Page 7

Kiernan swung his legs back and forth while sitting on top of the fence that bordered Longbourn land.

It had been the very best morning. The air was crisp.

The clouds in the sky were white, puffy, and happy.

Best of all, he had a book of his very own, something that he had only dreamed of possessing.

He saw Mr. Darcy coming and leaped down from his spot to greet him.

“Hello again, Mr. Darcy. Were you able to get your letter mailed all right?” Kiernan tried not to stare at Mr. Darcy’s horse.

He moved with a powerful grace, showing off his glossy and distinct coat.

His mane and tail were jet black, and his body was a deep mahogany brown, yet when the sun shone on him, his coat was almost as dark as coal.

Its regal presence was captivating, and Kiernan felt like the creature had stepped out of a fairy tale.

Mr. Darcy smiled at the boy as he dismounted. “Yes, I did, Mr. Kiernan.” He found it was much easier to converse with children, and this boy had been a delight already. If he didn’t miss his guess, the boy was quite fond of his horse. Kiernan’s gaze seemed to be transfixed on his steed.

“I am glad. I would hate for your sister to miss her letter from you. Mine would be rightly upset.” He could not stop staring at the horse with admiration.

He kept hands firmly clasping the package he held to keep himself from reaching out to touch it.

It would not do to go touching the horse without permission.

Darcy spotted the desire in the boy’s eyes.

“Thank you for helping me get the tea Miss Elizabeth spoke of. I have nothing to offer you in thanks at the moment, but maybe you would like to give my horse some sugar. He has a sweet tooth and would quite like a treat.” Children who lacked fear of his horse always made Darcy smile.

The stallion was over sixteen hands tall and was a bit much for even some adults.

Kiernan reached for the sugar lump after handing Mr. Darcy the package of tea. “I would love to, Mr. Darcy, as long as you do not mind.” He thought to himself that this was the very best of days indeed.

“Of course not. Cadmus is a friendly animal, for all that he is a stallion. When my little sister met him, she quickly realized how sweet his nature truly is. She said Cadmus was too stuffy a name for such a sweet animal, and she’s taken to calling him Crumpet ever since.

” It was a very dear memory, and it brought a smile to his face.

Kiernan giggled but did not take his eyes away from the dark beauty in front of him. He let the horse eat the sugar lump and lick his flat palm. “What kind of horse is he, Mr. Darcy?” When Cadmus began snuffling around his face and blowing at his hair, he snickered.

Darcy was quite curious about the Bennet family and the town he had come to. It was possible that he had a ready source of information. “What if I answer your questions if you answer mine?”

“That would be fine.” Kiernan only minimally paid attention to Mr. Darcy. Most of his attention was on the velvet perfection of the fine animal’s nose in his hand. He felt the softness of the horse’s muzzle as it lipped his skin, the sensation of its breath tickling his tender flesh.

“It is only fair that I answer first. He results from a shire horse and an Arabian. My head groomsman has been experimenting with cross breeding the two. His coloring is called Mahogany Bay. Now my question: how do you know the Miss Bennets?” Darcy’s inner conflict was strong.

His methods may border on bribery, yet the allure of curiosity was powerful.

Those who were aware of his deficiency normally sought to exploit it or humiliate him.

Even his own family joined in the words they spoke like ice, cold and cruel.

Miss Elizabeth’s beaming smile and sympathetic words had had a mesmerizing effect on him.

She cared, and his curiosity about her consumed him.

“Well, my family has been tenants of Longbourn land near on two hundred years. Almost as long as the Bennets themselves. Four years ago, Miss Elizabeth and Miss Mary started classes to teach the local kids sums an’ reading twice a week.

I have been learning from them since the beginning, an’ lately they have been giving me harder work.

Miss Elizabeth has even started telling me about history and people like Julius Caesar.

” Kiernan smiled, happy to rub under the horse’s chin.

It surprised him when the horse pressed his head up against his chest without knocking him down.

It was almost as if he was returning his affection.

Kiernan was certain that the horse was more a Crumpet than a Cadmus; the horse was all sweetness.

“Few landowners support a local school like that. Mr. Bennet must be very generous.” It astounded him that a young woman would give so much of her time to teaching children. Her opinion that Kiernan should explore Julius Caesar as part of his education revealed her wide-ranging knowledge.

Kiernan took a moment to look at Mr. Darcy and shake his head.

He spoke up. “No, not Mr. Bennet, it is the ladies. Now it’s my turn.

How long have you known you have a problem with crowds?

” Kiernan sometimes wondered if he would outgrow his own similar problem.

Though it seemed Mr. Darcy had not gotten better with age.

“I think I was slightly younger than you when I first noticed it.” Darcy grimaced, recalling and promptly banishing the memory of what had started his difficulties.

“I have had a few problems like yours, but my mam says everyone is different with different strengths and weaknesses. Miss Elizabeth has said that I can practice, an’ she will help me.

It’s your turn, Mr. Darcy.” He tried to reach the horse’s mane, extending himself as far as possible to see if it was as luxurious as it seemed.

