Page 29 of Chasing Shadows
“The last I heard,” Darcy replied, “was when an acquaintance wrote to enquire into her character, not long after the affair, she having sought another post. I did not spare words in describing her conduct. She is, in truth, a female version of Wickham. All she knows is schemes, debts, and deceit.”
“Ramsgate,” the Colonel repeated, more to himself than to them. “Five deaths, and two of them connected in a way to that place. The first three murders were contrived to frame you, Darcy, and you are also connected to Ramsgate.” He looked up then, his brow furrowed. “It is beginning to appear more than mere coincidence.”
Elizabeth found her voice. “What do you think it all means, Colonel?”
“I am not certain,” he admitted. “But we may need to go to Ramsgate. There is something in that town which lies at the heart of this.”
Darcy’s expression hardened. “You do not imagine this the doing of Mrs. Younge?”
“At this point,” Fitzwilliam said gravely, “we are grasping at straws. Yet what if we have been looking at this amiss? What if the hand behind these crimes is not a man, but a woman? Someone like Mrs. Younge. You yourself described her as full of schemes and deceits. She may feel herself as wronged as Wickham ever did, for by your letters you destroyed her reputation whenever an enquiry was made. Who can say to what lengths she might go in pursuit of revenge?”
A silence followed. Elizabeth’s thoughts raced, her pulse quickened. Mr. Bennet, grave for once, looked from Darcy to his daughter. Darcy himself sat motionless, yet Elizabeth saw the muscle work along his jaw.
At last, Mr. Bennet rose. “Come, Lizzy. We have given Mr. Darcy much to consider.” He looked at Darcy with quiet gravity. “I hope this small piece of information may prove of use to you, sir. If there is aught in it that helps uncover the truth, then our errand will not have been in vain.”
Elizabeth rose reluctantly, her eyes lingering upon Darcy. His were still fixed upon her, heavy with unspoken meaning. She curtsied; he bowed low, his hand tightening briefly upon the back of his chair as though to keep himself still.
Thus, they left him and the colonel, Mr. Bennet grave and thoughtful, Elizabeth torn between fear and a strange, growing certainty that Ramsgate held the key to all.
Chapter Sixteen
Elizabeth nearly choked upon a slice of apple she had been nibbling when, through the parlour window, she caught sight of Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy approaching on horseback, their mounts trotting smartly up the gravel drive.
Her heart gave a violent thump.Mr. Darcy? Here? What is he doing at Longbourn?
Ever since she and her father had gone to Netherfield with Lydia’s account of the murdered tradesman and his sudden mention ofRamsgatethree days earlier, her thoughts had been in disarray. She had supposed Mr. Darcy must have departed for Ramsgate at once. Yet no word had reached her, and with no means of confirming his movements, uncertainty gnawed at her incessantly.
She told herself that her mind was occupied only with the danger, with the mystery, with the strange chain of murders that had unsettled all Meryton. Yet Darcy’s image lingered nonetheless—his grave expression, his steady gaze, the solemn trust he had placed in her to guard his confidence. She longed for resolution. Surely Ramsgate must hold some clue, if only for Meryton’s safety, for Mr. Darcy’s peace of mind and reputation—and perhaps for the quiet stirrings within her that she could not wholly put aside.
And now, here he stood, come to Longbourn without warning.
Mrs. Bennet’s delighted cry broke through Elizabeth’s reverie. “Mr. Bingley! Oh, my sweetest Jane, he is come again!”She clutched her daughter’s hand, scarcely able to contain her joy. “Quick, Hill, show the gentlemen in at once.”
Jane blushed, her eyes bright with quiet happiness. Elizabeth could scarcely attend to her sister, for the tall figure who entered just behind Bingley drew her gaze with irresistible force. Darcy’s countenance remained as composed as ever, yet when his eyes found hers, a warmth stirred in their depths that unsettled her breath. And when he inclined his head with the faintest smile, hand brushing the brim of his hat, a flutter rose within her, light and unbidden.
After the initial courtesies, Mr. Bennet stepped forward. “Mr. Darcy, I had not thought to see you in Meryton still.”
Darcy inclined his head. “If it pleases you, sir, might I request a few minutes in private? It concerns the matter you and Miss Elizabeth spoke of at Netherfield. If you have no objection, perhaps Miss Elizabeth might be present as well.”
Mr. Bennet’s brows rose, surprise flickering across his features, before he gave a short nod. “Very well. Elizabeth, come with me. The rest of you may entertain Mr. Bingley until we return.”
Mrs. Bennet, though startled by Mr. Darcy’s solemnity, was far too elated to object. “Oh yes, indeed we shall,” she said quickly, pressing Jane nearer to her admirer.
Darcy followed Elizabeth and her father into the study.
Once the door was closed, Elizabeth, still flushed with surprise, spoke unrestrained. “Mr. Darcy, I confess I did not expect to see you here again so soon. I thought you and Colonel Fitzwilliam had determined upon Ramsgate.”
“At first, that was indeed our plan.” Darcy’s expression tightened, though his tone remained calm. “Yet upon further reflection, the Colonel judged it best to go alone. He believes the killer is watching me. Were I to leave for Ramsgate, it mightdraw attention to the place or, worse, drive the man into hiding. If he suspects we are on his trail, he could go to ground, and we might never flush him out again. It seemed wiser that I remain here and conduct myself as though nothing had changed.”
Mr. Bennet gave a slow nod. “A sensible precaution. Better to keep him unguarded and overconfident than to rouse him to caution.”
Elizabeth drew a careful breath, relief stirring, though unease soon followed. His presence at Longbourn brought comfort enough, yet she knew that Ramsgate might yield nothing. The killer still lurked near and unseen. She held fast to the hope that Colonel Fitzwilliam’s plan would bring them nearer some discovery—that soon, at last, this dreadful business might be brought to its close.
Darcy looked first at Mr. Bennet, then turned to Elizabeth. “I must ask for your continued discretion. The colonel and I have given out that he was recalled to London on official business, occasioned by the greater number of people arriving for Christmastide. Even Bingley knows nothing further, and it is best kept so. Yet as Miss Elizabeth has already been drawn into danger by this affair through her own determination to pursue it, and as it was you who first brought me word of Ramsgate’s possible connection, I felt bound to place my confidence in you both.”
Mr. Bennet inclined his head gravely. “You have my word, Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth and I shall keep your confidence.”
Elizabeth met his eyes then, her pulse quickening at the solemnity of his gaze. He trusted her, and in that trust lay both weight and warmth.
