“Sir, I—”
“I was merely remembering my mother. It was she that would sing that song when I was a child. I have not heard it since her death.”
“I am sorry, sir.”
He held his hand up. “It gives me nothing but joy to hear it again. My mother was a wonderful woman, as I believe I have told you before. That song connects me to her again when I feel I need her most. Please, stay.”
She allowed herself to sit in the seat next to him and said, “That puts me in mind… I had the opportunity to meet a former maid from Pemberley. A Mrs. Smith?”
“Smith? Pemberley has always had a number of Smiths in our employ.” Her brows furrowed but he continued. “And did this Mrs. Smith have positive things to say about my family?”
“Why, yes, Mr. Darcy, she did. Well, she was not quite…well she… It seems Mrs. Smith’s granddaughter is my aunt’s friend, and we visited them both yesterday at their house in Portman Square. Mrs. Worth, her granddaughter, has had the care of Mrs. Smith since she began to suffer.”How can I say this delicately?“From what they refer to as cobwebs in the brain. She apparently served your mother as a lady’s maid?”
“Mrs. Hazel Smith?”
“I believe so…well, she was with your mother when she passed.”
“Yes, that would be her. Such a good woman. My mother truly cared for her.”
The room was quiet but for the ticking clock.
“There was a strange occurrence when we visited.”
“Oh?”
“When Mrs. Worth found that I was acquainted with you, she teased me about attending the play with you… and might she see our names linked in the paper?” A hint of smile appeared on Mr. Darcy’s lips, and Lizzy could feel heat rise from her bosom to her ears but continued with her confession. “And so of course, I corrected her and explained you were intended for Miss de Bourgh. And then Mrs. Smith became exceedingly upset.”
“How so?”
“She kept saying things, wild things. Finally, she had to be taken upstairs.”
“What exactly did she say?” He leaned forward with his hands clasped and his arms resting on his knees.
Lizzy took a breath and blew it out before responding. “She was wholly upset and became quite insistent that we were to go to Pemberley and get your mother. That Mrs. Darcy had said no. That the letter was on her desk. That your mother loved you, and you were her joy.”
Mr. Darcy was quietly still. “My mother always said that to me, that I was ‘her joy.’ I had almost forgotten about that. But what letter? What can she be speaking of? I only know of one letter during that sad time.”
“I know not, sir.”
“Miss Bennet, do you think Mrs. Worth would be averse to us paying her a call in the morning? I would like to speak with Mrs. Smith.”
* * *
Darcy climbedthe stairs balancing the tray of chocolate in his hands. The cook seemed surprised when he had come to the kitchen requesting to deliver the treats himself to his sister and her friends but said nothing.
As he approached Georgiana’s door, he heard an uncommon amount of giggling from within. He smiled and was about to knock when he heard his sister’s voice.
“Oh, please, Miss Elizabeth will you not play?”
“You must call me Elizabeth, but I do not know if I should play. ‘Candor and Courage’ does not sound like a game for an older woman preparing to embark on a future of respectability and structure.”
“Oh, Lizzy,” said Miss Katherine, “you are not so very old. Please play our game.”
“Yes, Elizabeth,” Georgiana said hesitantly. “A friend from a neighboring estate at Pemberley plays it all the time with her sisters, and it is so enjoyable. Though I have never actually played.” The girls again fell into a fit of giggles. “And you must call me Georgiana.”
Darcy knew better than to listen to the private conversations of ladies but was intrigued.
“Very well, Georgiana,” Miss Elizabeth said. “I am at your disposal. What are the rules?”
