“Are they all as lovely as the three who are here at Pemberley?”
Her cheeks colored, but she answered modestly, “All my sisters are very similar in appearance, sir, excepting my sister Jane.”
“Your sister Jane,” he said thoughtfully, “is very like the rest of you. Her fair hair is her only dissimilarity, but I should have known anywhere that she was your sister.”
He paused before asking, “So you have no brothers?”
“No, sir,” she replied. “Our cousin will inherit my father’s estate. It is entailed away from the female line.”
Mr. Lewis’s brow puckered. “Will he marry one of his cousins to resolve the entail?”
She looked at him steadily. “He came especially this year for that purpose, but none of us would have him.”
Lewis turned to her, his brows raised. “What was wrong with him?”
She thought carefully about her answer and decided an innocent evasion would be necessary. “Nothing, sir. He was everything amiable and handsome, but he did not suit any of us. Jane was already attached to Mr. Bingley, and Mr. Darcy had already claimed Lizzy.”
He regarded her curiously. “And you, Miss Mary?”
“I did not fancy him, sir. Papa advised him to marry our friend instead, and he did. They were married a little over a month ago.”
“Singular,” Lewis said quietly. “So you would not marry for prudence, ma’am?”
She looked down at her hands. “No, sir. I hope to marry for love, like Jane and Lizzy, but if that is not possible, then I will marry a man I can respect. Otherwise, we should not suit.”
Lewis saw that she was uncomfortable and changed the subject. “You mentioned earlier that you will remain until October here in Derbyshire, and then remove to London. Have you any plans beyond that?”
She looked up. “Yes. I hope to meet and marry a man I can love or respect. And if not, Lizzy has opened her home to me. She says I may live with her forever.”
A little smile touched her lips.
“You love your sister very much,” he said softly.
“I do. Lizzy is all that is good and kind. I love both my sisters dearly. We are very close.”
“I heard that Bingley is to purchase an estate in this area so your two eldest sisters may live near each other.”
“Yes. Mr. Bingley will do anything to ensure Jane’s happiness.”
He hesitated, his gaze searching her face. “And what makes Miss Mary happy?”
She turned to look at him. He was asking the question seriously. “I am a simple woman, sir. I like to work with my hands. I told Lizzy that a simple man would do for me, a rector, solicitor, or physician. These are men I could help, either with their work or by keeping a home for them and raising their children.”
He smiled. “How about an estate owner?”
She gave a small, wry smile. “Only if his estate is not too large or imposing, sir.”
He laughed. “Well, Miss Mary, it so happens that my estate is neither too large nor too imposing.”
Her voice grew quieter. “Is it not, sir?”
He offered his arm and led her to the brim of the well and said, “No, ma’am. It is just the right size.”
She removed her glove and held her hand beneath the dripping water, then touched the ribbon. “Not a stone yet.” Turning, she grinned at him. He offered his handkerchief, and she dried her hand. He helped her draw on her glove, then offered his arm, and they turned back the way they had come.
They walked in companionable silence for several minutes before he spoke again. “Are you naturally silent, Miss Mary?”
She raised her eyes to meet his. “Yes. I prefer silence. I like to think.”
