Page 77 of Mr. Darcy Comes to Town

The farmwife took back the cloth and handed him the plate of buttered loaf slices. “Nay, she did not. Where’d Harry find such a thing?”

“No one knows,” Darcy said, taking a loaf slice. “Miss Elizabeth hopes to discover his origins.”

“If anyone can, it’ll be herself,” Mrs. Godbed said. Spying her children roughhousing, she called out, “That’s enough of that, you three!”

The children fell apart, promising they meant no harm.

“More energy than sense, some days,” she observed in an aside to Darcy. Calling out once more, she said, “Iffen ye wants somethin’ t’do, take a basket t’the orchard and pick up the windfalls. Bring ‘em back here, mind. Don’t leave ‘em sittin’ under the trees. We’ll sort ‘em when yer done.”

“Yes, mum,” the children said as one. They collected a basket from another shed and headed off together.

Darcy finished his loaf slice. “I think you should enter this loaf in the next fête.”

“Thank ye, sir. I mean to,” Mrs. Godbed said, grinning.

“Ah, here comes Miss Elizabeth and your good husband.” How lovely she is. And, how well she interacts with this farming family.

“Have you eaten all that loaf, Mr. Darcy?” Miss Elizabeth asked when she entered the shed, spying him wiping his fingers on a napkin.

“Here ye are, miss,” the farmwife said, passing a clean damp cloth to her. “I don’t doubt ye’ve had yer ‘ands all over that sow.”

“I ‘ave and all,” Miss Elizabeth said, trying on their accent and wiping her dirty fingers.

Though the couple chuckled, Mrs. Godbed said, “Now, miss. It isn’t proper fer ye to talk like us. What would yer mother say, I wonder?”

Miss Elizabeth chuckled, and then grimaced. “I expect she would try to wash my mouth out with soap, and then make me stand in a corner, repeating a diction exercise, like ‘In Hackney, Haddenham, and Hampshire, how do your heavenly hollyhocks grow?’”

This brought on another bout of chuckles. Miss Elizabeth’s expression changed to one of enquiry. “Have you heard of anyone missing a guinea pig, Mrs. Godbed? Mr. Godbed?”

“No, miss. Mr. Darcy done asked me that already, he has,” Mrs. Godbed said. “But I’ll ask me friends.”

“Thank you,” Miss Elizabeth said. She looked at Darcy, removing her apron. “Are we ready to continue our drive?”

“We are,” Darcy said, nodding to their hosts. “Until tomorrow, then?”

“Aye, sir,” they both said.

“Now, where have I put my gloves?” Lizzy asked, looking about the shed.

“They are here,” Mr. Darcy said, picking them up off the chair where she had sat earlier.

“Thank you,” she said, exchanging her gloves for the apron.

He lifted an eyebrow and tucked the folded garment under his arm. Mr. Darcy nodded to the Godbeds once more before turning away. Lizzy beamed at them and followed him to the gig where the horse stood patiently waiting, watching the scratching chickens in the barnyard. Mr. Darcy handed her up and soon gained the seat beside her. He gave back her apron, which she held under her folded hands. He released the brake and set the horse in motion, turning his carriage in the open space in front of the barnyard.

“Good bye,” Lizzy said, waving once at Mr. and Mrs. Godbed as they passed them, still standing by the shed. When they left the farm lane and entered the lane leading back toward Longbourn Village, she grinned up at Mr. Darcy. “What a satisfying visit. Three possible puppy matches for Georgiana is nothing to look down on.”

“Not at all,” he said. “I am pleased with them. I believe Georgiana will be exceedingly happy with whichever one she chooses.”

“I predict she will want to take away her choice immediately,” Lizzy said, chuckling.

“I will not bring a puppy into Bingley’s establishment as long as that hellion cat is in residence,” Mr. Darcy said, grimacing.

Lizzy agreed with him, saying, “His has a strong character, no doubt.”

“He tried to leap up onto my cousin, you know. Not onto his lap, mind, but while Douglas was still walking.”

“How did the colonel react?”