The Meryton Murders

by Victoria Grossack

  “Have you been chased by another murderer, Lizzy?” asked her father.

  “We have found this,” said Mr. Darcy, and he brought out the locked wooden box.

  Questions were asked; explanations given, and everyone was eager to see what was in the box. But the box could not be opened till Mr. Philips had a servant bring a hammer. Mr. Morris did the honors – one of his more unusual duties, but recently his tasks had encompassed far more variety – and soon he broke through the lid. The contents did not disappoint. The locked box contained many bank notes – Mrs. Philips gasped while Mrs. Bennet exclaimed, “Good gracious! Lord bless me!” – as Mr. Morris counted them out and Mr. Philips verified the reckoning. Mr. Morris wrote the total on a piece of paper, along with other details concerning how it had been found.

  The wooden container yielded more than cash; it also harbored jewels. The ladies were particularly fascinated by these, and Kitty was positive that a pair of amber earrings had belonged to Miss King; she believed that the rest of the jewelry had as well. Everyone agreed that this seemed to confirm that the box had been used by Mr. Clarke, and that it was very likely that he had murdered Miss King, stealing her jewels after poisoning her.

  “Well, Kitty,” said Mr. Bennet, “it appears that I have been wrong to think your preoccupation with jewelry frivolous!”

  Mr. Philips said that some formalities needed to be observed, but that Mr. Bingley could expect to be reimbursed for all that he had paid out. Lady Catherine would likewise have her money returned – Mrs. Collins had spoken to him on the matter that morning at the church – and they would be able to send some funds and jewelry to Mr. Selby.

  Yet more money remained. “What is to be done with it?” inquired Mary. “If no one claims it?”

  Mr. Philips then inquired who, precisely, had found the box: Mr. Darcy, Mrs. Darcy, or Mr. Jones?

  Both Mr. Darcy and Mr. Jones agreed that Elizabeth was responsible. She had made Mr. Jones lead them along the river bank, and although Mr. Darcy had been the one to bring down the box from the tree and had carried it, it had been her sharp eyes that had first discovered the hollow containing it.

  “If no one else comes forth with a legitimate claim,” said Mr. Philips, “the contents belong to the person who found the box. Apparently that would be you, Lizzy, although as your husband, Mr. Darcy has rights to it.”

  Mr. Darcy explained that the money would belong only to Elizabeth, and she blushed as her entire family turned to stare at her: the other ladies surely did not believe that she required additional wealth. Her father, however, offered sincere congratulations. “Well done, Lizzy!”

  The others then reacted. Kitty sighed and fingered the amber earrings with longing; Mrs. Philips declared that her niece was one of the luckiest young ladies she had ever met; and Mrs. Bennet conceded that such a sum would be worth a ruined pair of shoes.

  Then Mary said: “I do not believe that I would be tempted to accept this money. These are ill-gotten gains, extracted from the misery of others.”

  “Nonsense, Mary!” exclaimed Mrs. Bennet, who had already been scheming for ways to unburden Mrs. Darcy of some of her excess cash in the form of presents to herself and her other daughters.

  “What about Mr. Collins?” inquired Mary. “And Mrs. Collins, his widow?”

  Elizabeth generally paid little attention to Mary’s moralizing, but on this occasion her sister’s words made her reflect. All those in the room, who had been enjoying the spectacle of so much treasure, were sobered by the reminder of how Mr. Clarke had assembled it.

  Mr. Philips warned that it was too soon to be too concerned about what anyone should do with the residual cash. “At this point, we do not know if anything will remain to be sent to you, Lizzy. Those with legitimate claims must take precedence.”

  Elizabeth was satisfied with this; she did not need the funds, and given Mary’s point, she preferred that it be returned to those that had suffered if that were possible. Mr. Darcy wished to know if he could carry the money due Mr. Bingley back to his friend; Mr. Philips and Mr. Morris insisted on the signature of several witnesses – Mr. Bennet and Mr. Jones in addition to Mr. Darcy – but everyone agreed that it should be done, to make sure that the cash was delivered to Mr. Bingley as soon as possible.

