Jenny screwed her face up, this apparently being of some assistance to her mind. Then she said, “The first thing I recollect was how cook was a ragin’ devil on account of him being blamed cause them dogs made messes everywhere. My lady said they wouldn’t have done it if they weren’t fed meat what had gone off. Then Maggie, one of the maids, slipped on a pile of dog mess and sprained her wrist. Then a baby mink that my lady had got from somewhere escaped its cage. We had a time of it chasin’ the thing up and down the stairs to catch it again before my lady came home. Mr. Cratchet stormed out of the library and scolded us for ninnies. Then he went and got a piece of liver from cook and put it in the cage and closed the door after the mink went in after it. So I knows how to go about that sort of operation now. Chasin’ don’t work, you got to lure the creature.”
Elizabeth nodded and tried to keep Jenny’s attention on herself, so the girl would not see Mr. Darcy scowling and fidgeting. “Go on, Jenny,” she said.
“Then, my lady came home, knowing nothin’ about the mink’s adventure. She could’ve knocked me over with a feather when she tells me I’m to go on ahead of her to Quincy and unpack all her things. Then she tells me ‘bout some parade or other and says I’m lucky to go on ahead as she’s to go at five in the morning. I didn’t say so to her, as she don’t like to be crossed, but I did think it stupid to go so early. The staff would have to get up at three, just to be ready for her. I’m sure there was all kind of talk about it.”
Elizabeth smiled at Jenny, though she could practically feel Mr. Darcy’s irritation filling the room. “Go on,” she said.
“Then I spend hours packin’ everything in creation though she’s only going for a fortnight. I even said, my lady, are you certain of taking all them jewels? What’s about highwaymen? She says she is certain of everything she does and I’m not to question it and highwaymen would be promptly dealt with by Warpole. ‘Course I couldn’t say nothing about it but I’m thinking Warpole is runnin’ to fat so I don’t see him making much of a stand. Then I gets in the carriage with barely room what with all her things in it and off I go.”
Elizabeth continued smiling but suppressed a sigh. She did not think they had elicited anything of use from Jenny.
Mr. Bingley was gone from the house until well into the afternoon. Nobody mentioned it, yet Elizabeth could not help but think that Jane was disturbed by it. She fairly jumped when the sound of horse’s hooves clattered down the drive.
Mr. Bingley burst unceremoniously into the drawing room and said, “I have news.”
Charlotte paused in arranging her various sheets of paper on the table, Jane laid down her sewing. Elizabeth looked at him expectantly.
“I have rented Netherfield, not very far from here. I am to have it on the morrow. We have imposed upon the Bennets too much and now I can return their hospitality.”
Mr. Darcy went back to his book and Elizabeth had the sense that he was not altogether approving of the idea.
“Netherfield?” Elizabeth said. “Goodness.” In truth, the very last place Elizabeth would have guessed Mr. Bingley had gone was Netherfield. It had lain empty for some time and even Mrs. Bennet had begun to despair that it would ever be taken.
“You see the sense in it, though, Miss Bennet?” Mr. Bingley asked.
Elizabeth supposed the question was meant for her, though Mr. Bingley’s eyes were drifting toward Jane.
“It is a very large place,” Elizabeth said, “you will certainly be comfortable there.”
“Yes!” Mr. Bingley said, full of excitement. “And there is a second dining room we can use as a war room. I suppose one is the breakfast room and one the dining room, but they are both immense.”
“I see,” Jane said softly. “You will move the war room.”
“I think we ought,” Mr. Bingley said. “It will be more convenient a space and it will return Mrs. Bennet’s drawing room to her use.”
“Of course, that is sensible,” Jane said.
Though Jane claimed it was sensible, and it probably was, Elizabeth did not think her sister was particularly enthused with the scheme. Jane had said she wished Mr. Bingley to be at some distance, but now that he was to go some distance it did not appear to suit.
“We can go on just as we have,” Mr. Bingley said. “You will not mind riding to Netherfield every day, Miss Bennet?”
Jane blushed and said quietly, “I am afraid we could not commit to every day, Mr. Bingley. We would require a chaperone.”
