Charitable Endeavors by Renata McMann & Summer Hanford

Author:Renata McMann & Summer Hanford [McMann, Renata]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2023-12-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

London – Winter 1813

Darcy was unsurprised, but grim, when an invitation from the Hursts came two days after Lady Catherine’s letter carrying Sophie’s warning. Until receiving his aunt’s letter, Darcy had nearly forgotten about the scheme, running himself ragged pretending to seek a wife. The whole wife-seeking ordeal would have been much simpler if he could focus on one woman, but as he didn’t actually want any of the women he socialized with, he had to be very wary of showing marked attention to any of them.

He wished Richard would either find his mystery woman or give up. It had been months and Darcy was starting to wonder if his cousin had invented his bad behavior as part of one of the earl’s schemes to see their generation reproduce. He entertained visions of his uncle and cousins in a cigar smoke filled room, and Richard presenting his plan to see Darcy court women. Had Richard tricked Darcy into seeking a wife in trade for maintaining his own freedom?

Of course, the real trouble was that the one woman Darcy wanted was not at any of the ton events he attended. She was working diligently at Lady Catherine’s charity, and Darcy would prefer to be there with her. Now that the earl had met Elizabeth, would he view Darcy working alongside her as courting? If only Richard would return with the woman he sought, or release Darcy from his pledge to appear to seek a wife, or even reply to any of the letters Darcy had sent after him, life would be far simpler.

Not that Richard’s reappearance would help Darcy deal with the current crisis, his impending drugging. He studied the dinner invitation, taking in Mrs. Hurst’s firm, clipped handwriting with a glower. The invitation proclaimed the gathering as a celebration of Bingley’s healthy son. An occasion Darcy would not lightly miss. He might question why the celebration was taking place before Mrs. Bingley was well enough to join them, but that would not prevent his attendance.

He penned his acceptance, then sent additional notes to Bingley and his aunt notifying them, and another to the man he had following Hurst. Darcy received a message back from Lady Catherine informing him that Sophie was at Dresser Place, having been given the evening off, causing him to write a second note to Bingley, urging him not to tarry. Darcy wished he could write to Elizabeth as well, but he must rely on Lady Catherine to inform her. If he could have his way, Elizabeth would be beside him even now and he could simply converse with her on the topic. But then, if he’d had his way, Elizabeth would already have rendered the threat of Miss Bingley’s trap moot.

When Darcy arrived at the Hursts’ home and found Mr. Hurst out and no other guests present, he longed to tender his apologies and leave. Instead, he took a seat across a low table from Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

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