Perfidy & Promises

by Abbey North

  She gasped. “There is no escort, and I am dressed as me.”

  “Your reputation would be far more tattered if anyone else had seen you enter and leave the establishment where you just visited.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Deny it.”

  She licked her lips, appearing nervous, but then she straightened her shoulders. “I have nothing to deny. I simply met with Miss Flora. I must tell you about my interview with her.”

  He prodded her toward the carriage. “You may speak freely on the ride back to Pemberley.”

  She looked vaguely resentful for a moment, but she stepped into the carriage without protest when he handed her up before following. He waited to speak until they had left the vicinity of Lambton, and then he scowled at her. “Do you have any idea how irresponsible and reckless it was for a woman like you to enter Madam Childe’s establishment?”

  Lizzy frowned at him. “I am aware the scandal it would cause, which is why I picked my arrival to be so early, certain to avoid anyone seeing.”

  “And perhaps to move in before the Runner had a chance to interrogate the women at the bawdy house?” He arched a brow as he expected her denial.

  She surprised him by nodding. “There is that too. You have forbidden me to investigate, but I do not respond well to edicts, Mr. Darcy. Frankly, I am surprised you do not know that about me by now.”

  He was still irritated at her actions, but most of his ire had drained away. “I do not like you putting yourself at risk for this. Allow Mr. Kenton to prove Mr. Wickham’s guilt.”

  Lizzy frowned at him. “I am still not convinced Mr. Wickham killed Mr. Terrence.”

  He scowled. “Are we back to this again? I do not trust your judgment in the matter.”

  “Nor did I trust your judgment when it came to my sister Jane, but you were wrong, were you not? I am willing to concede there is a possibility I am wrong as well, but to discard any other option because of your bias toward Wickham is not a balanced way to investigate.”

  He opened his mouth to protest, but his anger from the evening when she had seemed to be defending Wickham had cooled over the intervening days, and while he was still annoyed she didn’t accept his word on it, he no longer believed she was acting out of some lingering affection for the rogue. “If it was not Wickham, who else would it be?”

  Lizzy seemed stunned by his words for a moment, and then she smiled brightly. “I have no idea, but I suggest we search his things. The groom said he had been sleeping in the quarters off the tack room of late as an extra security precaution, but that must mean he has apartments elsewhere?”

  Darcy nodded. “There is a housing structure near the stables for the employees.”

  “As soon as we get back to Pemberley, we must thoroughly examine his belongings.”

  Fitzwilliam frowned at the idea. “If we are seen entering his quarters alone, it will cause gossip.”

  “Can it be any more gossip-inspiring than me dressing up as a boy, and you sanctioning it?” she asked with a sparkle in her eyes.

  He frowned at her severely. “I did not sanction it.”

  Lizzy seemed undeterred. “Yet you implied you did when you spoke with Miss Bingley after she forced the confrontation in front of everyone. What am I to think, Mr. Darcy? After all, you did allow me to accompany you for the price of a kiss.”

  Recognizing the opening, though he wasn’t certain if Lizzy had given it by design, he said, “I do find you are able to persuade me to do an alarming number of things with a simple kiss.”

  She crossed the carriage to sit beside him. “In that case, perhaps I could convince you to assist me with searching Mr. Terrence’s apartment?” As she asked, she brought her mouth ever closer, until the last word made her lips brush against his cheek. Then she kissed it lightly.

  With a chuckle, he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. “That is hardly a kiss.”

  She looked up at him, eyes wide and lips parted. He groaned aloud when she licked the plump contours in a suggestive fashion. “Perhaps you should demonstrate what you consider a kiss then, Fitzwilliam?”

  He bent his head and spent the next few minutes doing just that, before realizing he was far too close to losing control. With strength he didn’t know he had, he gently pushed her way and nudged her to return to the seat across from him. He needed the distance between them to maintain propriety.

  With her cheeks flushed, eyes shining, and lips swollen from his kisses, she’d never looked lovelier. He bunched his gloved hands into fists at his side and mentally recited rules of geometry until he felt more in command.

