by Lilian Swift
“Goodness!” Georgiana started.
“I couldn’t see a sign of any dwellings, so I carried her home and looked after her. I was starting to worry when she didn’t come around until the next day, but when she woke she seemed to know who she was.”
“I remember everything until the accident,” Sally said shyly. “I went to visit my parents, and a butterfly caught my eye on the way. Ever so pretty it was, blue and gold streaks, so I followed it to try and get a closer look. I wasn’t looking where I was going – that’s the last thing I remember, until I woke up here.” She looked up at the farmer, love shining in her face.
“I suppose that explains the ribbon coming off your bonnet,” Lizzy said thoughtfully.
“Yes.” Sally nodded. “It must have come off when I fell over.”
“But what about the buttons?” Georgiana asked eagerly. “We found two small bone buttons and assumed they were yours.”
“That they are, miss,” the farmer spoke. “They dropped off when I was carrying her.”
“They were a bit loose anyway,” Sally added. “I’d been meaning to fix them, but never seemed to have time.”
“Your mother has been very worried about you,” Lizzy said, as gently as she could.
“Oh!” Sally’s hand flew to her mouth. “That is what has concerned me – did she not get the note?”
“What note?” Lizzy and Georgiana spoke at the same time.
“I sent a note with a boy and paid him to deliver it.” The farmer shook his head in disgust. “He said he was passing through and asked if I had any odd jobs for him to do. Even though we are remote, sometimes we do get people looking for work. So I asked him to take a note to Sally’s mother, and also to Pemberley, to let them know what had happened.”
“I twisted my ankle when I fell.” Sally stared ruefully at her feet, clad in shabby but spotless half boots. “Which is why I could not return to my mother – and Pemberley – right away.”
“She was a bit woozy for a few days as well,” the farmer told them. “From hitting her head. So I made her stay in bed until she felt more like herself.”
“Quite right.” Darcy nodded.
“And then the boy came asking for work, and that’s when Robert gave him the notes,” Sally said. “He promised he’d deliver them. I hate to think of the worry Mama has gone through.” She looked like she might cry.
“Now, now.” The farmer patted her on the shoulder. “She’ll be that pleased to know you’re well, that I’m sure she won’t be cross when she sees you.”
“Oh, I hope not.” Sally blinked fiercely.
“But it has been at least four weeks since you were last seen by the staff at Pemberley.” Lizzy could not help herself. She was relieved that Sally appeared safe and well, but why had she remained here once she had recovered from her fall?
“I know, Miss Bennet,” Sally told her. “But see, I thought Mrs. Reynolds and Mama had received the notes, so they would not worry.”
“It’s my fault.” The farmer rubbed the back of his neck. “I persuaded her to stay on with me for a bit. I didn’t want her to go rushing back to work too soon, in case she took a funny turn. And it’s a long way to walk. I didn’t want her taxing her ankle just after it got better.”
“I can understand that,” Lizzy said. It appeared that the farm did not run to a carriage – or even a cart.
“But how did you recognize Miss Bennet’s name?” Mr. Darcy asked Sally.
“Oh, my auntie writes to Mama and tells us all about her ladies,” Sally replied. “Miss Bennet, Miss Elizabeth, Miss Mary, Miss Kitty, and Miss Lydia.” She beamed at Lizzy. “I am sure you are Miss Elizabeth.”
“Why, yes I am,” Lizzy replied. “How did you know?”
“Auntie described you all. She said you are very handsome, with lovely brown eyes, and you enjoy the outdoors, and like knowing things.”
“She has described you well,” Darcy said softly, giving her a look of what Lizzy could only describe as admiration.
She felt her cheeks flush.
“Will you come back to Pemberley with us?” Georgiana asked. “Mrs. Reynolds has not hired anyone else, so your job is still there for you.”
“As to that,” the farmer began awkwardly.
“Robert and I are getting married!” Sally beamed at them.
“Congratulations,” Lizzy said – and meant it.
“Oh – yes,” Georgiana added, looking stunned.
“We were planning on visiting Sally’s mother on Sunday,” Robert spoke. “To tell her the news.”
