Page 41 of In Want of a Suspect
“She’s asking him what his intentions are!”
Lizzie looked beyond Jane to see Lydia with her ear pressed to the closed door. “Lydia, stop eavesdropping!”
She pushed past her youngest sister and let herself into the drawing room.
Darcy was seated in the corner, looking incredibly uncomfortable, while Mrs. Bennet leaned forward in her chair, clearly in the middle of interrogating him. Darcy leapt to his feet upon spotting Lizzie, and Mrs. Bennet spun around to glare at her daughter.
“Mama! What are you doing?”
“How nice of you to join us, Elizabeth. I was just speaking with Mr. Darcy about your outing today.”
“Oh?” Lizzie looked at Darcy, trying to discern whether he’d told her mother about Leticia.
“Am I to understand that he took you and Jane to the scene of amurder?” Mrs. Bennet screeched.
“That’s hardly fair, Mama! We didn’t know that Rotten Row would become a murder scene when we set out.”
Mrs. Bennet turned to Darcy. “I cannot approve of you exposing my daughters to such things, sir!”
“I assure you, Mrs. Bennet, if I had known that such a thing would happen, and in Hyde Park, no less—”
“Darcy, please!” Lizzie interrupted. “Even you cannot predict when a suspect might be murdered! Besides, Bingley was there, too, and you don’t hold him accountable, do you?”
Unfortunately, bringing up Mr. Bingley had been the wrong choice, for it seemed to remind Mrs. Bennet of marriage. “Mr. Darcy, you are spending an inordinate amount of time with my daughter, are you not?”
Lizzie tried to silently communicate with her eyes that Darcy should not answer that question, but he clearly didn’t receive the message, for he responded with, “Er... yes?”
“And do you think that it is appropriate for you to do so when you have not called on Mr. Bennet and expressed your intentions? Even your friend Mr. Bingley calls frequently.”
“Mama!” Lizzie admonished. “I’m a solicitor now, whichmeans I must conduct business with all sorts of people—some of them gentlemen, and, yes, some of them unmarried gentlemen. They cannot all come to Papa and ask for permission for me to merely have a conversation with them.”
“Yes, but you’re doing far more than having a conversation with Mr. Darcy, aren’t you? You’re... working!Together. So much time spent in each other’s company—what will people think?”
“I don’t care what the gossips say, Mama! I care about solving my cases.”
“Wait until your father hears about this,” Mrs. Bennet said. “Not a single one of you has any compassion for my nerves! This enterprise of yours is too much—you’re in and out of the house at all hours, young men coming and going, and now you’re arriving home unchaperoned when you were supposed to be with Jane.”
Lizzie was not normally one without a rebuttal, but her mother’s words stole the breath from her lungs. Her mother wouldn’t bar her from working, would she? No, she couldn’t. Papa wouldn’t let her. But what if—
“Mrs. Bennet, if I may,” Darcy cut in. “I apologize for any distress I might have caused you. I assure you that wasn’t my intention, but I can see how the events of the day might be... alarming. What can I do to reassure you?”
Mrs. Bennet put both hands to her forehead. “I am not unfeeling, Mr. Darcy. I want nothing more than for my girls to be happy and cared for.”
Lizzie rolled her eyes.
“But you must understand my position. I only catch glimpses of you, if ever, and my dear friends tell me they see you about town stepping out with my daughter; and in the meantime I have to pretend that I know anything about it!”
“Mama—”
“Hush, Lizzie! Mr. Darcy, we must see more of you socially. You’ll come to dinner tomorrow.”
“Of course, Mrs. Bennet,” Darcy said. “I would be delighted.”
“Mama. May I please consult with Darcy?” Lizzie asked through gritted teeth. “As you may be aware, our case has taken a dire turn.”
Mrs. Bennet waved her hand, “Of course, of course. But, Lizzie—leave the door open, please! And Lydia and Kitty will stay in the hall.”
Mrs. Bennet sailed out of the drawing room triumphantly, leaving Lizzie and Darcy mostly alone.