“Unless I am mistaken, I have still someone there who might be induced to speak. I am in hopes that we will be led to Vasconcelos himself, or his agent. Someone must be here in London, to be sending men to Pemberley to kidnap first Georgiana, then myself.”
“It could have been Reginald,” Richard suggested.
“Possibly, but I doubt it. The kidnapping attempt on Georgiana proves that, for he would not have endangered her person. His purposes were best served if she was comfortable enough to leave Pemberley for London, bringing her into his company, and preferably with little support from anyone else. He would have desired to appear the sympathetic male relation. He certainly would not have wished to compromise her reputation.”
“Why not? So much the better for him to force her into marriage, for then he would be the gracious family choice, eliminating other competition and saving her from disaster.”
“Did not Wickham himself claim that the attempt frustrated his own purposes? No, I believe Vasconcelos sent those men, for at least one of them was the same who captured me in the first place. I would like a word with him.”
Richard’s brows lifted in submission. They rode on until Darcy signaled the driver to halt at Mrs Younge’s establishment. The door was opened to them by Mrs Younge herself, and then promptly closed.
Darcy and Richard traded curious glances, then Darcy raised his walking stick to knock again. There was no response, and he was just about to knock a third time when the door slowly opened.
Mrs Younge, smiling and smoothing her dress, bobbed a neat little greeting. “Mr Darcy, sir!” she beamed. “Why, sir, I thought I had heard the most dreadful news, but I see it was not true. And Colonel Fitzwilliam, sir, we are always delighted by your visits.”
Darcy quirked an eyebrow at his cousin, but Richard denied the suspicion with a quick shake of his head.
“What can I do for you gentlemen? Please, come in, sirs.” She held the door for them, and Darcy was certain that her elbow had brushed against his pocket as he passed her with more than incidental purpose. Well and good, let her know that he had come amply supplied. It would make her all the more agreeable.
“I wish to speak to one of your scullery maids, Mrs Younge,” he began without preamble.
She looked at him in some confusion, then glanced at Richard. “Well, certainly, Mr Darcy, but are you certain? I could find you some much nicer girls. Do you fancy red hair? Or perhaps—”
“The maid I seek,” Darcy interrupted her impatiently, “was sent into your employ last August.”
“Fanny?” Mrs Young frowned, then shrugged. “Why, certainly, sir, I shall send for her straightaway.”
A few moments later, she sent the poor girl in to them alone, and closed the door. Darcy spared a moment to glance over her person. She was dressed respectably now, though still in mean garments. Her figure seemed to have filled out with better food, but she still possessed the flighty quality of a hare. She surveyed them with large, nervous eyes, and shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. She seemed too frightened to speak, but she looked on Darcy with some degree of recognition.
“Forgive me if we have alarmed you, Miss,” he spoke gently. “We mean you no harm. I do not know if you recall, but we have met once before.”
She bit her lip and nodded mutely.
“Very well. I am hoping that you can tell me where to find your brother, Mr Woods. Do not fear, I intend no retribution toward him. I seek information, that is all, miss, and if he cooperates, I will see that he is treated generously.”
Her eyes slid fearfully to Richard in his red uniform, then back to Darcy.
“I intend to make it well worth your while,” Darcy added, and drew a bag of coins from his pocket.
The girl drew a deep breath, blinked, and began to speak.
“Isay,youdidnot have to offer the girl employment in your own house,” Richard groused as they mounted the coach again. “She will be turned out in disgrace within the month, I warrant.”
“If she is, it will not be because she was not granted the opportunity,” Darcy reasoned.
“How do you know she will actually send the fellow to meet us? Would we not have done better to make her lead us to him?”
“I doubt she knows where to find him at any given moment, but from what I understand, he visits the house regularly to look in on her.”
“This is the fellow with the missing tooth?” Richard asked, in a sudden moment of inspiration.
“The very one.”
Richard chuckled. “Ah, yes. I remember him.”
“I would imagine he will remember you, as well.”
“It will be a day or two before we hear from the man, if we ever do. What are we to do in the meanwhile?”
