Full of dread, he held it up and shook it out to see the whole. He had to force himself to look. It made him physically sick.
As he held it up, the skirt split away from the jacket. It was a riding habit, a skirt with a habit jacket, made in the military style. It was not a pelisse at all.
He started to grin.
“Have you finally lost your mind, nephew?”
His grin widened. “It does not belong to Elizabeth.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“Because Elizabeth does not ride.”
Matlock took a deep breath. “Thank heavens!”
Darcy nodded, buoyant with relief.
“So what do we do with the rest?”
“I suggest we return the clothes to the cupboard. The clothes were neatly folded when I took them out, and before you mangled them. You will have to return them to the same condition.”
“I do not have the slightest idea how to fold clothing, especially women’s clothing.”
“I am sure you can approximate it.”
“Why do I have to do it? You were the one who saw how the clothes were positioned to start with.”
Matlock gave a frustrated sigh. “If you had not thrown them to the ground in such a frenzy of impatience, we would not be in this situation now. Sudbury must not know that we have been looking through his private things.”
Ah, he was in Sudbury’s bedchamber. The thought sobered him up and the impulse to laugh deserted him. They were rifling through Sudbury’s things. How had matters come to this?
“I wonder who the clothes belong to.”
“I will not ask questions. A man is entitled to some indulgences. Not all of us are sworn to celibacy, as I suspect you are, nephew.”
Darcy’s ears burned. “Notcelibacy.”
“I know how difficult all this must be for you. And I can see how much you have come to care for her.”
“If something happens to her—” He swallowed the lump in his throat. He would not be able to live without her. When had she become so completely indispensable to him?
“It will not come to that. We will find her. Pull yourself together. You do not want any of those Council members to know how much she means to you.”
“Do you think I care about that at this point?”
“You have to care. For Elizabeth’s sake. If people like Devereux know that you love her, you may as well hand over your power to him. He will use it against you, and milk it for all it’s worth.”
Matlock was right. Elizabeth had always been a bone of contention. It had been so since the moment she stepped into Founder’s Hall, looking confused and headstrong and more than a little angry at him.
He needed to keep his wits about him if he was going to beat them at this little game of theirs.
“Come, let us find you some brandy to steady your nerves.”
“My nerves are perfectly steady, thank you.”
“Then come and keep me company while I steady my own nerves.”
