The Disappearance of Georgiana Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Mystery by Regina Jeffers Page B

doubts.”
    His eyes narrowed in arrogance. Her smile announced how pleased she was at having bested his plans for the woman. He could not permit the girl to walk away, but not for the reasons his mother suspected. She thought only of the possible profit. He thought of the possibility of losing a woman he had yet to meet properly. “I be considering your words,” he warned menacingly. He would have to discover another way of diverting the danger in which his mother had embroiled them, but for now, he would play the hand she had dealt him.

    She thought of her family’s letter. The news had sent her racing across the moor. Foolishly trying to outrun the pain. As she considered it now, she realized the Countess had written in haste. Without all the facts. If Edward were truly dead, she would have known immediately. Her heart would have split in halves. She would have felt the emptiness—the dark void of losing the man she dearly loved.
    â€œInto such a conundrum you have gotten yourself,” she moaned. The cot’s edge cut into her side as she turned herself to lie flat on her back. “Think, Georgiana,” she chastised herself. “You must think your way clear of this.” The darkness filled the room, and she accepted her need to sleep. “A few hours. Dream of Edward and of Fitzwilliam and of Elizabeth. Dream of your family.”

    Mr. Bennet had waited patiently for the return of Pemberley’s guests. A light knock on his sitting room door signaled his daughter’s concern. “Come in, Lizzy,” he called.
    The door opened immediately, and she slipped into the room. “How did you know it was I?” she asked as she joined him before the empty hearth.
    â€œWho else would call on an old man besides a beloved daughter?” He reached for the glass of brandy on the side table.
    Elizabeth sat quietly and waited for him to finish his drink. “Did you have your evening meal?”
    â€œMrs. Oliver sent up a tray.” He paused before adding, “I spent some time in the nursery with my grandchildren. They grow so quickly; I wanted to capture a few moments to add to my memories.” His smile turned up his mouth’s corners. “Your Bennet will give Jackson a rough way to go—very much as you did with Jane. You always ruled the Bennet nursery.”

    â€œOne cannot forget Mr. Darcy’s propensity to organize his world,” Elizabeth said with her own smile of amusement. They sat in silent companionship for several minutes. “Did Lydia and Lieutenant Wickham stay at the cottage?”
    He marked his place in his book with what she recognized as a poor piece of embroidery with which she had presented him when she was twelve. It pleased Elizabeth that he had kept the stiffened material as a memento of her affection for him. “Lydia has remained. Your mother has agreed to stay with your sister.”
    Elizabeth’s tone betrayed her surprise. “Has Lieutenant Wickham departed?”
    His mouth tightened into a firm line. “Mrs. Bennet and I walked in on Lieutenant Wickham’s angry response to his eviction from Pemberley.”
    â€œWhat do you mean by angry response ?” Elizabeth demanded.
    â€œYour imagination is not required,” he cautioned.
    Elizabeth sat forward in agitation. “Lieutenant Wickham struck Lydia?”
    â€œI do not expect it to have been the first time,” he said softly. “Your sister’s husband berated her with words of his many conquests.” He expelled a deep sigh. “What future have I encouraged for my child?” he whispered.
    â€œOh, Papa.” Elizabeth slumped heavily into the chair’s cushions. “It was not your fault. You did what you thought necessary to protect Lydia and the family. We all required the rescue of Lydia’s reputation, but none of us would ever have wished such a fate on any woman, especially not on someone as emotionally