“Perhaps we should continue this conversation in the study,” Anne said in a voice lacking any warmth, “behind closed doors and out of hearing of any servants.”
“Actually, I was wondering if I could have a word with you, Elizabeth? If you are agreeable, I would ask that you accompany me to the study.” Without waiting for an answer, the earl’s daughter stood up, leaving Lizzy to follow her.
Ah, yes, when it rained, it poured, and Lizzy decided that the past few days would have tested even the all-powerful Pharaoh, and her mind returned to the ten plagues. What were they?
She tried to recall the story from the Book of Exodus. She remembered some of them: turning the water into blood, locusts, lice, frogs, flies, hail, darkness, the killing of the firstborn son. She was still missing two.
“Elizabeth, come sit beside me on the sofa, so that we might hold hands while we commiserate,” Lady Helen said as Lizzy closed the doors to the study.
Boils! She now had nine of the ten plagues. Only one more. Darn! What was that last plague?
Once seated on the sofa, Lady Helen placed her hand over Lizzy’s and looked into her eyes. Apparently, this was the look she used when she wanted to convey empathy.
“Killing of livestock! That is the last one,” Lizzy said, snapping her fingers. “Sorry, I was trying to recall the ten plagues of Egypt, and when I looked at you, the last one just came to me.”
“Did your parson recently preach on the subject?”
“No, I just happened to be thinking about plagues when we went into the drawing room.”
Lady Helen, looking a good deal less comfortable, released Lizzy’s hand.
“The reason I wished to speak to you in private concerns Mr. Darcy. I noticed at my sister’s reception that when Mr. Darcy and you were together there seemed to be some interest,” she said and paused for effect, “on your part.”
Lizzy rubbed her forehead so that she might hide the smirk on her face. This might actually prove to be entertaining.
“Let us, for the sake of argument, pretend that Alpha…”
Oh, we are back to lupine talk. With one word, Lady Helen conveyed so much: “I am in the pack, and you are not.”
“…pretend that Alpha is also interested in you. It would be ill advised for you to encourage him, and it is not just because you have no standing in society. For Alpha’s safety and happiness, he should marry a she wolf.”
“Safety? Please explain how I would endanger Mr. Darcy if a marriage should come about?”
“Have you not learned a lesson from this unfortunate incident? Does it not demonstrate how vulnerable we are? One misplaced step, one slip of the tongue, and we would all be exposed.”
“For example, someone referring to Mr. Darcy as Alpha when there are servants about?”
“Exactly. That is a perfect example.”
“But it was you who… Never mind.”
“Did Alpha ever tell you about when we ran into the poachers?” Lady Helen asked.
“No, he did not.”
“Well, these thieves came upon us when we were stalking a deer, and they ran into Lambton screaming that there were wolves in the woods. It was a very tense two nights because it happened at the beginning of nightfall. Oh, excuse me, you probably are not familiar with the terms used by werewolves, but it means…”
“I know what nightfall means,” Lizzy said, interrupting.
“Forgive me. I have no way of knowing what Mr. Darcy has chosen to share and what he has withheld.” Lady Helen did everything except stick out her tongue and say, “So there.”
“As I was saying, as soon as Alpha returned to human form, he went into the village with Wolfie and smoothed everything over, but it was a near run thing. Another incident happened here in Derbyshire. A brother of a werewolf said something stupid in a tavern, and a rumor circulated that could not be tamped down. It was necessary for the werewolf to go to Ireland. Ireland!”
“What is wrong with Ireland?”
“Nothing, except the people. They are primitive and live in squalor.”
“They live in squalor because all the best land is owned by absentee British landlords, and you do not have to go to Ireland to see such conditions.”
Lady Helen took Lizzy’s hand again, and in a headmistress voice indicated that Lizzy should try to concentrate on the subject under discussion.
