Would it be too impertinent to ask him?Perhaps not outright—but maybe in some roundabout way? She smiled to herself in the dark.
She had always been fond of puzzles. And Mr. Darcy, it seemed, was a rather compelling one.
With that thought, she turned onto her side and drifted into sleep.
Chapter 16
The morning sunlight slanted through the tall windows of the guest chamber, soft and golden as it fell across Jane’s slumbering form. Elizabeth touched her sister’s forehead with gentle fingers and was relieved to find it no longer warm. Jane’s breathing had grown easier through the night, and though her cough still lingered, the worst seemed to have passed.
“I believe a bit of fresh air for me will do usbothsome good,” Elizabeth whispered, brushing a loose curl from Jane’s temple. “You would not wish me to be too difficult a companion.”
Jane murmured something unintelligible and turned her face into the pillow, already drifting again into light sleep.
Quietly, Elizabeth slipped from her sister’s room and made her way downstairs. The morning was cool but not cold, and the grounds at Netherfield were inviting in their dappled hush. Dew glistened on the hedgerows, and a faint mist still clung to the fields beyond the garden.
She had not gone far down the gravel path when the sound of hooves and shifting tack reached her ears. Turning a bend lined with clipped boxwood, she found herself face to face with Mr. Darcy.
He had just dismounted, and the stable boy was leading his sleek black horse away toward the stables. Darcy still wore his riding coat, a bit dusted from the path, and his hair was wind-tossed, giving him a slightly less austere appearance than usual.
They both stopped, slightly startled, and then bowed.
“Good morning, Miss Bennet,” he said, his voice warm with civility, and—she thought—a trace of pleasure.
“Good morning, Mr. Darcy.” She smiled, indicating the gardens with a sweep of her hand. “I thought to take a walk before the household awoke.”
“I find I must ride early to avoid the same,” he said with a faint smile. “I am accustomed to a more quiet house.”
Elizabeth tilted her head curiously. “Do you have no family in residence at your estate?”
He shook his head. “Not at the moment. My stepmother and half-sister are in London, at Darcy House.”
“Ah,” Elizabeth said, tucking her hands into her wrap. “So, your current household must be remarkably still. I can only imagine the difference between yours and mine. Five daughters, Mr. Darcy. Five very lively daughters.”
That earned a soft chuckle from him. “Then I suspect your family is never quiet.”
“Not even in sleep,” Elizabeth replied with a laugh. “Someone is always moving, or muttering, or giggling. My father has retreated entirely to his library, and I cannot say I blame him.”
“Do you enjoy it?” he asked, his tone light, but curious. “Such constant company?”
Elizabeth considered. “At times. There is a certain comfort in chaos, I suppose. But I do sometimes long for quiet, which is when I must escape into the outdoors.” She glanced at himsidelong. “Which you must enjoy often, if you are the master of a great estate and have no sisters underfoot.”
“I do enjoy peace,” he said slowly, “but it can come with a cost. My sister is thirteen years my junior and has always been… quiet herself. A gentle disposition, but inclined to solitude.”
Elizabeth softened. “That must be a difficult burden for a girl of that age.”
“She has had good guidance,” he said. “Lady Anne is a remarkable woman, both maternal and firm. Though she is only ten years my senior, and not my mother by blood, I have the greatest esteem for her maternal instincts.”
Elizabeth blinked. “You speak of her with great affection.”
“I owe her more than I can express.”
They continued walking along the path, the gravel crunching softly beneath their feet. The morning sun filtered through the trees, and Elizabeth found herself studying him in profile—his calm demeanor, the faint line between his brows that spoke of careful thought.
He turned toward her slightly. “And you, Miss Bennet? You mentioned five daughters at home. I believe you are the second eldest, is that correct?”
“Yes,” she said, smiling. “Which means I am old enough to know better, and young enough to still be blamed.”
He smiled at that, and the two walked a few more steps in companionable silence. Elizabeth glanced at Mr. Darcy out of the corner of her eye. He did not seem inclined to speak, but his bearing was attentive, as though ready to listen.
