Page 64 of The Long Road Back to Yesterday

“No, I dare not, especially since it was an interest you shared with your late father and no doubt brings you comfort.”

Edward Gardiner spoke then. “James, you have no notion of the floodgates you have opened. At home, I arranged a study for Elizabeth in a secluded corner of my drawing room. One could find her there with a book at almost any hour of the day.”

Mr. Radcliff raised his brows again and opined, “My dear child, I confess myself surprised. I would expect a beautiful young lady such as yourself to take greater interest in fine gowns and fripperies and the pursuit of a husband. But as we have observed, there is no accounting for taste. Though I warn you, young lady, Mrs. Radcliff loves nothing more than marrying off any single woman of marriageable age within her sphere. She married our daughter at seventeen to a fine man with a very pretty estate. She did the same for our rector’s eldest daughter and for my nearest neighbor’s eldest.”

He addressed Gardiner. “Stanhope’s wife passed two years ago, and when his daughter reached eighteen, my wife took her to the local assemblies and the girl met and married a fine man who was visiting from Staffordshire.”

He addressed Elizabeth. “You will be married before you know it, my girl, if my wife has anything to say about the matter.”

Both men laughed, and Elizabeth, touched by his kindness and his evident affection for a penniless orphan, joined them.

When Elizabeth finished breakfast, her host rose and invited her to accompany him to the family parlor. Mr. Gardiner followed.

“Miss Elizabeth, come with me. This is where we spend most of our evenings, for it is cozier and easier to keep warm.”

They entered a beautifully appointed room, less grand than the drawing room where they had congregated the evening before. Light blues and grays predominated, relieved by cushions of deep rose. The couches and chairs appeared comfortable and serviceable rather than ostentatious.

Mr. Radcliff surveyed the room. “What say you, Edward? Will the corner at the far end serve for the pursuit of knowledge?”

Mr. Gardiner chuckled. “The table is of a good size and stands beneath a window, so she will have reading light for most of the day.”

“And you, Miss Elizabeth? Will it suit you?”

Elizabeth’s eyes brightened. “Yes, sir. It will suit me very well. The table is large enough for my books and my notes.”

“Come, then, let us arrange it.”

The three crossed the room.

“Help me move the table closer to the window, Edward.”

Once the table stood in place, Mr. Radcliff brought another chair to it. “I expect you will have a certain gentleman joining you here before long, missy,” he said with a knowing smile.

Elizabeth rejoiced in her heart. Had he too detected a preference for her in the fine gentleman’s manner? She hoped so with every fiber of her being. But then, like a shadow, the thought of her family’s ruin tempered her happiness. Should he indeed feel more than friendship for her, Elizabeth must shield them both from an attachment that, in her circumstances, could never come to anything. Grief settled upon her at the prospect of another loss. Her throat tightened, and tears filled her eyes.

The men placed another stuffed chair beside the table and surveyed their work.

“Sir, I am touched by your generosity. It is a lovely place to study,” she said.

“Lizzy, do you need help bringing down your other books?” Mr. Gardiner addressed Radcliff with a chuckle. “She brought along articles belonging to her father, then purchased four full volumes on a visit to Hatchards.”

Mr. Radcliff indicated the book she carried. “May I see it, Miss Elizabeth?”

She handed it to him. He leafed through the handsome volume bound in tooled calf leather, examined the contents, then opened to chapter ten and read aloud, “Opinions of Spirits and Apparitions; of the Devil’s appearing with a cloven Foot; of Fairies and Hobgoblins; of the walking Places of Spirits; and of haunted Houses.”

He raised a brow. “My girl, what are you reading? A gothic tale?”

Heat rose in her cheeks. “I hope to learn all I can of the lore of this area, sir, including anything touching upon the henge and stone circle.”

Mr. Radcliff glanced at Gardiner, amusement in his eyes. “She will delight in conversing with Dr. Wynn, will she not?”

Her uncle drew her into a brief embrace. “Lizzy, he is precisely what you need to improve your spirits. Maddie’s father is knowledgeable about the local stories and lore, though I pray you will not be disappointed. He is a practical man of science and places no faith in legends, magic, and the like.”

“Have no fear, Uncle. I seek only knowledge. If Dr. Wynn is skeptical, I will not be injured.” Summoning as much cheer as she could, she added, “I shall go up and collect the rest of my books now.”

She fled the room.

Once inside her chamber, Elizabeth threw herself upon the bed and buried her face in the pillow. She hardly knew Mr. Darcy, but already she longed for him. He was everything she had ever hoped to find in a husband, and the thought that nothing could come of their acquaintance filled her with despair.