Mr. Bingley’s face fell. “Of course. I had not thought—”
Mrs. Bennet rushed into the room, as she was wont to do whenever she perceived a conversation where she might have a salient point to make. It was as if she stood behind the doorframe, waiting for such moments. If she did so, Elizabeth supposed it must be justified, as her mother was the supposed chaperone here.
“Who is to need a chaperone? To where?”
Mr. Bingley reddened and Jane stared at her sewing and Elizabeth was certain neither would answer her mother in any sensible fashion.
“Mama,” she said, “Mr. Bingley has rented Netherfield and will remove the war room to it.”
“Mr. Bingley is to leave us?” Mrs. Bennet said, her tone one of shock and dismay. “Why, Mr. Bingley?”
Mr. Bingley stuttered, “Well, I only thought, that is, it seemed such…”
“And so you see, mama,” Elizabeth said, “if we are to visit Mr. Bingley at Netherfield we would need a chaperone. At least in the mornings, before Lady Castlereagh comes down.”
Elizabeth knew Mrs. Bennet made calculations in her mind. She would weigh the outcomes of pressing Mr. Bingley to remain as he was and where he was, or not pressing Mr. Bingley and choosing to make the best of this new development.
Mrs. Bennet smiled. “That is no difficulty, Lizzy. I will make myself free to escort you every day.”
“Mama,” Elizabeth cautioned. “You forget your other daughters. They do like to go into town.”
Mrs. Bennet waved her off. “And so they may go as they like. My sister can keep her eye on them.”
Elizabeth did not like that idea at all. Kitty and Lydia chaperoned by their mother was barely sufficient. The girls chaperoned by her aunt would be as no chaperone at all. As dearly as she loved the lady, Elizabeth was under no illusion that Aunt Phillips was a suitable chaperone. What mischief might those girls stumble into?
Before she could counter the idea, the rumble of a carriage was heard coming down the drive. Elizabeth rose. “That cannot be Mr. Quinn returned so soon. He left only hours ago.”
As the carriage passed by the drawing room window, Mr. Darcy leapt to his feet. “That is one of mine.”
Mr. Darcy strode from the drawing room. The rest of the inhabitants quickly followed him. Elizabeth was mystified. Why should one of Mr. Darcy’s carriages arrive here? Surely, if there was some message from London, or even Pemberley, it would come via horse and rider.
They had all stumbled onto the drive as the carriage rolled to a stop. It was a fine carriage, Elizabeth noted. Just as fine as any Lady Castlereagh might own. The driver leapt down to open the door. His companion, a sensible-looking man of about forty climbed down and tipped his hat to Mr. Darcy.
The door opened and a pretty girl with a cascade of blond curls was helped out. A sturdy maid with a determined expression followed her.
“Georgiana!” Mr. Darcy cried.
“My brother,” Miss Darcy said, “do not alarm yourself.”
“How can I fail to be alarmed?” Mr. Darcy said. “How is it you travel here? Where is Mrs. Annesley?” Mr. Darcy turned to the man who had sat next to the coachman and said, “Jeremy?”
Jeremy tipped his hat again and said, “The house was took with fever. Mrs. Annesley, Mrs. Reynolds and every last one of the maids. The doctor is caring for them, but he told me I ought to get Miss Darcy away if I could. So I did, as best I could manage it.”
Jeremy waved toward the maid who stood next to Miss Darcy. “This here is
Peggy, one of my sister’s girls. I guarded the outside of the carriage and she guarded the inside.”
Peggy crossed her arms, as if to say it would be a fool who would attempt to get by her.
“We stopped over twice, at respectable places, and I slept outside their door,” Jeremy said.
“Indeed,” Georgiana said, “they have cared for me very carefully and I was quite safe. Jeremy thought to take me to my aunt, but I pressed him to come here. I hope I have not done wrong.”
Mr. Darcy grasped his sister’s hands. “I am only glad you are unharmed.” He turned to Jeremy. “You have done well.”
As the shock of encountering his sister in Hertfordshire when she ought to be in Derbyshire began to fade, Mr. Darcy seemed to become aware of everybody else standing on the drive. Recovering himself, he introduced her.
To Mrs. Bennet, Miss Darcy said, “I am very much afraid I cause you an inconvenience. I have never arrived anywhere uninvited.”
“Not a bit of it,” Mrs. Bennet said graciously. Then she furrowed her brow. Elizabeth leapt in before her mother could explain there was actually no room for the lady.