“And then we were going to see Mrs. Reynolds at Pemberley, to let her know I’m not returning,” Sally added. “Are my belongings still there?”
“As far as I know,” Lizzy told her.
Sally looked relieved. “I do not have much, but I would like to bring what I can to the marriage.” She looked up at her betrothed.
“I told you I’d look after you.” He placed an arm around her shoulder.
“And you have.” She smiled at him.
Darcy cleared his throat. “It is a fair distance to walk to your parents’ farm,” he said. “I will make my carriage available to you tomorrow morning. It will be on the other side of the fell, waiting for you – unless there is another way to reach this farm.” He gestured to the hill they had climbed on their journey to Robert’s smallholding.
“No, sir, there is not.” Robert shook his head in regret.
“That is most kind of you, Mr. Darcy,” Sally gasped. “We thank you, don’t we, Robert?”
“Indeed we do, sir.” Robert bowed. “We thank you muchly.”
Lizzy was touched at Darcy’s gesture. In this moment he did not seem to be the same Darcy who proposed to her at Hunsford.
Sally asked them to stay for some carrot wine, but they gracefully turned down the invitation, Darcy stating they wanted to return to Pemberley before it became dark.
After Sally expressed her gratitude once more for their kindness, Lizzy, Georgiana, and Darcy left the farmhouse.
“I am so glad we found her,” Georgiana declared as they walked toward the looming fell. “Aren’t you, Lizzy?”
“Indeed I am,” Lizzy replied, smiling. “The mystery has been solved. I shall write to Hill immediately and tell her the good news. I am also thankful that Sally has recovered from her injuries.”
“And she is to be married!” Georgiana turned to her brother. “Is that not wonderful, Fitzwilliam?”
“If she loves him, and he can support her, then indeed it is,” he said.
“Oh!” Georgiana tapped him lightly on the arm. “Anyone could see they were in love! Could they not, Lizzy?”
“Yes,” Lizzy replied, aware of Darcy’s gaze on her.
Why was he looking at her so? Sally and her farmer had seemed to be in love – and indeed she was happy for both of them. But seeing that couple together had made her intensely aware of Darcy’s previous proposal to her, and the unladylike way she had refused him.
Oh, he had spoken of love back then, but he had couched his proposal in such a way that she doubted he had loved her. Because if he had, surely he would not have been so stiff and proud about her family.
Could you expect me to rejoice in the inferiority of your connections?
She tried to ignore his gaze, staring ahead at the hill in front of them. The fell they had to climb. And in that moment she realized she no longer had a reason to stay at Pemberley. Sally had been found, safe and well. It was time to return to Longbourn.
Why did that thought make her heart heavy? Was it because of her new friendship with Georgiana? Or was it because of Darcy? However much she tried to deny it to herself, she was still drawn to him in a way that she could not fully describe. Even after his proposal at Hunsford.
But it would not do. She would return home tomorrow.
They climbed the hill in silence, pausing a moment when they reached the top.
“Oh!” Georgiana pointed to a carriage waiting for them at the bottom o
f the fell. “Is that for us, Fitzwilliam?”
“Yes,” he replied, his gaze once more landing on Lizzy. “It is a long walk back.”
“So that is what you were doing after we found the buttons,” Lizzy said with a lightheartedness she was far from feeling. “Signaling to the coachman.”
“Yes,” he replied once more.
She could still feel his scrutiny, and she wondered at it. Unless ... perhaps he had arrived at the same thought she had – it was time for her to depart. Well, once they returned to Pemberley, she would immediately inform him of her plans. Perhaps he would be good enough to hire her a carriage, or else she could arrange for one herself in Lambton. She did not care if it was unseemly for her to travel alone. The sooner she returned to Hertfordshire, the safer her heart would be.
They descended the hill, Georgiana running the short distance at the bottom to the carriage. Lizzy smiled to see her new friend enjoying herself. She would always cherish her time with Georgiana, and perhaps one day in the future, Georgiana could visit them – preferably if Kitty and Lydia were away visiting friends, so their hoydenish tendencies would not influence Georgiana negatively.
