Section I, Next Section
Part 1
"Mr. Bennet, have you heard that Netherfield Park is let at last?" his secretary Fanny asked him.
Bennet, deputy director of P&P, Protection and Prevention, Hertfordshire's intelligence agency whose headquarters were based in Longbourn, a big house on the outskirts of Meryton, replied that he had not.
"I have just heard it from Long, of the Meryton police."
Bennet did not answer. He was engrossed in a map.
"Don't you want to know who took it?" his secretary cried impatiently.
"Tell me."
"Long says it was taken by a rich young man from the north of England; that he came down in a Porsche on Monday, and decided to take it immediately. Some of his servants are to be in the house by next week."
"What's his name?" Bennet showed a little more interest.
"Bingley."
"Hmm."
"I think you ought to pay a little more attention to me. This could be very important."
"How so?"
"I think this is connected to the case you're currently working on," his secretary told him. "I do think you ought to send someone over to investigate. You know how very close Netherfield is to the army base in Meryton."
"We'll see, we'll see," Bennet replied vaguely.
Some of the P&P staff were gathered in Bennet's office a week later.
"What do you think of this Bingley chap, Elizabeth?" Bennet asked.
"I thought you were not interested!" his secretary interposed.
"Long said he was important, I heard," Elizabeth said doubtfully.
"We cannot rely on Long. She might be withholding information, that's why I suggested that he should be checked out," Fanny emphasized. "But Bennet doesn't seem to agree."
"I'm glad you do not rely on Long," was Bennet's answer.
"But we have to!" Fanny cried. "She's the only one who knows anything since you will not investigate."
"Mary," Bennet addressed a young woman who was bent over some files. "Have you found anything about Bingley?"
Mary rummaged through her files.
"Apparently she has not," Bennet said when Mary didn't reply immediately. "Isn't it fortunate then that I have paid him a visit?"
"What?" several people cried.
All of them bombarded Bennet with questions about Bingley's connection to their current case, but he evaded all of their ingenuous questions in his usual way. The staff had to live with the accidental information the P&P director Sir William Lucas could give them. According to Sir William, Bingley was a perfect young man, totally unconnected with the case, except that his father had been one of the assassination victims whose deaths they were investigating.
"I still think that one of us ought to infiltrate Netherfield," Fanny persisted, but Bennet did not pay attention.
Bingley had brought several people with him. His friend Darcy, who was the nephew of rich tycoon Lady Catherine De Bourgh, his two sisters and his brother-in-law Hurst. Except Bingley, they kept themselves at a little distance from the townspeople, and were therefore highly suspicious. The staff had seen them a few times in the pub, but they had not obtained a very favourable opinion.
Part 2
Jane was convinced of Bingley's good character. "He's so nice and it's absolutely clear that he had no ulterior motive in taking Netherfield. It was purely a coincidence, he told me so himself. He had been looking at other properties too."
Elizabeth could not be convinced so easily. Although she was not really suspicious of Charles, and her instincts were usually right, the other members of his party were certainly different. "Someone may have steered him in this direction. He looks like he could be manipulated quite easily. At any rate, Jane, you are too trusting for someone in your profession. A handsome face and pleasant manners don't make him any less suspicious."
"I really don't think it though."
"We simply can't take any chances. There's too much at stake."
Meanwhile, at Netherfield Elizabeth and Jane were being discussed by its occupants. Bingley was walking around the room and Darcy was looking out of the French windows with a pair of binoculars. He was looking in the direction of the Meryton Army Base.
"Those girls were nice, weren't they?" Bingley asked enthusiastically. "I think I really like the locals here."
His friend was more wary. "They asked too many questions."
"So? They wanted to get to know me. I see nothing wrong with that," Bingley said defensively. "What are you looking at anyway?"
"Birds," Darcy said, and he put down the binoculars.
Later, in Bennet's office, he was issuing orders to his team. Charlotte, Jane and Elizabeth were sitting on Mary's desk, Mary was reading files as usual, Kitty was sitting on Fanny's desk, and Lydia was seated on the floor painting her nails.
"Elizabeth and Jane, try to get better acquainted with the tenants of Netherfield. I've seen you chat with the ladies, so it should not be a problem. I want you to find out exactly what they are doing here, and how they ended up here," Bennet instructed them. "I have heard some worrying things that may all be connected."
"Like what?" Elizabeth asked.
"There's a rumour that Lady Catherine De Bourgh put pressure on the government to close a lot of army bases. I also heard that weapons have disappeared from those bases, and that some of the abandoned bases have been bought up by mysterious companies. We cannot take any chances now that her nephew is so close to the Meryton Army Base."
"Who's her nephew?" Jane looked worried, hoping that it wasn't Bingley.
"Fitzwilliam Darcy."
Elizabeth looked smug, now that she was proven right about someone at Netherfield being suspicious.
"You shouldn't have a difficult task with Charles, Jane," Charlotte remarked. "He certainly likes you. You're in a perfect position to find out more."
"Charlotte, I have a nice task for you too. I want you to go to Rosings and get as close to Lady Catherine as possible. She has an assistant called Collins, of whom we know very little, except that he seems to be full of himself. Pose as a journalist and chat up to Collins, flattery should do the trick."
"Oh, Bennet! Why do I always get the nice jobs?" Charlotte groaned. "But all right, I'm off then. Do I get to take a gun?" she said professionally.
Bennet nodded. "Stop by Phillips, he's bound to have something nice for you. Now, Kitty and Lydia, you two get assigned to the Army Base. There happen to be two administrative job opening in the main building, get them. Hang around with the officers a lot and keep your eyes and ears open."
"Yay," Kitty said. "That should be fun, Lyd."
"Sure, I always keep my eyes open in the company of officers," Lydia grinned.
Part 3
"We've been invited to Netherfield," Jane reported to Bennet.
"That's great. Keep an eye on those women too while you're there. Find out if they were away three days ago. Could you feign an illness, Jane?"
"Yes, but why? Something happened?"
"The Nun struck in Paris," Bennet answered. "Colonel Brandon told me over the phone just now."
"What nun? I've never heard of the Nun," Elizabeth looked puzzled.
"It's a top assassin, nicknamed the Nun because in all cases witnesses remember seeing a nun on the scene. We suspect that the assassin is disguised as a nun. A very clever disguise."
"How so?" Elizabeth thought that a nun would be very conspicuous.
"Everybody remembers the outfit, but not the face. Do you ever remember a nun's face? It could be a man for all we know."
"What's her M.O.?"
"She kills with poisoned darts," Bennet replied gravely. "Very quiet. I suppose she has a little dart gun hidden in the folds of her habit."
"Her victims are always people who are standing in the way of Lady Catherine De Bourgh," Fanny spoke up. "Mary and I made a list of them and looked for possible connections."
"Excellent," Bennet complimented her. "May I see the list?"
"So, the assassin works for Lady Catherine..." Elizabeth mused.
"Or for someone who acts for her," Jane added. "What makes you think the Netherfield ladies are suspicious?"
"I heard from Long that they didn't come to the pub three days ago. Apparently they were shopping all day, but that might have been an excuse."
"We'll do our best to find out," Elizabeth said cheerfully.
