Darcy cast him a scowl.
“Yes, well, thank you for being honest with us.” Bingley spoke so quickly as to earn suspicious looks from his relations. “We will, ah, take that into consideration. Now, about tea—”
“There is more,” Darcy stated before Bingley could summon a member of the staff. Although, as they were all a party to Richard’s bizarre conspiracy, it did not truly matter if they overheard. “There have been more attempts than you areaware of, and the perpetrators are being held, without proper adjudication, in the cellar.”
Richard raised his gaze ceilingward in silent supplication. Georgiana, who had heard the news of the criminals being kept in the same home with them from Darcy already, as part of his argument for her departure, peered from face to face from the safety of her place behind the pianoforte. Bingley, in contrast, appeared as surprised as his relations.
Mrs. Hurst’s voice rose high and brittle as she said, “There are criminals…murderers, in this house?”
“Yes.” Darcy added a hard look for Richard to his agreement.
Mrs. Hurst surged to her feet, cloth, needle, and thread dropping unheeded to the floor. “We are leaving immediately. Steven, call the carriage. Caroline—”
“I will remain,” Miss Bingley cut in.
Mrs. Hurst gaped at her. “You most certainly will not. Not in a house full of murderers and not without proper chaperone.”
“Charles is a perfectly acceptable chaperone.”
Mrs. Hurst’s hands clenched. “It is too dangerous.” She turned to their brother. “Charles, you should not remain either.”
“Yes, well.” Bingley tugged at his collar, casting Richard a sour look. “I will stay and see this through. Threat to Darcy and all that.”
Her lips pursed, Mrs. Hurst looked from sibling to sibling. “Very well. Do as you will, the both of you, but we are leaving. Steven.” This last she snapped, bringing Mr. Hurst to his feet. Mrs. Hurst stamped from the room, head high.
Miss Bingley turned to Richard. “Are we in very much danger?”
He shook his head. “No. The miscreants are well contained, and the house staffed with trained soldiers. I would never put you in undue danger, Miss Bingley.”
“Steven,” Mrs. Hurst’s voice screeched from down the corridor.
“Ah, right.” Mr. Hurst bowed to the room at large, then followed his wife.
“I will see if I can convince Louisa to remain,” Miss Bingley said before departing as well.
Once their footfalls faded, Richard turned to Darcy. “Was that truly necessary?”
Annoyance sped through him. “They should know the danger they are undertaking by remaining here.”
“They are in no danger. All you have done is alarm them and jeopardize this mission.”
“Your mission,” Darcy cast back. “Not theirs.”
At the table, Bingley displayed great concentration in gathering up the discarded playing cards.
“Furthermore,” Richard continued, “I informed you that an entire militia has been dispatched to Meryton and will arrive soon to augment the men already here. Surely, more than a militia’s worth of men can reliably contain a few prisoners and patrol Netherfield Park.”
“You did not tell me a militia is coming.” Georgiana’s words startled Darcy, for he’d all but forgotten her presence.
With equal displeasure for both his sister and cousin, Darcy replied, “That is irrelevant. Bingley and his relations should be given a full understanding of the peril they are in if they choose to remain here.”
“And yet you would give me no choice, had you your way.” Georgiana stood from her bench, the fallboard thunking closed over the keys. Rather than storm out, as Darcy expected, she went calmly to the hall door to address whatever member of the staff stood without, saying, “We would like tea for five, please. Quickly, if possible. We have a gathering to attend this evening.” She cast a look over her shoulder at Darcy adding, “After all,there is no sense in remaining here all evening, in a house full of criminals.”
As civility forbade Darcy from storming from the room as Mrs. Hurst had, he crossed to the sofas, stepping over that lady’s discarded embroidery on his way. He sat, cast his sister, cousin, and Bingley another frown, and said, “Very well, then. Let us have tea.”
Darcy’s mood was no better by the time they arrived at Lucas Lodge that evening, the Hursts having already departed for London. The only thing that made attending at all bearable was the hope of seeing Elizabeth. If not for that, he would have remained behind, cellar full of criminals or no. And if she proved not to be in attendance, he may very well—
But there she was, standing halfway across the large drawing room into which they were shown, in the company of Miss Lucas and a tall, awkward looking gentleman Darcy didn’t know. With no qualms about abandoning relations who had done nothing but aggravate him for the bulk of the day, especially as Georgiana immediately went in the direction of Misses Mary, Kitty, and Lydia, Darcy set out across the room. Reaching Elizabeth and her companions, he bowed.
