“Thank you, sir. That is a comfort.”
His nose was red, and he was surely cold after spending three hours outside searching the property. “May I offer you some coffee, sir?” She had noticed he preferred it to tea.
“That would be most welcome, Miss Bennet,” he said.
“Please sit,” she said. “I will ring for a maid.”
That done, she returned to find Mr. Darcy standing, holding his hands out to the fire.
“Are you warm enough?” she asked, moving to the wood stacked neatly to the side of the hearth. “We can build it a little higher.” She paused when she recalled she ought to have called a maid to do it, but they had so few staff and she disliked calling anyone away from their work for so trifling a thing.
Fortunately, Mr. Darcy had not noticed her blunder. “No, I thank you. It is sufficient.” He rubbed his hands together and then turned to face her. “Miss Bennet, I hope you do not think me forward, but I am concerned for your safety and your mother’s. Might you both consider staying at Pemberley until Mr. Bennet returns?”
“I . . .”
He frowned. “I neglected the most important part. My sister will be arriving from school tomorrow, and with your mother there as well, it will all be quite respectable.”
“Is your sister’s school concluded so early? Does not the term end next month?”
He stiffened a bit, and Elizabeth chastised herself. It was none of her business.
“My sister wished to come home, Miss Bennet, and so I obliged her.”
“You are a generous brother, Mr. Darcy.”
“I hope so. But you have not answered my question. I admit, I would feel better were you and your mother not here alone.”
Rather than being frightened by the day’s revelations, as any sensible woman would be, Elizabeth felt a rush of warmth at Mr. Darcy’s protectiveness. Really, what was wrong with her? “I do thank you for your concern, sir, but it is not necessary. There is so much happening in the house that requires my presence that I cannot leave it just now.” She squared her shoulders. “And even if that were not the case, Hollydale is my home, and I do not intend to leave it at the first sign of trouble.” Mr. Ellis had made her mistress of this estate—she would not behave as anything less.
His frown deepened, and he pursed his lips. “Then perhaps . . . you will think me improper, Miss Bennet, but I wonder if it be amenable to you to have my sister and me stay at Hollydale for a time? I made a promise to your father, and I would not like to break it.”
He had arrived at a compromise without much thought, and Elizabeth wondered if he had anticipated her refusal. “I would not wish to impose, and while the house is certainly in better condition than it was, I cannot expect it is as comfortable as Pemberley.”
“It is more an imposition on your part than on mine and my sister’s,” he insisted. “Georgiana will miss her pianoforte, but otherwise she will not mind. I have written of you and your family’s arrival at Hollydale, and she is anxious to meet you.”
Was this his way of asking if she might be willing to be introduced to his sister? Elizabeth considered theembarrassment of putting the Darcys out of their own home against the comfort she would take in having them here. Mr. Darcy had been in control of his estate for years, young as he was, and he appeared to know how to handle any situation.
“I appreciate your vigilance, Mr. Darcy. I accept your offer to stay here at Hollydale with your sister. Until we understand what is happening, I admit it would make me feel safer.”
Mr. Darcy’s expression softened slightly. “My sister and I will return tomorrow. May I leave Thompson and my other men to keep watch? Thatcher and Freedman should remain with you and your mother.”
Elizabeth frowned. “Do you think that necessary?”
He shook his head. “Probably not, but I admit I would rest easier knowing they were here.”
Part of being a conscientious mistress was also knowing when to accept help. Papa was not here, and he would want her to accept. So she did. “Very well.”
He relaxed a little. “Thank you.”
The coffee arrived, and she poured Mr. Darcy a cup. He did not linger long afterward. Elizabeth was sorry to see him go, but he had already spent much of the day here on her behalf and would be back tomorrow.
No sooner had Mr. Darcy mounted his horse and ridden away than Mamma emerged from the back of the house. “Was that Mr. Darcy’s voice I heard?” she inquired.
“Yes, Mamma.”
“Why did you not invite him for dinner, Elizabeth? He is handsome and rich, and I think he has taken a liking to you.”
“Papa asked him to visit us, Mamma, that is all.”
