Lord Fitzwilliam poked his head into the breakfast room and asked, “What are you all doing in here?”
“We are having breakfast, Antony,” Anne answered, gesturing for her cousin to join them. “Would you like Jackson to prepare a plate for you?”
“Just ham and a piece of bread will do. I rarely eat at this hour. By the way, what hour is it?”
“It is 9:00.”
“Good grief! What are you all doing out of bed? And where are my relations?”
“Will, Georgiana, Richard, and Mr. Bingley are riding on this beautiful morning. Mrs. Hurst, Miss Bingley, and I do not ride, and Mr. Hurst is under the weather.”
“Where is that lovely creature with the black eyes? I didn’t run her off, did I?” Lord Fitzwilliam asked while taking the chair next to Mrs. Hurst.
“Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner have returned to Hertfordshire, and their departure had nothing to do with you,” Anne reassured him.
“Well, that is a relief. It is too bad she has departed as I am very partial to dark-eyed women. I think my wife has brown eyes. I shall have to look next time I see her.”
“Antony, Lady Fitzwilliam has beautiful blue eyes, just like your daughters,” and with a puzzled expression she asked, “Do you know that your hair is standing straight up?”
“It always does,” he said, running his fingers through his blonde mane. “My man has invented some concoction that gets it to lie down. Hopefully, he will arrive today with my baggage.” Turning to Mrs. Hurst, he said, “You see, my brother, Colonel Fitzwilliam, inherited the good looks and the hair, and I got everything else.”
When Louisa started giggling, Lord Fitzwilliam knew he had found his audience.
“I know it sounds unfair, but Richard had to get something since he did not get any of the money.”
Louisa tried not to laugh, but the earl was funny. It had been such a long while since a man, including her husband, had paid her any notice. But her sister was looking at her from across the table, and she was anything but amused because today was to be her day.
This morning, Caroline had awoke with a smile on her face because, at long last, she would have an opportunity to spend time with Mr. Darcy. She anticipated long walks by the lake and private conversations about their future, and she took great pains with her toilette. Unlike her dark-haired rival, who could barely keep her curls in place, Caroline had long silky blond hair, which she wore with one long curl falling over her shoulder so that everyone could truly appreciate how beautiful her hair was. Unlike Miss Elizabeth’s two lumps of coal, she had crystal blue eyes, and before going downstairs, she had taken one last look in the mirror and liked what she saw. The equestrians came in shortly thereafter.
“What a morning!” Charles said. “Absolutely perfect for riding, and Miss Darcy is one of the few women who can give me a run for my money.”
“Thank you, Mr. Bingley. I learned from my brother, who would not allow me to use my sex as an excuse, and because of that, I had to work very hard,” and turning to her cousin, she asked, “Will you ride with us tomorrow, Lord Fitzwilliam? I know you are a fine horseman.”
“Past tense, my dear. I was a fine horseman. These days the only riding I do is in a carriage,” he said with real regret because there was nothing like a fine mount to make you feel as if you could conquer the world. However, when you were never completely sober, the last place you wanted to be was on a spirited animal, unforgiving of error. But there had been a time when he had ridden like the wind, and even his brother and cousin could not catch him. “What have you done with Darcy? Hopefully, you have not left him lying at the bottom of some chasm in his nice riding clothes.”
“My brother had business in Lambton, Milord, but he will be with us for dinner.”
“Well, I am not waiting for dinner,” Richard said, patting his stomach. “I am starving and Bingley has done nothing but talk of food since we got in sight of Pemberley.”
Lord Fitzwilliam pushed his plate away from him untouched. The thought of eating before noon disgusted him. “Richard, you may have my chair. Mrs. Hurst and I were about to go into the gardens when you arrived, so if you will excuse us,” and Antony stood up and extended his arm to Louisa.
Louisa and Lord Fitzwilliam’s departure was as surprising as the sight of a nun strolling through St. James’s Park with the Prince of Wales would have been, and no one was more surprised than Louisa Hurst. After finding a seat on the bench nearest to the maze, Lord Fitzwilliam told her, “Since I am an earl, I may say things that other people cannot, and you must listen. You are a delightful young woman, but I am afraid, my dear, your sister quite overpowers you, and you defer to her in everything. Last night, you told me you are rarely separated. May I suggest that you go away for a month or two, so that she might have an opportunity to miss you and thus recognize your value?”
It was true that Louisa deferred to Caroline. Because of her sister’s strong personality, she usually found it best to agree with her, even when she really disagreed, as was the case with Jane and Charles. After so many years of bending to Caroline’s will, was change really possible?
“Is there someone you may visit?”
“I have a sister in Ireland, Milord.”
“My dear, it is not necessary to leave the country. Is there no one nearer?”
“My sister Diana lives near the Welsh border.”
“But not in Wales, I hope. The Celtic race was pushed into the corners, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, and in the case of the Irish, onto their own island. People who live in corners are always odd and should be avoided.”
“She lives in Herefordshire, sir.”
“Herefordshire will do. As for your husband, ordinarily, I am not a believer in reforming others as change comes from within. However, Mr. Hurst is a young man and of an age when reform is possible. So what can you do to help him? I suspect your husband is a younger son, so you might begin by approaching whoever provides his allowance. Bad habits require money. Or you may dilute the port as Jackson is doing on Mr. Darcy’s orders for me. A bucket of cold water is also known to work. Temporarily. But it did get my attention.”
Lord Fitzwilliam stood up and taking Louisa by the hand suggested that they attempt to navigate the maze.
“Milord, I get lost every time.”
“So do I. But it is a beautiful morning, and we have all day. Although I doubt Darcy would send a search party to find me, I am sure he would send one out for you.”