Chapter 13
Darcy
Elizabeth asked, “Have you seen the beautiful comb you put in my hair yesterday afternoon? I have not seen it since—since I became so exhausted after dinner.”
Darcy had to admit that he had been so anxious about her health, when he saw her practically swooning in the drawing room, that he had not thought about the comb for a single second.
On the other hand, he was not too worried.
“Georgiana and Jane must have removed it from your hair last night as they readied you for bed,” he said.
“Perhaps, but I would have thought that I would have seen it this morning.”
The two hastened back to the manor house and found both Jane and Georgiana in the breakfast room. Both ladies seemed startled by the question, and then horrified. They spoke over one another: “I did not—” “I am so sorry, but—” “I do not know—”
Once their sisters collected themselves well enough to speak one at a time, they admitted that they had not seen or thought about the hair comb, from the time Elizabeth wondered if she was ill until that very moment.
Bingley and Hurst listened, and as everyone was collectively drawing a breath, the colonel walked into the room.
The three men all reported the same thing: they had not noticed the comb lying anywhere about, nor had they noticed its presence or lack thereof while she was being carried out of the drawing room.
Darcy pressed his lips together and then spoke firmly.
“I will search the drawing room, the staircase, the corridors, and the guest chamber Elizabeth resided in. Bingley, could you please alert Mrs Nicholls to the loss—it undoubtedly fell out of Elizabeth’s hair as I picked her up or carried her upstairs.
She must interview the servants to discover if anyone has seen it. ”
“And I will ask my wife and sister the same thing,” Hurst said.
After searching—including three servants thoroughly examining what Darcy had already searched—and questioning and conferring, it turned out that nobody had seen the comb. It was every bit as missing as the signet ring.
A tearful Georgiana presented herself to Elizabeth and Darcy. “Oh, Georgiana,” Elizabeth said, embracing the younger girl, “I am so sorry to have lost a family heirloom. It was in your family for decades and decades, I imagine, and I had custody of it for a few hours and promptly lost it!”
“I need to talk to you two privately,” Georgiana whispered.
“Of course.” Darcy smiled at her, trying to convey loving support. “We will borrow Bingley’s study.”
Soon enough, the three were in the sound-proof room, with Georgiana looking down as they both gazed at her expectantly.
“You wished to ask us something?” Darcy questioned her gently.
She shook her head no.
“Tell us something?”
“Oh, Brother, I am sor-r-ry.” She was choking on her tears now, and Elizabeth embraced her.
Darcy held her hands between his and said, “Just tell us. I understand that you are sorry, and I forgive you whatever it is, but we cannot help you until we know what has occurred, or what you did.”
“I lost my sapphire necklace. Only I began to wonder, now that nobody has seen Elizabeth’s comb, if maybe I did not lose it. Could someone have taken it?”
Darcy was stunned and did not speak for a moment.
Elizabeth hurried to ask when she had first missed the necklace.
Georgiana said, “The day before yesterday. I kept thinking of one more place to look, and I did not want to inform you of the loss, because I was certain I had just been careless and I would find it. But—do you think it is gone? Forever?”
“Richard needs to be here,” Darcy said. “And Bingley. Wait here, ladies, I will fetch them.” Before he left the room, however, he gave his sister a swift sideways hug and said, “Do not worry, Poppet. We will find it, and if we do not, we can easily replace it. Either way, I am certain it was not your fault. No more tears for jewels, if you please.”
As he walked to the door, he heard Elizabeth ask Georgiana, “Poppet?”
He smiled as he hastened back to the drawing room to collect Bingley and Richard.
He remembered so clearly the years when Georgiana was a little girl, and how she ran to him each time he came home from school, her golden curls bouncing and her blue eyes looking up at him in adoration.
The nickname “Poppet” made him smile with nostalgia for the time when they still had their father.
Before long Darcy returned to the ladies, leading Richard and Bingley. He waited for Bingley to act as the master—it was his home and his study, after all. But Bingley just stood next to Richard, looking expectantly at Darcy.
It was going to be a difficult conversation, but it was his to start.
Keeping his eyes focused on his hands, Darcy related as concisely as possible the facts about the missing signet ring and the steps taken to investigate the theft.
He reminded everyone that Elizabeth’s comb, which almost certainly fell out of her hair when she became ill and he had carried her up to a guest room, had not been found.
Then he said that he had just learnt that a piece of jewellery had been stolen from his sister as well.
He finally looked up at Bingley, who was looking surprisingly blank.
“Bingley, I know that this is upsetting, but the only residents who were here during the first theft are your two sisters and Hurst. Since we have already taken multiple steps to investigate the servants and Mrs Green, I felt that the investigation should move to your relations.”
