“But my luck was turning! I could feel it!” MissLydia protested. “Look at these cards! I could take his watch, his purse, perhaps even his?—”
“Mr Bennet,” Saye said, making it sound like an epithet. “Do you know who I am? For I know who you are and how little your father will like to hear about gambling debts.”
Georgiana had begun to tremble, and tears were in her eyes, threatening her disguise as much as anything. One of the men observing from the other side of the table looked at her curiously; she had the presence of mind to lower her face, but not before he had prodded the arm of the man next to him and murmured something that made that man nod and say, “Something very peculiar going on here, to be sure.” Rumblings began to move round the group, and many of the men began to look more closely at the pair.
“We need them out of here, now,” Darcy hissed to Fitzwilliam.
Saye had grown weary with Miss Lydia’s failure to give way. He gestured vaguely towards her and said to the general’s batman, “My man was unable to attend me tonight. Perhaps you would be so good as to provide me assistance?”
The officer, a beefy sort of fellow, stepped forwards, evidently well prepared to bodily remove the offending stripling. “Yield your place, Bennet,” he said sternly as he grabbed her arms and began to lift her from her seat. “Else I shall yield it for you.”
The cards that had lain in front of Miss Lydia scattered, and the chair scraped loudly in protest. Darcy took advantage of the attention on her to step forwards and grab Georgiana.
She looked up in terror at his touch. “Brother! Oh!I never meant—I only wanted to have a bit of fun, and Miss?—”
“Shush,” said Fitzwilliam grimly, appearing at her other side. “We are not in the clear.”
Miss Lydia had been pulled to her feet and looked as if she wished to ring a peal over the general’s batman. She had just told him what a brute he was when Saye made a little sound that his dog evidently took as his cue. Florizel leapt onto the table, scattering everyone’s cards and sending drinks flying. People cried out as he began to bark furiously at everything and nothing, and the players, dismayed, began to shout at Saye to control his dog. Saye was busy taking a seat at the table and said, disinterestedly, “Florizel, down boy.”
Chaos ensued as both players and onlookers began to scramble about, collecting cards, or purses, or whatever else had been strewn over the tabletop. Someone accused one of the onlookers of stealing coins, and someone else threatened a duel. In the midst of it all, Fitzwilliam stepped in, grabbed hold of Miss Lydia, and hauled her, still protesting, towards the door.
“Come,” said Darcy to his sister, and pulled her after them, leaving Saye and his wild dog behind them.
They burst through the back tent flap into the cool night air, and wove quickly through the encampment to the road where the carriage awaited them. The door was open already, and the step down.
“In,” Darcy commanded, then he and Fitzwilliam climbed in and took the seat opposite, to better glare both girls into submission. Georgiana burst into tears and by now, even Miss Lydia had gleaned that she was in trouble. As the carriage began to move, she looked down at her hands and said sulkily, “I cannot see whatall the problem is about. We only wished for a bit of diversion.”
“Your idea of diversion nearly got you ruined,” Fitzwilliam informed her, then handed Georgiana a handkerchief and told her to stop crying.
“It may have anyhow,” Darcy said darkly. “We do not know what tales will go round about all of this.”
“At least we managed it without bloodshed—so far at least.” Fitzwilliam chuckled despite the circumstances. “We can only hope Florizel does not bite anyone.”
Darcy’s jaw was still tight with the residual tension of their narrow escape, and he spoke in terse accents. “Clearly there will be consequences. Beginning with both of you returning home.”
“What?” Miss Lydia looked up, eyes flashing. “I am not going home.”
Darcy raised his brow. “Yes, you are. I shall return you to your relations in Brighton tonight, as it is plain Mrs Forster has not provided ample superintendence over you; we are for London at first light and then I shall see you to Longbourn the day following.”
“You have no authority over me, Mr Darcy,” Miss Lydia said with a little huff. “So I do not see why you imagine it is to you?—”
Darcy interrupted firmly. “I shall arrange for your considerable debts to be settled, and you will repay me by leaving Brighton peacefully.”
Miss Lydia looked as though she was thinking about it. “My trunk is at Mrs Forster’s house.”
“I will see that your trunk is retrieved.”
“I cannot see why you should do all of this. This is none of your concern.Iam none of your concern.”
Darcy leant forwards. He assumed he must have afearsome expression on his face, for even Miss Lydia was cowed by it. He spoke quietly, but in a tone he hoped would be understood. “Your sister is very much my concern, and thus her family are as well. Unfortunately for us both, that includes you. You are a foolish child and I can only hope your father is moved to take you in hand now before the entire family is made to suffer.”
At the words ‘foolish child’, tears welled in her eyes. Georgiana reached to hold her hand, leaning over to whisper something to her. Miss Lydia only sniffled and looked out of the window, and such peace remained for the duration of the trip to Mrs Millhouse’s residence, where she could be relinquished to her uncle.
28
Despite every inclination and all of her best efforts, Elizabeth fell asleep, the emotional swings of the evening depleting even her ample energies. Her sleep was deep and dreamless until the moment she heard the click of the door latch. She woke, lifting her head as Lydia entered her bedchamber with a stomp of her shoes and the swish of whoever’s trousers she had appropriated for her ruse, and tossed herself onto Elizabeth’s bed.
“Lydia!” She scrambled upright. “You are here! Are you well? What time is it?” She reached for the lamp on her bedside table, the wick sputtering to life and casting dancing shadows on the whitewashed walls. She turned back, running her eyes and hands over Lydia to check she was in one piece. “Please tell me you were able to leave the party with no one the wiser?”
