Page 75 of To Love And To Cherish
“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 theimage 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 beopen 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.
Chapter 38: Selling Ellan House
The morning brought an express from Scotland, carried in by Walters, and heavy with the weight of Darcy’s quiet hopes.
He rose from the table and excused himself. Alone in the library, he broke the seal on Adam Frazier’s letter without haste, though his pulse had already begun to quicken.
Mr. Darcy,
My brother and I are indeed in the market for property in Dava Moor. Your estate appears well situated and is offered at a very reasonable price, so reasonable, in fact, I find myself curious as to why you’ve chosen to part with it. Still, I thank you for reaching out to me first. With three younger brothers to settle, I should like to provide for the second eldest in this way.
If your solicitor will prepare the contract with the attached stipulations, and the terms remain agreeable, I would be pleased to complete the purchase in person. I hope to conclude matters before winter.
Respectfully,
Adam Frazier
Darcy set the letter aside with deliberate calm. This was the answer he had been waiting for. A business matter on the surface, but beneath it, a far more personal mission. One that he dared not reveal, not even to his sister.
He rang the bell and asked Mrs. Reynolds to send Georgiana in.
When she arrived, he gestured to the chair before his desk, though she remained standing. He noted the faint tension in her frame; she had long since learned that pleasantries rarely preceded serious business.
“I am selling my estate in Scotland,” he began. “It lies on Dava Moor. Adam Frazier has expressed a desire to purchase it, and I am writing to my solicitor now. I expect to have a contract prepared by next week, at which time I will travel north to complete the transaction.”
