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She laughed at that, a lovely, warm sound like wood smoke and honey. He smiled back at her, then offered his arm to escort her towards the horses, where Little John was waiting patiently. He helped her into her saddle, doing his best not to dwell upon the warmth of her beneath his hands, before mounting Socrates and following her down the path towards Pemberley.

Chapter Nine

The first day of the dig dawned bright and clear, and Kate opened her eyes to find her maid Sarah pulling back the curtains and flooding the room with light. She felt a bubbling excitement, the type of which she had not experienced since she was a small child anticipating Christmas gifts and festivities. She chose a practical morning dress of dark blue cotton and had Sarah dress her hair simply and quickly before practically flying down the stairs towards the breakfast room. She took a moment to compose herself before opening the door.

Some of her family were already assembled, alongside Mr Briar, who looked so very different that she stopped abruptly as she entered the room. He was wearing a plain, serviceable waistcoat over a linen shirt with its sleeves rolled up to his elbows, sturdy breeches and heavy leather boots, which had clearly seen a good deal of use. His hair had been combed back from his face, and he could not have looked less like the dandy of a man she had encountered in the library on his first day at Pemberley.

She had not failed to notice just how handsome he was before. Yes, her body had already been much affected by his nearness, but somehow, in these rougher clothes, with his strong forearms sprinkled with dark hair on display, she found herself overwhelmed by the sheer manliness of him and began to feel heat rising up her neck.

"Good morning, Miss Darcy," he said cheerfully, grinning at her. "I am afraid you will have to excuse my appearance. I have already made my apologies to your family, but excavating is rough work, and I must dress accordingly."

"How about some breakfast, Kate, dear?" Her mother's bright voice brought her back to herself.

"Yes, indeed," agreed her father, rising from his chair. "I shall prepare you a plate."

She took a seat on the opposite side of the table from Mr Briar, feeling it best to have a solid barrier between them. She gratefully accepted a cup of strong tea and let the conversation wash around her.

"So, Briar," said her father as he stood at the sideboard, "how will you begin?"

"We shall begin by cutting a trench across the centre of what we believe to be the barrow," Mr Briar replied. "First, we shall remove the turf and the upper layer of soil, and then work our way downwards towards what we hope will be the original burial. I am hoping that Miss Darcy will serve as our record keeper, noting any differences in the composition and colour of the soil as we progress through the various layers. Naturally, if we discover anything of interest, we shall slow our progress and uncover it carefully so as not to cause any damage. If we are wrong about the whole thing, we are likely to find nothing but soil and some very unhappy worms, but I do not think that will be the case."

He took a sip of his coffee before continuing. "If we can identify a few artefacts and establish something of their age, we shall have a better idea of whether we are on the right track. Miss Mina," he said, smiling at Kate's youngest sister, "I would also like to enlist your artistic services. It would be most useful to have a visual record of our progress and of any objects we uncover."

"Oh yes, Mr Briar!" she said excitedly. "I would be most pleased to offer my assistance, and then, when you are done, I shall try to recreate the whole scene as it was at the time." She paused, looking uncertain. "Only, I have no desire to see a skeleton."

"A very reasonable condition, Miss Mina," he said, smiling widely. "I promise I shall examine any discoveries for human remains before asking you to capture their likeness."

"And when will your men begin?" asked her mother.

"They already have, Mrs Darcy, or at least they should have by now. I instructed them to begin removing the turf and making the necessary preparations this morning, and as soon as I have finished this most wonderful breakfast, I shall walk out to join them."

"I shall come with you, Briar," said her father. "I have much business to attend to today, but I should be interested to see what sort of start you have made."

"As should I," added her mother.

"And me!" said Mina, abandoning her toast in her excitement.

"Well, any and all members of the Darcy family are most welcome," said Mr Briar, before turning his attention to Kate. "And are you excited for the work to begin, Miss Darcy?" He was clearly aware that she had not uttered a word throughout the conversation so far.

She forced herself to meet his eye. Oh, why did he have to be so good-looking? It was like trying to make breakfast conversation with Apollo himself, and she was finding it very difficult to keep her wits about her. "Very much, sir," she said in what she hoped was a steady voice. "I have all the materials for recording our progress ready, and I am most interested to see what we uncover."

"Thomas," her father said, turning to one of the footmen who stood beside the door, "you will accompany us to the dig site and remain there whenever either of my daughters is present."

"Yes, sir."

Wonderful. Just what she needed when she was already feeling so uncomfortable. A reminder that her parents believed she required a chaperone. Oh, why couldn't Mr Briar have been an old, watery-eyed, grey-haired professor? It would have made the whole business so much simpler.

✽✽✽

They were a large and merry party as they approached the dig site, Pegasus running wide circles around them, clearly understanding that something was afoot but not entirely sure what his master and the other humans could be so excited about.

George had appeared as they were leaving the terrace and had insisted upon joining them. "I have not missed all the excitement, have I? Briar, if you had told me two weeks ago that Darcy would allow someone to dig a great big hole in Pemberley, I would have called you a madman. And here he is now, sanctioning your efforts! I would not miss this for the world."

"Harwood," said her father with mock exasperation, "Briar is hardly setting about digging a hole in the ballroom floor, as you well know."

"Yes, yes, but all the same, it is jolly interesting."

"And where is my grandson this morning?" asked her mother.