The Phantom of Pemberley

by Regina Jeffers

Darcy snaked his arm about Elizabeth’s waist. “We may have to wait another year. Mrs. Darcy’s confinement shall prevent our spending much time in London this Season.”

  It took but a heartbeat for Darcy’s news to reach Edward’s consciousness. “Well, you devil!” He grinned at Darcy.“When had you planned on sharing the news with the rest of the family?”

  “As the lady just informed us all in the past few days, the time has not proven available,” Darcy declared.

  “I cannot wait to share the news with the earl and the countess. They will be ecstatic.”

  “Edward Fitzwilliam!” Adam Lawrence’s baritone voice resonated from the top of the stairs.“Am I ever pleased to see you!” He came quickly down the last flight of steps.

  The colonel released Georgiana so he might greet the viscount. “Stafford.” Edward extended his hand.“Darcy’s letter said you were among his guests. My brother sends his regards.”

  “Mr. Darcy sent for you?” Stafford questioned as he took the colonel’s hand in friendship.

  The colonel smiled. “He did,Your Lordship.”

  “I hate to cut this short,” Darcy said to the two men, “but Her Ladyship and our cousin await us in the back drawing room. If you will excuse us, Stafford, we three can catch up after the colonel makes his greetings to our aunt and has time to freshen his clothing.”

  “Certainly, Darcy. Sir Phillip has finished with me. Shall I send either my cousin or Mrs.Wickham in to speak to the baronet?”

  Darcy maneuvered the colonel toward the back hallway. “If Miss Donnel would not mind speaking to Spurlock, I would be most grateful.”

  “I will see to it, Darcy.”

  Darcy nodded his thanks before turning to follow his cousin.

  “Darcy!” Stafford’s voice froze him in place. “Look!” The viscount pointed to the tiled floor, now wet from the tracked-in snow and ice left by the colonel and the footman.

  Darcy’s eyes followed the viscount’s to several clearly marked boot tracks. “That settles it. I want Sir Phillip to speak to Harwood now.”

  “What is it, Darcy?” The colonel rejoined the other two men in the corridor.

  “Your boot tracks, Edward,” Darcy murmured, his mind already adding the facts to the mystery. “They are the same shape as the ones we found close to the cottages, where Georgiana saw her shadow man, and the same as those near where we found my maid’s body. Our murderer is wearing the same type of boots as you.”

  The colonel finished Darcy’s thought. “A military issue.”

  “Mr. Darcy.” Murray had suddenly appeared on the stairs. “You should come with me, sir.”

  “What is it, Murray?”

  “The lieutenant, sir. His room is locked from the inside, and the gentleman does not answer. I knocked several times and have called out his name, but there is no response.”

  Darcy grumbled, “Ask Sir Phillip to join us, Murray.”

  “Yes, sir.” The footman reversed direction and headed toward his master’s study.

  Darcy forced his feet to move. “Bring your keys, Mr. Baldwin. Elizabeth, you and Georgiana are to stay here.”

  “Yes, Fitzwilliam.”

  He led the way to the second-floor quarters, Colonel Fitzwilliam and Viscount Stafford close on his heels. In his heart, Darcy knew each step led him to another mystery—another loss of life. When will this end? he wondered. How can I stop this madness?

  Mr. Baldwin fumbled with his keys as Darcy pounded loudly on the door, trying to rouse a possibly sleeping Harwood.“Open it!” he ordered the butler as the others gathered close by. Baldwin slid the key into the lock and turned it to disengage the mechanism. He released the handle and stepped back to give the others access. Darcy burst through the opening, saying a silent prayer that his suspicions would be found wrong, but a bloody heap brought him up short. Sir Phillip, the colonel, and Stafford stacked up behind him. Harwood lay crumpled and broken in the floor’s center, and the amount of blood, which was staining the carpet, told them they were too late.

  With purpose, Sir Phillip moved from behind Darcy to the body. He caught the lieutenant’s shoulders and rolled the man to his back. The officer had pulled up on his knees, apparently trying to seek help or to escape, but he had made it no further. Now, arms spread open, the body stared, wide-eyed, at nothing. Sir Phillip gently touched the lids, closing them. “His-his throat has been slit,” the baronet stammered. “Look for a weapon.”

  Darcy, Stafford, and the colonel fanned out automatically in several directions. “The water,” the colonel gestured toward the table, “is full of blood.” He traced a circle in the bowl. “Was the lieutenant shaving? The bloody towel is on the floor, but I see no blade.”