“And what of your family, Elizabeth? You could not share any of this with them. It would require that you keep a good portion of your life secret from your parents and sisters. I understand that you and your oldest sister are very close. Over time, you would be tempted to share something of your life with her, and if she told her husband… Well, you see the problem. Because of these concerns, it is the suggestion of the Council that male werewolves marry she wolves. You don’t want to endanger Alpha, now do you?”
Lizzy turned her face away from the lady. Was it possible that she could do or say something that would expose Mr. Darcy’s other life? And if such a thing occurred, it wasn’t just Mr. Darcy who would suffer. Georgiana, Anne, the Fitzwilliams, possibly Charles Bingley and her sister would all come under suspicion. Lady Helen handed her a handkerchief, hoping that there were tears to be dried.
“Now, forgive me, Elizabeth, but I must speak my mind.”
“I thought you already were,” Lizzy said with an edge in her voice.
Ignoring Lizzy’s comments, Lady Helen continued. “I would like your assurances that if Mr. Darcy should make you an offer you will decline it.”
“Forgive me, but I also must speak my mind. I shall give you no such assurances because, to be quite frank, it is none of your business. Your rank does not entitle you to pry into my personal affairs.” Standing up, Lizzy concluded, “I would never do anything that would endanger Mr. Darcy, and you have made your point. So let us now rejoin Anne and Georgiana.”
Despite the exchange of words in the study, Lady Helen remained for another perfectly awful two hours, but her threat to stay indefinitely was withdrawn. Lizzy felt bad for Georgiana, who had known her neighbor for her whole life and greatly admired her for her beauty and accomplishments, but by the time an afternoon of “everything about Lady Helen Granyard” had come to an end, the earl’s daughter had sunk to a level nearing contempt in the estimation of Mr. Darcy’s sister.
To ensure that Lady Helen would leave quickly, Anne, Georgiana, and Lizzy all walked with her to the door. After making her good-byes to Anne and Georgiana, the lady once again took Lizzy by the hand and led her away from the other two. Could this woman be any ruder, Lizzy wondered?
“I hope my openness and honesty has been of some help to you.”
“It has,” Lizzy admitted.
“And has it changed anything?”
“Oh, yes, it has changed everything.”
Chapter 17
The three ladies stood on the steps of the portico until Lady Helen’s carriage went through Pemberley’s wrought iron gate. A collective sigh of relief followed. Lizzy, who never stopped thinking about the plagues during her visit, felt as free as the Hebrews when Pharaoh finally told Moses that he would let his people go. Of course, they had all that Red Sea parting and wandering in the desert ahead of them, but one problem at a time.
“Lady Helen certainly makes the case for having a drawbridge built,” Lizzy said in an effort to lighten the mood. Although Anne and Georgiana laughed, it was a polite laugh, nothing more. When they went into the house, Mr. Jackson asked to speak to Anne, and so Lizzy and Georgiana returned to the drawing room.
“Georgiana, I can see that you are upset by Lady Helen’s unfortunate comments, but in society, when a woman of her rank wants something, she usually finds a way of getting it. No quarter is given.”
“But some of the things she said put my brother at risk,” Georgiana said, still not believing the thoughtless words that had
come out of the mouth of a fellow wolf.
“Her words put her at risk as well,” Lizzy said, defending someone who did not deserve it. “She was so intent on making her case for William marrying her that she became careless.”
“We have no worries on that account,” Anne said as she came into the drawing room. “Apparently, Lady Helen’s dramatic entrance put Mr. Jackson on his guard, and he sent all the junior servants belowstairs. Nothing she said was overheard by anyone other than Mr. Jackson.”
“Will Mr. Jackson tell my brother?” Georgiana asked.
“Yes. I am afraid Nell is in for a reprimand of some kind.”
