“You have my sympathies, Mr Darcy,” Mr Bennet put in, “for I am sure you must be exhausted with squiring Miss Darcy about to dances and parties. I am prodigiously glad that my wife does the office for our daughters, for I am sure they would drive me to distraction.”
“Perhaps I will find it so one day,” Darcy said mildly, “but my sister is not out, and consequently attends very few parties, and no dances at all.”
“Oh? Miss Darcy is not out?” Mr Bennet remarked, sounding rather surprised.
Darcy turned to the other gentleman, spreading his hands wide. “Not yet. I think it is a bit early yet, do not you? She is only sixteen.”
Mr Bennet sighed, shaking his head. “All of my daughters are out, Mr Darcy. And my youngest is not yet sixteen.”
Darcy raised his brows at this. “All of them out at once? Is that not rather unusual?” he asked, before immediately regretting his tone. He had not intended to sound so very judgemental, but surprise had caught him off guard. Miss Elizabeth Bennet was out, of course, but to have all five of the sisters out at once seemed highly irregular. Darcy could only imagine what his Aunt Catherine, who didnothesitate to sound judgemental, might have said about it. “Please excuse me. I had not intended to sound so rudely…inquisitive.” Inquisitive was not quite the right word —disapprovingwould have been more like it — but to say so openly could only have been embarrassing for them both.
“Itisrather unusual,” Mr Bennet said calmly, passing over the apology and the suggestion that Darcy might have done wrong in expressing his surprise. “My wife is eager to have them settled, you see,” he went on, in a tone that communicated that he did not quite share his wife’s ardour for the enterprise. “My estate is entailed, and with no sons to inherit, we are entirely at the mercy of my cousin, who will inherit all.” Even the statement seemed to leave him tired, no doubt from many years of worry. “I will not pretend that this house and these lands would not be a welcome reprieve from many sleepless nights, Mr Darcy. But forgive me. It is unfair to press my own claims too strongly.”
Thankfully, Darcy was not required to say anything else on the subject, as Mr Bennet quickly changed it to a more appropriate one for the breakfast table. “What is your house like? Pemberley, is it? I think I heard you mention it.”
“Yes, Pemberley. It is in Derbyshire.”
“Ahh, the Peak District? I have never been there, except to pass through it on our way north. But it is a beautiful part of the country.”
“It is very lush, just as the grounds are here. Although they are more varied in style than the gardens here, and with more extensive woods. However, while the house has a pond, it could not bear comparison with this magnificent loch.”
“Ah, well, I suppose not every house can be perfect,” Mr Bennet said with a low chuckle.
“I suppose not,” Darcy replied, still thinking of what Mr Bennet had revealed regarding the entail on his estate. He struggled against pity. Anyone with even a teaspoon of compassion would feel for the man, for he seemed to be a devoted father. For many long years, he must have hoped for a son to break the entail and worried over what would become of his daughters when he was gone. Inheriting Strathalt House no doubt meant more to him than it meant to Darcy.
Mr Campbell soon excused himself and said he would be ready to meet with him and Mr Bennet in a few moments. When they had finished, Darcy went to Georgiana, who was dressed in a pale yellow frock. Discreetly, he looked her over, concealing a frown. Though it was pleasant to see his sister in a lighter colour than the dull greys she wore most often, was it not rather ill-advised to wear a yellow nearly the same light shade as her blonde curls?
Darcy shook his head as though to shake away the thought, reminding himself that he was hardly an expert in fashions for ladies. He would say nothing, for it would hardly do to criticise Georgiana and risk eroding her confidence still further. He offered her his arm, and they walked together downthe corridor to the drawing room. “How are you feeling this morning?” he asked with concern.
“I am well, brother. Do not worry. I had ample time to rest yesterday evening and last night. Indeed, I have not slept so well in the last year as I did last night.” She gave a sad smile. “Now, do not fret,” she said, stopping in front of the drawing room door. “See to the inheritance, and we shall talk later.” Her face brightened as Miss Bennet and her father drew near. “Besides, I will have Miss Bennet to keep me company. We have decided to go for a walk if the rain will only stop for long enough.”
“Very well. Let me know if you need anything, Georgiana. I do not think we shall be too long,” Darcy said and leant in to kiss her on the cheek. He nodded to Miss Bennet. She returned the gesture readily, but was there not something rather cold in her look?
Darcy resolved to win her forgiveness.You might try speaking to her without insulting her — if you can.Surely that was not too much to expect of himself. Who knew, he might even find some reservoir of charm with which to win her over.
“Miss Bennet,” he said and gave a slight bow.
“Mr Darcy,” she said politely, then moved past him into the drawing room. She met his gaze, and he was struck by the beauty of her brown eyes. Perhaps it was not so much the colour that drew him in, but the spark of intelligence that he saw there.
Darcy, you fool. How is it that the most interesting woman you have met in years is the only one who doesn’t even want to speak to you?
He and Mr Bennet saw the ladies off at the door, then walked back the way they had come. Darcy slowed his paceslightly so Mr Bennet could keep up. He had to be in his early fifties, if Darcy had to guess. He was spry for a man of his age, but it was no surprise he did not keep Darcy’s pace.
“Mr Darcy, may I say something before we go in?” Mr Bennet asked, stopping just outside the study door.
“Of course. Is something amiss, Mr Bennet?”
“No, not at all. I just wanted to offer you my congratulations in advance, if you are the one to inherit. And I will hold no ill will, no matter how these proceedings turn out. I wish you the very best of luck.” Mr Bennet held out his hand. Darcy was more than happy to shake hands with such an amicable contender.
“You as well, Mr Bennet,” he said. He knocked on the door and opened it for him, allowing the older gentleman to enter first. Darcy took a deep breath. He was glad that Mr Bennet had spoken up in the hall, for it had allowed them to enter the study with a mutual commitment to civility and honour.
Darcy eyed Mr Campbell as they entered the room, sitting behind a large mahogany desk with his spectacles pushed up on the bridge of his nose. He looked much older than his years, carrying himself with a seriousness that Darcy appreciated. “Ah, gentlemen, come in.” He beckoned to them and motioned to two plush chairs before the large desk. “I will not leave you in suspense any longer.”
They seated themselves, and Mr Campbell began without delay. “I assume you both brought the legal papers I requested in my letter?”
Mr Bennet presented his genealogical papers without comment. “Here are mine,” Darcy said, handing them over. Theroom was awkwardly silent for several minutes as Mr Campbell scoured the papers. He moved his spectacles down his nose and peered through the glass as he read.
“Very well. Allow me to explain what I see in the documentation here. Mr Darcy — you are Mr Hamish Sinclair’s second cousin twice removed, meaning you share a great-grandparent, and you are two generations younger than Mr Sinclair. Mr Bennet — you are Mr Sinclair’s second cousin once removed. Once again, you share a great-grandparent with Mr Sinclair, and you are only one generation younger than my late employee.”
