“Explain the letters.” Edward and Southland questioned Manneville. Darcy’s party had returned to the main house an hour earlier, but the colonel, taking his aide aside, had excused himself immediately.
Manneville lounged casually against the pillows propped behind his head. “What letters?”
Edward paced the area at the foot of the man’s bed. “Damn you! You know what letters. Those found in this box.” He tossed the slender box onto the bed beside Manneville’s leg.
“Is it now a crime to possess letters in England? What a country this has become!” Manneville said sarcastically.
Edward braced his hands on the ornate footboard. “It’s not a crime unless those said letters belong to Princess Charlotte, and one plans to use them against her.” He watched as his accusation registered on the man’s face.
Shifting uncomfortably, the American said, “The letters don’t belong to the princess.A gift has an owner different from the giver.”
“Then you refuse to explain how you came in possession of the letters and the other items given to Captain Hesse?” Edward demanded.
“I found the box when we landed in Liverpool,” Manneville asserted. “I had no idea it would cause such strife. If so, I would’ve left the items where they rested in the snow.”
Edward threatened, “You have no idea what trouble truly is. Come, Southland. Let Manneville consider his choices overnight.” The colonel strode from the room. In the corridor, he turned to the lieutenant. “I want you to stand guard. I’ll relieve you in a bit. We’ll allow Darcy’s staff some time to enjoy the Boxing Day celebration. No sense in punishing them. It’s not their faults that the princess’s advisors duped us.”
Southland looked about nervously. “Will our escorting Manneville to England be held against our future service?”
“Recovering the letters and other gifts might save our careers,” Edward confided. “I’ve had a bad feeling about this man from the beginning. I wish I’d listened to my instincts. I would just like to know who cut our orders.We were specifically given the task to see to Manneville’s safety.”
“Then your intention is to escort Manneville to London and turn him over to the Regent’s agents?” Southland took another step away from the American’s door.
Edward drew his aide yet further away. “The message I received from the Regent indicated that recovering Hesse’s letters would free the princess to form a proper alliance with Saxe-Coburg.”
“Mercy!” Southland shook his head in disbelief. “How did we become so entangled in State affairs?”
“God only knows,” Edward moaned. “Women in love control the pulse of a country, and we men are only along for the ride.”
“I wish you didn’t have to leave tomorrow,” Georgiana whispered. She and the colonel stood apart from the others in the main drawing room. Most of those in attendance played the usual assortment of parlor games.
Edward smiled at her. “As do I. Even though we’ve known each other your entire life, I suddenly feel we’re strangers.”
“We’ve moved into a different phase of our relationship,” she observed. Georgiana paused before adding, “I must ask again if this is what you want. No one knows other than my brother and Elizabeth. We can continue as before.”
With tenderness that caused her heart to beat erratically, Edward said, “We could never return to ‘as before.’ We are joined, Georgiana, but I do need for you to think on what picture you have for our future. Do you wish to take up residence at Yadkin Manor? Would you prefer to remain at Pemberley while I finish my service? There are many details we must settle between us, but I wish our joining most ardently. When I returned to England and you, my heart finally knew contentment.”
“I do so wish we could tell the others.”
“Soon, my love.”
“Will the colonel propose to Miss Darcy?” Winkler sat beside Kitty on a small settee.
Kitty glanced to where Georgiana stood with her cousin. “I think they’ll know happiness before long, but how did you know?”
“I recognize the same bewilderment on the colonel’s face as I find in my own mirror’s reflection. He’s quite besotted with Miss Darcy and does not understand how it happened.”
So utterly happy, Kitty wanted to giggle like a schoolgirl, but she said, “I’m most eager for us to define our future relationship now that Mr. Darcy has withdrawn his objection.”
Winkler frowned. He still didn’t like being a puppet on Pemberley’s string. He would think more clearly on his staying at Lambton once he had settled this matter with Kitty Bennet. For now, an odd sense of joy rushed through him. Winkler said, “As am I, Catherine.”
“I brought you a glass of port,” Anne said as she approached Southland.
