Hurst spoke first. “Darcy, what say you, shall we fish today?”
Bingley added his vote. “I have not cast a line since last summer. It has been a year.”
Darcy looked to Lewis. “What say you, Lewis? Are you up for fishing today?”
“I am,” he replied. “I brought my rod and flies. I know you have several fine fishing spots, Darcy, and I intend to make use of them while I am here.”
Darcy nodded. “Very well. I shall make the arrangements.”
He rang for the butler and gave his instructions, then turned to his wife. “Elizabeth, may I serve you?”
She handed him her plate and moved to find a seat. Bingley did the same for Jane.
Hurst looked at Bingley. “Have you set a date for your marriage yet?”
“I have written to Mr. Bennet with the announcement of our betrothal and to set a date. I asked him to have the banns read this month, even though Jane wishes to wait until October, when we all travel back to London. We can stop in Hertfordshire on our way south, marry there, and afterward enjoy the season together.”
Darcy said, “I received the list of estates that are for sale, Charles. If you come with me to the study after breakfast, I will give it to you.”
Bingley’s face brightened. “Have you read the list? How many are there?”
“Six,” Darcy answered. “The nearest is six miles from here. The others range from fifteen to thirty miles distant.”
Hurst said, “I would not have expected so many to be available.”
Darcy replied, “My solicitor included the reasons each is for sale. The war has taken its toll. Two have no living heir, and another has been lost to financial mismanagement. I do not recall the rest.”
Bingley and Jane exchanged glances. He leaned in and said, “Perhaps we will live close to your favorite sister.”
She reached for his hand and pressed it.
Lewis, watching them, felt an unfamiliar stab of envy. Until now, he had never desired the married state, but seeing Bingley and Darcy so contented, stirred something within him. He began to think seriously of marriage and resolved to look about him for a suitable woman.
His thoughts turned to Mary Bennet. He winced, recalling how poorly he had behaved toward her. At least he had apologized, and she had been generous in her forgiveness, acknowledging that no lasting harm was done. Still, she had not looked upon him with favor. He began to suspect she was avoiding him. She had certainly left the breakfast parlor this morning almost in the very moment he entered.
His mind returned to the previous evening. He had watched her covertly. She had sat with Darcy’s sister, engaged in cheerful conversation, but never once had her eyes strayed toward him. Even later in the drawing room, she had chosen a seat far from where he sat with the Darcys.
He would pay closer attention. If she truly meant to avoid him, he could not blame her. Yet he was sorry for it, for she was a lovely woman and perhaps shared some of the same values as her elder sister.
Darcy turned to his wife. “And what are the ladies of Pemberley about this morning, Elizabeth?”
“We drive into Lambton. Cook has praised a confectioner there to the skies. She says they make the best puddings, and I offered to purchase some for our dinner tonight.”
Darcy’s eyes brightened. “Sticky Toffee Pudding and the Apple Crumble are my favorites. If you bring enough to have leftovers for breakfast tomorrow, I shall be in your debt.”
She winked at him, grinning. “I will. I wish for nothing better than to have you in my debt.” His face flushed, he turned red to his ears. She continued, a sparkle in her eyes. “We are also going to the bookstore. Do you have any volumes on order?” She observed the faint color rise in his cheeks and felt a quiet thrill of hope. Perhaps his brooding, reticent manner was no true measure of him, but only a careful restraint. She had the sudden thought that her husband might not be so impervious as his outward appearance suggested.
He cleared his throat, striving to recover his composure. “Yes. Two books.”
“Very well, sir, I will see if they have arrived.”
“And you, my dear,” he asked, “what do you expect to purchase?”
“The clerk told me about a new author, and he says the book has been very successful. An anonymous woman wrote it, and I am eager to read it. I placed an order, and he should have received it by now.”
Darcy grinned. “Have your sisters given up onThe Odyssey, then?”
She swatted his arm lightly. “I imagine men of your social standing hold a woman’s intellect in little esteem. Do not laugh at us, sir. We have not given it up. We have made progress, but we have finished our light reading and are now off to the bookstore in search of more.”
