The inhabitants of Netherfield were so engrossed in this conversation that they did not hear the carriage approach; it was only when the footman announced Mr. and Mrs. Philips that they realized that they had callers. The visitors were accompanied by Mr. Philips’s other clerk, Mr. Clarke. Jane and Mr. Bingley collected themselves and made them welcome, inviting them to sit down, asking them if they were dry (it still rained) and offering tea, while Miss Bingley looked in vain for a means of escape. Mr. Darcy leaned over to his wife and asked if she wished to hold Mrs. Philips’s reticule in order to be ready to supply her with her smelling salts at the most interesting moments.
“I know that some of my relations are trying,” Elizabeth said.
“As we are married, your relations are my relations,” said Mr. Darcy.
But Mrs. Philips’s behavior was not as extreme as it had been the day before at Longbourn House, possibly because she had her husband with her, or perhaps because she was less accustomed to such outbursts in the elegant drawing-room of Netherfield Park, or perhaps just because preserving such a level of hysteria was fatiguing. She had less stamina than Mrs. Bennet. So during the pleasantries and the introduction of Mr. Clarke to Mr. Darcy, Mrs. Philips maintained, at least relative to their most recent encounter, a calm demeanor. Then Mr. Philips cleared his throat. “We have come to Netherfield in particular to see you, Mr. Darcy.”
Everyone was surprised by this, as Mr. Darcy was barely acquainted with Mr. and Mrs. Philips. “Please explain,” said Mr. Darcy.
“Mrs. Philips tells me you were at Longbourn when she brought news of the discovery of the death of Mrs. Smith.”
“I was.”
“Sir, did you know Mrs. Smith?”
Mr. Darcy was mystified, as was every other person in the drawing-room, but he did his best to answer the question. “I do not think so. Of course, over the years I must have met several Mrs. Smiths. But I know of none who would correspond to the description that I have heard of your late tenant.”
“Are you sure, Mr. Darcy? Mr. Clarke and I found something,” said Mrs. Philips, a little breathlessly. She usually was too awed by her nephew-in-law to speak to him, but the news that they had to share was so amazing that it gave her the courage her to address him directly.
The attorney Mr. Philips spoke more deliberately. “After Mrs. Smith’s body was removed, I tasked Mrs. Philips and Mr. Clarke with sorting through some of the belongings of Mrs. Smith. Mrs. Philips was examining Mrs. Smith’s more personal effects when she discovered some miniatures.”
“One of them looks exactly like you, Mr. Darcy!” exclaimed Mrs. Philips. And Mrs. Philips had her moment of triumph, for none of her listeners expected this.
After many exclamations, and some speculation, and a little doubt, Elizabeth inquired if they had brought the miniatures with them.
They had. Mr. Philips withdrew his handkerchief from his pocket, unfolded it, and glanced down at the miniatures. “This, Sir, is the one that resembles you.”
He passed it to Mr. Darcy, who carried it over to the window to examine it in better light; Elizabeth accompanied him.
“It does look like you!” she said. “I recognize that coat.”
“Yes, it is hanging in my wardrobe at Pemberley.”
Everyone else was nonplussed by this confirmation – Mrs. Philips delighted in their confusion – and they all begged to see the miniature. It was handed around and examined, first to Jane, then to Mr. Bingley, and finally to Miss Bingley, who studied it longest. “I recognize the artistry,” pronounced Miss Bingley. “I believe this was made by your sister.”
“Why would Mrs. Smith have a miniature drawn by Georgiana?” Elizabeth asked her husband.
But Mr. Darcy could not answer that question. “I can think of no reason for any of the Mrs. Smiths that I have met to have a portrait of me, large or small. And, as far as I know, I never met this Mrs. Smith.”
“Mr. Philips, show Mr. Darcy the miniature of her!” cried Mrs. Philips excitedly; Mr. Clarke frowned slightly, as if disturbed by the volume of her outburst.
“We also found a miniature of Mrs. Smith,” continued Mr. Philips, unwrapping another small portrait swaddled in cloth. “Perhaps you would be so good as to examine it.”
Mr. Darcy took the miniature and returned to the window, where he examined the picture of the dead woman. He said nothing at first, but his features indicated utter stupefaction.
