“Do you have a room in this house?”
He nodded.
“Do you know where it is?”
He shook his head.
Elizabeth sighed.She could not leave him on his own, but neither did she wish to carry him downstairs and ask Miss Bingley who he belonged to.If he was a family member of one of the servants, she may not even know.Mrs.Hill’s nephew had lived with them for a few years when he was little, and Mrs.Bennet would not have even recognized the boy even though he had spent five years under her roof.
Elizabeth stood and held out her hand.She would find a maid and ask her where the boy belonged, and he would simply have to accompany her while she did so.“Come with me, dear.We shall find your room.”He took his time standing and put a grubby hand in hers.She turned to leave the doorway and spun directly into a broad chest.
“May I ask what you are doing in my room, Miss Bennet?”
She looked up into the stern face of Mr.Darcy and swallowed.“I was not in your room, sir.I only opened the door to let the little boy out.He somehow got trapped inside and could not reach the doorknob.”She raised her chin, daring him to argue with her.
Mr.Darcy’s gaze dropped to the boy standing beside her and his eyes widened.He crouched down to the boy’s level.“Master Peter, what are you doing out of the nursery?”His voice was softer and gentler than she had ever heard it.Something about it seemed familiar somehow, but she could not place it.
“Nanny sweep,” said the boy.
Darcy nodded and scooped the boy into his arms.Young Peter immediately rested his head on Darcy’s shoulder with his thumb in his mouth.“I shall take you back to the nursery and we will find Nanny, how does that sound?”
The boy nodded and seemed perfectly at home in Mr.Darcy’s arms.Elizabeth could only stare at them in amazement.
“Pardon me, Miss Bennet.Young Peter here is Bingley’s nephew.His nurse has been ill the last week and one of the maids was supposed to be tending to him.”
“Ah.So he is Mrs.Hurst’s son then?”She was more than a little surprised.In all her conversations with Louisa Hurst, the woman had never once mentioned she had a son.The boy did not even seem to know the word “mother.”
Darcy’s mouth set in a grim line.“Yes.”
“I suppose I should have thought of that before.”She mostly said it to be polite.The boy was obviously dirty and wearing simple clothing.She had no reason to believe he was the child of a gentleman, let alone the heir of one.
“Thank you for seeing to him.I will return him to the nursery.”
“Very well.”She curtsied.“It was nice to meet you, Master Peter.I hope your day improves.”
The boy gave her a wide smile and waved his hand over Mr.Darcy’s shoulder.“Bye,” he said sweetly.
She returned his smile and the wave.“Goodbye.”
Later that evening, Elizabeth was helping Jane to sit up in bed to take some soup when she told her sister about the encounter.
“Did you know Mrs.Hurst had a child?”
“I did not.It is odd she did not mention him, but perhaps the topic never came up.”
Elizabeth raised a brow.They had canvassed Jane quite thoroughly about every person she was related to from Cornwall to Scotland.There had been more than enough opportunity to speak of her own child.
“I see what you are thinking, Lizzy.Do not judge her harshly.Perhaps she is a private sort of person, or she may have thought I would not be interested in hearing of her son.Not everyone is, you know.We cannot know her reasons and therefore cannot judge.”
“Very well, Jane.I shall endeavor to see it your way, but I still maintain that it is odd at the very least.”
“It was kind of Mr.Darcy to tend to him.That is not typical of a gentleman of his station.You must at least see that.”
Elizabeth grudgingly admitted that Mr.Darcy had seemed at ease with the child and young Peter likewise comfortable with him, but she still could not like him.“One act of kindness does not make him agreeable.”
“Perhaps not, but it does prove there is more to him than you first suspected.”
Elizabeth huffed out a breath.“I suppose.”
