"Good morning, Miss Elizabeth." Mr. Darcy greeted her, standing and bowing as she entered the breakfast room the next morning.
"Good morning, Lizzy," Georgiana greeted.
"Good morning, Mr. Darcy, Georgiana. Pray, be seated, Mr. Darcy. I would not have you stand whilst I serve myself," she insisted, looking over the food available on the sideboard. She filled her plate with several slices of toast with orange marmalade, fresh berries, bacon, and a poached egg. She seated herself to the right of Mr. Darcy and across from Georgiana. He smiled at her, pleased with her seating choice. She smiled back as she poured tea for herself and offered to refresh the tea of her breakfast companions. Georgiana accepted, but Mr. Darcy declined as his cup was still warm.
Watching Elizabeth pour tea for Georgiana as they talked of their plans for the day, Mr. Darcy felt happier than he could ever remember being. The domestic scene they made reminded him of what might be his if his suit were to be successful. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at him. He realised he had been staring at her and looked chagrined. Elizabeth laughed aloud.
The butler came in with the morning post and the morning edition of the paper. Elizabeth opened her letters, one from her sister Mary and another from a friend who had moved to Berkshire upon her marriage a year earlier.
"Brother," asked Georgiana, seeing the ghastly pale hue of her brother's countenance as he read his letters, "What is the matter?"
"I am well, Georgiana. It is Cousin Anne. She is missing, along with her companion," said he.
"Missing? But surely if her companion is with her, all is well," said Georgiana, confused, "They must have simply gotten lost or delayed when they were out."
"No, Georgiana. That is not the case," said he, but did not explain further.
Darcy stood and began to pace, running his hand through his hair.
"Do you think she left of her own volition?" asked Elizabeth. Darcy paled, for he had not considered that she might have been taken. He had assumed that she had simply convinced her companion to help her run away from her curmudgeon of a mother.
"It does not say if any clothes or money were missing as well, but I doubt my aunt would have had the good sense to look. I must ride to Matlock House. I apologise, Miss Elizabeth. I shall not be able to see you to Hertfordshire. I will send a note to Bingley, so he may know. Pray, give my apologies to your sisters," said Mr. Darcy.
"I will, sir," said she.
"And pray, conceal this unhappy truth as long as possible. I know it cannot be long."
She assured him of her secrecy, again expressed her sorrow for his distress, wished it a happier conclusion than there was at present reason to hope, and gave her compliments for his relations before he, with one serious, silent look, was gone.
The ride from London to Hertfordshire was largely silent, for none who knew of the matter would speak of it, and the others could sense that there was something wrong. Kitty supposed that Mr. Darcy and her sister had argued further, for although she had seen them dancing the night before, she could not otherwise account for her sister's low spirits. Yet that did not explain why Mr. Darcy was gone and why Miss Darcy was to remain in London, so contrary to the plans they had made only a sen'night before. Something grave must have happened for the Darcys to be so very distant from them.
The Bennets did not arrive home until late in the evening, for they had not left until afternoon and there seemed to be an unusual number of delays on their way home. Elizabeth went to bed, unsure of what to think or feel. She was not in love with Mr. Darcy, but she did love him as a friend and now the thought of him as a lover had been put into her mind. She wondered what might happen should his cousin be ruined. Would her Papa refuse to allow Mr. Darcy's suit on the basis that it might harm their reputations to have such a cousin?
Then another possibility entirely entered Elizabeth's mind. Darcy's aunt had wished for a marriage between her daughter and Mr. Darcy. Mr. Collins had even claimed they were betrothed, although Darcy had refuted it. Perhaps Darcy, in order to save his cousin, would marry her. After all, she had refused his offer. They were courting, but there was no betrothal, and no court would find him in breach of contract as no papers were drawn up. He had given his word, but that had been before his cousin had gone missing.
The next days were agony for Elizabeth. Her only distractions were the arrival of the Gardiners and the reintroduction of Esther Marie to the family after her term at school ended. Esther made fast friends with her cousins, quickly learning their games and sharing their toys. Elizabeth enjoyed playing all of the typical games with her young cousins and singing with her family. She received several lovely gifts from her family, including a set of pearl hair combs that she had admired when she was shopping with her aunt in London. Yet, she was constantly distracted.
"You do not seem yourself, Lizzy," said her Aunt Gardiner on the day after Boxing Day.
"I confess that I do not feel myself," said she.
"Whatever is the matter?"
Elizabeth went on to relate all of what had happened in the last few days of her visit with the Darcys, trusting that her aunt could be relied upon to keep the story a secret.
"Oh, Lizzy! I do not think you should worry so!" said her Aunt Gardiner, "Mr. Darcy is a man of his word, and does he not have two other cousins who might marry the lady?"
"But I believe Lord Barlow and Kitty may be fond of each other. I would not wish my happiness to come at Kitty's expense," said Elizabeth.
"And what of the other? The second son? Surely, he would wish to marry a wife who comes with an estate. Trust your young man. If he feels as much as he says he does, I cannot help but think that he would do a great deal to ensure you end up his wife, even if it means buying his cousin a husband," said Mrs. Gardiner.
Lizzy nodded but did not quite believe that all would be well. How was it that the moment she found a man that she might someday wish to marry that he was taken away?
At the same time that Elizabeth was speaking with her aunt, the Wickhams were receiving a most unexpected guest.
"Lord Barlow!" exclaimed Wickham when his lordship was shown into their house by their new maid, Jenny.
"Wickham," said his Lordship, "I need your help. We must speak privately."
"Certainly," said Wickham, leading Lord Barlow into the servants' sitting room, for there was nowhere else besides the bedrooms to take him without disrupting his wife or his daughter and her governess.
"You know London better than I. My cousin, Miss de Bough, has been taken, by heiress hunters, I think. Her companion, Mrs. Younge was taken also. They went first into London, so they might be untraceable, but God knows where they are now. "
"Mrs. Younge!" cried Wickham.
"Yes, do you know her?" said Lord Barlow, "I did not know you had seen my relations so recently."
"I have not seen your aunt, nor your cousin since I was a child, Andy," said Wickham, "But I do indeed know Mrs. Younge, or more correctly, Miss Younge, if it is the same as the woman I know. I also know her brother, Mr. Frank Younge. Both from my more…reckless days."
"They are not people of high moral character is then what you imply," said Lord Barlow.
"Indeed not. Mr. Younge was one, even when I was at my worst, that I thought too wicked. It does not surprise me that he and his sister would be involved," said Wickham.
"You can help, then?" asked Lord Barlow.
"I might be able to," said Wickham, "I will try."