“You have already spent the money, I see. Do not forget what you owe me!”
Sam looked defiantly at the bully, but Elizabeth could not hear his reply before they left the box.
“Why does Lord Harcourt need to speak with my brother again?” Elizabeth attempted to slow Will’s long strides which pulled them further away from the box. “He said something about money. Has my brother borrowed money from him?”
Will finally ceased walking and pulled them to a quiet corner. “I do not know, but I would caution you against speaking so openly about finances or Harcourt.”
Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open. “Oh, I had not considered the other people…”
“Think nothing of it. London is far larger than your market town. Even when you think you are having a private conversation, there is always someone nearby who might hear. By the same token, there are so many people most people are ignored.”
“Is that where you learned it from?”
“Learned what?”
“Ignoring others. Seeming to find others invisible.”
Will blinked at her. “I do not consciously ignore others. My mind is often preoccupied with matters that do not concern those around me.”
Cocking her head to one side, Elizabeth determined Will sincerely meant his words. “I suppose that is true. You are not above insults when you dislike someone.”
“Are you never going to let me forget that?”
From the corner of her eye, Elizabeth could see Will’s smirk.
“I said I forgave you, not that I could forget it. Such harsh words on such a fragile mind can wreak havoc.” Elizabeth feigned a dramatic pose, and Will chuckled.
“I would have been an even bigger idiot if I had said your mind was weak. I had not known you more than a minute before perceiving the liveliness of your mind.”
“Is that what you thought of me when you first saw me?”
Will shook his head. “Your beauty stunned me into silence.” He cast a long look over her. “Much like it did tonight.”
Elizabeth smiled at his praise before allowing it to fall and wrinkling her brow.
“What is it?” Will asked and took a step closer.
“I do not want to return to the box if he is there. I cannot abide…” Elizabeth paled and began to shiver.
Will pulled them deeper into the recess of the hallway. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms to warm her. “You are safe. No matter what Sam’s business is with Harcourt, I know on my life that he would never knowingly endanger any of his family. While you are in London, Sam has tasked his friends with watching over you and your sister.”
“Is that why you are spending so much time with me?” Elizabeth hated the thought that Will might think her in such need of protection or view her as an obligation.
Will sighed. “That should be the answer I give you, but I hate deceit. The truth is, I always wish to be in your company. When Harcourt touched you…”
He trailed off, but Elizabeth saw how Will clenched his fists at his side.
“I did not say thank you earlier,” Elizabeth seized on Will’s latter statement. “It is not because I am ungrateful or discourteous. Rather, I lacked the courage to reference the incident. I did notice how quickly you came to my aid. Now, please accept my thanks.”
“I cannot,” Will shook his head. “I thought only of you and your safety. I had no intentions of doing anything heroic. I neither confronted nor fought him. My only aim was to get you to safety. I do not want your thanks.”
Elizabeth bit her lip before looking up at Will through her lashes. His eyes were fixed on her face. “What do you want from me then?”
Will’s eyes widened, and a low groan rippled down his throat. He squeezed his mouth shut tightly before returning to his indifferent expression. Something about the return of his lips on his face caused Elizabeth to stare. She had never considered a gentleman’s lips before.
“We should return to the box. I am certain Harcourt is gone. I saw him walk past a few moments ago.”
“Oh. Then why did you not escort me back already?”
“Why should I share you when I can have you all to myself here?”
Elizabeth blushed. “Is that is what you want? I shall be your secret theatre sweetheart?”
“No,” Will answered, and his jaw momentarily tightened. A grim expression crossed his face. “That is not what I would want, but I fear none would be happy to see my admiration for you.”
“Why is that?” Elizabeth frowned.
“That is too complicated to explain at the moment.” Will sighed. “And pointless to discuss. We must return, now.”
Elizabeth said nothing as Will directed them back to the box, but his words echoed in her mind for the remainder of the evening. Why would their friends and family dislike their attachment? And why should it not be discussed between them?
Chapter Four
As Will escorted Elizabeth back to the box, he was approached by several gentlemen. Some were fathers thrusting their daughters before him. Others were brothers attempting to unburden themselves the task of chaperoning a proper lady. Undoubtedly, in the interest of spending more time with the merry widows and the courtesans who frequented the theatre. All looked at Elizabeth with disdain, and very few asked for any introduction at all. The expressions of displeasure from the gentlemen were nothing compared to the scorn from the ladies.
Surprisingly, Elizabeth held her own. She returned jealousy with kindness, finding something to say to each lady who deigned to speak with her. Just before they reached the box, Will whispered to her.
“That is a very interesting and provocative smirk you are wearing Miss Bennet.”
“Is it?” Elizabeth’s smirk grew to a grin.
“Will you tell me what amuses you? Is it how you met with all those people with such equanimity?”
“Why should I worry for their approval or disapproval? I am the lady on the arm of Fitzwilliam Darcy. Their spiteful acts of jealousy did all the work of proving me the greater lady without my having to put forward any effort at all. Yes, I am quite pleased with the trouble they saved me.”
Will smiled as well until he saw Sam and a familiar but unwelcome figure from the corner of his eye. Reaching the box, he urged Elizabeth forward. “I will just be a moment.”
