Chapter 2 Miss Ramsbury
The butler announced Mr. and Miss Ramsbury, and a stir of enthusiasm passed through the gentlemen.
Darcy sought Richard's eye, but his cousin looked away with a faint smile, while Phillip looked positively delighted.
Who could Miss Ramsbury be that even his world-weary older cousin took such notice?
The crowd parted to admit the two final guests, and Darcy immediately understood her appeal.
She was a beauty. Lustrous copper red curls framed her face, much like Miss Caroline Bingley's, but there the resemblance ended.
Her large green eyes and graceful figure were not her greatest attractions.
She greeted the other young ladies, her rivals, with unaffected kindness.
Her voice carried with quiet sweetness, and from the fragments of conversation that reached him, she appeared to possess both good sense and an easy wit.
As he studied her, he decided she must be at least twenty, just barely of a suitable age for a man of his years.
Richard joined him and lowered his voice.
“Her fortune is considerable. Mamma says it amounts to forty thousand pounds.
She hopes Phillip will win her hand, but I think she aims too high.
Phillip's reputation as a man of gallantry will weigh heavily against him in that young lady's estimation.
Rebecca says Miss Ramsbury means to marry for love and has little patience with gentlemen who trifle with ladies' affections or have a wandering eye.”
Darcy said, “What else does your sister have to say of this paragon of beauty?”
“Not much more. Rebecca writes infrequently, but she says a few gentlemen from her circle intend to come to London for the Season in hopes of winning that little beauty's hand.”
The two men watched as Phillip wandered away to flirt with a pretty young widow whom some believed to be his mistress.
Darcy looked to his cousin. “I believe Phillip will settle once he falls in love. He has spent too many years as the object of every lady's admiration, pursued and flattered wherever he goes. It is little wonder the poor fellow has become a bit jaded.”
Richard laughed.
“You are too generous with my brother, Darcy. You have endured just as much female attention these past ten years, but you have not become a notorious flirt like Phillip.”
Darcy chuckled.
“But I am not the heir to an earldom. Perhaps being born with a silver spoon in his mouth has proved too great a temptation for my cousin. It does not follow that he cannot reform for the love of a good woman.”
“Perhaps. But you make too many allowances for bad habits and weak principles. Phillip has had his own way far too long to abandon his pursuits simply because a beautiful woman has captured his attention. At two and thirty, I fear his habits are well established.”
Richard fell silent as the lady in question approached on her father's arm.
She was looking directly at Darcy.
A delicate blush spread across her cheeks.
Darcy stared. She was blushing because of him.
He glanced about the room in search of Phillip. Astonishingly, Miss Ramsbury and her father had passed his handsome, titled, and wealthy cousin without a second glance and now stood before him.
His mind went blank.
Darcy could not think of a single thing to say.
Richard came to his rescue.
“Darcy, I believe you have not yet had the pleasure of Mr. and Miss Ramsbury's acquaintance.”
Heat rose up Darcy's neck, but he managed, “No, I have not had that pleasure.”
Richard performed the introductions and concluded, “You will be pleased to learn that Miss Ramsbury is an accomplished pianist.”
Darcy smiled at the young lady, whose cheeks still held a delicate blush.
“Shall we have the pleasure of hearing you this evening, Miss Ramsbury?”
“Yes, sir. I am included in tonight's program.”
He opened the program he held in his hand and searched for her name.
“Ah, here you are, ma'am. You are to sing Auld Robin Gray. That is a deeply affecting ballad, Miss Ramsbury. I look forward to your performance.”
Her eyes sparkled with amusement.
“Papa insisted upon it, sir. He has a great fondness for poignant tales of love and loss, though I confess I have always felt sorry for poor old Robin Gray. After all, he was kind and honorable toward his young wife.”
Darcy smiled.
“But what of the young lady herself, ma'am? Do you not feel for the poor girl who married from duty to save her family? And what of her heart, Miss Ramsbury?”
Helena Ramsbury laughed, and her father joined her.
“Mr. Darcy, I perceive that you have a romantic heart, just as Papa does. Perhaps my own mind inclines too much toward the practical than the sentimental.”
Darcy found himself captivated by the lovely young woman who stood before him, laughing. She had forgotten her reserve and now spoke with the ease of an old acquaintance. He realized that he, too, felt entirely at ease in her company, as though he had known her for years.