“I hope Miss Darcy would not mind sharing a bed,” Elizabeth said. “We are a full house at the moment.”
“Not at all,” Miss Darcy said prettily. “I am very grateful for your hospitality.”
“We shall move to an estate nearby on the morrow,” Mr. Darcy said. He turned to Jeremy. “I know you will wish to be on your way home on the morrow, though I would ask that your niece remain to act as Miss Darcy’s maid.”
Jeremy nodded his assent. Peggy appeared victorious.
Behind Elizabeth, Lady Castlereagh emerged from the house. “What is this? Georgiana?”
The explanation for Miss Darcy’s sudden arrival was given again for the benefit of Lady Castlereagh. “Dear me, what an adventure!” she said. She held out her arm to Miss Darcy and said, “Come into the house and I shall order tea and tell you of my own dreadful adventure. You will not feel half so put upon when you hear it.”
As the party followed Lady Castlereagh and Miss Darcy into the house, nobody noticed the man standing halfway down the drive, shielding himself behind a stand of trees. That man watched them as they went inside and said quietly, “What the deuce? How can she be here and not there?”
Tea had been brought in and Miss Darcy’s things had been taken up to Jane’s room. They would be very cozy that night, but Jane’s bed was large and Elizabeth had slept in it with Jane and Kitty when the Gardiners had come over the summer. It could be done without too much difficulty.
Lady Castlereagh had related what had happened to her, and Miss Darcy was suitably shocked. She said she was rather glad that she had not known it before setting off on her own journey.
Elizabeth was surprised by Mr. Darcy’s solicitousness to his sister. Miss Darcy must have a second cup of tea, and one of the biscuits, and a throw to warm her. The fire must be stirred, and he wondered if there were not a draft near her chair. He was all attention to her comfort. Most interestingly to Elizabeth’s eyes, his stern demeanor had seemed to drop away in the presence of his sister.
“I understand we move to Netherfield on the morrow, Mrs. Bennet,” Lady Castlereagh said. “I do hope you can spare the eldest Miss Bennets, we shall need them for the war room. Particularly Miss Elizabeth Bennet, she has proven she has a mind for this sort of thing.”
“Indeed, my lady,” Mrs. Bennet said. “I shall chaperone Lizzy and Jane every day.”
“Chaperone?” Lady Castlereagh said. She paused, then said, “I was going to remark that no mama could wish for a better chaperone than myself. However, as I consider it, it would be useful if you would do your duty in the mornings. I do not care to come down before eleven.”
Mrs. Bennet nodded, as she had long given up attempting to argue with Lady Castlereagh, though Elizabeth thought she looked disappointed. It would have suited the lady to arrive at dawn and stay through supper.
“I cannot say when we should see Mr. Quinn again,” Lady Castlereagh said. “We should be quite quiet until he returns. I find the quiet does not do me good, it leads to far too much fretting. I wonder, Bingley, is there a good-sized ballroom at Netherfield?”
Mr. Bingley nodded. “Quite a large one.”
“We ought to throw a ball to pass the time,” Lady Castlereagh said. “I feel very much in need of something to lift my spirits and take my mind off my own situation. What say you, Mr. Bingley?”
Mr. Bingley nodded vigorously. “Yes! A ball. We should have a ball. I will write a note this instant so the cook may get up white soup.”
“If we sent out invitations today, we might have it on Wednesday,” Lady Castlereagh continued. “That would never do in London, naturally. Though out here in the wild I do not suppose we choose a day when there is a competing engagement. I would hazard that any invitation would be a welcome change from the tedium of the country. Mrs. Bennet? Would you take the lead in directing the invitations? Only the most suitable people, of course.”
Elizabeth glanced at her mother. Handing Mrs. Bennet the responsibility of deciding who to invite to a ball was rather like handing the responsibility to Lydia and Kitty. She was certain any ball planned by her mother would be well-stocked with the officers her sisters favored.
Mrs. Bennet leapt from her chair. “Consider it done, my lady. Charlotte, move all of those ridiculous papers to the side. There are invitations to write!”
