“I have noticed them exchanging glances. And something just passed between them.”
“Well, if that is the case, then I hope they can work it out. My aunt will not be pleased to marry Anne to someone with neither a title nor money.”
Later, when Richard invited Darcy to the billiards room for a game, Darcy resolved to question his cousin.
“Our cousin Anne seems changed since I last saw her. I hope she is not too disappointed that we did not marry. How do you find her these days?”
Richard pounced on the opportunity to discuss Anne. “Anne has the patience of a saint. I do not know how she puts up with Lady Catherine. It must be awful, being trapped here, unable to go anywhere else.”
Darcy nodded sagely, thinking of what Elizabeth had said. “It is a pity she could not marry me. I would have taken her away from here.”
Richard turned red. He started to say something, then checked himself.
It was enough of an affirmation of guilt for Darcy to smile to himself. “Too bad you are not inclined to do so yourself.”
Richard sent him such a probing look that Darcy burst out laughing. “Come on, admit it, Richard. There is something going on between you.”
“You have caught me red-handed,” said Richard, looking abashed. “What gave it away? I thought I was being very discreet.”
Darcy admitted, with some embarrassment, that it was Elizabeth who had noticed.
Richard gave a sigh of relief. “Good. I was afraid for a moment that if a slow-top like you had discovered us, Lady Catherine might also be suspicious. I am not surprised Elizabeth picked up on it, however. She notices things.”
“I object strongly to being called a slow-top,” said Darcy.
“Well, not in everything. But you must admit, Cousin, emotions are not your forte.” He laughed. “Before you start getting angry and defending yourself, I want to show you something. It has been burning a hole into my coat pocket for days. I would like to share it with you in the strictest confidence. Wait here a minute.”
Darcy waited, intrigued. He could not imagine what his cousin Richard could possibly have to show him.
Richard reappeared very quickly, and produced a piece of paper, which he handed to Darcy.
“A special license?” he said, stunned. “You are planning to marry Anne now?”
“I was planning to ride over and do it last week, before everything else happened.”
“But why the special license? Were you planning to elope?”
“Of course not. Anne is twenty-eight. She does not need her mother’s permission to marry. We simply intended to do it quietly, and then tell Lady Catherine after the fact.”
“But surely she can have no objection to a match with you, now that I am out of the way.”
Richard shrugged. “You know how Aunt Catherine is. I think she is holding out for someone titled for her daughter. You know – dangling the carrot of Anne’s Trueblood heritage like a fishing rod, seeing who will bite.”
“Heavens. As if there could be anyone better than you.”
“I will take that as a compliment, Cousin. I am glad you approve.”
“Of course I approve, but it is not up to me, is it?” He looked closely at his cousin. “You do love her, don’t you? This is not about taking over the Rosings estate.”
“Of course I love her, you dolt. Though I won’t deny it is a good match in other ways.”
“Then may I be the first to offer my good wishes?” said Darcy, for the second time in one day.
“Thank you, but it is premature. I would not wish to get ahead of myself. We will have to see if I will be able to go through with it.”
To celebrate Bingley’s engagement, Darcy had the pastry cook bake one of Bingley’s favorite cakes and asked for it to be served in the living room after dinner, where everyone – including some of the Rochester Healers -- intended to gather, at Lady Catherine’s invitation.
Now that Darcy knew about Richard and Anne’s connection, he wondered how he had not noticed it before. The covert glances they exchanged over dinner, the way they sought each other out, the quick exchanges between them – it all seemed so obvious that he wondered how his aunt had not discovered them already.