  Lizzy had been content with the silence, and his brain hadn’t been functioning well enough to fill it with conversation. Now there was no chance, since they’d arrived at Pemberley. As soon as the carriage drew to a halt, Lizzy bounded out without assistance, and Darcy followed behind her, understanding she was inspired by the new lead, but wishing she had at least waited for him.

  She was the very antithesis of discreet as she charged across the grounds, heading toward the building she had correctly surmised housed the servants’ apartments. At least she waited for him to catch up with her then, and he frowned down at her. “We could have walked together.”

  She was clearly too impatient for that. “Which apartment belongs to Mr. Terrence?”

  “As the stablemaster, he is entitled to have his own separate quarters, so his apartment is on the bottom.” He led her in the proper direction after taking her hand and placing it on his arm. He insisted they walk with dignity, should they be under observation.

  He had no doubt someone was awake and watching, and it would likely be all over Pemberley lands by the evening that he and Lizzy had visited Mr. Terrence’s apartment together alone, but it couldn’t be helped. At most, it would create the kind of pressure that dictated they marry to avoid scandal. He would prefer to have her assent under other terms, but he wasn’t too proud to admit he would take her under that scenario as well, if she weren’t too stubborn to accept.

  Mr. Terrence’s rooms were unlocked, and they walked in seconds later. Fitzwilliam couldn’t deny he felt out of place poking through the dead man’s things. If Lizzy felt any such hesitation, it didn’t impede her attempts, and she was soon searching through his nooks and crannies.

  Fortifying himself, Fitzwilliam moved to the escritoire and began searching for any clues through the man’s correspondences. Other than his inkwell being slightly untidy with drops of ink, there was nothing out of place, and nothing that stood out as suspicious.

  He stood up at Lizzy’s grunt, frowning at her. “Is something wrong?”

  She shook her head, looking impatient. “No, I suppose I am just frustrated. I did not expect a handwritten confession from the killer, but I was hoping for more information.” She waved a hand. “Other than his taste for roulette and bawdy houses, Mr. Terrence appears to have led a quiet life.”

  Mr. Darcy nodded his agreement, and trying to cheer her, he said, “There is still his bedroom to search. Perhaps we might find something there.”

  Lizzy nodded as she followed him into that room, going straight to the nightstand. Fitzwilliam felt even more uncomfortable to be searching this area, but it needed to be done, so he stiffened his spine and went to the dresser. He started sorting through the various items of clothing there, but he saw nothing of interest. He was prepared to consider the whole endeavor a waste of time when Lizzy let out a sound that was close to, “Aha.”

  He turned from the dresser and faced her. “What is it?”

  She held a silver box in her hand, and as he moved closer, he realized she’d already opened the hinged compartment, revealing a sapphire and silver ring inside. He saw nothing remarkable about it. “What is it?”

  “It is an expensive gift. It does not seem like the kind of trinket a man of Mr. Terrence’s salary could easily afford to give. Rather, it seems like the kind of token a man might bestow when proposing to someone.”

  That piqued
his interest, and he took the box from her to examine the ring more closely. The diamond chips were small and not as clear as pieces he had seen in his mother’s and sister’s collections, and the sapphire could have been bigger, but he could see it would be an expensive piece for a man of Mr. Terrence’s income. “I believe your theory is sound, but who was he courting and prepared to marry?”

  Lizzy gave him an impish grin. “You never did give me a chance to tell you about my interview with Miss Flora.”

  He frowned in shock. “You believe he bought this for a lady of the evening?”

  Lizzy shrugged a shoulder. “Flora was his favorite, and he was visiting more frequently than Madam Childe led us to believe. When I asked if she knew of anyone who might want to harm him, Flora burst into tears and ran from the room. She was clearly a woman grieving.”

  Something in her tone alerted Fitzwilliam. “But?”

  After a moment, she shrugged. “Perhaps she was more than just grieving. I would very much like to speak with her again. Madam Childe assured me she would contact me when Flora was up to another interview, but I believe you might have more luck in pressing the issue. I think it would be prudent to speak to her sooner rather than later.”