  CHAPTER LII

  When presented with the funds, Mr. Bingley’s initial reaction was not what either Elizabeth or Mr. Darcy expected. “No! I cannot accept this.”

  “Good God, Bingley! Why not?” asked Mr. Darcy.

  “Because I do not believe that it is mine.”

  “These may not be the exact same bank notes that you left for Clarke,” said Elizabeth, “as the box that we found contained many more and we cannot tell them apart. But you, and only you, have a claim to this money.”

  But Mr. Bingley’s skepticism had a different origin. He believed that the money came from Mr. Darcy, and that his friend had taken money out of his own capital to compensate for the shortfall in Mr. Bingley’s. “I cannot allow you to pay for what was utter folly on my part. Jane and I and the baby are not suffering. Keep your money for those who truly need it.”

  “I am flattered that you could believe me so generous, disappointed that you could think me so duplicitous, and quite in agreement that you made an error in judgment and do not deserve or need my charity,” said Mr. Darcy. “Besides, this was not the only money that was in the box. Do you imagine that I am so rich as to be able to compensate all Clarke’s victims?”

  “We also discovered the amber earrings that belonged to Miss King,” said Elizabeth. “Kitty recognized them. She and my mother are coming to Netherfield tomorrow; they will confirm everything that we have told you. As will my father, my uncle Philips, young Mr. Jones, and Mr. Morris, when you have the opportunity to speak with them. My uncle Philips wishes for you to visit his office to confirm your receipt of the money.”

  Bingley’s resolution faltered at the mention of Miss King’s earrings. He had occasionally danced with Miss King, and he recalled those pretty earrings. If they really had found Clarke’s cache – but it was too marvelous to believe.

  Mr. Darcy added that it was generally wise not to trust others completely, but he would appreciate it if Bingley would show more confidence in him.

  Mr. Bingley, with a little more pressing, was eventually persuaded that it was true. He accepted the money, and then excused himself to share the news with his wife and sister. Their reactions were relief and joy; Jane even took a few minutes from gazing at her baby to express her gratitude to Darcy and her sister for their efforts. Miss Bingley was ecstatic, as this meant that her brother would be able to complete the purchase of the property that was her heart’s desire. She was able to remark to Elizabeth in genuinely amiable tones that she had developed a great appreciation for Elizabeth’s tendency to walk and wander and almost promised that she would never mock it again.

  Elizabeth’s appearance was put to rights by her maid, Jeanette. This time only her attire had been injured, and that damage was easily repaired. The evening was spent most congenially, although all the parties had various tasks. Mr. Bingley wrote to his agent about his intention to purchase Rushburn Manor; Mr. Darcy composed a letter to his aunt, to inform Lady Catherine that it appeared that her money had been found; even Miss Bingley wrote to her sister. Jane and Elizabeth did not sit down to desks with pens, but their hearts were more occupied than anyone else’s, as they sat admiring little Jenny Elizabeth.

  Only when that most important person was asleep could their conversation turn to other subjects.

  “I shall be so sorry when you depart,” Jane said to her sister. “Your support during this time can never be repaid. Not only did you listen to me, but you risked your life.”

  “And my shoes,” said Elizabeth, laughing. She told Jane how happy she had been to have been of some assistance; how much she would miss her, but then added: “But soon – if Bingley is able to complete the purchase – you will be so much closer. And then Jenn
y will be able to spend more time with her uncle and aunt at Pemberley. Rushburn Manor is only thirty miles away!”

  The next day, Monday, arrived. In the morning the letters written the evening before were posted, and Bingley rode into Meryton to take care of his business with Mr. Philips. In the afternoon, Mrs. Bennet made one of her frequent visits to Netherfield, and on this occasion Mr. Bennet and their daughters came as well. Mary had an important announcement to make. “Mr. Morris has made me an offer of marriage,” she said. “And I have accepted him.”

  Jane and Elizabeth and the others congratulated Mary, who, in her happiness, appeared almost pretty. Mr. Morris was not handsome, nor was he rich or even particularly charming, but he was respectable and steady. They intended to live in the rooms which had been rented by Mrs. Smith – Mary maintained she was not the least superstitious – and that meant that Mrs. Philips’s rent would be restored.

