Page 84 of A Most Unwelcome Acquaintance

His agreement lacked respect, but Caroline let it pass. Through the nearest window she could see the lawn between the trees, while the house remained hidden. The place offered privacy without distance and could serve for tea, music, or relief from a crowded drawing room. Her brother would approve once he saw the result.

“Add a proper lock,” she said.

“This one works.”

“It is rusted.”

“I can have it cleaned.”

“Replace it.”

The steward looked at her, then wrote the instruction in his book.

Caroline walked the room again, noting where curtains might hang and where to place chairs before the fireplace. The project pleased her because it answered to order. She could dry dampness, replace wood, paint walls, and make a neglected building fit through correct decisions. People resisted such improvement.

When she returned to the house, Darcy’s horse was gone from the stable yard.

“Mr. Darcy left twenty minutes ago,” the groom told her.

“Did he say where he was going?”

“No, miss.”

She found Hurst in the billiard room and asked whether Darcy had mentioned his destination.

“Meryton, perhaps. He took the south road.”

“The south road also leads toward Longbourn.”

Hurst lined up a shot. “Most roads lead toward a Bennet.”

Caroline did not answer.

Darcy returned before dinner, mud on his boots and restraint back on his face. Bingley came in soon after, carrying the book he had meant to return.

“You forgot it,” Caroline said.

Bingley glanced at the volume. “So I did.”

“That was your reason for going.”

“I found other reasons when I arrived.”

Hurst laughed from the hearth.

Caroline turned to Darcy. “And did your ride serve its purpose?”

“It did.”

“Where did you go?”

“Across the southern fields.”

“Near Longbourn?”

Darcy removed his gloves. “Most of them are near Longbourn.”

The answer echoed Hurst’s joke without sharing its humor. Caroline understood that pressing him before the others would fail.