Roman looked up with pleasure. He’d never expected that his future wife would worry in his absence. Their worlds were so different that he’d had begun to have second thoughts on the alliance. He didn’t love this woman who now stood before him, but he’d long carried the highest regard for her family. It wasn’t she that he questioned, but rather whether he could transition into her world. “Thank you,” he said with a smile. “That’s most kind of you.”
Anne looked about nervously. “Why do you sit in this empty hallway? Edward was very enigmatic about your absence from the party below.”
“I’m afraid that I’m under orders and cannot speak of it.” He awkwardly added, “Would you sit with me for awhile? I’d enjoy your company.”
Anne blushed. “Since we are officially engaged, I suppose it wouldn’t be improper.”
Roman found another straight-backed chair in an empty bedchamber and carried it to the hallway. He placed it along the wall, beside the one he had previously occupied. Seating Anne, he returned to his chair. “Thank you for seeking me out. The colonel and I will leave for London at dawn, and I was sore to know how I might have a few minutes of private time with you before my departure. We’ve several things we should discuss.”
“Go on, Lieutenant,” she said softly.
Roman swallowed hard. “We should decide when we wish to marry.”
Anne looked away in embarrassment, but she said, “Not too long. Long enough for the suddenness of our joining not to lead to gossip, but not so long if we wish to start a family. At least, that’s what my companion counsels.”
“Mrs. Jenkinson?” Roman questioned in surprise. “Not Lady Catherine?”
“My mother is accepting, but she hasn’t totally acclimated to the idea. Her Ladyship shall never rescind the engagement announcement, but I do believe she’d thought never to see the day.”
Roman captured her hand in his. “Then what say you? Choose a date. In London, I will purchase a license.”
“My mother had suggested Mr. Collins’s calling the banns upon our return, but I had considered the end of February.” Anne calculated the dates in her head. “The twenty-third or twenty-fourth of February? Those are at the end of the week. Why don’t you clear whichever day you prefer with your superiors and then send me the date in a letter. I assume we’ll correspond regularly.”
When he had proposed, Roman had never considered how they’d handle the particulars of their relationship. He’d just gotten caught up in the possibilities. Now, the idea of receiving mail from his betrothed fascinated him. His was a small family, and he rarely received the amount of mail the other officers did. He relished the idea of someone special writing to him. “Of course, we’ll write regularly, and I’ll ride to Kent when I have days off duty.”
“I’ll make you a good wife, Roman,” Anne blurted out. “At least, I’ll try.”
“I know you will,” he said compassionately. “Ours may not have been an instant love match, but few of the gentry marry for love. I promise you my fidelity and my respect.You own my admiration already. From those three, we’ll build ourselves a foundation upon which we can live comfortably. I’d like to make you happy. Mayhap, a strong affection will grow between us.”
“You’ve made me happy,” she assured. “I’ve the hopes of a young woman again. I’ll do whatever is necessary to make us a comfortable home. For you to know contentment.”
Roman smiled easily. Possibly, he’d made the correct choice, after all. His future wife was an heiress. As such, upon Lady Catherine’s death, Rosings Park would belong to Anne, and, ultimately, as her husband, to him. Their children would inherit a great estate. He’d accomplished much with his choice. With Anne’s acceptance, he’d moved up in society. “We’ll do well together,” he promised. They stared into each other’s countenances for a prolonged minute. “Anne,” he said with a rasp. “Would you allow me to kiss you?”
She blushed thoroughly. “I’d like that very much, Roman.”
It was well after midnight when he entered her bedchamber. He had scaled an icy terrace and the metal claws of the ivy wall to reach an empty chamber in the U-shaped wing. Earlier, he had lowered his trunk to the ground with strips of cloth he’d made from torn bedding. From the empty bedroom, he’d made his way to her suite. Slowly, he opened her door and slid into the darkness. Using the fireplace’s faint light, he moved stealthily across the room. Reaching her bed, he placed a knee on the edge and reached for her shoulder. Giving it a slight shake, he prepared for her awakening startlement.
With a gasp, her eyes sprang open. Searching the darkness, she frantically identified him as she clutched the bed linens to her chest. “What are you doing here?” she haughtily demanded.