  Seeing the wisdom of her suggestion, he said, “I shall send a missive along with a persuasive amount to ensure Madam Childe will arrange an interview with Flora as quickly as possible.”

  Lizzy came over, tucking her arm through his and giving him a side-hug. “It must be terribly effective to wield the kind of power you do, Mr. Darcy. Have I mentioned to you how much I admire that you do not abuse it?”

  His face heated at the compliment, and he felt unexpectedly shy. He quelled the urge to look away from her and forced an indulgent smile. “I have already capitulated to your plan. There is no reason to oversell your point.”

  She sniffed at him, but she still appeared amused. “The gracious way to accept a compliment is with a thank you, Mr. Darcy. I am surprised a man of your income, likely instructed by the finest governesses, and with normally exquisite manners, does not know that.”

  Lips twitching, he led her from Mr. Terrence’s apartment, pausing when they had stepped outside to say, “Thank you.”

  10

  After a brief walk with Fitzwilliam, Lizzy returned to her room at Pemberley, eagerly awaiting word from Fitzwilliam after he had arranged the meeting, though she knew it could even be tomorrow before Madam Childe could make it happen. She couldn’t deny Flora had been upset, but she wasn’t certain if it was a reasonable degree of reaction, or if there had been more than loss prompting her response.

  Lizzy carefully tucked the silver box into her nightstand, thinking it might serve another purpose yet. As she did so, she saw a note sitting atop the furniture, and she lifted the piece of paper.

  Reading quickly, Lizzy quickly surmised Anne wanted to meet her at the cottage where she had met with Carlos the other day. There was a frantic tone to the note, and Lizzy was alarmed, especially since it directed her to come as soon as possible.

  It was only a little past her normal hours for rising, thanks to her unusually early start, so she dared hope Anne hadn’t left the missive much earlier. Likely, she’d come to Lizzy’s room, and upon finding her not there, she had availed herself of the escritoire to leave the message.

  Feeling alarmed, Lizzy left her room and then Pemberley moments later, slipping out through the servants’ entrance, since it put her closer to the cottage. She ignored the surprised look of the two footmen she passed along the way, breaking into a run as soon as she was far enough from Pemberley that she didn’t have to worry too much about her dignity.

  Lizzy burst into the cottage moments later, expecting to see Anne. Instead, she heard something scraping across the porch seconds after entering, and she realized someone had blocked the door when she tried the doorknob reflexively. She turned and pounded on it, calling, “I am in here. Open the door.”

  Receiving no response, and truthfully not having expected one, Lizzy turned from the door after attempting to push it open several times. The doorknob wouldn’t budge, and she closed her eyes for a moment, trying to visualize the porch as it had been when she approached.

  There had been a chair there, a sturdy one she didn’t recall seeing the first time she and Anne had found the location, or when she had escorted her friend to visit Carlos. As she visualized it in her mind, it didn’t seem like it was coated with dust, and it was a finer quality than should be at this basic cottage. Someone had likely carried it from Pemberley, planning just this deed.

  Lizzy was uneasy about their intentions, and as her imagination ran away with her, she could picture someone throwing a torch through the window, though she couldn’t imagine who hated her enough to kill her.

  A groan distracted her, and she moved deeper into the room, realizing there was a form on the bed. She rushed toward it, startled to find Carlos sprawled there. She’d heard him groan, so she knew he was alive, but she still touched her fingers to his neck, ensuring his pulse was steady underneath it. She shook his shoulder. “Carlos, wake up.”

  There was no response, so she shook harder. Even when she clapped her hands inches from his face, there was no effect, leading her to conclude someone had drugged him, likely with laudanum. Had they done the deed elsewhere, or had they lured him here, anticipating a meeting with Anne?

  Lizzy moved away from him, two purposes in mind. She was hoping for a second exit, though she soon discovered the small cottage didn’t have one, and she was also looking for other evidence to explain what might have happened here. In the kitchen, she found a partially eaten cheese board and an open bottle of wine with two glasses. There was a note on the floor, and she bent to pick it up, taking it to the nearest window, because it was too gloomy in the room to read otherwise.

