“Mr Darcy, Colonel.” She smiled, sunshine and laughter in her eyes as she curtseyed.
“You are looking very lovely today.” It was true. She wore a gown Darcy had never seen before—palest green with a sash of cornflower blue that matched the ribbons of her bonnet and the embroidery of her skirt.
“Only today, eh?” Fitzwilliam made a scolding sound with his tongue. “Ungenerous, Darcy. I say Miss Elizabeth is lovely every day.”
“Happily, Miss Elizabeth is clever enough to comprehend that no slight was intended in my comment,” Darcy replied evenly.
“Not this time, no. Now if we speak of last autumn, it is a different matter entirely!” Fitzwilliam chuckled and winked ather. Darcy was satisfied to see that she did not laugh in reply; indeed, she appeared rather mortified. It stoked Darcy’s anger at his cousin.
“I have been, in the past, prodigiously uncivil, it is true, but Miss Elizabeth, I pray you take care. My cousin is an adept flatterer. Some might say he could charm the birds from the trees.”
“So I can,” Fitzwilliam agreed laughingly. “And Darcy here would then give them one of his infamous scowls and send them right back up.”
Darcy remembered himself just in time to prevent a scowl that would have proved his cousin’s point. “Miss Elizabeth, how well I do know of your fondness for nature and?—”
“As do I!” the colonel interrupted. “How I have missed our walks in the groves of Rosings!”
“So you have said,” Elizabeth remarked. Darcy wondered whether he heard a small note of irritation in her voice, or if that was merely wishful thinking.
“Are you fond of birds?” Darcy asked, then cursed himself. Such a stupid question! “I mean, I am fond of birds. Some birds. Songbirds, or, um?—”
“I have always admired your playing and singing.” Fitzwilliam very nearly leered at her. “It puts the songbirds to shame.”
For a moment, Elizabeth only stared at him, then glanced at Darcy. He was about to say something—though he knew not what that something was—when she dropped into a curtsey. “If you will both excuse me,” she said and then, without waiting for anything more, left them.
“Well, that was all quite idiotic.” Unseen by Darcy, Saye had arrived. “Really, men, telling her she’s a bird? Short of allowing Florizel to hump her leg, I doubt there could be worse attempts at flirtation.”
“Come. Now.” Darcy gestured towards the edge of the maze nearby, a place where he could properly dress down his cousin without fear of being overheard. With a vexatious smirk on his countenance, Fitzwilliam did as ordered. Darcy followed him with Saye hard on their heels.
“What are you about, bringing up my insult?” Darcy rounded on Fitzwilliam as soon as he felt them concealed. “If you cannot win her by your own charms?—”
“I do not think it unseemly to remind the lady which of us has been kind to her,” his cousin replied loftily.
“Perhaps I should tell her how you are in a brothel every third night,” Darcy spat.
“PerhapsIshould tell her how well acquainted you are with your own handkerchiefs,” Fitzwilliam retorted, stepping closer.
“Putting a handkerchief near that bump of yours would near suffocate the fellow,” Darcy said, also taking a step forwards. “And we all know he has difficulty enough standing to attention.”
“Take that back.” Fitzwilliam gave Darcy a little shove.
“Why?” Darcy shoved back. “You cannot deny it, can you?”
“Stand down,” Saye said, sounding irritated. He put one hand on his brother’s chest, forcing him to step back, while he gave Darcy a look. The colonel shoved his hand away and, with a glare in Darcy’s direction, cursed and then turned and stalked away.
“He is doing it up a bit too brown, do you not think?” Darcy asked.
“Perhaps he is,” Saye replied, “but I would say you need to go browner. Have you truly never wooed a woman before?”
“I am doing everything I know to do.” Darcy ran his hand through his hair.
“Then you must not know very much. Something as trite as telling her she is pretty sounds like her maiden auntcommending her for not showing too much bosom. It is better than insulting her, I shall grant you that, but scarcely.”
“I said she was lovely, not pretty.”
“Still stupid-sounding.”
“I cannot arrange pretty compliments, Saye!”
