“Yes, sir, but there is more.” Jackson spoke of Lady Helen Granyard’s dramatic arrival at Pemberley, her reference to Mr. Darcy as Alpha, and her mentioning that she had slept beside him.
Darcy sat there stunned. “She said what? Was there anyone about? Did any of the servants hear her?”
“Only Mrs. Reynolds and I were on the ground floor during her visit. I had been put on my guard when Lady Helen practically ran up the steps and brushed past me in the foyer, and I thought that she might say something that the junior servants should not hear. So they were dismissed.”
“What was she thinking?” Darcy asked, shocked by Jackson’s revelation.
“Sir, it was my impression that she was not—thinking, that is. She had a purpose in coming here, and because of that, she gave no thought to her conversation being overheard.”
“And her purpose was?”
“To convince Miss Bennet that she should not marry you. But then Lady Helen asked Miss Bennet to go into the study, and of course, I could not hear what was said behind closed doors.”
“Was anything said by either lady when they came out of my study?”
“Sir, at that point, Miss de Bourgh and Miss Darcy had rejoined the two ladies, and the foyer was crowded.”
Darcy knew that his butler was avoiding his question. “Jackson, you and I have known each other a long time, and we have a relationship based on your telling me the absolute truth. Even if you think I shall not like what you have to say, you must tell me.”
“Very well, sir,” Jackson said, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. “Lady Helen asked Miss Bennet if what she had said in the study had changed her mind. I assume she was talking about Miss Bennet marrying you, and Miss Bennet replied, ‘It has changed everything.’”
“I see,” Darcy said and looked down into his drink. “Well, I can’t say I am completely surprised that Miss Bennet would reconsider. On the other hand, I am greatly surprised by Lady Helen’s behavior. Do you know if Lord Granyard is in residence?”
“He is, sir. Lady Helen mentioned that the family will stay in the country until after the full moon, and then they will go to Lord Wilston’s manor house, where they will remain until Twelfth Night.”
“In that case, I shall have a letter ready for Cubbins to deliver to His Lordship in about an hour, and I shall go to Granyard Hall tomorrow. The full moon is in three days, and this must be dealt with before that time. Is there anything else I need to know, Jackson?”
“One other thing, sir. Miss Darcy did not go to Rosings with Miss de Bourgh. She is staying with Miss Bennet at Longbourn.”
Darcy let out a quiet laugh. “My sister continues to plot and plan. Unfortunately, this time, it will not work out as she had hoped.”
As soon as Lord Granyard read Darcy’s letter, he called his daughter into the library. “Mr. Darcy is coming to Granyard Hall tomorrow. He writes that he has an important matter of business to discuss with me. Do you know what this is about?”
Lady Helen bit her lip and smiled before saying that she could not possibly know the purpose of the visit.
“Don’t be coy with me, Nell. Why is Mr. Darcy coming here?”
“I imagine he might wish to ask you for permission to court me.” She broke out into a broad smile and clapped her hands.
“Court you? I doubt it very much. Other than you being a member of his pack, the man has never shown any interest in you at all. Additionally, I was given to understand that he is much taken with the woman he brought to Elaine’s reception.”
“No, she is merely a friend of Miss de Bourgh’s,” Lady Helen said, lying with a straight face.
“This is very odd, especially in light of his having told me that he thought of you as his sister. You and he have been out there in the wild together for three years, and all of a sudden he wants to court you? What kept him from asking for a courtship before today?”
“I think it is just a matter of it being the right time for him to take a mate. I am sure he is ready to breed.”
“Well, if you say so,” her father said, but he remained skeptical. “I do understand the logic of his wanting to marry a she wolf. But, Nell, if this has anything to do with the pack, my hands are tied. When you came under the Council’s protection, we agreed to follow all of their rules, including the one about family members not interfering with Council business.”
“Papa, I have done nothing wrong. I am sure there is a much more pleasant reason for Mr. Darcy’s coming here.”
After her father dismissed her, Lady Helen went upstairs and told Elaine about Mr. Darcy’s visit on the morrow. “I am sure he is coming here to propose.”
“Nell, I have no wish to throw cold water on your celebration, but it is my understanding from Georgiana that Mr. Darcy intends to make an offer to Miss Bennet.”
“I can assure you that that will not happen. Miss Bennet told me that she would follow my advice and leave Mr. Darcy to marry one of his own. It was very foolish of him to think he could wed someone who is fully human. It is so rarely done. Besides, she has no understanding of what is involved in being a wolf and the precautions we must take.”
“For instance, not referring to Mr. Darcy as Alpha as you did in the receiving line. You are lucky I was the only one who heard you.”
“I agree that that was a mistake, but who would know what I was talking about if they did hear me?”
“Nell, you are not thinking like a lupine. Such terms are never used in public under any circumstance. Please understand that if Mr. Darcy’s purpose in coming here is to propose, I most certainly will wish you joy, but he would be very displeased if he thought you had grown careless.”
“But no one, other than Miss Bennet, heard me call Mr. Darcy Alpha,” Lady Helen insisted.
“For your sake, I hope you are right.”
Chapter 22
Lord Granyard went to the window and stared out at the terrace and the gardens beyond. His title, his estate, his rank meant nothing in the matter at hand. The fate of his daughter, his beloved Nell, now rested in the hands of Fitzwilliam Darcy, and he had not felt such an emptiness since the death of Nell’s mother.
“Darcy, will there be an official reprimand registered with the Council?”
“These are serious transgressions, milord. It was only because of Mr. Jackson’s quick thinking that none of the junior servants were abovestairs to hear Nell’s remarks. She actually said, ‘sleeping with Mr. Darcy.’ Although it has nothing to do with her being a lupine, if someone had heard such a statement, what conclusion would be drawn? That Nell is a loose woman, and that I am equally bereft of morals as I had seduced an unmarried lady of rank, a friend, and a neighbor.”
“I understand, Darcy. It is just that she got it in her head that you wanted to marry her.”
“I honestly do not know where she got such an idea as I have said time and time again that I think of her as a sister and as a member of my pack. I have not given her any encouragement because I am in love with another.”
“Miss de Bourgh’s friend?” Lord Granyard asked.
“Is that what Nell told you? That she was at Pemberley because she was a friend of Anne?” When Granyard nodded, Darcy shook his head. “This is truly distressing because she knows that is not true. Even so, Nell was able to convince Miss Bennet that it was not in her interest nor mine for us to become husband and wife. As distressing as that is, it is not the matter at hand. Without any thought that someone might overhear her, Nell referred to me as Alpha, and with her careless talk, she put me at risk, as well as my sister and your family.”