Page 15

CHAPTER 15

I n no hurry to return to Netherfield and needing more information, I first stopped at Lucas Lodge. I did not wish to linger, but Sir William and Mr. Collins detained me with their empty verbosity. Fortunately, Miss Lucas kindly interfered, or I should have been there even longer.

Upon my eventual escape, only sheer determination and a lack of self-regard led me to the residence of the Kings. After two cups of tea and another slice of cake, I was miserable from hospitality.

At least I was now the proud possessor of the information I had sought. Less dejected than I had been minutes ago, I finally returned to Netherfield. Like a horse with blinders on, I breezed past Bingley’s sisters, pretending I did not hear them when they commented on my long absence.

Richard’s booming guffaw reached my ears in the hall outside my bedchamber. I paused, my hand hovering over the latch. The flowers had better not be inside.

Another burst of laughter, and I pushed the door open. The flowers were not where I had left them. For that, I was grateful.

Richard and Bingley lounged on the chairs in front of the fire, drinking my brandy. They held their glasses high, no doubt celebrating Bingley’s successful courtship of Miss Bennet. Why could they not celebrate elsewhere?

Rising from his seat, Richard closed the window and poured me a glass, which he offered to me with stunning generosity—considering it was my brandy.

Reminding myself that I was grateful he had cleared the flowers from my room—not even the scent lingered!—I took the glass. “Thank you.”

Richard beamed. “I knew you would want us to join in celebrating your success and Bingley’s.”

I did not feel like celebrating?quite the opposite. While I might have made some progress with my lady, my gift of those pathetic pansies was not the grand statement I had planned to make. I did not wish to relive the experience.

But I would not diminish Bingley’s joy. At least one of us was advancing his suit without any difficulty. “You did well. Miss Bennet could not stop looking at your flowers, and the rest of the family praised you highly.”

Bingley chuckled. “Did you see the looks Mrs. Bennet cast her poor husband?”

I took a seat and set my glass down, not yet ready to imbibe more liquids. “Poor? A man who does not actively contribute to the happiness of his wife should suffer the consequences of his negligence.” Perhaps I should not be so harsh. When I managed to have a word in private with Mr. Bennet, he had approved of my next gift with weak nods and watery eyes.

Richard and Bingley exchanged a look that put me on my guard. They seemed to be congratulatory—even smug.

“The man could use a little nudge in the right direction,” Richard said self-assuredly.

“A nudge.” Bingley nodded. “Quite.”

They turned to me as though seeking my opinion. I had none to offer. My only desire was to avoid conversation about my call.

Bingley clasped his hands together and leaned back comfortably in his chair. “How did you fare with Miss Elizabeth?”

I grimaced. “Well enough.” It was not a lie. Elizabeth’s behavior had displayed nothing but contentment, and I was pleased she had defended my bedraggled pansies to her sisters, talking of them as though they were the most precious gift I could have given to her. At least she had recognized the lengths I had gone to on her behalf. Perhaps my call was not so bad, but these two dunderheads would never see it that way.

Bingley cleared his throat and shifted his weight. “You did not see… anything?” His eyes flickered over to Richard, who glared back and clamped his lips shut.

Once again, my suspicion was aroused. “What are you two about?”

No reply.

“What have you done?” I pressed more urgently.

“Nothing at all worth discussing,” said Richard too nonchalantly. He leaned forward. “We would much rather hear about your call, would we not, Bingley?”

Bingley nodded, his lips pressed together.

I did not believe either of them. However, considering the secret I was keeping from them, I was in no position to force their confidence. “Tell me you did not envelop me into your scheme, and I will drop the subject.”

They both twisted their lips pensively, guiltily.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my fingers over my throbbing forehead.

“I swear, Darcy, you stand to benefit,” Richard assured me.

Lowering my hand, I leveled my glare at him. “Instead, swear to me that, whatever it is you are doing, you will stop.”

“It is too late for that.”

Bingley added, “It is done.”

I doubted the result of their plot would be in my favor. Interference rarely works that way.

Gravely, Bingley added, “I assure you, I would never have agreed if it would undermine your suit. Especially after the consideration you have shown me.”

My heart slowed, and my ears buzzed. I glared at Richard. “He knows?”

