“Oh, legal, certainly. It is yours in every respect, with no entail to fear. You could ask a solicitor for his advice, though I do not recommend using Darcy’s man. The old boy might disapprove, for I think he intends you and the estate for one of his friends.”
“He does,” she answered with a scowl. “My uncle is an attorney in Meryton. Perhaps I will write to him.”
“An excellent notion. And as we are now nearing Pemberley’s lands, I will bid you a good afternoon and return this rum cake to your family. A pleasant walk, Sister.”
Elizabeth watched him mount and ride away, then turned to face Pemberley. And its master.
Nine
“No,Darcy,mymindis quite made up. Mrs Wickham is a charming woman, but she would not suit me.” Charles Bingley stopped at the head of the billiards table, cue in hand. He straightened his back and made a hesitant posture that was likely meant to appear determined and dared to meet Darcy’s gaze.
“Nonsense! She is precisely the sort of woman you want. Capable and intelligent—she would keep you directed. You will wish for such a wife when you purchase your own house.”
“No, it is no good, Darcy. I’ve quite fallen for Miss Bennet, and is she not also a gentleman’s daughter who was taught from her infancy to be mistress of a house?”
“A small house,” Darcy clarified. “I have made inquiries, and the Bennets’ share was not a large one. However, Mrs Wickham has the rare capacity to stretch beyond her early training.”
“But Miss Bennet has my heart, and she is in no way deficient.”
Darcy snorted. “You would run yourselves into debt within a twelvemonth by letting every servant and shopkeeper cheat you.”
Bingley grinned. “Better to endure poverty with such a woman than a king’s treasure without her. I am sorry, Darcy, but for this once, I cannot heed your advice. I have had three weeks now to know them both, and though that may not be long, I am quite determined. I mean to make her an offer before I return to London.”
Darcy bent over the table to make another shot, shaking his head all the while. “Why such a rush? At least let it go until you come back again. The lady might well forget you, and if she did, you would be at no loss.”
“Miss Bennet would never!”
The billiards cracked, and Darcy straightened. “If you are so sure of her, then what harm in waiting? Come back again in September for the shooting, and then you will know for certain what sort of woman you would take to wife.”
Bingley twisted the chalk over the end of his cue with somewhat more force than necessary. His face contorted in an agony of disappointment and better judgment. “Very well.”
Bingleydepartedthefollowingday, and as far as Darcy knew, he did not detour to Corbett Lodge before driving south. The house seemed quiet without him, for the man was like a great leaping hound, always exulting over life and simple pleasures. In his absence, Darcy’s own more introspective spirits felt withdrawn and languishing. Even Georgiana appeared dull.
He could not decide about Mrs Wickham.
She seemed not to care, and even went about her days in precisely the same manner as before. He was uncertain whether to be relieved or disappointed in this, and watched her all the more carefully to detect some disturbance of mind. And then, he saw it. A melancholy sigh in an odd moment; a wistful watching out the window when no one was expected; a curious frown upon her brow when she was at her needlework.
“You are very quiet this evening, Mrs Wickham,” he observed one night, about a fortnight after Bingley’s departure. “I hope your family are well.”
She looked up, and her expression smoothed. “I thank you, yes. My mother sent over a note that my sister wished for some cordial to cheer her, for her spirits are low.”
“Truly? I hope you applied to Mrs Reynolds. She would be pleased to send some to her.”
“I have, thank you.” She bowed her head again over her needlework, and that was the end of the conversation.
August 1813
ThreeweeksafterBingley’sdeparture, Darcy was out taking the air in the garden when he happened upon her alone. She was walking without her bonnet and spencer, her dark hair shining in the sunlight and the shadowy cut of her figure softly displayed through the sheer fabric of her summer gown.
They both stopped abruptly upon encountering one another, and Darcy felt an uncommon flush through his centre. Devil take it, but she was a stunning creature, and all the more so because she seemed perfectly unaware of it. He bowed quickly to hide the sudden rush of heat to his face.
“I beg your pardon, sir. I will not disturb your constitutional.” She curtsied and began to turn away, but he stopped her.
“In fact, I would enjoy the company, madam.”
She turned back without a word and fell into step beside him. Darcy watched her surreptitiously for several paces but could not determine what to say.
“I believe we must have some conversation, sir,” she said after some minutes.