“Saying my farewells,” he replied. “I’m leaving tonight.”
She scooted up higher in the bed. “Can you not wait until tomorrow?”
“It must be now,” he said softly. “I’d like you to accompany me.”
Darcy couldn’t remember a more confusing night. As his cousin had predicted, the Regent’s soldiers had arrived at Pemberley a little short of six in the morning. Mr. Nathan had roused him from his sleep, and Darcy had immediately sent for his cousin, only to discover that they’d lost their “prisoner.” Although, in Darcy’s estimation, the man they’d known as Beauford Manneville had committed no actual crime, the colonel and the lieutenant had accompanied the Regent’s men in their attempt to recover Manneville. True, the American had once held in his possession the intimate letters of Princess Charlotte to her supposed lover, and it had also been true that said lover had intended to use those letters for his own benefit; but intention and execution were different issues. However, it wasn’t likely that the Prince would see it that way. At least, Edward had secured the letters and the princess’s mementos in Darcy’s household safe.
“And Mr. Manneville climbed down his bedding to make his escape?” Lady Catherine asked incredulously. She and the Collinses and Anne would depart for Kent after breakfast.
He’d not wanted to share the details with the others, but Manneville’s trickery and the presence of the Prince’s men couldn’t be kept secret. Darcy filled his plate from the morning’s offerings. “Evidently. With the staff still enjoying the evening’s celebration, Manneville hitched up one of the smaller coaches and drove away into the night.”
“He’s a cad and a thief,” Lady Catherine declared.
Anne poured fresh tea for her mother. “Can you imagine living constantly with such scandal? I’m thankful at moments such as these that I never mastered the ton’s attentions.”
Elizabeth explained, “According to Edward, on Christmas, Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte finally decided to quit fighting the Regent. Prince George convinced his daughter that his wife would replace Charlotte on the throne with Princess Caroline’s adopted son William Austin if our Prince should meet an untimely demise.”
Darcy smiled cautiously. “We don’t know those to be the facts, Elizabeth.You gossip about His Royal Highness.”
“Everyone gossips about the Prince,” she retorted. “What else are we to do in the trenches of Derbyshire?”
Lady Catherine added, “Or in Kent?”
This new agreement between his wife and his aunt still perplexed Darcy, but he knew Elizabeth would explain it eventually. Something of significance had brought these two different women into accord. “Then gossip on,” he said wryly. “It’s not as if I can stop you.”
“As my husband, you could forbid it,” Elizabeth countered.
“I could, but you have an uncanny way of defying me and then convincing me that it was my idea.”
Lady Catherine snorted. “Your dear father used to claim the same about my sister.”
Darcy’s eyebrow rose in curiosity, but Elizabeth went on with her tale. “Anyway, Edward suspected something troublesome with Mr. Manneville so he sent a casual letter to Viscount Keith marking Edward’s return.”
“Mercer Elphinstone’s father?”The story held Lady Catherine’s attention. “How very daring of the colonel!”
“The viscount was in Scotland, but the Regent’s men intercepted our cousin’s letter,” Elizabeth continued. “The Prince sent Edward orders to detain Manneville.”
Georgiana gasped, “You knew of this, Fitzwilliam, and you told no one?”
“Of course, I knew. When Mr. Nathan answers Pemberley’s door in the night’s middle to find the Prince’s courier, he had better report to me first or lose his position.” His masked warning had landed squarely on his butler’s shoulders. “Of course, Mr. Nathan is a superior servant. He understands the need to protect Pemberley first.”
Elizabeth took up her tale again. “It’s long been assumed that Lady Elphinstone holds great sway over Princess Charlotte.”
“For a woman who spends little time in London, you seem well versed in the Prince’s court,” Darcy challenged.
“I have an aunt who devours the gossip pages,” she reminded him.
Darcy chuckled. “I hadn’t considered your Aunt Gardiner’s influence.”
“Why do you suppose her letters are so thick?” Elizabeth taunted. “One can only describe a child’s latest sniffle or accomplishment so many times without being bland.”
“Then finish your story, my dear.” Elizabeth smiled prettily at him, and Darcy’s heart took flight. He loved seeing her animated and challenging once again.
