Chapter 4 #2
Elizabeth did not want to take up more of Mrs. Durrell’s time. Surely the housekeeper had many tasks to attend to? They ought to be leaving. Still, Elizabeth did not have the heart to wake up Maggie just yet.
“If you do not mind, I will let her sleep a little while longer, but I can watch over her, if you have other things to do.”
“Thank you, ma’am. Yes, that would be good. I do have several matters that require my attention.”
The housekeeper smiled at Maggie then tiptoed out of the bedchamber. Meanwhile, Elizabeth sat by the fireside and spread her hair over the back of the chair to encourage it to dry faster.
Then, once again, she succumbed to fatigue.
Now that he was dry and considerably warmer, Darcy climbed into bed and drew the cover around him.
But no sooner had he done so than he grew restless, and was not long before he threw off the covers and rose to his feet.
He could not feel at ease and go to sleep until he was certain that the little girl had suffered no harm.
He rang for his valet, who helped him dress and informed him that Mrs. Durrell was watching over her in Miss Darcy’s room.
“Would you like me to go and make inquiries, sir?”
Darcy did not want to hear the news second hand. It was better to go to the source. “I will do so myself.”
It was a short distance to his sister’s bedchamber. Darcy opened the door as quietly as possible. To his surprise, Mrs. Durrell was not there.
Instead, his gaze fell on the child’s mother, who had fallen asleep next to the fire.
Her legs were tucked under her. She looked so serene and at ease. It did not look like she was suffering from any ill effects from their ordeal, though, of course, it was too early to tell. Perhaps she was right about having a strong constitution, after all.
He recognized the gown she was wearing and smothered a smile. She looked ridiculous in Georgiana’s dress, which was far too long for her. Despite being quite a lot younger, Georgiana was taller. Both the Darcys and the Fitzwilliams tended to be tall.
He examined her face. It occurred to him that the mother must have married very young.
She looked scarcely more than twenty, if he had to hazard a guess, but it was hard to judge such things.
Darcy knew from married relations that it was a rite of passage for six-year-olds to have a missing tooth, so very likely, that was the child's age.
At that moment, the young mother stirred, opened her eyes, and caught sight of him.
“You may as well say it, sir. I can see it from your expression. I make a laughable figure in your sister’s clothes,” she said. “You need not pretend otherwise.”
“We are all laughable when we wear someone else’s clothes,” he said, his smile widening.
“Especially when the modiste has gone to so much trouble to create a garment that fits one particular person – in this case my sister. But my main concern is that you may trip over the hem when you go down the stairs.”
“Thank you for the warning,” she said. “I will endeavor not to do so, so you will not be obliged to rescue me again.”
Her smile was open and full of laughter. He looked away, eager to take the conversation in another less perilous direction.
“How is Margaret?”
“Maisy assures me that, according to Mrs. Durrell, she is well. I have yet to see her. ”
The mother sat up straight, gave a little stretch, and shook her head, causing her hair to cascade over her shoulders.
There was an unconscious grace to her movements, and she looked very pretty, her long dark hair wet and draped over her shoulders in damp waves.
She reached back and gathered together the strands, pulling them upwards, exposing the creamy skin at the nape of her neck.
As she noted the direction of his gaze, she looked mortified and quickly released her hair.
“I am sorry. I am not in the habit of leaving my hair down in company, but I needed it to dry by the fire. We will be leaving soon.”
It discomposed him that she had guessed the direction of his thoughts, and alarmed that he was even thinking that way.
What on earth was he doing? She was married, and from Cheapside, and they did not move in the same social circles.
He ought not to have intruded on her like this.
He had already taken his leave earlier. It was time to do so again.
He had to distance himself, or he would find himself drowning in quite another way than in the lake.
“You may stay as long as you wish,” he said, dragging his gaze away from her and shuttering his expression.
“You need not worry about leaving down your hair. I will be in the library on the other side of the house, so you will not be in my way, and I will not be in yours. I came to speak to Mrs. Durrell.”
It was not a very subtle way of communicating that she should not expect him to speak to her again.
Her cheeks turned bright red. She had understood the implication.
“I very much appreciate your assistance, Mr. Darcy,” she said. “You need not worry. We will be leaving shortly.”
“Have Mrs. Durrell send for the carriage when you are ready. I very much hope neither of you experience any repercussions from today’s events.” He bowed. “I bid you farewell, madam. I wish you well.”
At the flash of chagrin in her eyes at his impersonal words, he felt immediately contrite. His words were civil enough, but they were a dismissal, and they both knew it.
He bowed and hurried out, feeling both guilty and embarrassed. In his haste to leave, he almost collided with Georgiana.
“William—” she began.
“I will talk with you later,” he said and hurried away from the temptation to walk back and issue an apology.