Darcy hesitated only for a moment. “I must complete an errand here but could ride out in another hour or so. I must say, tea and good company would be welcome.”
“Very well, Mr. Darcy, we shall look for you then,” Miss Bennet said, and then addressed her footman. “Thatcher, I think I am finally ready to depart.”
“Yes, Miss Bennet,” Thatcher said, but eyed Darcy from head to toe before he turned to escort his mistress back to her carriage.
Darcy could not bother to be affronted. Miss Bennet had invited him to tea, and suddenly he could not recall what Mrs. Reynolds needed him to do.
Chapter Seven
By four o’clock, Darcy found himself seated in the drawing room at Hollydale, holding a delicate teacup precariously in one large hand. It was clearly meant for use by ladies—he was almost afraid he would break the handle off the cup, so fine was the work. Across from him, Mr. Bennet eyed him with barely concealed amusement. Darcy noted his host was not attempting to drink from his teacup at all.
“There were three sets of china in the house when we arrived, Mr. Darcy,” he said as though making polite conversation. “This is my wife’s favourite, is it not, my dear?”
“They are all quite beautiful.” Mrs. Bennet eyed the teacup in Darcy’s hand.
He set the cup down, and Mrs. Bennet’s posture relaxed.
“So, Mr. Darcy, I hear you took on quite the string of purloined goods today.”
“Papa.” Miss Bennet’s glance at him was apologetic.
Darcy tried to reassure her with a look of his own that said he was not offended. “Indeed, sir, though I assure you it was not asdramatic as it sounds. Your daughter solved all three cases in no time at all.”
“Elizabeth is a clever girl, Mr. Darcy,” Mrs. Bennet said with a proud nod at her daughter.
He agreed, though Miss Bennet was more than clever. He did not believe he would ever forget her giving up her ribbon for Mrs. Travis’s cat, or how she had so thoroughly charmed the crowd. “I had an excellent demonstration of that this morning, Mrs. Bennet.”
Mr. Bennet’s eyes, so much like his daughter’s, were twinkling with mischief. “I, for one, should like to hear more about that.”
An impatient huff came from Miss Bennet’s direction, but Darcy could not neglect to answer her father. He chose his words carefully. “I found Miss Bennet to be not only remarkably observant and quick-witted, but also caring.” A rare combination in his experience. “It was an impressive performance.”
Mrs. Bennet beamed, her earlier suspicion of him forgotten. “Oh, Mr. Darcy, how generous of you to say so. My Lizzy has always been kind as well as intelligent, has she not, Mr. Bennet?”
“She has, my dear.” Mr. Bennet’s gaze shifted between Darcy and his daughter with undisguised interest. “Though I daresay Mr. Darcy has discovered that for himself.”
Darcy was saved from further comment by the arrival of a maid with a fresh pot of tea.
She was going to die of mortification.
Elizabeth was used to her mother singing the praises of her daughters, though it most often had to do with their looks. But Papa was joining in with her, and Mr. Darcy had not found some polite excuse to depart but had instead offered her a complimentof his own. Did he really think those kind things or was he only saying so for the sake of her parents?
She hoped he reallydidthink well of her. He had been so handsome and flustered as he was accosted by the townspeople, all of them demanding he do something without really giving him the opportunity to do so. But he had listened to their complaints with patience. She really believed he would have written up a report and included something about Selina’s ribbon, simply because it was his duty to record every reported theft, no matter how ridiculous or unlikely.
“Mr. Darcy is too complimentary,” she said, steeling herself to meet his gaze. The warmth she found there was reassuring. “I had information he did not, that is all.”
“Now Lizzy,” Mamma interjected, “there is no need for modesty. I am sure Mr. Darcy’s assessment is accurate.”
Elizabeth resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her mother’s obvious matchmaking efforts. Her cleverness had not always been considered a boon. Instead, she focused on their guest. “How long has the Darcy family been in Derbyshire, sir?”
“Quite some time, Miss Bennet. My ancestors came here from Yorkshire and Lincolnshire about three hundred years ago. The current estate house was built after the original burned down in the early 1600s.”
“Longbourn was built a hundred years after that,” Papa replied. “Your family is quite old, then.”
“It is, sir.”
Before Papa could say anything else, Mamma leaned forward with profound interest. “Three hundred years! My, that is a remarkable heritage, Mr. Darcy. You must be proud of your family’s legacy.”
Mr. Darcy offered a small, polite smile. “I do take pride in it, Mrs. Bennet, though it is the duty of each generation to build upon what was left to them. The land was here before me, and itshall be here after I am gone. If I have done my duty, the estate will prosper and continue to offer a good life for my children and theirs.”
