Chapter 7

London

January 1850

Searching for Kitty while nursing and managing two babes at once was massively difficult for Elizabeth. Thankfully she was able to produce enough milk after a few weeks of nursing, so her babes were well fed, and Charlotte moved ahead with weaning young William. Elizabeth felt fortunate, because many women struggled to feed their babes even when they were singletons. Luckily, the birth announcement had been placed in the papers, so society did not expect her to entertain or attend events. Her Uncle Gardiner was managing her business affairs with the assistance of Darcy, Banks, and Wilson.

Darcy was beginning to truly understand how taxing Elizabeth's work could be. It was truly as difficult as when he had taken over Pemberley upon his father's passing. Elizabeth worked daily, but not on her business. She had cancelled her planned recuperation in favour of the investigation for Kitty, and she spent hours each day in her study, with the twins often sleeping nearby in their baskets and Diane playing quietly with Beau in the corner when she was not having lessons with her aunts. Charlotte had mostly taken over the running of the house, quietly making decisions together with the housekeeper, and including Georgiana and Lydia in the management of the house, so that the girls would learn, and Elizabeth was not taxed by the additional duties.

Mr Mason sent lesson instructions each month for Georgiana to use for Diane. Georgiana and Lydia themselves managed her lessons in French and feminine comportment. Darcy had bought the girl a pony, and when the family returned to Pemberley, he would begin teaching her to ride. Currently, she was learning to read a clock, and also was spending time in the kitchens with her aunts and the cook, learning to make biscuits and bread. One day, Diane would be a great heiress, with a shockingly large dowry and an estate, but Elizabeth insisted she would also be a practical, useful sort of woman who would be no wilting violet.

Often there were leads for Kitty, and Elizabeth frequently boarded her carriage without warning and travelled for hours, occasionally even taking the infants and their nurse with her, if she felt confident that their destination was safe, and they would need feeding. Darcy was beside himself with worry when she did this, but Elizabeth would not be moved, she would do whatever she thought was necessary. She spent hundreds upon hundreds of pounds paying for information and investigators, eventually reaching thousands of pounds. No amount was too much, and she sent Banks and Wilson out on new leads constantly.

Wilson escorted Sister Augustine and Evie back to Derbyshire, and Elizabeth often had him carrying messages to Pemberley as well. She felt sorry that he was being kept away from his son, and she wanted him to have the opportunity to see the boy. She offered to have the boy brought to London, but Wilson felt that Edmund had settled in well at Pemberley and at the estate school with the tenant children, so he did not wish to disrupt the boy's life and education again after they had made such efforts to fill any insufficiencies in his learning from before he came. Wilson was able to see him almost monthly, corresponded every week, and in the meantime, the boy was happy at Pemberley and his school. Mrs Hayes and Mrs Pottinger watched over him very maternally.

Mrs Hayes reported to Elizabeth that the boy was very willing and respectful, did his few hours a week of chores and all of his lessons without complaint, and got along well in the household. The other hall boys watched over him as if he were a younger brother, and ensured he stayed out of mischief, and he had made friends at the estate school.

*****

Eventually an investigator was sent to the continent to track down Viscount St Claire and question him regarding Kitty's possible whereabouts. Every other avenue had been exhausted, investigators had been sent to all of the duke's known properties, even the ones in Scotland and France. Vicars had been questioned regarding recent marriages and new arrivals in the areas, parish records were searched, stewards and housekeepers, footmen, maids, and cooks, local gossips, anyone who might know what had happened to a young girl who was missing were interrogated, servants were bribed heavily, and no one knew what may have happened to Kitty.

Much like Elizabeth's staff, Leeds's servants at his London mansion and Stoneacre were above being bribed, which Elizabeth regretted, because she was certain that those were the ones who could answer her questions. The only other business of note that the duke had conducted recently had been the calling in of the debts of a gambler who had later killed himself. There was no record that the debt had been repaid, presumably the duke had suffered his apoplexy before he could pursue the man's family, but Brandon had travelled to question the man's wife, turning up nothing.

It had taken Colonel Brandon some time to determine that Kitty was actually missing, due to the family in Derbyshire being very tight lipped about the subject. He was aware of Willoughby's marriage and Marianne's subsequent illness, but it was not until he and Mr Ferrars had returned Marianne to the parsonage that he became aware of what had befallen Kitty. He made for London with all haste, and was one of Elizabeth's most trusted men in the investigation. He spent all of his time sequestered with Banks, Wilson, Richard, and the Darcys. He rode from one end of the kingdom to another investigating tips, and like Elizabeth, he was becoming more and more reclusive and disinterested in society and essentially everything. It was clear the man was grieving, just as Elizabeth and her sisters were.

