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“Break her heart again?”

“Apparently, when she and Jane were just coming out, they vowed to wed only for the deepest love. She kept her vow by turning down Mr. Collins—”

“And you!”

“And me; however, according to Elizabeth, Jane did not shirk her duty. Instead, she brushed aside her own desires to marry for love and accepted David, thus helping to save their family.”

“David Morgan may not have been a handsome fellow, but by your own admission he was a kind-hearted, honest gentleman, and Lady Morgan was fortunate to have married him.”

“David was all of that, but Jane was not in love with him ... at least when they married.”

“And now that Lady Morgan has fallen head over heels for you, Miss Elizabeth believes that she cannot accept your hand?”

“Precisely. The only concession I have won thus far is when I told Elizabeth I would pray that Lady Morgan will release me from the engagement of her own volition, and Elizabeth agreed to pray for that as well.”

From what he knew, Lady Morgan seemed determined to keep the engagement intact, but Richard decided not to burden William with that information at that precise moment.

“Darcy, we must talk. Perhaps after dinner we could meet in your study and discuss issues over some of your excellent brandy.”

“I see no reason why we cannot.”

By that time, they had reached Mr. Wilburn, who informed Richard that General Lassiter wished to speak to him immediately.

“Then I shall see you at dinner, Darcy,” Richard declared, before leaving to meet his superior.

As Richard hurried away, Mr. Wilburn informed William that the general said he would summon him and the ladies for interviews in the next few days.

Since it was evident he was not needed now, William returned to his coach to deliver the women to Lady Morgan’s townhouse.

Lady Morgan’s Townhouse

When the ladies and Mr. Darcy were shown into the townhouse, the housekeeper escorted them to the front parlour, saying, “Please make yourselves comfortable, and I shall inform her ladyship that you are here.”

At the door, Mrs. Harris stopped to say, “You must be tired from your journey.

Would any of you care for some tea and refreshments whilst I arrange to have your rooms readied?” All of them replied in the affirmative, so she added, “Then I shall be happy to instruct Cook to prepare a tray.”

After being told who was in her parlour, Jane checked her image in her dressing room mirror. Pinching her cheeks to give her face some colour, she smiled at the woman looking back. Now that she was able to fit into a few of the gowns she wore before becoming pregnant, Jane had her maid style her hair in a more elaborate design, such as those she had worn when she first met Lord Morgan. Satisfied that she looked as pretty as possible, she rushed to the nursery to instruct the nursemaid to change David’s clothes and prepare to bring him downstairs when summoned.

At the top of the stairs, Jane took a deep breath before she began to slowly descend, praying all the while that Mr. Darcy would be impressed with her appearance.

William noted the confusion on Lady Morgan’s face upon seeing Mrs. Annesley sitting beside him. This prompted him to introduce Georgiana’s former companion and to say that she would be staying at Darcy House. Before Jane could reply, however, Lydia commandeered the conversation with her usual enthusiasm.

“Oh, Jane!” she said, coming to her feet upon seeing her sister. “How have you regained your figure so quickly? It took months after Emma was born before I could fit into any of my old clothes properly.”

As Jane crossed the room to give her youngest sister a hug, she said, “I purposefully try not to eat more than necessary for my needs and David’s. In addition, I have begun to walk around the back courtyard at least once a day.”

“Well, it certainly is working!” Lydia declared. “Does she not look just as slim as she did before she married, Lizzy?”

Elizabeth had stood, too, and smiled as Jane came forward to hug her. “Jane has always been beautiful, no matter how much weight she gained with her babies.”

“You are too kind!” Jane declared as she pulled back to take a long look at Elizabeth. “You look as though you have lost weight, Lizzy. In fact, anyone not familiar with you might think you were gravely ill.”

Whilst everyone else laughed, Lizzy felt the sting of her reproach. William noticed and purposefully caught Elizabeth’s eye. Giving her a covert wink, he smiled widely before saying, “I do not know how anyone could possibly think Miss Elizabeth is ill, unless they were blind. She looks as pretty as always.”

Astounded by his defence, Elizabeth warmly returned his smile—something Jane could not miss. Unhappy with this display of camaraderie—after all, for two years Lizzy had refused to let her mention that man’s name—Jane decided to bring up something Lizzy could not boast about—being a mother.

“You must all be eager to see David. I shall have his nursemaid bring him down.”