Jane and Elizabeth were invited for both lunch and dinner, and they had agreed upon it that Jane would claim a severe headache after lunch. She would then ask if she could lie down upstairs so she would be fit by dinnertime. In the meantime Elizabeth would try to keep the company downstairs so Jane could snoop around upstairs.
If the inhabitants of Netherfield were indeed innocent, they would not object to Jane's lying down upstairs. If they had something to hide on the other hand...it was up to them to find out.
"How are you going to be convincingly ill, Jane?" Elizabeth asked.
"Oh don't worry about that," Jane said carelessly. "I'm quite good at it. Just tell them I'm allergic to...well, some foodstuff."
At Netherfield they were received very enthusiastically by Bingley, very politely by the two ladies, and very indifferently by Darcy and Hurst. The company sat down to lunch and Jane performed her little illness trick.
"I don't feel well," she said faintly.
"Are you all right?" Charles said with obvious concern.
"Jane! Was it the strawberries again?" Elizabeth asked. "Maybe you should lie down."
"No, no," Jane protested weakly.
"Yes, I insist," Charles said, and Elizabeth immediately agreed with him, "If you lie down now, you'll be better by dinnertime."
"Are you allergic to strawberries? Why did you eat them?" Caroline asked suspiciously.
"She is not always allergic," Elizabeth explained. "Only in combination with some other products, but she hasn't really discovered which ones yet."
"Well, Caroline....could you show Jane the spare bedroom?" Charles asked his sister, who obliged by leading the way upstairs.
She walked along a passage, closing a few doors before Jane could look inside, and showed her into a room at the end. "Will you be needing anything, a painkiller maybe?"
"Yes, please," Jane said, looking around her.
Caroline returned very quickly with a painkiller and a glass of water, and then rejoined the group downstairs. Jane was free to snoop.
Part 4
Jane waited for a few minutes after she had heard the sound of Caroline's footsteps fading away. She swung her legs off the bed, muttering to herself. "I really don't believe that I will find anything. They seem perfectly nice, but Bennet and Elizabeth are always more suspicious than I am."
She peeked out into the hallway. It was deserted, and the sound of voices floated up from downstairs. Good. I can probably hear them come up the stairs too, but I trust Elizabeth will keep them down for at least an hour. Jane buried the painkiller she still had hidden in her hand in a flowerpot that graced the hallway. To her right were a few empty rooms, but to her left were the other bedrooms. She quickly searched them, and was a bit shocked to discover that Darcy kept a gun hidden in his underwear drawer. That may not mean anything, she told herself, and resumed her snooping.
None of the other bedrooms contained anything out of the ordinary, and Jane climbed the stairs to the attic. She sighed as she observed the loads of rubbish that had been deposited there by the previous owners. Searching this would prove to be an ordeal. She worked her way through a few boxes, until her eye fell on a clothes rack. There were all kinds of costumes hanging on it, and Jane browsed through them, until her heart skipped a beat. There at the end, half concealed by a police uniform, hung a nun's habit.
Meanwhile, Kitty and Lydia were having the time of their lives at the Meryton Army Base. They had both got the job of coffee lady, which guaranteed that they had entrance to all offices, even the most secret. They could move freely with their coffee trolley without looking suspicious. They did get a lot of attention, because they stopped everywhere for a chat.
So far, they had not found out anything, except that there was to be a new officer in charge of the firearms. He had not arrived yet, but his name was Wickham.
Charlotte had made a little more progress at Rosings. She had spun Lady Catherine's subordinate Collins a tale about writing a series of articles on successful businesswomen, and the role of their assistants. Collins had felt very important, and he had promised Charlotte an interview with himself. Charlotte was even prepared to go out to dinner with him, if that could give her more insight in the business dealing of Lady Catherine De Bourgh. Eventually, she would try to get an audience with the boss herself, but Collins had informed her that hardly anyone was granted that privilege, and certainly not a mere journalist.
Charlotte had discovered that Lady Catherine's daughter Anne, or Miss Anne as Collins called her respectfully, was officially in charge of the Hunsford side of business, but that that was really run by her assistant Mrs. Jenkinson. She dismissed the fact of Anne being a key-figure therefore.
Elizabeth, stuck in a card game with the inhabitants of Netherfield remarked that Bingley was either innocent, or a remarkably good actor. The Hursts seemed equally harmless, being a little too stupid too be suspicious. His sister Caroline was obviously suspicious of her, but that seemed to have more to do with the fact that she was afraid of Elizabeth attracting the attention of Darcy.
If Elizabeth had to name to possibly suspicious characters, she would name Caroline and Darcy. Caroline for her suspicious attitude, and Darcy because he was just plain mysterious. He hardly spoke, and his face was inscrutable. Sometimes she caught him staring at her, and it unnerved her a great deal. It was as if he was trying to find her out, and that was very disconcerting to someone who had an ulterior motive.
Towards the end of the afternoon she thought she'd go and see how Jane was doing. To her great distress Caroline offered to come up with her.
"There's no need, really," Elizabeth said politely. What if Jane is not where she should be?
"I'm really concerned," Caroline said, and she started to climb the stairs.
Elizabeth prayed that Jane was in her room. To give Jane the chance to return to her room in time, she made a lot of noise on the stairs, which gained her an irritated look from Caroline.
Part 5
Elizabeth pressed a button on her watch. It gave a soft beep. Caroline paused on the stairs and turned. "What was that?"
"Oh nothing, just the hourly beep." She did not tell Caroline that her watch was actually a two-way transmitting device, and that she had just beeped to warn Jane. Jane had the same watch, and they had agreed upon one beep for a warning signal.
"It's a quarter past, though," Caroline said.
Elizabeth shrugged with a smile. "I went swimming with it. It's been acting up ever since."
Caroline resumed climbing the stairs, and Elizabeth cheered inwardly for the little delay she had caused. Jane has got to be back on that bed by now.
They found Jane on her bed, looking much better. "How are you feeling, dear?" Caroline asked. "You certainly look much better. Are you well enough to come down with us?"
"Yes, I'll come down with you."
To Elizabeth however, Jane did not look at all well. She gave her a questioning look behind Caroline's back. "Later," Jane mouthed.
"So, Caroline," Jane asked, "did Elizabeth give you our flowers yet?"
"Yes, she did, they were absolutely lovely! Even if they were plastic. But that means the bouquet stays nice and tidy and I don't have to pick up fallen petals."
Jane and Elizabeth smiled. One of the plastic daffodils contained a carefully concealed microphone that would pick up all conversation in the Netherfield drawing room, so the staff at Longbourne could listen in on it. Elizabeth had made sure Caroline placed it on a conveniently situated table between Caroline's favourite chair and the chair Darcy used to sit in. It was no use placing it close to Hurst, because he was too prone to snoring.
On their way back from dinner at Netherfield, Jane and Elizabeth encountered a handsome man with binoculars. He appeared to be looking at a tree.
"Hello ladies," he greeted them with a smile.
"Hello. Anything of interest up that tree?" Elizabeth inquired politely. She didn't see why he needed binoculars for such a small distance.
"Yes, a bird. I'm an ornithologist, and I'm doing a research for the Ministry of Defense." The man appeared to be very talkative.
