Page 49 of An Accidental Meeting
“How can you be scowling?” she inquired incredulously.
He regarded her seriously. “If there is more treasure scattered about the estate, how am I to find it all while keeping it a secret? I must be able to prevent any damage being done by those seeking an easy fortune. And then there will be the added trouble of securing these rather valuable items against the day they are claimed.”
“And there has hardly been a year of my life that we have not been at war with the French,” she said gently. “So it may be some time before your cousins can claim what belongs to them. Forgive me, Mr. Darcy. You carry the burdens of all your family, even those you have never met.”
“The wages that come with privilege, Miss Bennet. It will be another problem to solve, but I have no reason to complain.”
“That was not a complaint, Mr. Darcy,” she said. “You must bow to my expertise in this matter, for with younger sisters such as mine, I am an expert in the art of whinging.”
Her mother was worse even than her youngest daughters, but Darcy knew better than to say as much. Anders stood nearby, just out of earshot, awaiting his orders.
“Anders, transfer the bags to the new box and carry it to my study. Mr. Rhoades will unlock the door for you.”
Elizabeth tipped her head in question.
“I always lock my study door. The papers for the estate are kept there, although the steward and the solicitor have copies. It is particularly important to secure the room when we have company of any kind and temporary servants are hired to assist.” He hoped she understood he trusted his own servants, at least. But not all gentlemen were worthy of the name, and many had an unseemly interest in his business affairs.
She nodded. A bit of the pleasure their find had produced was gone from her eyes. He scolded himself for having done it.
“Shall we collect your aunt and uncle?”
“Please. They are of a rather adventurous nature. I believe they will be nearly as enthusiastic as I am.”
Anders hefted the box onto one shoulder, having found it awkward to hold the heavy box by its handles, and hurried ahead of them.
Darcy and Elizabeth strolled after him, intending to appear as though nothing unusual had happened. She was not a good actor, for she was nearly bouncing as they approached the house.
“Mr. Rhoades,” he said, unable to entirely keep the laughter from his voice, “would you have Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner fetched to my study immediately?”
“Of course, Mr. Darcy,” the butler said crisply, and went to give the order to a footman.
They entered the study. Darcy left the door open, and Elizabeth took a seat on the settee near the fireplace. There was no sign of the box until Darcy strode to his desk. Anders had placed it between his chair and the wall, safely out of sight.
“Will we still have time for the ride about the estate, Mr. Darcy?” Elizabeth inquired.
Probably not, but he did not believe she was asking because she would be disappointed, rather only to have something innocuous to speak about should anyone overhear.
This was followed by a moment of silence between them, but it was not awkward. It was instead charged with a sort of pleasant tension that he had long felt when near her.
If only he could be sure that she felt it too—but Elizabeth gave no sign of that.
“Where could my aunt and uncle be?” she asked at the same moment the Gardiners arrived.
“What is all this, then?” Mr. Gardiner asked as he and his wife stepped inside.
Darcy nodded at Mr. Rhoades, who closed the door as he withdrew.
Elizabeth waited until the door was firmly shut, but then smiled. “Treasure,” she said gleefully.
Chapter Thirteen
Elizabeth could barely stand still. To have been present when Mr. Darcy found actual hidden treasure in one of his coaches! Well, a buggy. And not his, precisely, though it was in his care.
Mr. Darcy was far less enthusiastic, and once he had explained, she understood. Even so, it was a story she would likely tell her children one day, though she fully intended to embellish as much as possible.
“What do you mean, treasure?” Aunt Gardiner inquired, perplexed. “I thought we were preparing for a ride around the park?”
“We were,” Mr. Darcy said, “but while I was inspecting the carriages, I came across something odd. Well, to tell the truth, Miss Bennet first drew my attention to it.”