“I am glad to hear it,” Georgiana said with a fervor that surprised Anne and Lizzy. “I can understand her pursuit of my brother, and I can understand that in order to get rid of a rival, she would say anything to diminish Elizabeth. As Elizabeth said, no quarter is given. But it is what she said about Teddy that I find unforgiveable. My brother is always remarking on how attentive Teddy is to her in the wild, bringing her a mouse or rabbit because he knows she is always hungry. And has she forgotten the circumstances that resulted in Teddy becoming a wolf in the first place? He defended his master when a deranged werewolf lunged at him. I know that Teddy would do the same for Nell, and yet she talks about him in such a way,” she said with tears in her eyes. “Would you mind if I went to see Mrs. Brotherton? I would take great comfort in her company.”
“Please do, dear,” Anne said. Although she was only seven years older than Georgiana, in her brother’s absence, Anne had taken on the role of her young cousin’s guardian.
After Georgiana left the room, Anne turned toward Lizzy. “This is not entirely Lady Helen’s fault. If you are told from the time you are a child that you are better than everyone else, you should not be surprised that the child eventually believes it and becomes conceited. I think her mother would have kept her in check, but she died when Helen was five. Lord Granyard’s next two wives, wishing to curry favor with the father, doted on her excessively. The product of so much unearned praise is now before us. I almost feel sorry for her because she will be reprimanded, and the rebuke will come from William.”
“Do you really think he will admonish her?” Lizzy asked. She did not envy Mr. Darcy the task of disciplining a friend and neighbor.
“Without hesitation. He will not tolerate any behavior that jeopardizes another wolf. If he is willing to discipline the son of a prince, you can be assured he will not pause even for a moment to reprimand Lady Helen. But I have something else I wish to talk to you about.” Anne took a letter out of her pocket. “Mr. Jackson just handed this to me. It is from my mother, and it is not unexpected. Because of concerns for my health, Mama is sending a man for me so that I might return to Rosings.”
“I am concerned for your health as well,” Lizzy said, looking at the circles under Anne’s eyes and her pale complexion. “These past few days have been a trial for you, and you need to rest. Besides, you and I both know that the chances of William returning in three weeks are not good. It took him six days to get to Scotland in June when the weather was fine. What is the likelihood that he will have the same good fortune in November? But what will he do about the next nightfall?”
“I imagine he will go to the estate in Northumberland and stay with the family who provided food and shelter for the wolf and her pups. There is also another family in Yorkshire who will take them in. You need have no worries on that front. They are quite safe. But what are we to do about Georgiana? When it comes to her brother, she can be very stubborn, and she will think it disloyal for her to leave Pemberley. I can just see her acting out, with great dramatic effect, William’s return to an empty house.” Anne closed her eyes, remembering her dropping to the floor in Elizabeth’s bedchamber when she had heard her brother’s mournful howl. “Before all this unpleasantness with Lady Helen, she would have stayed at Granyard Hall with Lady Elaine, but she will have no interest in doing so now.”
“Are there no relations nearby?”
“The nearest relation is her father’s sister, Aunt Marguerite, who lives near Leicester.” Anne started smiling. “She is quite a character. I like her a lot, but she frightens Georgiana. She has been wearing widow’s weeds for ten years, and she will tell you why. ‘My husband died. I would like to think that he did that for me, so this is the least I can do for him.’”
Lizzy found that statement to be funny, and she started giggling and then laughing, and Anne joined in. They knew that it was not that funny, but it was proving to be cathartic. Of course, Georgiana would not find any humor in the situation, but while she was safely in the care of Mrs. Brotherton, the two ladies, now friends, could laugh as long as they liked.
After examining all the options, it was decided that Georgiana would have to choose between staying with Lady Elaine or Aunt Marguerite or going to Rosings with Anne. That afternoon, when presented with the choices, Georgiana was indignant, insisting that she was old enough to remain at Pemberley.
“I am not a child. In the spring, I will be out in society and will be encouraged to look for a husband, but you tell me that I cannot remain in my own home for a mere three weeks in a house teeming with servants.”
“You do not have to argue your case with me,” Anne said in a soothing voice. “I am just thinking what your brother will say to you when he finds you did not take our advice to stay with a friend or relation, and I am trying to think what I will say to him when he laces into me for leaving you alone in this great big house.”
