Page 148 of Colour My World
Darcy glanced toward the parlour. Bennet heard laughter. Kitty and Mary by the sound of it.
“You have brought papers,” Bennet added, “but eaten notoast. That seems uneven.”
Darcy hesitated.
“And if you are to endure my family for the rest of your life,” Bennet said, “you may as well begin with eggs.”
* * *
Her family remained in the parlour; Elizabeth had stepped out to see him off. The air had warmed slightly since morning, though the ground was still soft with dew. She walked beside him toward the gate, her hands tucked into her sleeves.
“You leave on the morrow?” she asked.
“I do. I am…reluctantly expected.”
She took his arm as they turned past the edge of the lawn. “Then why go?”
“Because I must. I have not been a brother in some time, and it is time I made the attempt.”
Elizabeth studied him. “And Lady Catherine?”
He gave a short laugh. “She will learn of my arrival when I darken her doorstep. I do not expect a wreath.”
Elizabeth tilted her head. “You mean to surprise them?”
“I mean to discover what may yet remain,” he said. “Of what I was to Georgiana—and whether it still holds any worth.”
She halted. “You think she no longer holds you in affection?”
“I cannot say. I once believed my presence a comfort. I fear I have made it a constraint.”
Elizabeth was quiet for a moment. “And now?”
“Now I go to learn what remains between us.”
They reached the gate and paused. He rested his hand on it, but did not pass through.
“She may be uncertain,” Elizabeth said, “but I doubt she has forgotten the brother who once stayed close.”
“I hope you are right.”
Elizabeth tilted her head. “You do realise, I live in a world of women.”
Darcy gave her a look—wry and unsure.
“Sisters,” she said pointedly. “They fight. They change allegiances. They say too much or nothing at all. But we remember who shows up. You may not know what Georgiana feels, but if you wish to know it—you must go.”
“And if I misstep?”
“Then you must learn the art of apology, and mean it.”
“That sounds perilous.”
“Perilous to you today. Tomorrow, and onward, it is what we shall callfamily.”
He reached for her hand.
“I would not presume to instruct you in brotherhood,” she added. “But I will say this—sisters are not puzzles to be solved. They are persons. And they do grow up.”