  Sir Phillip still knelt beside the body. “The lieutenant’s face sports a fine stubble. I doubt if he shaved today.”

  “Then who used the razor and soap?” Stafford mused. “And who left the window open?” He leaned out to see the likelihood of someone using it as an entrance or an exit. “It appears our attacker threw water out the window. There is an icy circle on the snow’s surface.”

  “We no longer have to worry about Harwood pressing his suit with our cousin,” Edward remarked.

  Sir Phillip stood slowly.“I will wish to examine the room again before we move the body. I shall need to make an official report.”

  “I will secure the room,” Mr. Baldwin muttered from somewhere behind them.

  “Mr. Darcy, I need to speak to anyone with whom the lieutenant exchanged cross words over the past couple of days,” Sir Phillip authoritatively declared.

  Darcy nodded his understanding. “That would be much of the household, Sir Phillip. I am afraid the lieutenant had a way of irritating many with whom he came in contact.”

  “You should well start with me,” Stafford admitted. “I warned the man from my cousin only this morning.”

  Sir Phillip looked grim. “Then rejoin me in Mr. Darcy’s study, sir. I will take your statement first. Have your man lock everything up as it is, Darcy.”

  “Yes, Sir Phillip.” He motioned to Mr. Baldwin to follow the baronet’s orders.“Edward, you and I should attend to Her Ladyship and Anne.This will come as quite a shock to them. I will send Mr. Worth to you, Sir Phillip. I am aware of an argument between the men yesterday evening, and then I, too, will explain my exchange with Harwood regarding my cousin.”

  “This grows by leaps and bounds,” Edward remarked as he turned toward the open door. “When you have finished your investigation, Sir Phillip, I will need to inform the lieutenant’s commanding officer.”

  The magistrate turned dejectedly away. “Indeed, Colonel. However, we must deal with one fact at a time.”

  CHAPTER 18

  “NOW, STAFFORD, WHAT IS this madness regarding Lieutenant Harwood?” Sir Phillip resettled behind Darcy’s desk, poised to take the viscount’s official statement.

  Adam Lawrence returned to the wing chair he had so recently vacated.“As usual, I do not know how to explain the situation.” He paused uncomfortably. “Mr. Darcy privately made me aware of the perfidy the lieutenant practiced regarding Miss de Bourgh. Darcy asked that I help him keep an eye on the man. Since his appearance at Pemberley, besides his approach to Her Ladyship’s daughter, Harwood had taken a liking to my cousin. Keep in mind, Sir Phillip, that other than Mr. and Mrs. Darcy, the rest of the household assumes that Miss Donnel is my cousin—my relative and the daughter of a nobleman. Harwood appeared to have identified Cathleen as his next pigeon. I found them in the middle of a tête-à-tête during breakfast this morning. When Miss Donnel departed the room, I warned the lieutenant from Cathleen. The man feigned innocence, but I know a rake when I meet one. He was already counting his money.”

  “And what did you do, Lord Stafford, after this confrontation?”

  Adam chuckled sarcastically.“Are you asking, Sir Phillip, if I followed the officer to his room and slit his throat?”

  “Precisely,” the magistrate declared.

&nb
sp; “Not likely, sir. As much as I disdain Harwood’s type, I am not of the temperament to grotesquely murder a man over a flirtation. I am a gentleman—if I chose to seek retribution, I would challenge the lieutenant and have him name his seconds. Instead of a bloody razor, I managed to quash Harwood’s plans by having a serious conversation with my cousin. I followed Cathleen to her room and warned her of the scoundrel’s manipulations.”

  “And the lady will attest to this?” The baronet placed the pen in its holder.

  “She would, Sir Phillip.”

  “Edward!” Anne called as she rose to greet her cousin. She offered him a genuine welcome—the first he could remember receiving from her. As a young girl, Anne had never participated in their childhood roughhousing—Her Ladyship had always declared her daughter too sickly. Now, she glowed with a newfound independence, and he happily accepted her finally becoming a woman with a future.

  “You look well, Cousin,” he affirmed as he lifted Anne’s chin and gazed into her eyes. “I cannot tell you how your countenance pleases me.”

  “Thank you, Edward.”

  The colonel released Anne and made his obeisance to his aunt. “Your Ladyship.” He bowed over her hand.“My father and mother send their kindest regards.”

