is the same as having tenants, only far more dangerous. You will have to employ a very competent man to run the company, and the expenses will pile up.â
âTrue,â Bingley said, âbut nothing beyond my ability to handle.â
âIf you are so sure,â Darcy said.
Breaking the silence of Bingleyâs enthusiasm and Darcyâs disapproval, Dr. Maddox said quietly, âPerhaps you should ask Mrs. Bingley.â
Both men stared at him.
âI donât presume that she would look over the account ledgers,â he said, âbut certainly, this venture would send you to Town more often than she is accustomed to. So it would be a concern for her.â
âThis is true,â Darcy said, knowing Jane would be a cool head.
Fortunately Bingley didnât have to answer, because a servant entered and approached him, whispering in his ear. âExcuse me for a moment. My children are being put to bed.â
Dr. Maddox raised a glass to him as he bowed to his guests and left. He noted Darcyâs scowl. âCome now. We canât all be idle gentlemen. I would go mad if I had nothing to do all day.â
âI would hardly qualify owning land and having tenants as having ânothing to do,ââ Darcy said. âBut that is neither here nor there, I suppose.â
âYes.â
Darcy sighed, paced for a bit, and then seemed to change his composure. âDoctor,â he said, taking a seat by the fireplace, looking very uncomfortable. âI understand your brother is doing well, though the invitation seems ill-timed, with all the soldiers moving across the Rhineland.â
âIt does,â Dr. Maddox said, sad but still a bit put off. Heâd never spoken much alone with Darcy. They liked each other well enough, but they lived apart, and most of their conversations were related to someoneâs medical condition. And there was the matter that their wives were not the best of friends.
Darcy hesitated before speaking. âI assume you are going anyway.â
âI am to be provided with an escort from Berlin, to make sure I arrive safely.â
Darcy said nothing. The doctor didnât push him, nursing his port until Darcy finally spoke, âMy brother is⦠out of contact.â
âYouâve not heard from him? The post is very bad.â
âIâve not heard from him, but Iâve heard that his monastery is dissolved and that the town surrounding it had been overrun with French troops.â
Dr. Maddox tried to hide his alarm. âWhen was this?â
âA few weeks ago. I confirmed it as not being total nonsense with a man I know in Normandy, as weâre still getting letters from there, but I havenât heard from Grégoire.â
âWould he have gone back to his old monastery?â
âIt was dissolved in 1809, also by General Bonaparte. Grégoire told me of it last summer. It seems the general is determined to lay waste to organized religion and replace it with the new French rationalism. Which, normally, I would not be so opposed toâif I knew where my brother was right now, and what he was doing,â Darcy said. âThere was a bit in the paper about a massacre. Elizabeth assures me itâs just propagandist nonsenseââ
âThey are trying to recruit for a war.â
ââbut I canât get it out of my head. Surely you understand?â He looked up at Dr. Maddox, who saw at once the desperation in his eyes. How he kept his anxiety quiet, the doctor had no idea. Daniel Maddox was unable to keep any strong emotion, especially worry, from showing.
âHis monastery is on the way to Transylvania.â
âI canât ask that of you,â Darcy said. âMy proposal is to accompany you to Berlin and then split our trails.â
âAnd your wife approves of this proposal?â
âAbsolutely not.â
Dr. Maddox nodded. âThen at least Caroline will