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Lady Cargile chuckled before quickly covering her mouth. “Forgive me. One should not ridicule the dead. In truth, Penelope favoured her father far too much and did not inherit the slightest hint of beauty from her mother.”
“Still, it is repugnant for Lord Addison to act as though he cared nothing for her.”
“Some would say it is admirable that he does not pretend something he does not feel. Try not to be so hard on Robert. It was his late father’s fault that he had to marry for the largest dowry available. My nephew is merely a man, and like all men he is attracted to beautiful women, such as yourself.”
“You are too kind, your Ladyship. I am no beauty. My sister Jane is the beauty of our family. Mama always said as much.”
“Anyone who cannot see your beauty is either blind or a fool.”
“Regardless, whether I look like a frog or a butterfly, beauty plays no part in my decision never to marry. I am determined to own a bakery, so I never have to rely on anyone’s support again.”
“Well, I predict that should you forsake marriage altogether, one day you will regret it bitterly. Even an old woman like me can tell you were formed to be a wife and mother.”
The sight of Mr. Darcy’s face the instant she had refused his hand quickly came to mind, causing tears to fill Elizabeth’s eyes. “I already bitterly regret refusing one man’s proposal, so your prediction has already come true.”
“Oh? Would you care to tell me the name of the man you refused?”
“No. It does not matter and, frankly, is too painful to relive.”
“I understand, my dear,” Lady Cargile said, patting Elizabeth’s hand. Suddenly the carriage came to a stop. Pulling back the curtain, the countess announced, “We are here!”
Chapter 3
London
Darcy House
As William worked through the stack of paper occupying the top of his desk, a knock on the door interrupted him yet again. Having expressly asked his butler not to disturb him, he said with great annoyance, “What is it now, Barnes?”
The door opened and the old butler cautiously peered into the room. “I am sorry to bother you, sir, but your cousin refuses to leave.”
Dropping the pen he was holding into the inkwell with exasperation, William replied, “Show him in.”
Soon Richard sauntered into the room, crossed to the chair he always occupied in front of William’s desk, and sat down. After a lengthy silence, he said, “General Lassiter required me to attend him this morning, so I was unable to join you when you called on Georgiana. I came as soon as I heard. I am very sorry that you had no luck in convincing Poppet to return with you to Pemberley.”
If possible, William’s expression darkened. “According to your mother, I will simply have to give her more time. Hopefully, my sister’s memories of Anne’s madness will fade before she reaches her majority.”
“If I may ask, what excuse did she give today for remaining with my parents?”
Looking towards the windows, William stared into the distance for a time before he answered. “Georgiana said that she realises a man of my age needs to marry and produce an heir; however, she is reluctant to accept another sister. She fears that if Anne, whom we had known all our lives, was able to hide her true character so well, then what is to keep another woman from doing the same? She suggested that I let her continue to live with your parents in case I decide to marry again.”
Wearily, William stood to pour himself a cup of hot tea from a pot the kitchen had delivered minutes ago. “Would you like a cup?”
“No, but I will have a brandy.”
William set the tea on his desk and walked to the liquor cabinet to pour Richard a glass of brandy. Sitting back down, he passed the glass to Richard and took a sip of his tea before continuing. “My greatest fear is not that Georgiana will never trust any woman I may choose to be her sister, but that she may not trust any man, either, when she is of an age to wed. She is distrustful of everyone.”
Richard sighed loudly. “That is a heavy burden for one so young to bear.”
“I cannot blame Georgiana. I harbour the same fears, though I can never admit that to her. I must appear to be strong for her sake, though I confess that I cannot sleep for more than half an hour before memories of Anne’s bizarre behaviour have me wide awake and my heart racing. That ritual is repeated time after time until I am too exhausted to sleep.”
“No man can live like that, Darcy. For heaven’s sake, take a bit of laudanum and get some rest.”
“I had rather not sleep than be completely insensible.”
“Unfortunately, your father’s choice to dote on that lying blackguard Wickham started you down this path. If one cannot trust one’s own father to exercise good judgement, it makes one wary of being able to judge others. And Anne’s complete transformation on your wedding day surely magnified the problem. None of this was your fault, Cousin.”
“Whether it was or was not, I am saddled with the results.”
