Welcome back to Thursday’s 300!
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The action is starting to ramp up, and Lizzy is beginning to be able to better handle riding in the carriage. Yay! <3
If you missed the first chapter, you can find it here. The second chapter is here.
Chapter 3 is here. Chapter 4 is here. Chapter 5 is here. Chapter 6 is here.
Chapter 7 is here. Chapter 8 is here.
Enjoy!
A Trap Is Set
The next afternoon, Darcy and his sister arrived at the Gardiners’ home to dine. They arrived early in order to give the gentlemen time to discuss the investigator’s report. Darcy and Gardiner removed themselves to Gardiner’s study to talk.
“It is not that we do not want to include you,” Gardiner explained to Elizabeth when she began to object. “We do. However, given the number of unknown variables and your current fears, I would rather hear the information first so I can prepare us both for whatever you need to hear. I know you are an intelligent, thinking woman; I am not saying you are not, but for my own sensibilities, I ask that you indulge me.”
Darcy was pleased to see Elizabeth reluctantly nod her acceptance of her uncle’s request. “I promise you that we will reveal all to you.”
“You will hold nothing back, even if it might be frightening?”
Darcy allowed a small smile to lift the corners of his mouth, his only concession to her fiery demand. It would not do for her to think he was laughing at her, no matter how charming she looked with her hands on her hips and her expression fierce. “We will hold nothing back.”
After a moment or two of examining his face and that of her uncle, Elizabeth agreed to allow the gentlemen to examine the report first. She stepped toward her aunt and Georgiana as the men exited the room.
Just as the ladies were settling in together for a nice, long chat, Maddie was called upstairs to deal with the children.
Elizabeth and Georgiana had chosen to sit together on a settee, and now that they were alone, Elizabeth turned to her friend, taking Georgiana’s hand in her own.
“I do not know if he has informed you, but your brother shared with me your recent trouble. I am so sorry you had to experience such a thing. You are such a sweet girl; your hurt was, I know, very deep. Though my experience in losing someone I love was a different manner of loss, I want you to know that you are free to confide in me or cry on my shoulder or whatever else you might be in need of.” Elizabeth squeezed Georgiana’s hands.
Squeezing back, Georgiana thanked her. “Brother did tell me. I had already told him that you, your words, and behavior have helped me immensely. I promise that if I need you, I will call on you. You are the bravest woman I know. I am inspired by your courage to face a crippling fear.”
The girls smiled at each other until Elizabeth wrapped her arms around Georgiana, hugging her tightly. Pulling apart after a few minutes, they pulled handkerchiefs out of sleeves and reticules with a giggle and a smile, wiping their tear-filled eyes and beginning a whole new conversation.
A half-hour later, Darcy and Gardiner had finished their conversation and were standing in the doorway to the drawing room, listening to Elizabeth and Georgiana as they laughed their way through a story one had been telling the other. Darcy’s whole attention was on Elizabeth. When she smiled, the action took over her entire countenance. Her lips widened as the ends turned up, and her eyes twinkled. Her face glowed with joy and good humor. She takes my breath away, he thought.
Gardiner entered the drawing-room. “What is so funny? You must tell us so we can all have a share in it.”
His host’s words snapped Darcy out of his trance, and he followed Gardiner into the room. Smiling fondly at both his sister and Elizabeth, he seated himself in a chair that was near Elizabeth’s end of the settee. He said not a word, just absorbed the happiness that his two favorite ladies exuded and watched them as they laughed and chattered.
Within a few moments, Maddie rejoined them, and the meal was announced. When they were all seated at the table and the first course had been served, Gardiner dismissed the servants so he, his family, and his guests could speak freely. Clearing his throat, he began, “There has been an update from Mr. Darcy’s investigator. I wish to share the information with you now, rather than wait until after we eat.” Looking to his right, where Georgiana was seated, he addressed her. “Your brother tells me that you are aware of the basics of the investigation.”
“Yes.” Georgiana nodded briefly. “I had asked him about the footmen, and he explained that Miss Bennet could be in danger. I also remembered that your house was broken into.”
