Page 40 of The Heir and Spare
“Oh? And what do you think of it now that it is received?” His smile widened.
“I find you might say all manner of compliments and I would never tire of them.” She forced herself not to look away, though she felt more bold than she’d ever been.
“Then I shall find many reasons to shower them upon you, for I’ve been thinking them up these many long weeks.”
“You have?”
“I most certainly have. And trying with no avail to forget them.”
“Oh dear.”
“You were clearly not interested in hearing them then.”
“Not from Fitz…but from you? You are an entirely different opportunity.”
He squeezed her ankle one more time and then slid on the clunky boot. “And now, my lady, we are off to the tenants. I’m afraid it will not be the beautiful house tour, nor the quiet parlor game or the boisterous charades but rather, the smudged and dirty faces of cold and wet people in need.” He was not apologizing.
And she was smiling even wider. “I shall enjoy it far more than anything else we could do together, I do believe.”
He laughed with his belly then which made her join him, though she had no idea the cause of such amusement.
“Then you, my dear, will be delightful to please.” He reached for her hands and brought her to stand in front of him. “I can promise you one thing.”
“Only one?” She widened her eyes, glued to his face to hear what it might be.
“Only one for now.” He shook his head. “I cannot believe this is actually happening right now.”
“Nor I. I shall not sleep tonight. This seems but a dream.” She stepped nearer, without even thinking. “But what is the thing you promise?”
“Oh yes, I promise that we shall do other more enjoyable things than rescue the tenants.”
“What a lovely thought. How many?”
“How many things?”
“Yes, I shall have to clear my calendar.” She tapped her chin.
“A lifetime of them, if you can find the time.” His face colored slightly and then he held out his arm. “But enough of that before I go making a muddle of things before they can even begin. Shall we?”
She placed her hand at his elbow. “We shall, most definitely, begin.”
He rested a hand on top of hers. “I’ve instructed the servants to take you back to the house at the first sign of real fatigue.”
“What?” She stopped and turned to him. “We shall have none of that.”
“I cannot have you working yourself to exhaustion.”
“I will not overly tax myself. But I will be tired. I love a good tired, don’t you? The kind where you fall into bed knowing you did something of worth that day.”
“Keep talking, Miss Elizabeth, and I won’t ever be able to let you go.”
She was quiet for so long after that, in awe and wonder that Mr. Arthur Darcy could speak so to her, that he paused their steps. “Have I scared you already?”
“Oh my goodness, no. I’m merely trying to exercise a bit of restraint over here.”
“And what are you restraining, might I ask?” His eyebrow twitched with a sort of wicked gleam, but she laughed and shook her head. “Oh no. I shall not reveal such things yet. There is still a mystery to unfold. That is part of the fun, is it not?”
“It most definitely is. And I shall enjoy every smallest bit I unravel.”
