“We got our ears boxed for that one!”
“Yes, we did.” Mrs. Worth chortled. “Please excuse me but my goodness, your aunt and I had some wonderful adventures together.”
Lizzy set her cup down on the table. “How did you get home that night? The night you were digging in Pemberley’s woods?”
“The elder Mr. Darcy was riding out in the woods returning from a tenant’s home. At the sound of approaching horses, we stopped immediately and jumped in our freshly dug hole.”
Mrs. Gardiner interpolated, “It was quite large, you see. We had been digging all day long with no intention of stopping.”
“As they came nearer, Madeline began to sneeze, startling the horses and the elder Mr. Darcy.”
“What happened?” Lizzy asked, astonished. “Didhebox your ears?”
“Mr. Darcy?” Cassandra Worth asked. “Oh, no. Never Mr. Darcy. He was a kindly man. He did have us scared to death though. Made us get out of the hole and asked if we were poachers.”
“Poachers?”
“He was teasing us, of course, but we did not know then. Can you imagine what we must have looked like? He recognized me immediately, as my grandmother was one of Mrs. Darcy’s abigails.” She indicated the elderly woman staring out the window next to her in a chair.
“What did Mr. Darcy do?”
The two women chuckled. “He said he was going to call the magistrate. He was certain we were pirates hiding a treasure on his property,” Aunt Gardiner replied.
“He alarmed us with that assertion. I was certain the King would lock us up in the Tower and my father would have to come to London.”
“He then asked if we were the young girls the village was in an uproar over, and we both knew right then that anything Mr. Darcy threatened us with would be far better than the punishment we would receive when we arrived home.”
“Yes, but in any event Mr. Darcy put us on Master Darcy’s pony then brought us directly to Pemberley where we were turned over to my grandmother, who took us in the kitchen andsheboxed our ears. He then ordered the carriage for us and gave my grandmother leave to see us home.”
“You knew the younger Mr. Darcy?” Lizzy asked in surprise. “You have never mentioned it before, Aunt.”
Madeline Gardiner snickered. “I would not say I knew him. He was several years my junior and we were of a much different sphere. However, Cassandra was in the family’s company numerous times.”
“I was.” She turned to look at Lizzy. “They were the best of people. Mrs. Darcy was so beautiful. And she and Mr. Darcy were so in love. As you know, very often marriages in those circles are for financial gain only. I can attest that Mr. and Mrs. Darcy truly loved each other. His heart was broken when his wife died, and he never remarried.”
Mrs. Gardiner nodded. “I remember that, Cassie. It was so sad.”
“Yes. After Mrs. Darcy’s death, my grandmother retired. Granny was so shaken by the loss of her mistress. That, and” —looking up at the elderly woman— “she had begun getting what the doctor called ‘cobwebs’ in her mind. My father felt it best she come and live with us in Lambton. Upon Father’s death, and Mother moving to Kent to be nearer her sister, Mr. Worth was so good to allow her to move in with us here in London. It has been quite an adjustment, but we have managed. Is that not so, Gran?”
Mrs. Smith turned to her granddaughter and offered a distant smile, looking past them all. Her blue gown was styled from a bygone era. Her widow’s cap fit loosely over her neatly arranged hair and her fingers tapped rhythmically on the arm rests of the chairs.
“We were just talking about Pemberley,” she said raising her voice in her grandmother’s direction. “And Lady Anne Darcy.”
Cassandra Worth was met by a blank stare, and she gently smiled and reached over to pat the older woman on the hand. Turning to Lizzy and Madeline Gardiner, she said quietly, “We feel as if we have lost her already. There are moments when the cobwebs clear, but those are more and more infrequent.”
After a moment, Madeline said, “My other niece, Katherine, has become particular friends with Miss Georgiana Darcy. She is actually staying at Darcy House, and she and Elizabeth will be accompanying the Darcys to the theatre tomorrow evening.”
“How wonderful! Did you hear that, Grandmother? This young lady, Miss Elizabeth Bennet, knows young Master Darcy.”
“Yes, Mrs. Smith,” Lizzy said, turning to the little lady with wispy, white hair. “We have enjoyed the company of the Darcys for the last few weeks. They are a wonderful family. Might I give them your regards?”
The three women waited in silence for any response from the older woman, but when there was none, Lizzy smiled and turned back to Mrs. Worth. “My sister and I are quite delighted to accompany the Darcys tomorrow to the theatre, as we have never sat in a private box before.”
“Won’t there be speculation with Mr. Darcy accompanying you, Miss Bennet? Might we see your names in the Examiner soon?” She sighed dramatically. “Imagine, the future mistress of Pemberley drinking tea in my parlor.”
“Pish-posh. Stir your tea, not your imagination, Cassie.”
“But I think I will share a secret. It is not common knowledge but as you have a connection with the family, and it will be announced next week, I am sure I can tell you, Mrs. Worth.”
