“If he chooses to marry Miss Bennet, I hope he will purchase an estate here in Derbyshire. It would be well to have them near. I will mention it to him.”
Hurst chuckled. “You may, but I doubt he will ever live at Netherfield again. The memories of Caroline there are too sour.”
Darcy agreed. “I feel the same. She was completely out of control during our visit, and I had never seen her behave in such a manner before. I am thankful she is nowhere near Pemberley.”
Elizabeth approached. “Would you like to go up to your rooms and rest, or shall I have tea served here?”
Mrs. Hurst requested her room, and Elizabeth ordered a tray sent up.
Hurst lingered. “She is with child and naps twice each day, once in the morning and again about this time.”
Elizabeth asked. “And is she in good health and spirits?”
“She is on both accounts, especially now that Caroline is well settled.”
Bingley, turning to Jane, asked, “Miss Bennet, would you care to walk out with me?”
She rose immediately. “I should like that very much, sir.” The couple drew near to the others and announced their intention to walk in the gardens.
Richard turned to Elizabeth. “Mrs. Darcy, would you join me? Have you seen the dripping well yet?”
Elizabeth’s eyes brightened. “No, Colonel. I did not know there was one here.”
“There is a small one on this estate,” he said. “My father’s land near Matlock has several. I must take you there one day. Come, I will show you.”
Darcy, overhearing, looked up. “All is well, Richard?”
“Yes,” Richard replied. “I am taking Mrs. Darcy to the dripping well.”
Georgiana turned to Mary. “You have not seen the well either, have you?”
“No, I had no idea there was a mineral well here at Pemberley.”
“Come then,” Georgiana urged. “It is only a mile’s walk.”
Mary agreed, and soon they were all on their way.
Richard drew Elizabeth apart from the others and then asked, “When do the Lewises arrive?”
“On Monday. How far do they live from here?”
“Their home lies but five miles north of my father’s estate. It is about fifteen miles south. Lewis and I grew up together. Hissister Isabella is five and twenty now, strong in mind and body, much like you, ma’am.”
Elizabeth looked surprised. “Five and twenty, and still unmarried?”
Richard’s face darkened. “When she was eighteen, and I was freshly out of university, she asked me to wait for her. Her father forbade an attachment between us. Later, she refused a wealthy baronet twice her age, and, enraged, her father sent her away to live with her aunt. By the time she returned, I had gone to war. We have continuously missed one another ever since.”
Elizabeth asked softly, “Why does her brother object to you?”
“Pride and arrogance,” Richard said simply. “He wants a titled match for her. He and Darcy can hardly abide one another. But do not worry, they are both too old now for quarrels.”
Elizabeth laughed lightly, though uneasily. “I hope so, for they will meet soon enough.”
They reached the dripping well. The clear spring flowed from a stone cliff overgrown with vines, the water spilling gently into the pool below.
“It is beautiful,” Elizabeth said. “It looks as if a gardener tends it daily.”
“It is untouched,” Richard replied. “Uncle George forbade anyone from altering its natural beauty. Darcy holds to that rule still.”
