Page 99 of A Matter of Murder

“Clara Jeffries?”

The men stopped, surprised at Lizzie and Georgiana’s presence. Georgiana looked at Lizzie. “Do you know these ladies?”

The other young lady turned, and beneath her simple straw bonnet Lizzie saw another familiar face: Sally Burton. And she did not look pleased to see Lizzie.

“Yes,” Lizzie said in shock.

“We found them climbing the wall back there,” said the man holding on to Sally. “And they tried to run.”

“Well, they wouldn’t let us through the front gate, so we had to get creative,” Sally said.

Lizzie set Guy down, no longer alarmed. “What on earth are you two doing here?”

Sally glared at Lizzie. “We’ve unfinished business.”

“Miss, I think we really ought to take these ladies to the gatehouse now,” said one man to Georgiana.

“Lizzie, do you think they are dangerous?” she asked.

“Dangerous? Us? That’s rich!” Miss Jeffries looked affronted. Sally was still glaring.

“I don’t think so,” Lizzie said. “I’d prefer if you brought them back to the house so we can have a proper chat.”

“But Mr. Darcy said—”

“We’ll fetch my brother. But Miss Bennet knows these ladies, and she doesn’t think they mean us any harm.”

“Neither of them is the lady we are on the lookout for,” Lizzie assured them.

In the end, Mr. Travers himself came to escort Miss Jeffries and Sally to the house, where they were brought into the library, disturbing Charlotte as she pored over an open book. She looked up in surprise when Lizzie and Georgiana entered, and surprise turned to shock when she saw Sally and Miss Jeffries follow after, their hands restrained. Lizzie quickly explained what had transpired, and then convinced Travers to remove the ladies’ restraints. Charleston went to fetch Darcy, and Lizzie, Charlotte, and Georgiana sat down across from the detainees with Mr. Travers hovering nearby, refusing to leave them alone.

“Well, I have to say—you two are among the last people I expected to encounter today,” Lizzie said.

“You were hoping for someone else?” Sally said with a sneer.

The vitriol in her expression took Lizzie off guard. “No. Not exactly. As you can see, the estate is... on edge.”

“Oh, we saw,” Clara said, giving Sally a not-so-subtle nudge. “The one at the gate wouldn’t let us in and wouldn’t even pass a message to you. I told Sally we ought to just go back to Lambton and write you a letter, but no. She had to climb the wall and get us caught.”

“No unknown visitors pass through the gate,” Travers said. “And Mr. Darcy told me last night that he wasn’t expecting anyone.”

“He wouldn’t be,” Sally snapped. “We came all on our own.”

Lizzie had never seen Sally look so furious—except for whenMr. Oliver had threatened her grandparents. “Why did you?” And then something worse occurred to her—what if they were bringing news from Netherfield? “Is it your grandparents? Caroline? Jane?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know exactly why we’re here!” Sally’s eyes flashed dangerously. “You think you can just abscond in the night and get away with it?”

Lizzie gaped at her. Now she was truly confused. “Get away with what?”

Sally scoffed. “That’s right—deny, deny, deny. I thought you were supposed to be a solicitor. What, you don’t have a better argument planned?”

“I truly don’t know what you’re talking about,” Lizzie said, looking at Charlotte with bewilderment. Her friend appeared to be equally confused.

“Fine.” Sally leaned forward, her ice-blue eyes sharp. “I know what you stole.”

“Stole?” Lizzie echoed. “I didn’t steal anything!”

“You took the Netherfield treasure!”