Posted on Thursday, 18 August 2005, at 6:31 p.m.

Miss Eugenia Watkins was not the prettiest of ladies. For this reason, amongst others, she was still available at the age of five and twenty. It is not to be assumed that she was entirely dissatisfied with the outcome of her best years not amounting to anything in the way of marriage for she had recently discovered a rather novel entertainment to while away her days.

On a sultry August day she had the good fortune to be spending the afternoon in the cool gardens of Matlock House, having been invited thither by her most recent acquaintance Lady Aibhilin Fitzwilliam. A breeze played in the trees above while she languished in a chaise, sipping a glass of lemonade. Aibhilin's brothers could be heard arguing on the lawn below the garden, some dispute over a paltry bird someone had shot down and both claimed to be the victorious hunter. She listened for the amusement value; boys were so ridiculous.

Thinking about them again she revised her opinion. They were not boys but young men and rather attractive young men at that. She was certainly too old to be considered as a wife for either, the eldest being just twenty-two and his younger sibling nineteen, but it did not stop her from imagining what they could offer.

The tone of their dispute altered slightly and Eugenia sat up with interest.

"There's Darcy. He'll settle this." The voice belonged to the younger Fitzwilliam and soon a third young man joined in the discussion.

"What do I need to settle this time?"

Eugenia's eyes sparkled with curiosity when she heard that voice. It was rich and deep, surely someone more her age.

"Who's the better marksman, me or Richard?" demanded the young Viscount.

There was a pause before the man named Darcy replied in a solemn tone, "I'm sorry Albert but Richard is the better by far."

A triumphant yodel was heard as Richard Fitzwilliam claimed the disputed prize. Eugenia hurriedly settled back into her chair as the sounds of the young men drew closer. They were apparently intent on taking the path through the garden back to the house. No sooner had she rearranged her skirts and hair than they did, indeed, appear.

"Oh, forgive us Miss Watkins," said Albert with a respectful bow. "I had no idea you were in the garden." He motioned to one of his companions. "May I introduce our cousin, Darcy? Darcy, Miss Watkins."

Mr. Darcy also bowed with formality and smiled pleasantly as he said, "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Watkins." To her great surprise he seemed to be younger than her estimate, perhaps younger even than Richard.

Eugenia smiled in return, catching his gaze and managing to blush a little. "Thank you, Mr. Darcy."

Richard stood silently to one side and his brother nudged him impatiently. "Please excuse us, Miss Watkins. We were on our way to see Father," said Albert. All three bowed to her and left, their conversation not resuming until they had rounded the corner.

"Darcy, must you have that effect on every lady who meets you?" complained Richard.

"What effect?" His cousin was honestly unaware.

Albert laughed. "Don't mind him, Darcy. Richard thinks the lady would make a delightful wife for himself."

"I do not!" Richard looked horrified but when his brother opened his mouth to offer an alternative he quickly denied that, as well.

Darcy looked from one to the other, not comprehending their joke. "She appeared to be a nice young lady. Is she a friend of your sister?"

"Yes," chuckled the elder Fitzwilliam but he did not elaborate.

The subject of his mirth was just greeting her friend as Lady Aibhilin joined her at the garden setting.

"What a delightful day is it!" she cried, giving Eugenia a quick hug. "Did I hear my brothers go through here?"

"Yes," answered her friend. "There was another young man with them, a Mr. Darcy."

"Ah, cousin Darcy. Did you like him? He is rather handsome, isn't he?" Aibhilin giggled like the young girl she was.

Eugenia sighed. It was a little tedious cultivating friends from amongst the debutantes of the ton but all of her contemporaries were married, it seemed, and she was left with the young, naive set. "He is handsome indeed. Forgive my boldness but how old is he? He does not appear to be as old as your brother, Richard."

"No, he is two years younger. Just seventeen. It is a shame, though." Aibhilin frowned, saying nothing more.

"What is a shame?" Eugenia couldn't help asking.

"Oh, there is something wrong with him. He's not quite all there, you know." She tapped her head for emphasis. "It's all down to an accident when he was a baby." She leaned closer, her eyes growing wide with the excitement of imparting a secret. "They say his nanny was really trying to kill him. That's why she threw him off the stairs to the flagstones below."

"How....." Melodramatic. "Horrible. He was very fortunate to survive." She considered with more interest the young Mr. Darcy.

"What shall we do today?" her hostess said in an abrupt change of topic.

"I fancy seeing a bit more of the estate. Do you think we might have a carriage?"

Aibhilin nodded, pleased to accommodate her friend.