“Lady Elphinstone reportedly encouraged Princess Charlotte’s relationship with Captain Hesse.The princess’s correspondence with the captain is what Edward recovered from Manneville’s room.”
Her Ladyship chortled. “How delightful for Edward. He’ll earn a promotion for his efforts.”
Darcy warned, “As long as the Prince isn’t upset that Manneville escaped.”
“Maybe the Regent can finally convince Charlotte to accept Orange,” Lady Catherine observed.With that, she stood to take her leave. “The Collinses have seen to my coaches.”
The Darcys followed her to their feet. “We’ll see you out,Your Ladyship.” Darcy came around the table to place his aunt’s hand on his arm. Only then did he notice how Her Ladyship’s hand trembled uncontrollably. He started to say something, but a staying glare and a slight shake of his wife’s head stopped him. Instead, he locked her hand into place with his free one. Slowly, he walked his aunt to the main door where Mr. Nathan awaited with her outerwear. Lady Catherine’s domineering spirit overshadowed how frail she appeared. Why had he not noticed this before? “You’ll no longer be a stranger to Pemberley,” he said dutifully.
“And you and Mrs. Darcy shall witness Anne’s marriage,” Lady Catherine announced.
“Depending on Mrs. Darcy’s lying-in,” he reminded her.
A quarter hour later, the Rosings coaches departed for Kent.“Come, Mrs. Darcy. You may retell your tale,” he said. “The Bingleys and your parents have yet to hear the latest. I expect they slept through the fracas.”
When they reentered the morning room, the Bennets, Mr. and Mrs. Bingley, and Mr. Grange were helping themselves to breakfast. “Her Ladyship found safe roads?” Mr. Bennet asked as he scooped jam onto his toast.
“We certainly hope so,” Darcy said as he resumed his breakfast.
Mrs. Bennet took the chair beside Elizabeth. “I cannot imagine Mr. Collins’s consequence once he pronounces Miss De Bourgh’s vows.You’ll suffer another of the man’s odious letters, Mr. Bennet,” she declared.
“You’re mistaken, my dear,” her husband corrected. “I find Mr. Collins’s letters most entertaining. They’re very much like the man himself.”
“Where is Kitty, by the way?” Elizabeth asked as she sipped her second cup of tea.
Jane sat across from her mother. “Charles asked Kitty to summon Caroline.We were all up so late last evening, he couldn’t seem to make Miss Bingley hear his entreaty.”
Darcy hid his true reaction to the idea that Caroline Bingley remained abed at the current hour. He’d escaped having his friend’s sister as the mistress of his household. “Having so many of our friends and family at last evening’s celebration did honor to my tenants. My steward, Mr. Lynden, reports that the cottagers returned home singing Pemberley’s praises. I thank you for your participation,” he announced to the table.
“We were pleased to be present for your Boxing Day celebration, Mr. Darcy. It speaks well of you and of the man in whose hands I’ve placed my daughter’s future,” Mr. Bennet solemnly replied.
Upon that note, Kitty burst into the room. “What is it?” Georgiana asked as she rushed to Kitty’s side.
“Miss Bingley.” Kitty paled. “Her room is empty. Not a dress or a brush. Nothing.”
Bingley was up and moving immediately. “Are you certain, Kitty?” he asked as he darted past her and headed toward the stairs. Jane followed closely behind him.
Elizabeth caught Kitty about the waist to steady her sister. “She left this note.” Kitty handed it to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth read it quickly and passed it on to Darcy, who scanned it before saying, “I’ll share this with Bingley.” Darcy dashed from the room to find his friend.
“What did the note say, Lizzy?” Mrs. Bennet asked excitedly.
“Miss Bingley has eloped with Mr. Manneville,” Elizabeth announced.
“I suspected as much,” Mrs. Bennet said coyly. “The man offered Miss Bingley a chance at a prominent marriage.”
Elizabeth shook her head in denial. “You don’t understand, Mama. The colonel and Lieutenant Southland, along with members of the Regent’s personal guard, hunt Mr. Manneville. Miss Bingley has made a terrible mistake.”