Page 77 of The Shades of Pemberley

The search discovered nothing, for there was little more than clothes and other personal items among Mrs. Younge’s possessions.

There were no letters, such that Darcy suspected she had disposed of any letters she had received from any sources outside of the house.

Mrs. Mayfield reported there were few items at all among her possessions, a circumstance that further heightened Darcy’s suspicions.

Though she had never appeared a sentimental woman, anyone must accumulate keepsakes, items of little value to anyone but the owner, but there were few such articles in her possession.

It was as if the woman had not existed before coming to work for the Darcy family, for there was nothing among her effects that pointed to a previous life.

“Do you know anything about her past?” asked Bingley when the housekeeper reported the failure of their search.

“Nothing more than what Lord Matlock uncovered in his investigation,” was Darcy’s absent reply. “Fitzwilliam knows nothing more, for he was not involved in her hiring.”

Bingley nodded, distracted. “Then the woman is an enigma.”

“An enigma who appears to be concealing significant secrets,” agreed Darcy.

“True.”

WHEN THE SUMMONS ARRIVED , unlike Darcy, Fitzwilliam’s thoughts turned to the drama surrounding Mrs. Younge’s removal from Darcy’s house.

Darcy was not deficient and, indeed, Fitzwilliam considered him among the cleverest of men, but he was also inexperienced in such skullduggery as the family had endured of late.

Fitzwilliam was not experienced himself, but his involvement with the detested George Wickham and his time in the army, investigating incidents in the various regiments in which he had served, had honed his sense of when something was amiss.

“An intruder was discovered in the upstairs apartments, you say?” asked his father when the footman bearing the summons delivered his message.

“Yes, my lord. Barnes was on duty and discovered the man, but he fled before we could capture him.”

Lord Matlock exchanged a look with Fitzwilliam and offered a nod to the footman. “You may tell Darcy that we shall come at once.”

Neither man spoke much of their suspicions, for the distance to Darcy’s house was not great. Upon entering the house, they presented themselves to the butler, who directed them toward the study where Darcy and Mr. Bennet were waiting. Bingley’s presence was a surprise, though not an unwelcome one.

“I might have expected to find you at my father’s house, Bingley,” said Fitzwilliam in greeting to the other man. “Darcy here is not so pretty as Miss Bennet.”

An effervescent grin was Bingley’s response. “No, I dare say he is not, but I esteem him nonetheless.”

“Perhaps we should focus on the task at hand,” said Lord Matlock, dry humor coloring his tone. “What can you tell us of last night, Darcy?”

“Little more than my footmen already conveyed,” replied Darcy. “The man on duty last night discovered a man invading the house, but he fled before anyone could apprehend him. Given his direct flight to the east door, it seems reasonable to suppose he had some knowledge of the house.”

Darcy paused and gestured to Bingley. “It was not until Bingley suggested a connection to Mrs. Younge and Georgiana that I realized why someone might enter the house and go to the family wing rather than the study.”

“Were there any doors left open?” asked Fitzwilliam, putting his jovial persona aside in favor of that of the seasoned campaigner. “Do you know how he entered the house?”

“The only door that might have been left open was the door through which our assailant fled. Mr. Monroe advised me that he had locked that door himself.”

“Good man, Monroe,” said Lord Matlock. “If he says the door was locked, I am inclined to believe him.”

Darcy nodded. “As am I. When I realized the possible connection, I had Mrs. Mayfield search Mrs. Younge’s rooms, but they discovered nothing. Though Mrs. Younge received and sent correspondence, nothing remains in her rooms but her personal effects.”

“Where does that leave us?” asked Mr. Bennet.

Fitzwilliam sat back in his chair and considered. “A typical burglar would go where he thought he would find valuables, not the family apartments. Thus, it seems likely your invader had another purpose in mind.”

With a curt nod, Darcy said: “That is what I thought.”

“Then it is possible whoever entered the house was in league with Mrs. Younge. The question is, what did they hope to accomplish?”

Lord Matlock directed a sharp look at him. “Are you suggesting his goal was to spirit Georgiana out of the house?”

“Consider the facts, Father.” Fitzwilliam ticked each point on his fingers.

