“Sir, it was my impression that she was not—thinking, that is. She had a purpose in coming here, and because of that, she gave no thought to her conversation being overheard.”
“And her purpose was?”
“To convince Miss Bennet that she should not marry you. But then Lady Helen asked Miss Bennet to go into the study, and of course, I could not hear what was said behind closed doors.”
“Was anything said by either lady when they came out of my study?”
“Sir, at that point, Miss de Bourgh and Miss Darcy had rejoined the two ladies, and the foyer was crowded.”
Darcy knew that his butler was avoiding his question. “Jackson, you and I have known each other a long time, and we have a relationship based on your telling me the absolute truth. Even if you think I shall not like what you have to say, you must tell me.”
“Very well, sir,” Jackson said, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. “Lady Helen asked Miss Bennet if what she had said in the study had changed her mind. I assume she was talking about Miss Bennet marrying you, and Miss Bennet replied, ‘It has changed everything.’”
“I see,” Darcy said and looked down into his drink. “Well, I can’t say I am completely surprised that Miss Bennet would reconsider. On the other hand, I am greatly surprised by Lady Helen’s behavior. Do you know if Lord Granyard is in residence?”
“He is, sir. Lady Helen mentioned that the family will stay in the country until after the full moon, and then they will go to Lord Wilston’s manor house, where they will remain until Twelfth Night.”
“In that case, I shall have a letter ready for Cubbins to deliver to His Lordship in about an hour, and I shall go to Granyard Hall tomorrow. The full moon is in three days, and this must be dealt with before that time. Is there anything else I need to know, Jackson?”
“One other thing, sir. Miss Darcy did not go to Rosings with Miss de Bourgh. She is staying with Miss Bennet at Longbourn.”
Darcy let out a quiet laugh. “My sister continues to plot and plan. Unfortunately, this time, it will not work out as she had hoped.”
***
As soon as Lord Granyard read Darcy’s letter, he called his daughter into the library. “Mr. Darcy is coming to Granyard Hall tomorrow. He writes that he has an important matter of business to discuss with me. Do you know what this is about?”
Lady Helen bit her lip and smiled before saying that she could not possibly know the purpose of the visit.
“Don’t be coy with me, Nell. Why is Mr. Darcy coming here?”
“I imagine he might wish to ask you for permission to court me.” She broke out into a broad smile and clapped her hands.
“Court you? I doubt it very much. Other than you being a member of his pack, the man has never shown any interest in you at all. Additionally, I was given to understand that he is much taken with the woman he brought to Elaine’s reception.”
“No, she is merely a friend of Miss de Bourgh’s,” Lady Helen said, lying with a straight face.
“This is very odd, especially in light of his having told me that he thought of you as his sister. You and he have been out there in the wild together for three years, and all of a sudden he wants to court you? What kept him from asking for a courtship before today?”
“I think it is just a matter of it being the right time for him to take a mate. I am sure he is ready to breed.”
“Well, if you say so,” her father said, but he remained skeptical. “I do understand the logic of his wanting to marry a she wolf. But, Nell, if this has anything to do with the pack, my hands are tied. When you came under the Council’s protection, we agreed to follow all of their rules, including the one about family members not interfering with Council business.”
“Papa, I have done nothing wrong. I am sure there is a much more pleasant reason for Mr. Darcy’s coming here.”
After her father dismissed her, Lady Helen went upstairs and told Elaine about Mr. Darcy’s visit on the morrow. “I am sure he is coming here to propose.”
“Nell, I have no wish to throw cold water on your celebration, but it is my understanding from Georgiana that Mr. Darcy intends to make an offer to Miss Bennet.”
“I can assure you that that will not happen. Miss Bennet told me that she would follow my advice and leave Mr. Darcy to marry one of his own. It was very foolish of him to think he could wed someone who is fully human. It is so rarely done. Besides, she has no understanding of what is involved in being a wolf and the precautions we must take.”