"Oh, really? What does the Ministry of Defense have to do with birds?"
"Well," the man put down his gear, and the girls saw that they were in for a long explanation. "You see, I've been requested to research bird behaviour close to army bases. It appears that they behave differently. For instance, a lot of birds get killed when they fly into a plane, or planes get damaged when they fly into a bird. So, it might be that they avoid airfields as a result of witnessing those traumatizing experiences. This crow for example," he pointed up the tree, "I have followed it all the way from the army airfield, and I can tell you it's not behaving like a good crow should."
"It's not?" Jane was baffled by the story.
The man shook his head, looking at the tree again. The crow flew off to a neighbouring tree, and the man gathered up his stuff. He held out his hand. "Well ladies, it seems I must go. My name is Henry Tilney, by the way." They shook his hand and introduced themselves. "Nice meeting you," Henry Tilney said. "Good bye."
Elizabeth and Jane walked on. "What an odd story! Do you think he was making it up?" Elizabeth asked, but even Jane was not wholly convinced of the man's seriousness.
"I forgot to tell you that I found a nun's habit in the attic," Jane said.
"What? How can you forget something like that?" Elizabeth cried.
"I'm sure it meant nothing. It was hanging on a rack with dozens of other costumes."
"Sure! The perfect hiding place! It's got to be Caroline, she's so hostile."
"Hostile? I thought she was very nice, very caring," Jane protested.
"Oh, Jane! Sometimes I think you have chosen the wrong career."
Part 6
"Well, girls, what did you find out," Bennet asked anxiously when Jane and Elizabeth walked into his office. He could see they were excited and had lots to tell. Fanny leant back in her chair in anticipation, and even Mary was interested enough to abandon her files for a moment.
"I found a nun's habit," Jane said carefully.
"Miss Bingley!" Fanny cried immediately. "That woman sounds very suspicious."
"Now let's not jump to conclusions, Fanny," Bennet chided her. "Did Colonel Brandon not say that it might have been a man?"
"Darcy!" Elizabeth cried. "There is definitely something fishy about that man. I don't trust him at all."
"We shall get back to him later. First, the habit. Where was it, Jane?"
"In the attic, on a rack full of costumes. Policeman, fireman, clown..."
"See! It just can't be a coincidence," Elizabeth interrupted. "Normal people don't have that sort of thing in their attics. All the other costumes are camouflage."
"Hmmm..." Bennet looked reflectively. "Did you put the microphone in place?"
"Yes, Control Room should be listening to it now."
"Good. We'll see if they pick up anything. Was there anything else of interest at Netherfield?"
"No," said Jane.
"Yes," said Elizabeth. "There seem to be an awful lot of people interested in birds. Darcy has binoculars to watch birds, and we met a rather strange character on our way back who was also watching birds." She told Bennet about their encounter.
"Ah, I see," he said mysteriously.
"Can you please stop being so annoying? You never tell us what you're thinking, all you say is 'ah' or 'hmmm', how do we know if we have told you something of value?"
"We cannot possibly know if anything is of value, yet," was Bennet's reply. "All the same, I do think we're going to need reinforcements with all these people turning up. I'm going to pull Fanny Price off the Mansfield case."
"Wonderful! I haven't seen her for ages!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
"Isn't she undercover?" Jane asked, fearful that Fanny's cover would be blown.
"Don't worry, Fanny Price and I have already covered that base. She will be visiting her family in Portsmouth."
"It's going to be very confusing though, two Fannies," his secretary remarked.
"She will be Fanny2 from now on," Bennet eased his secretary's mind.
The phone rang. Fanny picked it up at her desk and signalled Bennet to pick up his own extension. "Hello Charlotte, how are things going?"
After the call, he informed his staff of the latest developments at Rosings. "Charlotte has managed to get a date with Lady Catherine's second in command, Collins. Apparently he's an icky figure, whatever that may mean, but Charlotte says he's so stupid he doesn't know he's being pumped. So far, she has found out that Lady Catherine's live-in staff at her headquarters consists of herself and her daughter, Collins, the housekeeper Mrs. Norris, the driver Thorpe and a group of thugs. One person from Rosings has also been making calls from a public phone booth, Charlotte observed someone making the trip from the side gates to the booth, but he or she was heavily disguised. So, she thinks someone is working behind Lady Cat's back."
In the meantime, Fanny had been busy with another phone call. When Bennet finished she was eager to share another bit of news. "The Polish head of a company that Lady Catherine has been trying to take over for years was strangled with a phone cord this morning. Apparently the killer entered the house with a screwdriver."
Part 7
Lady Catherine De Bourgh sat in her office, thinking. Her final coup was near, and she felt a tingle of excitement. There are still a few people who keep opposing me. Such a shame that they can't see reason, now they will have to be removed. I'll have Collins contact the Nun... Lady Catherine did not know the identity of the Nun, but that wasn't important. The Nun was an excellent assassin and that was all that mattered. She was just reaching for her phone when it rang.
"Catherine here," she answered.
"Listen very carefully, I shall say this only once," a muffled voice said. Lady Catherine sat up straight. This was her mysterious informant from Meryton. He or she was always barely audible, and she had no clue if her informant was male or female. "Bennet's team is moving in on Meryton."
"Who are they?"
"Only know one. Lydia, works at the base as a coffee girl. Speaking of the base, Colonel Forster is keeping a very tight watch."
"He shall be dealt with too."
The muffled voice hung up. Lady Catherine sat staring at the wall. Bennet is moving in on Meryton, that must mean he suspects something. I must act fast. Wickham is going to Meryton anyway, he can keep an eye on that Lydia. And Colonel Forster...he will have to be removed. She rang for Collins. "Come to my office this instant!"
He appeared within a minute, gasping for air. "You rang, Milady?"
Lady Catherine gave him a withering stare. "Of course I rang! Do not ask me stupid questions, Collins." If he were not the only person the Nun is in contact with, I would fire him immediately. But on the other hand, Catherine's megalomaniacal ego was immensely boosted by Collins' submissiveness and flattering.
"I want you to contact the Nun. I have another assignment for her."
"Who?" said Collins, happy to do his boss a service.
"Colonel Forster."
"Does the Nun know who that is?" Collins had never heard of Colonel Forster.
"Say Meryton and she will know."
"I will do it right away, Lady Catherine," Collins said hastily, bowing his way out of the office. He headed for his own office and sat down behind his computer. He connected to the internet and went to My Own Email where he had a secret email account. He typed in his password and his full address, collins@cuteandcuddly.com. There was no mail in his mailbox, he sadly observed. He clicked compose and addressed his email to nun@death-star.com.
Elizabeth walked into Meryton's library to return some books. To her great surprise she saw Caroline Bingley behind the internet computer. She must have come her to use the internet. She can't be a member, she's only staying in this town for a few weeks. Why doesn't she use Darcy's computer? I saw him browsing the web at Netherfield...
Caroline saw her approach and anxiously clicked at something with her mouse, a guilty look on her face. At least, Elizabeth thought it was a guilty look. She doesn't want me to see what she was doing. "Hello Caroline."
"Hello Elizabeth," Caroline said guardedly. "I was just about to check my email." She went to Hotmail and logged in.
