“I was told it was a boon for the local economy. That no town would have existed at all, and that the rail scarcely even stopped there before. Is that not true?”
Her ire seemed to wear out. She shook her head with a mild snort and let her hands fall from his, then slowly sank back into her seat. “I suppose it is true, but it does not follow that everything your soldiers brought was good.”
“What is that supposed to mean? Do you mean to say they conducted themselves ill?”
“Not… specifically. Not most of them. It was others who were raised above what might be considered just.” Her brow pinched, and she shook her head. “Please, I do not wish to discuss it.”
He sighed and gazed at the floor. They were silent for some minutes, until each began to fidget, and Darcy thought she looked as though she would go. “This is not how I was hoping our last conversation would proceed,” he said at last.
She looked up. “Last conversation? But you do not leave for London for two more days.”
“Yes, and during those days, I will be thoroughly occupied with other matters. Even if I do have a minute or two here and there, I do not expect the pleasure of private conversation. Matters may change for you as well, for now that you have been introduced to the dowager and the earl, you may be spending more time at Matlock or entertaining them here.”
She toyed with the fingers of her gloves, not meeting his eye.
“I would not be surprised,” he continued, “if they invite you to remove to Matlock while I am away.”
“Would you like that, sir?” she murmured.
“Why would you ask that?”
She shook her head, and her hand made a slight gesture of uncertainty.
“Well,” he replied, “to answer your question… yes. I would be pleased because the family’s welcome and acceptance of you can only improve your prospects. If you think I would not be sorry to see you go…”
She raised her head and watched him.
“I would,” he finished in a husky voice. “But I would not stand in the way of your pleasure.”
She smiled, but it did not touch her eyes. “You have been exceedingly kind, William. My sister and I—we appreciate it more than you can know.”
“About her… I had a letter from my friend Bingley just the other day. He proposed coming north later this month on business and asked if he might call. I will be sorry to miss him, but I did reply that he was welcome to break his journey here, or to stay on for as long as he chose. But, if it would be… inadvisable, I could always call him off.”
She stroked one satin glove over the other, a warm blush staining her cheeks. “I believe… my sister would be pleased to meet him again.”
“And what of you?”
“Hmm?” She rolled her head upright once more, and her gaze focused on his face. “What about me?”
“What… what are your expectations, while I am away?”
She swallowed, and her eyes drifted up and to the left. “I am just waiting. Hoping. There is nothing else I can do.”
Darcy frowned and nodded slowly. “Yes. I pray to have some word—something, at least, we can be sure of. This not knowing is enough to drive one mad.”
Her look had wandered—far-away and dreamlike were her eyes as her lips flickered into something like a smile of agreement. He watched her for a moment—the soft breath rising her bosom, the faintest reddish highlights in her hair catching the glow from the fire, the way her throat trembled. Heat spread through his core—a tenderness he ached to express. An image lanced unbidden through his thoughts—tracing her velvet cheek with his own, counting each sweet freckle with his lips, testing the softness of her hair between his fingers.
His heart gave a great seizure, and he clasped his hand over his eyes.Good God!It was not blasphemy, for he truly would need divine help to take captive each wayward thought, where she was concerned.
His sudden lurch had drawn her notice, and she stretched and blinked as if rousing from a reverie. “I suppose I ought to go up to bed.” She stood, and Darcy was on his feet just after her.
“Will you rest easily tonight?” he asked.
“If you are asking whether I will experience another nightmare—” She lifted her chin to look into his eyes. “I hope not, but I cannot be sure.”
“What of some light amusement before you try to sleep?” he heard himself offering. “A book, perhaps, or… what of a round of chess? We never did have that rematch.”
“Oh, no, both require more critical thinking than I am capable of, I am afraid. If I were to seek something to lighten my frame of mind, it would be something simpler… something more physical.”
