Mr. Darcy nodded in response, and then said, “I have only lately learnt of Mrs. Bennet’s passing; I offer my sincere condolences to all of you. She was a most excellent woman, and her loss mustbe felt keenly by the entire village, as well, of course, by her family.”
The girls all thanked him, warmed – and surprised – by the sincerity in his voice.
After a brief silence, Elizabeth finally looked at him. “I hope you left Miss Darcy in good health?”
“I did, yes; she is visiting with my aunt and uncle in London.”
“Oh! You went to London?”
“Yes; in fact, we journeyed there shortly after you left us.” Mr. Darcy leaned forward, prepared to explain why he undertook that journey, but just then the tea tray arrived, and cups and plates had to be handed around.
Mary distracted him from his purpose by saying, “I understand Miss Darcy to be a great proficient on the pianoforte, Mr. Darcy.”
“She most certainly is,” Elizabeth said, firmly. “I do not think I have ever before heard such a performance, let alone from so young a performer!”
“She has been playing all her life,” Mr. Darcy said. “I cannot recall a time when she was not at the keyboard.” A fond smile played over his face as he thought of his young sister. “But let me tell you why I went to London.”
“I assume you went to visit your relatives,” Elizabeth said.
“No, indeed; Georgiana insisted on joining me, and since I knew I would not be at Darcy House for long, we agreed that she would visit the Matlocks. But my primary purpose in going to London was to see if I could find your sister.”
The three girls gasped aloud.
Mr. Darcy continued, “I knew all about Wickham’s proclivities, having grown up with him. A better man would have warned allof Meryton about him, but I chose to say nothing. The fault is mine, and I hope the remedy might be mine as well.”
“Have you had any success?” Mary asked.
“None whatsoever.” Mr. Darcy went on to describe the actions he had taken, ending with, “If I had drawings of her, I might have better luck. Mrs. Gardiner –“
Elizabeth interrupted. “You went to see the Gardiners?!”
“Of course; I know that your mother was Mr. Gardiner’s sister, so I paid a condolence call. I also asked if she might assist my efforts with drawings of Miss Lydia.”
Jane chuckled. “I assume she told you that she could not do so. I have seen Aunt Gardiner’s attempts at drawing.”
“Quite right; but she suggested that Miss Kitty might be able to produce such drawings.”
“Oh! I will fetch her at once.” Mary rose and left the room.
With just the three of them in the room, Mr. Darcy felt a bit bolder. “How are you, Miss Elizabeth?”
Elizabeth replied, hesitantly, “It has been hard; I missed my mother’s funeral, you know.”
“Yes; the summer weather would have necessitated quick action,” he said.
“I understand why it happened, but I regret not having been with my family at that time. And, of course, the uncertainty surrounding Lydia is something that haunts us every day. The elopement was bad enough, but where is she now? Is she alive? Is she dead?” Her voice caught and she stopped.
“Of course; how could you feel be otherwise?” He imagined, just for a moment, that it was Georgiana who had vanished intothe cesspool of London’s slums, and shuddered. “But I will do everything in my power to answer those questions.”
“And the Bow Street runners are still looking for her while you are here with us?” Jane asked.
“Oh, I have done even better. I have managed to have my cousin come to London to help with the effort.”
Elizabeth looked astonished. “Colonel Fitzwilliam?”
“Yes, precisely.”
“He left his regiment to help find Lydia? I can scarcely believe it!”
