She sighed. 'In which case, my dear, it will be a lottery as to whether we enjoy ourselves or not.'
'Do you not have a list of those wishing to perform tonight so that you could draw up a programme?'
'Good heavens! Of course I do – I've become quite feather-brained of late. Come with me and we can arrange things together. I left a list in the study on your desk and fully intended to do exactly what you've just suggested but quite forgot.'
She found the piece of paper where she'd left it and read out the names of those who'd signed and what they intended to do to entertain the audience. Fitzwilliam, who had the neater hand, compiled the programme.
'There – we have three duets plus accompanists, a recitation and a variety of willing pianists. More than enough for an evening, don't you think?'
'Indeed I do. I'm glad that we have left Georgiana and Kitty on the list as they play so beautifully together. I must say that I'm relieved our other guests have stepped up as I'm not sure Mary will actually wish to participate.'
They hurried back to the drawing room to find Peterson hovering anxiously at the doors to the dining room waiting to announce dinner.
In some grand houses the owners insisted that guests entered in order of rank, but here, as in most other establishments, the guests made their own way in. Only two seats were reserved at the head of the table and these were for herself and her husband. Fitzwilliam had decreed she sit with him and not at the far end of the table as would be normal in other houses.
Tonight her appetite had returned and, despite having devoured a substantial meal at one o'clock, she was able to do justice to the appetising array of removes that appeared on the table. At Pemberley they preferred not to keep country hours and rarely sat down to table before six o'clock.
When eventually she stood to lead the ladies out it wasn't to the drawing room, but to the music room where the elegant gilt chairs from the ballroom had been set out in rows. Fitzwilliam had written this evening's order of appearances in his clear, flowing style so that everyone concerned knew what was to take place.
The gentlemen didn't linger over port this evening and soon the room was filling up and the musical entertainment began. Not everyone who participated was as talented as Georgiana but all acquitted themselves well. As the final applause faded away she noticed that Sir Robert and Mr Hall were no longer in the room.
*
Darcy saw Lizzy scanning the rows of chairs and understood at once why she raised a quizzical eyebrow. Not only was his cousin missing, but also the two gentlemen they were hoping to trick into revealing the real traitor.
'God knows how those two already know that there's a meeting going on elsewhere in the house,' he whispered. 'Peterson told me the last of them only arrived just before the entertainment began.'
She clutched his arm. 'You promised me that you wouldn't become personally involved in this matter. Leave it to those that are trained to deal with such things.'
Someone called her name and she was obliged to move across in order to speak to them. She was quite right – he had given his word he wouldn't put himself in danger. He would take the servants' passageways and by doing so would remain out of sight but would still be able to discover what was taking place. Lizzy didn't understand that as the owner of Pemberley it was ingrained in him to be involved with anything that took place under his roof.
Whilst his guests were milling about discussing the musical entertainment they had just listened to he took the opportunity to slip away. It took a matter of moments to drift into the gun room and arm himself with a loaded pistol. He doubted this would be necessary – but in his experience it did no harm to be prepared.
Unfortunately his evening rig didn't have the deep inside pockets that his everyday jacket did. There was no option but to tuck it into the waistband of his trousers and hope that the distinctive shape was disguised by the fall of his coat.
He paused for a moment to visualise the maze of passageways and stairs that dissected this huge establishment. There was no necessity for taking a candlestick as wall sconces were lit everywhere thus allowing his staff to move about freely even when carrying unpleasantly filled receptacles.
The route he must take was now clear in his head. He checked nobody was watching him before pushing open one of the cleverly disguised doors in the wall and stepping through. What the hell he was going to say if he came face-to-face with a member of his staff he'd no idea – but hoped this circumstance would not occur.
The footmen and parlourmaids would be busy serving tea and supper in the drawing room, or restoring the music room and taking chairs back to the ballroom. As he made his way along the narrow corridor he caught the occasional sound of laughter coming through the wall. Then he could hear nothing apart from his own breathing.
He must now be in the West Wing and should be able to pick up clues to his whereabouts from any voices he heard.
Something crashed against the wall and he fell backwards. He froze, fearing the noise he'd made might have revealed his presence. Then he heard voices he recognised.
'God dammit, Sinclair, I don't like creeping about the place. I almost went head first in the darkness. If we're discovered, how are we to explain our presence here?'
'My man said there's something havey-cavey going on in this part of the house. He recognised one of the horses as belonging to Brigadier Stanley – what the devil is that man doing so far from London? It has to be a cabal – you know as well as I do that trouble is afoot in the Prime Minister's camp. Knowledge of this should earn us a pretty penny.'
Sinclair moved away from the wall and Darcy had to strain to hear his words 'You're right. Don't you think it's damn strange they should choose the very place that we happen to be to discuss their conspiracy?'
'Coincidence – a fortunate coincidence. We need to come up with something worth having for our next drop after the rubbish we passed over last time. This could be the very thing we need. It will be the last time – we both agreed about that,' Hall replied.
The two men moved away. Darcy pushed himself upright and took several steadying breaths. They were right to be suspicious as this wasn't going to end well for either of them.