After she entered behind the curtain, Will moved to where Sam stood in the shadows arguing with the woman who was supposed to be his former mistress.
“Sam, Miss Johnson, I hope I am not interrupting anything.”
“Lucy was just leaving,” Sam said with raised brows.
“Yes, pardon me,” Miss Lucinda Johnson nodded. “I tire too easily these days to enjoy a performance at the theatre. Good evening, Mr. Darcy. It was a pleasure to see you again. Sam…” She trailed off and then her eyes filled with tears. Miss Johnson cleared her throat then left without a backward glance.
“Sam—”
“I know. I know,” Sam cut off Will’s words. “It is not fair to Charlotte.”
“No, it is not. You entered a betrothal with Miss Lucas and swore to give up Lucy.”
“I did,” Sam agreed. “However, denying my heart is not fair either.”
“It is too late for that now. You ought to have thought better before you proposed. I know you would never sacrifice your honour in such a way.”
Will frowned at his friend. What could Sam be thinking about as he entertained his former mistress in the theatre for all to see? His sisters could easily make mention of the situation to his betrothed. The Sam Bennet he had always known would never tarnish his honour in such a way or wound a lady. Many gentlemen had liaisons with courtesans even while married. Will had never thought Sam would be one of those men. In recent days, it felt as though he barely knew his friend. How had Sam kept all of this from him?
Will furrowed his brow. He had been distracted lately with concerns about his father and taking more control of Pemberley. He had less time for their usual frivolity and Sam had
been forced to find other companionship.
“You are correct,” Sam said and sighed.
“You do care for her,” Will reminded him.
For most of their friendship, Sam had seemed enamoured with his neighbour. His letter to Will upon Miss Lucas accepting his hand in matrimony contained more effusions than Will had thought possible for one man to write. Last summer, he met Lucinda Johnson, and suddenly everything changed.
“But I love Lucy,” Sam sighed.
“Do you?”
Sam rounded on his friend. “You question my affections? What do you know of love and romance?”
“I do not claim to know anything,” Will conceded. “However, you have known Miss Lucas your entire life. You did not rush into any arrangement with her.”
“It is a different thing entirely.”
“How so?”
“Lucy is carrying my child. I can never just be done with her.”
“A child?” Will’s voice carried louder than he had intended.
Sam’s eyes widened, but he looked over Will’s shoulder. “Lizzy?”
“Papa wants you,” Elizabeth said and turned away quickly.
“Blast,” Sam shook his head.
“What will you tell her?”
“Nothing,” Sam answered. “She is too young to know of these things.”
Will frowned. He would not do the same to Georgiana. “She is not as young as you would think.”
Sam assessed his friend. “You say this from your own thoughts about her?”
“She is more mature than I had envisioned, but she has also received attention from many of our Society.”
Sam dropped his new carefree facade and straightened to his full height. He looked Will square in the eye when few others could. “You disappeared with her for quite some time yesterday. Can I trust you with my sister?”
Will’s jaw tightened, and he measured his words. He had intended to speak with Sam about Harcourt’s attention to Elizabeth and inquire why Will was so friendly with the man. Additionally, many others did take note of Elizabeth. The women and their matchmaking male relatives disliked her, but there was an appreciation in their gaze. Men across the lobby outright stared in approval. Sam may not have noticed, and Will may have been hesitant to admit it, but Elizabeth was full grown. However, this was not the time for such a conversation.
“Can I trust you with my sister?”
From the tone of Sam’s voice and his earnest gaze, Will assumed his long-time friend mistook the meaning of his silence. Affronted, Will returned the look and tone. “Of course.”
As of this moment, Elizabeth was far safer with him than her brother. Even if Will could not forget the sparkle in her eyes, the feel of her hand on his arm, and wonder about the taste of her ruby lips.
“Do not forget it, then,” Sam said and pushed past Will to greet his father.
Will stood in silence for a moment. Years ago, he had lost a similarly gregarious friend. George Wickham had started displaying violent traits at Eton to fit in with the other boys. Sam seemed set for a similar path. While his situation of gambling with Harcourt might be understandable in light of his impending fatherhood, Will believed Sam had begun a doomed course. Had Sam confided in his father? What would Will’s father do for a friend in such a scenario?
Laughter from the theatre pulled Will’s mind to the present. Reluctantly, he returned to the box. Elizabeth turned her head upon hearing his entry and beamed. Feeling as though someone had punched him in the gut, Will attempted to breathe normally and shift his eyes from hers. She was such an unexpected mix of everything he had never known he wanted in life. Beside her, Sam whispered something in her ear. She immediately returned her attention to the stage, but Sam glared at Will. Pursuing Elizabeth would strain his friendship with Sam and countless others. He could hardly suppose his father would support the match. His noble relations, while they greeted the Bennets, always mentioned their high hopes for him. Lady Catherine would likely wage war on all of Meryton. Marrying anyone but her daughter would be an insult. Marrying someone outside of the first tier of Society would send her prophesying doom for Pemberley and predicting his mother’s ardent disapproval had she lived.
