by Wells, Linda
As her eyes closed, she read the kindness, the honesty, and love in his. Their lips met again, tentatively, softly, and as tingles spread over their bodies, their hearts started to pound. Darcy withdrew and swallowed, closing his eyes when Elizabeth caressed his face and whispered, “Your kisses take my breath away.”
“I want you so badly, Lizzy …” His eyes opened. “How can a muddy skirt and a simple kiss set me on fire so quickly?”
“Ohhhhh, I am not the one to ask.” She laughed and hugged him. “I am just as easy.” Darcy chuckled and rubbed his hands up and down her back. Smiling down at her, he tenderly kissed her once more. “If we had not promised to attend this hunt …”
Elizabeth turned and they started walking up the steps into the house. “Would we be entwined in our bed or embraced on some convenient chaise?”
“A floor would do … We need a bearskin rug here.” Darcy opened the door for her and rubbed her bottom as she passed before him. “Maybe when we go shopping tomorrow …”
She laughed and pulling off her bonnet, her hair came tumbling down, a great shining mass of chestnut curls. Darcy took one look and licking his lips, scooped her up in his arms. “Will!” Elizabeth gasped.
“Life is far too short to waste these moments.” He kicked the door shut and with long strides, headed for the stairs.
“I AM GLAD THAT YOU and Mrs. Darcy were able to join us today.” Mr. Kelly offered as Darcy easily mounted the tall hunter and expertly gathered the reins. He watched with interest as a furrow formed in his guest’s brow while he found his seat and began testing out the unfamiliar horse. “She’s a temperamental one, but fast as the wind. You look as if you can handle her.”
“I hope that you mean the horse, sir.” Darcy murmured as he tried out some silent commands and the animal responded easily.
Kelly laughed. “I did, sir, I did.” Darcy took the horse around in a full circle and came back to stand at his side. “What do you think?”
“I think that we will work well together. Thank you for the loan.”
“Oh, she’s not mine, I borrowed her from Blake.” He nodded vaguely to the men gathering together. “I am surprised that you did not bring any of your horses with you.”
“I was not expecting to be doing any more than gentle riding with my wife. I thought that the horses we had at Sommerwald would be sufficient, besides, I could always buy one for the time we are here and sell it when we leave if necessary.” He shrugged and looked over to Kelly when he smiled. “No?”
“I imagine that your income is vastly more than mine.”
Affronted, Darcy managed to find humour in the subtle inquiry. “As I am no longer on the marriage mart, I have no desire to ever discuss or hear speculation of my income again.” That brought an appreciative laugh and Darcy relaxed. The group of men started slowly off across the fields, watching the hounds trotting eagerly between the horses’ legs.
“We were disappointed that the colonel could not remain to join us.” Mr. Kelly asked casually.
Darcy smiled to himself. Here we go.
“I suppose that he needed to return to duty?”
“Yes, he risked his general’s ire quite enough by extending his leave beyond the original two weeks. I suspect he will reach London tomorrow if he presses on as hard as I expect he will.”
“I recall it is six days to London.”
“Yes.” Darcy nodded and added, “About three to Pemberley.”
Mr. Kelly latched onto the subject, “Ah, Pemberley, that is not so far from the colonel’s family home?”
“Not far at all, sir.” Darcy shot him a look and sighing, bowed to the inevitable. “My cousin is an excellent man. A brother, more than a cousin, and an outstanding leader of men. I have a great deal of respect for him and admire him more than I can say. A more honest, to the point of being a bit too honest, man I have rarely met.”
Relief suffused Mr. Kelly’s face as at last the subject was opened. “Well, that is exceptional praise! I must say that he has made quite a favourable impression upon my Sophie. And my son, Robert.” He added hurriedly.
“Has he?” Darcy chuckled. “I will have to tell him that.”
“Why do I think that you will tell him as a way of amusing yourself?”
