Page 25 of Lord Lonbourn's Daughter
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Dinner at Darcy House
The dinner was naturally subdued; Darcy’s Matlock relations noticed but were too polite to enquire. His aunt endeavoured to lighten the mood, bless her soul, but neither he nor the Longbourn party were in a disposition for levity. Silence reigned until the sexes separated, his aunt taking responsibility for leading the ladies to the music room. He could not stomach the thought of joining them there later, when they were supposed to be reunited. The room screamed that Georgiana was not there to play on her beloved pianoforte. The blasted thing stood unused and abandoned. He felt his hands tremble. He needed to get a grip on himself, at least until all the ladies had left. Lady Elizabeth hung back, whispering something to her father before she followed Lady Matlock out of the room.
“Can someone please explain to me what the hell is going on?” the Earl of Matlock’s voice boomed across the table.
Lord Longbourn took it upon himself to relate as much as he could remember about the ordeal they were facing. The room grew quiet as Lord Matlock and his son contemplated the grave news.
“Bloody hell! What kind of miscreant thinks that they can abduct innocent young ladies from the houses of Darcy and Longbourn and get away with it? When I get my hands on those lowlifes, they will beg to be hanged, drawn, and quartered!” Lord Matlock blustered.
“We must be grateful for Richard,” Viscount Crawford said.
Darcy’s head snapped up. He had not told the viscount that he had enlisted the aid of his brother. Could Richard be so little trusted? He and Longbourn had yet to decide whom to inform, and when his cousin had left, he had requested his complete silence.
“Why do you say that?” Darcy enquired of Crawford.
“The description of the gentlemanlike Midlander must sound as familiar to you as he does to me. Wickham. I am willing to put down a significant sum that it is him, and you know I am not a betting man, Darcy.”
“No, you are not,” he agreed.
“I am sure Richard will do his duty when it comes to it. Father, we should speak to someone at the war office who knows where he is. He should be at home to marry at short notice when Georgiana is returned,” the viscount entreated before a gloomy audience.
“I would advise against that, Uncle,” Darcy protested. “At the moment, we should draw as little attention to our family as possible. There is nothing he can do until we receive the next communication from the kidnappers. I cannot imagine what you believe your brother can accomplish that we are not already doing, Crawford. I shall not agree to anything that might agitate the miscreants to do something stupid. My hands are bound, and my feet are tied by the note they left.”
“I was not suggesting you should go against the specific orders in the note, Darcy,” Crawford tried to mollify him. “By your description, I agree they are not a bunch to be trifled with. The ruffians were armed and have already killed a man, but you can surely see that Richard must marry the girl when she is found. If not, our good name will be shredded to tatters by the gossipmongers. Whether she is ruined or not does not signify as much as the fact that she has been unaccounted for. How many days now? Four? Georgiana must marry, and I cannot think of anyone more suitable than my brother. His sense of duty will outweigh any repercussions her captivity might have had. I dare you to find another such man, much less someone better!” the viscount defended his brother.
“Come now, boys, there is no need to bicker amongst ourselves,” the Earl of Matlock admonished.
“I shall deal with that when it comes to it. I am not of a mind to force Georgiana into something she is not inclined towards,” Darcy pronounced firmly.
“My brother is the best of men!” Crawford protested.
“On that account we agree, but Georgiana should not marry the man I think is best but the mansheperceives to be the best. My father was a religious and righteous man. I promised himon his deathbed that both I and Georgiana would choose wisely when we married because we should do so only once and keep our wedding vows holier than any other vows. He despised the debauchery in high society, loathed the men and women who after the heir was born flaunted their lovers about town. He could not stand for it, which is ironic when you look at how his godson Wickham turned out, but that does not absolve my promise on my own and Georgiana’s behalf.”
“I do not believe your father could have foreseen—” The Earl of Matlock was interrupted by a light knock on the door.
It opened to reveal Lady Elizabeth.
“Pardon my untimely interruption, but I wanted to notify you, Father, that Jane, Mary, and I are going home at the countess’s instruction.”
A ghost of a smile wafted over her countenance when she mentioned Lady Matlock’s orders. Mr Darcy seriously doubted that even his aunt could order Lady Elizabeth to do anything she was not inclined to do. How she instinctively took charge within her own household and outside it spoke highly of her integrity. She was not even the oldest sister, yet it was she, repeatedly, who took on the responsibility of the family’s comfort. He knew all too well what that responsibility felt like, but hewasthe head of his family.
Darcy averted his eyes when he became aware that he was staring at her. He felt the crease between his brows and tried to fold his countenance into a more neutral expression.
“They should not even venture into the street without an escort. Only heaven knows if the house is being watched. Wewould not want to have the rest of your daughters in the hands of those monsters,” Crawford warned.
“Good thinking, Montgomery, would you do the honours?” Lord Matlock suggested.
“Certainly, Father,” the viscount agreed.
“There is a short cut through the mews. They will not need to enter the street,” Darcy mentioned absentmindedly. Their houses abutted, with the mews situated between them.
“Really, why have I never heard of it?” The Earl of Longbourn appeared genuinely surprised.
“We are distantly related—the Longbourn and Darcy Houses. Matlock too, for that matter. The legend says that Bennet House and Darcy House were once owned by two brothers who enjoyed riding together. For convenience, they had a connecting door added in the mews.”
“I do not think we should escort the ladies in their evening attire through the dirty mews.” Crawford looked appalled. He had been well trained by his wife.