“What is it, Darcy?” cried Mr. Bingley.
“Do you know her? Who is she?” asked Elizabeth, joining him again by the window.
Mr. Darcy took a moment to recover, and then he turned and explained. “I do recognize this miniature, but the woman who called herself Mrs. Smith among you was known to me under another name – Mrs. Annabelle Younge. Even though it is considered inappropriate to speak ill of the dead, I must tell you that her character was not at all reputable. And the artist – I now recall sitting for the miniature, just after Mrs. Younge sat for this one – was my sister, Georgiana.”
CHAPTER XL
Many exclamations followed Darcy’s words, some of surprise, others of confusion; Miss Bingley reminded everyone that she had recognized Miss Darcy’s handiwork first. When the initial astonishment subsided, Mr. Philips asked if Mr. Darcy could tell them more about this Mrs. Smith, or rather, Mrs. Younge.
Darcy returned to his seat, and hesitated as he considered what he should reveal. “After my parents died, my cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam and I became guardians to my sister Georgiana, who is more than ten years my junior. As you can imagine, we did not believe that two young men were the best role models for a girl her age – she needed female companionship and guidance. Mrs. Younge was recommended to us; she supplied excellent references, and so I hired her as a companion and chaperone for my sister when Georgiana left school. Unfortunately, we were deceived in her character, and I discovered later that the references were false. When I discovered her true nature, I dismissed Mrs. Younge immediately, and we were more careful the next time we hired someone to superintend my sister’s education.”
Everyone evinced sympathy, with Miss Bingley saying, “Poor Georgiana!”
Mr. Philip said: “You will not give us more details?”
“I will not.”
Jane looked at Elizabeth and raised her eyebrows, for both of them knew the details that Mr. Darcy did not want to reveal. Mrs. Younge had been the one who had arranged for Miss Darcy to encounter George Wickham, when she was but fifteen. Georgiana, unaware of Wickham’s debauchery and with pleasant memories of him from her childhood, had been persuaded to believe that she loved him. They had been on the point of an elopement when Mr. Darcy had arrived, just by chance, in time to prevent it and to keep his sister from a marriage that would have condemned her to a lifetime of misery. But less than two years later Mr. Darcy had found himself with Wickham as a brother-in-law after all, as Wickham had run off with Lydia Bennet, the youngest sister of Jane and Elizabeth.
Mr. Philips said that he respected Mr. Darcy’s desire for privacy, then Mr. Clarke said: “Is there anything that you can tell us about Mrs. – Mrs. Younge?”
Mr. Darcy explained that the woman he had known had had a genteel manner, had appeared to have some knowledge in many feminine arts and had been fond of money. The last that he had heard of her, she had had a large house in London and had been supporting herself by letting lodgings. She had owned the house for at least several years before he had hired her to chaperone his sister; he could supply Mr. Philips with the address.
“Mrs. Smith was a landlady!” exclaimed Mrs. Philips, surprised to learn this about the woman she had considered her tenant. “Then why did she come to Meryton to rent our rooms?”
“And why did she murder Mr. Collins?” asked Miss Bingley. “Did they know each other?”
Mr. Darcy said that he knew of no connection between Mr. Collins and Mrs. Younge. It was possible, he supposed, that Mr. Collins had rented a room from Mrs. Younge at some point.
&n
bsp; Mr. Clarke asked: “Feminine arts? Which feminine arts?”
Mr. Darcy explained that Mrs. Younge had spoken a little French, had played the pianoforte and had had a great appreciation for music, and was a passable artist. He could ask his sister for more details.
“Artist?” inquired Mr. Clarke. “We found paper and pens in her rooms.”
“What types of paper?” Elizabeth asked, with urgency.
“Several different types of stationery,” said Mrs. Philips. “One is just like the type that my sister uses at Longbourn.”
“How peculiar,” Jane remarked.
Elizabeth could not keep silent. “I do not think it was peculiar at all. What if she came here because of her connection to you, Darcy? What I have not told you, uncle, is that I received a threat of extortion.” She gave an abbreviated version of the letter that she had received, not mentioning Mr. Bingley’s own experience, for she realized that with her aunt in the room, everything that she said, along with embellishment and exaggeration, would soon be the talk of Meryton. “Through her connections to Mr. Darcy she could have been in a position to learn information about me. We know from her past history that Mrs. Younge was unscrupulous and avaricious.”
