Page 43 of In Want of a Suspect

“You mentioned that her daughter ran off with a Frenchman,” Lizzie prompted.

“Yes, it was quite the scandal at the time! She left in the middle of the night, and they didn’t marry until they were in France, from what I heard! This was before their troubles, of course.”

By troubles, she meant the Revolution.

“And they had a child?” Lizzie prompted. “Josette Beaufort.”

“Is that her name? I do recall hearing about the girl, although not until years later when she returned to England. You see, what with all theunpleasantnesshappening in France, I believe her mother was never able to return to England. She died without ever having reconciled with her parents. Some attempts were made, of course, to get her and her child out of France, but well... such an unpleasant topic for tea, Lizzie!”

“Attempts?” Darcy asked.

“The Cavendishes were very wealthy, Mr. Darcy. They hired many people to try to return their daughter and granddaughter to them, all unsuccessful—why, even her son went in search of his sister.”

Darcy and Lizzie glanced at each other. Leticia’s father?

“What happened to him?” Lizzie asked.

Mrs. Bennet had just taken a sip of her tea, so they had to wait for her to swallow, lower her teacup, and delicately pat her lips with a handkerchief. “Oh, I don’t know—there were some rumors that he found himself a French wife and decided to stay, but I can’t remember. He was always a bit of a radical, I think. Either way, he never returned and I definitely remember reading that he’d passed.”

“And... did he have any children?”

“How should I know?” Mrs. Bennet harrumphed. “So much interest in the past! I don’t see how any of this ancient history is helpful for your case!”

“You’ve been incredibly helpful, madam,” Darcy reassuredher. Mrs. Bennet preened at the praise, and then proceeded to take up the next quarter of an hour asking Darcy about the health of his sister, his father’s travels, and their country estate.

Meanwhile, Lizzie was thinking. Leticia was the child of Mrs. Cavendish’s lost son, but she had grown up with Josette, which implied that Leticia’s father had reunited with his sister after all. And for whatever reason, they’d decided to stay in France rather than return to England—perhaps it had been safer to stay put than to risk life and freedom making the journey across the Channel to England. But why, then, had Josette found her way to London while Leticia had been left behind? And what had brought Leticia to England now?

When Mrs. Bennet was satisfied with her social visit with Mr. Darcy, he finally stood to take his leave. Lizzie saw him to the door. “I wish you could stay—I still have so many questions.”

“If I impose upon your mother’s hospitality any longer, she’ll start planning a wedding,” Darcy joked.

Lizzie’s eyes widened in shock. “Never mind! We’ll sort it out later.”

“Lizzie, I was only joking—”

“We must speak with Mr. Mullins!” she interrupted, not eager to discuss her mother’s hopes and dreams for her future. “I want to question him without him realizing we’re questioning him.”

Darcy didn’t immediately agree, and Lizzie could tell he wanted to say something.Please don’t bring up my mother, she thought, and was relieved when he nodded and said, “I’ll becurious to see his reaction to the news that Leticia Cavendish is dead,” he said, setting his hat upon his head. “Can you arrange a meeting for tomorrow? You can ask him questions under the guise of updating him about the case.”

“I’ll write him this evening,” she said. “But can you come as well?”

He hesitated, but then nodded. “See if Mullins can meet in the morning, before I have to report to Pemberley.”

His caginess gave her pause. “Darcy, is there something going on at work?”

“Nothing,” he said. “Everything is fine—why do you ask?”

Because he hesitated whenever she brought up Pemberley. Because Mr. Tomlinson had seemed quite insistent that she not bother him. And because after nearly a year of working together, she had a sense for when he wasn’t being entirely truthful.

But she smiled. “Never mind. I shall see you tomorrow.”

Ten

In Which Darcy Receives a Threat, and Mr. Mullins Makes a Surprising Announcement

LIZZIE SUSPECTED.

Of course she did. She was the cleverest woman he knew, and he was an idiot for thinking she wouldn’t.Just tell her, he thought.No need to keep things from her. She’d understand, you fool.She had to contend with working alongside Mr. Collins.