  “You appear well, Fitzwilliam,” Lady Catherine murmured. “Is my brother—your father—in health? How is the earl’s gout?”

  “Somewhat better,Your Ladyship.”

  “And the countess?”

  The colonel smiled knowingly. Lady Catherine and his mother had had more than one disagreement over the years. “My mother works tirelessly in the name of her charities. She and the earl spent Christmas with my maternal aunt and uncle in Lincolnshire. The Attingboroughs welcomed a new addition to the family a fortnight before the holiday.”

  Darcy motioned for Edward to have a seat and brought their conversation to a close. “Although Edward is always a welcome diversion at Pemberley, I specifically sent for him because he knew Lieutenant Harwood before the man’s arrival at Rosings Park,” Darcy announced.

  “Where is the scoundrel?” Worth asked impatiently. “Did you not send your man for the lieutenant some time ago? If Harwood thinks this purposeful stall will help his negotiations—”

  Darcy’s clearing of his throat cut the man short. “I have an announcement of sorts. Murray returned with news of the lieutenant’s absence. Stafford, Edward, Sir Phillip, and I entered Harwood’s room when he did not respond to our entreaties.We regret to tell you that Lieutenant Harwood has met an untimely death.”

  Anne gasped and swayed and collapsed into Nigel Worth’s arms. Her sobs followed. “Poor Robert.”

  “How?”Worth demanded as he tried to comfort the woman.

  Edward glanced quickly at Darcy. “I do not believe we are at liberty to discuss it at this time. Sir Phillip will wish to speak to each of us as part of his investigation.”

  “I have nothing to say on the matter,” Lady Catherine observed. “Although I wish no man an early death, I welcome the absence of the lieutenant’s malice.”

  Edward moved to the settee shared by Worth and Anne.“I will see to my cousin, sir,” he whispered.“Sir Phillip wishes to speak to you.”

  Anne’s head snapped up in disbelief. “Why must Sir Phillip question Nigel? Mr.Worth has done nothing wrong!”

  Worth eased her out of his embrace. “It is nothing of consequence,” he assured her.“The magistrate simply performs his duty. I expected nothing less.”Worth stood and straightened his waistcoat. “I assume, Mr. Darcy, that the baronet occupies your study.”

  “He does.” Darcy stood and reached for his aunt’s hand. “It seems most prudent that we discuss Harwood’s threats from a different perspective. I suggest we allow Edward time to freshen his clothes.” Lady Catherine placed her hand in his.“We shall all retire to the blue drawing room. I will send for refreshments and ask the others to join us. It will expedite Sir Phillip’s examination if we discuss everything we know as a group.”

  His aunt stiffened with disdain. “You would openly consider your cousin’s failings before strangers?”

  “You know my usual reticence, Aunt, but the ordinary does not currently operate at Pemberley. Four people have lost their lives under this roof in the past week. Somehow everything is connected, and we must clear the air if we are to stop the insanity. I cannot imagine that Anne would wish to hide the truth if it meant a murderer would go free.”

  “Of course not, Fitzwilliam,” Anne said from somewhere behind him.

  “It is time for some honesty,Your Ladyship.”

  “And your relationship with Miss de Bourgh?” Sir Phillip questioned Mr.Worth after having dismissed Lord Stafford.

  Worth, used to such interrogations, understood the necessity of Spurlock’s probe, but he did not appreciate the invasion of his privacy. “I would not say Miss de Bourgh and I have a relationship.We have known each other for only a few days. However, Mr. Darcy and I agreed that I might provide the lady with a reliable explanation for her attendance in Liverpool.”

  “And why might you place yourself in a questionable position, Worth, if you and Her Ladyship’s daughter have no prior knowledge of each other?”

  “I am a gentleman who will not stand idly by and allow a bounder to take advantage of an innocent. Miss de Bourgh made a grievous error by placing her trust in Harwood, but the lady should not face ruination for it. If I err, Sir Phillip, it is on the side of purity.”

  The baronet smiled, hearing the unspoken words. “And what might you know of Mrs. Jenkinson?”

  “The lady served Miss de Bourgh well, offering maternal care and love. I met her as one of Mr. Darcy’s guests, and we immediately took a liking to each other. I had fleeting thoughts of pursuing a connection, but the lady simply enjoyed my company. She had a vision of what she wanted for Miss de Bourgh’s future, and the lieutenant was not part of that conception. I flatter myself in thinking that Mrs. Jenkinson maneuvered her charge in my direction—the lady took an interest in me because she wanted a stable bond for Miss de Bourgh.”

