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“Well might you ask. I had a little good news for you, and trotting round to your townhouse yesterday, I found you from home, your little sister having kittens, and that footman of yours as close as an oyster.”
“But surely Farley told Georgie I was all right?”
“Certainly, but not much more. She seems to think you’ve gone off in pursuit of some lady in Hertfordshire, so it was quite some time before I discovered from the servants that you’d actually gone off to Cheapside to ask Miss Gardiner to stay. What are you doing languishing here?”
Darcy blushed, wondering how Georgie had so accurately determined his mission, despite her erroneous knowledge of his location. “Sorry, I have had a few incursions in the past week, but I did not intend news of my whereabouts to be kept from you or her.”
“Yes, well, I thought not, and arriving back today, I told your butler so.”
“He is my head footman. I do not hold with butlers. Households should be run by women.”
“Just so,” said the colonel whose father had a very competent butler. “I was just about to get out the thumbscrews when Mrs Flowers emerged from the saloon and told him not to be a silly widgeon. I gather you came over here to convince Miss Gardiner to stay and overexerted yourself.”
“Something like that. What is your good news?”
“I have found Mr Trevor. He is very happy to accept the post as your secretary.”
“Ah, excellent! But where have you been? I hope you have not been searching for him all this time.”
“Ah, no. Finding him was more a coincidence in the course of my other duties, which have mostly consisted of doing double parade duty for my sins in posting off to the Continent without properly applying for leave. I have also been searching hill and dale for my brother.”
“Your father seemed to think Robert might be a victim of foul play.”
“Pish! While there is always the possibility we might find him face down in a puddle one day, he is of more value to his creditors alive. It is far more likely that he is playing hide and seek from my father, not wanting to get leg-shackled.”
“How is Princess Brunhilda taking this?”
“She is remarkably unperturbed, enjoying going about with my mother and Georgie. In fact, she has been staying at your townhouse to keep Georgie company.”
“Was Georgie really that worried?”
“Yes, Darce, she was. Now, when exactly are you coming home?”
“Dr Gordon said I might leave at any time, provided I am careful on the trip home.”
“Well, good! Why don’t I send for your carriage and we can go? Incidentally, did you succeed in getting Miss Gardiner to stay?”
“Yes, Richard. I have asked her to marry me.”
“What! Now hold on a minute, Darcy! You are never going to get my father to agree to that! Marry your lectrice! She’s a nice lady, but you go too far!”
“No, Richard. You do not understand. I was previously acquainted with Miss Gardiner before you hired her. Her real name is Miss Elizabeth Bennet. She is a squire’s daughter from Hertfordshire. I met her while I was staying with Bingley at Netherfield.”
“Ah! The Hertfordshire connection again! What is she doing working under a pseudonym?”
“She is staying here in Cheapside with her relatives, the Gardiners.”
“Go on.”
“Her father died shortly after I left Hertfordshire, or rather, before,” said Darcy guiltily. “There is an entail on her family’s estate, so she came here to London with her sister to work as a governess.”
“Darcy, it sounds like they are very impecunious. My father is not going to sign off on anything like that.”
“Richard, you have to help me! I know she is just the one for me! I had decided before I arrived in Vienna to go back to Hertfordshire to court her.”
Richard sighed. “Darce, as much as I would like to help, I don’t think any amount of persuasion on my part is going to be effective.”
“But Richard, can you not see that she is ideal? I was caught by her quick wit in Hertfordshire. She kept besting me in verbal sparring. I have never been captivated so much by a lady!”
