Page 58 of To Love And To Cherish
Richard let out a harsh breath. “The devil always does seem to wriggle free of what he deserves.” He crossed his arms. “I’ll make inquiries and ensure Wickham doesn’t slip through the net again. If Forster hasn’t followed through, I’ll see to it myself and write to you at Pemberley.”
Aunt Helen, wide-eyed, clutched the arm of her chair.
“Fitzwilliam, I pray Wickham is no longer in England, but I have no doubt Richard will uncover the facts swiftly, and we shall soon know the whole. She added, I suppose this means you are again postponing your courtship for another season.”
Darcy raised a brow and said dryly, “Aunt, I know you’ll think I’m simply seizing another excuse to delay marriage, but I do intend to wed before the season’s end.”
Richard snorted. “If Mother must wait much longer, she’ll be in her grave before you marry.”
Darcy frowned at his cousin. “As I was saying, Pemberley needs an heir. I shall begin the search in the spring.” He turned to the Countess. “Aunt, may I know the names of the five ladies you’ve selected for me to dance attendance upon?”
“They are only dances, Darcy, not declarations,” Richard said. “The point is to get to know them.”
Darcy ignored him. “Aunt?”
Lady Helen sighed. “I had hoped to host a dinner and invite all five families at once. A man can learn much by observing womeninteract with one another. And that would also protect you from gossip,” Aunt Helen added, adjusting the fall of her shawl with deliberate care. “You never dance with anyone save your Darcy cousins. The moment you invite a lady to stand up with you, the town will have you betrothed before the candles burn out.”
Darcy grimaced. “Perhaps I ought to have danced now and then over the years, if only to prevent such immediate speculation.”
“Indeed,” said his aunt. “But with the right company, and your cousins present, we may shield you from scandal.” His aunt gave a satisfied nod. “Which is why I believe a small dinner here at Matlock House is the better path. I shall invite the five families, each with a daughter who is a diamond of the first water, along with two dear friends of mine who each have an eligible daughter, young ladies who are not beautiful, but they are well-dowered and quite respectable.”
Darcy raised a brow, but said nothing.
“It will ease you into society’s expectations,” she continued briskly, “without drawing undue attention to any one woman. By the end of the evening, you should begin to feel a preference, or at the very least, a disinclination, for each young lady. That is, provided you make proper use of the opportunity and actually hold a conversation with each one rather than propping up a wall in the corner.”
Darcy gave her a dry look. “I take your meaning.”
“You had better,” she said, with a look that brooked no nonsense.
Richard laughed. “I remember Darcy in a ballroom, what a sight. Glowering in a corner like some moody statue.”
Darcy glared. “I was not searching for a wife on the Continent.”
Richard quieted, his expression shuttered. His mother must never know of their military service.
That evening, Darcy, Georgiana, and Kitty dined with the family at Matlock House. After the meal, Georgiana played a gentle Mozart air on the pianoforte, while Darcy and Richard conversed quietly in the corner.
“I read a dispatch on Rachel Charlotte Biggs,” Richard said. “Have you heard of her?”
Darcy shook his head.
“She’s a writer, so it seems, but she’s been moving through Napoleon’s Europe since eighteen hundred and two. The woman sends intelligence straight to London. Military strength, industry, agriculture, political sentiment, you name it.”
“A woman?” Darcy looked impressed. “And her cover?”
“Travel writing,” Richard said. “She’s remarkable and managed to enter French-controlled zones more than once and sends details directly to ministers.”
Darcy’s brow rose. “She must be well connected.”
“She is. And careful.” Richard leaned back. “You and I have trusted each other with our lives. But I would trust her with my country’s.”
Darcy nodded slowly. “I am the soul of discretion, Richard. You need not fear.”
“I know,” said Richard, smiling. “That’s why I can speak to you now.”
As the music drifted and the fire crackled, the cousins sat together, two men who had risked their lives in silence, speakingnow in trust, while Georgiana’s playing rose like balm in the quiet room.
About twenty minutes later, as the soft notes of Mozart drifted through the drawing room, Richard leaned back in his chair and gave Darcy a sideways glance.
