He could not deny it. Elizabeth had utterly captured his heart.
“What are you thinking of, Fitz?” Georgiana asked. “Your brow is furrowed. I always know you are working out a problem when your brow creases just so.” She teased him, he knew, but he wished he were not so easily read.
He cleared his throat and looked about the street, hoping to camouflage his true thoughts. “I was only trying to work out the riddle. I confess I am stumped.”
“As am I,” Georgiana replied. “I am sorry I have not been much help to you.”
“It was never your responsibility, Georgiana,” he said. “I will have to do some more thinking on this. But for now, shall we return to the house? We would not wish to keep supper waiting for the others.”
“Yes, I think that would be best,” she sighed in disappointment. He knew then that he could not purposefully lose the wager. Not when Strathalt House meant so much to Georgiana. They rode back to the house in companionable silence and wandered into the drawing room by mutual accord. The rest of their party was already there. Mr Campbell was telling Mr Bennet about something having to do with the house — the roof that would need to be repaired in the next five years — but that there would be little cause for concern. Mr Sinclair had set aside sums of money for the upkeep of the house, a small percentage of each tenant’s rent; thankfully so, for it had proved essential in keeping up with the repairs.
“It seems that Mr Sinclair was a wise man indeed. If I am to inherit the house, I will certainly keep with this way of running things,” Mr Bennet said. He nodded to Darcy when they approached and flashed a warm smile toward Georgiana. “How was your excursion through town?” he asked.
“It was lovely,” Georgiana said. “We were trying to work out the riddle, look for clues, you know. But sadly, we came up short.” She sat down gracefully. Darcy smiled with pride, for his little sister looked undeniably elegant in her sleek new gown, every bit the fine young lady. The difference from her old dresses was astonishing. From the choice of colour to the cut and fabric, Elizabeth’s advice had been unerring.
Darcy sat down in the chair beside Elizabeth, rather than sitting beside his sister. He did not know how much time was left to them, and so he wanted to soak up all the moments hecould. As soon as he sat down, Elizabeth shifted in her seat ever so slightly. Could she possibly be as sensitive to his nearness as he was to hers? Surely it was too much to hope.
And you should know better than to hope for any such thing.
With an effort, Darcy resolved to control his thoughts. He might at least speak to her with decent civility.“How was your afternoon, Miss Bennet?”
“It was pleasant enough. My father and I spent some time in the library trying to work out the riddle, but we could not seem to come to any conclusions either,” she said. She stirred her tea with a little silver spoon, then set it to rest on the saucer. “I believe Mr Campbell means to keep us here as long as possible with his impossible conundrums.” She laughed, and Darcy felt his heart pound. How could only a laugh stir his very soul?
“I, for one, would not begrudge him if that was his goal,” Darcy said without thinking.You utter cad, Darcy — you must at least give her some reason.“I, ah, find Scotland very diverting.”
“I agree. Scotland has captured my heart as I thought no place but my home could.” She raised her eyes to his, and his heart skipped a beat. “I think I could very well live out my days here at Strathalt House and be perfectly content.” A tinge of sadness leached into her eyes, however, and she turned away the next instant.
“But?”
“But I would miss my family,” she replied. “I already miss them, and it has only been a month since we departed Longbourn. I hope that someday they can come here as well and see the beauty of Strathalt House for themselves.”
Her sadness was understandable, for she must be thinking of the possibility of winning the inheritance — and the consequences for her family if they should lose. Not for the first time, Darcy half regretted so easily agreeing to a contest that was to have such monumental consequences. “It is a blessing to be close to family. I hear you have four sisters back home.”
“Yes,” she replied, her face brightening. “I believe you have already heard me speak of Mary to Mr Campbell. And then there are Lydia and Kitty. They are the youngest. And Jane is the eldest. Of all my sisters, I am closest to her.” She paused, the sadness once again coming into her usually bright brown eyes. “At least, I thought we were,” she muttered.
“Is something amiss, Miss Bennet?” he asked. “I am not sure if this would help, but I would like to be of service, if I can.”
“You are very kind. But I am afraid there is nothing you can do, although I appreciate the sentiment.” She sighed and shook her head. “I should not have said anything. It is my burden to bear.” When she met his gaze again, the lightness had returned to her eyes, and she steered the conversation into happier subjects. “But I am sure you will be happy to be on your way home. Pemberley sounds like a veritable paradise.”
He nodded, remembering what an expert she was at engaging conversation. “It is indeed a veritable paradise — in my opinion.” Should he offer to have her come for a visit again? At the risk of giving the idea that he was pressing her, he added gently, “I hope that someday you shall have occasion to see it in all its glory.”
Her cheeks coloured prettily, and he left it at that. The party in the drawing room soon broke up to prepare for supper. Darcy found himself pacing restlessly in his room, his mind swirling with thoughts of the riddle and his growing affection forElizabeth. He must try his best to win Strathalt House, for the sake of the Darcy name and for Georgiana.
Darcy could only hope that winning the wager would not wholly destroy everything he and Georgiana had built with the Bennets.
Chapter 15
One unusually warm day found the Bennets walking idly through the grounds of Strathalt House. Elizabeth plucked a branch of budding heather and twirled it between her fingers as they walked. Her father motioned for her to give it over, and he deftly tucked it behind her ear. “There, now it is as pretty as you, sitting behind your ear,” her father said.
She laughed as they continued on down the garden path toward the loch. It was a beautiful summer day, and she was growing melancholy at the thought that they would soon leave this magical place.
But there were other thoughts to distract her. “Papa, have you received any letters from home of late?” she asked.
“Only one, from your mother. And I already let you read that one.” He frowned. “Why?”
Elizabeth sighed, and she knew she could not conceal her distress from him any longer. “I have received nothing from Jane since we’ve been here. I wrote to her almost as soon as we arrived, and it has been weeks now. She would have had ample time to receive my notes and send a reply.” Indeed, Elizabeth had written four times and had got nothing from her beloved sister. “It is unlike her not to write.”
“Perhaps her reply was delayed, or even lost. We are far from home, and the post is a fickle thing, you know,” her father said comfortingly. “I would not worry too much about it. From your mother’s letters, it seems they have all had their time filled with making calls on that intriguing Mr Bingley.” Her father sighed and looked out over the shimmering surface of the loch. “I would not be surprised if your mother has your sisters all married off by the time we return home.”
