Chapter 5 Lily’s New Owner
Knight’s Manor
Elizabeth
Idarted upstairs, entered my chamber, and collapsed upon the bed. What must they all think of me?
My earlier belief that I could endure this evening without incident had been proved wrong.
Despite the welcome presence of Mr. Hayward and my dear friend Dame Hayward, I could not remain in that room.
When I came face to face with Mr. Darcy, I had peered at him, my insides turning to ice.
Once I regained enough presence of mind to make my excuses, I fled.
I could not deny that the hateful Mr. Darcy made an impressive presentation; for once, Cassie had not exaggerated when she had described his physical attractiveness.
But handsome or not, I could not abide the prospect of spending an entire evening in his company.
Even though I ached to know how Lily had spent her first days at Springvale, it would have been a waste of time to ask Mr. Darcy; he probably took no notice of her and considered her to be nothing more than one of his many possessions.
Tomorrow, I should ride Thea to the estate and see her for myself. The head groom there, Tim, could be relied upon to relate how Lily had adjusted to her temporary home thus far. For the remainder of Mr. Darcy’s stay in the neighbourhood, I should avoid him as much as possible.
A maid brought me a tray of food. Someone—Noah?—must have given the order. But I lacked an appetite and ate no more than a few bites. For a couple of hours, I played the small pianoforte in the family wing’s sitting-room.
Later that night, after I had changed into my nightgown, Cassie came to my chamber.
We took seats on my bed, and she directed her steely eyes at me.
“How could you embarrass me like that, Lizzy? Mr. Darcy was not just any guest. You knew how much I admired him and wanted to make a good impression. You had no further obligation than to be polite to him.”
I recoiled at her low, venomous intonation. She had seldom been so furious with me.
“After the introduction, you could have moved away and allowed me to engage him in conversation. And if you could not manage that, you ought to have remained upstairs!”
“I am sorry. I did not mean to subvert your plans.” My arms encircled my bent legs, and I lowered my chin to my knees.
“I had every intention of enduring the evening with grace. Before I entered the drawing-room, I had affected a cheerful demeanour. But once I stood before Mr. Darcy, thoughts of Lily consumed me. I pictured her in a stall at Springvale, dejected and wondering why she had not seen me, and my pretence shattered.”
“I have no doubt that Lily is well. My goodness, she is a horse, not a child!” Cassie clenched her teeth, scowling at me. “Your outrageous scene ruined everything!”
My sight averted, and a stinging sensation afflicted my eyes. That could not be true, could it? “I think you are exaggerating—the evening did not come to an end because I left the room. Besides, there is no reason to suppose my departure damaged Mr. Darcy’s opinion of you.”
“Nevertheless, your ill treatment insulted him. Up until that moment, he had been in a sanguine humour.”
I peeked at Cassie to find her still glaring at me.
“But once you left, he became grave and reserved. Despite my best efforts, I received naught but terse sentences from him for the remainder of the evening.”
At this, my gaze rose to meet hers. “Good Heavens, why do you persist in esteeming a man who is so easily affronted? Do you not think a defect in his character such as this will often result in unpleasantness?”
“Not at all.” Cassie stretched taller. “I do not expect you to understand this since you have never been to town and have not been exposed to the highest levels of society. A man of importance in the world such as he has every right to expect to be treated with respect at all times, but most especially as a guest in a gentleman’s home. ”
With effort, I refrained from making an unladylike noise to deride her explanation. One did not need to set foot in London to know that the ton comprised plenty of conceited people.
“I apologised to him on your behalf, but that is not sufficient.” She leaned closer, her expression pointed. “Promise me that at your first opportunity you will extend an apology to him for your conduct tonight.”
“Very well.” With any luck, I should not meet the man again for a long while.
Tuesday, 17 September
Springvale
Elizabeth
I handed Thea’s reins to a young, skinny stable boy. “I should like you to give her water and keep her tied nearby, for I shall not stay here long.”
“Aye, miss.”
“Is Tim in the stable building this morning?”
“Yes, ’e is.”
“Thank you.” I entered the large wooden structure and encountered the red-haired groom brushing a grey horse. “Good morning, Tim.”
He turned and lowered the currycomb. A smile raised his freckled cheeks. “Good morning, Miss Bennet.” Tim came towards me, and his comportment grew staid. “Are you ’ere to see Lily?”
“Yes, I am.”
