“This sheds light on why Mrs. Hurst had twigs caught in her gown upon her return.” Mary sent him a thoughtful glance. “Yet, Miss Bingley had not a ruffle out of place.”
“Did you not observe her leave the library, as we returned from the garden?” Carter raised a brow. “Yet she returned to the ballroom some time after we arrived. Who is to say she did not use the time to restore her appearance and remove any hint of her activities?”
“You are very observant, Captain. I made no notice of Miss Bingley’s departure from the library or her return to this room. How is it that you were so aware of her actions?” Mary tilted her head to study him as she continued. “Do you have an attraction for Miss Bingley, or perhaps you were still watching out for Denny’s best interests. Tell me, did Denny return with twigs attached to his person as several of the women appear to have done?”
A smile tilted the corners of Carter’s mouth. “It pains me to admit as much, but indeed he did, Miss King, and I fear I know the reason why.”
“What do you fear, Captain Carter?” Jane Bingley said as she joined them. “Is there anything I can assist with to ease your mind?”
“Mrs. Bingley, I thank you, but there is nothing about which to concern yourself. I was merely recanting some of our mishaps in the militia for Miss King’s benefit.” Captain Carter smoothed over the topic and glanced around the room. “I notice the colonels and Mr. Bingley have departed the room. Are their examinations of guests underway once more?”
“I fear this is so, Captain.” Jane released a sigh. “There, I have used the word as well. Yet it seems we all have fears on this night. Your fear is for mistakes made while you were training, while I fear I invited a murderer into our midst for my first ball.” Jane managed a weak smile as she turned to Mary. “And you, Miss King, are you fearful this eve?”
“Not as long as the Captain remains in the room to watch over us, Mrs. Bingley. However, may I say you should fear not for you ball, as it was a beautiful evening until the news turned bad, and that was out of your control.”
“Oh, thank you, Miss King. You are so kind. There is one event occurring this night I am grateful for,” Jane smiled at them, “and that is the chance to become better acquainted with you.” She glanced from Mary to Captain Carter. “When I approached, you seemed agitated over something. I do hope nothing more is amiss?”
***
Jane turned away slowly, convinced she had missed information that would prove her family innocent, but could not remain conversing with Miss King and Captain Carter for very long. She needed to speak with Bingley’s sisters, and discover how they were dealing with recent happenings. Bingley told her of his concern after he observed Mrs. Hurst’s agitated state, so Jane slowed her steps as she approached the sisters. “Louisa, Caroline, I pray all is well with you.”
“What nonsense you spout, Jane.” Louisa snapped before Caroline could respond. “If you and Charles had a brain between you, you would realize we are all ruined for any future society events.”
“This worry has brought about your agitation?” Jane kept her tone calm under Louisa’s glare. Objecting to the comment would only make Louisa more vexed. Moreover, Louisa only voiced the assumption Jane had often heard from acquaintances. Because she did not vex easily or hasten to defend her beliefs, people assumed she did not have the good sense to take part in conversations. Their conclusion was misguided to say the least. She and Lizzy often discussed events in exacting detail and, while Lizzy was quick to voice her opinion, Jane preferred to think a situation through before forming an opinion.
Lizzy often said she wished for one measure of Jane’s caution, after she voiced hasty comments she had later regretted. And there were times Jane wished to be more outspoken like Lizzy, as she had on the occasion last year when she feared she had lost Bingley because she had controlled her emotions. Still, it was her nature to search for the meaning behind a person’s words. She wanted to understand why a person reacted as they did, and what they meant by comments that tumbled from their mouths without thought.
Louisa’s summation of Jane and Bingley’s abilities was hurtful. Yet Jane knew Louisa was fond of her younger brother, and would do nothing to endanger her enjoyment of Bingley’s deep pockets. Thus Jane was alerted that there must be another cause for Louisa’s disquiet. “Is worry for your status in society all that concerns you this night, Louisa?”
“How could that not be reason enough for concern, Jane?” Caroline exchanged a pointed glance with Louisa. “Someone you invited to your ball committed murder.” Caroline’s voice dropped to a consoling tone. “You are acquainted with a murderer, so naturally Louisa and I are concerned. Can you not see what this means to your chances of acceptance in London society?”
