"No, I am showing Farthingham how to be a gentleman. Now, which way to your home?"
"This way . . . I think." I had got so turned around looking for the bloody dog I was unsure of where we were. Somewhere in Hyde Park that was the best I could guess.
"Have you considered a lead?" asked Farthingham, who was looking absolutely jovial as he watched Sir Sebastian carry the stinking dog.
"He slipped it," I replied. "He is a very intelligent dog."
"But not obedient. Now, my Sir Sebastian, he is quite the reverse."
"Would you like to carry the dog, Farthingham?" threatened Sir Sebastian.
"No, this is your chance to impress the lady. I shall let you have it."
But Mr. Farthingham did eventually take a turn carrying the dog. It was rather a long walk back to Darcy House, but Sir Sebastian keep up his charming banter making it go all the quicker. Sir Sebastian the gentleman that is. The dog, realizing he was not going on a new and exciting adventure, rather he was being returned to his confinement, growled all the way.
Evening
Dinner went splendidly, all things considered. Lady Truesdell, far from the gossip monger I feared she might be, was a genuine and kind hostess. In addition to being Sir Sebastian's aunt, it would seem she is also Darcy's mother's cousin, thus why she so kindly offered to invite an unacquainted lady of scandalous reputation to her dinner party. It might have been helpful if Darcy had explained the family connection so I would not have appeared so surprised when Lady Truesdell informed me of it, but then he would have actually had to communicate with me which of course is unbearable to him.
When we arrived at the party Darcy underwent a miraculous transformation into a social human being capable of doing something other than staring at people with Bored/Irritated/Tired/Contemptuous/Haughty Face. I wish I could have heard what he was saying because he appeared to be speaking and his dinner companions appeared to find him amusing.
I was delighted to find Sir Sebastian seated next to me though he had said earlier he had declined the invitation. Dora was seated on his right. She did not undergo a miraculous transformation, though she did try, as she had promised me before dinner, to listen to what other people were saying and converse with them on a topic they were interested in discussing.
She made it nearly three minutes before mentioning beetles. I was so proud of her for I could tell those three minutes had been a great struggle. The older gentleman on her right, who had apparently been someone important in the East India Company and had fully expected her to be impressed, looked a bit taken aback at first, clearly thinking she would wish to discuss his adventures in the East, but soon he settled in to listening to her lecture about tropical insects with the sort of dreamy expression men tend to get around a stunningly beautiful woman.
I have neglected to say that Dora is extraordinarily beautiful. She has the dark, Darcy hair and the aristocratic features, though hers are less fearsome and her nose diverges from the Darcy pattern completely and is adorably upturned. She is as pretty as Jane which is fortunate for she has no conversation. Conversation in a pretty woman is unnecessary at least where men are concerned, for they are too distracted to listen anyway. I am glad to be merely tolerable for there is a chance men actually hear what I say. Unless they are Mr. Darcy then they just run from the room.
After dinner we all played at cards. Dora and I were at a table with Sir Sebastian and Mr. Farthingham. They both teased her relentlessly about her preference for entomology over ornithology and I do think she enjoyed their attention even if she was a little confused by it.
Darcy glared at me on the entire carriage ride home. I do not know what I have done to offend him now, but I could see his eyes glinting menacingly by the light of the street lamps. Horrid man. After observing him with Henrietta and Belinda I had almost liked him, but if he is going to be angry with me again after we have had a perfectly pleasant evening I do not know what to make of him other than to think him horrid.
A knock sounded at the door. The adjoining door. The Door.
I had been pacing my bedchamber restlessly as I am wont to do when I need to think and cannot go for a proper walk. I had probably been humming tunelessly as well. Perhaps Darcy has come to scold me.
I bid him to enter.
"May I speak with you?" he asked, hovering in the doorway. I could see he was going to speak to me no matter what my reply was. He had certainly come to scold me.
"Of course," I said as he entered the room. He was silent for an uncomfortable while, just standing there, glowering and towering impressively in his dressing gown.
"I suppose you expect me to apologize," I said when I had had enough. I was ready to get the scold over with.
"Are you going to?" he asked with a hint of a smile. His amusement made me more irate than his severity had."
"No, in fact I am not. I should have told you about Jane visiting—I should haveaskedI suppose. But there are plenty of things you might have asked me as well. Like if I wanted to be Dora's chaperon for instance. I realize your great aunt put you in an uncomfortable position, but you might have at leastpretendedto consider my desires on the subject.
"Not that I mind Dora. I quite like her, really, but it is no simple task being chaperon to someone like her, though I think I did rather well with it tonight and if you had any sense of fairness you would praise me for that rather than scold me for Jane. Or better yet offer conversation rather than either praise or scolding, for I am not a dog and you are not my master." Much to my shame I was babbling rather agitatedly. Mr. Darcy has that affect on me.
Annoyingly Darcy remained completely impassive. "It is not your sister of whom Iwished to speak, though I did not appreciate your use of Bingley. That sort of cunning is beneath you. I cannot think my ire is so very frightening to you that you feel you need to have someone present to protect you from it."
"It is not at all frightening. I find it quite amusing actually," I said, with as much pluck as I could muster.
"That explains much," he said darkly. Ha, I had irritated him. Good.
"If you did not come to scold me about Jane what did you wish to discuss?"
"Your attention to Sir Sebastian tonight was unseemly."