“It was. That and other things caused your brother to have Lizzy and her accident investigated.” Gardiner now addressed the entire table. “We do not have all the facts as of yet, but the man seen watching the house has been identified. He is a former tenant of Mr. Darcy’s aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh.”
Georgiana’s head shot up from her soup in surprise. “Aunt Catherine?”
“Yes,” her brother affirmed. “There is more.” Darcy gestured for Gardiner to continue the tale.
Swallowing a spoonful of soup, Gardiner rested the utensil on the edge of the bowl and went on. “This Lady Catherine has a rector, one who has recently inherited an estate.”
Elizabeth’s spoon clattered against her bowl. She gasped, eyes wide and jaw slack. Brutus rose from his prone position behind her chair to rest his head on her shoulder and lick her ear.
Maddie, wide-eyed herself, looked at her niece, and then back at her husband. “What is his name?”
Gardiner gazed directly into his wife’s eyes. “William Collins.”
Gasps from Maddie and Elizabeth punctuated identical exclamations of, “What?” Elizabeth’s hand rose to stroke Brutus’s head as Maddie demanded an explanation from her husband.
“What are you saying?”
“We have no proof, but it seems likely that Collins hired this tenant, Foxglove is his name, to watch our house. It also seems likely that the William Collins who was rector to Lady Catherine is also the one who is now master of our brother’s estate.” Gardiner recognized Maddie’s anger in her tightly compressed lips and narrowed eyes.
Darcy added his voice to the explanation. “We strongly suspect it was Foxglove who approached while you were walking, and that it was he who attempted to abscond with Miss Bennet. If this man was hired by Collins to kill the Bennet family, and Collins knew there was a survivor, he may have insisted the man finish the job. My investigator knows for certain that a gentleman named Collins visited Foxglove here in London.”
“Edward,” Maddie addressed her husband in a soft, controlled voice. “Do you recall what Charlotte Lucas told us? About Collins?”
“I do.” Gardiner sighed. “It has been at the forefront of my mind since Darcy told me the news earlier.”
“What?” Elizabeth looked from her aunt to her uncle, to Darcy, and then between her relatives once more, a mix of fear and confusion on her face.
“You remember we told you that we had removed you to your Uncle Phillips’ home?” Gardiner reached for his niece’s hand, holding it tightly.
“I do.”
“I know that you do not remember that time, but Charlotte Lucas visited you every day. It was she that told us Collins had discovered your survival. She also told us that she had seen Collins’ face when he made the discovery. She said she was frightened at the anger she saw there. She told us Collins masked it quickly, and his manner became that of the fawning fool he had been the first time he visited, but she had seen the emotion nonetheless. Once we heard that, we removed you here as soon as possible.”
Elizabeth whispered, “So then, it is possible that he hired this Mr. Foxglove to kill me here, because he failed in Meryton.”
Darcy watched Elizabeth’s pale face. She swallowed, and as she did, it appeared something changed. The courage that he witnessed time and again made its appearance in the suddenly stiff spine that forced her to sit straighter and the firm set to her jaw.
“Well, let him try, then. I have guards and Brutus and my own wits with which to beat him.”
“That’s the spirit, Lizzy,” Gardiner cheered her on, squeezing her hand once more before letting it go to resume eating.
“What will you do?” Georgiana looked from face to face. “Miss Bennet is still in danger, is she not?”
“Gardiner and I have crafted a plan to trap this Foxglove fellow.” Darcy quickly reassured his sister.
“A plan? I hope you do not intend to keep it a secret from us poor females.” She arched a brow and smiled to soften her words. “I believe I deserve to know it as it pertains to my safety.”
“Not at all,” Gardiner chuckled. “As if Maddie would allow that.”
“If she did, you know I would not.” Elizabeth allowed the ghost of a smile to remain on her lips as she relaxed.
“You have learned well, Niece.” Gardiner winked at Elizabeth before he explained her comments to Darcy. “My Maddie is of an independent bent, and Lizzy has followed in her footsteps. As you can imagine, that makes them formidable foes at times.”