It appeared that Mr. Darcy was to stay for a while at Matlock for when Eugenia went upstairs to change her clothes she encountered two footmen wrestling a trunk down the hallway to one of the other guestrooms. She took note of the door through which it disappeared and quickly returned to Aibhilin so that they might make their excursion.

The carriage was ready but also were the three young men on horses of their own. Eugenia smiled, for young men could never be expected to remain confined on such a day.

"We shall ride out with you a little ways," Albert informed the ladies as they started down the drive. "What direction were you going?" His sister answered him with a name which meant nothing to her friend but the Viscount nodded his approval. The three gentlemen then spread themselves out to better converse with the occupants of the carriage.

Eugenia observed all three as they carried on their innocuous discussion. Albert was a handsome fellow with a noble bearing who frequently smiled. His brother, similar but not quite as attractive, although that might have been his youth, also smiled and often in her direction. As usual, he said very little but she was sure it wasn't due to shyness. Mr. Darcy was more of a puzzle. He seemed serious and then at times would break out into laughter quite unexpectedly. He was by far the most handsome of them all and Eugenia would be lying to herself if she did not admit her heart entertained the notion of capturing his. How to go about it was more difficult to discern but in the end she decided a flirtation would be just the thing to relieve her boredom here at Matlock.

Young men were very susceptible to such pursuits.

She smiled at each of them in his turn, assessing their reactions and was not disappointed in what she saw. There would be plenty of sport at Matlock and she need only be careful of young Richard, for he held the more intense return of interest. It would not do to create friction between them.

***

After three days Eugenia was sure she had never had so much fun in her life. While she had been able to keep Richard at bay with only mildly teasing remarks intended to hold his interest yet not kindle anything stronger, she had great success with his brother who responded to her flirting with an eagerness and understanding for the game.

Darcy, as usual, was proving the challenge. His reactions baffled her and caused her to try harder. Finding him alone in the library one afternoon and knowing they had a few moments before being interrupted, Eugenia had practically thrown herself into his lap to get his attention. She wasn't sure if he actually believed her excuse about tripping on an edge of carpet but his response to her body landing on his was exactly as she'd hoped. Unfortunately, there was no more time to explore him further as Aibhilin and her father were heard approaching the library. Eugenia had apologised and quickly found an empty chair and an available book.

Lord Matlock was tall and imposing, a man with an old fashioned sense of etiquette and, unfortunately for Eugenia, not happy to find his nephew alone with her. "Darcy, come with me," he intoned. The young man got up from his chair without a word, dutifully following his uncle from the room.

"Oh, dear." Aibhilin sighed. "He's going to get a lecture about propriety."

"He is?" Her friend looked downcast. "It's my fault. I should have known better than to stay when I saw him here before me. I hope he will forgive me."

"Oh, I'm sure he'll tell Father that, then. He's frightfully honest all the time."

Eugenia tried to conceal her sudden anxiety. If Darcy told the Earl all that had happened in the library, without a doubt she would be asked to leave. She scolded herself for being a little too eager to take care. After an hour and no sign of the Earl demanding either lady's presence she was able to relax somewhat, determined to put more thought into her next encounter with the fascinating Mr. Darcy.

The next day proved promising. Miss Fitzwilliam had a lesson with her piano master and would be sequestered in the music room for more than an hour. This left Eugenia free to explore the house and grounds at her leisure. From her bedroom window she spied the three young men below, planning an outing of some kind. She opened the casement and leaned out far enough to catch their voices as they spoke.

"The fences are too low through those fields. I say let's take the high pass over toward Bonsall and back along the river." Richard swatted his crop against his thigh.

"Fine with me. What about you, Darcy?" Albert looked at his cousin expectantly.

"My horse is a little too green for that."

Albert grunted. "You can take one of mine instead. I'll have Wallace saddled and waiting for you."

"Thank you," Darcy grinned. "I'll get changed and meet you at the stables."

"Give me a half hour, Darce," Richard said and offered no further explanation. His cousin required none, anyway.

They parted ways and Eugenia scrambled from the window, thinking quickly. There was not much time and she hoped the hallway was clear. Slowly opening her door, she peered out and was satisfied to see nobody was about. Slipping from her own room, she hastened to the door she knew to be Mr. Darcy's and listened for a moment to be sure no servants were inside. There was no more time to waste as she boldly entered and looked around. She was taken aback to see the immaculate arrangement of his belongings. A young man's quarters were generally an unseemly collection of personal artifacts; trophies to be boasted of amongst his fellows. Darcy's personal items appeared to consist of a stack of books on the table beside the bed. Curiosity overcame Eugenia and she picked up the first one, examining the volume. It was not the fare she expected of a young man on the verge of maturity. She frowned at the dry and dull text on the page. Setting aside that book she reached for the next but discovered, to her dismay, that it was more of the same.

