable.

Watching Anne sleep, Nick really has to control his urge to kiss her, it would wake her, and though that would offer all kinds of possibilities there will be plenty of time for that later. She is so beautiful, her features perfectly regular, her hair almost golden in colour, she looks more Mrs Darcy's age than her own. When he has looked his fill, he snuggles back against her side and goes back to sleep for another few hours. No Dora to catch them, and very few other servants. Anne will leave her room first, and if she sees someone in the hall she can pretend to have forgotten something and go right back in to warn Nick not to be seen. With his own room right next door to hers the situation is so much different.

When they finally wake up they can hear the front door opening and closing, followed by footsteps leading away from the house. Nick suppresses the urge to see who is going away, and instead kisses his beloved passionately. She doesn't hesitate to answer his kiss, and now he has to get up anyway to see to his protection, so he takes a quick peek out of the window, spying Mrs Darcy and Mrs Collins strolling along the road towards the park. Is that a good idea? Mr Darcy charged Nick with keeping an eye on his wife, and Nick feels obligated to obey the gentleman. But on the other hand, it would be rather overbearing for a servant to try to give Mrs Darcy instructions.

'What's wrong, my love, have the pigs got in the garden?'

She cannot be serious! Laughing despite himself, Nick answers, 'The garden is perfectly fine, my love. Though a lot bigger than I thought, seen from above. No, Mr Darcy ordered me to keep his wife safe, and right now I can see her strolling towards Rosings with Mrs Collins. Should I accompany them? I can't stop her, I cannot tell a genteel lady what to do, or can I, when her husband has ordered me to?'

For some reason, Anne thinks that is funny. Nick will never find Mr Darcy's orders funny, but then he doesn't have memories of climbing trees together and sailing stones over the lake, Mr Darcy's own, private lake.

'Even Darcy doesn't try to tell Elizabeth what to do, Nick. Let it go, she'll be perfectly safe. She can handle anything Rosings can throw at her. You just come back to bed and love me. You know you want to.'

More than anything.

With only a minimum of sneaking about they manage to leave the room afterwards, finding themselves alone in the drawing-room with their host for half an hour. Actually, it is more like a living area, like Nick's parents used to have. The size of the room and the quality of the furniture are only slightly above what he is used to from his youth.

Anne is so kind to Mr Collins that he seems to have forgotten his usual humility, or maybe it's having his cute little boy on his arm that gives him a new self-confidence. Whatever the reason, the clergyman manages to talk sensibly with both of them for half an hour, Nick taking care to show Anne the deference that is her due as his mistress. Towards Mr Collins he behaves as he did yesterday, almost as one servant to another. Having an influential gentleman's approval gives him his own measure of self-confidence, and it is absolutely impossible to show respect to a man who has so little dignity as Mr Collins, even if he is a gentleman by birth and stands to inherit Mrs Darcy's father's estate. Still, there is not much he has to say on the subject of children in general and babies in particular, so he is certain not to offend his host by treating him with too little respect.