Page 40 of To Love And To Cherish (Pride And Prejudice Variation #3)

I have received no word from you and must conclude that none of my letters have reached your hands.

I did, however, receive Papa’s letter conveying the news of your marriage to Mr. Bingley.

Accept my heartfelt congratulations. Until I made the acquaintance of Laird Adam Frazier, I had thought Mr. Bingley the most amiable gentleman I had ever known.

I am confident you will be exceedingly happy together.

Spring is in full bloom here in the Highlands. We rise each morning to silver skies and sharp air, and still spend our forenoons riding amidst pine and heather, discovering beauties I could never have imagined. The forest paths are hushed but alive, and every turn brings a new marvel.

Afternoons are reserved for knitting and sewing for tenant families.

Miss Trent has been invaluable in instructing us on patterns and stitches, while Miss King embroiders with surprising skill.

Evenings are given to cheerful competition: billiards, Faro, and chess.

And always, the gentlemen prevail upon us to play and sing.

I am learning three new ballads, gifts from Adam, who professes a great fondness for melancholy Scottish airs.

He claims my voice suits them uniquely, which I take as a great compliment, even if it is overly generous.

Miss King, who her Uncle Allister once hoped might marry Adam, has grown particularly attached to Daniel, the youngest brother.

He is sweet-natured and attentive, and I suspect a formal engagement may be imminent.

Miss King, I assure you, is praying for it daily.

It is fortunate, too, as she is to inherit her uncle’s estate, and with Daniel beside her, she will not lack a home or a loving protector.

Miss Trent, for her part, has formed an attachment to Lucas.

He has asked her to wait; he wishes to purchase a small estate and remain in the Highlands near his brothers, though he has not yet found the right property.

His caution only endears him further to Miss Trent, who is nothing if not sensible.

As to Adam himself, most would call him handsome, and indeed many do.

His face is not finely featured like your husband’s or that of Mr. Darcy, but his presence is commanding.

He is tall and well-formed, with a fine head of dark hair and eyes that seem to see everything at once.

I do not exaggerate when I say there is something quietly powerful in him.

If he were to stand beside Mr. Darcy, Mr. Darcy would draw attention for the precision of his features and the striking line of his jaw.

But Adam would draw notice, too. He is not conventionally handsome, but he is… compelling.

He spends much time in my company, and I am entirely at ease with him. He has not spoken plainly, but I sense that he is waiting, perhaps for my heart to catch up with his own. And that, dear Jane, is the difficulty. My heart remains stubbornly reticent.

Adam is all kindness and strength. He deserves far better than to be held at bay by my recalcitrant heart.

You must forgive my wandering thoughts. I do not know my own mind, and that is the plain truth.

Give my warmest regards to Charles, and, as I know not where you are at present, pray convey the same to any of our family with whom you are in contact. Ever affectionately, Elizabeth.

P.S. As to billiards, Adam has taken it upon himself to teach me, though my posture over the table leaves much to be desired. I suspect I am more entertaining than skillful.

After Jane finished reading Elizabeth’s latest letter aloud at the breakfast table, Darcy excused himself with scarcely a word. He made his way to his study and shut the door behind him with unnecessary force. Pacing before the hearth, he ran a hand through his hair and muttered under his breath.

“She speaks so warmly of him, Adam this and Adam that. Patient. Good-humored. Handsome, even. She sings for him. She spends her evenings playing Faro with him and his brothers and her afternoons knitting for his tenants. And now, billiards? He teaches her billiards?” Darcy scowled.

“I do not like the image of her leaning over a billiards table with that man behind her. It is indecent. And he’s also teaching her to ride. ”

He stopped before the window, staring out at nothing.

The most appalling fact was that she was contemplating a future with him.

She did not yet know her own mind. Her heart remained untouched, for now.

But the man was circling like a hawk. It would not be long before she was entirely in his power.

By year’s end, she would be his. She could read the signs, and Darcy doubted she would long resist such attentions.

He exhaled sharply and turned to his desk. There was one thing he could do.

He reached for his writing set, sat at his desk, and began:

Pemberley Derbyshire

July 24 1811

Laird Frazier,

I hope this letter finds you well and that your household enjoys good health.

As one of the principal landowners of the region, I write to inquire whether you, or someone of your acquaintance, might have an interest in purchasing Ellan House, an estate that has been in my family’s holdings for a century.

Though long under our family, its distance renders it difficult for me to manage with proper attentiveness. I believe it would thrive better under the eye of a capable Scotsman who understands both land and people.

Ellan House yields approximately ￡4,000 per annum and is offered at a purchase price of ￡80,000. Should you be open to acquiring it, I would be prepared to travel to Scotland to conclude the matter personally.

If the estate does not suit, I would be grateful for the recommendation of a reputable gentleman who may wish to purchase. I await your pleasure.

With every good wish,

Fitzwilliam Darcy

He sealed the letter with his signet and handed it to Walters with instructions to send it express. If all went well, Frazier should receive it within six days, and if he replied in kind, Darcy would know by August the sixth what his fate was to be.

To all outward appearances, it was a business decision; yet, if the bait were taken, it would mark the end of Frazier’s courtship and the beginning of his own.

Yet as he returned to the window, hands clasped behind his back, a troubled expression lingered. The thought of Elizabeth, laughing beneath Highland skies, seated beside Adam Frazier, his voice in her ear, his eyes on her face…

Darcy exhaled slowly and did not finish the thought.