Page 15

“ Mr Bennet, Mr Bennet,” her mother called to her father, who was seated at a small table by himself, where a newspaper hid him from view.

Occasionally, a piece of cold chicken would disappear behind the paper.

“Come and join us. A friend of Mr Bingley is here to invite us to the races this afternoon.” Lizzy’s father folded his newspaper in half and approached Col Fitzwilliam.

After shaking hands, he pointed out something in the paper that might be of interest not only to the colonel but to the entire party.

“ Have you seen this article in the Henley Standard, Colonel? Perhaps you might be interested, Mr Collins. Charlotte, Sir William. Listen to this.” He began to read.

“ Who is the mysterious Lady Diver? Yesterday, a boating accident involving the Beefeaters Club of London and a small recreational boat nearly ended in tragedy. The boat’s coxswain, a Mr Bingley of London, was trapped under the racing shell and nearly drowned.

Unable to find Mr Bingley once their racing boat capsised, a mysterious woman, believed to be aboard the other vessel involved, divested herself of her clothes and dived in the Thames to aid in the rescue.

A Mr Darcy of Pemberley eventually found the coxswain under the racing shell, holding on for his life and breathing a small pocket of trapped air.

He was soon pulled out of the water to safety.

The lady rescuer swam ashore, but by accounts of eyewitnesses, someone called out to her using the name Izzy, believed to be a sobriquet for the name Isabel.

She was subsequently picked up by her party in a rowboat and disappeared into the crowd.

If anyone knows who this mysterious lady is, please contact this newspaper at … etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.”

By the time her father had finished, all in their party were riveted, even her sisters at their badminton game.

“ Maybe they are talking about you, Lizzy. Your name is almost like Izzy.” Lydia leaned on her racket and scrutinised her.

“ Oh, good gracious, Lydia. You do try to make a drama out of everything.” Elizabeth poured a glass of lemonade for Col Fitzwilliam and glared at her sister.

“ If it was Lizzy, she’d tell everyone. Wouldn’t you, Lizzy?” Kitty piped in.

“ Of course, I would. If I did something heroic, I’d want everyone to know, and why not?”

“ Oh, Lizzy, stop. You are embarrassing Mr Collins.” Her mother tightened her lips as Lizzy’s father turned his attention to Col Fitzwilliam.

“ Not racing with your cousin today?”

Lydia, who never could concentrate on any one thing for very long, looked off around her and sighed. A group of young men in racing whites wandered nearby and her gaze fixed upon them.

“ Let’s go play again, Kitty, you too, Mary.

Perhaps we could get those racers over there to play with us.

” Lydia and Kitty ran off in the direction of the racing team, and Mary dragged along behind.

Elizabeth tried her best to concentrate on what Col Fitzwilliam was saying but needed to reassure herself that Lydia had well and truly directed her attention in another direction.

Col Fitzwilliam stopped speaking and looked expectantly at Elizabeth.

“ Oh, I do beg your pardon, Colonel. What were you saying?”

***

The next two hours passed pleasantly enough for Lizzy, and she was content to lie about on her side on a blanket.

Col Fitzwilliam was affable and remained with them, conversing easily with her, her father, and Sir William, as well as Jane and Charlotte.

Mr Collins pontificated and seemed very pleased with himself while doing so.

After their conversation on women’s suffrage, he never again met Lizzy’s eye, though.

Her other sisters and their newly acquired companions made a terrific noise from time to time playing their game, and Lizzy resisted their entreaties to join in.

Eventually, the young men wandered off to participate in the races.

As the time for the Beefeaters race neared, Lizzy and her family followed Col Fitzwilliam’s lead and left on foot for the river. The colonel offered Elizabeth his arm, and together they walked a little ahead of the rest of the party.

“ I know your secret,” he said once they were out of earshot of the rest of the group.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. “Oh, do you, Colonel. And what is that, pray tell?”

“ My cousin and Mr Bingley told me, under strictest confidence, of course, that it was you who jumped in the Thames yesterday to save Mr Bingley.”