"Oh, okay, I'll leave you to it. See you!" I'll take the hint, don't worry!
"Yes, bye."
Part 8
Posted on Thursday, 18 June 1998
"The occupants of Netherfield are leaving," Bennet told them.
"Leaving?" Jane was stricken. She had taken quite a fancy to Mr. Bingley.
"They must have finished their job, whatever it was," Elizabeth mused.
"Exactly," Bennet replied. "That's why I think you two ought to split up. Jane can go to London, and Elizabeth must go to Hunsford to assist Charlotte."
"Without a reason? I'll look very suspicious."
"You can be Charlotte's photographer," Bennet suggested. "Charlotte is supposedly writing an article."
Elizabeth laughed. "I'm the world's worst photographer! Have you ever seen my pictures?"
"That doesn't matter. Just hold the camera convincingly."
"Okay, I'll try. Have you told Charlotte I'm coming yet?"
"Yes, I have. She has already leaked out the news."
"But wouldn't it look strange if I came over just for the pictures for her article?"
"No, you're a freelancer also doing a series on country life, and you just happened to know Charlotte who was still in need of a good photographer. Here," Bennet passed her an envelope, " this is some of your work, in case someone gets too nosy."
"Well, wow!" Elizabeth said, as she took the pictures out, "I'm very talented!"
"I'm so glad you're here!" Charlotte greeted Elizabeth warmly. "That Mr. Collins is driving me crazy!"
"With desire?" Elizabeth grinned.
Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Oh, please! But ssst, there he comes. He's never far away, I think I'm beginning to become his second obsession, after Lady Catherine," she said in a low voice.
"My dear Charlotte, you have such lovely talented friends! Immensely pleased to meet you, Miss Elizabeth," he drooled.
Elizabeth smiled politely, and gave his moist, soft, flabby hand a strong shake. Poor Charlotte, but it's all in the course of duty...
"Oh!" Mr. Collins squealed. "You have quite a grip for a woman. But of course you must have!" He hit his forehead. "You have to be strong to carry that camera around, don't you?"
They sat down in the Inn, and Mr. Collins would not go. Though Elizabeth would have preferred to discuss things alone with Charlotte, this gave her a chance to observe Mr. Collins and assess his worth. A quick observation taught her that he was completely useless and unoriginal as an individual, but very useful as a projection of Lady Catherine's opinions. As long as they could not speak with the Lady herself, they had to make do with Mr. Collins, and he was eager enough to boast about his idol and employer.
She contemplated the idea of planting a microphone on Collins. She delved into her bag with the excuse of looking for a handkerchief, and looked through her collection of gadgets. An Arsenal tie-clip...why Arsenal anyway? A quick look at Mr. Collins showed that he didn't have one yet. But how do I give it to him without him thinking that I have amourous designs on him? Ah...the football angle.
"Are you a football fan, Mr. Collins?" Elizabeth asked, and Charlotte looked confused.
"Yes, yes, aren't we all?"
"I personally like Arsenal," Elizabeth said, betting on him to agree with her.
"Yes, they are great! They are my favourite team too," Mr. Collins cried eagerly.
"Well then, look what I found on the train. Perhaps you'd like to have it? I don't wear ties, and I think that it should go to someone who really appreciates the club, don't you?"
Mr. Collins expressed his delight, and attached the microphone to his tie. Charlotte understood it now, and grinned. "It looks great with your suit," she complimented him, hoping this would induce him to always wear it.
Part 9
Posted on Saturday, 20 June 1998
That evening, Charlotte and Elizabeth sat in Charlotte's room, intently listening for any sounds transmitted by the microphone planted on Collins. They did not hear anything useful until exactly ten o'clock, when a piercing bleep was heard.
"What was that?" Elizabeth asked.
"His bleeper," said Charlotte, who had already heard more of the sound than she liked. "He's being summoned by her Ladyship now. Let's pay close attention!"
Elizabeth had her little recorder and notepad ready. "Why does it have to be so loud though?"
You rang, Milady?
Of course I rang! How many times have I told you now not to ask me stupid questions, Collins.
I am so sorry, Lady Catherine. I would not want to inconvenience you by coming because this bleeper bleeped due to a technical failure--
Yes, yes. Prepare a bedroom for my nephew Darcy. He will be over unexpectedly in an hour. I trust he is met with all the usual courtesies.
"Darcy?" Elizabeth cried.
Yes, of course, your Ladyship, I shall--
Go! You shall go. Now.
They heard Mr. Collins issuing commands to the housekeeper, but that was of no importance. What they had just heard was far more important.
"Mr. Darcy! I knew he was fishy! This proves it," Elizabeth said excitedly. "Let's call Bennet and ask what we should do."
"Not from the hotel," the prudent Charlotte warned. "Let's go to that public phone we saw."
The girls pretended to go on a pre-bedtime walk, and made a little detour before arriving at the phone. It was decided that Charlotte would make the call, because she was the calmest of the two. Elizabeth was practically jumping up and down now that her suspicions had been proven right.
"Hi Fanny, is Bennet around?" Charlotte asked. "We are calling from a public phone near the hotel, so it should be safe."
"Bennet here," he said after Fanny gestured to him to pick up his extension. "Hello Charlotte, everything all right?"
"Yes, well, maybe no!" Charlotte was unusually incoherent.
"You sound excited. What happened?"
"We planted a microphone on Collins, actually, Elizabeth did, and we overheard that Darcy is expected at Rosings. We wondered what to do next."
"Hmmm...I suggest you keep a close eye on him. Find out if he is important, who he associates with and the like. Keep me informed!"
"OK. Will do. Good-bye." Charlotte hung up.
Part 10
The next morning, Charlotte and Elizabeth had breakfast in the dining room of the Inn. The innkeeper loved to gossip, and he loved to share his news with people.
"Lady Catherine's nephew has arrived."
"Really?" Elizabeth asked. "When?"
"Late last night, about eleven or so, but he was up very early this morning for I saw him doing his jogging round when I went to collect the fresh eggs."
"Does he always go jogging?"
"Oh yes. He's very active, always out, golfing, jogging, shooting, fishing in the river... I believe he's gone fishing with the Colonel now. They do that a lot. They stay away all day."
"Who's the Colonel?" Charlotte asked with curiosity. That was someone she hadn't heard of before.
"He's a friend of Darcy's. Other than that, I don't know much about him. He lives in the direction of the town and he hardly ever comes into the village. His cleaning lady told me he's retired from the military, but I don't know why because he's still quite young. How do you like the eggs, Miss?"
"They're delicious," Charlotte assured him. Suddenly she got an idea. "We would like to walk around the area, my friend here is a photographer and she's doing something on country life. Show him your pictures, Lizzy."
Elizabeth obeyed, and showed the innkeeper 'her' pictures. He was impressed. A good move on Charlotte's part, Elizabeth thought. The whole village will know about them now, and no one will doubt my credentials.
"Well," Charlotte continued. "I thought we could take a walk around nice places where she could take pictures like this. Can you recommend any? Preferably with water, water always makes for great pictures."