Or, if she ever got married, she was certain her husband (whomever he might be) would not object to an old friend visiting. Since she was determined to marry for love, surely her husband would be happy for her to have Georgiana stay.
With that decided in her mind, she followed Georgiana into the carriage. She would not think about the fact that she had turned down Darcy’s proposal. If she had not, why, they might be married by now.
No. She would not think about that.
Georgiana chatted on the way back to the farm, begging Darcy to allow her to be the one to tell Sally’s mother that they had found her.
“If I recall, this investigation was Miss Bennet’s idea,” he told her sister.
“You are right, Fitzwilliam,” Georgiana replied, biting her lip. “I am sorry, Lizzy.” She gave Lizzy a worried look.
“It is of no matter,” Lizzy replied with a smile. “You are most welcome to tell Mrs. Garrick the good news, if it is agreeable to your brother.”
Georgiana turned to Darcy, who nodded.
“Thank you!” Georgiana beamed. “This has been the most exciting thing that has ever happened at Pemberley.” A shadow fell across her face, and Lizzy wondered if the younger girl was remembering her aborted elopement last year in Ramsgate.
Darcy patted Georgiana’s arm, as if he, too, discerned his sister’s innermost thoughts. The mood passed swiftly, and in another minute, Georgiana was back to her cheerful self.
When they reached the farm, Darcy escorted them to the front door.
Sally’s mother started when she opened the door to them, her anxious face turning to happiness when Georgiana told her the good news.
“Oh!” she cried. “Sally is safe! That is a relief, miss. Sir.” She nodded at Darcy. “And she is coming to visit me tomorrow?”
“Yes,” Georgiana told her.
Sally’s mother thanked them profusely, and offered them refreshments, which Darcy declined on their behalf.
As they walked back to the carriage, Georgiana giggled. “I did not tell Sally’s mama about her engagement – I thought I should let Sally tell her the good news.”
“I think you did the right thing.” Lizzy smiled at her.
“We should get home just before nightfall,” Darcy said as they arrived at the carriage.
Lizzy looked at the sky. It was now late afternoon and the sun was sinking behind the horizon.
“Although I love our walks, Lizzy, I do not think I will go out tomorrow,” Georgiana said as they climbed into the conveyance. “Do you mind terribly much?”
Lizzy glanced at her friend’s face. Georgiana no longer looked invigorated, but tired and a little pale.
“Of course not.” She smiled reassuringly at the younger girl. “In fact—” she took a deep breath just as the carriage moved off, the jerk tilting her back in her seat, “I think it best if I return to Hertfordshire tomorrow.”
“But – why?” Georgiana stared at her, her mouth parted.
“We have found Sally,” Lizzy replied, as if that explained everything.
“Yes, but ...” Georgiana’s voice trailed off as she furrowed her brow.
“Won’t you stay a little longer?” Darcy asked, frowning. “It is impossible for you to leave tomorrow, in any case. You and my sister should rest after your exertions today, and I will need to arrange suitable transport for you.”
“As to that,” Lizzy said, with a lightheartedness she did not feel, “if you would be so good as to organize a hack post-chaise, I am perfectly capable of making the journey alone.”
Darcy stared at her, incredulous.
“No, you will not,” he finally said, in a tone that brooked no argument.
Georgiana looked from Lizzy to Darcy and back again. “Please do not leave so soon, Lizzy,” she said. “I would dearly love to hear you play the piano. My brother said you play it most finely.”
Lizzy’s eyes widened at the compliment. “He is being very kind. I do not practice enough.”
“Please say you will play for us tonight,” Georgiana begged. “If you are not too tired, of course.” She stifled a little yawn. “Or—” Georgiana suddenly looked hopeful, “—perhaps it is wrong of me to ask you to play tonight. Tomorrow night will be so much better. Won’t it, Fitzwilliam?”
“Yes,” Darcy replied, giving Lizzy a look of warmth. “Tomorrow night.”
Although Lizzy wanted to remonstrate, she gracefully acquiesced. Surely there could not be any harm in staying one more day at Pemberley? She would depart for Longbourn the day after tomorrow.