Elizabeth didn’t look him in the eye. “Is that so?”

“ Don’t worry. You have nothing to fear from me. I am the soul of discretion. I must tell you, though, that Mr Bingley is very grateful for your help. He is well aware that, if you hadn’t found him, he would not be racing today.”

“ He is racing? I can scarcely believe it.”

“ He’s the coxswain and steers the boat. If he did not race today, none of them would.”

“ That is very brave of him, I’m sure… and very foolish.”

“ Stiff upper lip and all that.” The colonel smiled disarmingly at Elizabeth. She was beginning to like him very much. “Besides, it’s not the only foolish thing he’s ever done.”

“ Oh?” Elizabeth was intrigued.

“ Yes, it seems that he’s gotten himself entangled with some shopgirl in the city. Can’t let some gold digger turn his head, wot?”

Elizabeth was speechless. He was talking of Jane, wonderful, loving, sweet Jane who had nothing but good intentions and genuine affection for Charles Bingley. It made her blood boil, but she wouldn’t let on.

“ Oh, really. Do go on.”

“ My cousin, Darcy, and his sister put an end to that quickly enough, keeping Charles busy all summer and introducing him to women more suitable for his station. Good plan, I say.”

“ Yes, it sounds like your cousin really did his friend a favour. I’m sure there are plenty of girls who are attracted to a man chiefly because of his wealth.”

“ You have no idea. Bingley is lucky to have a friend like my cousin to look after his interests… and, it seems, his life.”

They fell into silence until Lydia ran up and edged herself between them. “Why do you two have your heads together? Are you telling secrets?” She laughed mischievously.

“ I’m telling the colonel all your secrets, Lydia. He is scandalised.”

“ Oh, that’s wonderful. I’ll walk with him now, Lizzy. Mama wants you to go and walk with Mr Collins.”

Elizabeth gladly left her sister to the gallant colonel and fell back with the rest of the party.

Mr Collins seemed to have lost all interest in her and her sisters and contentedly chatted with the Lucases.

Elizabeth glanced at her mother, who indicated with a shake of her head that she should join Charlotte, her parents…

and Mr Collins. Elizabeth did, but didn’t join into the conversation to any great degree.

She was roiling inside. How could a man like Mr Darcy, who at one moment seemed so gracious and brave even, be so cruel as to interfere with his friend’s budding romance with her sister Jane?

She was angry. Angry with Darcy for his meanness and snobbish attitude, and with herself for being so attracted to him.

***

When they got to the spot where they would observe the afternoon races, the conflict in Elizabeth’s head had become so severe that she felt she couldn’t stay there anymore. To make herself cheer for that awful Mr Darcy would be more than she could bear.

“ I am not feeling well, Mama,” she whispered to her mother as they settled along the bank. “I have a headache. I think I’ll go back to the hotel.

“ And miss the races? Really, Lizzy. Mr Collins will be so disappointed.”

“ I very much doubt that.” Lizzy looked over towards the Lucas family where Mr Collins sat firmly ensconced. Her mother followed her gaze. Mrs Bennet closed her eyes and sighed. Lizzy entreated her mother again, “Really, Mama, I need to go.”

Her mother softened her expression. “I’m not surprised you are ill after dunking yourself in the river yesterday. All right, Lizzy. I’ll have your father take you back to the hotel.”

“ No, Mama. That is not necessary. He is having such a good time. Remember, Jane and I travel all over London alone. I will be fine getting back to the hotel.”

The announcer began his litany of the race participants through his megaphone and the noise of the crowd abated.

“ All right, go on now. We will see you later.”

Lizzy took her leave. She didn’t return to the hotel, however. Not just yet. Winding her way to the walkway along the bank and disappearing into the crowd, she spied a pair she had hoped to find there. “Mary, Constance, hello.”

Smiling widely, they beckoned to her. Joining them, she pulled leaflets from her Chelsea bag.

“ Votes for women. Here, sir, madam. Please take one. Votes for women.”