July 1900
Darcypassedhishatand gloves to the footman as he entered his own home and glanced up the stairs. Where was Georgiana, and why had she not come to meet him? The greater curiosity, however, was how she was faring with their guests.
“Is Miss Darcy out riding?” he asked the footman.
“I believe she is on the South Lawn, sir.”
He nodded. “Very good. And what of Mrs Fitzwilliam and her companions?”
“Mr Collins is in the library, and the ladies are walking the gardens.”
“Thank you, Wilson. I will change and go out. Oh, please inform Mrs Reynolds that Mr Bingley will arrive tomorrow. See that he has his usual room, please.”
“Yes, sir.”
Half an hour later, he stood on the balcony surveying the South Lawn but caught no sight of Georgiana. Thinking perhaps she had joined the others, he passed back through the house and sought the gardens. Miss Bennet, the elder sister, was easy enough to find, for she was reclining under a temporary pavilion with a tray of refreshments. She leapt to her feet when he approached, but he motioned for her to be easy.
“Good afternoon, Miss Bennet. Is Mrs Fitzwilliam—” He stopped when a movement caught his eye from behind a tree.
Miss Bennet tipped her head with a nervous smile. “Lizzy has always been one to wander.”
“Indeed.” The young woman was, in fact, just stepping through a narrow path between the tree and a rose hedge, one typically used only by the gardener. She had not seen him yet—rather, she was glancing over her shoulder in curiosity, and when she turned round again, her face was darkly puzzled. Then she stopped.
“Oh! Mr Darcy. I did not know you meant to come today.” She hesitated, then dropped into an unpractised curtsey.
“That will not be necessary, Mrs Fitzwilliam.” He gestured to the chairs arrayed under the sun shelter. “Will you be seated?”
Her face adopted a suspicious look, and she glanced at her sister. “Have you some news?”
He sighed as they both lowered into the chairs. “Unfortunately, no. But take heart; it is too early to hear anything of value. My cousin, the earl, has exhausted what resources we have at hand, and we have been corresponding with the officers in South Africa to learn whatever we may.”
She nodded silently. “Mr Darcy, you are too intelligent to trifle with me. What, in your opinion, are the… the odds?”
He raised his brows. Thiswasan unconventional sort of woman. And, despite his cautions to himself, he found her frankness rather… refreshing.
“I wish I could say, Mrs Fitzwilliam. I would like to hope, but just as you do not wish to dwell on baseless supposition, neither shall I. If he has been captured, time is of the essence.”
He left the rest unsaid—festering wounds, malnourishment, dehydration, tsetse flies… torture. Every day that passed decreased the chances that Richard would be recovered alive.
Mrs Fitzwilliam drew up. “I understand.”
“I have written to one who was stationed with Richard to see if any other word is to be had. And, naturally, the son—or, rather, the brother, now, of an earl will command the general’s attention.”
Her brow wrinkled. “Why him, more than any other man?”
“Why, their connections back home, of course. Many a high-ranking official owes his status to some family member in Parliament. Matlock can bring pressure to bear.”
Mrs Fitzwilliam’s eyes narrowed.
“Please, do not concern yourself with the matter,” he relented. “We are doing everything that can be done, and some that cannot.”
The corner of her mouth tightened in what she must have imagined to be a smile. “Thank you, Mr Darcy. Are you certain there is nothing I can do?”
“You? In fact, I am certain there is not. How should you?”
“Oh, I did not mean that I know people to write letters to, or that I can board a ship for South Africa, but…” She worked her lip with her teeth and sought the ground before stammering out her request.
“I meant, is there anything I can do to make myself useful? Everyone else is working or doing something. I am not accustomed to being idle, and I am afraid that two weeks of such has left my nerves a bit frayed. Is there nothing I can do to earn my keep, as we say?”
