Chapter 25 Sapere Aude—Dare to Know
With mounting fear, Darcy had to acknowledge that a week of surveillance had left him with nothing.
His men had uncovered no clues about Elizabeth’s whereabouts, nor a hint that either she or her sister was staying in Gracechurch Street, Hunsford, or Longbourn.
Neither sister had as much as looked out of a window, and he was beginning to wonder whether his conclusion was a mistaken one.
At first, the newspapers had run rampant with speculations that Mrs Darcy had run off with Mr Wickham; Darcy’s mad dash to the Serpentine had gone unnoticed.
The advantage to this calamity was that no one spoke about Georgiana or Lydia any longer.
A unified press had retracted the allegations towards the young ladies and had even gone as far as begging them pardon for writing the damaging twaddle.
And after the dastardly Wickham had been frequently seen strutting about town with Mrs Younge on his arm, even the rumours about him absconding with Elizabeth were silenced.
Richard sighed heavily; it must be on purpose to disturb his thoughts.
“What?”
“I was only contemplating the movement of time. Half my leave is already gone. I have to report at my headquarters in ten days.”
“Do you know where you will go for your next deployment?”
“Yes, I am for Copenhagen on diplomatic business. Depending on the outcome, I might have to detour to Holstein before I return.”
“Is that not dangerous in these times of war? The neutral Denmark was, after all, forced into an alliance with Napoleon after the British bombardment of Copenhagen.”
“No, not particularly. Diplomacy is very civil. The Danish are desperate after we seized their fleet, disrupting their trade, and the massive inflation that followed. The country is on the brink of state bankruptcy and eager to make a deal.”
“Hmm… Holstein, you said. Are you going to Kiel?”
“No. We usually meet at the town hall in Altstadt. It is in the old part of Rendsburg, situated on an island in the Eider river.”
Rendsburg tickled something in his memory.
It had been mentioned in reference to a family connection of Elizabeth’s grandmother.
A sickly brother of some influence in that part of the world.
But Elizabeth said she did not travel that far but stopped somewhere in the west, visiting friends, or was it her brother’s summer house?
Darcy leapt to his feet, startling Richard so much that he spilt coffee down his chin.
“What is the matter?” his cousin shouted. “I could have burnt myself!”
“I am an idiot!” Darcy cried.
“I shall not argue the obvious, only enquire as to what led you to that outstanding conclusion.”
“Where is Mary?” he muttered to himself, stalking out of his study.
He found Mary and Georgiana playing a duet in the music room.
It was a blessing the girls had developed such an easy friendship; he had hoped that the pious Mary would have a devout influence on Georgiana.
A God-fearing woman would never agree to an elopement.
He was still shocked that his sister had planned to ruin herself by running off with Wickham.
With Mary as her friend, all such thoughts would be abandoned.
It was a pity that Lydia listened to no one, or she could have been saved as well.
“Mary, do you remember the name of the town your grandmother is visiting? It begins with a C, I believe.”
“Do you mean Cuxhaven?” Mary replied with a smile.
“Yes, that was it. Thank you.” He could not help but grin. “Has your grandmother returned from the continent?”
“No, not as far as I know. It is highly unlikely as she has sworn never to set foot on another ship. Do you believe that is where Elizabeth has absconded with Lydia?”
“I am certain of it. Come, Richard, we have a voyage to plan.”
Richard groaned. “I am not that fond of sea voyages. I had better remain here and protect the ladies.”
“You have crossed the channel more times than I can count. Besides, Mrs Murray is here,” Darcy pointed out to his cousin.
“Mrs Murray is not a male relative. Remember, Wickham is still in town,” the colonel reminded him once they were out of earshot of the girls.
“As if I could ever forget… I can ask your mother to take on Georgiana, but I doubt she would accept Mary. Yes, you should stay here.”
It would not do for Mary to be persuaded to elope too. Not that he deemed her easy prey, even to that charming blackguard Wickham. The girl had more sense than that.
Richard’s grin was a bit too wide. Darcy’s cognac reserves would definitely be depleted upon his return.
He was lucky enough to find a merchant ship destined for Cuxhaven. Even during wartime, trade was a necessity. He boarded the ship and hoped for high winds to convey him quickly across the sea. He had not much time before the colonel must return to duty.
He arrived in Cuxhaven in a timely manner, only to discover that Elizabeth’s grandmother had long since left the area and no one was certain where she had travelled.
The friend she had visited was not at home.
He established that Ritterhof, another place he remembered being mentioned, was indeed near Rendsburg, but he had not the time to chase her across the country because he had to return before Richard left.
#
London, 4th July
It was a dejected Darcy who arrived home the same day as Richard had to report to his headquarters.