  Mrs. Bennet was satisfied. “Mr. Morris may not have the income of Darcy, Bingley or even dear Wickham,” she said, rather to the mortification of her three eldest daughters, who would prefer not to have such matters discussed, although Mrs. Bennet would have surely retorted that they were all family and everyone already knew everything anyway. “But since the undoing of Mr. Clarke, Mr. Morris’s prospects are greatly improved. Mr. Philips thinks very highly of him.”

  “And unlike dear Wickham, Mr. Morris’s expenses are not likely to exceed his income,” said Mr. Bennet.

  “I wish you every happiness, Mary,” said Mr. Darcy, and Miss Bingley did her best to echo him, although she was conscious that four of the five Bennet girls had found husbands in the last two years, while she, despite her fortune of twenty thousand pounds, remained single.

  Everyone congratulated Mary, and then Jane said that they also had news. Mr. Bingley informed his in-laws that he had made an offer on an estate, up in Cheshire, a county next to Derbyshire. Mr. Bennet was happy for them, but Mrs. Bennet struggled. For Bingley to be the owner of a property instead of a tenant was a significant step up in his status and hence in the status of her eldest daughter – but it also meant that Jane and her only grandchild would move far away. “Are you certain there is no property closer?” she inquired, and mentioned several in the neighborhood whose families would have been horrified at Mrs. Bennet’s readiness to evict them. Mr. Bingley informed her that he had never heard of anything for sale in the area, and that Rushburn Manor was a fine place, very healthy, and that the neighborhood was excellent. He considerately did not mention that its great distance from Longbourn was one of its advantages. Jane was kind enough to say that she hoped they would all visit, and then added that she would like Kitty to accompany them when they moved, and help them settle in their new home. She told them, too, that she would be hiring Hannah, Miss King’s former maidservant, as a nursery maid for little Jenny.

  “But Miss King’s Hannah is a thief!” protested Mrs. Bennet.

  “No, Mamma, it has been proven that she is not a thief,” said Elizabeth.

  Mrs. Bennet supposed that was true, but that it was very difficult to change one’s opinion of another person, simply because that opinion was based on wrong information.

  “That is an astute observation, Mrs. Bennet,” said Mr. Bennet. “And I imagine that is one reason Hannah wishes to leave this neighborhood.”

  The Darcys were to begin their journey early the next morning, so despite the desire of Mrs. Bennet to remain late, Mr. Bennet insisted on summoning the Longbourn carriage at a reasonable hour. “Lizzy, I will miss you,” he said, and Mr. Darcy told his father-in-law that he was welcome at Pemberley at any time. “I cannot promise you that my neighborhood will be as exciting as yours, Sir,” Mr. Darcy added, “but the library can provide some milder entertainment.”

  Mr. Bennet, still employing a cane after spraining his ankle when he had been called to investigate the death of Mr. Collins, assured Mr. Darcy that after the past few weeks, he was more certain than ever that he preferred his adventures on paper. He then gathered Mary, Kitty and Mrs. Bennet and limped to his carriage.

  The next morning, the Darcys, after fond farewells and plans to see the Bingleys at Pemberley for Christmas, entered their own carriage. As the weather was fine, Jeanette rode on the box with Wilson and Elizabeth and Darcy could chat in private.

  “How do you like being an uncle?” asked Elizabeth, as the carriage pulled away from Netherfield.

  Mr. Darcy spoke at length at the wonder of an infant so small, and marveled at how such tiny people could grow into adults as large as themselves. Then he complained that, during his entire visit, he had managed to hold the child only three times. “An uncle, even an uncle who is a godfather, must yield his claim to parents, grandparents, and her many aunts. It is most unfair.”

  Elizabeth laughed, and said that she pitied him, but that she also admired him for his excellent manners, for she understood what a hardship politeness was in this case. She, too, had regretted how little time she could spend with her niece. “The way to overcome this obstacle,” she said, “is to have a child of one’s own,” and she informed him that they could expect a little Darcy in about seven months.

