Free Mr. Darcy's Secret by Jane Odiwe

little."
    "It is not that I did not like Mr Butler..."
    "But? What is it, Georgiana? Are you afraid of seeing him again?"
    "Oh, Lizzy, I do not know... that is, I do not feel at ease with any young man; there is the truth of it and, I confess, there was a boldness about Mr Butler which puts me on my guard."
    "It is as well to be careful where gentlemen are concerned, but my advice would be to give him a chance. It will be good for you to have the company of a young fellow who is closer to you in age than your brother and myself. You have so much in common and I am sure you will have lots to converse about and share. I expect he will want to see the drawing you have made when he comes. Indeed, I rather suspect that his motive for giving the shell to you was a belief that he may in future have a reason to legitimately strike up a conversation with you on the subject."
    Georgiana blushed deeper than ever as Lizzy kissed the top of her head before departing, saying, "Don't forget our walk tomorrow, Georgiana. I shall want to know what else Mr Butler had to say to you."
    In the quiet of her room, Miss Darcy picked up the shell and turned it over in her hands. Despite her misgivings, she had to admit she was almost looking forward to seeing Mr Butler again.
    ∗ ∗ ∗
    On the day that Martha and Thomas Butler returned the visit to Pemberley, they were at last very pleased to meet the man they had often observed in Lambton but never met before. Mrs Butler was almost overcome by the sense of occasion, but Tom, who instantly realised the opportunity that Mr Darcy was conferring on him, rose to the challenge of presenting his work with confidence and aplomb.
    Mr Darcy was clearly impressed with Tom's green book, and after they had talked about the possibility of working on some designs for the estate, they were all able to relax a little. "You must come as often as you choose, Mr Butler. I am sure there will always be someone willing to show you round the grounds. I know Mrs Darcy has already fixed upon some places which she thinks might be of interest to you."
    "I have taken the liberty of finding a site, but I must confess I have no idea as to its suitability for such a scheme," said Elizabeth. "I hope you will advise me, Mr Butler."
    "I will do the best I can, Mrs Darcy," Tom promptly answered. "May I say how very grateful I am to you for giving me this chance to prove myself. If I may come tomorrow with all my equipment, I can start work immediately."
    "That is splendid," said Mr Darcy, shaking hands heartily with Mr Butler. "We shall look forward to seeing you on the morrow."
    The Butlers' visit was brief. Georgiana, who had been present during the short half hour they were there, could not help but feel a little disappointed. Mr Butler had barely glanced in her direction, nor made any communication with her apart from what could only be described as a hint of a smile on admittance to the saloon. But she guessed that might, in part, be due to the presence of her brother, who had an alarming effect on most people when they first met him. Mr Darcy's stature, his mien and bearing were such that she had seen other men almost diminish into nonexistence when meeting him face to face. On the other hand, she had not witnessed any such timidity on Tom's part. Far from it, he had been composed, very civil, and self-assured. More likely, he was not really interested in her at all, she thought. When she had seen him at the Butlers' he had been merely polite, and what she had mistaken for a curious attention in her favour had been simply courteous behaviour after all. Perhaps she should have entered into the conversation a little more, she wondered, but no sooner had the thought popped into her head than she knew she had not been equal to opening her mouth at all, let alone joining in any discussion. Georgiana had felt at her shyest, compounded by the fact that Mr Butler had seemed not even to notice she was in the room. Well, Lizzy was