“Just you wait, Fitz.Your time will come,” said Darcy as he left the room with his wife.
The colonel merely scoffed and set to writing his letters.
The Darcys had decided that a summer house party would be a yearly occurrence.Because of Elizabeth’s condition, they had limited this year’s guests to close family.The Bingleys came with their daughter, as did Kitty and Lydia.Darcy’s cousins Colonel Fitzwilliam and Jonathon Davies were in attendance, as well as Elizabeth’s cousin Claude, now engaged to Georgiana.
They sat on the terrace after an afternoon of croquet on the lawn, listening to Jonathon tell stories of his recent travels.
“Would you believe it, he had a mark covering his entire arm!”he cried, telling them of a man he had met on a ship near Gibraltar.“It was the most colorful thing I have ever seen.A bright green vine covered in flowers.I tell you, it would have been feminine on another man.”
Lydia perked up when she heard him speak of flowers.“Was there a name on this mark?”
“I do not know, but he did tell me the strangest thing.The mark was changeable!”
The Bennet sisters all sat up straighter.“What do you mean?”asked Kitty.
“He said at first it was only a vine, for years I believe, then one day, out of the blue, it sprouted flowers!Not only that, but they would come and go.I’ve never heard the like.It suits him though, as he is always taking samples of vegetation wherever he goes.The man is a walking hothouse—quite literally now!”
Lydia sat pale and wide eyed.Thankfully, Darcy stepped in.
“Who did you say this was again?”
“Frederick Eastham, a younger son of Sir Anthony Eastham, out of Sussex I believe.”
“Do you have a way to contact him?”
“Yes, he gave me his direction.Why do you ask?”
“I have heard of a lady with such a mark.He might wish to meet her,” said Darcy smoothly.
“Have you?Well that is lucky!I shall give you his direction.”
“Thank you.”
“Can you believe it?We may have found Lydia’s soulmate!”cried Elizabeth once they were settled in her private sitting room.
“Let us wait until we know more.They may not be a match,” said Darcy reasonably.
She looked at him skeptically.“How many marks have you heard of that behave as Lydia’s does?”
“I grant you it is unique, and this is a promising lead, but I do not wish to get our hopes up unnecessarily—nor Lydia’s for that matter.”
Elizabeth sighed.“I know you are right.But it is exciting all the same.”
There was a knock on the door and Darcy bade them enter.
“Cousins, this has just arrived.”Colonel Fitzwilliam brandished a piece of paper in the air.
“What is it?A letter?”asked Elizabeth.
“Even better.Mr.Lawson has responded to my inquiry.His mark is a horse, just as I thought.He even sent a sketch of the image.Turns out he is quite the artist in addition to being a fine horseman.”
“Let me see!”cried Elizabeth, reaching for the paper.She looked at the image closely, gasping when she saw a colorless replica of the mark on Kitty’s leg.
“He is eager to meet the lady if her mark is a match.I did not tell him Miss Kitty’s name, of course,” continued the colonel.
“Fitzwilliam, look,” called Elizabeth, holding out the paper.He had never seen Kitty’s mark with his own eyes, owing to its location on her person, but he had seen Jane’s sketches of it.
“It is very like,” said Darcy.
