“Oh, Lord!” repeated Lizzy.
“Shall I?” Darcy took the initiative and gently gathered up the underwear from the chair and placed the items slowly and reverently on the bed. He then sat down on the chair and smiled at Lizzy.
“What a fine chair this is,” he commented. “Jolly good legs.”
“I am so pleased to make your acquaintance,” ventured Georgiana to Lizzy. “My dear brother has told me so much about you.”
“I fear what your brother might have said,” replied Lizzy warmly, “but I am certainly glad to meet you.”
“My brother says you are a very spirited young lady. You must be to spend the night in this room alone. They say the castle is haunted. I would be frightened to death of ghosts and ghouls and would not sleep a wink!”
At that moment, there was a curious moaning sound from behind the door.
“You see!” said Georgiana in horror. “It is haunted!”
The ghostly moaning was heard again.
Georgiana leapt to Darcy, throwing her arms about him for protection, and Lizzy herself felt a tinge of fear. The moaning grew louder.
“It might be the wife of one of the former Prince Bishops of Durham,” whispered Georgiana. “I read about her last night. She haunts the black staircase; she fell down it and broke her neck!”
This time the moaning was accompanied by a faint clanking.
“Stay here!” said Darcy. “Elizabeth, look after Georgiana, and whatever you do, don’t come out. Whatever you hear, however fearful, stay right where you are. I’m going to see what it is. Georgiana, you will be safe with Elizabeth.”
Lizzy, though with a growing feeling of dread that the paranormal was upon them, nevertheless felt the compliment from Darcy. Their eyes met and lingered.
“Take care,” she whispered.
“I’ll be back,” replied Darcy, echoing her whisper, and he crossed the room, slowly opened the creaking door, and was gone.
Lizzy and Georgiana took comfort by sitting together on the ancient chair, the younger girl holding tightly onto the older girl’s hands. They did not speak. They hardly dared to breathe so desperate were they to hear what could be happening beyond the great oak door.
To begin with, there was only deathly silence. Then there was a great clanking, and somebody, not Darcy, said “Gotcha!” and laughed in delight. It was a familiar laugh, although Lizzy could not quite place it.
The door opened again. Darcy entered with a knight in armour following.
“Bingley!” said Darcy and sat down on the bed.
“Hello! Hello!” said Bingley, springing open his visor. “I hope I didn’t frighten you. I was just so dying to try on one of these suits of armour that seemed to be scattered around all over the place in this ancient castle, and then… well one little thought led to another… and I thought it would be quite a merry joke to spook you! Did I take you in? Did I?”
“You did, so we are doubly pleased to see you,” said Lizzy, her eyes shining in delight at being reunited with the young man.
Meanwhile, the commotion had brought the Gardiners, also still in a state of undress, rushing from their room. It was a curious meeting, half the people fully clothed, half still in nightwear, and one in knight’s armour, but the atmosphere was jolly, and good humour was apparent on all sides. On seeing Bingley, Lizzy’s thoughts had immediately turned to Jane. Could it be that the young man retained any affection for her? Or had Cazza been right when she said Bingley was in love with Georgiana? From observation, she saw no evidence of this. No secret looks, no paddlings of palms. Nothing. She found herself standing by the window with Bingley, who ventured that it had been a long time since he had had the pleasure of seeing her. In fact, the last time he had been with her family was 3:38 p.m., Tuesday 14, at Sunny Cove, just after he had rubbed some extra suncream on one of Lizzy’s sisters’ snowy white back, which was beautifully decorated with a faint freckle two inches below the right shoulder blade, and another to the left of her fourth vertebrae, and just before he had left Salcombe for London. Lizzy was pleased with the precise nature of this observation and felt that there was still hope for Jane.
After further merry conversation, the meeting drew to an end. Darcy had the pleasure of inviting the Gardiners and Lizzy to enjoy refreshments in the Great Hall that evening with themselves, Cazza, Lulu, and Hattie, who were expected to arrive during the day. All accepted gratefully, and the visitors left.
It was only later, while getting dressed, that Lizzy was unable to locate one of her stockings. Fortunately, she had a spare, but she dreaded to think where the original might have gone.
And it was only later that Darcy, on changing for rowing, found that the article had become attached somehow to the button on his back trouser pocket—probably when he had sat on it on the bed after discovering Bingley. It was too awkward to return, and besides, the sight of the item, its silky touch and softness, gave him more pleasure than he would like to admit.
Chapter 45
Dinner in the Great Hall was an awkward affair. The ladies gathered first in the Tunstall Gallery. Cazza, Lulu, and Hattie remained reserved and curt; Georgiana was so shy she spent the whole time hiding in the deep recess of an arrow window, peeping out to view the company occasionally and retiring quickly if anyone caught sight of her. Reynolds brought a roast pig into the Great Hall and encouraged the ladies to tuck in before the gents arrived. The conversation had reached a low ebb, and so whilst they seemed unable to speak, the ladies were able to eat. Lizzy was desperate for the gentlemen to appear. Half an hour later, Darcy and Bingley stood before them. Cazza, not yet beaten by Lizzy, threw herself upon Darcy, encouraging him to sit by her and showing off her decolletage to its best effect, yet with little effect. This made her angry, and she turned her jealous passion upon Lizzy.
“Eliza, are not the lifeguards now confined for their training at South Sands? How trying that must be for your family!”
Lifeguards instantly brought the name of Wickham to the minds of several in the room. The vicious dig intended for Lizzy also sent a knife into the heart of Darcy, and worse, Georgiana, who still too shy to join them, remained in the Tunstall Gallery but could hear every word. Still recovering from her near elopement, she fell in a faint into the recess. After trifle, Lizzy and the Gardiners left, and Cazza, Hattie, and Lulu had an enjoyable time knocking back vodka and tonic whilst tearing Lizzy’s character and looks apart.
“Totally sad, a complete waster,” was Hattie’s view.
“Did you see her earrings? Costume jewellery,” chortled Lulu. “So cheap!”
Cazza tried to draw Darcy in. “Did you admire her earrings, Darcy? Do you think they set off her face to best advantage? I do recall you thought her rather pretty at one time.”
“I did, once, think her pretty. Now I consider her one of the handsomest women in my acquaintance,” retorted Darcy, finishing the tail end of a glass of single malt whisky and retiring uneasily to bed.
Chapter 46
The following morning, Lizzy had a text from Jane.
A second text followed almost immediately:
At that moment, Darcy appeared at the door. Lizzy in her distress revealed the ghastly news.
