Free Darkness Falls Upon Pemberley by Susan Adriani Page B

gratified to see the expression of anger on the elder man’s face quickly transformed to one of shock as he observed Darcy’s altered appearance.
    “How do you do, Mr. Bennet?” he asked cordially, pleased with himself for managing to keep any hint of smugness from his tone.
    Mr. Bennet gaped at him before scrambling to shut the door. “Are you mad?” he hissed. “What in God’s name have you done?”
    “ I am not a frivolous man, Mr. Bennet. Nothing has been done that was not strictly necessary, I assure you.”
    “ Necessary…! Young man, I am not accustomed to being trifled with. However insincere you choose to be, you will not find me so. If this is some drastic ploy to manipulate my second daughter into bestowing her favour upon you, I can promise you will be grievously disappointed, not to mention exceedingly sorry once I’ve finished with you.”
    Darcy stiffened. “Hardly,” he responded , his tone curt. “I merely fell from my horse.”
    “You fell from your horse,” Mr. Bennet parroted condescendingly.
    “I did. It was a most unfortunate accident, but hardly out of the ordinary. Plenty of perfectly capable horsemen and women are often thrown from their mounts. In fact, when I was last in Hertfordshire Miss Elizabeth informed me she’d once fallen from her own horse, and that you were so deeply grieved by the severity of her injuries that you oversaw her recovery personally.”
    The elder man ’s eyes narrowed. “What exactly did my daughter tell you about her accident, sir? ”
    “More than enough,” Darcy said with a pointed look. “ Contrary to what you may think, Mr. Bennet, I’ve no desire to quarrel with you about the events that transpired between you and your daughter three years ago. That wasn’t my intent in coming here today. My intent—”
    “Your intent, Mr. Darcy, i s undoubtedly to blackmail me into allowing you to have my daughter!”
    Darcy’s mouth twisted with distaste. “I have no wish to expose you and your family—your second daughter especially—any more than I wish exposure upon myself and my own.” Good God, the man is impossible!
    Running his hand over his mouth, Darcy paced the length of the room impatiently as he debated how much or how little he should reveal to Mr. Bennet concerning his family, namely Georgiana and Richard. At length, he decided complete honesty was his best course, or else he’d most likely be in danger of facing an eternity of hostility and false accusations from a man he very much hoped would one day become his father-in-law.
    Standing before the fire, Darcy propped his elbows upon the mantle and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. The steady heat of the flames licking at the logs in the grate warmed him, reminding him of countless pleasant nights passed in front of the hearths at Pemberley. A bright, crackling fire was a novelty to him now rather than a necessity, but for appearance sake the tradition must be maintained, lest suspicions be raised. “Has your daughter confided anything to you about my own family?” he inquired lowly.
    Mr. Bennet pursed his lips sourly and shook his head.
    “If I may, I’d like to tell you about them.”
    After taking several moments to consider Darcy’s request, Mr. Bennet indicated two upholstered chairs before the hearth with an exaggerated sweep of his arm. “By all means,” he replied with a patronizing tone. “I suppose it’s only fair, since you seem to know so much about mine.”
    Willing his irritation to dissipate, Darcy settled into a chair and cleared his throat while Elizabeth’s father claimed the other, drumming his fingers impatiently upon the arms of his chair and raising an expectant brow. In that moment the elder man’s expression reminded Darcy very much of Elizabeth, but the moment was fleeting.
    “I was angry with my sister and riding rather recklessly,” he began, purposely meeting Mr. Bennet’s challenging gaze, “when my horse threw me. While the broken