He called for the girls once his cousin had departed and contemplated what to do next.
There was one alternative he had yet to investigate, though another sea voyage did not tempt him.
What he should have done was make arrangements for a longer absence before he left for Cuxhaven.
The girls entered with beaming faces. For some reason it irked him that they could be merry when he was deprived of all joy. Chasing all melancholy thoughts to the far recesses of his mind, he addressed the matter at hand.
“I am leaving on a long business trip and have been pondering what to do with you girls.” Mary frowned; he should not have called them girls but rather addressed them as ladies.
“Georgiana, you could stay with Lady Matlock. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances”—he looked intently at Mary—“that is not possible for Miss Bennet.”
“Perhaps Clarissa would welcome me for an extended stay,” Mary suggested.
“Judge Darcy and his family have left for Derbyshire.”
“Please do not send me away!” Mary implored. “I can stay and run the household while you are away. If Mrs Murray agrees, it would be entirely proper.”
“It is kind of you to offer, but with Wickham still in London, I cannot take that chance.”
Mary huffed. “Mr Wickham is no threat to me! I have more sense than to allow myself to be charmed by a libertine.”
Georgiana flinched.
“I have every respect for your excellent discernment,” Darcy mollified a distraught Mary. It was the first time he had seen her serenity crack—if he overlooked watching her sister be absconded by a rake.
“I shall strive to be useful. I would do anything! Run your house, plan the meals, arrange the flowers, entertain guests…”
“You must see that if Elizabeth does not return, you cannot stay here. It would not be proper.”
Mary’s face crumpled, and tears welled in her eyes. “Please, I beg of you. Do not send me back to Longbourn.”
“Why would you not want to join your family?”
“Please do not ask me to explain further. Scripture tells one to honour thy mother and father,” Mary demurred.
Then he remembered Mrs Bennet’s relentless scolding after Mary refused to marry the buffoon Mr Collins. With that in mind, it was not strange that she was wary of returning to Longbourn.
Should he wait until Bingley and Jane returned from their bridal trip? They could stay at Darcy House while he was away, chasing Elizabeth to Holstein. He could not ask the Matlocks to host Mary, as they had made their disdain for everyone named Bennet abundantly clear.
Tired and angry, Darcy decided to await his friend before undertaking another sea voyage.
He could call in Wickham’s debts and send him to Newgate, but that would remove the possibility of making Lydia into a respectable woman for all eternity.
He dared not risk it, even though the newspapers had abandoned the debate about which of his sisters had dallied with the rogue.
It was the best he could hope for while he prayed that they never discovered the truth—that it was both of them.
Then an idea struck him. It entailed humbling himself before Mr Gardiner, but he would do that, and much more, to find Elizabeth.
“I shall ask Mr Gardiner whether Miss Bennet can stay there until Mr and Mrs Bingley return. I shall arrange for you to visit Lady Matlock, Georgiana.”
“But, what about Almack’s on Wednesday?”
It vexed him no end that Georgiana had received a voucher while Elizabeth had not. Lady Jersey and her accomplices wished to humble him by forcing him to escort his sister to an assembly where his wife was not welcomed. It suited him very well to thwart their efforts in demeaning Elizabeth.
“Lady Matlock can escort you just as well if not better than I, Georgiana.”
Darcy was decided, and the girls realised it as they made no further demands upon him.
He sent a message to Mr Gardiner, received a favourable reply, went directly to the merchant’s warehouse, and was admitted into his office.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way. In either instance, I shall have Elizabeth’s grandmother’s current address.”
Mr Gardiner eyed him warily, but Darcy was tired of the games, prevarications, and missing his wife.
“She is at Ritterhof Castle, five miles south of Rendsburg in the direction of Hamburg.”
“Thank you,” he muttered. “And I would like to purchase Mrs Bean’s debts.”
The Bow Street Runners had discovered that Mrs Bean was indeed responsible for the licentious drawing of Elizabeth in her ball gown—an offence he intended to punish severely.
Mr Gardiner looked at him warily. “It is a substantial sum—three thousand one hundred and twenty-seven pounds. If you want it, it is yours.”
“I shall write you a bank note and have my man of business deliver it. If you will excuse me, I must prepare for a sea voyage.”
Darcy rose, shook Mr Gardiner’s hand, and walked out of the office.
If he failed, he could always wait for Richard in Altstadt.
The Bingleys would arrive from Scotland on July the fourteenth and had promised to visit him in London before returning to Netherfield.
Darcy penned a letter, inviting them to remain in his house until he returned from the continent.
He prompted them to allow Mary and Georgiana to stay with them there.
In the meantime, fear was beginning to override his senses, and he paced his study like a caged animal, nurturing his anger and allowing his resentment to grow.