“Having spent some time with your eldest son, I can well imagine that the concept of harassing your friends over their behaviour is not foreign to you?” Darcy raised his brow, “besides, my cousin has been amusing himself with my marriage for too long. It will be a pleasure to have my chance.”
“Marriage …”
Inwardly, Darcy sighed. “Mr. Kelly, I cannot predict what will come to pass in the future. The colonel honestly laid out to Miss Kelly his circumstances. He expressed his hope for more, but keeping to his honest nature, he did not ever consider approaching you to discuss courtship before leaving for … who knows how long. It would be unfair to both of them; and entirely unreasonable after an acquaintance of days to proceed further. My own marriage was formed quickly, but at least we had spent weeks in each other’s circle. He will return here as soon as he is able, and I believe that I am not being misleading when I say that he will come, and you will encounter a resolved man when he does. I promise you that he would never consider such a momentous subject if he was not entirely certain that he would be safe or could support a wife and family comfortably.” Mr. Kelly closed his eyes and nodded. “I understand the desire to see your daughter wed and happy.”
“Well, in the end that is the desire, of course. There are so few opportunities here for her to find a good young man. There are scores of them in Castle Douglas, or even Dumfries, but nobody suitable for her. I want her with a gentleman. The son of an earl, even one who is a colonel in the Horse Guards is more than she can expect here, especially as the years pass and the younger girls begin to catch the bachelors’ eyes.”
“Without going to Edinburgh or London, I suppose that is true, and I gather that she is not interested in the process.”
Nodding, he shrugged. “But it does not stop me from always wanting the world for her.”
“All fathers want that for their daughters.” Darcy looked out across the field as the hounds picked up the scent and the rest of the men in their group started after the fox. Mr. Kelly watched as Darcy’s face became unreadable. “All we want to do is to protect them, and to fail is devastating. I will not feel free until she is safely married to a man who will love her …” His voice drifted away.
“Mr. Darcy?”
Darcy started and his cheeks coloured. “Forgive me.” Looking out to the braying dogs, he waved his hand. “Now sir, if you are finished with your inquiries into my fine cousin’s prospects, shall we join the hunt? My wife will be expecting a great story upon my return.”
“Of course.” Mr. Kelly saw Darcy nod, and in a flash, he and his horse were flying across the field. “I wonder what that was about.”
“IT IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL HOME, Mrs. Kelly.” Elizabeth looked over the drawing room and smiled. “And the park seems to have great potential, as well. When do you expect the flowers to begin blooming?”
“Oh, any time now. You can see the green poking up already. I just love spring, when all is new again. Have you been to Scotland before?” Mrs. Kelly poured out some more tea.
“No, I have travelled more in the short months of my marriage than I had in a lifetime before. Once a year I would go to visit family in London for a few months, but now … Oh my, I cannot tell you the excitement of my first night spent sleeping at an inn!” Elizabeth laughed as the women groaned over their needlework. “I know, it could hardly be exciting after you have done it all of your life, but for me it was such an adventure. And to eat in a tavern! Why I never had such fun, watching the people and especially, amusing Mr. Darcy. He was mortified that we did not have a private table. I think though now, he might secretly prefer to sit with the public simply to listen to me talk.”
“You have drawn him from his shell, Mrs. Darcy?” Mrs.
Kelly asked.
“I suppose so. I grew up in a busy household with four sisters, so I suppose I was comfortable amongst strangers more so than he.”
“As you display this morning.” Mrs. Kelly smiled.
“Well, you are not exactly strangers, I met you just last week, and Miss Kelly has been a guest in my home.” Elizabeth smiled at her. “May I ask, just for my future reference, do you customarily not invite the wives to visit when the men are holding a hunt?”
“Oh … well we just hosted everyone, so the ladies stayed at home today. What do you think, Mrs. Annesley?” She turned to the woman sitting by her side. “Is there a custom to it?”
“I suppose that it depends on how far the men are travelling to participate, and if you intended to have a large dinner following or simply provide some sort of after-hunt meal for them.”
