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Mr. Darcy had a problem: he was in love with his friend. He had always suspected something like this would happen, but now he had little idea of what to do about it. It hardly helped that Elliot Bennet was staying at his house. How was he supposed to maintain his composure? He decided it would be best to ask him to leave.
Elliot Bennet had a problem: he was in love with his friend. He had always suspected something like this would happen, but now he had little idea of what to do about it. If he attempted anything, surely Darcy would be intensely offended. Did he trust him enough to tell him the truth? It could destroy so many lives if anyone ever found out.
Mr. Darcy asked Mr. Bennet to accompany him on a walk. When they were alone outside, the sun setting brilliantly in the summer sky, he began, “Bennet, I-” he stopped. How was he supposed to continue when the face looking at him was so alluring in the half light of a fading sun?
“Yes, Darcy?” Elliot thought he would burst.
“It would be best…” he stopped.
Elliot took his hand, Darcy noticed again how dainty Elliot’s fingers were, almost like a girl’s. He moved closer unconsciously. His friend’s face was upturned towards his, it seemed almost inviting
“I have to tell you something,” Elliot said in a whisper.
“There is a matter I need to discuss as well.”
Neither of them spoke. The feel of his hand was becoming too intense to ignore, in an act of madness, Darcy brought Elliot’s hand to his lips. “I love you,” he said.
“I am a woman,” Elliot said.
“A woman!” cried Darcy, but he did not recoil. How was this possible!
“My family raised me as a man to break the entail. Now that my father is dead, I must continue or we will lose everything.”
Darcy looked deeply into his friend’s eyes. There was no longer any need for prudence. He kissed Elliot.
“What can be done?” Elliot asked softly, “I can never live as a woman.”
Darcy was unbuttoning his shirt, revealing the cotton wrap that hid his own feminine form. Elliot gasped. “I can never live as a woman either. Pemberley is also entailed,” Darcy said.
“My God,” Elliot said, resting a hand on his chest, “I never imagined.”
“I had no idea that you were- what should I call you?”
“I feel more like Elliot now.”
“I wish that anyone called me 'Anne,'” she said.
“Anne,” Elliot embraced his friend, looked deeply into her eyes and said, “is it not extraordinary difficult to relieve yourself at balls?”
“Yes! It is nearly impossible to find some privacy! I have held it in for hours searching for somewhere to go.”
“I need to show you, I designed a tube that I can use discreetly. It has solved a lot of problems. I carry it in my inner jacket pocket, in a bit of leather. I have to clean it frequently but it has done wonders.”
“Ingenious! I have a servant who knows who I really am, but when I am at a gentlemen's club, that would be so helpful. What fabric do you use for binding? I was using silk but it cut into my arm pits.”
“I use cotton too! How do you tie it?”
Anne finished unbuttoning her shirt and took it off.
“Oh this is a much better knot, can your man show mine how this is done?”
“Of course! Or you can take it apart here and…”
“Should we go somewhere more private?”
“I think we should.”
FINIS