Chapter Twenty-Four

Darcy

"Y ou can only move here or here. Not there. There are two, you can only eliminate the pieces if there is a singular one," she said and he groaned, exasperated at having such a hard time remembering such simple rules.

"I am useless," he muttered but she grinned at him.

"You know you are not. This is only your second game and you already have two of my pieces," she said and pointed at the small stack he'd started to build. "Besides, I lost yesterday when you tried to engage me in chess. So, it is only fair."

He smiled in spite of himself. "You are correct. Georgiana always did say I had the patience of a fly."

"I must agree with her. But you're catching on quite quickly, Mr Darcy," Elizabeth remarked, a hint of amusement in her voice as he contemplated his next move. He glanced up from the board, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips. "I must admit, I find the game rather intriguing. Although, I fear I may never match your skill."

Elizabeth chuckled lightly. "Nonsense, Mr Darcy. With a bit more practice, you'll beat me with ease."

Their easy banter filled the air of the cosy library, a stark contrast to the weighty atmosphere that had once hung between them. Three days had passed since the harrowing encounter with the bandits in the woods, and though the incident lingered in his mind as it did hers, he was sure, they found solace in each other's company. That he should find solace in another person's company seemed odd, and for it to be hers, was stranger still. Yet, it was true. He liked her presence.

"Have you heard any news from the constables, Mr Darcy?" she inquired, her tone casual yet tinged with underlying apprehension. He had gone to see the constable the day after their encounter in the woods. Their attacker had been caught the night after Lightower summoned the constable. Upon Darcy's prompting, the constable had agreed to spread word a criminal had been caught trying to rob somebody. It was common for robbers and bandits to be caught for minor transgressions and it would not alert his friends. The constable had agreed to attempt to find out who was connected to this particular criminal—alas, thus far he'd not even revealed his name.

Darcy shook his head, his brow furrowing slightly. "Unfortunately, they haven't uncovered any leads so far. It would help if the man disclosed his name, but he refused. I think our best way of dealing with this will be to wait for Mrs Dillinger to return and let her know of our plans."

Elizabeth had gone to call on Mrs Dillinger the following day, only to find that she had gone to visit her sister in nearby Grafton, a two-hour journey away. She was expected back on Sunday, the following day.

A flicker of frustration crossed Elizabeth's features. "It's unsettling to think they are still out there, lurking in the woods. Who knows what mischief they might be up to."

Darcy nodded in agreement, his expression grave. "Indeed, the safety of the estate and its inhabitants is of utmost importance. Perhaps we ought to consider further measures to ensure our security. I could employ more men to patrol the area at night, but we do not want to alert them and have them realise we know their nefarious plan. The sooner we can speak to Mrs Dillinger the better."

Elizabeth nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, you're right. We mustn't underestimate the threat they pose. I shall speak to her at church. Mary assured me Mrs Dillinger will be at church tomorrow after returning from her sisters." She paused and looked up at him. Darcy knew what she wanted to ask before she even did.

"You want me to go, do you not?"

"I would. It would send a message if you came along, she'd feel more secure and it would be good for your tenants to see you," she added.

The mere idea of going to church—let alone now that Wickham was the vicar—unsettled him. Yet, he had promised Elizabeth he would re-enter the world. And the truth was, he knew his being present would vex Wickham, which made it even more appealing.

"I will go, but I would wish to sit in the back, and when we speak to Mrs Dillinger, I'd like to do it privately," he said.

Elizabeth agreed readily, and he realised that there was little he liked as much as pleasing her—odd as that was given the animosity that had reigned between them in the last few days.

Their conversation drifted back to lighter topics as they resumed their game, but the shadow of uncertainty lingered in the back of Darcy's mind at the thought of seeing his tenants again after so long. The matter of the bandits roaming on his grounds was another source of concern.

As the knock on the door interrupted their game, Mr Cogsworth entered the library with a letter in hand, his expression solemn.

"A messenger came with a letter for Miss Bennet," he announced and Elizabeth accepted it with a curious glance. Darcy peered at it but did not recognise the handwriting.

"It is from my sister," she explained as she broke the seal and Mr Cogsworth left. He watched her read in silence, and noted how attractive she looked when her lips curved into a smile. "It appears that the Bingleys have settled on a house, Mr Darcy. They've chosen Longworth Manor."

Mr Darcy's reaction was immediate, a furrow forming between his brows as he shook his head in disapproval. "Longworth Manor? Good heavens, that's a terrible choice."

"You are familiar with it?" she lowered the letter.

"Of course, I am. My cousin William Darcy was looking to purchase it just before the fire and Georgiana and I accompanied him, seeing how it is but an hour from Pemberley. I was able to coax information from the servants," he said, not wanting to outright admit he'd bribed them. "And what I learned was shocking. The roof leaks in various places, and the brook behind the house has been known to flood, ruining the rose garden on more than one occasion. It has been some years, but I had heard while in town that the person who bought it was looking for another fool to take it off his hands. And he seems to have found that person," he said with a groan. "Not that I think Bingley a fool, but he is …."

