Page 78 of Mr. Darcy Comes to Town

“He foiled Basile’s attempt neatly, by stepping to the side,” Mr. Darcy revealed, satisfaction in his voice. “Douglas has always been awake upon every suit.”

“If I may ask, what does Colonel Fitzwilliam do in the army?”

“Douglas is an assistant to Lieutenant-General Harry Calvert, who is the Adjutant-General of our forces,” Mr. Darcy explained. “He has leave for a fortnight, which is why I had planned for Georgiana to visit for only that time. I could, of course, escort her back to London myself.”

“I see,” Lizzy said, nodding slowly.

Mr. Darcy sighed. “The puppies have calmed me. I do not wish to think about him anymore today.” She watched him force a smile on his lips before he spoke again in a hearty tone. “Tell me, if you please, how Jeffry manages to be everywhere?”

Lizzy chuckled. “I think it must be magic. I assure you, I did not bring him to Miss Bingley’s afternoon tea party.”

“I imagine your mother would have had something to say about it if she had known.”

“You imagine correctly,” Lizzy said, and then covered her mouth to smother a giggle. “She wants me to find a nice gentleman farmer to marry so I can take all my animals away with me.”

“A gentleman farmer?” he demanded, sounding annoyed.

“Quite a genteel one, I assure you,” Lizzy said, making herself sound prim. Then, she chuckled. “I do not know where she expects me to find one.”

“At market, no doubt,” he said scathingly.

“It will not happen there,” she assured him brightly, wondering at his reaction. Does he care about my future? “Most of the farmers are married and a good many are as old as my father.”

He scowled and fell silent. Lizzy let the quiet hover between them until they reached the lane that ran through Longbourn Village.

“Are you taking me home?” she asked, turning to look up at him.

“Hmm?” he hummed. Glancing down at her, he said, “I beg your pardon. I must have been wool-gathering.”

“It is of no import,” Lizzy said, waving his apology to the side. “If you are in no hurry, let us go to Lucas Manor and see if your sister is ready to go home. If Georgiana is busy playing games, we might visit a little with Sir William and Lady Lucas.”

“An excellent notion.” He glanced at her and suddenly frowned. “Is your apron moving?”

Lizzy gulped and shifted the folded apron until she saw who sat beneath it. “Jeffry,” she gasped. “What are you doing here?”

“He was not there before.”

“No, he was not,” she said, scooping him up to lie against her chest. “I told you, sir. Magic.”

“There is no such thing as a magical guinea pig,” he replied, shaking his head.

“Turn here,” she directed. Then, as they rolled between the Lucas Manor gate posts, Lizzy added, “How can we know? In the Andes, magical guinea pigs might be quite commonplace.”

“If so, no one would eat them,” Mr. Darcy pointed out, his voice dry.

“Goodness,” Lizzy said, pretending to be shocked. “How can you say such a thing in front of Jeffry?”

Mr. Darcy’s lips quirked into a half smile. “If he comes from the wild, I am certain he knows that his kin are being eaten.”

“I am not so certain of that,” Lizzy retorted. “And he may not have come from the wild.”

“Perhaps you are right. It is a long way to the Andes mountains,” he remarked, his lips curving into a full smile.

“I think you are laughing at me,” Lizzy said, scowling at him, but chuckling at the same time.

“Only a little, Miss Elizabeth.”

“Humph,” she expressed.