Page 41 of A Matter of Murder
Lizzie took the letters from her, barely glancing at them. “Thank you! Guy, come.”
Lizzie snatched the leash from the side table as the dog trotted after her and she hurried out into the hall. A lead! It was wonderful to have a new lead. And to have a lead in the form of people who might have been alive when their dead man was placed in that flue... well, that was a break Lizzie hadn’t been expecting!
She was halfway down the stairs before she thought to look at the letters in her hand. The top one was from Marianne Dashwood, and she tore it open, eager for news from home.
Dear Lizzie,
We’ve no signs of Lady Catherine de Bourgh. There, I’ve gotten that out of the way—I know it is the first question on your mind. Graves and I have had a few meetings, and despite what you may think of him, I do believe he’s working very hard to find her. I’ve also had a few meetings with Fred—when he’s not working at his apprenticeship, he goes around asking his friends for help. And Henry—you don’t need to worry about him! He wants to help as well, of course, so Fred has taken him under his wing. But we’re keeping a close eye on him. I have a few more leads to chase down, none of which I want to put to pen and paperin case this letter is waylaid, but have faith, dear Lizzie. We’ll bring her to justice and welcome you home soon enough.
In the meantime, Elinor wishes to share some less pressing news from London...
The rest of the letter was in Elinor’s hand, sharing news of mutual friends and court cases, which Lizzie skimmed. No signs of Lady Catherine! How was the woman able to emerge to send threatening letters, only to disappear into nothingness? It was maddening!
Lizzie got to the bottom of the stairs and made a note to write the Dashwoods back to thank them and to share news of the case at Netherfield. Perhaps Marianne could ask her Dr. Brandon about the body they’d found and offer a few helpful hints for her investigation here...
Lizzie went very still. She’d refolded the Dashwoods’ letter and finally glanced at the second letter. It was a small letter with crisp corners, addressed to Miss Elizabeth Bennet, Netherfield Park, Hertfordshire. But that’s not what made her heart leap.
It was written in Lady Catherine’s hand.
Eleven
In Which Lizzie and Darcy Conceal and Uncover Various Secrets
“Fancy a turn about the gardens?”
Darcy couldn’t help but jump slightly at the sound of Lizzie’s voice, sudden and close to his ear. He turned in his seat at the breakfast table to find her standing behind him, hair slightly in disarray.
“Now?” he asked, glancing sadly back at his half-eaten breakfast.
“Guy needs his morning constitutional.”
He glanced down at the dog, who was sitting rather patiently at the end of his leash. Then he got a good look at Lizzie. She was smiling, but her expression was strained. She was very purposefully not looking at Mr. Bennet, who was reading his paper.You’re up to something, he thought, but he couldn’t help the slow smile that spread across his face. “All right.”
Mr. Bennet finally looked up from his newspaper—delayedfrom London by a day—and said, “Lizzie, dear, let Darcy at least finish his breakfast.”
“It’s all right. I was nearly done anyway,” he said, stuffing one more bite of sausage in his mouth before wiping at his face with a napkin.
“I want to escape before Mama comes down,” Lizzie said, so convincingly that Darcy didn’t doubt her—but he also doubted that was heronlyreason for haste.
“All right, but try not to wander into unsafe areas today.” Mr. Bennet picked up his paper and grumbled, “I thought I was removing you from danger when we retired here.”
Lizzie’s expression turned strained for a moment, and Darcy stood. “Don’t worry, I’ll accompany her wherever she needs to go, Mr. Bennet.”
He might have thought his chivalrous words would win him some favor, but Lizzie just scowled at him and turned on her heel.
He really couldn’t say the right thing at all.
“Lizzie, wait,” he called out as he chased her down the hall. Good lord, but she moved quickly—even Guy was trotting to keep pace with her. “I thought we were going to go for a walk, not a run. I’ve just eaten.”
She slowed down, but just a smidge. “I wish you wouldn’t do that.”
“Do what?” he asked, catching up with her as they reached the door.
“I’ll accompany her wherever she needs to go,” Lizzie repeatedin a falsetto that Darcy would have found insulting from anyone else. As it stood, he tried not to laugh. Lizzie caught the humor on his face and her scowl deepened. “Don’t.”
She stormed outside, and Darcy scrambled to follow her. “What am I supposed to say to your father—that I won’t look out for you?”
“I don’t need looking after. I’m perfectly capable.”