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Caroline nodded slowly. “All right, all right. Let’s assume that you are Mr. Wickham, and you have decided to debauch two young girls in succession.

Well, perhaps it did not go that way at all.

Perhaps, you—as Mr. Wickham—tried something with Lydia, ended up unsuccessful, and then decided to take Georgiana as a consolation prize. ”

“Do you think Lydia escaped him, perhaps? Ran off on her own?”

“I don’t know,” said Caroline. “What I am getting at, though, is that you would want a place to carry out said debauchery, would you not?”

Elizabeth nodded slowly. “All right, I suppose. But you, as Mr. Wickham, could do it in a carriage. ”

“Perhaps,” said Caroline. “Perhaps you could. But if you do that, you are going to have to convince the girl with you to allow such liberties there, and you have gotten her to go with you on the promise of marriage, undoubtedly, and she may resist such a thing. It would be better, easier, to make her comfortable, and that would probably facilitate someplace with a bed.”

“An inn?” said Elizabeth. “But he would have to pay for such a thing, and does he have the money for that?”

“Maybe he won it in cards?”

Elizabeth was remembering something that her husband had said about how Mr. Wickham had gotten Georgiana’s companion to assist him in attempting to elope with her before.

“Or maybe you know someone who currently runs a boarding house in London, and maybe you get her to give you a room with a bed for free.”

“What?” said Caroline.

“Mrs. Younge, the former companion to Georgiana, is disgraced and turned out and my husband told me she runs a boarding house here in town.”

Caroline nodded, eyes bright. “He must have taken Lydia there. Maybe she’s still there, in fact. Maybe he left her there and went after Georgiana.”

Elizabeth wanted this to be true. It was so much better than Lydia wandering the roads on the way to Scotland, ruined and ravaged and frightened.

She would still be in a very awful state, of course, but she could be indoors, safe enough, perhaps…

though alone in a boarding house was still very bad.

She shot to her feet. “I have to go and seek this place out. I have to go now.”

“Yes,” said Caroline, also getting to her feet. “You came here in your carriage. Let me but get my pelisse, and I shall accompany you.”

“Oh, Caroline, you do not have to do that.”

“I most certainly do,” said Caroline. “I shan’t let you go off to that part of London on your own.”

Elizabeth considered this quickly and only nodded. “Thank you.” A pause. “But your sister and brother will prevent it.” If Mr. Hurst was a different sort of man, he’d likely offer to go himself, but she well knew that if he found out, he would only stop anyone from going anywhere.

“Likely, yes, so we shan’t tell them that is where we are going,” said Caroline. She marched across the room.

Elizabeth followed her.

Caroline went directly to the front door and asked one of the servants to fetch her pelisse and reticule. “If my sister inquires, tell her I have gone to spend the day with Mrs. Darcy. Tell her we are scheming a match, and it will take us quite some time. I may not be home for dinner, even.”

The servant hesitated, and Elizabeth knew that this was rather irregular, that unmarried women did not announce their leaving, but usually asked permission. The servant might bear the brunt of bringing these tidings.

“We are in a bit of a hurry,” said Caroline, imperious.

The servant nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

And then they were off, without any interference from Caroline’s sister or brother-in-law.

When they instructed the driver where they wished to be taken, he was alarmed. But Caroline spoke up again in that same imperious tone, and the driver took them to that part of London.

In the carriage, they discussed how exactly they were going to find this exact boarding house when they only knew Mrs. Younge’s name, and they determined they would simply have to go into these establishments and ask questions.

Someone must know of Mrs. Younge and would give them the address of the place.

When the carriage stopped, the footman opened the door and stuck his head in. “Begging your pardon, Mrs. Darcy, and I mean no disrespect, but I think, if the master hears of us having brought you here, he won’t be pleased.”

“You will allow Mrs. Darcy to deal with her own husband,” said Caroline haughtily. “Now, help us down, sir, and stay close. We are going to make some inquiries, and it is likely we shall be back inside in moments with the address of the place we seek. ”

But Elizabeth realized something. “You have been employed by the family for some time, have you not? You may have known the woman we are looking for, because she was in the Darcy employ. She was Miss Darcy’s companion before she was dismissed.”

“You are speaking of Mrs. Younge, ma’am?” said the footman.

“Indeed,” said Elizabeth. “We are. You did know her.”

“Well, she did not spend a great deal of time downstairs, of course. She was not a servant in the way we are servants, you understand, but yes, we knew of her. You wish to find her?”

“We do,” said Elizabeth. “My understanding is that she is running a boarding house somewhere in this part of town. You wouldn’t happen to know where that boarding house might be?”