"Sure," the innkeeper frowned, "let me give you a map of the area and I will point out some nice spots." He went into the room behind the bar and returned shortly with a map he spread out on the table. "Here, and here, and here. How long will you be gone? I can fix you some sandwiches to take with you if you plan to go all the way to the river."
"The river, Elizabeth?" Charlotte inquired.
"Sounds good," she replied. Clever Charlotte! I hope we can find the spot where Darcy and that Colonel are fishing.
The girls set off with their camera, binoculars, and a packed lunch in their backpacks. They walked in the direction of the river, which they should reach in about two hours, they reckoned. It was a sunny day, not too warm for walking, and the sky was blue.
"I'd better take some pictures now and then, in case someone checks my camera," Elizabeth suggested.
"Can you take any decent ones?" Charlotte giggled, remembering some of Elizabeth's holiday pictures.
"No!"
"Let me take some then. I like it."
While walking they discussed the arrival of Mr. Darcy. "Do you think it's important, Elizabeth?"
"Yes, he must be connected to it all. How else could we explain his presence in Meryton, and now here? I must be careful though, sometimes I thought I was catching on to my game."
"What did you tell him you did for a living? That might be a problem."
"I didn't tell anyone of them anything, so my being a photographer now is no problem, I hope. Anyway, I could always say it's my hobby."
"Did he do anything concretely suspicious though?" Charlotte wanted to be completely convinced of Darcy's suspiciousness.
"He watched me a lot," Elizabeth shrugged.
"He might just be fancying you!" Charlotte laughed.
"Oh sure!"
Finally they arrived at the river. It was not very wide and streamed slowly. The girls looked to both sides but they couldn't see any people fishing. They sat down for a moment to decide on what to do.
"Left or right, what do you say?" Charlotte asked as she studied the map closely.
"Right would be closer to Rosings. Too bad we don't know where that Colonel lives."
"We do. He lives in the direction of the town. I take it this is the town?" she pointed at a town close by.
"Could be. That's to the right too, so we'll go that way?"
After fifteen minutes Elizabeth spotted a parasol. She nudged Charlotte. "Do you think...?"
Charlotte and Elizabeth came closer and found out that it was indeed Mr. Darcy who was fishing there, together with another man they assumed was the Colonel. They looked at the girls with some surprise, but Darcy did not look as surprised as Elizabeth thought he would. Lady Catherine must have informed him of our presence in Hunsford.
"Elizabeth," he said. "Good morning. And Charlotte, wasn't it?"
"Good morning," Elizabeth and Charlotte replied.
"You know each other?" the Colonel asked with amazement.
"We met when I stayed at Netherfield," Darcy replied with an inscrutable face.
"Well, introduce me, old bean!" the Colonel cried.
Part 11
"Colonel Fitzwilliam," Darcy said, "Elizabeth, Charlotte."
"Pleased to meet you, ladies! Since you are friends of Darcy, would you like to join us for lunch? I feel it's lunch time," the Colonel smiled.
Darcy looked sour, in Elizabeth's opinion. He doesn't like being forced to spend any time in our company, much less being called our friend. But this gives us a great chance to get to know the Colonel. I say we take it. She looked at Charlotte, who nodded. "Sure," she said. The Colonel seems like a nice and friendly sort of person. Even if he's a bad guy, I think it will be fun to have lunch with him. You've got to admire a man who dares to call Darcy an old bean.
"We have more than enough lunch for the four of us, but I suppose you brought something yourselves as well. Don't tell me you're the kind who skip lunch because they're slimming!" The Colonel chatted away.
Darcy was silent, unless he was asked something. Elizabeth found he was still looking at her intently all the time. She decided to go ahead and ask him. "Why do you keep looking at me like that, Mr. Darcy?" Isn't it ridiculous that I spent half a day in a house with this man and I still call him Mr. Darcy? "Do I have a milk moustache? Or do you mean to frighten me? In that case I might as well tell you that such schemes do not work with me."
Darcy gave her one of his funny looks again. "You know I don't mean to frighten you. I'm well aware of the fact that you enjoy pretending to be someone that you actually aren't."
That hit a little too close to home to be comfortable, and Elizabeth decided to treat it with a laugh, so as not to let her discomfort show. "That's not a very nice impression of me you're giving your friend. I am very unlucky to meet the one person in Hunsford who could possibly know that I am not all what I seem, when I had thought nobody here would find out about me. You do realise that this gives me the right to disclose some information about you yourself as well? It's your own fault if some thing might come as a shock for your friend."
Darcy smiled, to her surprise. She had thought he would be alarmed. "I'm not afraid."
"Do tell!" the Colonel said eagerly. "How does he behave when he's not under my good influence?"
"Oh, it's dreadful!" Elizabeth cried. "I seriously suspect your cousin of being that assassin, The Nun. Did you know there was a nun's habit at Netherfield?"
Charlotte gave Elizabeth a cautioning look. Do you know what you're doing? You're not supposed to know about what was in the attic, remember?
Both Darcy and the Colonel looked amazed. "I am not The Nun," Darcy protested. There was a nun's habit at Netherfield?
"What else was that costume doing there?"
"I did not even know it was there!" What could she possibly mean? Does she think I'm an assassin, or did she find out that one of my companions at Netherfield is? He was rather confused, but supposed she was only making wild guesses to gauge his reaction. He decided not show too much of his confusion.
"Shall we ask your friend how it's possible that he doesn't explore any new house he goes to stay in for a few weeks from top to bottom, and therefore find out exactly what it contains?" Elizabeth asked the Colonel jokingly.
"I can answer that without asking him. It's because he won't give himself the trouble to do so."
"I had better things to do," Darcy defended himself, feeling rather remiss indeed.
"Priorities," said Elizabeth with a smile. "I might have better things to do right now as well, but I'm still sitting here."
"And I am glad you are here to divert us, Elizabeth," said Darcy gallantly. This changed the subject effectively, because the Colonel immediately cut in to agree with him.
Part 12
Posted on Thursday, 2 July 1998
The next few days, the Colonel came to see them several times, and he treated them to lunch. Once he brought Darcy with him, but the other times he came alone. When they were not being entertained by the Colonel, Elizabeth and Charlotte explored the surroundings of Rosings Park, they pretended to work on their article, or they tried to catch as much gossip as possible by going into all the shops of the village.
On the fourth day, Charlotte was out to see Collins and Elizabeth was sitting alone in the backyard when she was visited by Darcy. She was naturally apprehensive, because she had no idea what he could want, still being under the firm belief of his bad character.
"How are you?" he said.
She shrugged, "all right."
Darcy walked about a bit, and Elizabeth stared at him in amazement. Why did he come to see me?
He stopped to address her. "In vain have I struggled with this problem, but it will not do. You must allow me to assist you."
Elizabeth's mouth fell open. Assist me? With what? But soon he explained. "It's been a long time since I have come to suspect that my aunt has megalomaniacal tendencies, but she is still my aunt, you must understand that my loyalty lies with my family. I believe you are here to gather information on her, and I have come to realize that it might be in everybody's interest if I helped you." It came out rather grudgingly.
Elizabeth was speechless. He! Whom I suspect of being the Nun! No way! No way shall I inform him of what I am doing so he can run straight to his aunt to tell her. What does he think? I am not as stupid as that, Mr. Darcy!
