Chapter 25
Twenty-Five
In Which Lizzie Finally Comes Face-to-Face with Her Nemesis
Lizzie could not fathom what she was seeing.
Her mouth was so dry that she could not have swallowed even if she’d wanted to, and her heart pounded in her chest so loudly
that she could scarcely hear Darcy’s muffled attempts at speech behind his gag. She stood protectively in front of Darcy.
Georgiana came running into the grotto, drawn by Lizzie’s cry, and Darcy began trying to yell again, struggling against his
bindings. “Lizzie, are you—”
She abruptly broke off when she saw her brother. Lizzie found her voice just then. “Georgiana, go.”
“No, Georgiana, stay where you are,” said the tall figure in the middle of the grotto.
“But Mrs. Watts—”
“That’s not Mrs. Watts!” Lizzie said, her voice rising in fear.
The woman tutted, and Lizzie could see the gleam of the pistol in her hand. “Miss Bennet, how rude. You’re scaring the girl. As far as she is concerned, I am Mrs. Watts.”
“You also go by the name Lady Catherine de Bourgh,” Lizzie said. “I don’t suppose you have any other names?”
“None that I am inclined to share with you.”
“I don’t understand,” Georgiana said, and Lizzie realized now that the word that Darcy was trying to say behind his gag was
run.
“This isn’t your lady’s companion,” Lizzie said, never taking her eye off the pistol held casually in Lady Catherine’s right
hand. “This is Lady Catherine de Bourgh.”
“Lizzie, Mrs. Watts has been with me for months,” Georgiana said. Then she seemed to take note of the pistol. “Mrs. Watts,
that’s my brother! That’s Lizzie Bennet—remember the lady I told you about—”
“She knows who I am,” Lizzie said. “Georgiana, leave.”
“No, Georgiana, stay,” Lady Catherine purred.
“Don’t hurt her! She’s not a part of this.”
“She very much is a part of this,” Lady Catherine countered. “She’s been telling me everything you’ve been up to these past
eight months. Quite fond of her brother, this one is. According to her, he’s hung the moon and stars. She’ll take any excuse
to boast about his accomplishments, and about the clever, the pretty, the resourceful Miss Bennet he’s attached himself to.
Why, I don’t know why I bothered buying off Tomlinson when I had no better source on the activities of Mr. Darcy and Miss
Bennet than Georgiana Darcy herself.”
As she spoke, Lady Catherine pointed her pistol at Georgiana and motioned for her to join Lizzie and Darcy in the corner.
Georgiana flinched when the pistol was pointed at her, and Darcy tried to shout something behind his gag, but it was muffled.
“Come here, Georgie,” Lizzie said, reaching out a hand. “It’ll be all right.”
Georgiana’s shock made Lizzie’s protective instincts flare up. “You’ve been here this entire time,” she said to Lady Catherine,
thinking back. Darcy and Georgiana’s father had departed England eight months earlier. He’d hired Mrs. Watts before leaving
London, but Darcy had never met the woman. Lizzie guessed it was no mere coincidence that Mrs. Watts had taken to her room
at the moment of their arrival yesterday. “I’m happy to see your headache has cleared up.”
“Oh, it hasn’t, but I am certain it will by the end of the day.” Lady Catherine hefted the pistol, and Lizzie tried her best
not to flinch. “You’ve been quite the thorn in my side, Elizabeth. I suppose I cannot blame you for wiggling away from me
in London last year and putting away Collins, but I was really quite angry when you put an end to the Mullins brothers’ operation.”
“That wasn’t me exactly,” Lizzie said. “That honor goes to Miss Leticia Cavendish.”
“You also got Tomlinson arrested, which made me very cross.” Lady Catherine stalked toward her, and Lizzie searched for her
courage.
“I’m afraid I have that effect on people.”
Lady Catherine was now close enough to trace the cool metal of the pistol along Lizzie’s jaw, and Lizzie forced herself to stare straight ahead, to not flinch. “You do. Which is why it’s such a shame that you did not come with me voluntarily when you had the chance.”
Lizzie wanted to move, wanted to fight back, but fear had rooted her firmly in place. Her abilities to defend herself were
rudimentary, and no match against a pistol. Besides, if she did try to wrestle the weapon from Lady Catherine, it might discharge
and hit either Darcy or Georgiana.
Faster than she expected, Lady Catherine’s other hand tightened like a vise around Lizzie’s upper arm and jerked her away
from Darcy and Georgiana. Both the siblings cried out as Lizzie stumbled, but they didn’t move. Lizzie felt the cold barrel
of the pistol dig into her side. “You’re coming with me. No tricks, no trying to escape. If you do, Darcy is dead. And if
he’s already dead, then Georgiana will be next.”
