Page 10 of London Holiday (Sweet Escapes Collection #2)

Chapter ten

“ F ollow her! Whatever for?” Darcy almost snarled in contempt at his cousin. “I will have nothing more to do with her! Why should I harass myself further by ingratiating myself to such a minx?”

“I can think of a couple of reasons, the least of which being your desire to escape an unfavourable match with our cousin. Darcy, if you do not catch her up, I will!”

“And do what? Invite her back to take tea with your mother? Or had you less noble intentions?”

“Darcy, you dunderhead! Anyone can see that she is no shopkeeper’s girl or strumpet. If I had to guess from her manner and what she said, I would wager my brass buttons that she is a country gentleman’s daughter who merely happens to have an uncle in trade. I do have a passing familiarity with ladies, after all. By the by, you were somewhat less than forthcoming when you described her appearance as ‘unremarkable.’”

“I said no such thing. I said she was unsuitable and impertinent. I find now that her manners were at their best when I first encountered her, and I have no hope of their improvement.” Darcy turned sharply away, thinking to thump his walking stick on the pavement in aggravation, but it would only remind him of his aunt’s ways. Instead, he gave it a swift toss, caught it, and tried to march away, but Fitzwilliam was by now dragging at his shoulder.

“Impertinent she most certainly is, but unsuitable? I think I have never seen a woman better suited to you. Come, you must marry someone , and at least this one would be entertaining for me. ”

“Marry her! I only intended to speak with this Mr Gardiner, not make an offer to that impossible woman.”

“You could do far worse,” Fitzwilliam reasoned. “If you ask me, it is you who are being impossible, not she. She did, after all, give you the information you sought, and she was perfectly in the right about speaking to strange gentlemen on the street. You must confess, she is not unpleasant to look at, she is most interesting to talk to, and she holds the key to your independence from Anne.”

“A fine sort of independence you speak of. You would have me bound to a nobody from Hertfordshire. Have you any idea the mockery such a union would be in the sight of the ton ?”

“When have you ever cared about offending the ton ? You despise most of them. I think rather that you delight in frustrating them by doing precisely as you please and watching them fall over themselves to placate you anyway.”

“That is only because I have remained a bachelor. They will be less forbearing when that circumstance changes. Do not forget, Richard, that I have Georgiana’s future to secure as well.”

“Darcy,” Fitzwilliam caught his arm again, looking over his shoulder, “she is nearly gone! By thunder, man, if you do not do an about-face this instant, I shall drag you by your lapels!”

“Do not change the subject! I spoke of Georgiana—”

“Who needs a sister more than she needs a husband at the moment. You happen to have stumbled upon a pretty one who willingly spends time with young children and has a sense of humour, though you are too daft to see it. What more do you require?”

“Do not be such a simpleton. You know my requirements perfectly well.”

“I know that if you go back to your house just now, you will be given a bride whether she meets your requirements or no. At least take the lady’s hint and seek out her uncle on High Street. I would like an introduction to him, even if you do not. ”

Darcy glared at his cousin but was not afforded an opportunity to make the indignant reply he would have liked.

“Darcy? Darcy, it is you!” a passer-by stopped and offered them a short bow. “And Colonel Fitzwilliam, it is a pleasure.”

Darcy’s eyes widened to a panicked glare at his cousin. Damnation! He turned slowly, swallowing his frustration, to make a polite response. “Mr Dalrymple. How do you do, sir?”

“Capital! Darcy, I understand congratulations are in order. I imagine Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Lord Matlock must be pleased. May I extend my well wishes to you and Miss de Bourgh?”

“There has been some mistake, sir,” Darcy spoke quickly. “I am not betrothed. It is a rumour, sir, nothing more.”

“A rumour! That is unfortunate. Why, I have just come from my club, and it is commonly spoken of as a fact.”

“It is!” Darcy paled slightly. “Mr Dalrymple, there is no truth in it. The gossip is in exceedingly poor taste. And you say it is commonly accepted?”

“Indeed, it is the talk of the club this morning, even more so than Lord Wharton’s betrothal. That much has been long overdue for months, if you take my meaning.” Dalrymple grinned suggestively, nudging Fitzwilliam with a low chuckle which he must have imagined to be discreet.

“The rumour in the paper,” Darcy insisted, “does no one doubt its veracity?”

