“Not at all, my lady, but neither could I in good conscience present myself as deferential and submissive. I am afraid it is not in my nature, but if you can bear my poor manners, I would express my immense regard and my hope for cordial relations with the colonel’s family.”
The dowager ceased petting the mop of a dog and slowly extended her hand. “You are utterly shocking, child. I shudder to think of presenting you in Society—why, you will horrify and astonish every grand person in London within a fortnight, I am perfectly certain. I think I shall look forward to seeing it.”
Elizabeth’s brow edged upward. “My lady?”
“Girl, when I put out my hand thus, you are to kiss it,” the dowager sighed. “Come, now, you just finished vowing before me that you held me in no awe, and you certainly appear to be a frank and honest sort of girl. Are you, or are you not?”
Elizabeth smiled, then bent to caress the bejewelled hand offered to her. “I am.”
Itwasquitelatewhen the party from Pemberley returned. Georgiana disappeared into her rooms, having spoken hardly more than a dozen words to anyone all day.
Darcy watched her go in some chagrin—he would need to speak with her again before he departed for London, but he was beginning to fear his own interference might do more harm than good. Each time he had admonished her to improve her manner toward their guests, she withdrew even more. It was no good asking help of the countess, but perhaps Anne might be a voice Georgiana would heed.
Anne.He had nearly forgotten her, several times that day. Whether she had been in another room or seated beside him, so often he found his thoughts drifting in another direction, only to be brought crashing back to earth with the reminder of her presence.
If Anne had been offensive, rude, or even withdrawn like Georgiana, he could almost excuse himself for his absentmindedness, but she had not. Rather, she had been friendly with both Elizabeth and her sister, charming with the dowager and countess, and even tolerant of that foolish Collins fellow.
To himself, she had said little, but what did he expect her to say? Theirs was a relationship that required no polite chatter; they were no longer trying to acquaint themselves with each other, and they had the freedom of occasional privacy, should they require deeper conversation. Yet, despite so many opportunities that day, they had never gone off by themselves for any reason—certainly not to exchange clandestine caresses or improprieties. Not even to discuss plans for their wedding or argue about how long he would be away.
Miss Bennet curtseyed very prettily to him in the hall after the footman had removed her wrap. “Mr Darcy,” she said, “I want to thank you for such a lovely day. It was most kind of you to arrange the outing for us.”
“You are quite welcome, Miss Bennet,” he replied.
The lady turned, with a faint question in her eyes for her sister, but she went quietly up the stair. Elizabeth remained, watching after her.
“I would have to echo the sentiment,” she told him. “Today was… a relief.”
“A relief? How so?” He extended his hand as he spoke, inviting her to a sitting room for a few moments before she retired. She followed without hesitation.
“Only that I had fretted over it so long. I had wondered before why I was never invited to Matlock, despite the countess’s apparent welcome. I assumed I was a scandal… or a disappointment.”
“Elizabeth—” He sat in the chair opposite hers and leaned forward. “I hope you will never fear that again. Whatever else she is—and she is a great deal—the dowager is also a grieving mother and a fairly recent widow.”
“I know.” She turned her chin to the side and stroked one satin glove over the other. “I ought not to have spoken as I did. It was wrong of me.”
“You won her over, though.”
She chuckled; shy pleasure evident in her cheeks. “I still cannot believe she did not cast me out of the house!”
“No.” He laughed. “I rather wondered if it would go as it did, for I remember my aunt in better days. She was always one to say or do something to cause whispers. It was she who managed the estate and the family coffers, you know. It was she who arranged that marriage between Reginald and Sheila—not her husband. And, it was she who first made the suggestion that I could do something to protect Richard from being sent off to war. That was what sent him to Wyoming in the first place.”
Elizabeth’s eyes darkened. “I do not understand. What influence did you have?”
“The horses, of course. I was one of the investors, and General Houghton, who oversees the horse buyers, is an old friend. I asked for Richard to be stationed—Elizabeth?”
She got hastily to her feet and began pacing the room. “You? It wasyouwho contracted with the local outfit?”
“Not me personally, no. A representative hired the outfit, but we financed the affair—myself and others.”
“But you were responsible, you—”
“Responsible for what?” he asked.
“For all of it! For… for the Brysons’ wealth, for my father’s long hard days shoeing remounts, for Richard coming all that way, just to drag innocent animals off to war—”
“Elizabeth.” He rose to meet her and caught her fretful hands, stilling her and forcing her to look at him. “If I have done wrong, I am perfectly ignorant of how. It was a service to my country and no small service to my family. You cannot hold me accountable for every unseen result of it.”
“But the results were not unseen, were they?” she retorted. “You do not know what came of my town, the people there, as a consequence of your ‘investment.’”