“For instance, not referring to Mr. Darcy as Alpha as you did in the receiving line. You are lucky I was the only one who heard you.”
“I agree that that was a mistake, but who would know what I was talking about if they did hear me?”
“Nell, you are not thinking like a lupine. Such terms are never used in public under any circumstance. Please understand that if Mr. Darcy’s purpose in coming here is to propose, I most certainly will wish you joy, but he would be very displeased if he thought you had grown careless.”
“But no one, other than Miss Bennet, heard me call Mr. Darcy Alpha,” Lady Helen insisted.
“For your sake, I hope you are right.”
Chapter 22
Lord Granyard went to the window and stared out at the terrace and the gardens beyond. His title, his estate, his rank meant nothing in the matter at hand. The fate of his daughter, his beloved Nell, now rested in the hands of Fitzwilliam Darcy, and he had not felt such an emptiness since the death of Nell’s mother.
“Darcy, will there be an official reprimand registered with the Council?”
“These are serious transgressions, milord. It was only because of Mr. Jackson’s quick thinking that none of the junior servants were abovestairs to hear Nell’s remarks. She actually said, ‘sleeping with Mr. Darcy.’ Although it has nothing to do with her being a lupine, if someone had heard such a statement, what conclusion would be drawn? That Nell is a loose woman, and that I am equally bereft of morals as I had seduced an unmarried lady of rank, a friend, and a neighbor.”
“I understand, Darcy. It is just that she got it in her head that you wanted to marry her.”
“I honestly do not know where she got such an idea as I have said time and time again that I think of her as a sister and as a member of my pack. I have not given her any encouragement because I am in love with another.”
“Miss de Bourgh’s friend?” Lord Granyard asked.
“Is that what Nell told you? That she was at Pemberley because she was a friend of Anne?” When Granyard nodded, Darcy shook his head. “This is truly distressing because she knows that is not true. Even so, Nell was able to convince Miss Bennet that it was not in her interest nor mine for us to become husband and wife. As distressing as that is, it is not the matter at hand. Without any thought that someone might overhear her, Nell referred to me as Alpha, and with her careless talk, she put me at risk, as well as my sister and your family.”
“This is all my fault,” Granyard said in a voice barely above a whisper. “I overindulged her, and as a result, she thinks that she should get everything she wants. I should have brought her up with a firmer hand, but when her mother died… Darcy, please do not reprimand her. If you do, for the rest of her life, she will be living under the sword of Damocles. One mistake and she will be exiled.”
“Lord Granyard, over the past three decades, the Council has worked hard to protect the werewolf population in Britain, not an easy task. But one of the reasons for its success is everyone knows what will happen if they betray their fellow lupines with their words or actions. Nell is no different from anyone else in that regard. Her rank does not matter in the wild. Now, if you will, please ask Nell to come in.”
While Darcy waited for Nell, he finished the port he had been nursing. If he were at Pemberley, he might have considered drinking the whole damn bottle. It was just a we
ek earlier that he had had to deal with Rupert, and what a scene that had been. Rupert had got down on all fours and crawled toward Darcy before lying on his back to expose his belly, something he would have done in the wild. But the gesture had revolted him.
“Get up! For God’s sake, you are the son of a prince and a member of my pack. Stop this disgusting display,” Darcy had told him. “If you think that this will change anything, you are mistaken. You knew what the punishment would be for a second transgression, but you decided that since your father is the Prince of Wales you could get away with your slothful ways. You were on MacGregor’s property because you wanted his rabbits. Why bother hunting if you can steal someone else’s food? And in doing so, you came very close to being seen in your lupine form.
“If anyone had actually witnessed your transformation, do you know what would have happened? You would have been beaten to death, and after they had finished with you, they would have turned on Teddy. And then MacGregor’s neighbors and the villagers would have been alerted to the werewolf in their midst, and because they knew that you were a guest of Mr. Underhill, they would have marched over to his house, and only God knows what would have happened. This very thing occurred in France, and the mob burnt the house to the ground.”
