Georgiana was startled into a little giggle, much to Lydia’s satisfaction. Colonel Fitzwilliam relaxed a little more easily against the squabs, but Elizabeth continued to scrutinise her youngest sister. Lydia’s mercurial ways seemed to work their magic in this moment, for which Elizabeth was grateful. She feared, however, that this venture of shutting away three wounded women with only one another as their principal companions could prove disastrous.
Porto, Portugal
“Fitzwilliam!Youcannotbeserious, Amália. Are you certain you heard properly?” Ruy cocked a hand upon the glistening belt of his brown uniform, tilting the rim of his hat to keep the sun from his eyes as he escorted his sister down to the riverfront.
“As surely as I stand before you,” she asserted hotly. “I tell you, Ruy, his Christian name is the very one. I could never mistake that name!”
“Yes, but I thought it was a family name. Perhaps it is a common name after all, odd as it sounds.”
“Impossible! No, I believe him to be a relation of Richard’s. It is the only explanation! Perhaps their house honours the mother’s family in the naming of a son? Richarddidoften mention a fondness for a wealthy cousin. This man claimed to have had a fortune—do you think he could be the very same?”
“What, you did not think to ask?” Ruy grumbled.
“You know I could not linger,” she protested. “Ruy, I beg of you, the man is innocent! We must find a way to free him!”
“Amália, you do not know what you ask! Do you not think your husband and father-in-law would find it strange that their pet had suddenly vanished from under their noses? Do not believe that you would be above suspicion, nor that your ‘doting’ husband would take such defiance lightly. They must have some end they wish to attain, and frustrating them will only bring ruin upon you.”
“And turning a blind eye to such wrongs will bring condemnation upon my soul! No sacrament could absolve me from doing nothing when I know of these things.”
“Are you certain,” Ruy seized her elbow and pulled her close, “absolutely certain, Amália, that you act only in the interest of this prisoner? Or is it some memory that torments you to act?”
Her lips parted and she stared back at her brother. For the space of a breath, that stubborn veneer of her gaze—the one that declared to all that she listened only for what she wished to hear—cracked and failed. Her brother’s words seemed to pulse with her own heart, twisting round and crushing it to confess the truth. An instant later her veil fell once more, covering over her vulnerability and reflecting back only her brittle determination.
“I am certain, Ruy. I was set upon his freedom before I knew his name,” she reminded him.
“But not before you knew him to be a fellow Englishman,” her brother challenged. “May I remind you, darling, that no matter the outcome, you are still wed to Miguel. Your home, your future and family—they are all here. You will only make yourself miserable nursing malcontent against your husband, a man you accepted under holy oath.”
She ground her teeth. “All of this I know! It is not as if I intended to sail for England with the man. I only desire that he be permitted to do so! He mentioned a sister, Ruy. Would you not despair if you had been captured yourself, and knew me to be nearly unprotected far away while you were helpless to come to my aid?”
“Ah, yes, now we know the identity of this mysterious ‘Elizabeth.’ Never fear, darling, if your old friend truly is this man’s cousin, would he not be protecting the sister?”
“Ruy! You deliberately distract me from my point. Will you help me, or will you not?”
He raked his fingers through his curly hair. “Not,” he growled, but his lips curved in betrayal of his words.
“Oh, Ruy!” She leaped to kiss him on the cheek. “We are doing the right thing, I promise you! I shall sleep at last tonight. Which ship shall he depart on, is there one bound for England on the morrow?”
He held up a hand, cringing. “Hold, darling, it shall not be so simple. You must allow me to make the arrangements if you do not wish to find yourself in that same underground cell. I will speak to some of my fellows in arms and see what may be procured. He must travel with utmost secrecy, of course. When did Senhor Vasconcelos expect to have returned from Braga?”
Her face fell. “Tomorrow. That is why I hoped to steal him away quickly, perhaps even this very night!”
“You have still Pereira, as well as Miguel. As his wife, I expect you would know how he spends his evenings?”
Amália winced. “Not of late, although he spoke to me this morning and requested a quiet dinner for this evening, rather than a formal meal.” She swallowed. Miguel’s “quiet dinners” always featured the same sort of menu, and for the present, she had not the slightest appetite.
Ruy turned to his sister, one eyebrow quirked. “I shall depend on your assistance, you know. Perhaps when the proper time comes, you may keep the household distracted. When was the last time you had a guest to dinner?”
Chapter nineteen
Cheapside, London
Thepartydidnotremain long in London. Elizabeth and Lydia had stayed two nights with their aunt and uncle, as that good man scrambled to be certain that his household and business concerns would be well managed while he was to be away. Colonel Fitzwilliam, for his part, seemed similarly engaged upon his own mysterious business, and the three young ladies saw little of him.
Occupied as he was, however, he did not neglect to send a few missives to Mrs Reynolds, Mr Hodges, and Mr Jefferson—as well as Mrs Annesley, who had remained at Pemberley with a troublesome cough—regarding the guests of the mistress who were shortly to arrive.
At last, the fateful morning arrived. The colonel’s ship was due to depart, and the roads to the North were expected to be sound. It had been settled that they would travel together in the Darcy carriage, for it was far more comfortable for their party than anything Mr Gardiner owned. Once his charges had been safely delivered into the capable hands of Pemberley’s staff, Mr Gardiner was to return to London via post-chaise. He had promised Colonel Fitzwilliam that he would travel North once more at a moment’s need, and that should the colonel’s journey be of some duration, he would personally correspond with Mr Jefferson regarding any business matters of the estate.
Elizabeth was the only traveler so far to present herself below stairs. She waited with her aunt in the drawing room, her reticule already clutched tightly in nervous fingers as her thumbs tapped one another in impatience. Mrs Gardiner smiled indulgently as she sewed, and after some minutes observed, “You are most eager to be away, are you not, Lizzy?”
