She was about to leave when she suddenly turned to him again.
“Mr Darcy, I was thinking about coincidences… Your sister lost her cat and I found mine about two years ago.”
“Really? How interesting. I hope Milo was found by someone who has loved him as much as you love Mr Ash. Did I mention that for a long time I asked about every white and grey cat I happened to see? I always asked about its age, whether it was found or not, and I always looked for the white heart in the middle of his chest and the white spot on the back of his right leg. I would have recognised him anywhere.”
Elizabeth held her breath, and her heart began to race. She stared at him, speechless, although she had so many things to say. Surely such an extraordinary coincidence was not possible; besides, how could the cat have been lost in London then appeared in Ramsgate?
“What troubled me the most was that Milo was accustomed to going out with my sister, even though he did not particularly enjoy the sand and was positively afraid of water. But he would always follow Georgiana at a certain distance, and all the neighbours knew him very well.”
“Sand? Water?” Elizabeth whispered, bewildered, barely hearing her own voice. “Where was Milo lost?”
“In Ramsgate, where my sister used to spend her summers with her companion at that time.”
Without thinking properly about what she was doing, Elizabeth grabbed both of his arms, staring intently into his face. He looked at her, confused.
“Mr Darcy…I think… As incredible as it seems, I believe I have your sister’s cat. I believe Mr Ash is Milo.”
“What? How can that be? But how? When…?”
“I need a moment to compose myself. I admit I am utterly shocked,” she said, withdrawing her hands, her voice trembling.
He gently put his arm around her in a gesture of friendly support and held her. She did not oppose it, only began to talk.
Slowly, she related to him the circumstances of saving Mr Ash. He listened while a tumult of feelings transfigured his face.
“This is extraordinary,” he finally said. “From your description, your cottage must have been on the opposite side of Ramsgate. There was no chance of us finding him.”
“We made enquiries at every house in the neighbourhood,” Elizabeth said. “We assumed someone might be looking for him and missing him, but we could not find who he belonged to. Then we had no other choice but to return to London, so I took him with me.”
“This is an extraordinary coincidence,” he repeated. “Truly amazing. My sister would call it a miracle.”
“I agree. It is beyond words.”
“But who could it be? Who could have taken Milo away from Georgiana with the intention of killing him? Georgiana was only thirteen years old. Who would hate an innocent child so much as to hurt her so horribly?”
“I thought it was horrifying even then, when I found Mr Ash. Knowing he belonged to a child is just dreadful.”
“It is…” he mumbled, as if suddenly his mind was occupied elsewhere.
“So…what should we do now?” Elizabeth asked.
“Do? I trust you will continue to take good care of Milo as you have all this time. He could not be in better hands. I shalltell Georgiana… She will be so happy and relieved to know he is safe and happy. Truly a miracle, which will hopefully help her recover…”
“Recover? Is Miss Darcy unwell?” Elizabeth enquired.
“Miss Bennet, I am very sorry that I cannot stay longer. I must leave now. There is something of great importance I must take care of. Thank you for telling me…and for saving Milo.”
With that, he mounted in haste and departed at a gallop, while Elizabeth stared after him until he disappeared from sight.