But Darcy needed to get that horrible scene out of his head. Nell was not Rupert, and her transgression was serious, but nothing to compare to what Rupert had done. In all his years as a werewolf, other than Rupert, he had never personally known any lupine who had been subjected to Council discipline, and now it had been necessary for him to discipline a second member of his four-member pack. So what should he do? Nell’s father was right. If he registered an official reprimand with the Council, she would have to watch every step, weigh every word, and would forever be looking over her shoulder. Considering the gossip-obsessed society she moved in, that might be a good thing. It might actually protect her from herself.
When Nell came into the room, Darcy recognized that Lizzy had been right. Nell was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and because she thought he had come to ask for her hand in marriage, she was dressed in one of her loveliest dresses. But before he even said a word, she knew that was not going to happen. Her father had warned her of Darcy’s decision, and she had entered the room with head bowed.
“Mr. Darcy, I am so sorry,” she said, sniffling. “I know there is nothing I can say to make up for my careless remarks, but you know I would never do anything that could harm the members of the pack.”
“But you have already done such a thing.”
“But Papa said that Mr. Jackson made sure that none of the junior servants were about.”
“How fortunate for you—and me.”
“What will happen to me?” she asked, twisting her handkerchief.
“In one way, you are the beneficiary of Rupert’s stupidity because it allows me to compare the two situations. I have decided to reprimand you…”
Nell gasped. Short of committing a transgression so grievous that the wolf was immediately taken into custody and exiled, this was the worst thing that could happen for a first offense. Her sniveling gave way to copious weeping, but Darcy made no attempt to comfort her.
“Nell, allow me to finish,” he said loudly in order to be heard above the sound of her sobs. “I have decided to reprimand you, but I shall keep the written report of your error at Pemberley. It will only be revealed to the Council if you should commit a second transgression. I have known this to be done in at least one other instance.”
Nell came over and knelt in front of him and took his hand and put it against her forehead as a sign of her acceptance of his decision. “Thank you. I will not disappoint you. I promise.”
Darcy pulled his hand away. Such demonstrations were necessary in the wild, but he had never been comfortable with their use when he was in human form, and he helped her to rise.
“Please sit down because there is something else I want to talk to you about. It is the matter of your marriage. You are twenty-one years old, and the time has come to address this issue. Lord Angelsey is the only werewolf who is both British and your equal in rank, but you seem not to like him. I know of only four British werewolves who are members of the landed gentry, but, frankly, I cannot see you marrying any of them either.”
“Are you sure that there is not another who is suitable?”
Darcy knew that she was referring to him, but if there had even been so much as a spark of interest on his part, that ember had been extinguished with her selfish pursuit of what was beneficial to her and to her alone.
“None that I know of. However, there are gentlemen of French, German, and Swedish origin in the various packs near the Welsh border. In the spring, I want you to go to Herefordshire and visit with Mrs. Evesham, and she will see that you are properly introduced to those gentlemen of suitable rank and age.”
“Must I marry?”
“If you are asking me if I am ordering you to take a husband, the answer is no. However, the decision whether to marry a human or a werewolf has been taken away from you. I cannot risk your being careless with your husband’s relations, so you must marry a fellow lupine, that is, if you choose to marry. But you are of a most agreeable temperament, and you are usually kind. I know that you have taken great care with your brothers and sisters, and so I imagine that you would want to marry.”
“Yes, of course. I would want to marry and have a family.”
“Then, as I have said, you will go to Herefordshire. In the meantime, I shall write up the reprimand, and you must sign it after daybreak.”
“Yes, I shall do that. Is there anything else you want to talk to me about?” Nell knew that Mr. Darcy had every right to tear into her for trying to sabotage his relationship with Elizabeth Bennet, and now that she understood he had never wanted her, she was overwhelmed by a sense of remorse.