“Mrs. Younge forged her references and obtained the position by deceit. Then she attempted to remove Georgiana from our immediate oversight. If she had succeeded, she could have handed our girl to anyone, and we would not have known it until too late. Then you have an intruder in the house where one should not go. All this adds up to a man who wished to hold Georgiana for ransom and became desperate when his confederate was exposed.”

“I had considered the possibility of a wish to retrieve damning letters from Mrs. Younge’s room,” said Darcy.

Fitzwilliam regarded his friend and offered a slow nod. “Yes, that is a possibility, though your housekeeper’s search seems to rule that out. As I am aware of Mrs. Mayfield’s competence, I suppose she was thorough.”

Darcy nodded but did not speak.

“All this presupposes there is a man in league with Mrs. Younge,” said Lord Matlock.

“That seems all but certain now, Father,” said Fitzwilliam.

“If you consider it, that was a missing link in Mrs. Younge’s attempts to spirit Georgiana away.

Acting alone, how could she manage it when there would be at least a pair of footmen on hand traveling with Georgiana? An accomplice makes much more sense.”

“Where does that leave us?” asked Darcy.

“With a renewed need to learn what Mrs. Younge knows,” said Fitzwilliam. “For that, I pledge myself.”

“It also means we must take greater care to protect the girls,” said Mr. Bennet.

“And for that,” said Darcy, “I will pledge the resources of the Darcy family.”

A knock at the door interrupted their discussion—at Darcy’s call, Mrs. Mayfield entered the room.

“I beg your pardon, Mr. Darcy,” said she. “Given the excitement of last night, I checked to ensure everything was in order and discovered that a key is missing from the cabinet in my office.”

Darcy exchanged concerned glances with his fellows. “Can I assume it was the key to the east door?”

“It was,” confirmed the woman.

“Have Mr. Monroe summon a locksmith at once if he has not already. If the man cannot come today, have him post a guard at that door tonight. Can I assume the key will not work in any other door?”

“It will not, Mr. Darcy. I shall inform Mr. Monroe.”

When the woman left, Darcy raised an eyebrow, and Fitzwilliam did not hesitate to respond. “We have our means of entrance and a likely suspect for the missing key. The question is why she passed a key to her confederate.”

“I suggest it was a contingency against the possibility of Mrs. Younge being unmasked,” said Bennet.

Fitzwilliam eyed the other man and nodded. “Mrs. Younge does not strike me as the kind of woman who would forward another’s schemes if she could not benefit from them.”

“She might agree if her confederate threatened her,” said Bingley.

“Or they had some other devilry in mind,” said Fitzwilliam. “She could have assisted him if she were still free, for example, which might have improved her chances of success.”

“Either way,” said Lord Matlock, “we have nothing more than conjecture.”

“Which is why I shall speak to Mrs. Younge at once,” said Fitzwilliam.

“Do you suppose she will reveal anything?” asked Bennet.

“Perhaps not,” said Fitzwilliam. “The longer we press her, the more chance there is of breaking her.” Fitzwilliam offered an evil grin. “It is too bad we are more civilized now than we were a century ago. An hour on the rack would induce her to speak, I will warrant.”

“You would put a woman to the rack?” asked Darcy, bemused.

“To protect my family, I would do much.”

“Then you must restrain your bloodthirsty tendencies, Anthony,” said his father. He turned back to Darcy. “I trust you have already seen to the increased security of the house?”

“There will now be multiple men patrolling the halls at night,” said Darcy with a nod.

“A few extra men would not go amiss,” said Fitzwilliam. “I have some contacts that would provide you with several stout and trusty lads.”

“That would be for the best,” said Darcy.

With that, they adjourned, and Fitzwilliam excused himself at once. Mrs. Younge was not a woman to crack easily, but Fitzwilliam meant to start the process. It may take some time, but he knew that in the end, she would speak out of self-preservation if nothing else.

“THAT IS MOST SHOCKING !” exclaimed Mrs. Bennet later when William explained the situation to them. “To think a snake was in this house the whole time!”

Mrs. Bennet’s fretting was not beyond Elizabeth’s experience.

