“You ought to know. It looks as though you made use of his services.”
Richard shrugged with a grin. “Guilty as charged.”
Darcy poured himself some more coffee. “I thought you military men were early risers.”
“We are also practical. Where there is no lad blowing away at his blasted trumpet, we take our rest when we can. That does not answer my question. Were you not on Wickham’s tail?”
“Probably not, but it matters little at the moment. Aunt Catherine seems to have slipped that snare you set at Darcy House.”
“Oh, yes, I heard something about that.” Richard pulled back a chair and helped himself to the pot of coffee, glancing up at Darcy in annoyance when only a trickle came out.
Darcy could not help a little smirk. “Has she turned up here, then?”
“Yesterday morning while we were all at Longbourn, but we have not heard a peep since then. Mr Gardiner came to speak with me yesterday evening, but I was out. He told Bingley that it had something to do with our aunt, but he did not wish to leave any written message. I had intended to ride over this morning to see what it was—I expect they’ve heard she was in the vicinity and wondered about an introduction. Did you know,” Richard laughed, “she seems to have travelled with Caroline Bingley?” Richard shook his head, a little hiss escaping as he tamped down another wave of wondering laughter. “That is one carriage I would be happy to escort—fromhorseback.”
“Yes, I heard. They paid a visit to Elizabeth yesterday afternoon.”
“What! She would not!” Richard brandished his practically empty coffee cup expressively. “They have never been introduced! Furious she is, I expect, but stooping to visit a farm of no account and have words with a girl of no name with no proper introduction? She would never demean herself!”
Darcy slammed his fist on the table. “Thatis my future wife you are insulting!” he snarled.
Richard shrank, holding up a hand in a gesture of defeat. “I did not mean it quite that way. Did you sleep at all last night?”
Darcy sighed, dropping his face to his hand as his elbow propped on the table. “Not exactly.” He volunteered nothing else.
Richard, still cringing, waited a moment, then another. Had Darcy fallen asleep at the table? “So…” he probed at last, “this visit our aunt paid to your Miss Bennet… she did not frighten the young lady off, did she?”
A sly smile cracked below the hand, but the eyes remained hidden for just another moment. “No.”
Richard drew a long breath in relief. Darcy was a changed man when Elizabeth Bennet was about, and it did his cousin’s heart good to see it. Darcy was more a brother to him than his own brother, the viscount, ever had been. The surly bear who had replaced the amiable fellow at his father’s death had finally begun to crawl back into its cage, at the command of a pert young woman. An exceedingly pert one, perhaps.
“Are you going to tell me what happened between Miss Bennet and our aunt, or are you leaving me in suspense?”
Darcy dropped his hand, a broad grin livening his tired features. “Elizabeth has found the perfect way to deal with our aunt, and she did it in a matter of seconds. Cheerful obstinacy. I understand Drake was the first to hit upon that, but it took him years, and she was not even married to Uncle Lewis at the time. I never had the courage, myself. I was always afraid to appear ungentlemanly, but I doubt anyone witnessing the exchange yesterday at Longbourn could have wondered which was the real lady of the two.”
“Would that I had seen it!” Richard chuckled longingly. “So, vanquished as she apparently was, has she flown back to Kent?”
“Hardly. She has not given up quite yet.”
“Perhaps not, but where would she go? You said yourself that this is the finest house in the neighbourhood, and with Caroline in her company, she was not welcomed here. You know our aunt would never room in the lodgings in Meryton. She has probably returned to London and imposed herself on my mother.”
“Did you not hear of the other member of their party?”
Fitzwilliam’s brow furrowed, then cleared. “Oh, yes, that parson fellow. Of what significance is that?”
“He happens to be engaged to one of Elizabeth’s friends, a Miss Charlotte Lucas. Her father is a knight, though an impoverished one.”
Richard’s face whitened in a mixture of lively amusement and horror. “She wouldn’t!”
“She is very determined. She has some special obsession with Anne becoming a Darcy.” He shrugged. “Even sickly as she is, Anne has a title and an estate in her own right. She could have done much better than me, but she seems to follow her mother’s lead. It must be difficult to do otherwise.
“As for Miss Bingley, she knows I would never marry Anne, but I expect she hoped our aunt could do enough to turn me away from Elizabeth. Neither of them is quite rational about the matter. No, I imagine they have not gone to London but have installed themselves at Lucas Lodge, which means we should be expecting a call… right about now.”
Even as he spoke, Richard’s head came up at the grinding sound of carriage wheels on the drive. He looked back to Darcy, eyes narrowed. “You should have gone into the military.” Darcy’s eyes crinkled over his cup as he drained the last dregs of coffee.
Chapter 31
“AuntCatherine!Howwonderfulto see you this morning! I do hope you have not given yourself too much trouble in coming to us here in Hertfordshire.” Richard bowed grandly before his aunt. “And Cousin Anne, delightful to see you again! I had no notion you had travelled as well.” Richard gently took his cousin’s hand and led her to a comfortable chaise within convenient distance of the hearth.