“No, that is all I have to say. My power over you extends only to matters pertaining to the lupine community. A discussion of personal matters would be inappropriate.”
“Mr. Darcy, I am so sorry,” Nell said with tears pouring down her face. “I only wanted to…”
“I believe you, so we will say no more about it. I shall see you at nightfall. Since this is the first bad weather we have experienced this autumn, and with only the two of us to hunt, we probably will have to be satisfied with small animals.”
“I can ask my father to tie up a goat or a sheep, if you would like.”
“You may, but do not do it on my account. It is no hardship for me to go without food for only two days. When I was at Hudson Bay, there were occasions when the only things available were berries and bugs, so I shall survive.”
Nell grimaced, and Darcy knew that during their time in the wild they would be eating goat meat or mutton. But it did not matter. He had no appetite. Between Nell and Rupert, he had lost Elizabeth. So immediately after daybreak, he would leave for Hertfordshire to bring Georgiana home and to have one last look at the woman he loved.
Chapter 23
Darcy was so weary that his muscles ached, and every bump in the road to Hertfordshire caused him to wince. But he wasn’t the only one. Mercer, who was sitting across from him sleeping, was feeling unwell but had refused to remain behind at Pemberley. Metcalf was exhibiting the same stubbornness. Darcy had tried to convince the man that his son was capable of driving a carriage on a well-traveled road between Derbyshire and Hertfordshire. But Metcalf disagreed, and so he had two Metcalfs sitting in the driver’s seat. Darcy wondered what he would do when these faithful servants, as well as Jackson, Mrs. Reynolds, and Mrs. Bradshaw, retired from his service. A worry for another day.
When he arrived at Netherfield Park, he was warmly greeted by Bingley, but then his friend always acted as if he had just got a new puppy. Being of a mercurial temperament himself, Darcy did not understand how Charles could be so even tempered all the time. Mrs. Bingley,
however, was another matter. There was a coolness in her reception, and what, pray tell, did that mean? But he was too tired to probe. That evening he excused himself, citing fatigue, but he also wanted Mercer to retire, and as long as Darcy was up and about the man would not do that. An exasperated Darcy told his valet that his nursery maid had not hovered as much as he did, but it made no difference.
The next morning, an unshaven Darcy went to the stables and asked the groom to saddle Montcalm, Bingley’s favorite horse. Because Charles had tamed the unruly animal himself, he wanted Darcy to ride him so that he might see what a wonderful mount he was, and this was the perfect morning to do that—clean, crisp, with a layer of hoarfrost on everything. Before speaking to Elizabeth, he needed to clear his head of the detritus that had accumulated there. Maybe he was misinterpreting what Elizabeth meant when she said that her conversation with Nell had “changed everything.” Was it possible that it was a change for the better?
Forgetting about his scruffy appearance, he headed for Longbourn. He would know by her welcome if there were clear skies ahead or a storm on the horizon because Elizabeth was incapable of concealing her emotions. Her eyes, the way she moved her body, her scent revealed everything, and he pictured himself sitting in the Bennet’s parlor drinking a hot cup of tea on this cold morning. While conversing with Elizabeth about all that had happened in Scotland, he would learn if she had reconsidered his offer of marriage. Hopefully, the visit would end with his asking Mr. Bennet for his daughter’s hand in marriage.
***
A well-rested Lizzy came to the breakfast room full of vim and vigor and ready to take on a new day. Mr. Darcy’s note had been liberating. He wrote that all was well, and so she wished him well. No more worries on that account. If the gentleman decided to marry Lady Helen, he would have a pretty wife and handsome children. Hopefully, they would inherit his intelligence, but that would be none of her concern. Besides, it was better this way. It made sense for Mr. Darcy to marry a she wolf, because if he did not, he would eventually face nightfall alone as Nell would marry and leave Granyard Hall, and Teddy, who had indicated that he would not be content remaining a groom, would want to take on something more challenging. No, this was definitely better for everyone.
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