“I thank you, Miss Darcy. It has been many years, and I see you are all grown.”
“Might I presume this is your father, Margie?”
The three ladies had been driven to distraction the past four hours trying to be certain everything was ready, and had adopted Christian names by mutual consent the first time Lizzy and Margie spoke to each other.
“Papa, may I introduce Miss Georgiana Darcy. She is Mr Darcy’s sister. Georgie, may I make you known to my father, Mr George Wythe.”
“Welcome to Pemberley, Mr Wythe. We are happy to have you here, and you shall always be welcome. Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Miss Margaret Wythe, might I introduce you to Mr Selkirk. Mr Selkirk, Miss Bennet and Miss Wythe. Miss Bennetis a trusted friend of my brother. Lizzy, Margie, Mr Selkirk is the mayor of Sudbury.”
Elizabeth laughed at herself. She had feared she overstepped her bounds presuming to invite the inhabitants to Pemberley, but as she had told Miss Darcy, they would have ended up here anyway—though if Mr Selkirk had not seen them in years, perhaps they were not so very well known.
Two footmen stepped forward with umbrellas and stood close to the gentlemen, sheltering them from the rain while awaiting instruction.
“Is your brother at home?” Selkirk asked.
“No sir, but do not fret. Miss Bennet has aided me, and we are well prepared for however many people you choose to bring. We should get out of the rain, so let us be quick about it. There are a few things you should be aware of.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“First, we have several cases of measles, including most of the senior staff. We isolated them in the guest wing and believe we can keep everyone separated, but you must be absolutely certain everyone that enters the house understands they are not under any conditions to enter any corridors blocked by sheets. I will have your word on this.”
Selkirk nodded. “Where do you plan to place us?”
“The ill and injured in the family wing, the rest in the ballroom. I am sorry we cannot offer the guest wing.”
“The ballroom will do splendidly. I need to send men to Lambton for bedding and the like.”
“Already done! Just get everyone inside out of the rain.”
“Understood. Are there other rules?”
“Just two. The first is that we expectproperbehaviour. We understand life is difficult for the villagers, but we will not accept that as an excuse for theft or anything else disagreeable.”
Selkirk sighed. “That should not need to be said, but you are correct to do so. There are always a few hotheads who need it stated explicitly, and occasionally with fists. We will see to it.”
Georgiana nodded. “One last thing. We ladies are sharing responsibilities, and between the three of us, we make one fair mistress. However, there must beonetrue leader, so I ask you to impress upon everyone that Miss Bennet’s word is law.”
Elizabeth barely managed to suppress a gasp and stared at Georgiana in consternation—sheepishly admitting she had been outplayed. She could not countermand the first order from the true mistress of the manor, nor could she force the job on a sixteen-year-old girl who did not seem up to the task; so apparently for the duration she was to play the mistress more than she cared to.
Elizabeth stared at Georgiana, promising discussion and possible retribution later; but then an idea struck her that made her gasp.The thought of laterretribution flowed right into her mind without the slightest twinge. It was as if she were planning to thump one of her sisters later. She had as much as tacitly admitted to herself that her relationship with Miss Georgiana Darcy wouldhave a later.Perhaps, she might have to think on that—later.
She looked at the men; it was disconcerting to see two men of her father’s generation, one a mayor and the other a prosperous businessman, looking to her for instruction. Yes, she was definitely going to thrash Georgiana Darcy, but for the moment, there was work and responsibility to be dealt with.
“Who do we have in the carriage, Mr Selkirk?”
“Two adults and five children who are quite ill, ma’am. Two have nasty burns, and the others are all done in from smoke. Our wives patched them up, but it will not hold forever.”
“Their families?”
“Following behind. One young boy is alone in the world. Both his parents perished, and he has no siblings.”
“How old is he, and what is wrong with him?”
“Smoke, mostly. I believe he will recover well enough. He is twelve.”
“Does he have any friends coming?”
“Yes, in about an hour or two.”
