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Sir Richard Fitzwilliam arrived at Derwent House with the force of a windstorm; it was only after a footman admitted him that he realized that the Darcys might not be alone.

Indeed, it was quickly obvious that there was a dinner party underway and he had arrived at the very moment when Mrs. Darcy was leading the ladies away to the music room.

Richard’s face displayed a sudden uncertainty that was not part of his normal temperament.

He was accustomed to appearing on his cousin’s doorstep without warning and often when least expected.

And yet, that was before Darcy had married, and the Earl’s younger son suddenly realized that a house with a mistress might require greater courtesy.

Urging her guests to go ahead without her, Elizabeth paused in the hallway and greeted her husband’s cousin with genuine pleasure, though her eyes searched his keenly. “Richard—this is a welcome surprise! Mr. Darcy shall be very glad to see you, cousin.”

The gentleman’s expression became grim. “Yes, I can imagine.” He attempted to evaluate the situation and finally chose to be direct.

“The Earl and I have just returned from Essex and I had hoped to speak with you and Darcy privately. I didn’t think…

well, obviously you are entertaining. I apologize—I shall leave immediately.

” He tried not to think of where he would go, for he currently had no desire to return to his father’s house.

Mrs. Darcy must have caught some of his frustration, as she immediately offered a far more appealing alternative.

“If you don’t mind waiting an hour, I should be able to move our guests along.

Would you care to join the gentlemen at their port?

Or perhaps you would prefer a tray in your room and a chance to wash up?

We would be very happy if you could stay the night. ”

Richard grinned, his relief obvious. Executing a very correct bow, he responded, “Thank you, madam. I appreciate the offer of hot water and good food more than you can know.” To himself, he acknowledged that the ability to make polite conversation to an array of strangers and indifferent acquaintances was quite beyond him at present.

Elizabeth arranged it all with admirable efficiency and, in short order, Richard was shown to his usual room even as a servant quietly alerted the master of his cousin’s presence in the house.

As a result, the gentlemen joined their ladies with remarkable promptness and, just as Mrs. Darcy had foretold, the clock had not long struck midnight before the evening was brought to a close.

Once the last guest was farewelled at the door, Georgiana confessed to fatigue and begged leave to retire. Left alone, Darcy turned to his wife and demanded, “What did Richard say?”

Elizabeth shook her head even as she led the way to the stairs. “Nothing except that he and the Earl had just returned from Essex. He looked exhausted, and none too happy, either.”

Fitzwilliam pulled at his cravat to loosen it.

He would have liked to stop in their own rooms to change out of his formal attire, but he was too impatient to hear his cousin’s news to suggest it.

Surprisingly, when they reached Richard’s usual room, a footman directed them further down the hall to the suite that Lady Alameda and her son were occupying.

The scene in the Viscountess’s sitting room was not at all what the Darcys had expected.

Sir Richard Fitzwilliam was lounging in a comfortable armchair, his legs stretched out in a supremely casual attitude.

His sister-in-law was more formally posed, but even she appeared much more relaxed than might have been predicted, given the pair’s previous interactions.

Richard saw them first; “Ah, and here are our most excellent hosts. I suppose I’ll now be required to tell the whole, sad saga again from the beginning. Perhaps it will improve in the retelling, though somehow I rather doubt it.”

His drawl had Darcy glancing suspiciously at the nearly empty brandy snifter in his cousin’s hand. Will kept his peace, however, for he suspected it had not been an easy week for the man. “It’s good to see you, too, Richard,” he responded dryly.

The gentleman acknowledged him with an offhanded salute before greeting Elizabeth more seriously.

“Thank you again for your hospitality, Mrs. Darcy. I happened upon my young nephew in the hall and he very cordially invited me in to greet his mother.” He glanced toward Lady Alameda and caught her eye.

“We’ve been having a most interesting chat. ”

“I fear Reggie has been missing Tommy Gardiner’s company,” said Alameda inconsequently.

The genuine amiability of the Gardiner children had done more than any reassurances on her part to reduce her son’s fearfulness.

To her eternal surprise, she had even found herself thinking about taking Reggie to visit his new friends on Gracechurch Street now that they had returned home with their parents.

