Page 72 of The Shades of Pemberley
N ews of a serious sort arrived only two days later.
Though he had expected something and wondered if they were not all a little too given to imagining conspiracies, a part of Darcy had always known there was something amiss.
When Lord Matlock arrived in Fitzwilliam’s company that morning, each sporting expressions one might wear to a funeral, Darcy knew his intuition was correct.
“Darcy,” said the earl without preamble, “we must speak. Tell me, is Mrs. Younge about?”
A glance at Elizabeth provoked her to respond. “She is in Georgiana’s room, attending to her morning lessons. Should I instruct the staff to separate them?”
Lord Matlock considered the question, even as he nodded at Elizabeth’s instant understanding of the situation.
“For the moment, I believe there is little danger.” Turning to Darcy, he added: “If Thompson is about, have him guard the door to Georgiana’s room.
When we summon Mrs. Younge as we must, Georgiana can return to the company of your sisters. I assume they are not with her now.”
“Mrs. Younge has made her opinion of my sisters clear,” said Elizabeth, her tone a little curt.
“She does not consider herself obliged to see to their instruction, so they make themselves scarce when Mrs. Younge is seeing to Georgiana’s lessons.
” Elizabeth shrugged, which did little to soften her features or her estimation of the companion.
“I suppose we do not pay her to instruct three young ladies, though to own the truth, I doubt she would give much attention to them even if we paid her to do it.”
“Then she is out of the way for the moment,” agreed Lord Matlock. “If you will see to Thompson and have Mr. Bennet summoned, we can see to this business at once.”
Darcy nodded and had the housekeeper summoned, passing the earl’s instructions to her.
There was little reason to inquire about the particulars of what Lord Matlock had discovered, so Darcy stood with Elizabeth engaged in quiet conversation while they awaited Mr. Bennet’s arrival.
When the gentleman came, he shared a few jests with Lord Matlock, the two men having become friendly since Mr. Bennet’s arrival in town, and though his lordship was not in a mood for jesting, Mr. Bennet’s wit lightened the atmosphere for a few moments.
“Let us discuss this business,” said Lord Matlock when they had all taken their seats.
“As you are all aware, based on our concerns for Mrs. Younge’s behavior, I engaged a man to investigate her.
I received the report this morning, and it has revealed certain truths about her of which we were unaware.
“As I have no patience for long explanations, I shall come out and state it. Mrs. Younge is not a gentlewoman.”
Whatever Darcy expected, he was uncertain that he had imagined such a blunt statement. Elizabeth was in a similar strait, as she stared and regarded the earl through wide eyes.
“Not a gentlewoman at all? How can that be?”
“There are those who can pass themselves off as gentlefolk, Mrs. Darcy,” said Fitzwilliam. “The son of my late cousin’s steward comes to mind. You remember Wickham, do you not?”
Darcy, to whom he directed this last question, nodded, remembering the man against whom Fitzwilliam had warned him several months ago.
It was fortunate, in Darcy’s estimation, that Wickham seemed to have taken Fitzwilliam’s warning to heart—either that or he had decided there was nothing to gain by approaching Darcy as he had his predecessor.
Other than the report of his joining the regiment in Meryton, Darcy had heard nothing of Wickham since the one incident at Pemberley.
“Wickham possesses the manners of a gentleman,” continued Fitzwilliam, “though not the means nor the nobility of one. This Mrs. Younge appears to be the same.”
“Then what are her origins?” asked Darcy.
“Mrs. Younge hails from the Manchester area, a small town to the south of the city.
Her father was a merchant of some repute, and it appears that his wealth allowed her to mingle to a certain extent with the local gentlefolk.
When he passed on, he left the bulk of his fortune to his son, who carried on the business, though Mrs. Younge had an adequate dowry.
It seems she became estranged from her brother and came to London, where she married a man who turned out to be a gamester, one who gambled away most of her fortune.
“Mrs. Younge owns a house in a poor section of London, all she had left when he died, and before becoming Georgiana’s companion, she supported herself by letting rooms in her establishment and collecting rents.
Why she left that life to pass herself off as a lady’s companion, I cannot say, but those she provided as references know nothing about her. She is a fraud and nothing less.”
“Then we must protect Georgiana, Kitty, and Lydia,” said Elizabeth, a decisive note in her voice. “Given her efforts to get Georgiana away from us, I cannot imagine her motives are pure.”
