Page 91 of A Matter of Murder
“Well, I certainly don’t want to go into hiding, Darcy, but—”
“Come to Pemberley.”
The words felt right the instant he spoke them. Everyone turned to look at him. “Pemberley is safe. I would trust everyone on the staff with my life, and Mrs. Reynolds knows everyone who works under her—there’s not a chance that Lady Catherine could infiltrate Pemberley. We’d be far from London but still in somewhat easy contact with Graves, and we can strategize our next move in safety.”
“Pemberley,” Lizzie repeated. “But Darcy, your father—”
“Forget my father,” he said. “I don’t care what he thinks. I only care about your safety.”
“I don’t like the idea of you going off alone,” Mr. Bennet told his daughter.
“Oh, Papa,” she said. She crossed the few steps between him and took his hands in hers. “I’m not a little girl. Lady Catherine isn’t going to forget me because I’ve managed to evade her. I know you’re scared for me, but please. Let me try to catch her before it’s too late.”
Mr. Bennet was not a man of many words, but Darcy witnessed an array of warring emotions crossing his face—angerand sadness, stubborn resistance, and defeat. What must it be like to have a father who cared as much as Mr. Bennet cared for Lizzie? And not only cared for her but respected her. If Darcy were to ever become a father, he’d only be so lucky to be like Mr. Bennet.
“All right,” Lizzie’s father said, clapping a hand on her shoulder. “But you must promise me—”
“I’ll be careful,” she said, and hugged her father. “Thank you, Papa.”
When her father finally released her, Darcy lowered his voice, casting a glance around the empty ballroom, strewn with the detritus of an evening gone awry. “We don’t know who might be watching us. But if Lady Catherine or one of her spies is in the house, then we must attempt to deflect attention. Send Mrs. Bennet and the girls to the Gardiners’, and send a carriage back to London. I’ll leave for Pemberley, but make as if going elsewhere—Bath, perhaps. Pull the curtains of all the carriages and keep it secret which one Lizzie takes. It likely won’t fool Lady Catherine forever, but it might buy us time.”
“What about Georgiana?” Lizzie asked. “I don’t want her to get hurt.”
“Pemberley is safe, trust me. Even if word gets out that you’re there, the staff can be trusted. We won’t let anyone on the grounds. My father has more than just servants at Pemberley to watch over Georgiana, and they can keep you safe, too.”
He looked into her eyes and thought what he wanted to say:Don’t leave me. Let me stand by your side. Let’s fight her together.
“I have to say, I like Darcy’s plan far better than yours,” Mr. Bennet said gruffly. “The Dashwood sisters are no wilting lilies, but what sort of protection can they offer you?”
Darcy expected Lizzie to protest. She was awfully loyal to her friends.
“However,” her father continued, “it is your choice.”
Lizzie held herself very still. Her eyes were fixed beyond them, on the fallen chandelier.
“All right,” she said finally. “Let us go to Pemberley.”
Twenty-Two
In Which Lizzie and Darcy Arrive at Pemberley
Lizzie had been very curious about Darcy’s ancestral home, but she had not imagined that the first time she caught a glimpse of it would be after two long days of hard travel with a broken heart and a guilty conscience weighing her down.
They’d left in the early-morning hours after the ball, after some quick hushed discussions behind closed doors. Three carriages had been dispatched in three different directions. One went south to London, one east to the Gardiners’ home, and one north to Pemberley. Charlotte’s and Lizzie’s trunks had been sent on the carriage bound for London, which had briefly stopped in the woods outside the estate so the two young ladies could disembark quickly with nothing but a valise each and Guy on his leash. They waited in the shadows, jumping at every small sound, until Darcy’s carriage came rattling by and picked them up before whisking them north.
Lizzie had been grateful that when she had finally revealed the truth to her friend, Charlotte had opted to come with her toPemberley rather than return to London. She felt more at ease knowing that Charlotte was safe, but Charlotte, for her part, wasn’t very pleased that Lizzie had elected to keep her note from Lady Catherine secret. She wasn’t so petty as to give Lizzie the cold shoulder, but she was quiet the entire journey.
And Lizzie deserved this, she knew. She had chosen selfishly, putting a case above her friends and family. She was glad she’d been able to help the Burtons, and she could tell herself that she’d pursued the truth to help Jane, but it wasn’t entirely true. She’d done so because she believed she’d known best.
And now she deserved the immense guilt she felt whenever she remembered Caroline shoving her to the floor seconds before the chandelier had fallen.Caroline, of all people! She ought to have let Lizzie take the chandelier on the head while she skipped away from the danger. To be sure, it would be Lizzie lying in a room in Netherfield, waiting to recover, but at least then the world would still make sense.
It was late in the afternoon on their second day of travel when Darcy leaned forward and peeked out of the curtains of the carriage. “We’re close,” he said, and there was no mistaking the eagerness in his voice.
“Thank heavens,” Charlotte murmured, waving limply at her face with her fan.
They’d endured the entire journey with the curtains closed tight against prying eyes. Lizzie had wondered if the precaution was a bit much once they were a day away from Netherfield Park, but Darcy had remained strict, not wanting to risk anyonespotting Lizzie on her way north when she was supposed to be in London. As a result, the air in the carriage was hot and oppressive, and even poor Guy whined softly and panted on the floorboards.
But now the carriage slowed, and Lizzie leaned forward to gather Guy’s leash as it came to a halt. “Not yet,” Darcy said. “Stay here.”