"Gullible," Elizabeth completed his sentence.

"It seems you know quite a bit about Longworth Manor, Mr Darcy. Shall I write to my sister and ask them to reconsider?"

Darcy's jaw tightened, his gaze steely. "Absolutely. Bingley is far too amiable for his own good sometimes. I just hope he hasn't signed anything yet. I should write to him myself and advise him what can be done." He paused, surprised that such a thought even entered his mind. He hadn't wanted to be anywhere around Charles in a long time, and now here he was—worried for his future. Elizabeth had removed more than just the dark stain on his soul, she had exposed the heart inside of him, the heart which cared about his friends and wanted to see them well.

Her smile widened at his impassioned response. "You sound like a man who truly cares about his friend's well-being, Mr Darcy."

He met her gaze with a determined look. "I am a man who does not want to see amiable people like Bingley taken advantage of. It is my duty to ensure that he makes sound decisions, especially when it comes to matters as significant as purchasing a home. There are far better estates for them to consider."

"Mr Darcy," she began tentatively, "If I dare ask, do you miss Charles?"

Darcy's demeanour shifted almost imperceptibly, his expression momentarily guarded. "I... I suppose I do," he admitted, his voice betraying a hint of vulnerability. He hadn't wanted to make such a confession but it was true. He had been lonely.

Sensing his reluctance, Elizabeth reached out, her voice soft and reassuring. "I thought as much. The two of you were always close, the way he tells it."

Darcy wondered just what Charles Bingley had told Elizabeth about him. After a moment of hesitation, Darcy relented, his features softening as he recalled fond memories of their shared past. "We were quite the pair in our youth. Eton days and all that. Bingley had a knack for getting into mischief, and I, well, I suppose I was always there to help get him out of trouble again."

Elizabeth's curiosity appeared to be piqued. "I can imagine, he has a way of getting himself into situations."

Darcy chuckled softly. "There's one incident that comes to mind. It was during our second year at Eton. Bingley discovered that one of our teachers kept a pet bird in a cage, in his office. He'd tell us how he caught it himself. Bingley felt sorry for the animal—I agreed, it was miserable. One day, Bingley decided it would be a noble gesture to set the bird free."

Elizabeth's eyes widened in amusement. "And I take it things didn't go as planned?"

Darcy shook his head, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips. "Not in the slightest. Bingley managed to release the bird from its cage, but before he could usher it to freedom, our teacher walked in and caught him red-handed. The bird flew about the room widely. I had come upon the situation as I suspected he was up to something. Seeing the matter, I decided to open a window and release the bird while Bingley argued with our professor. Needless to say, we both received a stern reprimand and a week's worth of detention. We spotted the bird some weeks later, she'd found a mate and built a nest."

Elizabeth laughed at the image of the mischievous young Bingley and his ill-fated attempt at liberation. "Well, at least he had good intentions. As did you."

"It seemed silly for him to get into trouble and then not even succeed at giving the bird its freedom."

Elizabeth leaned forward, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Speaking of trouble involving animals, did I ever tell you about the time Charles climbed a tree to save a cat?"

Darcy's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "No, please do tell."

With a smile, Elizabeth launched into her own story, recounting the amusing tale of Bingley's daring rescue mission, his valiant efforts to retrieve a stranded feline—one of Longbourn's many barn cats—from the branches of a towering oak. Darcy listened intently, his laughter mingling with hers as they shared in the joy of the memory.

"I must tell you, I have many a story about Bingley, it is good to be sharing them with someone else." Darcy smiled at her, and for the first time in a long time felt truly at ease. "I have missed this. Conversation."

"Well, you can have conversation and companionship if you choose to, Mr Darcy, I am certain that Charles would be willing, if only you would extend the olive branch," Elizabeth said.

Darcy hesitated, thinking back to the days of old when he'd played billiards with his friend. Then, with a sigh, he looked up. "Do you suppose he might forgive me?"

Elizabeth broke into a wide smile. "You know him better than I do, and you know how big a heart he has and how eager he is to live in harmony with others. In that, he is much like my sister who can see no fault in anyone that isn't redeemable."

He nodded. "Thank you for saying that, I had thought as much but it is good to receive confirmation. I shall write to him regarding his purchase and invite him to come here and discuss it in person. I take it they had planned to return soon anyhow."

"Indeed, next week. They plan to stay at the inn again," Elizabeth said.

"I see. Well, I shall invite them to stay here. Not in the main house, but in one of the cottages. I think that ought to be better, given the state of the house," Darcy mused and then, he caught Elizabeth's glance and in her eyes, he saw himself—and for once, he could almost see the man he had once been, long before the fire had robbed him of everything he'd held dear.