“About the flowers?” Bingley answered for him, quickly adding, “How could I not? You were holding them in the hall! Come, Darcy, I would recognize a flower box! Besides, Caroline saw you receive the delivery and was sniffing outside your bedroom while you were away. Had we not disposed of the flowers so quickly, she would have smelled them in the hall! It took all this time with the windows open to clear the scent from your chambers.”

I pinched the nape of my neck, my headache spreading and tensing in my shoulders. I strongly suspected the flowers had found their way to Longbourn. I could not fathom why Richard would believe that was a good idea, and my mood had suffered too many extremes to risk asking for his explanation.

With nothing left to do except that which was under my control, I set out to search for Elizabeth’s gift using the information I had gathered. I begged the powers in heaven that this next gesture of my affection, for once, would not leave me humiliated. Unfortunately, the Lord did not see fit to prevent Richard and Bingley from accompanying me.

Ever since Elizabeth’s beloved horse had been sold the year before, nobody had kept the animal for longer than a month. Persephone had changed owners so many times that I began to doubt it would be possible to find her. However, Elizabeth had spoken of her devotion to the creature as well as its faithfulness to her, so I discredited the warnings sounding in my mind.

Thankfully—or perhaps detrimentally—the mare’s recalcitrant habits had not allowed her to go far. I discovered Persephone grazing in a paddock on Mr. Gray’s property not five miles from Longbourn. One look explained why so many locals had attempted to add her to their stables.

Richard whistled softly. “Superb lines.”

“She is a beauty,” Bingley whispered in reverential awe.

The mare was as perfect in proportion and appearance as any I had ever seen.

Mr. Gray soon joined us along with his groom. After the initial polite exchanges, he nodded at the horse. “Are you interested in taking her off my hands?”

Either he wished to be rid of her, or he was testing my interest so he could increase his price.

Leaning against the rail, he added, “She will not let any of my stallions near her, and she is impossible to ride. She is worthless to me, and it would please me to be rid of her… if you are capable of taking her away.”

Such brutal honesty against the man’s self-interest could not be doubted. It was as admirable as it was discouraging. Richard was stunned silent. Even Bingley had difficulty summoning a response to this forthright admission. Elizabeth had spoken with so much love about this beautiful creature, I had been confident my proven skill with horses would inspire similar loyalty in the beast, but Mr. Gray’s description of Persephone’s contrary nature gave me pause.

Once again, I questioned the soundness of my plan. Would this be like the time my sister fell in love with a baby rat she found in her grate? She had nursed the motherless creature to health and let it live in our mother’s doll house until half of the servants in my household threatened to quit if I did not get rid of the pet only Georgiana could love. I had paid a boy to care for her rat and came home with a fluffy kitten to appease her.

Would Elizabeth appreciate a kitten?

“Is she so difficult?” I asked.

Mr. Gray guffawed. “Difficult is putting it lightly.” He addressed his groom. “Show the gentlemen what she does.”

With a smirk, the groom retreated to the tack room, emerging minutes later with a saddle. As soon as the mare saw him, she went still, her ears turning in his direction. When he entered the paddock, she dropped to her knees and lay on the ground. He moved close enough to touch her, and she wheezed.

“Is she snoring?” gasped Bingley.

Mr. Gray snorted disgustedly. “She is pretending to sleep. She will lay there for hours to avoid being ridden. If by some miracle my daughter does get in the saddle, the cantankerous beast will ram her legs into every obstacle and will walk under low branches to scrape her off.”

He then motioned at his groom, who carried the saddle away and closed the paddock behind him. Persephone immediately rose to her feet but watched him suspiciously, poised to drop again at his slightest shift in her direction. Just like that, the demonstration was finished.

I imagined Elizabeth’s delighted smile and promptly made my decision. Extracting an apple from my pocket, I clucked my tongue to get Persephone’s attention. “Is tomorrow soon enough?”

Richard looked at me askance, no doubt questioning my soundness of mind. I could not blame him.

Mr. Gray looked at me, amazed at his good fortune. “You truly want her?”

“I do.”

Now it only remained to me to figure out how to convince the mare to trust me so I could return her to Longbourn on the morrow.