Page 69 of A Matter of Murder

Seventeen

In Which Darcy Receives Some Unsolicited Advice

Darcy watched Lizzie disappear into the dark tunnel of the service corridor and had to fight against the urge to follow her. He knew she’d keep her wits about her, but it was Sally he didn’t trust. He hoped that whatever secrets she might be keeping, she’d guide both Lizzie and Guy back to safety.

“She’ll be all right,” Jane said, coming to stand next to him. The servants had dispersed to call off the search for Guy, leaving him with Jane and Charlotte. “She’s obstinate, but she’s not reckless.”

Darcy raised an eyebrow. Even Charlotte looked doubtful.

“All right, she’s not as reckless as she used to be,” Jane clarified. “I believe you’re a good influence on her.”

Darcy let out a small half laugh. “I dare you to tell her that.”

Jane didn’t laugh like he’d hoped she would. “I know my sister. Loving her often means standing in the background, fretting as she goes about her mad plans. But Lizzie... she cares for you.”

“And I for her,” Darcy said awkwardly. He hoped Jane would leave it at that—it was bad enough that his own sister routinelyhassled him into revealing his feelings, and now Jane was doing it, too?

Alas, Jane had a gleam in her eye awfully similar to the one Lizzie got when she was about to argue a case. “Good. Although her moods may run toward extremes, she usually sees reason. She just sometimes needs to be...” She glanced at Charlotte.

“Nudged?” Charlotte supplied.

“Exactly.”

Darcy looked between them in confusion. “I beg your pardon?”

“What Jane means to say is... Lizzie knows her own mind, but she can get caught up in the moment. Sometimes she needs extra time to think about her next steps, and when she does, she is open to advice.”

Now Darcy was really confused. “Is this about leaving London? Because we’ve discussed it already. She was upset when I agreed with Mr. Bennet rather than siding with her, but she knows that it was only because I wanted to ensure her safety.”

The ladies exchanged looks. Then Jane said, “Well, that’s very good. But we were thinking more along the lines of your... future.”

“Together,” Charlotte added.

“Marriage,” Jane clarified, as if it wasn’t obvious.

“My future marriage with Lizzie?” Darcy repeated. Even just saying the words caused a warmth to spread in his chest. Marriage. ToLizzie. He could only be so lucky. Then the implication of their words sank in. “Wait—do you think that she needs to be convinced to marry me?”

“No!” Charlotte exclaimed.

“Well,” Jane said, looking at Charlotte, “maybe a little?”

Darcy could feel that warmth in his chest rising to his face, only now it wasn’t so pleasant—in fact, it was deeply humiliating. “Oh.”

“Don’t fret. We can help,” Jane said, placing her hands on her hips. She was looking at him as if he were a pile of correspondence or a list of menu options. Something to be tackled, checked off her to-do list.Convince Lizzie to accept Darcy’s marriage proposal.

“Has she—” He cleared his throat. “Has she said something lately?”

Charlotte shook her head. “But we want you to know that you shouldn’t be afraid of proposing, because we will be there with encouragement.”

“I’m prepared to convince her this is the best opportunity for her future,” Jane agreed.

Darcy blinked. Wait. “When I... but I’m not proposing!”

Jane’s expression went from anxious to affronted in an instant. “What? Why not?”

This was all wrong. Nothing he was saying was making proper sense because the last topic of conversation he’d ever expected to have with Charlotte and Jane was how to propose. “Because she told me not to!”

“I beg your pardon?”