Page 63 of Lord Lonbourn's Daughter
The viscount noticed his approach and gulped down a tumbler of port at an alarming speed.
“Crawford, a word if you please?” His tone of voice belied that it was a request.
The footmen nodded and removed a little to the side but not so much as to be out of hearing range. Darcy had much on his mind and decided he would risk it.
“I need you to explain how you came to abduct innocent girls for no apparent reason. I am in no doubt of your culpability. It is only your motive I am questioning. You cannot envy me so much as to resort to such despicable actions.”
“You have nothing I envy, Darcy. Nothing at all! I have a flawless reputation, not tarnished by gambling, fighting, or racing. I have a pretty and pleasant wife with impeccable connections. My future political prowess will vastly improve our family’s standing in society. You may watch me take England to new and unprecedented heights.”
The viscount seemed calm and collected, yet his speech was that of a lunatic. Darcy felt he should remind him of facts his cousin seemed to have overlooked.
“Your father has the seat in the House of Lords, Cousin. He is hale still.”
“I shall inherit the earldom when my father’s time comes.”
A small smile tugged at the corners of the viscount’s mouth. He bent his head to conceal it, but it was a little too late. It was the single most disturbing sight Darcy had ever seen.
The viscount lifted his eyes from the floor once he had reined in his delight at his prospects. His eyes were yet again cold and mirthless, his countenance deprived of any sign of emotion. It irked Darcy no end, and he had to ask, “What about the girls? Georgiana, Lady Kitty, and Lady Lydia—were they only pawns in this high-stakes game of yours?”
“The girls have come to no harm, Darcy. They were well taken care of at all times.”
“You must be delusional! Lady Lydia, the daughter of an earl, is married to a reprobate steward’s son,” Darcy hissed between his teeth. It became increasingly more difficult to keep his voice down when the viscount showed no remorse nor understanding of what he had done.
“Lydia did not seem to mind the connection. She is the most hoydenish wild cat I have ever encountered. One might say she got what she deserved.”
“She is sixteen, Montgomery! Does she not have the right to reach adulthood before you condemn her behaviour? I am sure even you did things you regret during those difficult years!”
The viscount scoffed his derision at his cousin’s assertion.
“I have no regrets. My behaviour has always been impeccable.”
“What about the trauma the girls suffered by being deprived of their freedom? Lady Kitty was held in a laudanum-induced stupor for nigh on a fortnight,” Darcy growled.
“They will recover from it eventually. Besides, it was not my doing. I cannot be held responsible if the girls were behaving so outlandishly that they needed to be drugged to behave.”
Darcy was at a loss for words. The cousin he had known since his childhood as an exemplary man had proved to be prideful, conceited, and devoid of every natural feeling. What would Elizabeth think of him when she found out about his family’s deficiencies? Would she demand they live apart for the rest of their lives? There were only a few pieces of the puzzle left, though; he must prevail regardless of how disgusting it was to stay in his cousin’s presence.
“It was your wife, Annabella, who escorted Kitty to the charlatan, was it not?”
“I have a particularly useful sort of wife, Darcy. Though I have forbidden her to write any more rubbish for the quidnuncs at The Times. It does not suit the future Countess of Matlock.”
“The viscountess is AA?”
“Yes, you had no idea, did you?” The viscount smirked.
“Her initials are not AA,” Darcy protested.
“A-nnabell-A!” The viscount emphasised the a at the beginning and end of his wife’s name. “I realised it a couple of years ago when I noticed some information had been leaked to the press that few were privy to.”
“What about Mrs Younge? What have you done with her? Is she lying dead in a ditch somewhere?” Darcy accused him.
“Do not be ridiculous. Mrs Younge is a genteel lady who lacks only fortune. I have my principles in perfect order, Darcy. She is on her way to the new world to begin afresh with enough coin to live comfortably.”
The viscount’s nostrils flared, and red spots were appearing on his neck. Darcy had finally managed to utter something that rattled him. He was of no mind to relent until he knew everything.
“You were behind the havoc at Lord Longbourn’s ball where all the guests’ garments were left in disarray.”
“A scandal surrounding the earl, scratching his lacquer, suited me when I realised that His Grace’s life was at an end. I was not too concerned about the Earl of Longbourn’s chances of inheriting Chesterfield’s fortune—he has no male heirs after all. Besides, it was all I could manage from a distance. Servants areso greedy. They will do anything for a few coins and a laugh at their employer’s expense.”