Lizzy was aware of Darcy’s gaze on her throughout the carriage ride. Undoubtedly, he would want her gone as quickly as possible, so it must have been truly inconvenient for him to arrange her departure for tomorrow.
Once they arrived at the house, she would write to Hill and tell her the good news, although it was quite possible that she would arrive at Longbourn before her letter did!
Once the carriage clip-clopped to a halt in front of the house, Darcy helped Lizzy and his sister down. Once again, her pulse raced at the touch of his gloved hand on hers. What would it feel like if they held hands without gloves? She refused to even think of that disturbing notion.
“Did you find her?” Mrs. Annesley appeared at the top of the steps. “I was not sure what time you would return today, but—” she cast a glance at the early evening sky “—I did not expect you to come back this late.”
“Yes, we have found her!” Georgiana ran up the stairs and hugged her companion. “Sally is in love with a farmer!”
“Well!” Mrs. Annesley shook her head. “I am glad to hear it is not white slavers, aren’t you, Miss Bennet?”
“White slavers?” Georgiana turned to face Lizzy and her brother, her expression puzzled. “What do they have to do with Sally’s disappearance?”
“Nothing,” Lizzy said lightly, aware of Darcy frowning at Mrs. Annesley.
“It was a theory bandied about by some of the servants,” Darcy said to his sister after a moment. “I did not think it had any merit, which is why I did not mention it to you.”
“Oh.” Georgiana’s face fell. “I am sixteen, Fitzwilliam. I am not a child.”
“Of course not,” he said hastily. “Come, let us have a cup of tea, and then it will probably be time for dinner.”
He guided his sister into the house, Lizzy and Mrs. Annesley following.
“Oh dear,” Mrs. Annesley murmured to Lizzy. “I think I put my foot in it.”
CHAPTER 14
Darcy filled in Mrs. Annesley on the day’s events over dinner.
Although Lizzy was used to walking a few miles each day at Longbourn, they had walked far more than that today. She noticed Georgiana’s eyelids drooping as she ate roast beef, and was tempted to follow suit. Only the thought of Darcy noticing kept her from doing so.
He might use it as an excuse to make her stay at Pemberley longer than just one extra day!
The thought of leaving tugged at her heart, but she was determined to do so. There was nothing here for her now – the mystery of Sally’s disappearance had been solved, and now Darcy was back in residence, Georgiana would no longer be lonely.
Besides, she could not marry a man who did not respect her and thought her inferior to him, liking her against his will.
Once they finished dessert – syllabub – Lizzy waited for Darcy to excuse himself from the table. But to her surprise, he did not.
Georgiana covered her mouth as she yawned.
“I am so sorry,” she apologized. “I think I will go to bed now.”
“Of course, my dear,” Mrs. Annesley also rose from the table. “Let me help you.”
Lizzy realized too late that she should have gone upstairs with them.
Once she and Darcy were alone in the room, he spoke.
“You are no doubt wondering why I wanted to turn back after we found the second button today out on the moor,” he began.
“I did indeed wonder,” she replied, realizing that she had pushed that matter to the back of her mind. Instead, she had been caught up in the realization that she must leave Pemberley as soon as possible.
“I am responsible for my sister – and you, Miss Bennet. We had already walked quite a way and I did not want either of you to stumble and have an accident.” He looked at her in all seriousness.
Lizzy did not know whether to be insulted or flattered at his interest in her well-being.
“As to that, sir, I can assure you I am quite capable of walking across country without any type of mishap at all. And in the short time I have known your sister, she seems to have a confident stride and has told me she loves walking as well.”
“Yet Sally was not so lucky,” he replied.
“But you – we – did not know what had happened to Sally when we set out in search for her today,” Lizzy pointed out.
“True,” he conceded.
They were both silent for a moment.
Lizzy studied his expression. He looked very grave, as if in deep thought. She knew she would always carry around an image of him in her mind – and her heart. His dark brown hair, his brown eyes, his handsome features which did not look so very haughty in this moment.