“This is so unfair,” Georgiana said, pouting. And the sniffling began, and the tears flowed, but then Anne seized on the theme of her becoming an adult.
“Yes, it is unfair, but life is often unfair, and as an adult you will have your share of it. So what is your answer?”
But then a glimmer came into Georgiana’s eyes. “There is another place I can go.” Turning to Lizzy, she asked, “Now that Jane and Lydia are married, will there be room for me at Longbourn? I have not met your family, and it is always so much better when one can put a face to the names of people one has heard so much about.”
Lizzy gave Georgiana such a look. “So Nell is not the only clever female in this part of Derbyshire,” she said in admiration at little Miss Darcy’s maneuvering. “Of course, there is room. You are very welcome to stay at Longbourn.”
“Until my brother comes to Hertfordshire to get me.”
“Yes, until your brother comes for you.” And what would that mean for Lizzy?
Chapter 18
The next day and the two days after that, Lady Helen sent a rider to Pemberley with a note asking if she should come for a visit. Lizzy was positive that the lady really did not want to pay a call. She just wanted to make sure that her rival really was returning to Hertfordshire. The thought of another morning or afternoon with Lady Helen hastened the packing, and everything was ready when the de Bourgh carriage pulled into the drive at Pemberley. Two days later, on a dreary autumn day, the three ladies and Mrs. Brotherton set out for Ashton Hall in Leicester, the first stop on their journey.
The house was a large unadorned three-story manor house built of stone but in no identifiable style. Attached to one side of the house was a turret with a flagpole flying a banner the color of sunrise that brought a smile to Lizzy’s face. Lizzy would soon learn that the turret had been added to the manor house at the request of the newly married Lady Marguerite Ashton, its design influenced by illustrations from a book of French fairy tales.
Lady Marguerite’s daughter Jeanne, a tall, pretty, and elegant lady, warmly welcomed the travelers to Ashton Hall and said that she hoped they would consider extending their visit, and it was soon apparent why she wanted her visitors to stay on. There was a war going on between her mother and her husband. George Wimbley was a man blessed with exceptionally good looks, but one with a wandering eye and a well-deserved reputation as a cad, and his mother-in-l
aw was unhappy with her daughter for tolerating his dalliances.
“Kick him where it hurts and that will put an end to that,” Lady Marguerite had told Lizzy as they sat by a fire following supper. “But Jeanne’s afraid of losing him. Nonsense! You can’t lose people like him; they always find their way home. But never mind about them, I want to talk about you. William has been writing to me for a year concerning this beauty from Hertfordshire that he fell in love with.”
“Really? For a year?” Lizzy asked genuinely surprised, but pleased. “That would be when we first met at an assembly near my home.”
“He also told me how he had mucked up the marriage proposal, but I told him that that did not matter as long as he got it right in the end. So tell me, dear, how well do you know my nephew?”
“I know that he is a good man and…”
“No, that is not what I am asking you. I want to know if you know him.” She squeezed Lizzy’s hand so tightly that it was getting mashed. What was she really asking? Surely, it was not about Mr. Darcy being a werewolf as Lizzy had been told that only Anne, Georgiana, and Colonel Fitzwilliam knew about his altered state. She finally just shrugged her shoulders and shook her head, indicating that she did not understand the question.
“Good!” she said, letting go of Lizzy’s hand. “If you had just blurted it out, I would never have trusted you again. That shows you will protect him. The reason the others do not know that I am aware of his unique situation is I don’t think of him in that way. To me, he is my wonderful nephew. No need to go on and on about that other business. It would be like telling the Prince of Wales he is fat. He owns a mirror; he knows he’s fat. And I am sure you are not the most pleasant person to be around when your courses begin. It is the same thing with him. He is different for those two days.” She stopped talking and let out a hissing sound as her son-in-law went by, and he quickly walked to the far end of the room and sat next to his wife.
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