Elizabeth wanted to laugh, but held it in for her friend’s sake. “My father has a well-stocked library, thank you. And what do you like to do for enjoyment when the weather is bad?”
Miss Darcy shrugged. “I play the pianoforte,” she said shortly.
A long pause ensued. As it extended into an awkward silence, Elizabeth took the moment to teach her pupil the next lesson. “Now, what is something you could ask me that you have learned so far?”
“You dislike being cooped up indoors?” Miss Darcy tried.
“I like to read,” Elizabeth corrected gently. “If I were you, I would have asked what my favourite book is, and tried to engage me from there. That is better for a conversation because it is more pleasant, and it leads to many other things we might speak of. If we have tastes in common, that is almost sure to lead to a lively conversation, and even if not, you have given me the pleasure of speaking about something I enjoy, which is always a kind thing to do. Do you see?”
“I think so,” Miss Darcy said slowly.
Elizabeth did not want to overwhelm her, and so she simply patted her hand and gave her encouragement. “You know, I used to practise in the mirror what I would say, particularly to gentlemen, for I found the thought of speaking to gentlemen most unnerving when I first came out. I thought of all sorts of questions that might interest them: whether they enjoyed riding, how they liked their profession — anything I could think of.”
“I could try practising in the mirror, I suppose,” Miss Darcy said thoughtfully.
Elizabeth nodded. “Very good. Take the next few days and try that, and we shall continue to practise when we are together.”
“I will do my best,” Miss Darcy vowed.
By then, tea was served, even though the gentlemen had not yet shown themselves. Elizabeth poured the tea, then took a Scottish scone for herself, spreading it thickly with jam and butter. “I have come to enjoy Scottish tea, I think, even though it is very strong.”
Miss Darcy screwed up her nose and stirred two cubes of sugar into her tea. “I cannot abide it. I do wish they wouldprovide us with some cream to cut the strength. You must think me very juvenile for not being able to handle it.”
“Not at all. It is only a matter of preference,” Elizabeth said gently.
A moment later, the gentlemen appeared, and Elizabeth was glad to see her father looking so cheerful. At home, he would have taken his tea in the library so he could continue reading or working on his insect collection. “How are you, my dear? I hope you have not felt I have been too neglectful?”
“Not at all, Papa. Miss Darcy and I have been having a wonderful time together,” Elizabeth said.
Mr Darcy and Mr Campbell joined them, and they all settled in the sitting area to have tea.
“I am fascinated by the loch, Mr Campbell. It is beautiful, to be sure.”
“I am glad you think so, Mr Bennet, for I should hate to think that Strathalt House might be inherited by anyone who did not appreciate it. The loch is the beating heart of this community.”
Mr Bennet chuckled. “Well, it is easy to appreciate. Though I suppose the same cannot, perhaps, be said of its inhabitant. I have heard the stories of the monster since I was a boy. Have you ever seen it?”
Mr Campbell laughed. “I presume you are referring to Nessie?” He looked from the gentlemen to the ladies, although Elizabeth had not a clue what he was referring to. “She is an old friend in these parts,” he explained with a wink.
Elizabeth frowned, intrigued. “Who is this monster?”
Mr Darcy cleared his throat. “Mr Campbell and your father are speaking of the legend of the Loch Ness Monster. The first recorded mention of the monster dates back to the fifth century, if I remember correctly, in a text called The Life of Saint Columba. It describes how Saint Columba, an Irish missionary, encountered a ‘water beast’ in the River Ness.”
Miss Darcy leant forward, her eyes growing wide as her brother went on. “A water beast? How very exciting!”
“Not for a certain man who was caught in the monster’s clutches,” he continued, drawing a gasp from his sister. “Adomnán, the author, wrote that a man was being attacked by the creature. Saint Columba intervened by making the sign of the cross and commanding the beast to be gone, which it did. Columba was commended for his bravery, and the man was saved from a watery grave.”
“How very frightening,” her father chimed in. “The Life of Saint Columba is a wonderful history, to be sure, but I have always wondered about the validity of the claim. It seems too fantastic to be true.”
“You are correct, Mr Darcy, in your description. I am impressed that you know the story,” Mr Campbell said. “I will offer only one correction.”
“Oh? And what is that?” Mr Darcy asked.
Mr Campbell took on a very serious air. “It is not just a legend. At least there are some who still believe that Nessie — or her offspring — lurk beneath the loch’s surface.”
Elizabeth’s heart began to hammer in her chest with the excitement of it all.
“I should very much like to see Nessie. Have you ever seen her, Mr Campbell?” Miss Darcy asked, her excitement matching Elizabeth’s.
