Worth joined them in the narrow dressing room. “Are we sure your intruder did this? It seems a petty act of revenge, especially for a man who devises sophisticated murders.”

“Then who else?”The strain on Darcy’s nerves showed in his tone.

“Lucinda,” Lydia asserted. “I threatened to speak to Elizabeth about her poor service.”

Darcy’s head snapped up in response.“Did you not say you rang for Lucinda when you entered the room?”

“I did, Mr. Darcy.”

Lord Stafford voiced what they all thought, “And the maid has failed to report?”

“Might you address this issue to Mr. Baldwin and Mrs. Reynolds for me,Your Lordship?”

“Certainly, Darcy.” The viscount quickly disappeared through the passageway.

“I will send another of my staff to attend you, Mrs. Wickham,” Darcy said stiffly and rose to go.

Lydia caught at his hand. “Tell Lizzy I am sorry. Please, Mr. Darcy—tell her I meant her no harm.”

“You may tell my wife yourself, Mrs. Wickham—in the morning.” With that, he and Worth departed the lady’s chamber. Outside the now-closed door, he pulled the solicitor aside. “Mr. Worth,” he whispered, “I have news of interest to you.”

“I am all ears, Mr. Darcy.”

“I had a visitor a while ago—a gentleman whom I have placed on the second level, away from my other guests.” Worth raised an eyebrow. “My cousin’s intended, Lieutenant Harwood, has come to save Anne’s reputation by offering the protection of his name.”

“Bloody hell!”Worth cursed.“Her intended? What is the meaning of this?”

“Mr.Worth, I have no desire to see my cousin with the lieutenant, but it may take me a few days to dislodge his claim on Anne without a loss of significant fortune. I need you to offer Miss de Bourgh comfort and not to betray my hand. If you hear me support the lieutenant’s suit, it will be a ploy.” Darcy glanced quickly about to assure their privacy. “I will require your cooperation, Mr.Worth, if I am to rid this family of Harwood and his scheme. I confide in you because I know you to be a man of reason in your daily life. You must practice that reason in this situation, even if your emotions tell you otherwise.”

“And I am not to confide this to Miss de Bourgh? Am I correct, Mr. Darcy?”

“Despite Anne’s venture into the performing arts earlier this evening, my cousin has not the talent to dissemble—to perform such a farce.”

Worth’s crooked smile turned up the corners of his mouth. “And I do, sir?”

“Precisely,Worth. You practice law.”

Chapter 15

Darcy checked on Elizabeth before he joined the viscount and the Pemberley staff members. Finding his wife enjoying a cup of tea, he kissed her and then rushed downstairs to address yet another mystery unfolding under his roof.

“I have instructed the butler and housekeeper to ask about the missing maid and report any details they discover,” Adam Lawrence informed Darcy when Pemberley’s master suddenly appeared in the main foyer.

“Thank you, Your Lordship.” Darcy gestured toward the main drawing room, the one Darcy used when he first welcomed his guests to Pemberley. “Let us see if there is any brandy left in the decanter.”

“I thought this madness had taken a vacation.” Stafford fell in beside Darcy.

Darcy shook his head in disbelief.“I had hoped. I cannot imagine how I will explain all this to the local magistrate. I have taken to making notes daily so I do not omit anything.”

They took up chairs before the dying embers of the hearth. Neither of them bothered with stoking the fire—they would not stay long. “Do you think the maid committed the destruction we witnessed in Mrs.Wickham’s room?”

“I no longer know what I should believe.” Darcy raked his fingers through his hair. “I pray it is simply a matter of a rogue servant taking out her lack of patience with a difficult mistress.As appalling as it would be to have such a person in my employ, the alternative is not something I wish to consider.” Darcy paused before adding, “I should tell you, we have a new guest on the second level. He is one Lieutenant Harwood, a compatriot of Colonel Fitzwilliam’s and an avowed suitor of my cousin Anne.”

Lord Stafford weighed his words carefully. “Your tone says you do not approve of the lieutenant. Is there something else of which I should be made aware?”

Darcy would not mention Anne’s possible ruination. “The lieutenant reports this part of Derbyshire suffered the most in the storm. He claims that he rode here from Cheshire. Carriage travel, he says, is not yet fully available. I imagine that it should only be a matter of a few days.”

Stafford’s quick analysis brought an ironic retort. “Are you telling me that if Cathleen and I had continued on our journey that we might have outrun the storm?”

