Chapter 26

After Elizabeth and Georgiana left his study, Darcy met with his steward and the butler to learn what had happened to the messenger who had failed to arrive. The two men confirmed that he had not arrived as expected and sent out other men to see if they could track down the messenger.

It would likely be a few days before any news was received, especially since the next day was the Sabbath, and any investigation could not begin until then. They would ask around after service tomorrow in Lambton and send a man on Monday to travel toward London to see if any of Darcy's messages had been received.

That done, the butler left, leaving the steward to discuss several pressing business matters. None of the letters Darcy had sent from Netherfield over the last weeks had been received, and that concerned Darcy since several issues had been important.

Darcy had, however, received a message from Colonel Fitzwilliam informing him of the lack of progress in finding Wickham. The colonel had found several additional men, former soldiers, to serve as guards, who delivered the missive along with themselves to Pemberley.

Darcy continued in the study for a little longer, going through documents and reports left for his approval for another hour or so until he heard a light tapping on the door. "William," he heard as the door slowly opened to reveal the figure of his Elizabeth.

He stood and ushered her to the armchairs in front of the fire, the chairs placed close enough together that they could hold hands. "Elizabeth, I am so pleased you found me here. Is there anything I can do for you?"

She bit her bottom lip. "I have been thinking about why none of your letters sent from Netherfield were received."

"A man will leave on Monday to seek answers as to why nothing I sent from Netherfield was received at Pemberley. It is odd, is it not, that only that post has been affected?"

"Do you think it was something Mr. Wickham did?" Elizabeth asked.

He drew in a deep breath. "I have considered it. I have also considered my aunt, though that seems unlikely. She will be angry when she learns of our wedding, though, I have little doubt of that. I also thought about Miss Bingley. I do not believe she knew I was with her brother in Hertfordshire, but if she learned of it, I suppose it is possible she did something to prevent my letters being sent to Pemberley. However, I cannot think of a motive to have taken such an action. What purpose could it have served?"

"Could my father have somehow done something? Though I do not understand what his motivation could have been either. Just to be contrary? It still does not explain what happened to the messenger."

"This was not an isolated incident. Apparently, since leaving my townhouse in London, no letters I have sent to Pemberley have been received. However, the post from other places have not been interfered with. So far as I can tell, I have received all the letters sent to me. That makes me wonder if it has to do with Netherfield in particular or Hertfordshire in general. I also am uncertain how the messenger has been affected by all this. I suppose there is a possibility that the two are not related."

"What will you do to find out what has happened?" Elizabeth asked.

"My steward intends to send a man to track down the messenger. He will also check to see if any of my messages were received at any of the inns where we were to stay along the way. I suppose I will need to investigate what happened to the letters after handing them to the servants at Netherfield to see if they ever reached the post office in Meryton to discover where the problem originated. That will help us determine the problem," Darcy replied.

The two considered this momentarily before Darcy spoke again, deciding to pursue a different topic by asking for her impressions of Pemberley.

"It is beautiful, simply astounding," Elizabeth exclaimed. "I never could have imagined anything like this. Do we have time to see the library before we dress for dinner?"

"Yes," Darcy replied, smiling at her. "We can go through this door here as the study is adjacent to the library." Standing, he pulled her up and into his embrace for a moment before releasing her. They moved toward the door he indicated, but the housekeeper knocked before they could go far.

"Mr. Darcy, sir, I'm sorry to trouble you, but there's been a report of a carriage entering through the gates. Are you expecting any other visitors?"

Darcy's brow furrowed, his gaze fixed on Elizabeth, his eyes reflecting his confusion. "No, I was unaware anyone else was expected. We will have to wait until they arrive to see who has come. I suppose you should prepare another room or two just in case they need to stay the night."

Mrs. Reynolds nodded and left the study. Darcy turned to Elizabeth. "I wonder who it could be?" he asked, still perplexed at someone arriving uninvited and unannounced.

"Perhaps it is whoever is responsible for the missing letters?" Elizabeth suggested.

