“Indeed, my child, I have done a little else.” Papa wedged the glass into his eye and picked up his paintbrush. “What do you think of this one, my dear? Just a little touch… here… And there. I believe I will put it in the drawing room this evening and then inform Mr. Collins that it is not for sale at any price. I warrant he will offer a tidy sum of lady Catherine’s money for this to go along with the sculpture, do you not think?”
“Papa, that is just the trouble! Whatever Lady Catherine purchases will be inspected by one of London’s foremost experts! Can you tell me for certain that the statue is genuine? We cannot risk—”
“But of course it is genuine!” Papa snorted, his paintbrush dripping in his hand. “You can see it, touch it, can you not?”
I pressed my fingers to my temples. “But where did it come from? Did you really buy it last year in Scotland from some famous Greek collector?”
Papa lowered his brush and sighed. “If you are so insistent on knowing, the answer is no. I did not buy it from Lord Elgin. He had a few smaller sculptures like this, but most of his were bits and pieces of life-sized statues and friezes from the Parthenon and similar structures.”
“So, where did yours come from?”
He dipped his brush in the paint and squinted at his vase again. “It belonged to my mother, bequeathed to her by her father. Heaven only knows where he got it. But what does that matter?”
I gasped. “So, why would you say you got it from Lord Elgin?”
“Oh! As to that, why not? He had a few thingslikemine, as I said. Parliament may not even know about them, but if they did, I am sure they would want them. So, why not dangle the bait a bit? Hah, what do you think? I called it a statue of Cupid rather than Eros. Same god, two different names, and who am I to say which the sculptor wanted?”
I leaned both hands on my father’s work table and stared him in the eyes. “Does Lady Catherine believe you are selling her a Greek statue from this Lord Elgin’s collection?”
“Of course she does. It is twice as valuable with his name attached to it because everyone knows he brought back a hoard from Greece. Why, the scandal of it—whether he bought it legally—is just as alluring as the collection itself. How do you think I should demand such a price for it otherwise?”
“That is exactly my point! Lady Catherine will discover the truth and know you have defrauded her. She is powerful, Papa. And at one whiff of suspicion from her, everyone who has ever purchased one of your vases will also demand some redress. Do you not see how our family could be ruined? Think of poor Uncle Gardiner, who brokered the transactions in good faith!”
“Oh, Lizzy, you place far too much confidence in these ‘experts.’ What do they know?”
I crossed my arms. “And you have far too little. There must be some way of discovering whether yourEros and Psycheis a genuine antique or a worthless replica.”
“Worthless! Something so beautiful as that? And it is Cupid, in case anyone asks.”
“No one cares about beauty, Papa. They want something prestigious to brag about. Is there a way to be sure of yours?”
He sighed and tossed his brush into a pot. “Oh, perhaps, if a man knew his marble well enough. There are always things to be found, but one expert says one thing, another says something different, so who knows?”
“Does your statue appear genuine beyond a reasonable suspicion?”
He picked up a rag to wipe down his hands. “If no one thinks to look closely at the color in the marble veins. But I cannot think why they would.”
I sagged onto the little stool at his work table. “Oh, Papa. You must tell Lady Catherine you have decided against selling. Surely, the risk—”
Papa chuckled and patted me on the shoulder. “But your mother already has the money spent. How do you think I mean to pad your dowry? Not to worry, my child. Lady Catherine is not the only interested party, to be sure.”
“Would anyone else handle the matter differently?”
He only smiled and held the door for me. “Come, Lizzy. Let us go up for tea before someone thinks to look for us.”
I stopped outside, my head spinning. I desperately needed a normal conversation with someone rational, and I’d made poor Jane nervous enough already. “Actually, I believe I will walk over to Lucas Lodge. I would like to speak to Charlotte about something.”
“Ah, well. I suppose the rest of us will have to entertain Mr. Collins until dinner, eh?” He winked. “Enjoy yourself, my child.”
I kissed my father on the cheek, then turned up a different path. I walked to Lucas Lodge on leaden feet, my stomach churning with worry. Papa was playing a terrible game of chance, gambling on not being discovered. One day, his luck would run out, and it would be too late for all of us.
Darcy
Isteppeddownfrommy carriage at Longbourn and cast an eye over the house. It had never impressed me as a stately home, but it seemed a little less opulent on a closer appraisal. I doubted not that Lord Matlock’s offer would be met with interest. With five daughters to marry off and a house in a slight state of disrepair, surely Mr. Bennet would welcome the money.
But that was only if all matters were favorable.
I walked toward the door, but before I could reach it, the gentleman himself appeared from around the corner of the house. He looked to have been out for a leisurely stroll, wearing a greatcoat that had fallen out of fashion at least ten years earlier and a hat more suited to inspecting the fields than going out in public. Perhaps that was precisely what he had been doing, because there were traces of mud on his boots, as well.