“With concern for our guests weighing on my mind, I have had no time to think of society. Truthfully, when I witnessed your distress I assumed you must be acquainted with Mr. Wickham.” Jane remained calm despite the emotions roiling inside her, but it was difficult. Lydia had lost her husband, yet Bingley’s sisters were only concerned with their status in society. This night’s events could blot her chance of acceptance in some circles, but there was more at stake than her social standing. “Bingley mentioned that you made Mr. Wickham's acquaintance at Pemberley.”
“Great heavens,” Louisa’s voice rose as if she were about to burst into song and she locked glares with Caroline. “Of course, we met Mr. Wickham. But to imply he was more than a casual acquaintance is insulting. Really, Jane, I thought better of you than to have you imply such a thing.”
“Louisa,” Caroline’s tone would sweeten a pot of tea, yet a warning lurked underneath her words, “do calm yourself. Jane, you must overlook my sister’s agitation. Of course we knew Mr. Wickham well enough to greet him by name.” She glanced at Louisa and her expression changed to that of a sly fox. “Louisa is unsettled at knowing we bumped into Mr. Wickham in the garden, and she fears we might have been the last to see him alive.” Caroline flicked a glance at Louisa. “If you must know, we worry the murderer was nearby and we might be in danger.”
“If you spoke to Wickham in the garden, how did he seem?” Jane asked as she reflected on their words. They might have brushed by the murderer if they spoke the truth. However, Wickham’s state of mind concerned her more at the moment. Had he arranged to meet with his killer? Was this death an accident? Was Wickham the intended victim?
“Whatever can you mean, Jane?” Louisa snapped. “Really, with such naive thoughts as this, I wonder what you and Bingley can find to discuss when you are alone.”
Ignoring Louisa's repeated suggestion, that she possessed no intellect whatsoever, Jane grew more intense in her need to clear her family of blame. “Was Wickham alone?”
“Alone?” Caroline scoffed, “Of course Wickham was alone. If you seek to discover if his wife was with him, then rest assured she was not. However, I did see Mrs. Wickham on another path in the garden. She was speaking with your sister, Eliza.”
“Did Mr. Wickham seem agitated or concerned for his safety?”
“Really, Jane,” Louisa gave a derisive snort, “do you intend to assist with this investigation as Colonel Fitzwilliam has done? I feel I must warn you. Assuming the duty of solving this murder has not improved the colonel’s disposition, and, frankly, I have serious doubt such that actions will add to your own character. Be advised, Jane. Best leave solving this murder to the colonels and turn your concern to the guests.”
Jane clenched her gloved fingers, but kept her tone steady. “I merely search for words which might ease my sister’s pain. Lydia has suffered much this night. I thought only to seek some source of comfort.”
“How admirable, Jane.” Though Caroline’s tone implied otherwise, she exchanged a glance with Louisa, and said. “Perhaps we could help. Mr. Wickham seemed his usual, congenial self, all charm, and good humor. However, we only exchanged a passing greeting with him. In truth, now that you bring the matter to my attention, I do believe we left M
r. Wickham in conversation with Mr. Hurst.”
“I see,” Jane glanced at Louisa’s husband. He sat slouched in a nearby chair, head back, eyes closed, and mouth hanging open, with his legs sprawled out in a very inelegant pose. In Jane's estimation, Mr. Hurst was deep in his cups, but the need to remain polite kept her from saying so. “Do you have any recollection as to how long they conversed?”
“Really, Jane,” Louisa said with a snort, “how you do go on. How could we possibly know how long they conversed? The garden was cold, so we returned directly to the house.”
Jane considered the possibility that Louisa may have also visited the punch bowl too often on this eve. Her strident tone and unladylike manner made Jane wonder if punch, or annoyance were to blame.
“Ah, Louisa, I fear Jane is not satisfied with your response.” Caroline turned a teasing glance on Jane. “I am all astonishment at your persistence in this matter, Jane. However, you must take caution. If you insist on asking questions, you must prepare for unpleasant responses. To be quite frank, our encounter with Mr. Wickham was truly objectionable.”