“ Papers , my good man, for I have seen it in at least two publications, and certainly there are more. Let me see…” Dalrymple scratched his cheek in thought, then shook his head. “None that I recall. There were not a few comments that you buckled to your aunt’s wishes at last—”

“I did no such thing! It is a sham, I tell you. I am not betrothed to my cousin. It is a shameful falsehood, and I shall depend upon you to set right anyone who repeats it in your hearing!”

Dalrymple rolled his eyes uncertainly to Fitzwilliam and pursed his lips in the way of a man who wishes to affect surrender, merely to escape. “Naturally, Darcy, naturally. Oh, dear!” He tugged the pocket watch from his waistcoat, scarcely glancing at it but professing full knowledge of its information. “I am expected! Pardon me, Darcy, Fitzwilliam, but I really must go. Good day!” Dalrymple sped away, seemingly sorry that he had stopped.

“There, you have gone and done it, Darcy. Now, Dalrymple and anyone he comes upon will think you touched in the head. I understand your frustration, old boy, but you harm yourself by this obstinacy. Are you certain you cannot swallow your pride and go after your rescuer?”

Darcy leaned heavily on his walking stick, flexing his fingers over the silver knob and muttering his thoughts. Fitzwilliam could not make out his words, but he suspected they ought not to be repeated in polite company.

The manservant glanced over Darcy’s apparel, obviously recognising him from the kitchens that morning and still slightly miffed at their last conversation a quarter of an hour earlier. It was clearly written in his eyes that he wondered the same of Darcy that would have puzzled anyone else of sense, but he answered the question willingly enough. “Sir, the lady has not yet returned to the house.”

“That is impossible. I spoke with her not a moment ago on the street, and she was walking this way. Is she disinclined to speak with me again?” Darcy felt the annoyance rising in his chest again. Blast the woman! Why must she be so bleeding difficult?

“I saw her as well, sir, approaching up the street with the children. She did not care to enter with them. As another caller had just arrived at the house, it was not possible for me to make inquiries of her. I believe she has gone walking.”

Darcy’s eyes widened incredulously. Again? Never had he known a lady who did not stay at home for even an hour in the morning. “Do you know where she might have gone? ”

The manservant blinked and refused to answer.

“I mean the lady no harm,” Darcy insisted. “But it is of the utmost importance that I speak with her. Or… with any lady of the house, if the master is not at home. I understand they would all recognise me.”

“Mrs Gardiner is indisposed at present sir, but Miss Catherine might be willing to receive you.”

“Wait…” Darcy flinched, remembering that vacuous simpleton of a girl whose face had been the first thing he had seen upon awakening. “No, I would prefer to speak with Mrs Gardiner or Miss Elizabeth.”

“Mrs Gardiner is not expected to be down for some time. I am afraid you will have to wait, sir,” the manservant answered stiffly.

Darcy suppressed a sigh. “May I wait within for Miss Elizabeth’s return?”

The manservant swept his eyes up and down Darcy’s person. It was clear that he, too, wondered at the sudden change in attire and circumstances and found little to trust in the strange gentleman. “I am afraid that is not possible, sir.”

Darcy felt a scowl beginning to settle over his features and tried to school it away. “Very well. I shall return in an hour.” He turned and marched down the steps, Richard doggedly laughing at his heels.

“Why would you not speak to the other young lady? Could she not serve as a witness as well? Or do you, in fact, already nurse something of a tendresse for–”

“She is even sillier than the other,” Darcy grumbled. “It may yet be that I shall find my name entangled in gossip with one or the other of those ladies, and I would rather that it not be with one of Georgiana’s age. I may be seen as ungentlemanly, but I am no bounder who preys on mere children.”

“I see,” Richard grinned. “And I suppose it does not hurt that Miss Elizabeth has a pleasing figure…”

“I am not thinking of her figure, Richard. ”

“Oh come, admit it, man! One of Venus’ daughters, she was. There is no use in denying it, for I saw the way you looked at her. I began to wonder if you truly were such a monk as I had always thought you to be!”

“She does have remarkably fine eyes,” Darcy confessed, rather softly.

“And she is clever,” suggested Richard hopefully.

“I wish you would not extol the lady’s virtues to me at present. I merely desire her word and an introduction, nothing more and nothing less.”

