Darcy passed his hand through his hair. “It is, but I made a mistake before with Mrs. Younge, and I do not want to repeat it.”
“You know you are being absurd, do you not?”
“No, I do not believe I am being absurd, Cousin. I saw it with my own eyes. Miss Bennet is acquainted with Wickham. Icannot discount the possibility that she is helping him. Are you prepared to take the risk?”
“As a military man, I believe the risk to be very small – certainly not worth the trouble of lurking in dark corners to spy on Miss Bennet. I do not like it.”
“I am not spying on Miss Bennet. I am ascertaining whether Miss Bennet has set a meeting up with that scoundrel. Help me set my mind at peace once and for all. I will only ‘lurk’, as you call it, for a few minutes, to make sure Miss Bennet is not leading my sister into a trap.”
“Well, then, shall we find Miss Bennet and finish with it?” said the colonel, impatiently.
They found the three ladies in the Egyptian section, looking at the Rosetta Stone. Miss Bennet was explaining something about the stone to his sister, who was listening attentively. Although she was not Georgiana’s governess, she clearly felt herself responsible for her education. Darcy observed her as Georgiana asked questions, and Miss Bennet responded, sometimes consulting a printed booklet in her hand, at others, providing a reply of her own. He could not hear her from where he was standing, but it was clear that Georgiana was listening with wide-eyed fascination.
As she smiled broadly at something Georgiana said, he felt something shift inside him. He had never met a young lady who found joy in so many things. Her enthusiasm was remarkable.
“There, are you satisfied?” said the colonel. “Clearly, she has not brought your sister to the museum for nefarious purposes. Shall we go now, or do you intend “to wait here until she discovers you?”
Darcy’s ears reddened as he considered what would happen if she discovered him observing her. Most certainly, she would be furious, and she would return to Longbourn immediately. Moreover, she would be perfectly justified to do so. He had spoken of new beginnings, yet here he was, showing his distrust of her in the most obvious way possible.
“I am satisfied.”
“Good, because I like Miss Bennet.”
Darcy shot him a questioning look. He was not sure he liked his cousin’s sudden interest in the young lady.
“You need not worry,” said the colonel. “I have no intention of setting myself up as your rival.”
Darcy stared at his cousin in surprise. “Myrival?” His voice rose.
Richard put a finger to his mouth and pulled him away from the doorway.
“Do you want her to hear you?” He dragged him by the sleeve. “Come. It is time to leave.”
Once they were outside, Colonel Fitzwilliam turned to him.
“Enough sneaking about and hiding, Darcy. If you really feel you cannot trust Miss Bennet, then you must send her home right away and be done with it.”
Send her home? He could not imagine doing that. His sister would be devastated.
“I cannot do that.”
“Then what do you plan to do about it? This is unlike you. You are not making sense anymore. You do not know your own mind.”
It was true. He was completely torn. “It has all grown rather muddled. I simply need some distance. I shall leave for Rosings tomorrow morning. It will be good to get away and clear my mind. A few days in my aunt’s presence will do the trick.”
Chapter 17
For the next two weeks, Elizabeth, Mrs. Annesley and the entire household staff dealt with Miss Darcy’s changes in the house. Elizabeth learned more than she would ever have imagined about wallpaper and paint, about ways to hang a curtain swag, and the types of ceiling roses necessary to protect the ceilings from the smoke of the chandeliers. She discovered that Miss Darcy was particular about what she wanted, and she expected her requirements to be met swiftly and proficiently. It seemed like Miss Darcy – in this respect at least – was transforming from a child into a young lady as she put her designs into practice.
As the disruption of workers arriving with ladders, fabric, moldings and wallpaper finally began to slow down, Elizabethfound herself having more time to herself. She took advantage of Mr. Darcy’s absence to explore the library he had set up. The books were obviously geared towards the kind of reading a young lady would wish to undertake. She laughed when she saw a handsomely bound copy of Shakespeare’sRomeo and Juliet. His angular face rose up in her mind, with his dark probing gaze and the cluster of curls dipping over his brow, and she remembered the touch of his hand as he steadied her when she tripped.
She chided herself at the unruly direction of her mind. What nonsense! Mr. Darcy looked at her with nothing more than contempt. They had barely interacted. Her mind was clearly starved of male company. She needed to attend a dance or an assembly before her imagination ran away with her.
She was grateful for the library. There was a section on poetry, and a shelf of popular novels. Mr. Darcy must have listened to Mrs. Annesley’s suggestion, because there were several guides on Domestic Management and Economy. The next step would be to convince Miss Darcy to read them.
In the interest of encouraging Miss Darcy to read more, Elizabeth arranged an outing to the Lackington Allen Lending Library, popularly known as The Temple of the Muses. She was surprised no one had taken Miss Darcy there before, but she supposed it was because she was too young. The three of them picked out a book they would read aloud to each other in the evenings. Miss Darcy also chose a horrid novel full of wicked barons, supernatural happenings and gloomy castles that many of her school friends were reading when she was still with them. Elizabeth was also happy to find two books she had wanted to read for some time.
When she arrived home, she found a letter from Jane waiting for her. She opened it eagerly, gripped by a sudden longing to hear news from home.
