Mrs. Bennet fluttered her handkerchief. “Oh, I have no doubt you do your best, Miss Bingley. But a house of this size—well! It requires a lady of the house, not just a sister, to see to all the details.” She turned to Bingley with an indulgent smile. “A wife would naturally take greater care, ensuring everything is maintained properly—especially when she has a vested interest in its future.”
Bingley coughed into his fist and darted an uncertain glance toward Jane, whose cheeks were now a delicate shade of pink.
Miss Bingley, on the other hand, looked positively murderous. “I believe Netherfield is kept to a standard that is more than acceptable, Mrs. Bennet.”
Mrs. Bennet nodded agreeably. “Oh, certainly, my dear. But there is always room for improvement, is there not?” She sighed, her eyes taking on a dreamy cast. “And how delightful it will be to see the improvements made by the right mistress, once she is installed.”
Miss Bingley opened her mouth, no doubt to offer a scathing retort. Elizabeth, who had been distracted by how worn Mrs. Gardiner looked, now joined in the conversation in an attempt to change the topic.
“We have been more than comfortable here, Miss Bingley. You are a gracious hostess in caring for my sister. Speaking of sisters—Mama, how is everyone at Longbourn?”
“Oh, who cares about Longbourn?” Mrs. Bennet snapped, annoyed at having been denied her favorite pastime of forwarding Jane to handsome gentlemen.
“And Stoke House?” Elizabeth asked Mrs. Gardiner hastily. “Are you quite well, Aunt?”
Mrs. Gardiner, who had thus far been silent, let out a slow breath, as if only now realizing how tense she had become. “I am well, Lizzy. Merely… fatigued.”
Elizabeth frowned. “Has something happened?”
Mrs. Gardiner hesitated, her eyes flickering toward the assembled company before she replied in a measured voice, “The insurance adjuster arrived earlier than expected.”
Elizabeth sat up straighter. “So soon?”
“Yes. And he has been taking very detailed notes. More detailed than I anticipated.”
“What is this?” Miss Bingley’s face, eager for gossip and scandal, reminded Elizabeth a bit of her father’s favorite bloodhound.
“Our house in London burned down during the fire,” Mrs. Gardiner explained, “and insurance has been slow in approving our claim.”
“That is to be expected, given the magnitude of destruction.”
Elizabeth looked around at Darcy, startled at his joining the conversation. Mrs. Gardiner nodded but did not seem reassured. “He nearly insisted on accompanying me here. I refused, of course, but he was quite determined to speak with you, Lizzy.”
Elizabeth’s stomach twisted.
“Why would he wish to speak with you, Miss Eliza?” Miss Bingley’s eyes were wide with anticipation, her voice smug.
Before Elizabeth could explain, the footman returned and cleared his throat. “Mr. Smithson.”
Miss Bingley blinked in confusion. “Mr. Smithson?”
Mrs. Gardiner inhaled sharply. “It would seem he did not take my refusal well—he must have followed us here.”
Elizabeth turned just as a tall, thin man entered the drawing room. His eyes were sharp, his gaze sweeping across the assembled party. “Forgive my intrusion,” he said, though his tone betrayed no real remorse. “I am here to speak with Miss Elizabeth Bennet.”
Raising an eyebrow and refusing to be intimidated, Elizabeth said, “I believe my aunt said I was unavailable right now?”
The adjuster, however, seemed wholly unrepentant. “My apologies, madam, but I am on a tight schedule.” He nodded toward Elizabeth. “Miss Bennet, if I could trouble you for a few moments of your time? I have some questions regarding your recollections of the fire.”
A thick silence fell over the room.
Bingley, ever the polite host, glanced hesitantly at Elizabeth, then at the adjuster. “Surely, sir, this can wait until after our guests have had tea?”
Mr. Smithson offered a thin smile. “I do not mean to impose, but my business is rather pressing.”
“I have nothing to hide, Aunt,” Elizabeth said. “I do not mind speaking to Mr. Smithson about what occurred in London during the fire.”
Mrs. Gardiner sighed in resignation. “Very well. Miss Bingley, might we be troubled for a private room?”
