“I assure you, I have, sir. Too numerous to count.”
“And your deed and punishment?”
“Oh, no, Mr. Fitzroy. You must divulgeyoursfirst. I have been doing all the talking.”
He reflected before replying. “I was eight years old, and a…playmate and I had fashioned ourselves pirates searching for buried treasure. As a reticent child, I was often led by others. This playmate convinced me to take my mother’s gold locket with her and father’s miniatures painted inside and throw them into the lake on the estate grounds. We were to dive down like pirates and retrieve it. I am certain you can deduce that was the last I ever saw…” Here he paused. “Erm…it was never found.”
“That is terrible! And your punishment?”
“No, Miss Bennet. Not until you tell me your deed.”
She laughed. “Very well. At the age of ten, your school mate Harold Lucas, claimed that girls were not capable of catching fish. I stated that not only could Icatcha fish, I could do it barehanded.”
He raised his brows. “Barehanded?”
“Yes. To my consternation, while reaching down for a particularly beautiful carp, I stumbled and landed face first in the water, ruining my best day dress. Mother was none too pleased.”
A loud laugh escaped his lips. “And now your punishment? What became of you?”
“That was not part of the agreement. You must first tell me the outcome of your unfortunate decision.”
He assented with a brief bow of his head. “Not only were my ears boxed, but I stayed home with Nanny while Mother and Father went on a planned trip to the seaside.”
She drew in a sharp breath. “Oh, that is much more severe than my punishment.”
He grinned. “I will be the judge.”
“Very well. For a month, every day but Sunday, I was sent to visit my aunt Philips to learn new embroidery stitches and to practice the pianoforte for three hours. Then, at home, I had to paint and draw until dinner.”
“I did not know you painted, Miss Bennet.”
“I do not. And therein lies the punishment, Mr. Fitzroy. I was not allowed to read from my father’s library, but all manner of fashion magazines were available for myrefinement.It was a month of agonies.”
“I would imagine.”
“But the worst was when Mama discovered me readingThe Faerie Queenand took it away. I have not found it still, and it was one of my favorites.”
“Of course. It is about your namesake. The illustrious Gloriana.”
“Yes, well, my mother had no love for Good Queen Bess. In truth, she was repelled by the idea I would be named after a queen who never married and instead wished to name me Juliet.”
Darcy almost choked. “Juliet? Why?”
Elizabeth sighed. “My mother…is not a connoisseur of literature. As you can imagine from my punishment, fashion magazines or the tattle of thetonare her passions. With no slight intended, her knowledge of the Bard’sRomeo and Julietis that at thirteen Capulet’s daughter marries into a wealthy house.” She pursed her lips together. “In this world, what one values, another sees as a trifle. For my mother, marriage for her daughters is valued above all else.”
He quietly contemplated his next words. “Miss Elizabeth, that is a truth universally accepted for mothers in every circle. Your own mother’s concerns do her credit. She merely attempts to secure the future of her children. No one can fault her for that.”
“I thank you, sir.”
He allowed the quiet to settle for only a moment and not become lost in maudlin thoughts. “And now, you must divulge where your name came from. It is obvious your mother was not successful in her attempt to saddle you with the curse of the Capulets.”
“I was named after my grandmother, Elizabeth Anne Bennet.”
“A much better choice. You are much too wise to be the heroine of that particular play.”
“And much too old.”
Their attention was caught by the sounds of voices outside the carriage and the immediate change of the road. “We have reached the outskirts of Town,” he said, looking out at the cobblestone and clapboard roofs. “We will be in Gracechurch Street in a quarter of an hour.”