  It was a risqué note, ostensibly penned by Anne. It suggested Carlos have a glass of wine to relax while he waited for Anne join him, for she had a surprise he would greatly enjoy.

  Carlos had been neatly maneuvered to arrive and drink the wine while he waited for his lover. She wondered if he had drunk the wine last night or this morning. If he was still drugged from last night, whoever had given him the dose had risked killing him.

  She walked around the cottage again, eyeing the windows, and dissatisfied that none of them would offer easy exit. They were all small and high, and there weren’t that many to start with. A few minutes later, she froze at the scraping sound, recognizing it was the chair being moved. Lizzy started to rush for the door, but she hesitated. She wasn’t certain exactly what was happening, but she doubted someone was rescuing her.

  That impression changed a moment later when Fitzwilliam swept into the cottage, a fierce frown on his face. She wanted to throw herself at him in relief, and she would have if Caroline Bingley hadn’t entered directly behind him, followed by Lady Catherine. Miss Anne was trailing behind, looking fretful.

  “I told you what I saw. Do you believe me now, Mr. Darcy?” There was a note of victory in Caroline’s tone as she pointed to Lizzy, and then Carlos’s form slumped on the bed. “She is meeting with the groom.”

  Anne let out a gasp, and Lizzy met her gaze, trying to relay with her eyes that Caroline was lying. She was relieved to see Anne looked upset, but she didn’t appear angry with Lizzy. She seemed disbelieving of the setup.

  “Surely this madness must end now,” said Lady Catherine. “You are bringing disgrace to our name to even entertain the possibility of taking this hoyden as your wife. She is a wanton, and she has no regard for propriety or the classes.”

  “I received a note penned by someone else that suggested a different purpose to this meeting entirely, Lady Catherine. It was to be a lead on Mr. Terrence’s death.” She quickly invented that idea, seeing how Caroline’s eyes widened with surprise. She had little doubt who had penned the notes to both her and Carlos, for they were in the same hand. “Instead, someone locked me in here, and I found Carlos drugged on the bed.”
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  Lady Catherine let out a sound of outrage. “You call him by his first name, so you must have been intimate.”

  “I simply bothered to learn his name, Lady Catherine.” Lizzy walked over to the bed, lifting Carlos’s hand. She held it aloft for a moment, and it dropped immediately to the mattress as soon as she released it. “He is oblivious.”

  Anne rushed forward then, bending down to feel Carlos’s neck as Lizzy had done moments before. She sounded relieved when she said, “He is alive.”

  Lizzy nodded. “I do not think anyone wants to kill him, though if they drugged him last night, they risked doing so since he is still unconscious now.”

  “What nonsense,” said Lady Catherine. “The man is clearly drunk.”

  “She is meeting with a servant, Mr. Darcy. Surely, you can see how unsuitable Elizabeth Bennet is now?” Caroline’s eyes were shining with excitement, and she clearly expected Mr. Darcy to agree and immediately banish Lizzy.

  Instead, he was soft-spoken when he said, “I can see what is going on here.”

  Caroline was practically vibrating with excitement. Lizzy’s shoulder stiffened a little, but she realized she wasn’t feeling any true anxiety. She was confident Fitzwilliam knew her well enough by now to realize the situation, especially since he was privy to Anne and Carlos’s secret. Even if Lizzy were the type to betray their budding romance with someone, it wouldn’t have been the man Anne loved, who loved her.

  “It is about time,” said Lady Catherine as she sneered at Lizzy. “You attempted too far above your station, foolish girl. Had you been content to wait for your shameless deeds, perhaps you might have fooled my nephew, but you shall never fool me. Now his blinders are removed, and you will remove yourself from Pemberley land.”

  Lizzy straightened her shoulders as she looked at the older woman. “I shall only do that if Fitzwilliam asks me to, and I assure you, he will not.”

  Lady Catherine drew herself up to her full height, and it was an impressive sight, but Lizzy felt no intimidation. “How could he not send someone like you away?”