"It is natural that I would feel some sort of obligation, and if I would feel gratitude, I would thank you. But I can't. I never asked for your help, and you certainly offer it most unwillingly," she spat out. Besides, you have yet to convince me of your trustworthiness!
Darcy looked angry. He had obviously not expected to have his offer of help turned down immediately. "Why?"
"My feelings are decided against you. You are highly suspicious, do you really think I would confide in you? I have every reason in the world to be suspicious of you. Not only are you the nephew of what is perhaps the most thwarted mind in the world--" Darcy clinched his jaw, "--but you are also the number one suspect of being the world's most elusive assassin. You cannot deny that, especially with that nun's habit we discovered at Netherfield." Oh please, I hope I didn't say too much. What if he is, and he kills me?
He looked incredulous, but he didn't say anything.
"Can you deny it?"
"I won't deny that there was such a habit at Netherfield, even if I did not know about it. You obviously have proof that it was there. If it had not been there, you would have agreed to cooperate with me."
"You are wrong. That did not influence me one bit. My opinion of you was already fully established. You could not have asked me to work with you in any way that would have tempted me to accept your help."
He looked incredulous again.
"From the very first moment I saw you, your manners impressed me with the absolute belief of your arrogance, conceit, and your coldness, which led to a very strong dislike on my side. Subsequent events have only strengthened that dislike. I hadn't known you for a very long time before I was absolutely certain that I could never cooperate with you, aside from my suspicions."
He glared at her. "You have said enough. I understand. Forgive me for wasting your time, good day."
Part 13
Posted on Tuesday, 7 July 1998
Elizabeth was left in a state of confusion after Darcy left. His audacity left her speechless, and she didn't know what to think.
Sir William Lucas had a big budget and he had equipped his staff with laptop computers so they could email back to base, but Bennet refused to use email because he said it wasn't safe, so they were not exactly used for professional reasons. Elizabeth had taken hers with her to keep in touch with her friends. She switched the computer on and checked her mail at her private address. No mail there. Then she checked at her 'business' address, and was surprised to find an email from Darcy in her mailbox. Darcy! Fwd Good! Fwood Good? How does he know my address?
Subject: [Fwd: Good!
Date: Tue, 07 Jul 1998 13:19:02 +0200
From: Fitzwilliam Darcy <"darcy@spyring.com">
To: elizabeth@spyring.comElizabeth, don't worry, I shall not be repeating myself with this letter, but please do me the honour of reading it. You don't trust me because my aunt happens to be Lady Catherine De Bourgh. Does that mean I'm equally bad?. You can tell from my email address that I'm also in the service.
I have been gathering evidence against her for several years now, but it's very difficult because she's very good at concealing things. If you do not believe me, consult my superior Colonel Fitzwilliam on this matter. He is supposed to be retired, but he is not.
Second, you practically accuse me of being the nun. If I had been, wouldn't I already have had an order to kill you off? Lady Catherine's spies know everything. You dislike me, which is your good right, but I would NEVER assassinate my best friend's father (who, as you well know, was killed by the Nun). I could give you a few more excuses, but I doubt that they are strong enough to convince you. I can only hope that you are clever enough to destroy my aunt. Good luck.
F. Darcy
777
Subject: Good!
Date: Tue, 07 Jul 1998 11:09:12 +0200
From: R. Fitzwilliam <"TheColonel@lover-boy.com">
To: darcy@spyring.comher address is elizabeth@spyring.com. going on a date? good, good!
"Going on a date? You told him you wanted to ask me out? How dare you!" She wondered if she should tell Bennet. What would he say if he found out I turned down an offer of help? Maybe I should keep this to myself until I know more...He would not want me to cooperate with someone who could possibly be the Nun...
Part 14
Posted on Friday, 10 July 1998
Elizabeth and Charlotte had an appointment with Lady Catherine at 9am. Mr. Collins, who had arranged it all, had provided them with a list of 'things to do and to avoid.'
Report to the guard at the front gate at 8.30 precisely. Do not bring any weapons. You and your possessions shall be searched.
How about a microphone? Elizabeth thought, The microphone they had planted on Collins had apparently met with an accident. Since that one conversation, they hadn't heard anything but a splash, when the clumsy Collins dropped his tie-clip into his washbasin.
You are free to take pictures, but your film shall be developed by us and you will receive your pictures later.
"It's very nice of them to pay for that," Charlotte said sarcastically. She read the other warnings on the list. "Ridiculous, isn't it? This shows clearly that the woman is not right in the head."
"Or Collins."
"More likely both," Charlotte laughed. "What do you think of Colonel Fitzwilliam?" she asked pensively.
"He's a babe," Elizabeth said enthusiastically.
"A babe?" Charlotte raised her eyebrows. "A little too charming, to be sure?"
"Too charming? What do you mean?"
"I've done some digging."
"Where, at the graveyard?"
"Very funny. He was abroad at the time of the Paris assassination, and he was away when the other killings took place too."
"But..." Elizabeth stopped. She could not tell Charlotte that the Colonel was still in the service without revealing that she had turned down an offer of help from another branch just because she happened to dislike that person. The Colonel isn't the Nun!
Meanwhile in London, Jane was trying to get some more information on Caroline's whereabouts during the past few months. So far she had come up with nothing out of the ordinary. The woman seemed to be either very innocent, or very clever. Jane had even tried to visit her, but Caroline was never home.
One day she ran into her by accident, and Caroline had been very nervous and distant, almost as if she had something to hide. Jane was a little disappointed, because she had thought Caroline and she had become friends at Netherfield. She shrugged it off. At least we know she's in London. She informed Bennet of it.
They presented themselves at the gate at 8.30, a little nervous about meeting Lady Catherine at last. Elizabeth had her camera with her, though she was resolved not to take too many pictures for fear of revealing her meagre photographic skills.
The guard at the gate searched them, and looked into their bags, but they had taken good care not to take any 'illegal' things. "Would you please fill out these forms," the guard said as he gave them both a sheet of paper. Name, address, occupation, and they were both handed a visitors' pass they had to clip on.
"What is this, some top secret hi-tech research outfit?" Elizabeth whispered to Charlotte.
They followed another mean looking man down the driveway to the house. In the imposant hall the two girls were met by Collins, who practically slid across the floor in his oily way. He led them up the stairs to Lady Catherine's office. Charlotte did not doubt that Lady Catherine was closely monitoring their progress for she had spied several half-hidden cameras already. As reverently as one can possibly knock, Collins knocked on an impressive wooden door and an authoritative voice called out, "enter!"
Part 15
Posted Tuesday, 21-Jul-98
"Ah, so there are your journalist friends, Collins. Well, ladies, you are here now, what did you want to see me about?" Lady Catherine asked ungraciously. She was an authoritative looking woman in her fifties, tall and large, with strong features that might have been handsome once. She had a very imposing manner of sitting behind her desk, and she made no effort to rise as they were shown in by Collins. She merely nodded to two chairs placed opposite the desk at a safe distance, not too close.
"I am doing a series on the leading business women of the moment," said Charlotte.
"Who else?"
"I don't know yet. I figured I'd start with you because you are the most eminent business woman in the world today."
