Free A Peculiar Connection by Jan Hahn Page B

goodness he was made to do the right thing, and it is all due to the generous nature of your brother.”
    “Wills is a good man.”
    “I know.”
    We said nothing more for a while and simply sat back on the pew, absorbing the stillness of the place. A curious peace settled upon me. Although the religion was not mine, I found it satisfying to know my grandmother had been granted this lovely setting in which to practice her faith.
    We were startled from our reverie when the door opened and Mr. Darcy reappeared. A priest robed in black stood within the doorway. They exchanged words we could not hear, and shortly thereafter, the older man disappeared behind the closed door. Mr. Darcy motioned for us to accompany him, and within moments, we were once again seated in the phaeton.
    Mr. Darcy folded Georgiana’s hand around his right arm and then tucked my hand around his left.
    “Hold tight. We shall make haste and return to Pemberley before dusk.”
    With a jerk forward, we once again flew through the snow. Georgiana squealed with excitement, but I was content to hang on to Mr. Darcy’s arm.

Chapter Five
    I had spent little more than a month at Pemberley when an unexpected guest joined us: Colonel Fitzwilliam. He was a cousin of the Darcys on their mother’s side of the family whom I had met in Kent the previous Easter. I was delighted to renew our acquaintance, for I thought well of the gentleman. His manner and general amiability made him an agreeable addition to our table.
    I was surprised, however, to learn that the colonel already had knowledge of the altered version of my past. He explained that Lady Catherine had erupted in anger when she heard I had accepted Mr. Darcy’s invitation to visit Pemberley. The great lady had travelled posthaste to Eden Park, the home of her brother who was the colonel’s father. There, she spent no little time casting disparagement upon my character although, evidently, she did not tell the earl that I was sister to Mr. Darcy and Georgiana. She despaired of her nephew and declared he had lost his senses to offer me—a distant poor relation of no consequence—a portion of his inheritance.
    “She insisted I visit you, Darcy,” the colonel said with a twinkle in his eye, “and—let me recall precisely how she put it—oh yes, ‘restore you to your former good sense.’ According to my aunt, Miss Bennet is quite the little fortune hunter.”
    Mr. Darcy threw his napkin onto the table and immediately rose from his chair. “That is preposterous! Surely, you, of all people, do not believe such twaddle.”
    “Of course, I do not believe it. Sit down, Cousin.”
    “Wills and I invited Elizabeth to visit Pemberley,” Georgiana said. “Since we are related, we wished to know her better.”
    “And Elizabeth has refused any offer of assistance, even so far as the thought of establishing a dowry for her,” Mr. Darcy added.
    The colonel reclined back in his chair, turned his face to the side, and looked me up and down with a bantering air.
    “Come now, Miss Bennet, you must at least allow your cousin to provide you a dowry, for I have it on good authority that he has plenty to spare. ’Twill greatly increase your chances in the marriage market. Added to your green eyes and lovely smile, it shall prove you irresistible.”
    “Must you make love to my cousin at the dinner table, Fitzwilliam?” Darcy snapped.
    I was embarrassed to be the centre of attention. “You forget, sir, that the remoteness of my connection to Mr. Darcy and my subsequent fostering by Mr. Bennet would never render me irresistible, whatever dowry I possess, so there is little reason for me to accept it.”
    “You are mistaken, my dear,” the colonel responded. “A fortune can make one overlook a great number of things.”
    “Then I shall surely forego the gift, for I prefer a man who does not seek my hand for material gain.”
    By that time, Mr. Darcy’s obvious annoyance had heightened, and he signalled the