Page 88 of Shields and Roses

"I hate to interrupt," he said as he came within earshot of them. The two on the bench jumped slightly in surprise. Richard quickly turned to face Darcy. The slight expression of annoyance on his face quickly turned to worry when he saw his cousin's serious look.

"What has happened?" Richard asked.

"An express has arrived from your father. Mr. Bennet asked me to find you and bring you back to his study, so he only has to go over the information once. From something he said, I would think Miss Lucas should come along. As your betrothed, what affects you will also affect her."

Richard looked at Darcy sharply. "I agree with the sentiment, but what makes you think this will be of that kind of impact?" Miss Lucas also looked at Darcy with concern.

"As I was leaving the study, Mr. Bennet was speaking to himself and said something about even more change being in the air. We had just been discussing your betrothal along with an implied reference to your necessary transition from military to civilian life. Given the express is from your father, it is not much of a jump to infer the content will have some important effect on you."

Richard huffed out a breath of air in frustration. "As if we do not have enough going on between Wickham, Collins and Aunt Catherine, now I have a sneaking suspicion my brother has been up to something unsavory."

"Well, let us go and find out," Darcy suggested. As they began to make their way slowly back to the house, with Richard providing his betrothed with steady support, Darcy asked, "Miss Lucas, are your parents still here?"

"No," she replied. "Mother wanted to spread news of my betrothal far and wide. Father had to leave with her or face having to walk home, something he prefers not to do."

Nodding acknowledgment of her response, Darcy asked, "Are you an only child?" He wanted to know a little more about this woman who would soon be his cousin by marriage. If he knew Richard, the wedding would probably take place within the month.

"I have a younger sister, Maria, who is the same age as Lydia," she told him. "They will come out together next year. I also have a brother, William, who is just ten years of age. Father has him preparing to go off to school soon."

"I hope he enjoys the experience more than I did," Darcy said. "Thankfully, Richard was there, so I did not feel entirely alone. Of course, much of that was my own fault. I have never felt comfortable meeting new people, so I did not put myself out but rather waited for others to come to me."

"You have not seemed too shy to me," she said. "Perhaps you just need to rescue a member of the company from danger to feel more relaxed and open. You were talkative enough in the breakfast room this morning."

"I did not realize you two were aware of anything beyond each other," he teased just as they reached the door to the study. Miss Lucas blushed, but Richard winked and smirked.

"Ah, good, you brought Charlotte," Bennet said as they entered the room. In the time Darcy had been gone someone, probably Lizzy, had brought the chair around from behind the desk and arranged it with the others in a comfortable grouping, moving the table with the chessboard and its uncompleted game off to the side. On seeing her friend enter as well, Lizzy retrieved a tall footstool from a corner, placing it with the group of chairs and sitting down on it with an expression that said she was firmly settled and would brook no argument. As Richard helped Miss Lucas to sit, Darcy claimed the chair nearest to Lizzy.

When they were all settled, Bennet said, "Richard, as Mr. Darcy knows, your father originally planned to visit London for at least part of the Season. He never made it, however, as he was detained at Randbrook looking after repairs necessitated by winter storm damage. It was nothing terribly serious, just a project that ended up taking longer than expected. He was just finishing up when he learned that his father and James had left London suddenly, headed for Scotland."

Richard interrupted, exclaiming, "But Grandfather never leaves London while parliament is still in session!"

"Exactly," said Bennet. "That was what had your father so concerned. He sent some men to town and to the Earl's estate to see if he could find out more. The early reports he received indicated that there was a problem at the small Scottish estate the Earl purchased a few years back as an investment and to give James some responsibility and property to manage."

"My father wrote to me about that," Richard said, and Darcy nodded. His uncle had told him as well. "He thought it was a good idea to pull James back from all the idle time he was spending with his high-flying cronies."

"It apparently helped. Your brother settled down a bit and took an interest in the estate when your grandfather tied the amount of income James would receive from it to the improvements in profit that came from how actively he managed it."

"That sounds like the best way to appeal to James," Darcy observed. "What went wrong?"

There was no hint of humor in Bennet's face or voice as he replied. "The first reports and the information that prompted their northward trip suggested some kind of severe flood damage at the estate."

"Spring flooding, you mean?" Richard asked.

"That was your father's thought at first, but the express that arrived today says that was only part of the picture. Oh, Richard, you should also know that your father sent word to Darcy House, but since he did not know exactly when you were due to return, he said he would rely on your cousin or me, whichever of us saw you first, to pass on the news."

"It is unfortunate the estate is having trouble, but you make it sound like the news my father sent is far more serious," Richard said.

Bennet nodded. "It is. I will not keep you in suspense. The most important information in today's express is that your grandfather and brother are dead. Your father is now the Earl, and you, Richard, are now Viscount Rand"

"What?" all four of those listening said in unison, along with scattered expressions of "How?" and "Why?" immediately following.

"From what Richard's father says, the estate is in a valley under a steep hillside. Their water needs are served by a lake in a deep depression near the top of the hill. To help regulate the flow of water, the lake is dammed at a height to contain the normal spring overflow and reduce any flooding even if the water is higher. The initial damage which prompted the visit from the Earl and James was caused by an unexpected break in the dam that allowed a large volume of melt water to suddenly escape. When they arrived, in addition to starting repairs on the estate, they set a team of men to work repairing the dam. It was not clear if the workmen triggered a deeper problem or if it would have happened anyway, but two nights after the work began, there was a great shaking of the earth and half the lake bed, along with all the remaining water, slid down atop what was left of the estate buildings. The house in which Richard's grandfather and brother slept toppled. They were later found in the ruins. The men sent to investigate made arrangements to bring them back to Matlock for burial, sending word on ahead."

Richard looked stunned. "I thought Grandfather would live forever," he said, "although I sometimes wondered about James, given his reckless habits. I certainly never expected this, though."

"Nor I," Darcy agreed.

"Viscount Rand?" Richard said softly after a moment of silence. "No matter what I thought of James, that was never a part of my plan." Miss Lucas reached over and took his hand.