Page 42 of The Briar Bargain
"It is necessary work," Darcy replied, setting down the pen and flexing his fingers. "Besides, I find I have little else to occupy my time at present."
"No?" Bingley's tone was innocent, but his eyes held a knowing gleam. "I should have thought you were finding ways to make yourself useful to our guests."
Darcy shot him a warning look. "I offer what assistance I can."
"Indeed you do," Bingley agreed with suspicious mildness. "Most attentive of you."
Rather than dignify this observation with a response, Darcy rose from his chair. "If you have no further need of my services, I believe I shall see what breakfast might be available."
"Of course," Bingley said, making no effort to hide his smile now. "I intend to read through these once more before joining you. Do give my regards to whomever you might encounter."
Darcy left the study with as much composure as he could manage, though he suspected Bingley’s knowing expression would taunt him for the remainder of the day. As he made his way to the breakfast room, he encountered Mrs. Nicholls.
"Good morning, Mrs. Nicholls," he said, falling into step beside her. It had become something of a routine these past several days, these brief conversations that allowed him to ensure the comfort of their guests without appearing overly solicitous. "I trust all is well with the household this morning?"
"Indeed it is, sir," she replied. "The fires are all built up properly, and I have seen to it that fresh tea and chocolate were sent up to the young ladies' chambers early this morning."
"Excellent," Darcy said, though he tried to keep his tone casual. "And our guests? I trust they are well after yesterday's exertions?"
"Miss Bennet and her sister have just stepped out into the garden to enjoy the sunshine. Such a blessing to see clear skies again, is it not?" Mrs. Nicholls paused, then added with a slight smile, "Miss Elizabethmentioned that she intends to join the household for breakfast this morning, rather than taking her meal upstairs."
"I am glad to hear it," Darcy replied. "The fresh air will no doubt do them both good after being confined indoors for so long."
"Oh, indeed, sir. And if I may say so, it has been a pleasure having such well-mannered young ladies in the house. Not a bit of trouble, despite the circumstances. True ladies, if you do not mind my saying so."
Darcy found his gaze pulled away from the housekeeper. "I do not mind at all, Mrs. Nicholls.”
The housekeeper eyed him with evident satisfaction. "Well then, I shall not keep you from your breakfast, sir. I believe Thomas has just finished setting everything out."
"Thank you," Darcy said solemnly, inclining his head.
He made his way to the breakfast room. The servants were indeed just finishing their preparations, laying out the usual array of dishes. Darcy nodded his thanks to them and moved to the windows while they completed their work and withdrew.
The morning light was indeed glorious after so many grey days, casting everything in sharp relief and making the water-damaged garden look almost renewed rather than merely swamped. He could see the Bennet sisters treading cautiously on the stone walk near the rose garden, their figures small but distinct.
Miss Bennet moved with her characteristic grace, her posture erect and serene. She was, Darcy acknowledged, everything that Bingley claimed: beautiful, gentle, and possessed of a sweetness of temper that would make any man fortunate to call her wife.
But it was Miss Elizabeth who commanded his attention.
She stood a little apart from her sister, her face turned up to the sun with an expression of such pure enjoyment that it made him smile. After so many dreary days in close quarters, she seemed to be drinking in the light and warmth. Her bonnet hung from her arm, and several dark curls framed her face. Watching her now, taking evident joy in something so simple as sunshine after rain, Darcy felt happy too.
They began to head back to the house. Miss Elizabeth said something that made Miss Bennet laugh. Then, as if drawn by some invisible thread, Miss Elizabeth looked up. Her gaze found the breakfast room windows, found him standing there, and for a moment they simply looked at each other across the distance. Then she half-raised her hand in a small wave, and he found himself lifting his own in response before he realised what he was doing.
The gesture lasted only a moment before she turned back to her sister, but it left him feeling . . . content. Darcy remained at the window, watching as the two ladies made their way slowly back towards the house, Miss Elizabeth's animated gestures suggesting she was telling a humorous story.
He closed his eyes and turned away. This was unsafe territory. He had begun his daily inquiries about her welfare because he worried for her health in the face of Miss Bingley’s neglect. But somewhere along the way, ensuring not only her health but her comfort had become an important part of his morning routine. Her smile had become the thing wished for most when entering a room. Her voice could lift his spirits or cast them down, depending on its tone. And her absence, he found, could render his day curiously hollow.
He was, he realised with a mixture of exhilaration and despair, falling in love with Elizabeth Bennet.
Blast it all.
The sound of footsteps in the corridor announced the arrival of other members of the household, and Darcy reluctantly prepared to greet them.
He moved to the sideboard and began to prepare a plate, though he found himself paying little attention to what he selected. His thoughts remained fixed on the woman who would soon enter this room, who would probably greet him with polite friendliness while remaining utterly unaware of the turmoil her mere presence had created in his carefully ordered world.
Chapter Fourteen
Elizabeth removed her gloves as she entered the house with Jane, pleased that neither of them had tracked so much as a speck of mud across Mrs. Nicholls's carefully polished floors. Their short turn about the garden had been undertaken with deliberate caution. No straying from the gravel paths despite the glorious return of sunshine that had made Elizabeth's spirits soar. Yet her back no longer pained her and the fresh air was magnificent. It was a welcome sanctuary after days of confinement.
