“I suspect that is your approach as well, Mr. Darcy?” Miss Bennet inquired.
“It is,” he concurred. “Whether I achieve it as well as Ellis did, I cannot say.”
“Mrs. Reynolds will say it for you.” Georgiana smiled at him. “She loves to give you an excellent character any time someone comes to tour the house.”
Now it was his turn to be embarrassed. “I would not know, not having heard it.”
Georgiana addressed the Bennets. “She says he is the best gentleman and best master she has ever heard of, and not one of his servants or his tenants will give him a bad name.”
“Well,” he replied, attempting to make light of the compliment, “she is not wrong.”
The ladies laughed, which had been his aim, and Darcy smiled.
He was so much more at ease in company when he was in Derbyshire. More at ease than anywhere else, particularly London. There was none of the awkward formality that required being polite even to the worst of people, none of the searching for hidden meaning in every utterance that made him reluctant to speak to anyone he did not know well. And the careful analysis of his purse and person when in town was wearying. In fact, Darcy was certain if the mothers of the ton did not fear driving him away, they would insist on inspecting his teeth, so minutewas their inspection of him. It made him feel like a horse being appraised for sale.
Mrs. Bennet might have moments of impropriety, but it was nothing to what he had experienced in town.
“We shall be hiring more servants soon, Mr. Darcy,” Mrs. Bennet said, and he saw Miss Bennet glance at her mother with some exasperation. “For most of our family intends to come and stay for Christmas. You are both more than welcome to join us.”
“I shall have to see what my family’s plans are, Mrs. Bennet,” he said. “But I thank you for the invitation and will be sure to inform you when I know.”
“Elizabeth, you ought to plan a duet with Miss Darcy,” her mother said, her eyes on the embroidery she had picked up to work on. “For she tells me she is fond of music.”
“Oh, I am,” Miss Darcy said. “I should love that.”
Elizabeth cleared her throat. “I would be pleased to do so, Miss Darcy, however there is no instrument here, other than a harp I cannot play and a harpsichord that is terribly out of tune.”
“Oh dear,” Mamma said. “I did forget.”
Elizabeth noted the subtle signs of her mother’s excitability—the quick movements of her hands as she worked her thread, the too-bright glimmer in her eyes. Mamma turned to speak with Miss Darcy, and Elizabeth caught the slight flutter in her mother’s voice, the telltale sign she was about to launch into another matchmaking attempt. She had to act quickly to prevent what would be a terribly awkward situation.
“Mamma,” Elizabeth said, “you must not exhaust Miss Darcy with all our family stories just yet. Remember, we will have several days together. Perhaps she would enjoy hearing about your plans for the festive season.”
Her mother paused, needle hovering mid-stitch. “Oh, yes!” she exclaimed, her attention successfully diverted. “I do enjoy decorating the house on Christmas Eve, Miss Darcy. All the girlsand I participate, and even Mr. Bennet will help a little. We gather holly, ivy, evergreen boughs, hellebore, and rosemary to make garlands, and it makes the entire house smell wonderful.”
Thank goodness she had not mentioned the mistletoe. Elizabeth had forgotten about Mamma’s required kissing bough in her rush to distract her mother. She simply did not want to hear another story where she wound up six inches deep in mud, though in all fairness, Mamma had several to choose from.
Instead, what followed was an exhaustive comparison of Christmas preparations, with Elizabeth’s mother exclaiming in delight at each of Miss Darcy’s recitations. Elizabeth dared not interrupt again, and she caught Mr. Darcy watching them all with an almost imperceptible smile.
At last it was time to retire, and Mamma took Miss Darcy up to her chambers, still chatting. Fortunately, Miss Darcy appeared pleased enough to allow it.
As her mother and Mr. Darcy’s sister reached the top of the stairs and turned towards the guest chambers, Mr. Darcy halted, gently touching her arm. Elizabeth glanced up at him.
“Miss Bennet, I have not yet had a moment to share what I learned from my men,” he said in a low, serious tone.
Elizabeth’s heart beat a little harder. She nodded for him to continue.
“While my sister conversed with your mother before dinner, I spoke with Thompson. They have found no definitive evidence of anyone living about the estate. However, they have since discovered a few more indications that someone may have passed through recently—in addition to the cache where the stolen items were found, I mean.”
“What sort of indications?”
“Thompson reported a few disturbed patches of ground on the other side of the bridge from where the items were found. And one of the other men found some broken branches nearthe eastern boundary of the estate nearest Lambton. They were scattered, but as there are no trees in that area, they must have been carried over. He believes they were being used to provide shelter. Your intruder may be gone for now if he has abandoned it.”
“But nothing else? No tracks? No signs of a fire?”
He shook his head. “Of course you would know what to ask. No, if there were tracks, they have been swept away.”
“I suppose it is a relief not to discover anything more sinister.” It was the truth, but she was still worried.