  “I thought you said you held no relationship with Anne de Bourgh, other than to serve as her man of business in this matter?”

  “I do and I do not.” Worth considered all the complications involved in his affections for the lady before he answered. “I hold no acknowledged intimacy with Miss de Bourgh, but that does not mean I have no desire to develop one.When we leave Pemberley, it is my intention to request permission to call on the lady.”

  “And as such, you warned Lieutenant Harwood away from Miss de Bourgh?”

  “What you really wish to know is whether I killed the lieutenant.”

  The baronet simply nodded: He and Worth had experienced the courtroom together on more than one occasion. Sir Phillip knew Worth’s reputation.

  “As much as I abhorred the man’s public swagger, a crime such as you described earlier, Sir Phillip, is a crime of passion and an act of opportunity. You know me, Spurlock. I am a man of reason—spent a decade in the English public courtrooms. I might go a round of fisticuffs with the lieutenant, but cutting a man’s throat and letting him bleed to death is simply not my style.”

  Spurlock agreed, although he made no mention of the fact to Worth. Something about this investigation bothered him—something he needed to clarify. “Might we join the others, Worth? Mr. Darcy sent word that he has gathered everyone in the blue drawing room. I would welcome your insights into this case.”

  The household gathered at Darcy’s request. He told them nothing until Spurlock joined them, and then he said very little about the reason for their attendance. Sir Phillip would simply listen and observe, at least, initially.“I have asked Sir Phillip Spurlock as the local magistrate to join us,” Darcy announced at last. “Some of you met Sir Phillip earlier. As the weather has taken a positive turn, and we will soon be able to properly see to the deceased, we thought it best to address some facts before our parting—to find a resolution.” By silent agreem
ent, no one mentioned Harwood directly. Several in the room still held no knowledge of the lieutenant’s death.

  The baronet stepped forward.“Mr. Darcy, his wife, and his sister have spent an inordinate amount of time defining this past week’s events, but I have some questions I wish to address to individuals in this room. As I explained to Mr. Darcy, allowing each of you to hear what the others say may lead to new clues—new facts to solve this dilemma.”

  No one responded directly, but a nervous buzz spread to every corner of the room. Before the baronet began his interrogation, Darcy took the opportunity to finish the introductions. “Pardon my interruption, Sir Phillip, but I should complete our welcomes.”

  “Of course, Mr. Darcy.”

  “For those of you unfamiliar with the gentleman on my left, it is with great pleasure that I present my cousin Colonel Fitzwilliam. Edward, I believe you familiar with everyone except Miss Donnel, His Lordship’s cousin.” Darcy paused while Edward bowed over the lady’s hand. “Mrs. Williams.” Pause. “And Mrs. Darcy’s youngest sister.” So as to explain why his cousin might not already know Elizabeth’s sister, he quickly added,“I believe Mrs.Wickham was in Newcastle when Elizabeth and I wed.You would have had no opportunity for a prior acquaintance.”

  “It is a pleasure, Mrs. Wickham.” Edward brought Lydia’s hand to his lips for the obligatory air kiss.

  “Thank you, Colonel,” Lydia cooed.

  When Edward turned his head, Darcy noted his cousin’s raised eyebrow. He did not know if it was because the colonel realized Lord Stafford possessed no “cousin” among those staying at Pemberley, or whether Edward saw the buffoonery of acknowledging George Wickham’s wife. After all, Edward shared the guardianship of Darcy’s sister and was well aware of Wickham’s attempted elopement with and seduction of the girl. Darcy imagined Edward’s sensibilities to be shocked by the irony of both women being Pemberley’s guests.

  When the colonel settled himself beside Georgiana on one of the settees, the baronet recovered the group’s attention. “I understand from the Darcys how you each came to be at Pemberley,” he began, “and the events of those first few days. What concerns me first is the fateful afternoon when Mrs. Jenkinson lost her life. I have examined the body and the cup from which the lady drank, and I agree with Mr. Darcy’s assumption of arsenic being the method.” Sir Phillip took a nearby seat and removed some folded paper and the stub of a pencil from his inside pocket, so that he might make himself some notes.“I understand, Mrs. Wickham,” he said, quickly turning to Lydia,“that you were the one to make arrangements for the hot cider and tea after the sledding adventure.”