“Perhaps according to rank; this is England, after all,” Sir Walter huffed.
“I know,” Cathy cried, springing up from her chair. “Mr. Tilney, I presume there is paper in the escritoire in the parlor? Excellent!” She dashed from the room, and returned with a clean sheet of paper and a pencil. “Now, listen. We all know and trustat least one other person here, yes? We will vote, each giving up two names for key holders.”
Mrs. Rushworth sniffed haughtily. “What if we do not wish the others to know whom we have nominated? We will vote privately.”
Cathy thought for a moment, then wrote something down on the piece of paper, before holding it up for all to see. She had writtenElizabethandMr. Darcyside by side.Then she creased the top of the page where she had written their names, folding the paper down just enough to conceal her writing. “There. We will pass it around.”
“And I should think it bad form to vote for oneself,” Mr. Tilney said with an approving nod.
“That is very well done, my dear,” Sir Edward said as Cathy passed the paper and pencil around the table.
Lady Allen nodded her agreement and whispered, “I am voting for you, my dear.”
When everybody had taken a turn marking their choices down and folding the page over, Mr. Tilney unfurled the paper and began to count the votes. Elizabeth, who had been last to vote, bit back a smile as she looked up at him; she had broken his rule, for she only fully trusted herself and Cathy.
He winked at her, and then said, “I strongly suspect several of you have nominated yourselves, but no matter. Most have one or two votes, some none at all; Miss Bennet has the most, with seven, and Miss Morland has five.”
“Well, how convenient that both sets of keys shall be kept by this little set, when it is obvious they are all in cahoots,” Mrs. Rushworth huffed.
A few of the others murmured their agreement, and Elizabeth strode across the room and thrust her set of keys atMrs. Rushworth. She did not entirely trust the woman, but since Mrs. Rushworth must already have seen their wall of evidence in the parlor, better for her to have the keys than anybody who had yet to make that discovery.
“Better that you should face the consequences of having these, and spare me the headache,” Elizabeth said with a smirk, then she stalked back to her seat.
The next matter settled was the division of their party into pairs or threes, so that they could commence their search for the one key that would secure their salvation.
With more accomplished than Elizabeth had expected of so many unreasonable people, they set about their business directly after their meal. Elizabeth was to search with Mr. Darcy and Sir Edward. Cathy would go with Mr. Tilney and Lady Allen, and Emma would be accompanied by Lady Susan and Harriet; the others were less decisive.
Mr. Tilney listed off the parts of the castle to be searched, assigned each group a designated area, and they set out as the storm raged on outside the walls. But Elizabeth did not get far with her companions, who were to search the north and east wings of the fourth floor. Before they had even made it to the stairs in the turret, Elizabeth was walking too close to a narrow passageway when an arm reached out and grabbed her, and a hand was placed over her mouth as her body was pressed against the cool stone wall.
Chapter Eight
Elizabeth was not held roughly, and was too stunned to struggle, anyhow. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she stilled completely as she made out the expression of anxiety on Mrs. Rushworth’s face. The lady drew her hand away from Elizabeth’s mouth and brought one finger to her lips in a silencing gesture.
Elizabeth nodded, but her eyes shot to Mr. Crawford, who lingered further in the shadows. When they all heard Mr. Darcy and Sir Edward begin calling out for Elizabeth, Mrs. Rushworth looked beseechingly at her lover, who stepped into the corridor.
“Mrs. Rushworth is feeling faint, and Miss Bennet has come to her aid. If you can spare your niece, Sir Edward, I am without a search partner, and offer myself up as a very agreeable companion.”
There were footsteps, and then Mr. Darcy peered into the passageway. “Miss Bennet?”
Mrs. Rushworth made a great show of slumping feebly, spinning her head as if dizzy, and latching onto Elizabeth’s arm. “Your friend has kindly come to my aid, though I must find a place to sit and rest my nerves. Miss Bennet has already been most obliging; perhaps she will stay and have a chat with me.”
Recollecting the letter opener her uncle had asked Elizabeth to secret about her person, Elizabeth felt safe enough to give Mr. Darcy a terse nod. “I would have her sit in the library with me, if you would assist us.”
Elizabeth smiled brightly at the conniving woman, who was obliged to cling to Mr. Darcy and maintain her charade of illness as he led the two women down the hall, with Mr. Crawford and Sir Edward in pursuit. The library was not far, and Mrs. Rushworth drew away from him as they reached the entrance. “Thank you, sir. Miss Bennet is quite safe with me, I assure you. If I intended her any harm, you forget I hold all the keys, including the one to her bedchamber. Miss Bennet herself entrusted me with them.”
Mr. Darcy looked mortified, but nodded, and looked again to Elizabeth, who smiled anxiously at him. “Try not to discover anything too fascinating without me.”
He rejoined Sir Edward and Mr. Crawford a few yards away. The latter gazed at the ladies and said, “Perhaps I ought to stay with them, for safety.”
“I think not,” Mr. Darcy said.
“Elizabeth is not to be alone with any gentleman, without my presence,” Sir Edward agreed.
“Ah. Well then. And which makes you more suspicious – that I join you, or make my way alone?”
“You will join us,” Mr. Darcy declared. Sir Edward glanced at Elizabeth, who patted the sharp penknife in her bodice, and the three men made their way down the corridor.
Once they had entered the library, Elizabeth looked around before taking a seat across from Mrs. Rushworth. “You might have enacted your little ruse to detach me from my companions without frightening me out of my wits first.”