Yeah, go Charlotte! Butter her up, Elizabeth thought. How can she stay so calm and composed? "Today?" Lady Catherine's sharp beady eyes shot fire. "I have no equal today nor in history. Name me one woman in past times who could hope to be compared with me."
Mr. Collins smiled and nodded in his corner. Charlotte and Elizabeth could and would not name anyone, at least not someone who would please Lady Catherine.
"You see, I am quite unique," she said with satisfaction as she received no answer. Collins smiled and nodded again.
The girls did not even have to ask anything, because Lady Catherine was quite willing to explain all about her motives and her need to seize economic power. "It is my greatest wish that my face shall grace the Euro one day," she concluded.
Oh boy! You'll be six feet under once the Euro comes into being. "She's quite mad," Elizabeth said as soon as they had left the premises. "Do you think her relatives are in it too?" she asked, still unsure about Darcy.
"I don't know. She only mentioned that her daughter Anne is in charge of local operations, but I don't think she has a lot of power with a mother like that," Charlotte answered as they walked back to the Inn. "If she and Darcy are involved it's only marginally, oh, and do not forget Colonel Fitzwilliam."
"What about him?"
"He's her nephew too."
"He is?" Elizabeth cried. "When did that happen?"
Charlotte laughed. "Why, some thirty years ago, I expect."
Elizabeth made an impatient gesture to mean she wanted a serious answer. "How do you know he's her nephew?"
"Did you not hear her mention her nephews, plural?"
"No," Elizabeth was surprised.
"Accompanied by a little gesture in the direction of a picture of Darcy, Colonel Fitzwilliam and a girl?"
"I saw her point at that picture, yes. But I did not see that it was the Colonel in it."
All eyes for Darcy, I bet.
"Even if he is her nephew, he just cannot be involved."
"Because he's a babe, right?" Charlotte said sarcastically. "Don't be so Jane-ish. We got what we wanted, now let's go back to Meryton."
Part 16
Posted on Sunday, 26-Jul-98
When they got back to Longbourn, they briefed all the others about what happened, and they got informed about what had passed in their absence, which wasn't much, except that there was now a Miss Darcy staying at Meryton's main hotel. Lydia and Kitty had become friends with several officers at the Army base, but they could not tell them anything useful. They had gotten particularly friendly with one named Wickham. "He says Miss Darcy is just as bad as her aunt," Lydia said.
"He knows Lady Catherine?" Elizabeth asked.
"No, I don't think so, but he used to be a friend of her brother's or something until he decided he did not want to have anything to do with their unlawful activities."
"I wonder what she can be doing here," Bennet mused.
Oddly enough it was Fanny2, the latest arrival, who had picked up some concrete information, the name Willoughby, from an informant.
Bennet looked at his assembled team. "I think it is necessary that we find out more about this Willoughby. He might have something to tell us."
At that moment, the phone rang and Fanny answered. The call did not last very long, and nobody paid any attention because she got calls all the time. "Bennet!" she called.
"Yes, Fanny?"
"I have just received a mysterious phone call from one Willoughby. He insisted on meeting you tonight, at ten, in his cottage."
Bennet looked pensive and clasped his hands together. "Things are moving," he said darkly. He always said something to this effect, and no one ever knew what he was talking about, but afterwards it always turned out that he had been right. "Good, Fanny2 and Elizabeth, you are coming with me. Kitty and Lydia go back to the base, Mary is still working on the bank transactions, Jane will keep an eye on the Miss Darcy who's staying at the hotel and Fanny will keep things going here. There is enough to do."
At a quarter to ten Bennet, Elizabeth and Fanny2 drove off. Elizabeth was driving, because Fanny2 was such a careful driver that it would take them far longer to arrive at their destination.
"Umm...Bennet," Fanny2 said.
"Yes?"
"I did not mention this because I thought it might not be connected to this case, but I saw Henry Crawford coming out of the supermarket today."
"Henry Crawford?" Bennet was definitely interested. "Did he see you?" he asked, knowing that she was supposed to be in Portsmouth.
Fanny2 shook her head.
"What do you think he could possibly be doing here?"
"I don't know. I see no connection between the cases."
Elizabeth slowed down the car to make a turn into a narrow country lane, when suddenly a black car with no lights on shot out of the lane onto the big road, and sped away in the direction they had just come from.
Bennet sat up straight. He looked worried. He did not trust that black car one bit.
"I did not see its number plates," Fanny2 volunteered, not trusting the car either.
A small distance down the lane was Willoughby's cottage. Elizabeth parked the car and they approached the house carefully. Bennet rang the bell, but nobody answered. His face looked grim. "I hope we are not too late. Let's walk round the back."
The back door was slightly ajar, and they entered, both girls gripping their handguns. "Mr. Willoughby?" Elizabeth called. There was no answer. They made their way through the kitchen into the sitting room and the hall. The sight in the hall stopped them dead in their tracks, for sprawled across the floor lay the body of a man. Elizabeth ran over quickly and felt his pulse, but it was too late. "He is dead," she said quietly.
"How?"
Elizabeth and Fanny2 turned the man over, and protruding from his chest was a small dart.
"The Nun!" they both gasped.
"Yes, it would seem that the Nun is in Meryton," Bennet said grimly. "I was right, things are beginning to move."
Part 17
"Is it Willoughby?" Elizabeth asked quiveringly. She was not really fond of dead people. Fanny2, who in appearance seemed a shy and frightened girl, was actually quite unscrupulous when it came to death. She looked at the dead man's body carefully.
"I think so. Look how he's not wearing any shoes. He must live here. Too bad, isn't it? He was quite good-looking."
"Let us search the house," Bennet suggested. "I'll take the ground floor, and you two can go upstairs."
The girls did not find anything, but Fanny2 had spotted an interesting thing from a window. "Sir, I think he keeps pigeons. I could not see very well because it's dark, but should we check it out?"
"Pigeons. Does Lady Catherine not serve Pigeon A L'Orange in that restaurant of hers?" Bennet mused.
Elizabeth looked at him as if he was mad. "What does that have to do with anything? Besides, I wouldn't know. It's much too expensive for me to dine there. Don't you know that Chirac, Clinton, Yeltsin and Tony Blair all go there? That kind of clientèle drives the prices somewhat out of my reach. Did you find anything down here?" she asked impatiently.
"Yes, a piece of very interesting information. It seems that Mr. Willoughby ran some kind of pigeon business with two men called Wickham and Crawford."
Fanny2 gasped. "Henry Crawford?"
"Yes, the very one."
"So that was why he was here, in Meryton." Fanny2 said, lost in thought.
"Perhaps."
"Pigeon business?" Elizabeth asked. "What business can there be in pigeons?"
"Have you never heard of all those homing pigeon competitions where they drive the pigeons to the south of France and release them and then the owner of the pigeon who arrives home first wins the prize?"
"Daft! Completely daft!" Elizabeth shook her head. "So there is money to be made in the pigeon trade?"
"It would appear so. Perhaps fast flyers are breedable, but I'm not very well aware of the particulars of this sport. We had better drive back to Longbourn and make an anonymous phonecall to the police about the body here. Did you examine the rooms upstairs with gloves on?"