If these two thought it strange a meeting should have been called in Derbyshire rather than one of the Home Counties, surely the real traitors, the members of this inner circle who were revealing state secrets, must also be concerned?
This entire enterprise had been flawed from the start. He should never have agreed to help – it would have saved him a deal of expense, and the aggravation of having a house full of unwanted guests. Too late to repine; he was committed to this venture and must see it through.
He made sure, on resuming his cautious progress, that he was ready for any sudden noises and wouldn't react so violently a second time.
If he remembered rightly there was an exit just ahead so he must be extra vigilant not to place his hand on it and inadvertently alert anyone of his presence. Although he could no longer hear Hall or Sinclair there the was definite sound of men talking coming from a few yards ahead of him. He edged his way past the door that would allow a member of staff access to this chamber and moved closer so he could place his ear on the panelling.
What he heard almost made him exclaim out loud. He was quite sure his cousin would be equally shocked by the conversation taking place.
*
Lizzy moved from group to group playing the perfect hostess. If this house party had been arranged for any other reason than the apprehension of the traitors then she would be able to enjoy it. Entertaining so many guests was most gratifying especially when they were all so complimentary. Her husband had been gone for an unconscionable time so she would send a footman in search of him before his absence was noticed.
More than an hour had gone by before both he and his cousin rejoined the company. Sir Robert and Mr Hall had also wandered back in a short while ago. All four gentlemen appeared to have a great deal to say.
'Fitzwilliam, Cousin Hugo, might I enquire where you two have been for so long? As the ostensible reason for this gathering is to find you a suitable bride, cousin, then it behoves you to be here.'
He nodded but didn't respond and marched smartly away to immediately engage Miss Hall in conversation. She tapped her foot and stared pointedly at her husband.
'We have all been duped – the military gentlemen have not come here to discuss secrets but to entertain their mistresses without their wives being aware of it.'
Her mouth dropped open. 'Are you telling me that Pemberley is being used as a house of ill repute?'
He nodded solemnly, but his eyes were glinting with amusement. 'I fear that is the case. Hugo should have realised when he saw who was coming that there was more to this than he understood. There are notable absences and those missing are the gentlemen with happy, stable marriages.'
'I still don't quite understand how this can have happened. I always believed your cousin to be an intelligent man, but was obviously mistaken.'
'No, you're right in your assumption. In his desire to apprehend the traitor in the inner circle he allowed himself to be bamboozled by these reprehensible rakes.'
She smiled but then something else occurred to her. 'Am I to take it that you have been eavesdropping on the debauchery, my love?'
'I'm afraid so and I can assure you I've been scarred for life by what I heard.' He chuckled and glanced in the direction of the other two gentlemen. 'I should think that Sinclair and Hall must be disappointed they are not to glean some nuggets of information.'
'Why didn't Peterson inform you of the true state of affairs?'
'I believe he thought that I had sanctioned their debauchery and this was why I requested the guests were put in a private part of the house.'
'Good heavens! This gets worse and worse. You can be very sure word will filter around the house before the end of the house party and we'll never be considered respectable again.'
'Smile, my love, your scowl is attracting unwanted attention from your sisters. They will be over here in a moment to do battle on your behalf.'
She took his hand and led him purposefully from the drawing room where they could talk without risk of being overheard or observed. 'You must evict the unwanted tenants immediately. The military gentlemen may remain, but their light skirts will not spend another night under this roof. They will be gone before anyone gets up tomorrow.'
He knew her well enough to accept that he had no choice. 'Hugo and I will speak to them as soon as everyone else has retired. To try and do so now might well provoke exactly the sort of scenes we're hoping to avoid. I'll alert the stables that the carriages will be needed at dawn.'
'Presumably your cousin doesn't intend to apprehend Sir Robert or Mr Hall whilst they are under our roof? I would much prefer it if he didn't.'
'I gather that your sister Mary is interested in Richard Sinclair – are the feelings reciprocated?'
Just talking about this made Lizzy feel unwell. 'I fear she is determined on the match. Mama is equally enthusiastic as you might imagine. Even your wealth and prestige is as nothing beside the thought of having a daughter marry into the aristocracy.'
Her husband didn't seem particularly bothered by this news. 'As Hugo also appears to be enamoured with Miss Hall, both sides of the family have become entangled with unsuitable partners. Therefore it's a distinct possibility we will be disgraced one way or the other.'
His mouth twitched and she couldn't prevent herself from smiling. It was indeed quite ridiculous that the Darcy family had not one, but three disastrous events about to break over their heads.
'We survived the ghosts and the scandal, but I fear having a spy at Pemberley might prove our undoing.' A gurgle of laughter escaped. 'That is always supposing our house being used as a bordello does not become a topic of drawing room conversation.'
He slid his arm around her waist and drew her close. 'Well, sweetheart, we cannot complain that our life in the country is dull. Let's not forget the unexpected arrival of Miss Bingley and her betrothed a few weeks ago.'