The afternoon passed uneventfully, Elizabeth and Jane took Miss Darcy for a turn around the garden while Mrs. Bennet charged forward with the invitations. Everyone in the county that she deemed worthy was to be invited. As Elizabeth had feared, quite a large pile were addressed to the care of Colonel Forster.
At dinner, despite Mrs. Bennet’s maneuvering, Mr. Darcy had his sister placed on his other side, while Elizabeth was across the table between Mr. Bingley and Kitty. Or really, just Kitty, since Mr. Bingley had barely turned to her throughout. The dinner was lively, as there were so many at the table, however Elizabeth could not help but note Miss Darcy’s demeanor when she was not engaged in conversation. She had a somewhat sad mien and Elizabeth wondered if her journey had not affected her more than she would own.
If Miss Darcy was feeling the effects of her sudden departure from Pemberley, Elizabeth could not fault her for it. The lady had made a long journey without her usual companions, and worse, had left those companions behind. She must find herself terribly worried over their fates at the hands of a fever.
Elizabeth did not think Mr. Darcy very comforting in light of the situation. It was true, he was soft spoken with his sister and Elizabeth very much doubted that he’d ever said a cross word to her. However, he would persist in questioning her on her studies. How did she get on with the pianoforte? History? Shakespeare? Drawing? Miss Darcy looked relieved when Mrs. Bennet rose to withdraw the ladies.
In the drawing room, Lydia and Kitty made for a corner. Ever since the invitations to the ball had left the house hours before, they were heads together and full of laughter. Elizabeth did not like to think of what their conduct would be at the actual ball. At the last assembly, they had both been loud and bold and Lydia in particular had too much to drink. She had torn the bodice of her dress through carelessly catching it on a nail protruding through a door and various pins had been gathered to patch it up. She had even disappeared for over an hour late in the evening. Elizabeth had questioned her, but Lydia had laughed her off. Elizabeth had applied to both her mother and father, but they seemed content to allow Lydia to carry on. Elizabeth, while perfectly happy to judge her mother’s behavior, never wished to do so with her father. And yet, a worry that his conduct could not be right when it came to Lydia and Kitty nagged at her thoughts.
In the drawing room, Miss Darcy sat next to Elizabeth and said, “I hope I do not intrude upon the house too much, Miss Bennet. When I left Pemberley, my only thought was to find my brother and he had lately written that he stayed here. Now t
hat I grow more calm, I feel the imposition of it keenly.”
“Heavens,” Elizabeth said, “there is no imposition at all.”
“But to force you to share a bed,” Miss Darcy said, “that is an imposition.”
Elizabeth laughed and said, “We shall just be all the warmer for it and I know my sister will agree with me. We are not a rigid household, Miss Darcy. We take things as they come in high good humor.”
Miss Darcy was thoughtful for a moment. Then she said, “That is a lovely idea. A lovely way of going on.”
“Of course,” Elizabeth said boldly, “I do not know your brother over-well, but I suspect taking things as they come would not be his strong suit.”
This elicited a peal of giggles from Miss Darcy, which she promptly suppressed. “Oh dear, Miss Bennet, you may know him better than you think. You are right in that he prefers order, but there cannot be a better brother for all that. He takes every step for my comfort. He writes me almost daily so that even when he is away from me, I feel as if he is close by. He seems to know what I wish before I know it. Just recently, he surprised me with a new pianoforte. I did not even know he was coming, and there he was and there it was.”
“You are very fortunate, Miss Darcy,” Elizabeth said. “I have always wished I had an elder brother.”
“It is a blessing,” Miss Darcy said. She suddenly appeared pained. “I should never like to disappoint him.”
“I am sure you never could,” Elizabeth said.
Miss Darcy smiled, but it was a weak smile. Elizabeth was more inclined than ever to believe that something troubled the lady. She was less inclined, though, to believe it a case of nerves from her journey.
Before she could press Miss Darcy to reveal her distress, the men joined the ladies in the drawing room.
Chapter Eight
Without Mr. Quinn at the scene to send them all to bed early, the party stayed late. Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, Lady Castlereagh and Jane were at cards. Jane had not been inclined to play, and Mrs. Bennet certainly did not want her to play while there was a promising single gentleman nearby, but Lady Castlereagh appeared oblivious to these facts and nearly ordered her into a chair. This left Mr. Bingley out of sorts and wandering round with a book in his hand.
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