Darcy smiled, amused at Kiernan’s love of his horse. “You said that Mr. Bennet was not generous. What kind of man is he?” His first thought was that a life of ease and harmony would inspire Miss Elizabeth to be compassionate and considerate.

“I guess I would have to say he was a bad one. Mr. Bennet refuses to pay for anything that the tenants need. The Bennet ladies normally take care of things with their pocket money. Miss Elizabeth had to save for a year to get the supplies for the school. It’s supposed to be a secret, but Mrs. Allen, their cook, told me about that one.

He is also very mean. I have heard how he talks to Mrs. Bennet an’ his daughters.

If I talked that way to my sister, my pa would tan my hide.

My Pa said the world is mean enough. You don’t be mean to family an’ never to girls.

” Kiernan’s voice had dropped to nearly a whisper when he talked about how mean Mr. Bennet was.

He felt guilty, but the whole town knew that Mr. Bennet was a bitter man and had been cruel for a long time.

Kiernan’s voice brightened as he asked, “So, how old is your sister?”

“How regrettable that Mr. Bennet acts in such a way.” Darcy would consider this information later.

“My sister is fifteen. She is supposed to join me with my cousin in a fortnight. I will be glad to see her. How old is your sister, Kiernan?” Darcy thought about Kiernan’s sister as he recalled the soldiers he had seen in town, his worry growing.

She could draw unwanted attention from the soldiers, depending on her age.

“I have three brothers and one sister. Kayleen is the youngest of us all, at nine. I told the Miss Bennets it was not fair that my sister has four brothers to protect her, and they have none. So I told them I would stand in and take care of what brotherin’ I could.

They are twenty-one, twenty, nineteen, seventeen, and fifteen.

Where else would Crumpet like me to pet him? ”

“Practically anywhere, though he might like his neck scratched. Kiernan, when I was in town, I noticed some militia men moving about. I wanted to warn you that though they might appear gentlemanly, they are not always what they seem.” Kiernan was too young for any kind of further explanation.

His sister was thankfully too young to be a concern, but the Bennet ladies might need a watchful eye.

Kiernan turned to face Mr. Darcy, looking him in the eye before speaking.

“Thank you for letting me know. I will keep an eye out. I will also make sure Miss Elizabeth brings me on her walks an’ such.

The other ladies, too. Mr. Bennet refuses to allow a groom to accompany any of the ladies unless they have permission to take the carriage.

” Kiernan knew that most men would ruffle his hair and laugh him off when he said those kinds of things.

The fact that Darcy recognized his desire to protect the ladies meant a lot to him.

“I had better return to Netherfield before I worry someone. I have truly enjoyed our talk, Master Kiernan. Maybe we shall have time to talk again soon.” Darcy would need to think about how to proceed with the information he had collected.

“Miss Elizabeth put instructions on the bag for you, sir. I enjoyed talking to you and getting to meet Crumpet. Thank you for the warning. I will take it to heart.” With that, he ran towards home to tell Mam all about the great dark horse named Crumpet and his new book.

Darcy was less carefree on his ride back to Netherfield than young Kiernan.

Though he had apologized, which had been his goal, it did not settle his mind.

Hearing the kindness and understanding in Miss Elizabeth’s words was making him pause and reevaluate how he saw things.

As if she brought a candle into a dark room, everything looked different.

Disregarded by teachers, classmates, and his own family, his life had been a dark place and now there was light.

In the past, he avoided meeting new people because of the risk of them discovering his weakness and shunning him for it.

But what if he was wrong? What if the things his family had taught him about himself and the world were wrong?

The even greater question was what would he do about it?

Quite distracted by his pondering, Darcy arrived back at Netherfield in what seemed like no time. He dismounted his horse and nodded at the approaching stable hand.

“I will brush Cadmus down and get him some breakfast, sir. Did you enjoy the ride?”

Darcy tried to remember the stable hand’s name. “Yes, I did. Thank you, was it Jonah?”

“Yes, sir. Jonah Moore, sir. Just let me know if you need anything.” Jonah rarely got an acknowledgment from any of the gentlemen whose horses he cared for. Mr. Darcy seemed to be a good man, if a little remote.

He made his way through the house and into the dining room.

His heart sank when he realized how much time he had been away from Netherfield.

There would be consequences when he returned.

Darcy was already bracing himself for the unpleasant breakfast he would have with Caroline Bingley.

The mere thought made his stomach turn sour.

“Oh, Mr. Darcy, it is so good to see you this morning. I take it you slept tolerably well.” Caroline had been lingering over her coffee for a while, hoping to happen upon him over breakfast so they could converse. She desired to show off her refined tastes and skills as a hostess.

“The bed was most comfortable, and I slept reasonably well.” Darcy always struggled to interact with Miss Caroline Bingley.

How was one to be polite without leaving room for an interpretation which might lead to unfounded hope?

He may struggle with some things, but the decision to never marry Miss Bingley was never one of them.

The smell of his breakfast filled the air as he worked through it as quickly as possible, attempting to block out the noise of her chattering. He was only moderately successful.