Darcy chose his words carefully. “If the lieutenant is to be believed, then the answer is in the affirmative.”

Stafford sat forward in interest. “If? What are not saying, Darcy? The lieutenant is not to be trusted?”

“I have no knowledge of the man’s true character, Stafford, but I have learned not to accept anything at face value.When you hear the lieutenant speak, listen carefully.”

Stafford did not respond; they understood each other. “You will seek my aid if you need it, Darcy.”The viscount stood to take his leave.

“Should I apply to your chamber or that of your cousin?”

“If you ask the question, I must assume you already know the answer.”The viscount strolled casually toward the open door. “My cousin has chosen to no longer accept my protection when this is over.” Stafford’s voice did not betray his own ambivalence about the situation.

Darcy paused momentarily before adding,“I am sorry to hear it; as cousins go, the young lady offers a touch of true class.”

“I believe she does.”


By the time Darcy climbed the stairs, Elizabeth slept. He joined his men as they searched the house for the errant maid. He really did not expect to find Lucinda Dodd; she had disappeared, just as the Pemberley phantom did every time they had an opportunity to capture him. Frustration filled him as he undressed for the evening. He wanted this over—Darcy wanted to go back to his life before the siege on his household.

He struggled out of his jacket before addressing his waistcoat and cravat. He could not even remember the last time he had depended on his valet to help him disrobe at night. “Yes, you do, you fool. It was your wedding night,” he murmured. “The night this goddess gave herself to you.” He knew he should let Elizabeth sleep alone—exhaustion plagued her—but he did not believe he could ever again sleep without her next to him.Without Elizabeth in his arms, he felt bereft of life—she had imprinted herself on his soul.

Darcy stripped away his breeches and small clothes and crawled under the blankets with her. His weight caused her to roll toward him, and Darcy scooped Elizabeth into his arms. “Fitzwilliam?” she mumbled.

“You were expecting someone else?” he teased as he stroked the hair from her face and kissed her temple.

Elizabeth smiled mischievously, keeping her eyes closed.“My lover.”

Darcy nibbled on her earlobe. “Does your lover make you gasp with anticipation?” He kissed his way down her neck, creating the sensation he had just described. Then his lips brushed hers. “Does your lover make you quiver with his touch?” He brushed Elizabeth’s breasts before trailing a line of fire across her hips. He feathered kisses along her chin line. “Does your lover bring you such ecstasy that it is a tempest impossible to control?”

“No, sir,” she said as she snuggled into his chest, inhaling his scent—the smell of a powerful male. “Only my husband brings forth such pleasure. He is love incarnate.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, and then a curious kind of peace crossed his face.“Then I am thankful that I am your husband, ma’am.”

“As am I, Mr. Darcy.”

He kissed Elizabeth’s upturned nose. “Rest, my Love.Your husband is here to take care of you.” He wrapped her in his arms, pulling the blankets over them.


The morning room buzzed with life and noise, the excitement of the previous evening carrying them into the new day. “Well, I am thankful Mrs. Darcy was not harmed by the incident,” Cathleen remarked. “A woman with child is in a precarious situation.”

“With an estate this size,” Mrs.Williams observed,“it is imperative that the lady deliver a healthy heir. Mrs. Darcy must feel the pressure of giving Mr. Darcy a son to assume the estate.”

Anne joined the conversation. “I am sure my cousin has never conveyed such an edict to his wife.”

Mrs. Williams ignored Anne’s defense. “Mrs. Darcy must prove she is worthy of the respectability Mr. Darcy bestowed on her when she became his wife.”

“Mrs. Darcy is a gentleman’s daughter,” Anne asserted.

Evelyn Williams spit out her words: “That may be, Miss de Bourgh, but it is painfully evident that your cousin’s connections outpaced his wife’s.” She turned a deaf ear to Anne’s protest; and then she delivered a final cut. “It would seem to me, Miss de Bourgh, that you would count Mrs. Darcy’s situation as one of your blessings. If Her Ladyship had her way, you would be Mrs. Darcy and be expected to assume the position of mistress of Pemberley and be the mother of the Darcy line. It would be a daunting task for a woman of such a delicate nature. Maybe Mr. Darcy had it right, after all. A woman to serve Pemberley and him equally would have to understand those of a lower class.”

Anne charged, “Why do you speak so poorly of your hostess?”