That was interesting indeed. “It will be a short engagement,” Elizabeth warned. “It is not a permanent position. You, of course, will remain at Ritterhof, but your brothers will be released once the task has been accomplished.”
“Any work is better than nothing,” Lydia replied, giggling and unconcerned.
Elizabeth wished that she was as fearless as her sister, but her sternum ached anxiously.
It was important that they practised their roles and did not abandon the characters they had invented before they were safely ensconced at Ritterhof Castle. If they were welcome. Elizabeth shook off the misgivings.
“If everything is executed to my satisfaction, I shall write each of you a note of recommendation. That might give you all a greater chance of finding employment in the future.”
“Thank you so much,” Lydia curtsied twice in gratitude. “They live not so far from here. I shall fetch them at once.”
She pretended to leave the study.
“The footmen will arrive in time before we leave tomorrow,” Mr Gardiner grumbled. He was not amused.
“Excellent. The scheme would be more plausible if the lads had liveries, but they are too expensive.” Elizabeth glanced at her uncle.
“I know of a place where you can hire those for a few shillings,” Mr Gardiner assured her.
Chapter 21 Owner of a Lonely Heart
Meanwhile, at Darcy House, June 13th
“The devil take it!”
Darcy growled, rose from his chair, and dashed his fists onto his desk. He would rather be dragged naked through burning coal interspersed with shards of glass than divorce Elizabeth, much less kill his own child. The judge must have lost his mind.
“Cease your vile suggestions at once. I will not hear another disparaging word about my wife, or I shall throw you out of my house.”
“You would rather destroy your reputation?”
“I wish you to Hades for implying that I or my wife have done anything to ruin our reputation. Speaking of reputation and the Darcy name, I have a question now that you are present.”
“Certainly.” The judge smirked as if he were winning the argument. He would suffer disappointment soon enough.
Darcy sat, pulled out a drawer in his desk, and rummaged through some papers until he found what he was looking for. He put the note on his desk and shoved it towards his uncle.
“I wonder whether you recognise this. Several of my friends received a similar note, stating that my ball was cancelled due to illness.”
“I take umbrage at the accusation, Darcy. I attended your disastrous ball.”
“That does not exempt you from prohibiting everyone else from attending.”
“I swear I had nothing to do with your ball apart from arriving at the appointed time.”
“Excuse me if I do not believe you. I have hired a Bow Street runner to investigate some excessive purchases, supposedly made by my wife. He has concluded that of the additional items that were added to her modest requests, most if not all revert back to you.”
“It was just a lark, Darcy. An impetuous act upon the spur of the moment. I happened upon Mrs Darcy in the company of Lady Matlock only the day after you returned to town. I thought she was rather quick to begin emptying your coffers, and I added nothing you could not afford.”
“The additional items have cost me nothing because I returned or cancelled every slipper, necklace, and spoon,” Darcy growled, giving the rage induced by his uncle’s audacity free rein. “I am not remotely amused you would stoop to have Elizabeth’s ball gown delivered a mere thirty minutes before Lady Matlock’s ball with alterations made to induce indecent exposure of her body.”
“I did no such thing! I asked for a minor defect. You know me well enough to know I would never subject anyone within our family to such an indecency.”
“Then why did you send the drawing to the newspapers?”
“I did not!” the judge roared. “It is not me who has fed the gossip rags with their abominable licentious rumours.”
“I do not believe you,” Darcy replied calmly, sitting back in his chair to study his uncle’s countenance.