Again, Darcy grimaced. "I cannot imagine that would bode well for our plans. Still, other than making things uncomfortable, there is nothing anyone can do to prevent our marriage." He paused, looking out the nearest window as though he could see the carriage through the trees. "If they have just arrived at the gate, we have half an hour until they arrive at the house. Very few people knew my intention to come to Pemberley just now. The only person who would arrive unannounced is Colonel Fitzwilliam, and we just left him in Hertfordshire a few days ago. It could be his parents, but they would typically announce they are coming in advance and not just show up on my doorstep."

"Would Lady Catherine make the journey? Particularly if she somehow learned of your engagement to me?" Elizabeth asked.

"If she had some inkling that I was courting or engaged to a woman, she might attempt something to stop it. But I do not know how she would have found out."

"It is possible the Lucases wrote to Charlotte about your return to the neighbourhood. If she told Mr. Collins or if he read her letters from her family, he might have mentioned it to his patroness. Would Lady Catherine come all this way, though?"

"Even if someone in Hertfordshire had written to the Collinses about our plans, it seems improbable that he could have received the news so swiftly regarding our departure from Hertfordshire. Moreover, the speed at which she would have had to travel to arrive today if she had been informed is unlikely. No, I am inclined to believe it is the earl and countess. I suppose Richard could have written to them."

"Do you suppose they will be here to try to make you break the engagement?" Elizabeth asked, her face revealing her uncertainty.

Darcy approached her and clasped her hands. "They have no authority to do so. I am my own man and have been so for several years since my father died. The earl may be the head of the Fitzwilliam family, but I have never come under his authority, at least not since I reached my majority. And even then, my father never bowed to the earl."

"So, what will you do if he attempts to force you to break the engagement?"

"I will do nothing. He cannot force me to break it, nor can he force me to bend to his will. Not only that, but he would not want it to be known that there was a public break in the family. I believe I told you once before, the earl might be recalcitrant, but my aunt will adore you," Darcy attempted to reassure her.

Elizabeth nodded, uncertainty written on her face. He held her. "I will not let anyone come between us, my love. I hope you know that."

For several moments, they stood that way—she burrowed into his chest as far as she could while he rubbed his large hands up and down her back in a calming manner. Finally, she seemed to shake herself, restoring her courage and pulled away. "Should I go with you to meet your guests, or should you meet them on your own?"

He grinned at her. "You should join me, dearest. As the future mistress of Pemberley, you should certainly be on hand to greet any guests who arrive uninvited and unannounced. Perhaps the sight of you will send whoever it is scurrying away."

She laughed. "Your talent in teasing is improving. Perhaps in a year or so, you will become proficient."

"As my aunt likes to say, no one can become a true proficient without practice," he retorted.

Arm in arm, they moved toward the grand foyer to await the unknown guest. They did take a few minutes to peek inside the library, to Elizabeth's obvious delight and she spoke about spending a great deal of time there in the future. However, they soon ambled on, with Darcy pointed out interesting features to help orient her to specific areas of the house.

They reached the entrance just as the carriage slowed in front of the house. Darcy stiffened when he recognised the occupant.

Caroline Bingley had arrived, uninvited and unaccompanied.

Immediately, he turned and sent a waiting maid to find Mr. Bingley. He signalled to his servants that they should not remove the lady's trunks, as he had no intention of housing an unmarried woman who showed up uninvited, particularly not Caroline Bingley.

It was apparent the moment she saw Elizabeth standing on Darcy's arm at the front entrance to Pemberley that she was furious. She scowled even as she struggled to paste on a smile when she looked at Darcy.

"Miss Bingley, we were not expecting you. Did you write to inform anyone of your intention to arrive?" Elizabeth asked pointedly.

Miss Bingley's eyes narrowed. "My brother has an open initiation to Pemberley. When he wrote that he would spend the summer here with Mr. and Miss Darcy, I knew it was a plea for me to join him. I know how much my brother adores Miss Darcy and would want his family around him. What I do not understand is what you are doing here, Miss Eliza." Her voice was saccharine and sweet, but her disdain at Elizabeth's presence by Darcy's side was evident.