“I don’t,” said the footman. “But one moment. I think Mr. Simmons might know.” Mr. Simmons was the driver. The footman shut the door.

For several moments, Elizabeth and Caroline could hear a muffled conversation between the two men. Then, it ended, and the footman opened the door again. The driver was standing with him. They both poked their heads in.

Mr. Simmons said, “He tells me you’re trying to go to Virginia’s boarding house, is that the way of it? That’s smart, I say. This is to do with Miss Darcy, I assume. I have to say, I wonder that Mr. Darcy didn’t go there himself this morning. It’s the first place to look, really, I think.”

Elizabeth decided not to explain that they didn’t think that Georgiana was there anymore. “Yes, exactly,” she said. “Do you know where it is? Can you take us there?”

“I do know,” said Mr. Simmons. “And I suppose I could, but I wonder if we shouldn’t simply send someone to ride off after Mr. Darcy and tell him to go.

Myself and Timothy here—” He nodded at the footman.

“We can take you home and go ourselves, make some inquiries. No need for the two of you to set foot in such a place.”

Elizabeth was frustrated. She could see that the servants were trying to protect her, but she could not simply sit at home, pacing, worrying, not when she must try to do this herself!

Caroline spoke up again, her voice icy. “Your concern is noted, but what Mrs. Darcy would chiefly like in this situation is to be obeyed. Take us to Mrs. Younge’s boarding house immediately.”

Mr. Simmons turned to look at Elizabeth for conformation.

She nodded. “Please, Mr. Simmons.”

He hesitated.

“I do appreciate your concern, of course,” said Elizabeth.

“Do as your mistress commands,” said Caroline severely.

“As you wish, ma’am,” said Mr. Simmons.

The door shut.

The carriage took off again in a moment. They did not travel very long before the door opened again.

The footman was there. “I’m staying with the carriage and the horses, and Mr. Simmons says he insists on accompanying you inside.”

“That’s acceptable,” said Elizabeth. She hoped it would not be too complicated, however, for she had not made the servant aware of the situation with Lydia.

The footman helped them down from the carriage, and Elizabeth looked up at the boarding house, which looked just like any other house, she thought.

Not a grand town house like the part of London where she currently lived, but something respectable and clean, unassuming as it sat there on the street.

She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting, she supposed. Squalor? Dilapidation?

Mr. Simmons was standing on the sidewalk, waiting for them.

He led the way to the door. “I know you are all-fired to do this yourself, Mrs. Darcy, but if you’d let me speak to Virginia—that’s Mrs. Younge—it might go better.

She and I did know each other. We’d have a cup of tea together sometimes in the afternoons.

I have seen her here and there since she left the employ.

I don’t agree with what she did, mind. Not defending it. ”

Elizabeth glanced at Caroline, who shrugged at her. Elizabeth said, “Mr. Simmons, the situation we’re facing is more complicated than you may understand.”

“Yes, the boy who brought the letter told us about your sister,” said Mr. Simmons.

Of course the servants gossiped! Elizabeth felt her stomach sink. Why, this could all be halfway round London by this point.

“No, no, don’t you be worrying about it getting out,” said Mr. Simmons. “It looks bad on us servants to be working in a house that’s not in order. We will all keep it to ourselves. I will be sure to inquire about her as well, though, so do not worry yourself about that.”

“Well, I appreciate that,” said Elizabeth.

They did not knock on the door. Mr. Simmons simply opened it and they went inside. The door opened onto a staircase, climbing upwards into the house, and a small entryway, closed doors on each wall.

Mr. Simmons strode to the one farthest away and here he rapped on it.

The door opened, and a woman opened it. “Michael!” she cried. Then she spied Elizabeth and Caroline behind him. “What’s going on? Is this about Georgie?”

“Has he been here?” said Mr. Simmons.

The woman sighed.

“Ginny,” said Mr. Simmons, “if you keep protecting that man—”

“Come in,” said the woman, who Elizabeth thought must be Mrs. Younge. “Just you.” She glared at Elizabeth and Caroline. “I shan’t speak to either of them.”

Mr. Simmons glanced over his shoulder. “Just wait here for a bit, Mrs. Darcy. I’ll get to the bottom of this.”

Elizabeth was becoming very tired of having various men tell her that they would get to the bottom of this. She was about to exclaim that she demanded to be given entry to the room when she looked up the stairs and saw him.

Mr. Wickham himself was standing there, looking down at her. He was very still and very quiet, but his mouth curved into a smile at the sight of her.