“They are usually filthy.” Sophie added. “So if they are not staying over, they are better off drinking their ale and eating their food while standing about before the fire. You really do not want them sitting on the good furniture.”
“Now that is an excellent point.” Elizabeth nodded. “Mr. Darcy had a hunt one day at Christmastime, but the participants were all houseguests. I have so much to learn, there just has been so little time. Most ladies get one household upon marrying, I have two, and now Sommerwald, which I suppose counts as three.” She shook her head and laughed. “My lessons at home were not quite what I needed.”
“How did your governess go about teaching you and your sisters?”
Elizabeth cocked her head to study Mrs. Annesley. The question was asked with great sincerity. “We had no governess.”
“No governess?” Mrs. Kelly gaped. “Five girls and no governess? How were you schooled? Surely your mother did not have time for such things.”
“We schooled ourselves,” Elizabeth felt her hackles rising. “While it is not the preferred method, and not one that I would recommend, it had its advantages. For the girl who was motivated, she could study the subjects that most appealed to her, and spend her time excelling in them.”
“And what did you enjoy, Mrs. Darcy?” Sophie asked while shooting a look at her mother.
“I improved my mind with extensive reading.” A smile came to her eyes and she relaxed, looking down to the sewing she had brought along. “I am a most accomplished woman.”
“I sense there is amusement in your countenance, Mrs. Darcy. Do you laugh at our questions?” Mrs. Annesley asked.
“Not at all, I have no reason to laugh at you any more than you have reason to question my education. The undeniable fact you must remember is that the only person whose opinion matters on the subject is Mr. Darcy’s, who clearly felt that I was quite acceptable.” She met Mrs. Annesley’s eyes and spoke frankly. “I realize that you are not so much interrogating me, but trying to understand my success.”
“I am trying to learn, just as you are, Mrs. Darcy.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Fair enough.”
“So, what was your secret?” Sophie asked.
“Oh, I think that you know the answer to that, Miss Kelly.” Elizabeth smiled widely and gave her arm a squeeze. Sophie blushed as her mother stared at her. “The men who are worth winning admire the woman, not artifice.”
Mrs. Kelly studied her thoughtfully, “A man worth winning, by your definition is not necessarily a rich man?”
“I did not set out to catch a rich man, although my mother certainly hoped for one. I did not set out to catch anyone at all. Mr. Darcy … captured me.” Again she smiled and glanced at Sophie. “I would be happy with him if he were a king or a soldier.”
“You would not be wearing that gown if he was a soldier.” Mrs. Annesley noted. “Nor those emeralds.”
“I did not have them before I wed, and I would not have missed them if they had never been purchased.” Elizabeth shrugged. “I fell into the river while walking a few days ago. What man would you prefer to marry, one who would fly out of the house to save you during a raging storm, or one who sat and stared out of the window while he sent a servant to do the work for him?”
Sophie answered instantly, “The one who runs.”
“Exactly!” Elizabeth said happily. “And you will run after him in return.”
“Mrs. Darcy, you challenge my every notion of educating a young lady.” Mrs. Annesley said uncomfortably.
Elizabeth noticed the sadness in Sophie and Mrs. Kelly’s eyes and then turned to the woman. “You seem to be quite interested in such things. Are you hoping to hire a governess?”
“No, Mrs. Darcy, I am afraid that I must become one.” She said quietly. “My husband died, and while he paid the rent for a six-month, by Michaelmas I will have no home. We were childless and my family cannot take me in. I must, after twenty years of marriage to a lowborn gentleman, make my way in the world. Mrs. Kelly invited me here today in the hopes that you, with your connections to London, might know of a family in need of a governess, or perhaps a companion for a young lady? I was educated very well in all of the … normal accomplishments.”
“Mrs. Annesley, I am sorry for your situation.” She looked at Mrs. Kelly, “And I think that I have learned another reason why no other wives have been invited today.”
