Page 78 of To Love And To Cherish
Chapter 39: Darcy in Scotland
Darcy sat back in the great chair by the study fire at Ellan House, the flickering light casting long shadows across the sealed contract before him. The ink was barely dry.
His journey north had passed without incident. The roads were clear, the sky mercifully dry, and the Highland air crisp enough to sting the cheeks. He had ridden Ares for much of the way, taking comfort in the rhythm of movement and the stark, unfamiliar beauty of the landscape. Scotland, he could now admit, was magnificent.
Adam Frazier and his brother Lucas had come to Ellan House promptly. He and the two brothers had spent the day inspecting the estate, riding over the grounds, conferring with the steward, and strolling through the nearby village. The brothers proved forthright, intelligent, and, most importantly, interested. The final meeting in the study had been brief. Darcy presented the contract; the Fraziers reviewed it with care, noted the inclusion of all their stipulations, and signed all three copies.
“This means I may now marry Miss Trent,” Lucas said with unguarded happiness. Darcy had offered his congratulations with a composed smile, suppressing the faint sting of envy that rose in his chest.
To Darcy’s surprise and quiet relief, Adam extended an invitation to return with them to Castle Roy. He had feared he might have to ask for hospitality, and that it would be awkwardly granted. That it came freely was, he thought, a mercy.
The journey to Carrbridge passed uneventfully, though his thoughts offered no such peace. His mind spun endlesslyon Elizabeth. How would she receive him? Had she already accepted Adam’s attentions? Did she resent Darcy still, or had her promise of forgiveness been sincere? Would she meet him with civility or coldness?
He could only hope that their shared history counted for something. That his recent service to Mary and Jane had earned some measure of goodwill, if not affection.
At Castle Roy, his arrival had been unannounced, but the housekeeper prepared a room without complaint. He bathed, dressed, and emerged into the corridor just as Adam descended the stairs.
“You are dressed for dinner in good time,” Adam said with a nod. Together, they entered the drawing room.
Elizabeth was speaking with Miss Trent, but when she saw him, her voice faltered. Her gaze, however, remained fixed upon his face. Darcy could not read her expression, and his heart began to pound in earnest.
Adam made the introductions, but when he reached Elizabeth, Darcy stepped forward and said, “There is no need. Miss Elizabeth and I are long acquainted. We first met six years ago, before I departed on my Grand Tour, and again more recently in Hertfordshire, where her father’s estate is situated.”
He bowed. “Miss Bennet, it is a pleasure to see you again. I trust your sister Mary and her new husband are comfortably settled at the parsonage in Hunsford? My aunt wrote recently to say she is quite pleased with his service to the parish, and I understand Mary has acquitted herself most admirably as a rector’s wife.”
Elizabeth stood as he approached. He took her hand and pressed a kiss to her fingers.
“Mr. Darcy, I am pleased to see you again,” she said with composure. “Mary is very happily married, thank you.”
Turning to the room, she added, “Mr. Darcy did my sister a great service. He advocated for the match both to my mother and to the prospective groom. It had been my mother’s objective that I should become the next Mrs. Collins, but I knew we would not suit. Mr. Darcy intervened, and as Mr. Collins is heir to my father’s estate, it was no small favor.”
She paused, then smiled. “He helped Mr. Collins understand why Mary was the better candidate for the role of a rector’s wife. I am well known to be obstinate and headstrong, qualities that would never do in a parson’s household.”
The room laughed, and with it came ease.
Marcus, ever inquisitive, turned to Darcy. “You completed your Grand Tour, sir? By the time I came of age, the borders had closed, and I was never afforded the opportunity.”
“For one year,” Darcy replied. “Then I joined the military, not in uniform, but in the service of the War Office. I spent five years in France as an intelligence agent.”
A hush fell over the room.
“I would still be serving, had my father not died. I returned home to manage the estates and care for my sister, who is not yet sixteen.”
Elizabeth’s eyes had not left his face.
Darcy continued, careful in his choice of words. “My cousin and I were cut off from friends, from family, from England itself. My uncle and aunts, my sister, and my cousins believed I was visiting my Darcy relatives in the French countryside. My fatherknew I served, but not how or where. I was not permitted to write to him, for my safety and that of the other agents.”
Daniel leaned forward. “And how did you gather intelligence?”
Darcy allowed a rare smile. “By appearing to drink hard liquor. By gambling and attending balls and the theatre. You would be astonished at what people will reveal when relaxed and deep in their cups. We were trusted. Eventually, we became part of their world.”
“Was it dangerous?” Marcus asked.
“Very much so. Had we been discovered, we would have been tortured for information and then executed.”
Adam studied him. “Do you regret any of it?”
Darcy hesitated, then turned his gaze toward Elizabeth. “Yes. I regret being away when my father died. Had I been home, perhaps I could have saved him, or at the very least, spent his final days with him. As it was, he died alone. That truth will never leave me.”