Darcy had been admiring the flush that Elizabeth’s passionate remarks had brought to her cheeks. Forcing his thoughts and eyes away, he responded almost automatically to Gardiner’s words. “I can see how that could happen. I am not a stranger to strong-willed ladies, I assure you. My mother’s family is full of them. My Aunt Audra—Lady Matlock—is a force to be reckoned with, as is Lady Catherine.” Darcy looked at Elizabeth again, his gaze intent and his chest tight with suppressed feelings of love and desire. “I am rather fond of women who know their own minds and are not afraid to speak up.”
Elizabeth blushed and ducked her head. There was no time for a response, however, because the servants reappeared to remove the soup course and bring in the next one.
As soon as possible, Gardiner dismissed the servants again and began to speak of the plan he and Darcy had put together. They hoped to trap Foxglove and have him arrested.
“Lizzy’s maid bears a strong resemblance to her, at least from a distance,” Gardiner explained as he carved the roast. “We plan to dress Sarah in Lizzy’s clothing and send her out for a walk, with the guards we have hired in disguise surrounding her. Our goal is for Foxglove to try to grab her as he attempted to do with Lizzy at the museum. The footmen would then surround them and detain him until the magistrate could come to arrest him.”
“Would that not put Sarah in danger? How can you be certain this man will not just kill her outright?”
Darcy observed Elizabeth’s intent focus on her uncle. Though she continued to eat, it was with a distracted air, and her brow was creased. Knowing her intelligence, Darcy presumed she attempted to work out in her mind the sequence of events that would happen.
Resting his hands, with their eating utensils, on the table, Darcy explained the reasoning he and Gardiner had used. “If Foxglove were interested in killing you immediately, he could have done so at the museum. He did not. He is likely afraid of being caught easily by the authorities. If he removes you to another place, perhaps the edge of town or even in Seven Dials itself, a murder is more easily performed and gotten away with.” He resumed eating, stabbing a piece of beef with his fork and bringing it to his mouth. He continued to watch Elizabeth, though, observing the play of emotions on her face.
“So you feel that Sarah is in no danger? That you, or the footmen, will be right there to rescue her?” Elizabeth demanded as her eyes darted between her uncle and Darcy.
“We do,” Darcy responded with his characteristic firmness, but at the same time, he wondered at her questions and what was going through her mind.
“Then I will go. I will draw him out.”
“No! Absolutely not.” Darcy’s expression was thunderous. He had known for some time that Elizabeth hated to be seen as weak, but he was horrified that Elizabeth would entertain such a foolish idea. He was joined in his exclamations by her uncle and aunt.
“It is me he is after; I am not afraid, and did you not just a moment ago reassure me that you would be right there, you and the footmen, to stop him from taking me?” Elizabeth’s jaw set and her eyes flashed fire. “Sarah did not ask for this, to be used as bait to draw out a possible murderer. This is my life, and my servant, and I will make the decisions.”
A chorus of denials rang through the room, but Elizabeth would not be swayed. In the end, the gentlemen gave in; they could see no other way to resolve the impasse once Elizabeth began speaking of forbidding Sarah from assisting. Sarah’s pay came from Elizabeth’s allowance, and her employment was at Elizabeth’s discretion. The conversation ended with a satisfied grin plastered on Elizabeth’s face and the heads of the rest of the party shaking in frustration.
As the evening ended, Darcy pulled Elizabeth aside to speak to her privately while his sister fare-welled the Gardiners.
“Are you certain you wish to put yourself in danger?” Darcy took both of Elizabeth’s hands in his. “Your maid is a far better choice. So much could go wrong; I fear the outcome.” He looked into Elizabeth’s eyes and allowed his unease to show in his lowered brows and the deep crease between them.
“She is a far better choice for you, I am certain,” Elizabeth smirked.
Darcy sighed, looking down at their hands, clasped together still. “Will nothing I say make a difference?” He peeked up at her with his head still lowered, sensing her annoyance dissipating.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes at his ploy. Then, tilting her head and struggling to keep a grin off her face, she quietly replied, “No, it will not. I am decided, and nothing shall sway me from my course.”
“Truly, I am concerned for your safety. I have only now found you. I- I … do not wish to lose you before I even win your heart.”
Elizabeth squeezed his hands and softened her tone. “I will be well, Mr. Darcy. I trust my uncle to keep me safe, and I trust you, also. Should we not think positively in this matter?”