“Perhaps you are being a little hasty, Mrs. Darcy,” said Fitzwilliam.
The look Elizabeth gave Fitzwilliam suggested curiosity. “What do you mean?”
“Just that we do not know why Mrs. Younge passed herself off as a gentlewoman.”
“Does it matter?” was Elizabeth’s blunt question.
“It does, because there may be some danger of which we know nothing. If we incarcerate Mrs. Younge without learning what it is, that danger will persist.”
“You speak of Mrs. Younge’s attempts to induce us to allow the Ramsgate scheme.”
Fitzwilliam nodded. “It seems there is more at play here than a woman attempting to defraud us by portraying herself as something she is not. Given her insistence, I suspect there are others involved—I mean to find out who they are.”
“I apologize, Colonel Fitzwilliam, but I cannot agree.” Elizabeth shook her head—Darcy knew from experience that when she felt herself in the right, as she did now, there was no moving her. “That exposes Georgiana and my sisters to continued danger, which is something I will not allow.”
“Thompson is capable,” argued Fitzwilliam. “Under his watchful eye and the scrutiny of us all, there should be little risk.”
“You had best capitulate now, Colonel,” said Mr. Bennet, his fond gaze finding Elizabeth. “When my daughter gets that look in her eye, there is no gainsaying her.”
“In this case,” said Lord Matlock, “I must agree with Mrs. Darcy. I understand what you are saying, Anthony, but you are thinking strategically. The most important consideration is Georgiana’s safety—next to that, discovering any potential confederates is a secondary consideration.”
Though it was clear he was not in complete agreement, Fitzwilliam subsided. “Then we had best act to separate them at once.”
With a nod, Darcy summoned the housekeeper, instructing her to assign another footman to take Thompson’s place and ask the burly footman to attend them. Mrs. Mayfield did not understand what was happening, but she was an excellent servant and carried out her instructions at once.
“Mr. Thompson,” said Darcy when the man stood before them, “we have discovered some disturbing details about Mrs. Younge. Go to Miss Darcy’s room and escort Mrs. Younge here so that we may question her further.
Miss Darcy should join Miss Kitty and Miss Lydia and stay with them for the moment.
If she asks, tell Miss Darcy that we will explain as much as we can but that she should remain with the Bennet sisters for the moment. ”
“Very well, Mr. Darcy,” said Thompson, bowing and leaving the room. “I shall return with Mrs. Younge at once.”
“Good man,” said Lord Matlock as he departed. “There is no one in your employ more trustworthy, and no one more imposing. A good servant does not question their orders, but Thompson is more apt to obey without question than most.”
“Jameson trusted him implicitly,” added Fitzwilliam.
The wait was not long, for Thompson soon returned, trailing Mrs. Younge, his watchful gaze ensuring she did not try to escape or other such foolishness.
The way the companion held herself, head high, shoulders squared, her posture erect to the extent that Queen Charlotte herself could take notes, one might never think she suspected anything amiss.
It was all a facade, Darcy thought, for the woman must know they had unmasked her.
Darcy looked at Thompson, who nodded to assure him that all his instructions had been carried out.
Before Darcy could speak, Elizabeth rose and excused herself.
“I shall join Georgiana and my sisters; I do not suppose you require my presence.”
Darcy rose with her and kissed her cheek, pleased anew to have such an excellent woman in his life.
Elizabeth, he knew, had deduced that Georgiana must be bursting with questions, and left to reassure her, knowing they did not need her presence for the interrogation.
It was a perspicacious bit of reasoning; the girls would speculate, even if Georgiana knew of their concerns.
“Yes, Mr. Darcy?” asked the woman, no trace of trepidation staining her features. “You wished to speak to me?”
“Sit, Mrs. Younge,” said Lord Matlock, stepping in to assume the burden of the interrogation. “This interview will not be pleasant, nor will it be brief.”
While the woman might prefer to remain standing to keep some semblance of power, she seemed to understand she was not in control. When she was seated, the earl stood before her and laid out the facts as he understood them.
“Based on your insistence on the Ramsgate scheme and your behavior, especially toward the Bennet sisters, I engaged a man to investigate you. Though I will not say I was surprised at this late date, I discovered several pertinent facts about your background, the most important of which is that you represented yourself as a gentlewoman when you are not, and fabricated letters of recommendation you presented to my nephew.”