Mr. Darcy and the Bingleys comprehended immediately the implications of Elizabeth’s words, but the others required more time and more explanation before they completely understood: Mr. Philips because he was a little deaf; Mr. Clarke because he had the least knowledge of the original details; and Mrs. Philips because she was not as quick-witted.
“So, this Mrs. Smith – this Mrs. Younge – came to Meryton in order to extort money from you?” Mr. Clarke summarized. “And you believe that she did it by creating forgeries?”
Elizabeth said that was what she believed.
“How extraordinary!” exclaimed Mr. Clarke.
Mrs. Philips was utterly flabbergasted. “She always seemed so agreeable! Except when she would not talk to me, that is.”
Mr. Philips cautiously raised an objection to his niece’s conjecture. “We should recall that Mrs. Smith came to Meryton before Mrs. Darcy, when Mrs. Darcy was not even expected here. I am not saying that Mrs. Smith did not create the forgery; many circumstances point to her having done so, but I believe that blackmailing my niece could not have been her primary motive for moving here.”
“But Mrs. Smith could hardly have traveled to Derbyshire to extort money from Mrs. Darcy,” said Mr. Clarke. “If she had lived previously at Pemberley, she would have been recognized; she could not have hoped to escape detection. Mrs. Smith must have realized that Mrs. Darcy would eventually travel to this neighborhood to visit her family.”
They all agreed that Mr. Clarke’s conjectures seemed reasonable.
“Perhaps Mrs. Younge did not come to Meryton only to extort money from Mrs. Darcy,” said Bingley, summoning the courage to recount his own experience. “I, too, received a letter and a demand. Before Elizabeth arrived.”
“Will you tell us what your letter said?” inquired Mr. Philips.
“It does not matter; the charge was not true and the other party is dead,” Jane said quickly.
“Mrs. Younge must have been an exceptional artist,” said Miss Bingley. “A pity that she abused her talent so.”
Mr. Philips said that he supposed this afternoon had cleared up some of the mystery with respect to Mrs. Smith. As the woman was dead, she could not be punished, but it might be possible to recover some of Miss King’s jewels and money and to send them to Mr. Selby. Mr. Philips then asked if Mr. Darcy knew the names of any of her relatives.
But Mr. Darcy did not. “The references she gave me were false.”
“I suppose she forged them too,” suggested Mr. Clarke.
“I suppose she did,” said Mr. Darcy. “I was unaware of that particular talent, but it is not one that she would advertise.”
The clock struck the hour, and Mr. Philips put down his teacup. “We must return to Meryton; I have an appointment with a client and as you can imagine this affair with Mrs. Smith – I mean Mrs. Younge – is perturbing our schedules. I have left Mr. Morris alone these hours, but we have other business to attend.”
Perhaps Meryton could support two attorneys in the future, thought Elizabeth; then Kitty could marry Mr. Clarke and Mary could marry Mr. Morris. Yet considering how little Kitty and Mary seemed to enjoy each other’s company, arranging them to have husbands who were either partners or competitors might not be the best way to organize their future. Besides, Elizabeth reminded herself distractedly, she was resolved not to turn into her mother and to be preoccupied by matchmaking.
Mr. Darcy asked if he could keep the miniatures, and Mr. Philips agreed that he could, only that he would ask Mr. Darcy to sign for them. While Mr. Clarke prepared a brief document, and Mr. Darcy signed it, Mr. Bingley gathered his courage.
“What about the money?” he demanded. “Is there any chance to retrieve my money?”
Several occupants in the room gasped. Mr. Bingley had mentioned that he had been subject to extortion, but up till now he had not admitted that he had actually succumbed. Elizabeth had, however, guessed that was possible and she suspected that fetching the money from the bank must have been the reason behind Bingley’s last journey to London. She looked sympathetically at Jane, but Jane was staring with determination at the carpet. Elizabeth then glanced at her husband, whose eyes met hers. Mr. Darcy nodded slightly, indicating that he, too, had guessed that Mr. Bingley had yielded.