Mrs. Kelly moved uncomfortably. “I realize that it is terribly presumptuous to have ambushed you, as my sons would say, but it was an opportunity that we thought we must try. You are from outside of our circle, Mrs. Darcy, and have access to just the sort of people who can afford to hire companions, which is the position I think that she is most suited to take.” Mrs. Kelly looked to her friend. “If I could think of anything else to do, I would, but Mrs. Annesley refuses to accept our offer of coming to live on the estate.”
“You are a proud woman, Mrs. Annesley. I imagine that it is humiliating to have to speak of your situation to a stranger.” Elizabeth looked at her admiringly.
“My husband was incapable of managing his purse, Mrs. Darcy. Where I thought that he was saving all of these years, he was gambling. What was left at his death went to his creditors. I have what is left of my settlement, but … a thousand pounds will not last forever, especially if I am paying rent.” Clearing her throat, she lifted her chin. “So, I come here today to offer my services to … any family willing to take me. I have no references, but … all I need is a first chance and then I will be … quite fine.”
“And you would have taken his secret to the grave, if you could. I can see the pain you feel having to reveal his failings.”
“I forgive him.” She said quietly.
Elizabeth read the sincerity mixed with fear in her eyes. “Do you like music, Mrs. Annesley?”
“Music?” She stared. “Yes, of course.”
“Have you been to London?”
“I grew up there. I met my husband there, and we moved here when an uncle died childless and he inherited his home.”
“If you and your charge were to spend a summer by the sea, what would you do if a gentleman approached her persistently?”
“I would tell him to mind his business and notify her parents!” Her eyes flashed.
“Good for you.” Elizabeth sat back and considered the woman, meeting her seemed like a godsend, but she knew that Darcy would be very cautious about who he hired for Georgiana. “Well Mrs. Annesley, I will see amongst our circle if there is any need for a companion. I am positive that the ladies will demand references; they do for their maids, so they are sure to want them for the people closest to their daughters. I will have the opportunity to know you better over the next few months and that will in turn give me time to send out inquiries. Is that acceptable to you?”
“Oh, yes, of course, Mrs. Darcy. I completely understand.” Mrs. Annesley nodded.
“I hope that you do not think that we are trying to force your hand, Mrs. Darcy.”
“Mrs. Kelly, you are doing this in the service of a friend. You cannot force my hand, either there is a girl I know in need of a companion or there is not.�
� Elizabeth smiled. “I will speak to my husband, he might have some ideas where I do not, remember, I am new to this circle as well. But I promise that I will certainly try.”
“I do appreciate this Mrs. Darcy. I would take care of her, whoever she is.” Mrs. Annesley promised as a little of her pride returned. “I will teach her everything that I know.”
“Good.” Elizabeth sat up and looked around at the three women. “My goodness, and here I thought that I would be interrogated about a certain colonel all afternoon!”
“Well, now that you bring up his name …” Mrs. Kelly jumped on her.
Laughing, Elizabeth held up her hand. “No, you had your chance. New subject, please!”
“I SEND YOU AWAY for a fortnight of thinking, a fortnight that you said was entirely unnecessary, and here I have you back nearly a month later.” The General barked while looking over Richard standing stiffly at attention before him, and waved a letter. “Of course, you were good enough to alert me of your delay. I presume that the extra time was worthwhile?”
“It was, sir.”
“Hmmph.” He grunted. “And what has your father said?”
“I have not spoken to my father since my return.”
“You came here first?”
“I owed you an explanation.”
“I see that as too nebulous of a response to draw a conclusion of your intentions, however I do believe you have made a decision? Is it in the Crown’s favour?”
“No, sir.” Richard spoke and clearly felt a great deal of emotion doing so.
“At ease, Colonel.” The general leaned forward with a frown. “You have made this momentous decision, And yet you have not consulted your father?”
“I attempted to, sir, however my entire family has quit London for Kent. I forgot that Easter Sunday is coming and ordinarily I would have been there visiting at this time.”
“But these are not ordinary times.”
“No, sir.”