“Whatever do you mean?” Jane’s heart pounded against her ribs as she waited for their response. How was she going to explain this to Lydia? Then another, more unnerving possibility occurred to her. If Wickham insulted Bingley’s sisters, Jane knew her husband would never accept such behavior. Had Bingley... No! It was not possible. Her dear Bingley was not capable of such violence. She was convinced his calm demeanor could not conceal anger strong enough to end in murder. She had no doubt Bingley could never do such a thing. As further reassurance, she recalled he had been in the ballroom all evening.
In which case, if Louisa or Caroline’s honor required defending, then the actions must have come from Mr. Hurst.
Jane turned her gaze to the man slumped in the chair, obviously inebriated, and acknowledged she would get no response from him. However, the suggestion would not leave her head. Could Mr. Hurst be the murderer? Judging the width of his shoulders and possible strength he might use against Wickham, Jane guessed it was possible. She tore her gaze from him and turned to face Louisa and Caroline. “Did Mr. Hurst follow you back to the house?”
Bingley’s sisters exchanged an intense glance. Finally, with a hint of color tinting her cheeks, Caroline said, “I know not, for I was chilled and returned to the house directly. But I believe Louisa still needed the fresh air.”
Considering this, Jane directed her gaze to Louisa, “Did you observe anyone unusual, or perhaps hear anything that seemed out of place at the time?”
“Jane, you astonish me.” With a huff, Caroline flounced toward the chair beside Mr. Hurst. However, she did not sit, but whirled to Jane and demanded in a slightly raised tone. “If you are going to exclaim over every little incident of the evening, should you not turn your attention to Miss Brown? I find it unacceptable to discover one of the servants reading in the library as if they were a guest in this house. Yet when I returned from the garden and stopped to warm by the fire, there she was, making free use of Bingley’s library.”
“Neither Bingley nor I mind if someone borrows a book.” Jane tried to comprehend the annoyance underlying Caroline’s words. Surely she had misunderstood. Caroline could not wish to embarrass Georgiana or Mr. Darcy over such a matter. Usually her reaction was the opposite. More than once since making Caroline’s acquaintance, Jane had observed her attention focused on Lizzy’s husband. “What was Miss Brown doing in the library?”
“If you insist on the details,” Caroline glanced at Louisa through her eyelashes, then turned to Jane and lowered her voice. “She—”
“Jane, what does it matter what the woman was doing? She is a servant and has no right to make free with the house as if she were a guest.” With a loud sniff, Louisa flounced down in the chair beside her husband. “I completely agree with Caroline. You have no control over your household.”
Since Louisa and Caroline had hired the staff before Jane even met Bingley, their comments were yet another insult, and Jane would have left the conversation there, but for the fact that Caroline had discovered Miss Brown in the library where Wickham was murdered.
Taking a deep breath, Jane said, “I fear I must insist—”
“If you must know, she was reading a book. Though I cannot claim to understand why you suddenly have an interest in the actions of one of Mr. Darcy’s servants.”
Chapter 8
After her conversation with Captain Carter, Mary King drifted toward the women gathered around her cousin. Lady Lucas and Mrs. Phillips were listening eagerly, as Miss Georgiana Darcy recounted what she had discovered while conversing with her brother and Mrs. Darcy.
“Oh, Maggie, it is so dreadful.” Miss Darcy fell in the chair next to her companion. “The colonels believe Lizzy murdered Wickham in a fit of jealousy.” She turned wide, innocent eyes on her companion. “It cannot be true. Pray tell me you did not see Lizzy in the library, for I know she is true to my brother. I have witnessed them together as have you, Maggie. Please, can you not speak to the colonels and inform them they are wrong.”
Miss Brown reached for Georgiana's hand. “Calm yourself, please—”
“This cannot be I assure you.” Mrs. Phillips rushed to agree with Miss Darcy. “My niece could never do a thing so unspeakable.”
“Mrs. Phillips,” Lady Lucas said thoughtfully, “pray remember, this could well be a crime of passion. Once deep emotions are stirred, I am certain none of us know of what we are capable.”
“Upon my word, Lady Lucas, you claim a close association with my dear sister, yet you stand there and dare to suggest her daughter capable of such a thing?”