Georgiana whimpered in fear, but Lizzie didn’t look at either sibling. “If you kill them, you might as well kill me, because
I won’t work for you. Whatever you have in mind, I won’t do it.”
“Elizabeth, I am not to be trifled with. However insincere you may choose to be, you will not find me so.” Lady Catherine
gave her arm another jerk, and Lizzie bit her lip so as not to cry out from the pain.
“I decline,” Lizzie said, attempting to wrench her arm from Lady Catherine’s grasp. “What was it you said to me once? Often
a lady’s only choice is her refusal? Well, let me make it very clear to you—I refuse what you’re offering.”
“And I refuse to accept your refusal,” Lady Catherine said, mouth set. “Trust me, you’ll want the case I’m offering.”
Lizzie actually laughed at that. “There’s no case you could hand me that would make me go with you willingly!”
“Not even a case that could secure your own future?”
Lizzie had steeled herself to refuse anything Lady Catherine might offer, but she hesitated now, and Lady Catherine saw that
tiny pause and pressed her advantage.
“You’re curious,” she said. “I thought you would be. It would only be a few years of work, I should think, and when the job
is completed to my satisfaction, you’ll be quite free to go back to your life and do as you please—even marry this simpleton,
if that’s what you choose.”
“I’m not interested,” Lizzie said. She wasn’t going anywhere with Lady Catherine—but the woman had been right, Lizzie’s curiosity
was piqued.
“You could do more to help other women with this case than you ever could back at Longbourn, settling estates and contract
disputes.”
“Find someone else,” she said.
Lady Catherine’s laugh was mocking. “As if I haven’t tried!
Mr. Collins was the first person I attempted to recruit to my cause, but what a bumbling fool he turned out to be.
The only good thing he ever did was lead me to you.
Then I thought, perhaps it wasn’t the man, it was the caliber of solicitor that was the issue.
And Tomlinson was much cleverer than Collins, but he had no interest in my case—he said it couldn’t be done, but moreover, it shouldn’t be done.
The audacity of that man! I wanted to shoot him myself, but no—instead he’s in the custody of the Crown. You really
are the most meddlesome girl!”
“And is that why you ordered him to kidnap me?” Lizzie asked. “To work this case?”
“Of course. And there’s no need to play coy—if you’re curious, just tell me.”
Behind her, Lizzie could hear the muffled sounds of Darcy attempting to speak beyond his gag. She imagined him saying something
like, Don’t entertain her delusions, Lizzie! But it occurred to her that if she, Darcy, and Georgiana didn’t return to the drawing room soon, the others might grow curious.
And given the tensions on the estate, perhaps Mr. Travers would come to investigate their delay, and they’d have half a chance
of escaping this madwoman.
She just had to buy herself more time.
“Fine,” she said. “What’s the case?”
“Property dispute,” Lady Catherine said. “A very wealthy, well-connected man wrongfully seized my property. And while the
possession might be technically legal, his methods are questionable.”
Lizzie frowned. “Well, if his possession is legal, then I don’t know what I could do about it. I’d need to know more about
the methods and the property in question.”
“A family home, and the income associated with it,” Lady Catherine said. “As for the methods, he misrepresented his intentions.”
Lizzie couldn’t help it—her legal mind was already analyzing this scenario. “How large of a home, and how much land? Is there
an entail? And what do you mean, he misrepresented his intentions? If there was fraud . . .”
Lady Catherine stared at Lizzie, and she smiled the moment that the details fell into place. Lady Catherine had referred to
a case that could secure her own future. A case that no man would touch, that Tomlinson said shouldn’t be touched.
“Are you referring to your husband?” Lizzie asked. “And is the property in question—”
“My family property, passed down to me,” Lady Catherine said. “And that weasel stole it from me. I want it back.”
Lizzie shook her head. “I’m sorry, I can’t help—there are laws—”
“Unjust laws, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Of course,” Lizzie said. “But I’m just a solicitor. I can’t change laws. You’d have to go through Parliament, and—”
Movement behind Lady Catherine caught Lizzie’s eye, and hope leapt in her chest for a moment. It must have shown on her face,
for Lady Catherine turned slightly. A figure appeared in the grotto doorway, backlit by the brilliant sunlight. Lizzie blinked,
unable to make out who the newcomer was, until . . .
“Are you ready, madam?” The voice was female, although the figure was dressed in trousers and a men’s jacket. “The horses
are nearby.”
The sunlight glinted off the newcomer’s red hair. “Agnes,” Lizzie breathed.
“Miss Bennet,” she said crisply.
“But . . . how . . .”
“You aren’t the only talented young lady I’ve collected,” Lady Catherine said. “Agnes is quite the housebreaker. I saved her
from the noose, and now she is committed to our cause.”