“I’ll take you to ’er.” He led the way and stopped before one of the stalls. “Ah, she’s asleep.” Lily stood with her haunches towards the door, her head sagged, and one hind leg bent and relaxed.
“How has she been?” I used a softened tone.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “She is well, just a bit…droopy.” His brows inched up. “But she’ll be ’appy to see you.”
“Lily, it is me.”
Her ears perked up. She raised her head and spun round. With a soft nicker, she hied to me and pressed her nose into my shoulder.
My fingers traced down her forehead. “I missed you too, girl.” I removed the apple and carrot slices from my pocket and fed them to her one at a time.
I glanced at Tim, who looked on. “As long as she is here, I shall try to come each morning at this time. But you need not be concerned that I shall remain too long. I should not want the…um…new owner to find me here.”
“Oh, I don’t think ’e’d mind.” Tim shifted his weight, resting a hand on the stall door. “From what I’ve seen, Mr. Darcy’s a skilled ’orseman. I’m sure she’ll be well tended.”
I smiled at him. “Thank you. I hope so.”
“Well, I’ve work to do.” With a nod, he left me.
When Lily had gobbled the last of her treats, I resumed stroking her head and neck. After a while, she leaned against the stall door, and her muzzle nudged my upper arm. She wanted me to take her out—take her home. A sudden well of tears filled my eyes, and I blinked to contain them.
“I am sorry, girl. I cannot take you with me. I wish I could.” My fingers caressed the downy skin of her nose.
“You must be a good girl, Lily. I know you can do this. Do not give Mr. Darcy a reason to be displeased with you.” I shuddered through a deep breath.
Despite my inclination to remain longer, I resolved to stay no more than half an hour to avoid being seen by Mr. Darcy.
With a sigh, I gave Lily a final pat and left her.
Darcy
Hayward and I called upon Mr. Walter Rowe, who lived on the outskirts of Salisbury. Based upon the amiable widower’s grey, thinning hair and the lines present upon his visage, he must be near the end of his sixth decade. The cleft in his chin drew my notice when we exchanged greetings.
We took seats in the parlour, and Mr. Rowe served us a citrus ratafia he had purchased last month from a London shop on Bond Street.
Hayward’s rapport with the elder gentleman became obvious in the affectionate way they teased one another.
Mr. Rowe asked after Hayward’s parents, and my friend shared tidings from their most recent missive.
We spent a pleasant couple of hours at Mr. Rowe’s home, and in the course of our conversation, I verified that he had spent most of August in town.
When we entered Hayward’s carriage, I lightly chided him for not naming Mr. Rowe as a possible suspect.
He stared at me for a long moment before his lower jaw dropped. “Of course, you are correct. I suppose my friendship with him blinded me to any possibility that he could be the man in question. Rowe would never harm anyone.”
“I understand.” Yesterday, I had endured a frustrating conversation with the local cobbler, a curt, impatient man who made no effort to be helpful.
He averred to not know of any customers who fitted the suspect’s description.
In any case, I had met two men of the right age with cleft chins who had spent August in town: Mr. Rowe and Mr. Barton.
The suggestion that either of them could be a murderer seemed ludicrous.
Nevertheless, I should write to Mr. Notley tonight and provide the two names.
When the coach turned off the avenue, movement in one of the paddocks caught my notice: a sorrel horse cantered around the perimeter of the enclosure. Could it be…? I moved closer to the window, narrowing my eyes to make out the distinctive white markings. Yes, it was Lily.
“What do you see, Darcy?”
I glanced at Hayward. “Lily is in the paddock. She has been depressed since her arrival, but her spirits seem to have improved today.”
“Hmm, I may know the reason for the alteration in her.”
I shifted towards him. “What do you mean?”
“Earlier today, Tim remarked that Miss Bennet paid Lily a visit this morning. As you may expect, the mare took delight in seeing her, and her presence appears to have had a lasting effect.”
“So you believe Miss Bennet is the sole reason for Lily’s elevated mood?”
Hayward shrugged. “That is Tim’s conclusion, and I trust his instincts above anyone else’s in matters related to horses.”
“Would that I had never set eyes upon the deuced horse! There is no possible way for me to remedy the situation now.” I pressed my knuckles to my mouth.
With a slow, sedate nod, my friend rested his folded hands upon his lap. “That is true. Nevertheless, if Miss Bennet knew you better and could be assured you would treat Lily well, at least she would be free from that particular worry.”