He watched for a reaction. Getting none, he wondered if the man was in shock. He saw Richard flick a glance towards the brandy bottle, and Darcy gave him a brief nod. Richard poured a few fingers of brandy into a glass and handed it to Bingley, who tossed off the brandy in one swallow.
Finally, Bingley looked less blank. He bit his lips and shifted his weight; he looked uncertain but concerned.
Darcy said, “However, rather than investigating all three, my attention is now on your younger sister, because there is evidence that she deliberately gave Elizabeth a sleeping draught in her tea, and that is what made Elizabeth seem ill. I propose that Richard, acting as a member of the King’s Army, accompany my valet and yours, as witnesses who we trust after many years of service to be both honest and discreet, in a search of Miss Bingley’s room.
We can keep it completely quiet, and of course we should keep her busy in the public rooms until the search is complete.
Then we will meet again and discuss what to do, depending on the findings. ”
Darcy noticed that everyone was looking at Bingley, at this point.
He marvelled that his friend did not show even a trace of anger, although he still looked worried.
He did not ask about the evidence against his sister; his willingness to accept her likely guilt in dosing a guest and theft did not speak well of her character—nor of his.
If he had always suspected that she might be capable of criminal behaviour, surely he should have done something about it!
But Bingley just stood still, his eyes shifting from Darcy to Richard and back again, and he finally nodded and said, “Good plan.”
Darcy felt another jolt of disappointment in Bingley. He seemed to lack the basic characteristics of leadership: the desire to take responsibility for his family and the inclination to be decisive and active when the situation calls for such.
Darcy strode to the bell pull to summon a servant, and when Mrs Nicholls appeared, he asked that Hopkins and Conrad, Bingley’s valet, be summoned to meet the colonel in the study, and that she return to the study as well.
Bingley said, “I will go with the party but remain in the hall, Darce.”
Feeling relief for his friend—finally, a modicum of action!—he clapped him on the back and said, “Well done.” Then Darcy shepherded Elizabeth and Georgiana to the blue drawing room, where they expected to find the Hursts, Miss Bennet, and Miss Bingley. Indeed, all four were there.
Miss Bingley was speaking animatedly—perhaps just a bit too loud, too bright, to be entirely usual.
She turned to the three as they entered.
“I am dreadfully sorry that you lost the hair comb that Mr Darcy had given you, Miss Eliza.” Miss Bingley cast a sly look towards Darcy and added, “Such a shame you lost it the very day that such a precious heirloom was loaned to you!” She clucked her tongue.
Elizabeth looked as if she itched to reply archly, to mock Miss Bingley oh-so-subtly, to make it obvious that she was not fooling anyone with her show of sympathy. But Elizabeth did not reply at all; she simply smiled.
Darcy felt as if it was going to be hard for him to ignore the slight against his intended, especially because he already felt as if the miserable woman had attacked Elizabeth via the sleeping draught in her tea!
Still, he reminded himself that it was important to keep Miss Bingley there, in the drawing room, busy and engaged with him and the others while her room was searched.
If that meant allowing the woman to happily promote herself and denigrate the Bennets, so be it.
Georgiana looked stricken, and he saw Elizabeth take her hand and squeeze it. Darcy was proud to see that his sister took a deep breath and rallied quite well. Miss Bennet looked as sanguine as ever but for the tightening of her lips and tension of her shoulders.
He doubted that Miss Bingley would wander upstairs at this time in the morning, but to make certain, he decided a bit of flattery would keep her in the room.
He asked, “Shall we have a game of cards? Georgiana informed me that she wishes to learn more of whist. I could pair with Miss Bingley, who I have observed to have excellent card sense, and the other team could be the Hursts. That way, Georgiana, Miss Bennet, and Elizabeth would be able to watch and learn strategy.”
Miss Bingley gloated at the compliment and the suggestion that she partner Darcy, and he did not miss the fact that she shot several triumphant glances at Elizabeth.
He held onto his patience as well as he could, and soon silence reigned in the room as they played whist. Miss Bennet perched on a chair in a spot where she could watch the table, and Georgiana and Elizabeth prowled around, inspecting hands and the card play, although he seriously doubted that they were as focused on learning strategies as they appeared to be.
He himself felt as if he constantly switched focus: their play, his play, the search occurring upstairs, back to their play.…
He hoped that all the missing jewellery would be found in Miss Bingley’s room. He was ready for the mystery to be solved.
Even more strongly, he hoped that Bingley would adequately deal with Miss Bingley if, indeed, the jewellery was found in her room!