Miss Bingley was less circumspect in her reaction. “Charles! Do you mean to say that you paid that woman cash?”
“Caroline—” began Mr. Bingley.
“How much? Is this why you are not purchasing Rushburn?”
“Caroline, please!” said Jane, with uncharacteristic sharpness.
Miss Bingley ceased her interrogation for the moment, but the anger in her eyes made it clear that she would continue later.
Mr. Philips, with so many years of practice as an attorney, appeared to ignore Miss Bingley’s outburst, and replied calmly. “I regret to say, Sir, that we have not recovered any monies, just as we have not recovered Miss King’s jewelry. However, we will continue to do what we can.” He invited both of his nieces’ husbands to furnish him with all the details that they could remember: Mr. Bingley, about how she had taken it and how much he had given her, and Mr. Darcy, everything that he could supply regarding the woman he had known as Mrs. Younge. “The more information we have about this woman and her crimes, the better are our chances of discovering what she has done with the property of others,” said Mr. Philips.
Instead of staying to conclude the matter at the moment, the gentlemen made an appointment for the next day. Mr. Philips really did need to return to Meryton; Bingley and Darcy needed time to remember all the details; and finally, Bingley would find it easier to speak before a smaller audience. As they departed into the afternoon’s gray drizzle, Mrs. Philips clutched her reticule and only then remembered that she had failed to make use of the smelling salts that she had brought with her, and that now it was too late. Even though she had forgotten about her little flask of salts, she was not disappointed by the afternoon: not at all! The visit had far exceeded her expectations and she looked forward to recounting the details in the many parlors of Meryton.
CHAPTER XLI
The inmates of Netherfield were not as satisfied with the afternoon as Mrs. Philips. Miss Bingley was especially vexed. First, Mr. Bingley had yielded to the extortionist merely to keep Jane tranquil, and as Jane was one of the most naturally tranquil women in the kingdom, that objective struck Miss Bingley as entirely unnecessary. Second, he had given away money that should have been used in purchasing an estate. As Mr. Bingley had inherited the money from their father, and as brothers were expected to provide for their unmarried sisters, Elizabeth thought that Miss Bingley’s irritability had some justification.
Jane was not pleased that her own husband had not trusted her enough to tell her about Miss Hightower,
and she even expressed some of her discontent to Elizabeth. “I can appreciate that he wished to protect me from not having confidence in his character, and that from one perspective he acted out of love for me. But Lizzy, he should have realized that I would have had more confidence in him if he had come to me with the truth.”
Mr. Bingley, of course, was angry with himself for displaying such weakness, in perhaps destroying forever the possibility of a permanent residence, and in doubting the love and trust of his wife.
Mr. and Mrs. Darcy were not quite as vexed by their own behaviors; Elizabeth could congratulate herself for having not yielded to the extortionist, despite having been sorely tempted. But the Darcys still had their concerns. Elizabeth was anxious for Jane and Bingley. Jane would not tell her how much money Bingley had given away – perhaps she did not know the sum herself – but from the frowns and the sighs she was certain the amount was significant.
Mr. Darcy was especially perturbed by how all of this could have occurred – it seemed indubitable that Mrs. Younge had assistance in her blackmail compositions. Was it not likely that Wickham, Mrs. Younge’s conspirator in the past, had abetted her in the present? He brought this up to the others, and although the idea was not pleasing, they did not dismiss the possibility. Then Darcy continued to the next point. If Wickham was involved, was it not likely that Lydia was also involved?
The notion that Lydia had colluded to steal from them was extremely unpleasant to her sisters. Jane could scarcely give it credence, but Elizabeth had little confidence in Lydia’s innocence.
Mr. Bingley, grateful to shift blame onto others, actually hoped that Wickham was involved as that meant there was a chance to retrieve all, or at least some, of his money. He pointed out that Wickham and Lydia had recently stayed at Netherfield and they could have easily purloined samples of his handwriting.
Miss Bingley was also ready to condemn the Wickhams, and had additional observations. Had Lydia not written letters to Jane and to Eliza? Letters in which she did not ask for money? “We made a joke of it at the time, but what if she did not ask for money because she already had obtained some?”
The Meryton Murders Page 23