“You misunderstood my words, Mrs. Phillips. I merely suggested we should consider all possibilities. We all agree Mrs. Darcy was never shy about sharing her feelings on any subject. Who is to say her emotions did not get the best of her on this occasion?”
“Lizzy is the model of correct behavior and decorum.” Miss Darcy blurted.
“Have no fear, Miss Georgiana.” Miss Brown again laid a calming hand on her charge’s arm. “These ladies are only searching for a reason why poor Mr. Wickham died.” Her chin trembled as she tried to calm the young girl at her side. “You must take no offense at what you hear this night, for much talk is speculation.”
“Excellent advice, Miss Brown,” Mrs. Phillips declared. “To suggest Lizzy still cared for Mr. Wickham is beyond belief. Anyone can see how besotted she is with Mr. Darcy. Moreover, Lady Lucas, I fear you are misinformed in this matter. And for my part, I find it most difficult to believe you would even think such a notion, considering how close Lizzy and your Charlotte were.”
Lady Lucas looked down her nose at the gathered group. “Sometimes, familiarity can blind one to the truth of a person’s real character.”
“Truth?” Mrs. Phillips puffed up like a rooster ready to attack, “I believe there are more facts missing than you seem willing to admit.”
“Whatever can you mean, Mrs. Phillips?” Lady Lucas seemed taken back that Mrs. Phillips failed to wither under her scornful glare.
“I sense that you desire Lizzy to be guilty of this crime and I cannot help but wonder why such a thing could be so.” Mrs. Phillips studied the woman who had flaunted Sir William’s knighthood since moving to the county. “Could it be that you are displeased because Lizzy married above the status Charlotte achieved, and you wish her brought down by false accusations?”
What response Lady Lucas might have made went unheard as Colonel Fitzwilliam chose that moment to join the group, much to Mary King’s disappointment. If Mrs. Phillips was correct in her assumptions, then Lizzy Darcy suffered the same false claims as Mary. Could they work together to discover the real culprit of this crime?
“Ladies,” Colonel Fitzwilliam said as he studied the group, “did I hear correctly as I approached? You have a theory on who committed this murder?”
“You must pay us no mind, Colonel. We were only speculating on events,”
Mrs. Phillips rushed to reply.
Lady Lucas cast a glare at her companions and said. “Really, Colonel Fitzwilliam, have you no news for us? It is most distressing to imagine one of our neighbors might have committed such an act.”
Upon hearing her emphasis on the words, ‘our neighbors’, Miss Georgiana gasped. “Cousin, pray tell these ladies there is no chance Lizzy committed this deed.”
“Dear Georgiana!” Colonel Fitzwilliam moved to her side and asked in a soothing tone. “What has put such a notion in your head? Do not trouble yourself on this subject. Darcy will keep his wife safe.”
“Even if she is guilty of committing this crime,” Lady Lucas demanded with a darting glance at the other ladies. The color in her cheeks and squint of her eyes gave hint of her temper.
“My good lady,” Colonel Fitzwilliam turned a level gaze on her, “pray tell what put such a notion in your head?”
“If you must know, Colonel, Lizzy Bennet's attraction to Mr. Wickham was obvious to anyone at the same social gathering, before he turned to Miss King. Ask my Charlotte of her attachment if you need further convincing. Pray be not deceived by her ladylike airs. She is as likely to be seen trudging through muddy lanes as any servant in the county. And I must say, Colonel, I fear no matter how hard you try, you and Mr. Darcy cannot protect Lizzy from this charge.”
“Lady Lucas,” Lizzy said as she arrived to hear the overwrought woman's claims. Her chin was angled in a determined manner as she continued in a firm tone. “I could not help but hear my name. I was aware you did not favor my attachment to Charlotte, but your disapproval exceeds even my imagination. As for my fondness of walking to enjoy the beauty of our surroundings, I cannot accept that habit as a blot against my character.”
“Mrs. Darcy,” Colonel Fitzwilliam turned to his cousin’s wife, “allow no comments such as these to distress you. Everyone is searching for a solution to the events of this night so they might understand why it happened.”
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