Page 127 of A Debt Inherited

I shall keep Wickham engaged and offer myself as surety until the money is called for.

Come quickly and bring whom you trust.

D

Darcy sanded the sheet and sealed it. “Please have my man come round.”

A moment later, Barty stood in front of Bennet’s desk. Darcy handed him the express.

“See James off immediately. This,” Darcy said, “is a matter of life and death.”

Barty took the letter. His eyes moved once to Darcy’s face, then to the seal.

“And after, sir?”

“Return here. You will remain with Mr Bennet until Colonel Fitzwilliam arrives.”

Barty bowed once. “Yes, sir.”

He left them.

Bennet followed his gaze. The hour hand had not moved far enough to justify impatience, yet it seemed ready to accuse them. His stomach turned once, hollow and sour. He had taken nothing since the previous morning; if Wickham meant to play at courage, Bennet would not meet him faint.

“Let us eat, Mr Darcy.”

Darcy’s mouth curved, the first sign of warmth Bennet had seen in him. “Darcy, if you please. May I name you Bennet?”

“Your uncle’s exact words upon our second encounter at Trinity Chapel.”

Bennet rose and gestured to the door. “Come, Darcy. Mrs Hill will have fed your men already. The dining room awaits our august presence.”

Chapter 47

They did not sit long. In the dining room, Hill set down coffee, bread, and cold beef with a silence more useful than condolence. Bennet swallowed enough to quiet the weakness in his hands; Darcy took food without appearing to taste it.

The hall clock struck the quarter before noon. Bennet set down his cup. Before the last note faded, Hill stood in the doorway.

“Mr Wickham has been seen on the lane, sir.”

Darcy rose at once. Bennet followed more slowly, his hand steady upon the table’s edge.

“At the gate?” Bennet asked.

“Not yet, sir. John Perkins saw him beyond the lower bend.”

“Alone?”

“So far as the boy could tell.”

Darcy’s eyes went to Bennet. “May I be in the room before he enters?”

“You may.” Bennet turned back to Hill. “Admit Wickham to the study. Do not keep him in the hall. Take note of his horse, his boots, and whether he looks behind him. Have a man placed where he may see the drive without being seen.”

Hill bowed. “Yes, sir.”

“And Hill.”

“Sir?”