Page 13

He walked over to her, gently pulled her hands away from her head and replaced her fingers with his own. Elizabeth groaned with pleasure as he began to massage her aching scalp.

"Goodness me, William, that ought to be against the law. It feels quite heavenly."

"I do what I can to please my most beloved wife," he said, leaning down to plant a kiss where her neck met her shoulder. "And in answer to your question, my love, I could not have wished for a happier birthday. Your treasure hunt was a resounding success, and I cannot begrudge the Bingleys their victory. Little Henry was so pleased with his paper crown and being allowed to sit with the adults for the first part of dinner that I thought his grin might actually split his face in two. Bingley was as proud as Punch."

"Yes, it was very sweet. And, as you so rightly pointed out, my dear, at least the Darcys beat the Fitzwilliams."

"Yes, there is that. I can always find pleasure in soundly routing Richard."

He moved his fingers and rubbed his thumbs into the base of her skull, causing another sigh of pleasure to escape Elizabeth.

"And the dinner?" she asked, a little distractedly.

"The dinner was, as ever, perfection," he replied. "The food was good, the wine was excellent and everyone enjoyed themselves. Perhaps a little too much in some cases, judging by the difficulty a few of our guests had negotiating the staircase when our revels came to an end."

"I noticed that. Charles was particularly unsteady on his feet, although I suspect Richard had something to do with it. Those two should never be allowed near a decanter together."

Elizabeth laughed, enjoying the attention of her husband's hands for another moment before opening one eye to observe him in the mirror. "Do you think Kate had a good time?"

Confusion passed over his handsome features. "Well, yes, I believe so. I know large gatherings are not her preferred form of entertainment, but she seemed in good spirits. I did not speak to her as much as perhaps I ought, with so many of our guests in residence. I thought I had better make myself sociable."

"Sometimes I wonder where the man I married is," Elizabeth said with a laugh. "The Fitzwilliam Darcy I first encountered would not have gone out of his way to be sociable with anyone at all. He would have stood beside the mantelpiece, glaring at anyone who dared approach his sanctum."

"Yes, well, as you delight in telling me, my love, you have worn away all my sharp edges. Now I am an amenable fool, very much like our dear brother Bingley."

Elizabeth laughed gaily and rose from the dressing table, turning to wind her arms around her husband's neck. "You are wearing far too many clothes, my dear," she whispered.

"I agree wholeheartedly," he said, reaching for his cravat. Then his fingers paused. "Why did you ask me about Kate? Is something the matter, dearest? Is she not well?"

"She is well enough. I believe I just noticed..." Elizabeth hesitated, wondering quite how to approach the subject. "Well, what do you think of Mr Briar?"

"He seems a fine, amiable young man. His work is certainly fascinating, although I know next to nothing of his family. I believe they own sizeable properties in England and Ireland, but they are not much in society, and I cannot say that I could even name the family seat. Those are just the whispers I have heard through Richard and some of the men at my club. Why do you ask?"

"It is just... well, did you see the way he looked at Kate?"

Darcy's hands stilled upon his cravat. "What do you mean, looked at Kate?"

"I mean that he seemed rather to admire her. His eyes often found her, and although he was the perfect guest, amiable and jovial with everyone he encountered, he did seem particularly drawn to her. And although she tried valiantly to hide it, I suspect his feelings may be somewhat returned."

Darcy stared at his wife. He remembered finding his daughter standing very close to the young man during the treasure hunt. At the time, he had been displeased, although his annoyance had quickly been forgotten in the excitement of their discovery. Now he wondered whether he ought to have paid a little more attention. What did they know of this fellow, after all? Very little beyond the fact that he was Richard's friend, and Richard was hardly the most reliable judge of character where young gentlemen were concerned. He had spent the better part of his own youth getting into scrapes.

"That dandy!" he exclaimed. "That ridiculous fellow, coming into our home and making advances towards our daughter! What do we know of him, Elizabeth? Nothing! Only that Richard speaks well of him, and I hardly consider that a sufficient recommendation."

Elizabeth laid a hand upon his arm to still him. "William, I believe you are jumping rather far ahead. They have known each other but a few days, and I have seen nothing to suggest that his attentions have been improper. I am only suggesting that they may have taken a liking to one another. Would that be so terrible?"

"Do you remember what happened the last time we had a daughter take a liking to some young man? She ended up kidnapped!"

"I believe the kidnapping came before the liking, or at least was not wholly connected to it. And that young man, whom you now call a friend, resides under our roof at this very moment because he is married to our daughter and the father of your beloved grandchild."

Darcy opened his mouth, then closed it again. There was no arguing with that. "I suppose that is true," he admitted reluctantly. "But I would much rather not go through any of that nonsense again. Good God, Elizabeth, I have only just recovered from Bella's adventures. And now Kate! I have given Briar leave to carry out this excavation. I must rescind it at once."

"You will do no such thing," Elizabeth said firmly, beginning to undo his cravat herself. "We shall, of course, ensure that they are properly chaperoned and keep an eye on their behaviour, but young people are wont to take a liking to one another, William, and sometimes that liking develops into love. Kate is one and twenty years old. Did you expect her to remain here with us forever?"

"But that is what she said she wanted! She has resisted every one of your attempts to extend her society. She has no desire to involve herself in the marriage mart. Her one true love is learning, and I thought..." He trailed off and let out a little huff of breath. "I thought I would have her with me a while longer."

Elizabeth's expression softened. She finished unwinding his cravat and laid it upon the dressing table before taking both his hands in hers. "Oh, my darling. We do not raise our children to hold them so close that they cannot fly when they are ready. You know that as well as I do. And for all we know, Kate may have no interest in Mr Briar beyond his knowledge of ancient burial mounds. I am only telling you what I noticed, and my intuition may be entirely wrong. I simply wanted you to be aware."

"I am aware now," he said darkly.