All desire to laugh vanished. 'I wish you hadn't reminded me. That pernicious woman has caused nothing but trouble in this family and I sincerely hope she never returns.'
'Of whom are you speaking so vehemently, Lizzy?' Charles had drifted up unnoticed beside them. 'I assume it was my sister. I give you my word she will not be seen at Pemberley ever again. I've had my lawyers contact her as I could not bring myself to write.'
Jane was beckoning to her most urgently. 'Please excuse me, I must see what is agitating my sister.'
As she hurried away she heard Charles laughing and guessed that her husband had told his friend the true state of affairs. She hoped she would never have to discuss the matter with any other members of her family.
As she made her way across the room it occurred to her that the traitors might not actually be amongst those that had come with their mistresses so the whole enterprise had been doomed to failure from the outset.
Chapter Twenty-Two
'On reflection, Bingley, I'm wondering if Sinclair and Hall will leak the information to my guests.'
'I doubt it, Darcy, they would have to explain what they were doing creeping about the place. More to the point – have you spoken to the colonel about his intentions towards the girl?'
'Not as yet but I intend to as soon as he leaves her side for a moment. It's beyond the bounds of credulity to assume he's going to offer for her in the circumstances. His career would be over if he married the daughter of a traitor.'
'All this excitement has made me a trifle peckish so I'm going to find myself something to eat. Are you joining me?'
Darcy shook his head. 'I believe I might insinuate myself between the happy couple as Mrs Hall has called her daughter away for some reason.'
He walked swiftly to his cousin and gripped his elbow firmly before the man could escape. 'Hugo, we need to talk. My study – now – if you please.'
His cousin tensed beneath his hand but then sighed with what could only be construed as resignation. 'Very well, my friend, I shall come with you although I know of what you wish to speak.'
They strode side by side to the designated chamber and Darcy didn't speak again until they were safely closeted inside. 'Lizzy is furious with you for bringing those bits of muslin to Pemberley. They are to be evicted at dawn tomorrow.'
Hugo shifted from foot to foot like a schoolboy caught out in a prank. 'I'll be the laughing stock at Horse Guards after this debacle. If I'd examined the list of those that had accepted the invitation more closely I would have realised something wasn't right. All these gentlemen are renowned for their cavalier attitude to their marriage vows. God knows if there is a traitor amongst them but being here is not going to reveal it, that's for sure.' He shrugged. 'I can't apologise sufficiently for this debacle. If I'd known for one instant that they intended to bring their doxies with them I'd have put a stop to it.'
'I don't understand how they believed there would be sufficient accommodation when these women were not invited.'
'That too is my fault. I explained to them that they would be accommodated in a separate wing as I intended to keep their presence secret from your other guests. This gave them carte blanche. The whole world knows one could get lost in the hundreds of rooms at Pemberley.'
'The situation is beyond ridiculous and we'll say no more about this issue. Which brings me to my second point, what do you intend to do about Sinclair and Hall? Are they not to be arrested? After all it was they who passed on the secrets to the French whoever might have given the information to them in the first place.'
Hugo shrugged and wandered disconsolately to the sideboard and poured himself a full glass of brandy before answering. 'That's an even bigger mess as you might imagine. I know this house party was no more than a charade but I find myself enamoured of Miss Hall. My intentions are honourable and I'm sure she reciprocates my feelings but…'
'But you can hardly
remain in the military and marry the daughter of a traitor.'
'You have the right of it, Darcy. I don't know what the hell to do – do I offer for her before or after I arrest her father? And at what point do I resign my commission?'
'I'm not sure if you're aware of it, but my sister-in-law, Mary, has set her sights on Richard Sinclair. You can imagine what the reaction of Mrs Bennet and her husband might be when Sir Robert is taken into custody.'
'I can see no happy outcome for any of us. Miss Hall will blame me for her family's disgrace and that might well be the end of my hopes. Not only will I be without a career, but I shall also be without the woman that I wish to marry.' He dropped his head into his hands – a picture of despair.
Darcy thought for a moment. 'Shall we deal with each matter in turn? Send the gentlemen and their mistresses away first and wait for the dust to settle. There will be time enough to tackle the other two problems.'
'The majority of those cavorting in your West Wing are my superiors. It will give me a great deal of pleasure to be in position to give them their marching orders. One of those we originally suspected is amongst the rest of them but I can think of no way to reveal his involvement.'
'Surely there must be some you can rule out categorically? Come – we have a while before everyone retires – let us make a list of who is here and who absent and see if we can make some sense of it.'
After the first hour went by Darcy believed they had narrowed it down to three possible candidates, none of them were known to him, and only one of whom was with the other reprehensible gentlemen in the West Wing. 'This brigadier fellow seems the least likely of the three – is there any way we can rule him out too?'
'If word of his misdeeds here reached his wife there would be hell to pay. I'm sure with a little gentle persuasion I can convince him to answer a few questions.'
'Are you suggesting blackmail? That doesn't sit well with me.' Darcy pushed back his chair and went to fetch himself a third glass of brandy. 'It's damnably quiet out there – I think my guests have already retired.'
A Spy at Pemberley Page 19
