Christmas 2022 is a matter of history and with New Year’s celebrations coming in a few days, I decided not to tax anyone with anything that might be construed as thought provoking. If you’re like me, the post Christmas let-down has you in cruise control right now and you almost recoil at any task that requires more than a few brain cells to complete.

In that vein I present an excerpt from book 5 of my Elizabeth Said, Darcy Said series. The title is Miss Elizabeth Confronts Lydia and explores Lydia and her obsession with men in uniform generally, but Mr. Wickham specifically. The first chapter has ODC parting ways due, in no small part. to the youngest Bennet’s willful disregard of her father’s restrictions against going anywhere near Meryton.

 

“Mr. Darcy has arrived with a companion,” Hill said, although the announcement was unnecessary as Elizabeth was out of her seat before the butler appeared in the doorway.

Her anticipation, which battled with her impatience this morning, had convinced her to sit at the window with her needlework which lay forgotten in her lap. The seat afforded her a view of the road running along the front of Longbourn, thus informing her of their arrival a full minute before the butler’s announcement.

“Hush,” she said to Jane’s quiet giggle as she hurried to greet the caller. “I have yet to make fun of you when you run to receive Mr. Bingley,” she said, stopping for an instant to regard her sister seated beside the man, his face proclaiming innocence in the banter. “Kindly give me the same respect.”

She lifted her head and delivered a disdainful sniff in a clear imitation of Lydia, then left the room to admit the visitors. Behind her, Jane laughed at Elizabeth’s playful complaint.

“Mr. Darcy,” she addressed the gentleman, who stood by the cloakroom entrance in the company of a young woman she took as his beloved sister. “Welcome to Longbourn.”

An uncommon attack of nerves held her tongue while she waited for Mr. Darcy to provide the introductions, which he seemed hesitant to begin for some unknown reason. If he delayed any longer, she was ready to do it herself.

As if listening to her thoughts, Mr. Darcy smiled and, indicating his companion, said, “Miss Elizabeth, I would like to introduce my sister, Miss Darcy. Georgiana, meet Miss Elizabeth, the person I advised you about.”

Miss Darcy stepped forward and curtsied. “I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Elizabeth,” she said, the words soft-spoken but clear. “My brother has told me so much about you that I feel as if we already know each other.”

“But he has strangely said very little about you,” Elizabeth replied, smiling to inform him she was not finding fault. He had reasons for his hesitance about describing his sister, and it was not her place to question or demand an explanation. Her appearance today was a step in the proper direction, and Elizabeth was determined to make her welcome.

“With your permission, Mr. Darcy, may I take her to meet my family? Except for Lydia, everyone is at home.”

Elizabeth accepted his nod as agreement and led the way to the parlor, where she busied herself conducting the introductions.

Miss Darcy’s curtsy accompanied each, with the exception of Mr. Bingley, whose cheerful greeting brought a snort of laughter from her followed by a look of horror at what she seemed to consider poor manners, judging by her crimson face.

To ease her embarrassment, Elizabeth took her to meet Mary, who seized the opportunity to deliver a lecture about sinful habits and allowing unseemly speech to taint her soul. Miss Darcy listened, although she cast troubled eyes at her guide, whose smile could not hide the giggles she fought to control.

“I wouldn’t worry about her,” she laughed with Miss Darcy upon escaping from the music-room and Mary’s sermon. “She views the world as either Sodom or Gomorrah, or maybe both; with Mary, it is hard to know.”

Laughter bubbled to the surface at the remark, and Miss Darcy asked, “Has my brother met her?”

Memories of their conversations, all one-sided with Mary the victor, had Elizabeth smiling. “They have,” she said and chuckled, “and he did not take their introduction half so well as you did. It looked as though he viewed her comments as a personal affront.”

“That sounds like him,” Miss Darcy replied. “He does not swallow criticism, more so if he considers it undeserved.”

Elizabeth nodded in agreement, the young woman’s description of Mr. Darcy matching her observations of the man. “We left before he got too angry and explained my sister’s view of the world. He laughed, but seemed a touch put out by it until he went back to Netherfield.”

Miss Darcy’s head nodded as Elizabeth spoke. “He was probably out of sorts all that night and, if experience is any prediction of future behavior, when he woke the next morning.”

The girl’s friendly demeanor and sense of humor left Elizabeth a bit confused. Where was the fearful girl Mr. Darcy described? Except for some hesitation upon meeting the members of the Bennet family, she showed no fear or awkwardness with Elizabeth. Their conversations until now had been lively and varied, and she displayed a quick wit in response to humorous views Elizabeth shared.

She did not seem all that different from her brother when replying to a question. Her opinion, when offered, did not waver if Elizabeth disagreed, but she listened to differing opinions without rancor.

Elizabeth studied Miss Darcy as she followed her to the sitting-room. The girl possessed a rare elegance that commonly existed only in mature women and arrived with age and experience. She seemed at ease with her natural beauty and not given to conceit, a fault that cursed many comely females. If this was the strength of her personality, Elizabeth would enjoy developing a closer relationship with her.

