Chapter 28
“I can see how distressed you are about the estate,” Lord Langdon said. “I should have given you more details before you came.”
Mrs. Bennet shook her head and said, “Nonsense, Stanley. You told me my father spent every groat in favor of his own selfish desires. I should have expected it, but the Lodge in shambles, and the fencing down … it is genuinely shocking to see the level of disrepair. I am aware it is far harder on you than me, certainly, since you have to deal with the problems!”
Her cousin sighed and said, “Yes, we do. I am thankful that Esther is a sensible wife and is as eager as I am to bring the estate back into good condition, but it will be a very long process unless, of course, Zachary succeeds in finding a wealthy bride.”
Mrs. Bennet turned her eyes toward Elizabeth, who was, she noted with pleasure smiling and chatting cheerfully with her newly met relations.
She would not, by any means, force her daughter into an unwanted marriage. The very idea was an anathema, but if Elizabeth should happen to fall in love with Zachary, well...
She shook herself a trifle. They had only just met, and such thoughts were ridiculous.
Entirely ridiculous.
***
Drawing Room
Pemberley
26th March 1812
Fitzwilliam Darcy scanned over the letter he had only now finished writing and then signed it with a flourish. With practiced ease, he sprinkled sand over the paper to dry the ink, then folded it and sealed it with wax.
“Are you done writing letters, Brother?” Serena asked.
He turned his head to face her and said, “Thankfully, yes, at last. Now, how has your book been coming along?”
He had been surprised in December to discover that Serena was writing a novel. He had been even more startled to realize that his sister wrote very well indeed, while also managing an intricate and interesting plot.
Serena blushed and said, “It is going well enough, though I am struggling a trifle with the plot point regarding the ocean voyage. I do not know much about life on board a British East India company ship.”
Darcy frowned thoughtfully. “I would imagine it is somewhat similar to life on a British naval vessel, perhaps? Richard has been on Royal Navy ships while being transported back and forth to the Continent.”
“Yes, I suppose I could write to him and ask him details,” Serena mused, just as the butler entered the room with a pile of new mail.
Darcy winced at the sight of all those letters, some of which were likely from his man of business in London and his steward at his subsidiary estate in Scotland, but Serena more or less pounced on the butler, who quickly handed over a letter whose writing looked enticingly familiar.
“Is that from Miss Elizabeth?” Darcy asked in his most casual tone.
“It is!” Serena exclaimed, breaking the wax. “She must be in Sussex now visiting Lord Langdon’s estate. I have been wondering how she found it.”
Darcy forced himself to take the other letters from his butler’s hand and then retreated back to his desk. Serena usually read at least some lines of Elizabeth’s letters aloud after she read them silently, and he was eager to find out how she was doing.
A few minutes passed in silence, with Serena reading the letter and Darcy pretending to read his letters since he could not truly focus on the task. Then the young lady said, “Oh, do listen to this, Brother. It sounds quite distressing.”
The estate is in dreadful shape, unfortunately.
My mother’s cousin, Lord Langdon, is determined to bring it back into good heart, but it will take time and substantial sums. I find myself quite angry at my grandfather, truly, and am thankful for your sake, and mine, that the masters of our respective estates are honorable men.
I do like my new cousins very much. Miss Rutherford will be launched into Society this spring under the auspices of her maternal aunt, Lady Hampshire, and Mr. Zachary Rutherford, the heir to the viscountancy, will also be in Town.
The family has welcomed us most kindly, and I am pleased that we will be able to grow our friendship in the coming months.
Darcy was aware of a sudden, alien feeling in his heart, which he realized a moment later must be jealousy.
That was ridiculous, of course. He had no idea how old Mr. Rutherford was, and cousinly friendship was different than romance.
But given that the estate was in poor shape, and Elizabeth Bennet was a great heiress, well, it would not be a shock if Lord Langdon and Mrs. Bennet encouraged a marriage between the pair.
He forced himself to take a deep breath and let it out slowly. His thoughts were racing ahead of the facts. He would see Miss Elizabeth soon and would have the opportunity to discover whether his current feelings were based on reality or not.
“I cannot wait to see Elizabeth!” Serena cried out in an odd reflection of his own thoughts. “We will be for London in only a few weeks now!”
“True,” Darcy said, looking fondly at his sister. Serena’s love for Elizabeth was a great boon, as it meant that Miss Darcy was actually excited about going to London in spite of the anxiety inherent in the upcoming Season.
He was equally excited to see the lady who continued to fill his dreams, and as Serena said, he had only to wait a few more weeks.