Darcy’s eyes lowered once more, and with a second, deep sigh, he squeezed her hands and looked her in the eye once more. “Very well. You may have your way in this. You are a stubborn woman, I grant you that. You will fit in well with the ladies of my family, I think.”
“I hope so,” Elizabeth replied in a quiet voice.
Darcy rubbed his thumbs over the backs of her hands, hands he refused to surrender just yet. “They will love you.” Just as I do. Over her shoulder, he could see his sister and the Gardiners moving in their direction. “If you change your mind about participating, tell your uncle immediately. No one will think less of you for it.” Letting her go, he bowed to her. “Good night, Miss Bennet. Sleep well.”
More goodbyes were spoken all around, and then Darcy and Georgiana were out the door.
~~~***~~~
The next evening, the Gardiners’ carriage pulled up outside a sedate townhouse on Grosvenor Square. Distinguished from the homes on either side of it by columns that rose from just over the tops of the arches over the doors and windows on the ground floor to just under the edge of the roof, the home had a stately feel to it. Any coldness was banished by the warm glow of candles in the windows.
“It is a beautiful home.” Maddie always enjoyed driving up and down the streets of Mayfair, looking at the houses and imagining the lives of those inside. To have the opportunity to see inside one, and it being the home of an earl, no less, was exciting to her; and though anyone looking at her calm and serene demeanour would not know it, she was jumping up and down inside.
“We have Lizzy to thank for the opportunity. You know a peer would not have invited a tradesman to his home under normal circumstances.”
“I am aware of that, Edward, but we do have the opportunity. This is our chance to show the earl and countess that not all tradesmen are loud and coarse. You are the grandson of a gentleman, and I am the daughter of one. We do know how to behave and converse in their circles.”
“We do, my love. No need to be so defensive.” Gardiner touched Maddie’s hand, winking at her when she huffed at him.
The carriage stopped. Brutus sat up from where he had been lying across Elizabeth’s legs, and the humans of the group tugged on their gloves and adjusted their hats. Within moments, the three were standing on the walk in front of the house. As had become normal for them, they were waiting for Elizabeth to regain some of her composure after the ride. The door opened, and Darcy strode down the steps to greet them.
“Welcome to Matlock House.” Darcy greeted the three with a bow and then stepped to Elizabeth’s side. “Come, my-” Darcy paused before he could say too much. “Come in and warm yourself. I asked my aunt’s butler to have a seat and a glass of warm cider for you beside the fire in the entry hall.”
Nodding, Elizabeth took his arm, and the four of them walked up the four shallow steps to the door. Upon entering, Darcy tenderly assisted Lizzy with her pelisse, bonnet, and gloves, and led her to the fire, seating her before it and handing her the libation.
“My aunt and uncle await us in the drawing room, but are aware that it will take Miss Bennet a few minutes before she is ready to meet them.”
Gardiner smiled. “Again I thank you for your consideration. I gave her some port before we left in the hopes that she would be calmer. She did very well on the ride over, but Brutus was with us.”
“Good, good. I am happy to see her improving! Brutus does not need a place in the kitchen while we eat?”
“No, I set one of the footmen to sitting with him, and I suspect the coachman will shelter in there, as well. The air has taken a cold turn today.”
“That it has.” Darcy shivered as he remembered the wind whipping his greatcoat open when he handed Georgiana down from the carriage a few minutes previously.
Gardiner’s prediction was correct, and within a short while, Elizabeth was warm and calm and ready to face Darcy’s relatives. Taking her hand and tucking it under his elbow, he escorted her toward the drawing room, her aunt and uncle following.
“Are you nervous?” Darcy had noticed Elizabeth taking a deep breath and smoothing her skirt with her free hand.
Glancing up at him, she replied, “A little, yes. It is not every day one meets a peer of the realm.”
“I have every faith in you. They will be charmed, I am positive. They are already inclined to think well of you because I do.”
Elizabeth’s lips quirked up in a small smile. “That is good to know.”
They had arrived at the drawing room, and Darcy waited for the footman to open the door. Taking a deep breath, for he was almost as nervous about this meeting as Elizabeth was, he stepped forward, leading her and her relatives into the room.
To be continued …