“And where do you seek it? For with those long strides of yours, I can hardly keep up. You must have some direction in mind.”

“My carriage. It waits for us in the mews. I regret that I have found it necessary to change my garments once more, for I prefer not to be recognised as I walk the street. I cannot afford the diversions my face and appearance inevitably inspire. I brought the footman’s garments with me, as I had no other place to dispose of them, and unfortunately, I again have need of them.”

“You always said ‘disguise of every sort is my abhorrence,’” chuckled Richard. “And now you wish to disguise yourself?”

“Until this matter is settled, I merely wish to avoid certain conversations with those who might recognise me, and fortunately for me, that also means I must bid you a good morning. Once secured of the statements I require, I shall meet you again at your apartment—two hours at most.”

“Aunt is bound to have someone watching my building. The longer you stay away from home, the more desperate she will become.”

Darcy stopped, growling under his breath. “Of course. Is there not a public park on Elm?”

“Indeed, there is. Tell you what, old boy. I shall poke about innocently myself, so what do you say we meet a bit later—perhaps by two? That should permit me ample time to appear casual, and you can go about harassing this Mr Gardiner. How do you intend to find him? Will you lie in wait at the lady’s door?”

“There is a neighbourhood fountain, not eight streets over to the west. It is worth searching there, for the situation is small, and it will require but a few moments. If she is not to be found there, I shall return to the house in an hour.”

“Such a bother! Would it not be simpler to marry Anne and be done with it?”

Darcy shot his cousin a nasty glare, earning only a laugh in return, and stepped into his carriage with renewed purpose. He changed only the cravat, coat, and hat, thinking those items sufficient to mark him as “Not Fitzwilliam Darcy of Pemberley,” and emerged again.

“Your boots,” Richard pointed.

Darcy groaned. Indeed, his boots.

A few moments later, he was standing on the curb in too-short breeches and the scuffed, uncomfortable shoes borrowed from Richard’s batman, and the carriage had pulled away. At least Richard and his infernal laugher had gone with it. “Give the future Mrs Darcy my regards,” had been his adieu from the safety of the coach. Darcy bit down on his tongue and set out.

The fountain was indeed near and was surrounded by a small bit of nature. It was little more than a rotunda of trees, situated upon a small grassy knoll and suited with a bench. Upon that bench rested… to Darcy’s dismay, either his heart performed an acrobatic feat, or he suffered a moment of indigestion. He paused to assure himself that it was not , surely, the effect of the idyllic scene he had happened upon.

She was surrounded by the leafy golds of early autumn, her down-turned face softly reflecting the earthy warmth of the scenery. A shaft of light broke through the shedding branches and poured over her shoulder, bathing her figure in a heavenly sort of innocence. She was reading a book, and it must have been a highly engrossing one, for she did not look up at his approach. She continued lovingly turning the pages, her expressive eyes lighting whenever they found a passage of interest. Little smiles would pass over her features, but she seemed deaf and blind to her surroundings.

Darcy drew approximately ten paces from her and stopped, his hands clenched as he tried to decide what to do with himself. He had never before advanced toward a lady who did not hungrily watch his approach and long for an introduction. This one was utterly indifferent… which was just as well, for she was not of his sphere. He must take care to remember that!

She serenely turned another page, long dainty fingers seeming to relish their task. He could count the lines she read in the number of times her eyes flipped from left to right. Eighteen.

She then sighed, as one who savoured and took to heart every word of the prose, and began to close the book without looking up. “What more would you have of me, sir?” She slipped the little book into her reticule, and then, at last, lifted her chin and met his eyes. “Whatever it is, you are certainly a persistent fellow.”

“I have reason to be, madam. May I sit?” He gestured to the other side of the stone bench.

She raised her brows in acquiescence but spoke not a word.

“Thank you.” Darcy lifted his coattails and took the seat beside her, his back straight and his feet square upon the ground. He felt those mirthful eyes once more sweeping over his change in apparel, but she said nothing. “Madam, I believe I owe you something of an explanation.”

“That is the usual way of obtaining what one desires.”

Darcy glanced down at her, catching himself when he realised that looking into her eyes seemed to have a hypnotic effect on his mind. Perhaps it was only the lingering effects of the tainted brandy, but his vision seemed to swim. Thoughts fled, and his tongue was useless. He cleared his throat and looked away.

