The Inseparable Mr. and Mrs. Darcy by Jennifer Joy

Author:Jennifer Joy [Joy, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781944795009
Published: 2017-06-17T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

Darcy tucked the message inside his waistcoat pocket. It was not the best news, but it could be worse. He had read it so many times, he had memorized the contents.

The skies had cleared enough the dampness had finally dried out of his great coat and he did not have to ride hunched over to protect himself from the rain.

He met Mr. Hurst on his way to Longbourn, an unpleasant encounter for both men (although Darcy took pride in how well he hid it in comparison to Mr. Hurst, whose complexion deepened to a startling degree).

Darcy greeted him.

“I have been out for some time … and am on my way home,” Mr. Hurst answered gruffly, turning his horse away from Longbourn and toward Netherfield Park. “Good day to you, Mr. Darcy,” he said over his shoulder, departing as quickly as he had appeared.

Perhaps it was the chill in the air or the exercise, but Darcy credited Mr. Hurst’s ruddy tone to frustration. That he wished to speak with Mr. Bennet about a matter of a confidential nature grew apparent with every disrupted attempt by Mr. Hurst to call on Mr. Bennet without observers. Mr. Hurst had revealed nothing at the picnic the week before. Until Darcy knew who intended to harm Mr. Bennet, it was best to keep callers to a minimum.

Handing his stallion over to the stable boy, the boy said, “If you please, Mr. Darcy, I have the information about which you inquired.” The boy puffed out his chest importantly and held out his hand.

Insolent fellow.

Pressing the promised coin into the boy’s hand, Darcy waited for him to speak.

“Miss Darcy asked me to check the post,” for which he was undoubtedly paid as well, thought Darcy.

The stable boy continued, “A letter arrived for her today and I gave it to her. As you instructed, I informed Mrs. Annesley of its arrival.”

“Well done. Did you recognize the letters I showed you?”

“The handwriting was nothing like yours. It looked like scratches on the paper, but I did recognize one letter. It was the second big letter you showed me.”

Using the toe of his boot, Darcy wrote an unembellished, capital “N” in the ground. “Was this the one?” With twenty-five other letters of the alphabet, Darcy prayed the odds would favor a negative answer. Then, he would not have cause for concern regarding Georgiana.

“Yes, sir. That was it … or something similar to it.” With a glance at Longbourn’s front door, which opened to let out Elizabeth, the boy said, “Is there anything else you require, sir?”

Tangled in his own thoughts, Darcy dismissed the boy before Elizabeth had reached them.

“N” for Nelson. The likelihood of it being anyone else was slim for all the trouble Georgiana went through to keep her correspondence secret. It also matched what Darcy’s man had commented about the gentleman’s handwriting. No wonder barristers employed law writers.

Elizabeth stood closely, her shoulders straight and her chin set. She watched the boy scramble into the stables away from her.

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