Miss Darcy stopped a few steps from their destination and whirled to face her, a surprising nervousness visible in her rapidly blinking eyes and the tongue that darted out to lick her lips. “I like you,” she declared, her words tumbling from her mouth as if fearful of taking too long to complete her sentence, “and I want to call you a friend. Is that acceptable, or have I spoken out of turn?”

Elizabeth laughed and took Miss Darcy’s hands in hers. “Please do,” she said, astonished at the sudden invitation. “And my name is Elizabeth. Miss Elizabeth is much too formal and should only be used by strangers, which we are not, don’t you agree?”

“Not anymore,” came the excited response, “and I am Georgiana.”

“Well, Georgiana,” Elizabeth said, “we should rejoin Mr. Darcy and the others before he comes out to look for you.”

“He does like me to stay close,” she responded. “Although where could I go? This is not an immense house, so it cannot be a simple task to lose my way inside.”

“Are you sure?” Elizabeth replied. “You are not familiar with the hidden rooms and chambers within these walls. When you meet Lydia, ask her about Longbourn’s dungeon and the last chance anybody had to speak with Emily.”

Georgiana drew back at the warning, her intent to widen the distance between them clear. “Who is Emily?” she asked in confusion. Unlike Lydia’s response when Mr. Bennet invented the imaginary sister to scare her into obedience, Georgiana’s curiosity had her looking for answers.

“She is Papa’s first disobedient daughter,” Elizabeth answered with a grin. “He locked her away in the dungeon under his library because she refused to heed his directions and insisted on breaking the rules he put in place.”

“He didn’t,” she breathed, caught up in the tale Elizabeth spun, “did he?”

“Why not come to the library with me to see for yourself? Emily can tell you all about her life as our father’s prisoner. When we spoke yesterday, she seemed properly contrite and ready to follow Papa’s rules.”

“I had better not,” Georgiana replied, moving a step closer to her brother’s protective presence. “Fitzwilliam won’t approve of visiting someplace like that and coming back dirty.”

Elizabeth suffered a pang of guilt at the lies she piled, one on top of another. She did not intend to frighten her new friend, but to introduce her to the famous Bennet humor, as well as to acquaint her with Lydia’s penchant for causing trouble. She planned to reveal the deception but wanted the girl to grasp the depths to which that rebellious nature took her, and their desperate attempts to correct her poor habits.

“I will make sure you come back reasonably presentable,” she responded, hopeful Georgiana saw the lesson she needed to convey. If not, she would apologize profusely and throw herself upon the girl’s mercy. “We can brush off any dirt covering you with little trouble. And Mr. Darcy won’t mind, although he is not aware of what lies under Papa’s library floor.”

“How many of your sisters has Mr. Bennet locked down there?” Georgiana asked, her concern becoming confusion again as she saw Elizabeth’s smile.

“Are you lying to me?” she demanded to a nod that seemed to anger her but was instead changed to a determined glare.

“How could you do such a thing?” Georgiana demanded, “And why?”

“Forgive me,” Elizabeth replied, “but I needed to prepare you as much as I could for the dubious pleasure of meeting my youngest sister. She is also the most disobedient and intractable, and the least likely to act as she should.”

“But what does this Emily person have to do with any of that?” Georgiana was not yet angry, but Elizabeth saw the emotion just beneath the surface of her new friend’s curiosity. She needed to soothe the girl or risk losing their newly discovered friendship. “And why did you lie to me?”

“Forgive my attempt to tell you about Lydia,” Elizabeth said and shrugged. “I hesitate to reveal family secrets, but could not think of a better way to warn you.”

“Warn me?” Georgiana said, her unspoken anger thankfully easing and replaced with intense curiosity. “About what? Is Miss Lydia dangerous? Should I be worried about how she chooses to greet me?”

Elizabeth shook her head to quell the fears exposed in the question. “Lydia is, for the most part, dangerous only to herself. Since childhood, she has gone from one unfortunate incident to the next, often without a pause in between. Papa has tried everything to change her ways, to no avail.”

“What does this have to do with me?” Georgiana demanded. “And what about Emily? Is she an actual member of your family or a figment of someone’s imagination?”

Elizabeth caught the agitation in Georgiana’s voice and placed a finger over her lips, hoping to placate the girl. She feared Mr. Darcy’s reaction should he learn of the ruse. Their friendship, and any chance for a resumption of his pursuit, might fail if he discovered the trickery she used.

Georgiana, though, seemed to hold a different opinion regarding the matter. Without waiting for Elizabeth to finish her explanation, she turned on her heel and marched into the sitting-room, leaving Elizabeth scrambling to catch up.

Mr. Darcy turned from Mr. Bingley and Jane’s conversation and offered his sister an amused smile that widened as Elizabeth burst into the chamber in pursuit.

“Are you aware of the dungeon beneath the library floor?” she asked, as if in great distress. “And that Mr. Bennet has locked one of his daughters down because of her disobedience?”

“If you are referring to Emily, I hadn’t given it a lot of thought,” he answered, favoring Elizabeth with an expression of pure innocence. “She probably deserves her punishment. With proper encouragement, she should become a well-behaved young woman, although I heard she is older than Miss Elizabeth, so I suppose that is not an accurate term.”

 

Those of you who are familiar with the series will remember Emily and the dungeon. For any who have not yet entertained themselves with the previous books in the series, they are available here.