“What’s the order of events here?” Lizzy teased. “Eating while telling you everything? Or resting first?”
“Let’s see if you can manage both at once. You’re talented. Andyou.” Georgie released Lizzy and dusted off her skirts while eyeing Tuck up and down. “You’ve gotten bigger in your absence.”
“Nah. If anything, I’ve dropped weight. I haven’t had time to focus on my fitness.”
“Hmmm.” Georgie gave them both a suspicious glance. “Something tells me that’s quite a lie. Lizzy’s cheeks are too bright, for starters.”
“Cousin!” Lizzy was scandalized, but Georgie was already leading them back inside, chuckling to herself.
“Jane shall be coming to dine and will remain a few days.”
“How is she?”
“Consumed by this book. I believe she is almost finished, though she keeps saying that. She claims it’s her best one yet, which is alarming given thatSense and Sensibilitywas frightfully good. How about you? Have you been writing?”
“Not a word,” Lizzy admitted. “But...” She forced a bright smile. “That won’t be for long. Soon I’ll have all the time and I’m ready to get right to work.”
Georgie drew near. “Does that mean what I think it means?” she muttered, out of earshot of the servants carrying in their cases. Tuck was walking at a discreet distance, giving them time to catch up with each other. “You figured out a way to send him back?”
“I’ll explain when Jane comes. I don’t think I can do it twice.” Something in Lizzy’s voice caught Georgie’s attention.
“I see,” her cousin said in a tone that made it clear she likely didn’t, but she was willing to be more patient than usual. “Shall I put Tuck back into Neddy’s old room or—”
“He can be with me,” Lizzy said briskly, though she imagined her cheeks must have been the color of summer tomatoes.
“Hmmmm.” Her cousin sent out a few orders before askingfor tea and cakes to be brought into the drawing room. Tuck excused himself to stretch his legs.
It didn’t take long for Georgie to be spraying crumbs of cake as Lizzy described encountering Henry in Gretna Green.
“I knew he was a toad, but I hadn’t pegged him for a rat,” she said, taking a glug of tea to clear her throat. “We’d thought locking him up would be deterrent enough, but the horrible creature went crawling down the drainpipe, did he? Too bad he didn’t break his traitorous little neck.”
“Georgie! Henry is your cousin too,” Lizzy scolded.
“Is blood thicker than water when one is as odious as your brother? I think not. He would have either strong-armed you into a hideous marriage with one of his popinjay friends at his club or he would have made your life an absolute living hell if you remained unmarried. Likely forced you to be a governess to his future spawn. Imagine a nursery full of little Henrys.” She gave a full-body shiver. “The very notion will haunt my dreams. Ah, there’s Jane now.”
Lizzy turned to see Jane walking up the front yard, her arms wrapped around her middle and her thin lips mashed together in thought.
“Is she quite all right?” she asked.
“I’m telling you, it’s this book.First Impressionsis what she’s calling it, but that isn’t a very good name, is it?” Georgie took a sip of tea.
“It’s not so bad,” Lizzy said diplomatically.
“It’s not so good either. She can do better. And I’m sure she will.”
Jane was announced to more exclamations and hugs before Georgie got them all back down to business with her usual pragmatism. Lizzy filled them in on what Ezekiel Fairweather hadsurmised in terms of ley lines, Druids, and the eight wheel dates. By the end, both their eyes were round. They exchanged a glance.
“You believe it will work?” Jane asked.
“Mr.Fairweather seemed to think so, and while it makes little to no sense to me, it also doesn’t make a great deal of sense how he arrived here in the first place.”
“And in three nights’ time, he will go back to the pond, and if he doesn’t come out again, it will have worked.” Georgie sat back in the chair. “And what will be the story?”
“There cannot be a body,” Jane said with authority. “That much is clear. We’ll hatch the little story about Mr.Taylor going down to Southampton Water to go bream fishing near Hamble. He takes out a dinghy and doesn’t come back by teatime. A fishing accident. We can organize a search party that bears no fruit. Our Lizzy grieves. We observe a time of mourning. And then... she is free.”
Lizzy tried to take a full breath. Had her stays gotten tighter? Or was the room just overly stuffy?
“Good heavens, that’s quite a plan to come up with on the fly. Remind me never to be your enemy,” Georgie remarked.
