Page 63 of I Thee Wed (Pride And Prejudice Variation #2)

“Phillip, I thought you were in Greece. What are you doing here in my house?” Darcy was frowning.

The tall gentleman with blond hair stood in the doorway, grinning. “Good afternoon, Cousin. It’s a pleasure to see you too.”

Darcy’s lips twisted into a scowl. “What about the Grecian adventure, I heard so much about? Richard told me you were to remain there at least a year.”

Phillip raised a brow. “I think you are not happy to see me. Your cousin, the prodigal, has returned, alive and well. And in case you are wondering, I did not waste my father’s fortune. My investment paid handsomely and I am to be congratulated, Darcy, not reproved.”

Darcy looked at the tall man grudgingly. “Well, come in then. There is nothing for it. I see that I am obliged to invite you in.”

Phillip’s grin widened into a smile as his gaze slid to Elizabeth. “And what a wife she proves to be, if the missing cravat is anything to go by.”

Elizabeth flamed to her hairline. Darcy also flushed to the tips of his ears. His eyes hardened. “I will remind you, Cousin, to keep rude comments to yourself. You are in mixed company.”

Elizabeth raised her eyes to the staircase and saw that the servants still stood at attention, watching the spectacle.

Darcy also remembered where he was, and his tone grew colder.

“Why are we standing in the street? Phillip, you might as well come in so that I may introduce you properly to my wife.”

As they climbed the stairs, Phillip leaned near and murmured into Darcy’s ear. “Not quite what you had in mind, Cousin? I apologize if my arrival has delayed your marital delights.”

Darcy turned and frowned at the grinning man who now walked on his other side. He whispered back. “Another less confident man would have been silenced.”

Phillip straightened and grinned, tongue in cheek. “My apologies, cousin.”

Darcy looked at Elizabeth with a smile. “Mrs. Darcy, may I present Mrs. Nichols, who has kept this house in order since I was in short coats.”

Elizabeth curtsied warmly. “I am delighted to meet you, Mrs. Nichols. I shall depend upon your experience.”

The housekeeper nodded respectfully. “I am entirely at your service, ma’am.”

Behind her, Mr. Higgins, the butler, bowed. “Mr. Darcy. Mrs. Darcy. The household stands ready to receive you.”

Elizabeth thanked the man, and then she turned to face Phillip when he spoke.

“Higgins, do you remember slipping cakes to the three of us behind my uncle’s back? Those were the days when everything was simple and life was full of hope.”

The butler flushed, yet he smiled. “I do, sir. And here you are, grown and flying off to the ends of the earth. But your brother has returned from the Continent, and that is a blessing.”

Darcy, with a look of impatience, led Elizabeth up the stairs while Phillip lingered below, still reminiscing with the butler.

They entered the house, and the elegance of the marble floor and two grand staircases that curved upward on either side struck her dumb. Half of Longbourn would easily fit in the grand hallway and rooms that opened before her on either side.

Darcy bent his head close to hers, grinning and murmured, “You are staring, my love.”

“Indeed, sir,” she whispered back. “I fear if I blink, I shall discover it all a dream.”

He chuckled. “Not a dream, Elizabeth. I couldn’t bear to wake up and find that I was still unmarried to you.”

They ascended the stairs together and entered the drawing room, which was reserved for family gatherings. Darcy murmured, “I had hoped to lead you to the mistress’s chambers and finish what we began in the carriage, but instead we are obliged to wait upon my irreverent cousin.

Elizabeth giggled. “Is this Cousin Richard’s brother?”

Darcy smiled dryly. “Yes. Phillip, Viscount Stafford, is heir to the earldom, though one would hardly suppose it, given what a rattlepate he is.”

Phillip entered the drawing room with a bow that managed to appear both elegant and rakish.

“Darcy, I heard that. You wound me, sir, straight through the heart.” Turning then to Elizabeth, his eyes gleamed with mischief.

“Never tell me, Cousin, that you disapprove of a charming prattle? Surely you see me as one of life’s finer diversions? ”

Darcy rolled his eyes. “Phillip, allow me to introduce you properly to my wife.”

Phillip stepped into the small drawing room and grinned at his two cousins. Still frowning, Darcy made the introductions, then said, “I need a drink. Phillip, shall I serve you a brandy?”

Phillip chuckled. “So I have driven you to drink, have I, Darcy? Someday I shall drive you to laughter as well, but I won’t hold my breath.”

Darcy rang for tea and then poured two glasses of brandy. He studied his cousin. “I do not understand. What brought you home after only four months abroad?”

Phillip grimaced. “Mother has forced me to return. She insists that I marry. I cannot see the urgency. Richard will be married soon and, God willing, children will follow. Why then must I shackle myself so early in life?”

Darcy’s brows rose. “Are you not two and thirty, Phillip?”

Phillip frowned. “Two and thirty is young, Darcy. It is too young to be fettered for life to a harridan. The type of women my mother throws at me are vipers. Mother does not have good taste when it comes to selecting a wife. She sees only titles, wealth, and position, but has no eye for character.”

Darcy regarded his cousin. “You have never held such an opinion before. What has soured you?”

Phillip’s eyes narrowed. “Do you remember James Butler? He was compelled to marry Lady Cecilia Ramsbury, and the woman is driving the entire family mad with her hysterics. Even his mother, who is the nearest to a saint I shall ever know, has fled to the dower house.”

Darcy looked astonished. “To the dower house? But Lord Ramsbury is still alive.”

“Just so, Cousin. My best friend’s life lies in ruins, and my mother wishes me to step into the same abyss.” Phillip stood and poured himself another drink and drank it down in one swallow.

Elizabeth felt compassion for the viscount.

Darcy was also moved. “I am sorry to hear it, Phillip. I have always had a high regard for Butler. He is a good man. But marriage need not be a misery. Look at me and my wife. Elizabeth is everything amiable and good. There are other women like her. You only need to find her.”

Phillip turned to Elizabeth. “Is that true, Mrs. Darcy? Are you truly amiable and good? If so, do you have an unmarried sister you might spare for me?”

Elizabeth saw the young man’s panic and the sadness he felt for his friend. She regarded him with quiet sympathy and vowed silently to help him in any way that she could.