Taking his seat, Will kept his eyes on the stage but hardly knew what passed upon it. The carriage ride home was no more comfortable as his father chatted happily and Will moodily remained silent as he considered Sam’s actions. Once home, the ladies went above stairs, and while the other men returned to the study for a nightcap, Will excused himself. Intending first to check on Georgiana, then to go to bed himself, he climbed the stairs to the appropriate floor and found Miss Graves weeping.
“Miss Graves, whatever is the matter?” he cried.
“Oh!” She turned her face from him but not before he saw a bruise forming on her cheek.
“Dear God! What has happened? Who struck you?”
“It is no matter. Forgive me for disturbing you.” She hastily stood but winced.
Will came to her side and offered his arm for her to lean on. “You have not disturbed me. Pray, allow me to call for the housekeeper or send for the physician. You are not well and should not be out of bed.”
“I ask that you do not fuss over me.”
“My father would—”
“Whatever you do please do not tell him anything.”
“Madam, I could not count myself as a gentleman if I left a lady in your state.”
“I am only the governess. A servant. Forgettable and usually invisible.”
“You are a person and a Darcy employee. We do not allow mistreatment of our staff from ourselves let alone others. Tell me who has harmed you.”
Shaking her head, Miss Graves barely managed a whisper. “The master would never believe my word over his…”
Every muscle in Will’s body tensed. He immediately understood who she referenced. George Wickham was his father’s favourite as was recently displayed before her.
“Fear not,” Will promised. “I will handle the entire thing. Allow me to assist you to your chamber.”
“You are too kind,” Miss Graves muttered but accepted his help.
“How was my sister today?” Will asked, hoping to fixate her thoughts on something pleasant.
“Miss Georgiana was in high spirits today, sir. She never gives me any trouble and is my most favourite charge that I have ever had.”
“Indeed? How many have you had?”
“Six. Each position has only lasted a few months. I had hoped this one would be a more suitable situation and came highly recommended to me from my last mistress.”
“I cannot imagine why a competent woman such as yourself is replaced so often.”
Miss Graves blushed. “It is not for me to say, sir.”
Will nearly missed a step on the stairs to understand she had been importuned so much. Were all men of his class so vile? “Do you wish for another position?”
“I do enjoy Miss Georgiana and have found Darcy House very comfortable until recently. If there were any way at all to remove certain recent additions to the household, then I would be most pleased to stay.”
“The gentlemen will be leaving for an extended holiday in a few days. During that time I hope to find a solution to your troubles. I trust the ladies have not been a source of anxiety.”
“No, indeed!” Miss Graves hastened to say. “The Miss Bennets always ask for permission before visiting Miss Darcy, and I can see their genuine affection for the girl.”
“The Miss Bennets visit my sister?”
“Yes, they have spent much of their mornings in the nursery. Miss Elizabeth, especially, is partial to Miss Darcy. I believe she misses her sisters.”
“Yes, she has several near Georgiana’s age.”
They arrived at the nursery chamber, and Will stopped outside. “I wish you would allow me to assist you further.”
“There is no need, but I am truly thankful,” Miss Graves answered. “Please accept my thanks and unending admiratio
n.”
Will began to refuse her thanks when he thought he heard a noise on the steps. However, looking over his shoulder, he saw nothing. “Sleep well, madam and please alert my valet should you require anything during the night.”
Bowing to her, he left for his chambers. Georgiana would already be asleep, and Miss Graves needed privacy to tend to her injuries. Despite the melancholy event, Will smiled as he considered Elizabeth’s obvious affection for his sister. What higher quality could he look for? While she might not meet his father’s preference for fortune or rank, he could not overlook her care for his most favourite child. Meditating on such a possibility, Will steadfastly pushed worries about Sam and George Wickham aside for the night.
*****
Elizabeth waited until she no longer heard the sounds of Miss Graves and Will outside the nursery chamber before exiting. She had come to read to Georgiana after the theatre and the girl insisted on hearing all about the excursion. Of course, there were many things Elizabeth could not tell anyone let alone a child.
Now, Elizabeth trembled as emotion surged through her. Why was Will at Miss Graves door? Her heart beat furiously and blood rushed to her face. That woman at the theatre clearly meant something to Sam. Elizabeth had seen longing in her brother’s eyes and she had never seen him gaze at Charlotte Lucas in that way. Did Will feel for Miss Graves whatever it was Sam felt for the mysterious woman? He had insisted they dance and seemed most protective of her. Shaking her head, Elizabeth scolded herself. Why did it even matter to her?
Once downstairs, she turned down the hall to her chamber and saw Sam teeter near his door.
“Lizzy!” he called out loudly.
“Shh!” Elizabeth scolded and came closer. “Others may be asleep.”
“You are correct,” Sam said but did not whisper. “I wish I could rest as easy as some do.” He fiddled with his door but had no success in opening it.
“You are still too loud,” Elizabeth came closer to inspect his door as well.
“If you say so,” he grinned.
At the closer proximity, Elizabeth caught a whiff of Sam’s breath. “You are foxed!”
Seven Days With Mr Darcy Page 23