Marianne was ill for many weeks, the fever she had caught during her wanderings had turned to pneumonia, and for some weeks Elinor and Edward feared they might lose her. Elizabeth ensured that Mr Clarke and Mr Lloyd travelled to Delaford regularly to ensure Marianne was receiving the best of care, and a nurse was sent from the school to help in her recovery. Elizabeth sent no messages to the Dashwoods or the Ferrars. She knew in her heart that what had happened to Kitty was the fault of evil men and not Marianne, but she still could not suppress a deep anger for the girl, her behaviour, and her impulsiveness. She rarely corresponded with anyone in a private capacity. She spent all of her time writing to people all over the country about clues and questions, but she never replied to her friends or family anymore.

Elizabeth and Darcy did not inform the Bingleys of what had befallen Kitty. Darcy thought it might be best to write to Charles and allow him to decide whether it was best to inform Jane, but Elizabeth insisted that if Jane knew, she would want to return home, and there was nothing the Bingleys could do about the matter. Elizabeth preferred to hope that Kitty would eventually be found, and that they could instead write to the Bingleys with distressing news, but a happy ending. Or even save the tale for their return entirely. Mrs Bennet badgered Darcy endlessly to call Jane and Charles home, but Darcy decided to wait, as Elizabeth asked. After all, she was correct. Nothing would be served by calling the Bingleys home.

Jane and Bingley wrote monthly, and Darcy had so far only replied once, because the Bingleys kept moving, and it was difficult for post to follow them. Mrs Bennet was desperate for Jane to return home, and made quite a nuisance of herself, to the point where Darcy and Elizabeth locked the Bingleys' correspondence in their strongbox to ensure the couple's privacy. The Bingleys had been in Paris, and were travelling about France. Bingley was considering taking a short lease on a very rural Chateau in the countryside for a rest and a period of romantic private isolation.

*****

Eventually word got out in society about Kitty's fate. The entire debacle was featured in the gossip rags, and this brought other difficulties with it. First, there was now a line of unsavoury characters stretched down the street, all waiting to present imposters as Kitty, and collect a reward. A footman and maid who knew Kitty well spent days together inspecting and rejecting every young woman who was presented, and several times the constable had to be called to remove people who were very insistent on collecting a reward and refused to leave. One might have thought Kitty's own family ought not be expected to know her, the women and their associates were so insistent. One woman would not vacate the premises at all, and when Elizabeth finally came out to identify the person herself, the young woman argued with her for nearly a quarter hour.

Second, now that word had reached the gossip rags, there were a few in society who felt their family must be shunned due to the scandal. Elizabeth hated the idea that because one woman had fallen the rest of her sisters and family must be shunned, particularly considering that she had never treated any lady thus before. But in this case, it was even worse, considering that no one even knew Kitty's whereabouts, and the only information that was known was that her father had sent her away to be married, which ought not be inherently scandalous by itself.

There was no evidence Kitty had fallen, but there was also no evidence that she had not. Because Elizabeth could not specify who her sister had married or where she lived, rumours abounded. Elizabeth's real friends in the ton, of which she had many, were of course as supportive as they could be, but every matron or debutante or young widow who had wanted Darcy for herself or her daughter were all too ready to be unkind. Some of the Darcy's oldest connections were quite rude indeed.

Elizabeth was outraged the day that Will's own godmother, Lady Bristol, had snubbed Georgiana and Mrs Annesley in the park, and ranted, "How can they be so cruel? We do not even know what has befallen her! How do they know she has fallen? She is very likely married. She might even be dead, and all they care about is whether this has affected Georgiana's prospects!" She felt terribly guilty that Georgiana might suffer from rumour and innuendo when she made her debut, but Elizabeth could do nothing to still the tongues of society. She did vow that when the matter with Kitty was over, and she reentered society, Lady Bristol would be sorry indeed for her treatment of Georgiana.

Georgiana and Will assured Elizabeth that neither of them wished for connections who might shun them because of Kitty's fate, and eventually The Queen helped by inviting Elizabeth and Georgiana to tea, and then speaking of Georgie's virtues and accomplishments to several in her circle who of course repeated her words back to society. Lydia attended the tea as well, and she and the Monarch discussed embroidery and stitches for some time. When they left, Her Majesty told all that she spoke to that Elizabeth's sisters were perfectly lovely and charming young ladies, and that although it was cruel, there was nothing socially wrong with a father arranging his daughter's marriage without consulting the rest of his family.