Elizabeth and Darcy glanced at each other. Since Bingley was not known for being a particularly diligent correspondent, Darcy knew he would need to ask what and when he told his sister about their journey.

"Miss Bingley, you are correct that your brother has an open invitation to visit my homes. We are not prepared for additional company," Darcy said, trying to mask his irritation.

Miss Bingley finally noticed that nothing had been done to remove her trunks from the back of the waiting carriage and that Darcy had not invited her into the house. "Will you not invite me in?" she asked, a simpering look on her face.

"You may enter the foyer, but you will not remain at Pemberley. Your brother has been summoned, and he will need to take you to the inn to arrange for you to reside there until you can continue your journey to wherever you intend to go. I have invited guests staying with me now, and I do not have a room to spare."

That seemed to break through the woman's veneer. "Do you mean to say that Eliza Bennet is a guest when I am not? How can that be? That woman's tradesmen relations are welcome here, along with all her hoyden sisters, but I am not?"

"Miss Bingley, what you seem to have never realised is that I have never invited you to any of my houses. You have always intruded upon your brother's invitations. When you arrived with him, I had little choice but to accept your intrusion. I have never said anything out of politeness. However, arriving on my doorstep and expecting to be permitted to stay in this fashion is beyond the pale."

"I suppose your impression of what is appropriate has changed since you have become engaged to this … this hoyden. I would be unsurprised if your relations do not question your sanity and demand you break the engagement."

Darcy's eyes narrowed in anger and suspicion. "What do you know of my engagement?" he asked, his voice quiet and dangerous. As usual, Miss Bingley was oblivious.

"Enough to know you are making a tremendous mistake," she snapped, holding out one of the several missing letters he had written at Netherfield. She approached him in what she thought was a coy manner, fluttering her eyelashes at him. She grasped his arm not holding Elizabeth's and attempted to pull him away from her. "The child she carries can be given a home, and you can simply pay her off. You do not need to marry her. Eliza Bennet is not fit to marry a man like you. She is not worthy to be the mistress of Pemberley. Let me show you how much better suited I am to be your wife."

Darcy felt Elizabeth shake next to him, and turned to comfort her, only to discover that she was struggling not to laugh at the lady's obvious machinations. That helped to dampen his anger ever so slightly.

"Miss Bingley, had I had any second thoughts about allowing you to stay, even for a night, these scurrilous accusations have ensured you will never be welcome in any of my homes. Miss Bennet is a gentleman's daughter, and her demeanour and manners are far more appropriate than any you have displayed." He attempted to extricate himself from the lady's grasp as he spoke, and it was almost comedic to see his attempt to retreat while she followed like an animal stalking her prey.

They all heard a noise behind him and saw Mr. Bingley and Jane Bennet arriving in the entryway, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner.

"Caroline, what in the blazes are you doing here? How did you even know I was here? I have not written to you since my first letter telling you of my return to Netherfield. In it, I clearly informed you that you were not invited to join me there."

Again, Elizabeth and Darcy looked at each other, eyebrows raised, as they confirmed who was behind the missing post. If he had to guess, she had somehow bribed a servant at Netherfield to send her any letters he sent, but that still did not explain the missing messenger.

"Bingley," Darcy interjected, "I was just telling your sister that she is not welcome to stay at Pemberley. You will need to escort her to the inn in Lambton. I do not care where she goes from there, but she is not welcome in any of my homes from this point on." He did not bring up the missing letters yet, desiring to investigate further before he spoke to Bingley about the matter.

Bingley nodded and moved down the stairs, attempting to lead Caroline with him. That woman was clearly surprised at what was happening, refusing to believe that Darcy would not welcome her into his house.

After snatching the letters from her hand, Bingley glanced at them, frowned, and finally handed them to his friend before leading his protesting sister to the carriage, forcing her to enter before indicating to the coachman to depart.