Page 11 of Shields and Roses

On the other side of the courtyard, he saw George Wickham stepping away from the Darcy carriage to share smiles, jokes, pats on the back and handshakes with a group of boys, while leaving Will Darcy to stand awkwardly alone. It was a familiar scene. As Richard watched, George moved to subtly exclude Will even more by standing just far enough away to show the separation between the two while blocking Will from the view of the others with his own body. Richard's cousin seemed a solitary figure even in the crowded chaos of the mass departure. Some boys nodded to him politely, but none approached him as they did George's little crowd.

"I am just heading across to farewell my cousin. I will be back in a few minutes," Richard said to the footman who was fastening the straps to secure his trunk. Threading his way through the people with ease, he approached Will and offered his hand. His cousin's return handshake came with an intensity that suggested relief.

"Are you leaving now, Richard?" he asked.

"Just about. The servants are finishing up with my trunk and will be ready to depart in a few minutes. I am headed to London first, of course. Father is supporting Grandfather in the House of Lords, so he may be staying there longer than usual this summer. I am hoping he will allow me to ride ahead to Randbrook on my own this year."

"Do you really think he would?" Will asked, more curious than disbelieving. "You are only fifteen, you know. He did not let your brother take trips on his own until he was nearly eighteen."

"Father told me it is not so much a matter of age as of proving I am reliable and will act with good judgment. I have been careful in my behavior this year, so he has, hopefully, only heard good things of me. How about you? Are you headed straight back to Pemberley?"

"Yes. We are all loaded up now, and as soon as George finishes up with his friends we can head out. We will be home by tomorrow evening, if all goes well."

Richard refrained from commenting on how it was only George in the circle of boys once again. He saw from the quick glances Will was darting in that direction that he had already remembered their many earlier conversations. From his expression, he was concerned that Richard would start in on him again about George's behavior. Their friendship had been a bit strained over the matter for a time and Richard knew he needed to back off or risk losing any influence with his cousin at all. He had been doing his best not to speak of or to George and merely let the occasional pointed look make his arguments for him.

This time, he did not bother with so much as a glance at George as he offered his hand to his cousin again. "I wish you a safe and pleasant journey, Will. If I can, I will come visit for a week or two later in the month."

Will smiled slightly as he took the offered hand and gave it another good shake. "I hope you can, and I wish you safe travels as well. I also hope Uncle Peter grants your wish and lets you travel on your own."

Just before he stepped away, Richard clapped his cousin lightly on the back. "Take care," he said. From the corner of his eye, he caught George glaring at him but did nothing to acknowledge the unpleasant boy. Richard slipped back through the steadily thinning crowd to where his carriage waited to take him off to London.

~o~

Longbourn looked much the same as always, Richard thought, as he brought his horse to a stop outside the stable. He could hear the distant notes of the pianoforte floating through one of the open side windows. Due to the higher-than-normal temperatures this week, all the windows were open to help the flow of air through the house.

The player was probably Jane from the sound of the light airy piece that could please without needing great technical skill. Jane played well enough but tended to stick to simple pieces that did not require much work or make her look less than perfectly competent. Lizzy usually did not sound as good as her older sister, in part because she took on more complex pieces that would require much practice to perfect. She would one day be a far better performer than Jane for precisely that reason, although for now she appeared to lag behind. Mary, of course, was only just beginning to learn and was not even up to a piece as simple as the one he was hearing.

Richard dismounted and handed the reins off to the stable boy. He made use of a brush that was kept near the stable door to knock some of the road dust off his clothing and boots. They had been without rain for more than a week, in addition to the hot temperatures, and the dirt roads were dry as bone and coated in a fine layer that rose in a great dirty cloud around every traveler. Richard was glad he did not use hair grease or any kind of pomade, or his hair would now have the same color as the soil. It probably did anyway, but he shook his head while patting his hair to get what dust he could out, having more success than he would have if there had been a layer of oil for it to stick to. Then, of course, he had to brush his coat again to remove the new layer of dust he had created on it.

Mrs. Hill opened the door at his knock, giving him an approving look because he had already brushed off before attempting to enter the house. "Welcome, Master Richard," she said pleasantly. "You are expected. We have a room prepared for your use upstairs, and Mr. Bennet will be available to greet you in his study whenever you are ready."

"I believe I am ready right now, Mrs. Hill. I know the way to the study, so I can announce myself if you have other things to do at the moment."

"As you wish, Master Richard. I will make certain your saddlebags are taken up once the boy brings them from the stable." She bustled off to continue her work while Richard made his own way down the corridor to the study.

As he passed by the music room, he could see that the player on the instrument was Jane, just as he had guessed. She did not notice him or look up as he passed by. Mary sat in one corner of the room, intently writing on a slate as Miss Stanton looked on. Lizzy was nowhere in sight, so Richard felt no need to pause or greet any of them just then.

Bennet answered Richard's knock at the half-open study door with a call to enter. He stood as Richard obeyed, offering his right hand in greeting.

"Welcome, Richard. It is good to see you. No problems on the way, I hope?" he said as they shook hands."

"None at all, sir, aside from the great billows of road dust I had to ride through. It is good to be here."

"Well, sit down, sit down," Bennet said, gesturing to the chair across from the one he had occupied. "We get a bit of a breeze in this room and, with the windows facing to the west, it will not get too hot until later in the day. I am glad I will be able to report to your father that you made your way here in a timely manner even without benefit of an escort."

"I had no wish to betray his trust and lose the chance to travel on my own in the future," Richard admitted. "I left in good time this morning and came straight here. No dawdling on the way or detours into trouble."

"One more barrier passed on your way to adulthood, Richard. Keep it up for the rest of your journey to Randbrook tomorrow and you will be fine."

Richard nodded acknowledgment of his godfather's mixed praise and warning as he took the offered seat. "How have things been on the estate with this heat, sir?" he asked. "Did you need me to run any errands or take on any tasks for you while I am here?"

"I appreciate the offer, lad, but I have things well in hand just now. Would you care for a chess game while the room is still cool enough to play it in? You can tell me about your studies between moves." Bennet gestured to the chess board that was already set up on an occasional table in front of the unlit fireplace.

"Ah, hoping to keep me off balance by distracting me while I play," Richard teased as he stood to move the table into the space between them.

"You are becoming good enough at the game that I must take what advantages I can," Bennet chuckled.

They were quickly immersed in their play, with Richard concentrating far more on the game than the general updates he gave his godfather regarding his various classes and other pursuits. At the end of a hard-fought battle, he just barely managed to come out the winner.