“I… I understand I have given you sufficient cause to doubt my character. Please allow me to assure you, madam, that you find me in extraordinary circumstances. I have not a deceitful nature, and I deplore all manner of artifice. I do not intend to profit by imposing myself upon you as someone I am not. Rather, I have reason to protect myself from those near to me whose intentions are less than honourable.”

“So, which is the true man? The insolent footman or the arrogant gentleman?”

Darcy felt himself bristling. “You think me arrogant?”

“Sir, my precise impression was that if we had met upon equal terms, you would have found me, and any other persons with whom I associate, beneath your notice. The guise of a footman is a poor one for you, sir, because you have not the least measure of deference.”

Darcy stared at the ground as if stung by a physical lash. If she knew my name, she would not dare! But she did not… and if she had no reason to flatter him, she also had no cause to abuse him without reason. “Have I been disdainful to you, madam?”

Her only answer was a sweetly arched brow and a pointed search through her reticule to retrieve her book. Darcy seethed. What right had she, this queer woman who wandered the streets and parks alone all day rather than conducting herself as a lady ought, to accuse him of any impropriety of manner and address?

“Madam, I have trials enough without bandying useless words regarding my recent actions and attitudes. I suffer cruelly in my own conscience already, for I do not take lightly the course upon which I am set. If it is in your mind to improve my character by your reproofs, I assure you that one moral dilemma is sufficient to the day.”

She had returned her attention to her book, ignoring him completely. His hands fell to his knees in disgust, and he prepared to rise when a gentle laugh from her halted him. Unable to resist, he looked to her. Such a peculiar creature!

“ So disguise shall, by the disguised ,

Pay with falsehood false exacting,

And perform an odd contracting . 1 ”

Her ruby lips curved in obvious enjoyment and her eyes lingered on the page for a few seconds more. Then, as if she were one of his masters waiting upon him to answer his examinations, she lifted those dark lashes and held him in her grasp… the very image of perfect composure.

Darcy smiled. He could not help it. She was probing him; measuring his breeding and education, testing his willingness to prove himself, and perhaps—if that twinkle about her expression offered any insight into her own thoughts—even weighing his good humour. Never one to allow a lady to think the less of him, Darcy rose to her challenge.

“ Only in this disguise I think’t no sin

To cosen him that would unjustly win. 2 ” he quoted .

Her own smile blossomed, and she appeared satisfied. “There, sir, you have answered your dilemma. Where one has been dealt with ill, and the intent is pure, perhaps it is necessary to resort to… shall we say less public means of just compensation.”

Darcy’s spine relaxed, abandoning any notion of quitting the bench and her company. She was a curiosity! “I have done badly in not introducing myself to you,” he confessed.

“Oh! Pray, do not, for if you seek discretion, you must not depend upon even my confidence. You shall remain to me a footman, and I simply ‘madam’ to you.”

Darcy’s brow furrowed in amusement. “Then, madam, I may I ask you a question?”

“That seems a harmless enough request.”

He drew breath, then forged boldly ahead and prayed that she would not misunderstand. “Do you consider that marriage ought to be between willing partners? ”

The trace of a line appeared at the corner of her mouth. “Sir, may I remind you that you are speaking to a lady?”

“My words were not intended as a proposal, madam,” he corrected quickly.

“Nor did I take them as such. I merely wonder if you recognise that it is more often ladies who are faced with an unappealing and undesired marriage partner. We have not the liberty of choosing; only of accepting or rejecting.”

His face softened. “Then may I submit to you that you are incorrect in one regard? For often, the gentlemen have equally small choice in the matter. Family interests can, and often do, take precedence over the gentleman’s desires.”

“I am perfectly aware of that. Are you, then, the unwitting victim of such an attempt upon your affections?”

“Not my affections, but my honour. Without burdening your conscience by naming those who have compromised their own characters, I may tell you that time is of the essence and the consequences do not bear thinking of, should I fail in proving my innocence. Pray tell me, would my host and hostess of last evening be willing to testify to my presence in their home?”

A faint shadow crossed her features, and her gaze became distant for a moment. “I believe I can safely introduce you to my aunt. Surely… yes, I believe her caller will have gone by now, and she will happily receive you. I think she will be pleased to send their manservant to show you to my uncle.”

Darcy stood and offered her his assistance to rise. “I thank you, madam.”