The attorneys proved no comfort whatsoever. Three separate meetings at the firm in Lincoln’s Inn left Darcy feeling colder each time he emerged back into the crowded London streets. The senior solicitor—a cautious gray-haired man named Wentworth who had served the family since before Darcy’s birth—spoke with increasing delicacy the further they progressed through the accounts.
“Your father possessed… considerable obligations.”
Darcy sat very still across the polished desk. “How considerable?”
Wentworth hesitated, then he slid the final column of figures across the desk.
Darcy stared at the total in silence.
For several moments, even the noise of carriage wheels outside seemed to vanish entirely.
Impossible.
The debts exceeded nearly everything liquid the estate possessed.
London accounts.
Gaming debts.
Loans discreetly hidden through intermediaries.
Mortgages against future income.
Outstanding obligations attached even to portions of the estate itself.
Pemberley remained intact.Barely.
But only because generations of Darcys before George had built enough wealth and land to withstand one man’s recklessness.
“Good God,” Bingley muttered softly beside him after glancing at the numbers.
Wentworth removed his spectacles tiredly. “There is positive news in one respect.”
Darcy looked up.
“Miss Darcy’s fortune remains untouched. Lady Anne’s marriage settlements protected the entirety of her dowry and all associated interest for Miss Georgiana exclusively.”
For the first time since entering the office, Darcy felt genuine relief loosen his chest slightly. “How much?”
Wentworth named the figure.
Darcy let out a slow breath of relief.It was enough.
Not vast wealth by Pemberley standards, but enough.
Enough to ensure Georgiana’s future remained secure regardless of what happened to the estate itself. Enoughannual interest to support her education properly. Enough for governesses, masters, servants, and eventually a respectable dowry should Pemberley fail entirely.
George Darcy might have neglected his daughter in life, but Lady Anne’s family had protected her in law.
Darcy sat back slowly. “And the estate?”
Wentworth’s silence answered before the words did.
“The house requires substantial repair. Several tenant leases have lapsed for want of attention and the western farmland has not been properly worked in years.” The solicitor folded his hands on the desk. “If every debt is honored immediately, liquid reserves will diminish… considerably.”
“Say it plainly.”
Wentworth looked genuinely uncomfortable. “You are not bankrupt, Mr. Darcy. But unless income improves rapidly, Pemberley may become dangerously close.”