Elizabeth sighed. Sometimes Bennet really treated them like they were stupid. "Yes, Bennet. I would understand it if you said such a thing to Lydia, but to us? I thought you had more faith in us."
"Good, I was only checking. Let's go before The Nun warned the police himself. By the way, did you happen to see any nuns today?"
Elizabeth shrugged. "Several. With that convent nearby you always see one or more nuns in Meryton, and I think I know most of them by now. There is the one with the scooter that the local youth has nicknamed Heaven's Angel...but she could not be the killer."
Part 18
"I think it is vital that we go pay a little visit to Mr. Crawford," said Bennet pensively when they drove back to Meryton.
Fanny2 let out a little gasp. "Must we?" Somehow she was a little afraid of seeing him again.
"Yes. Either he is in danger, or he is dangerous. Elizabeth, I see a public phone, pull over."
Elizabeth obeyed and parked the car while Bennet took out his handkerchief--he was one of those people who still had cotton handkerchiefs--and made a muffled phonecall to the Meryton police station.
"All right, off to find Crawford. Where do you think he is staying?"
"At Meryton Grand Hotel, no doubt," Elizabeth said.
"You have a Grand Hotel?" Fanny2 was impressed.
"Yeah, it's quite big," she snorted.
"I'll stay in the car," Fanny2 offered when they arrived at the hotel, but Bennet wouldn't hear of it.
Henry Crawford was indeed staying there, and he had an alibi. He had been in the dining room until nine, and in the bar after that, where he had been having an animated discussion with the barman on soccer and supermodels that hadn't quite ended yet. He displayed no grief at hearing of the death of his business partner, claiming that they had not been close.
"Can you think of any reason why Mr. Willoughby should be killed, Mr. Crawford?"
"None," he said, his gaze unwavering.
"What exactly is your business about?"
"We breed, buy and sell pigeons."
"Do you ever cater to restaurants?" Bennet asked.
Crawford shrugged. "Sometimes."
"De Bourgh?"
"Yes, we've done those as well, but not lately."
"Why not?"
"She seems to have found a new supply source," Crawford said with some reluctance.
Bennet narrowed his eyes and tapped the table with his pen. Elizabeth failed to see what he was getting at and felt completely confused, and Fanny2 was too busy trying not to look at Henry Crawford to ask any intelligent questions of their own.
"I warn you, Mr. Crawford, you could be in grave danger. I advise you to stay put."
"Could Fanny not act as some kind of bodyguard?" he asked to Fanny2's great consternation.
"Hmmm," said Bennet. "Not a bad idea. Fanny, go get your things and come back as soon as possible."
"But--"
Bennet gave her a look and she departed. "Elizabeth, you must go to Derbyshire to find out more about Wickham. I'll brief the Gardiners that you're coming. While you're there, try to find out some more about that chap Darcy as well, my sources told me he has a house there called Pemberley."
Part 19
So, Elizabeth went to Derbyshire. She met with the Gardiners, a couple she knew well because she had frequently worked with them. She liked them very much. It was almost as if they had become an aunt and uncle to her, and in fact she did pose as their niece to have a valid excuse for visiting them.
"How do we go about visiting Pemberley?" Elizabeth asked.
"Very easy," Mr. Gardiner replied. "It's open to the public."
"How odd, usually criminals do not open their houses to the public," Elizabeth commented. "On the other hand, it might be a good cover because no one will ever suspect they are criminals. When do we go?"
"Tomorrow?" Mrs. Gardiner suggested.
"Are you sure he will be away? I don't particularly feel like being killed or anything."
"Why would he kill you?"
"Because he will think I have come to expose him," Elizabeth explained patiently.
"Now, Elizabeth dear, look at this," Mrs. Gardiner opened her purse and showed her a small handgun, "I have one for you too, if you want it to feel safe."
"Yes, please."
"And we will be with you."
"Great."
They drove to Pemberley the next day. Elizabeth was impressed by its stately grandeur, but her feelings of awe were quickly swept away when her suspicious mind started to think of all the things that could be hidden in all the nooks and crannies of such a big mansion. It wasn't a very busy day and they were the only guests to be shown around by the housekeeper. She continually sang her master's praise, and Elizabeth guessed that she must either be brainwashed, have a very good salary, or be blackmailed. It just could not be that a nephew of Lady Catherine De Bourgh--the world's most notorious ruthless businesswoman annex criminal--was some kind of perfect angel who was generous, kind, and not inclined to cruelty.
When they paused in front of a few paintings, one of Darcy himself, she reflected that it was kind of pretentious to have your picture painted nowadays. He was just like Lady Catherine. No doubt she would have dozens of painted portraits of herself. The only difference was that Darcy's painting was rather agreeable to look at because he was quite good-looking, in a way, if you could just forget his evil nature.
After seeing the house, they made a small tour of the park. Elizabeth admired the beautiful gardens, she felt she could do that, because the owner had probably nothing to do with any of it. It would all be his gardeners' doing. When they came around a bend near the lake, she nearly had a heart attack for various reasons.
Darcy was walking towards her.
He was wearing a swimsuit.
In panic, Elizabeth had gripped the small handgun in her handbag, but she released her hold on it once she realised that he seemed to have no intention of harming her, and that he did not even have a weapon with him. Grudgingly, she admitted that he was quite a sight, tanned and muscled, and dripping wet. She just stood there gaping at his sudden apparition.
He was equally surprised. "Elizabeth," he said finally.
"Mr. Darcy," she said, still sounding shocked.
"How are you?"
She had not expected him to ask that, and it took some time before she was able to formulate a reply. "I am fine, thank you."
They exchanged a few awkward words and then he excused himself. Elizabeth's heart was racing. She wondered if she had just escaped a killer. Oddly enough, he had seemed embarrassed to see her, and not angry or suspicious.
"Was that him?" Mr. Gardiner asked.
She nodded.
"Not bad," Mrs. Gardiner said appreciatively and earned a look form her husband. "Why, he almost looks as good as Mr. Gardiner used to in his young days," she added with a chuckle. "But, Elizabeth, forgive me for saying so, he did not really seem bent on killing you."
"We must go," said Elizabeth urgently. "Let's go before he comes back."
"Why the hurry?"
"I don't want to see him again."
Mrs. Gardiner frowned. There was something that was not quite right here. Elizabeth seemed to think Darcy was a criminal, but from observing him she had not gotten a bad impression of him at all. He had blushed, and she gathered he was rather taken with Elizabeth. She wondered what had happened at their previous meetings, but Elizabeth was as closed as an oyster about that, and Darcy had been equally uncommunicative.
Mrs. Gardiner knew Darcy well, she had recruited him several years ago when Lady Catherine had first shown signs of having insane ambitions. It had been totally hush-hush, only her husband knew about it, but she felt that it was vital that she had some inside pawns. Darcy was not the only person within Lady Catherine's sphere working for them.
They walked back slowly, and of course they saw him again, fully dressed this time. He must have dressed very quickly, Mrs. Gardiner mused. He came towards them and introduced himself to Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. They had an amiable conversation for a while, and he invited them over. They graciously accepted the invitation and they left, the Gardiners suspecting romantic developments, and Elizabeth pondering over Darcy's change in personality, and no longer so sure of his villainness.