At the moment, however, Darcy had little patience for small talk. “What news do you bring, Richard?”

The other gentleman sighed to himself but obediently began retelling his story.

“After we left your home last Sunday, it took rather longer for us to depart London than I had hoped, on account of the large number of messages that the Earl determined were necessary to write before leaving town. The benefit to this delay was that I managed to track down Andy Dunn, my old batman, and bring him along.”

Darcy nodded thoughtfully, remembering Dunn’s admirable place in his cousin’s war stories.

“We stopped at a posting inn near Epping Forest for the night and finished our journey in the morning. Though it was nearly noon when we arrived at Ravenswood, the house was quiet as a tomb,” continued Richard.

He caught Lady Alameda’s flinch and turned to her with a contrite expression. “Forgive me, I didn’t think how that would sound…”

“No,” she held up a hand. “I’m perfectly well. Please continue.”

Richard did so, though silently resolving to choose his words more carefully. “The servants were surprised to see us, as you can imagine, but once Papa explained who we were, they eventually allowed us entry. It took a bit more to force our way in to see Ashbourne, but, well… we managed it.”

Richard paused to swallow the last of his brandy; his brother’s appearance had shaken him more than he cared to admit. “Edward hadn’t left his bedchamber since the altercation with Alameda—to be honest, I don’t think he even comprehended that she and his son were gone.”

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows and exchanged a look with Darcy.

Although they had tried not to dwell on it, both had felt the danger of a half-mad viscount attempting to force his way into Derwent House.

Holmes had posted extra guards and Lady Alameda and her son had kept to the upper floors of the house to avoid being observed through the windows, but his specter had kept them all on edge in the days since the Fitzwilliams departed for Essex.

Richard caught the exchange and asked with a sort of resigned insight, “Did my father not write to you?”

“I fear the Earl neglected that communication,” answered Darcy tersely, but then waved off his cousin’s apologies and urged him to continue the report.

Richard sighed. “It was immediately obvious that my brother suffered from paranoia and was being kept under control only through the tincture his valet was administering. In general, I do not countenance the application of any sort of opium, but in this instance… well, anyway. Your Dr. Tolmach is a saint, by the way. He needed the assistance of Dunn, myself, an d Edward’s valet to restrain my brother long enough for an examination. ”

Richard fell silent for a minute, his thoughts returning to the unpleasant scene.

Sensing his agitation, the others waited until he regained his composure.

“Tolmach was soon convinced that my brother does indeed have syphilis. After questioning his valet about when the lesions began appearing, he determined that Edward probably contracted the disease less than a year ago. Unfortunately, his condition appears to be deteriorating very rapidly, no doubt due to his penchant for heavy drinking and hard living, among other vices.”

Richard raised his glass in a mocking salute, and when he spoke again, his voice was sarcastic.

“The earl, of course, took several days and a second opinion before he would even consider the possibility.” He glanced guiltily toward Lady Alameda and added, “Given his subsequent actions, perhaps I should have acted differently.”

His sister-in-law only shook her head tiredly and murmured, “It isn’t your fault, Richard. Just an ungodly hideous situation for everyone.”

If anything, the ex-cavalryman became even grimmer. “I can’t argue with that. My father, however, has turned his attention toward maintaining the family’s good name—after all, it would not do to have it known that the Earl of Matlock’s heir has gone mad with the French disease!”

“So what has been done for Ashbourne—does he remain at Ravenswood?” demanded Darcy impatiently. Elizabeth touched his hand with her own, but even that lessened his tension only marginally.

Richard directed a fierce look at his cousin.

“He is to be settled at an isolated hunting lodge in Scotland that the Earl inherited from some distant relation. Two days ago, I received an express requiring my immediate presence at the War Office, and Papa decided that he could no longer neglect his duties in parliament or the entire empire would fall to ruin.”

Will and Elizabeth remained silent, taken aback that Lord Henry would not put his son before all else.

Oddly enough, it was the Lady Alameda who defended him. “Had Lord Matlock remained out of sight much longer, someone might have guessed something was wrong, and I can only imagine the living hell such a scandal would create for all of us.”