Page 30 of Her Whole Heart
“He is a colonel, so I must presume he is also a strategist, sir. Do you think it possible he might know you have spies?”
Lady Carlisle smiled.
Darcy narrowed his eyes. “Possible.”
“And, having identified your men, he might have planted evidence so that you wouldthinkyou knew his plans and become overconfident? We have seen Mr. Lucas do that very thing to his brothers more than once.” She and Miss Bennet shared an amused look. “They never seem to learn.”
Was that something Fitz would do? Absolutely. And he would never let Darcy forget it, either. He had been arrogant not even to suspect it. On Friday he would make a trip to Angelo’s and see what he could learn about new approaches from the continent. He smiled sheepishly at the Bennet ladies. “I promise you that I am not normally such a dull fellow.”
Miss Elizabeth appeared as though she had something to say to that, but she satisfied herself by tipping her head at him in an impish manner. “No?”
He could not help it—her archness at his expense was only fair, and he smiled. “Not that you have any evidence to the contrary, Miss Elizabeth, but no. I am usually accounted as somewhat clever. Alas, my mental acuity does seem to have waned recently.”
“They say that happens as one grows older,” she teased.
“Lizzy,” Miss Bennet said in a whisper.
Lady Carlisle, now engaged in a conversation with another lady who was riding, did not hear them.
Darcy ought to have been affronted, but this was one provocation too many this day, and he could only laugh aloud. “Indeed. I shall require spectacles next.”
For the first time, Miss Elizabeth smiled at him. The smile was full, it was genuine, and then it was gone. Darcy blinked, just as he had when he had seen her in the cloak and hat—and then he recovered.
They all returned to politeness until their time in the park was over. The carriage stopped outside of Darcy House, and Darcy bid his farewells.
“I must thank you ladies for the warning,” he said warmly at the last. “I have known my cousin all my life, and yet in this case you saw him more clearly than I.”
Miss Bennet smiled, but Miss Elizabeth spoke. “You are welcome, Mr. Darcy.”
Chapter Ten
As promised, Miss Loughty came to call the next afternoon. It was not Lady Carlisle’s day at home, but the girls all remained to visit with their friend.
“There are so many men in town this season,” she said, adjusting her spectacles. “I am sure that if I do not find a husband this year, I shall never find one at all.”
“Quantity,” Elizabeth declared, “is not at all the same thing as quality. It is better to stand alone in a desert than be drowned in a sea of mediocrity.”
Amelia giggled.
“There is no need for dramatics, Lizzy,” Jane told her fondly. “Miss Loughty, what is it you wish for in a husband?”
Miss Loughty pushed her spectacles up on her nose and straightened. “I have thought about this a great deal. Many of my wishes are too romantic to be practical, but I do want a man who notices me and values what I have to say.”
Amelia seemed to be waiting for something more. When it did not come, she added, “He should be handsome.”
“Handsome in appearance is pleasant,” Jane declared, “but handsome in character is better. Have you never noticed that some people who might be accounted plain become more attractive the better you know them?”
“And the reverse is also true,” Elizabeth said. She would have counted Mr. Darcy among her many examples, but he had improved a bit with his show of good humour in the park.
Miss Loughty nodded. “I could not agree more. I would like to find a man who speaks Portuguese with me. It is such a beautiful language.”
Jane smiled. “You speak Portuguese? That is unusual. Do you speak French and Italian as well?”
“Oh, of course. I know French, Italian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, even a little modern Greek.” She ticked off each language on a finger as she completed the list. “Oh, and I am learning Russian. It is so different than the other languages. I find it fascinating, but I shall require a master soon.” Her eyes widened, and she pressed her lips together so hard they turned white.
Elizabeth's mouth dropped a bit, though she closed it the moment she realised. Who would have guessed that quiet Miss Loughty could converse in so many different ways? No wonder she wished a man to listen to her. The question was, in how many languages?
“My brother calls it my one dubious accomplishment,” Miss Loughty confessed, glancing away.