His aunt announced that the program was about to begin, and Darcy asked whether they might sit together.
Mr. Ramsbury inclined his head in agreement, and Darcy led the way to the front of the room, where he found four chairs nearest the pianoforte.
He smiled. “There now. I have found the best seats in the house. We shall sit beside the instrument.”
Richard chuckled. “Darcy, the room is not so large that we should be unable to hear Miss Ramsbury from any corner of it.”
Darcy looked down at the young lady, whose large green eyes were fixed upon him.
“That is true, Richard, but from here I shall have the best view of Miss Ramsbury.”
Her cheeks colored becomingly, and they continued to converse until Lady Helen, the Countess of Matlock, stepped forward to introduce the first performer.
Darcy had expected the musicale to prove rather tedious and had looked forward to it very little.
Instead, Miss Ramsbury entertained him throughout the evening with her humorous remarks, spoken in tones meant for his ears alone.
When her turn came to perform, he asked, his gaze resting upon her, “Do you require someone to turn the pages, Miss Ramsbury?”
A faint blush returned to her cheeks. “I do, sir.”
“May I have that honor, ma'am?”
“Yes, sir.”
They both rose. He offered her his arm and escorted her to the pianoforte. After moving the bench to her liking, he took his place beside her and turned the pages, his gaze seldom leaving her profile throughout the performance.
* * *
That evening, after the guests had departed and only the family remained in the drawing room, Lady Helen said, “Phillip, you made a poor showing this evening. You scarcely attempted to engage Miss Ramsbury in conversation.”
“Mamma, Miss Ramsbury is too young for me. She is twelve years my junior. I have seen too much of the world to be greatly captivated by her charms.”
Richard leaned toward Darcy and whispered, “And far too innocent.”
Darcy nudged his cousin in the ribs. “Quiet, you scoundrel. Do you wish your mother's displeasure to fall upon us both?”
The Earl said, “Phillip, you must begin looking for a wife. You are two-and-thirty. It is time the nursery at Matlock was filled.”
Phillip's expression darkened. “And why now, Father? Why must I marry now? I am still too young to risk making myself miserable with an ill-tempered wife or one who values only pleasure.”
Lady Helen frowned. “My dear boy, you do say the most disagreeable things. Miss Ramsbury is neither. She is all that a gentleman could wish for in a wife.”
“And she would bore me to distraction within a fortnight of our marriage. No, Mamma, pray put her from your mind. I freely admit she is a beauty, and her fortune is certainly attractive, but I watched her with my cousin this evening. We should not suit. She would be far better matched with Richard or Darcy.”
He looked to his father.
“There is no great hurry for me to leg-shackle myself, sir. Richard is my heir, and should anything happen to me, he has both the judgment and the ability to manage the estate and take my seat in the House of Lords. Indeed, I sometimes think he would make the better earl.”
Darcy glanced at Richard before saying in a low voice, “I have heard this argument often enough. See me out, will you?”
Richard and Darcy both stood. Darcy crossed to the countess and kissed her cheek.
“Aunt Helen, thank you for a delightful evening. And I am afraid my cousin is correct. Miss Ramsbury would be far better suited to Richard or me. She is almost too young for me, but I do believe we might suit if it came to that.”
Lady Helen smiled. “Yes, my boy. She would suit you very well. I believe she is a little too staid and practical for my Richard.”
Richard chuckled. “You mean because I am a hardened soldier, Mother?”
“No, son, because you are too clever and far too lively. A more spirited, whimsical young woman would suit you much better.”
“Do you have someone in mind?”
“Yes, dear. I believe your cousin Anne is just the woman for you.”
Darcy and Richard exchanged looks of horror, while Phillip gave an irreverent snort.
Darcy declined to become embroiled in the discussion that was certain to follow. He crossed to the earl.
“Uncle Henry, I am glad to see you back on your feet. Aunt Helen told me the gout nearly crippled you this time.”
The earl smiled. “Yes, my boy, it brought me low, but look at me now. I always recover in the end.”
Darcy grinned, clasped his uncle's hand, and said affectionately, “Take care of yourself, sir. You are the only father we have left. You would be sorely missed.”
His uncle covered Darcy's hand with his own. “I will, son. I shall take greater care, for the sake of the three of you. I swear, raising you boys has been harder than herding cats.”