“There is nothing to forgive. In all honesty, the way you say my name?with such feeling?well…I approve,” she admitted hesitantly.
They stood in contented silence as the coastline drifted past. Elizabeth studied his profile, noting details she had not observed before. The way his hair curled at his collar. The strong line of his jaw. How his eyes crinkled when he smiled.
She settled more comfortably against the rail. “Tell me, beyond the next clue, what drew you most to this adventure?”
Darcy grew thoughtful as he considered her question. “Two reasons. I suppose I wanted to discover whether Iam the sort of man who embraces discovery. My entire life has been ordered, predictable…even controlled. This expedition represents everything I typically avoid?uncertainty, risk, and dependence upon others’ expertise. I confess that I would not have been as tempted to come had I not learned you would be part of the expedition. I had not been able to forget you, and I feared for your safety on such a dangerous journey.”
Shocked by his admission, Elizabeth became flustered and attempted to divert the conversation back to safer ground. “And what discoveries have you embraced so far?”
“That I enjoy your company far more than I ever enjoyed my own rigid certainty,” he replied. “Seeing you navigate new experiences such as learning enough Portuguese to converse, befriending artists, and assisting your father to help Tommy to read has shown me possibilities I never imagined for myself.”
“You have been watching us teach Tommy?” Elizabeth asked with surprise. “When was that?”
“I have been watching more than that,” Darcy admitted. He stepped closer. “Yesterday morning, in your courtyard, when the two of you sat in the shade of the trees, I saw you. The way you listen attentively when a poor ship’s boy struggles with the letters your father has introduced to him, your patience when he asks the same question repeatedly, and your delight when he succeeds. You possess a gift for exposing the best in others, Elizabeth.”
A flutter of pleasure at his observation filled her heart. “What do you think of my father’s project with Tommy? He has taken over most of the boy’s formal instruction.”
“Your father seems to have found unexpected joy in teaching. Have you noticed how animated he becomes when explaining grammar or helping Tommy sound out new words?” Darcy gestured to the other end of the deck, where her father was engaged in enthusiastic conversation with the ship’s boy. “I suspect that the lad may be receiving a better education than many gentlemen’s sons.”
“My father has always loved learning for its own sake. I think he finds Tommy’s eagerness refreshing after years of trying to interest my younger sisters in anything more substantial than ribbons and officers.”
“Speaking of your sisters?Mr. Bennet mentioned that they are being instructed at Miss Peabody’s school. Do you worry about them?”
Elizabeth took a moment to weigh his question before answering. “I am unsure of what this school will teach Lydia. She does not bear restrictions well. At first, I worried about Kitty’s adjustment because she had never been separated from Lydia before. However, prior to our leaving London, I received a letter from Jane saying that, in the short time away from their usual influences, both Kitty and Mary were exhibiting better parts of themselves, so that is a relief.”
“Just as this journey is helping me discover better parts of myself,” Darcy said.
Their conversation was interrupted by a burst of laughter from Tommy, who was trying to teach her father how to tie nautical knots.
“I am pleased to see my father outside of Longbourn. Until this quest, I never realized how stifled he was at our estate. This is the first time in my memory that I haveseen him show pure joy. It is a privilege to share this experience with him. Even if we do not find the lost library, I have gained a treasure.”
Darcy observed, “You are protective of him.”
“I am.” She looked out over the expanse of the sea. “For years, I have heard our neighbors criticize him. Previously, I agreed with the general opinion that my father was disinterested in his family and his estate.”
“And now?”
She peered up at him and found only concern rather than critique. “Now I see the fullness of his character, and I admire him greatly.”
“Yes, I do as well.” Darcy tilted his head toward her father, who had moved with Tommy to sit with a group of other sailors. “It took courage for Mr. Bennet to accept Professor Drye’s invitation. And it took modesty to bring you along. He recognized his limits, his need for assistance. Those are exceptional qualities.”
She smiled. “You are an interesting man, Fitzwilliam Darcy. If you had displayed your own humility and modesty back in Hertfordshire, I might have been chasing you.”
“Instead of the other way around.” He laughed.
“Yes.” Shyly, she looked away. “I have told you about my sisters. Please tell me about yours. All I know of her is Miss Bingley’s abundant praise and her sad history with Mr. Wickham. What is her brother’s perception of her character?”
The tension in his shoulders completely eased. The breeze mussed his hair, and Elizabeth had never found him so attractive. “Georgiana is a sweet girl who has a few close friends. I…well, I still see her as being only ten years old, the age she was when our father died. I fear I am overly protective of her—at least, that is what Richard’s mother says. After Wickham, Georgiana retreated into herself, afraid to trust her own judgment. Richard and I hovered over her too much, which probably hampered her recovery. That is why my aunt insisted that I go to Bingley’s last autumn.”
Elizabeth was pleased with his willingness to examine his own motivations so honestly. “Then I must ask what you intend to do differently when you see her again.”
“I will allow her more freedom to make her own choices, I hope.” He paused. “Foremost, I plan to seek your advice about how to support her without stifling her.”
His desire that she be available to offer such advice was palpable, sending a thrill through Elizabeth. She realized she was warming to the idea of a continuing connection between them. “I should be honored to help in any way I can.”
Her attention was caught by movement near the ship’s bow. Elizabeth was both grateful for the distraction and frustrated by the interruption. Colonel Fitzwilliam and Prudence were engaged in serious conversation, their heads bent close, concentration evident in every line of them. The colonel’s posture carried an ease in Prudence’s presence that Elizabeth had not noted previously.
“Richard appears to value Mrs. Bell’s insights highly,” Darcy said, following her gaze.
