Lady Julia’s brow furrowed deeper. “I must insist on an explanation,” she declared. “How is it that you are all so familiar?”
Georgiana’s gaze mirrored her cousin’s bewilderment. “Brother?” she prompted, seeking clarification.
Darcy exhaled slowly, his gaze never leaving Elizabeth’s. “Lady Elizabeth and I became… acquainted this spring,” he said weakly.
Elizabeth’s fists balled. “Acquainted,“ she repeated, the word tasting bitter on her tongue. “Is that all it was?”
Darcy’s jaw tightened, a muscle feathering beneath the skin. “Elizabeth...”
The use of her given name sparked a handful of gasps from the others, and sent a shiver of warmth through her belly. Oh, how many times had she heard him saying her name in her dreams? But she was too angry with him to soften so easily.
She crossed her arms. “I demand an answer. More ‘smuggling’ to tamp down for the Crown? A life given over in service to a Prince who can hardly be bothered to remember your existence, save when you can be prodded into amusing him?”
His throat bobbed. “It was not like that. I—”
The colonel clapped his hands together. “Darcy, shut up. You will only make it worse for yourself.”
“Richard,” Darcy growled between his teeth, his eyes never leaving Elizabeth. “This is a private conversation.”
“There you go again. I swear, man, it is like you have a death wish. Well, now,” he said, forcing a chuckle. “Shall we at least attempt civility? Let us call for more tea. Julia, dear, ring for Mother. I’ve a feeling we could use a bit of leaven in the lump. For a certainty, we cannot leave them alone, or one of them may not survive.”
Lady Julia’s eyes narrowed. “Richard, what have you involved yourself in?”
He held up his hands in mock surrender. “I assure you, dear sister, I am merely an innocent bystander in this tale.”
Georgiana stepped forward tentatively, her gaze pleading. “Lady Elizabeth, please... what is happening?”
Elizabeth tore her eyes from Darcy’s, turning to the younger woman with a softening expression. “I am attempting to understand why your brother seeks to abandon his entire life for some foolhardy quest.”
Her chest rose and fell in rapid, uneven breaths. She looked once more at Darcy, whose face had lost all color. His lips parted as if to speak, but still, nothing of any use came out.
Lady Julia made a sound—half outrage, half confusion—and turned on her heel. “This is intolerable. Ishallfetch Mama. At once.” She swept from the room, skirts swishing behind her, the door clicking shut with a finality that felt almost symbolic.
Richard exhaled and folded his arms, muttering, “Well, that ought to go well.”
But Elizabeth ignored him. She took another step toward Darcy, her voice low and trembling. “If you think to disappear to Portugal without so much as a farewell, then you are a coward.”
His eyes snapped to hers. “Do not call me that.”
“What else would you call a man who flees the very thing he wants?” Her voice broke. “Have you even spoken to Mr. Bingley? I can see by your face you have not. You said nothing—nothing—to me or anyone else who cares for you. No word, nothing! I feared for a while that you might be dead and I knew not how to find out. After everything. After being shot, after—”
“You think I did not want to?” he interrupted, his voice hoarse. “You think it has been easy to stay away?”
“Then why did you?” she cried. “Why vanish? Why say nothing? Why Portugal?”
He ran a hand through his hair, exasperated. “Because I was trying to survive. Because I thought it would be easier, less painful, to vanish from your world than remain in it with no place and no claim—”
“You are a fool,” she whispered.
He blinked. “I know. A fool, and… and yes, a coward.”
“No,” she said louder, eyes glistening. “The man I met—he was not a coward. He waited, he planned, he turned and fought. He went back for the people he loved, even if it meant a bullet or the noose.”
Darcy flinched.
Elizabeth pressed on. “So do not tell me this is about survival. Do not insult me by pretending this is noble.”
“I am not pretending!” he snapped. “Do you not understand? I have nothing left. No home. No family lands. No standing. Nothing I could offer you except the pleasure of having your name dragged through the muck alongside mine.”