  The father-to-be was elated by this news, and he was both pleased and surprised to discover that his wife had told him before anyone else, even Jane. Elizabeth explained that she was still angry with herself for not having told him about the extortion attempt immediately, and was trying to make amends for her earlier failure.

  “Besides, you did not wish to detract attention from your sister’s situation,” said Mr. Darcy, who knew his wife pretty well. Then he inquired minutely as to how Elizabeth was feeling, discussed the best doctors and midwives in Derbyshire, and recommended renovations that they could make to his old nursery. Elizabeth assured him that she was perfectly well, listened to his ideas and then suggested some of her own. Most of all she delighted in the heartfelt happiness that she saw lighting up his countenance.

  During the many hours of driving to Pemberley, the coming child was their first subject of conversation. The murders in Meryton, the extortion attempts, Mary’s engagement to Mr. Morris, Georgiana’s probable engagement to Colonel Fitzwilliam, Mrs. Collins’s position at Rosings, Bingley’s estate, a new vicar to replace the unfortunate Reverend Wallace and even the money that Elizabeth might receive – these matters were not exactly forgotten, for in many instances they required action or at least some attention on the part of the Darcys. But nothing could compare to the interest, love and joy that they experienced for the coming child.

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  Please do not read these notes unless you are willing to be spoiled!

  I have done my best to be consistent with the characters and with what Jane Austen intended for them. She indicated, at the end of Pride & Prejudice that Kitty was kept away from Lydia and spent the chief of her time with her two oldest sisters and was greatly improved as a result. Furthermore, the Bingleys only remained at Netherfield Park for a twelvemonth, and then Mr. Bingley purchased an estate in the county next to Derbyshire (the purchase of the estate provides part of the plot for The Meryton Murders). I could not discover which county, nor the name of the estate, so these are my own inventions. Outside of the actual text, in correspondence, Jane Austen indicated the futures of the two as-of-yet unmarried sisters. Kitty marries a clergyman near Pemberley, and Mary marries one of her uncle’s clerks and became a sort of mistress of Meryton. These possibilities have been set up; Mary is being wooed by Mr. Morris and Kitty, who ironically has expressed distaste for clergymen in general, is being invited to stay at her sisters’ estates.

  Note that The Meryton Murders is based as much as possible on Austen’s text and hence may differ from the various screen adaptations. Austen describes Mr. Collins as tall and heavy, but the actors who play him, no matter how brilliant they are at capturing his manner, do not always match the character physically. The 1995 BBC/A&E adaptation also shows a pianoforte at the house belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Philips, but
the actual book describes how the Bennet girls long for an instrument when visiting their aunt. In that adaptation Mrs. Bennet’s first name is given as “Fanny,” but as in most Austen novels, first daughters are named for their mothers, I have assumed it was “Jane.”

  In Pride & Prejudice Austen gives some information regarding the geography of Meryton and the rest of the neighborhood. Longbourn is about a mile from the town, and Lucas Lodge is quite close to Longbourn, with Netherfield Park being three miles away from Longbourn House. I invented a bridge and a small river. This is not a great stretch, as England is full of streams and rivers and lakes. Besides, the text indicates that Mr. Gardiner, the brother of Mrs. Bennet, is fond of fishing. In Pride & Prejudice he lives in London (Gracechurch Street), but when he was a boy he must have lived in Meryton. So, with all this evidence, I felt authorized to put in a small river and some people fishing in it.

  I have used the names of many bit characters mentioned in Pride & Prejudice. Mr. Jones is the apothecary; Mr. Morris is the name of the man arranging for Bingley to rent Netherfield; Clarke’s library is mentioned. The young men in this novel are supposed to be sons or nephews with the same last names.

  I am aware of one potential discrepancy (readers may find others). Mr. Darcy describes Mrs. Younge as supporting herself by letting lodgings after he dismisses her. I have made her a landlady before her time with Darcys as well – which does not contradict Pride & Prejudice, but is not implied by it. Not only do I find this more convenient, but it also seems more logical. Furthermore, this gives her the opportunity to form alliances with Henry Clarke and George Wickham.