For her part, Elizabeth was not unmoved by the event; that Mrs. Younge had been plotting against Georgiana for some time was no surprise, though she had not imagined the extent of it.

That they still did not know the truth of the matter was not comforting, though she knew that Colonel Fitzwilliam would do what he could to provide them with those answers.

“What shall we do, William?” Mrs. Bennet continued to moan. “Our daughters and dear Georgiana are in danger from that woman’s confederates!”

“That Mrs. Younge is now discovered is an encouraging sign, Maggie,” said Mr. Bennet. He was not a tactile man, but when he reached out to grasp her hand in his, Mrs. Bennet seemed to take strength from it. “With Darcy’s men aroused to the danger, a man will not penetrate the house again.”

“When the girls go out,” added William, “we will ensure they have adequate protection. We will need to take care, but our measures will protect the girls from any danger.”

Mrs. Bennet offered a decisive nod. “I shall also protect them—no attacker will come close except they must pass through me!”

The sudden change from a frightened sheep to a ravening, protective beast was most amusing, as the grins on her husband and father’s faces attested. Mr. Bennet spoke to hide their mirth and ensure his wife understood that her protective instinct was most welcome.

“With you hovering over them, I cannot but suppose no attacker will dare come within a city block of your daughters.”

A resolute nod was her response, for Mrs. Bennet had heard nothing of irony in Mr. Bennet’s voice. “Victoria will also assist, for I know my daughters are as good as her daughters in her eyes.”

“That they are, Margaret,” replied Mrs. Darcy, her eyes shining with diversion. “If we handle it correctly, the girls will not even know we are restricting their movements.”

Mrs. Darcy turned to William. “Can I suppose you do not mean to inform them of the potential danger?”

The two men shared a glance. “To own the truth, we have not discussed the subject.”

“There are advantages and disadvantages to each,” mused Mr. Bennet. “Ensuring the girls are aware of any potential troubles will make them more observant, but it might cause excessive apprehension.”

“Will it keep them safer?” asked Elizabeth. “If a man can harm one of them, a little extra caution will assist, but I cannot imagine it will prevent him from doing as he pleases.”

“Perhaps we can instill that vigilance without speaking of the matter openly,” said Mrs. Darcy. “The world has dangers enough; instruction to take care in all situations will be enough without bringing them excessive worry.”

“We may even use the intrusion as an example without being more explicit,” suggested Elizabeth. “The girls are not deficient—they know there are those in society who are not benevolent.”

William glanced at Mr. Bennet, who shrugged his agreement. “Then that is what we shall do.”

The impromptu meeting adjourned, Mrs. Bennet and Mrs. Darcy left together to return to the younger girls, while Mr. Bennet wandered off to the library to resume his reading unless Elizabeth missed her guess.

Soon, she was left alone with her husband, not hesitating to perch herself on his knee at his invitation.

“What do you think of this business?” asked she as she leaned her head on his shoulder, his arms snaking about her.

“There appears to be more happening than we were aware,” said William. After a pause, he added: “To own the truth, I wonder if there is yet more than we know.”

Concerned, Elizabeth pushed away again and regarded him, eyes searching. “What do you mean?”

With a shake of his head, tinged with a hint of frustration, William said: “I am uncertain. These past months, from the news of my inheritance to this latest interruption of our peace, all seem connected, but there are pieces of the puzzle we still lack. I cannot help the premonition that we still have more to discover.”

“The identity of our mysterious invader, for example,” said Elizabeth, again leaning against him.

“Among other things.” William sighed and drew her closer. “This appears to have been a coordinated plot against Georgiana, Elizabeth.”

“Does that not suggest someone known to her?”

“I cannot imagine who it might be,” said William. “The familiarity of the intruder with the house seems to suggest as much.”

“Then I suppose there is nothing we can do but protect her as best we can.” Elizabeth shook her head. “I cannot suppose Kitty and Lydia are in any danger.”

“Unless this mysterious conspirator decides they present a viable path to getting what he wants. If ransom is his game, any of the three would be sufficient.”

Thereafter, they fell silent, the full implications of the danger making itself known to them both. They drew together for comfort, staying in that position for some time, two souls united, worried, but determined to protect what they were building together.