A Wife for Mr. Darcy

seeing her expression, he reassured her. “Do not worry. I have not been here long enough to outrage anyone. Jackson has not even had time to follow your brother’s standing order to dilute the port.”
    Georgiana was so rattled by Antony’s sudden appearance that the remark went right over her head. “Antony, what are you doing here?”
    “I was just about to ask that question myself,” Darcy said, entering the foyer with David and Goliath right behind him. It always amazed Georgiana how easily his dogs sensed their master’s changes in mood, and they now stood behind him like sculptures guarding a pharaoh’s tomb.
    “I came to find out what is going on,” Antony said while deliberately ignoring his brother, who was vigorously shaking his head in an attempt to quiet him.
    “What makes you think something is going on?” Darcy asked.
    “Why else would Richard have sent my man to Kent for the purpose of delivering a letter to Anne with instructions to wait for an answer and to return to London immediately?”
    After seeing Darcy’s expression, Richard asked, “Can’t I write a letter to my cousin?”
    “Of course you can,” Antony answered for his brother. “But why was it so important that Darcy be kept from going to Rosings Park? I suspect it has something to do with that badly dressed lady who just ran up the stairs.”
    “Will, may I please get out of these dirty clothes?” Georgiana pleaded, and she tried to slip away, but Darcy caught her by the arm and suggested that they all adjourn to the study for a family discussion.
    Once there, Richard tried to extract his young cousin from the mess they now found themselves in. “Listen, Will, Georgie did not have anything to do with the part about Gregg riding to Rosings Park with a letter for Anne.”
    “Which part was she involved in, if not that?”
    “I swear, Will,” Georgiana said. “I have done nothing behind your back. My only involvement in any scheme was to invite Elizabeth and the Gardiners here to Pemberley and to suggest the excursion to the cave, both of which you knew about.”
    “Do I know the lady who is the cause of so much intrigue?” Antony asked, and all three answered with a loud “no.”
    “Antony, I know you did not come all the way from London just to catch up on family gossip,” Will continued. “So, tell me. What the hell are you doing here?”
    “That is not very nice, Will, especially since I have news to share.”
    “So share it.” Darcy’s patience was wearing thin, and his eyes, which could change with his mood, were now gunmetal gray.
    “With pleasure. A few nights ago, Richard came to White’s, and after we got Gregg off on his midnight ride to Kent, he worked the conversation around to politics. As you know, my interest in politics is only exceeded by my interest in women. There were rumors that you might be courting Letitia Montford. I say ‘might’ because your attentions to the young lady have been irregular at best, and you have everyone playing a guessing game.
    “After beating around the bush, Richard finally got to it. He said that even though Sir John and you were polar opposites on the most important issues of the day, you were hoping to change that. You had gone so far as to say you were determined to secure Sir John’s support for some legislation the Whigs were supporting regarding the expansion of the franchise to vote.
    “Knowing that I cannot keep a secret, I understood my brother wanted me to spread this about, and so when Sir John came in the next evening, I told him what Richard had said. He sucked in his breath and forgot to breathe, and turned blue, not his best color, I might add. But then he asked where you were. When I told him, Sir John asked for me to give you a message.”
    “Which is?”
    “He wants you to pay a call on him as soon as you return to town. He called you a young whippersnapper. I have not heard that word since I asked my father for an increase in my allowance when I was nineteen. Now, I believe I have performed admirably, so may I have a glass of port—from your reserve, Will—not the special port you keep just for me?”
    Even considering the source, Darcy decided that this was good news. If his friendship with Letitia could be ended as a result of her father’s disapproval of his politics, then it would turn out all right if his behavior since the ball at Netherfield had not caused irreparable harm in Elizabeth’s eyes. As far as Darcy was