During breakfast, Lizzy was buttering her bread in the great hall at the inn when she looked up to see Mrs. Jenkinson. What on earth was she doing at an inn in Derbyshire? Lizzy immediately went to her, but when she gently touched her arm to get her attention, Anne de Bourgh’s companion nearly jumped out of her skin.
“Mrs. Jenkinson, I am sorry to have startled you. Are you a guest at the inn?”
“Oh, Miss Bennet, you are the very person I was looking for. Miss de Bourgh is in the carriage, but she did not want to come in until she knew you were here. She would like to visit, but it really would be best if you met somewhere where it was not quite so crowded.”
“Of course. We shall visit in our rooms.”
Ordinarily, Lizzy would have been surprised to encounter Anne de Bourgh at an inn in Derbyshire so far from Kent, but in consideration of what had happened the day before at Pemberley, she was not surprised at all.
While Anne and Lizzy waited for the servant to bring the tea, they did little more than exchange pleasantries, but as soon as the door closed, Anne took Lizzy’s hand and said, “Elizabeth, are you angry with me?”
Lizzy shook her head no, and while holding Anne’s hand, she wondered how someone so frail could be so determined as to execute such a complicated plan and at such a distance.
“Of course, I am not angry. However, I was greatly surprised to meet Mr. Darcy at Pemberley and embarrassed as well. When he came upon me, I was spinning around in circles. He must have thought I had lost my mind, but even so, he was brave enough to talk with someone who had lost her wits.”
“And this first meeting? Did it go well?”
“Very well, I think. He was quite gracious, and he invited my aunt and uncle and me to dine at Pemberley this evening.”
Anne clasped her hands together and smiled. “As I had hoped.” Then in a more serious tone, she continued, “I have never done anything like this before.”
“General Wellington could make good use of your natural talents for maneuvering in his campaigns.”
“You must understand that everything I did was on behalf of Will and Georgiana, or I would not have been so brave. I just wanted Will to find a woman who would love him, not for his position or his wealth, but for who he is. When he told me that you had refused his offer of marriage, I was stunned, thinking all the advantage was on your side. How wrong I was! You have touched his heart as no one else has, and I wanted you two to be together again so that he might touch yours.”
Anne rose, explaining she had to leave. “Georgiana has gone ahead to Pemberley. When Will finds out that we have separated, he may be very upset with his sister, or he might order his horse to be saddled and come straight here. But I shall see you this evening, and by that time, all ruffled feathers will have been smoothed and we may begin anew.”
Darcy had sent one of the footmen to stand outside on the portico so that he might be immediately notified of his cousin’s arrival, and if his cousin was not overly fatigued, he wanted to have a word with her about a certain person he had encountered in the gardens yesterday. But when the carriage arrived, Anne was nowhere to be seen.
“Miss Bingley, Mrs. Hurst, Mr. Hurst, welcome to Pemberley,” Mr. Darcy said, but in a distracted manner that showed his concern for his missing cousin. “Jackson, show our guests to their rooms. After you have settled in, we will visit in the music room,” and turning his attention to Georgiana, he continued, “I need to have a word with my sister—now.”
Darcy led Georgiana by the elbow to the office where the business records of Pemberley were kept.
“Where is Anne?”
“Will, do not be angry. It was not my idea. Anne is fine, but she insisted Mrs. Jenkinson and she depart from our planned route, so that she might visit with a friend at the inn at Lambton.”
Georgiana was waiting for the explosion. When Will had closed the door to the office, his face was all storm and thunder, and she had expected it to start pouring at any moment. But, instead of the deluge, Will started laughing.
“Our cousin has been very busy,” he said, shaking his head in amusement.
“Then you are not angry?” and her brother shook his head “no.” “Will, does this have anything to do with Miss Sonnet?”
“Miss Sonnet? Who in God’s name is Miss Sonnet?”
“The lady who told you that love could be driven away with one bad sonnet.”
“Georgiana, I am very glad your mind is put to use for purposes of doing good, because if it were not, you would be a power to be reckoned with.”
Georgiana waited for his answer.
“Yes,” he said, sighing. “Miss Sonnet is Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourn Manor in Hertfordshire.”
“I knew it! Did you know her only in Hertfordshire?”
“No, I was with her during my visit…”
“…to Kent. I was right again. When you came back from Aunt Catherine’s, you looked like a tragic figure from one of Shakespeare’s plays.”
“Georgiana, I really must insist on some moderation in your speech. A coach with all of its passengers going over a cliff is a tragedy. Unrequited love is not.”
“Unrequited love?”
“Yes. At the moment, it is unrequited, but it is my hope to change that.”
“She does not love you? Then she must be a fool. I do not think I like her.”
“Well, you will be able to make up your own mind this evening as Miss Elizabeth will be joining us, and I shall tell you that Anne likes her very much. It was she who arranged for Miss Sonnet to be at Pemberley at exactly the same time as I was.”
“Oh, how very clever of her,” Georgiana said, returning to her former good humor.
“But, my dear sister, please remember we have other guests, and I am relying on you to perform your duties as hostess.”
“Of course. I shall be on my very best behavior, but I cannot guarantee the same for Miss Bingley.”