"Miss Watkins!"

Eugenia whirled around, startled, for she had not heard the door. "Mr. Darcy!" she whispered, her chest heaving with the shock.

"I'm sorry. It was not my intention to frighten you," he said, seemingly oblivious of the impropriety of her being there. He glanced at the book in her hand. "Have you read Hobbes?"

She gathered her composure around her and smiled at him. "No, I have not."

"Would you like to borrow mine?" His expression was innocently sincere.

Eugenia's smile grew more bold. "That is very generous of you." She stepped forward, standing closer than politeness allowed. "How can I thank you?" Her eyes stared up into his, using every bit of feminine charm she possessed. She saw his adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed and she pushed him further, leaning in to place a simple kiss on his cheek. "How's that?" she whispered in her most seductive manner."

He stepped back slightly, confusion clouding his vision. "Should you have... done that?" His voice lacked its usual measure of control.

Eugenia laughed softly. "Perhaps you would like this better?" This time her lips landed closer to his, catching just the corner of his mouth and she felt him draw an unsteady breath. Then she drew back a little, smiling with satisfaction at the sight; his eyes were closed and the bemused expression had faded, replaced with something much more recognisable. She kissed him again, fully on the lips, encouraging him to participate. His response was not disappointing until he suddenly broke away.

"I have to... to... ch-ch-change into my riding cl-clothes," he stammered.

Her eyes lit up. "I'll help you," she offered, delighted at the prospect. Taking his hand, she led him to the dressing room. "Where are they?" Darcy pointed out the required garments which Eugenia quickly retrieved. "Now, first you'll have to take these off." She could have laughed aloud at the look of shock on his face as she started to untie his cravat.

"I'm sure this is not... right?" Darcy sunk his teeth into his bottom lip as her hands touched his skin.

"Are you unwell?" she asked, using the excuse to place a hand on his brow, then feel his face. True, he was flushed but it was not the fever of illness. "You do look distressed. I think you are too hot." Her hands were on the studs of his shirt, loosening them and spreading the fabric aside to expose his chest. "There, is that cooler?" If he felt cooler she certainly did not.

"I'm n-not sure," he managed to say. "I'm feeling a bit... unusual." He suddenly took her hands in his own and his eyes bored into hers. "Perhaps you should l-l-leave me now."

"Leave you?" Eugenia cried. "When you are unwell? How cruel would that be?" She helped him back to the main chamber and led him over to the bed. "Maybe if you lie down for a while you'll feel better." She pushed him down onto the mattress and began to pull off his boots.

"You are very kind, Miss Watkins," he mumbled.

"How could I not be with such a gentleman as yourself?" she responded, dropping the boots to the floor and climbing onto the bed beside him.

"Wh-what are you doing?" he asked but could say nothing more as her lips once more joined with his.

There, there, young Mr. Darcy. You will feel much better very soon.

***

Darcy grabbed a new neckcloth from the numerous spares and handed it to Eugenia. She placed it carefully around his neck and under his shirt collar. "What sort of knot would you like? I know several."

He smiled and leaned toward her, kissing her fondly. "Nothing too fancy, please. My cousins would be shocked."

They would be indeed! she thought with a satisfied smile. As she was bringing the ends together to begin the knot, however, a voice stilled her hands.

"Darcy? Miss Watkins?" Richard stood in the entrance to the dressing room, eyes wide in disbelief. He quickly collected himself, closing his open mouth and staring at the lady with dismay. "This is highly inappropriate." He stated the obvious.

Eugenia lowered her head in a maidenly manner, her mind working furiously to find a feasible excuse and escape. "Please do not be angry, sir. Mr. Darcy offered to lend me a book and when I came to get it he was having a little trouble with tying his ... well, I offered to help." It was the best she could do under the circumstances and hoped her companion would do his part.

Darcy, although never having had trouble tying his cravat since learning at the age of eight years, was quick to agree, for the lady's sake. Richard didn't believe either of them for one moment but would not embarrass the lady with further questions. He suggested she take the book and leave him to help his cousin and when Miss Watkins was gone he turned to Darcy. The younger man's innocent expression caused his anger to fade, however. Richard sighed, deciding that a discussion with the help of his brother might be a better idea. After all, Albert had more experience in this than he did, not that Richard would ever willingly offer that information.

"Let's go, Darcy. The horses are ready."

Darcy grinned, the prospect of a long ride and some challenging fences already stirring his imagination. The disapproval in Richard's face was easily forgotten.

The End