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Lizzy followed Miss Darcy into the house, almost gnashing her teeth in frustration. Trust Darcy, who was not even here, to spoil her chance at asking his sister an important question!
She squared her shoulders. Never mind. When she helped Miss Darcy undress tonight, she could ask about Sally. She only hoped that Mrs. Annesley would not be supervising, otherwise that lady might find it a little strange that the new lady’s maid was asking such questions.
Miss Darcy hurried into her sitting room, eagerly scanning the letter her companion had handed to her when they entered the house.
“Oh.” Her face fell. “He says he is tied up with business in London and will be there a little longer.”
“Never fear, my dear.” Mrs. Annesley patted her shoulder. “I am here, and now you have Miss Brown to help you and regale you with stories about the sisters she looked after.”
“Oh, yes.” Miss Darcy looked up from her letter. “You must tell me all about your young ladies, Miss Brown.”
“I should be glad to,” Lizzy replied, racking her brain for some funny stories that would not immediately cause anyone – least of all Darcy – to suspect that Miss Brown and Miss Elizabeth Bennet were one and the same – although the sisters were the same, namely the Bennet sisters.
Oh dear. It was a bit of a tangle when she looked at it that way.
“Fitzwilliam is dining with the Bingleys tonight.” Miss Darcy sighed, then added, “Well, the day he wrote this letter. Goodness, it has taken almost two weeks to arrive!”
“Shocking.” Mrs. Annesley tutted. “The mail is usually faster than that.”
“At least his letter arrived.” Miss Darcy smiled determinedly. “And perhaps tomorrow, Miss Brown, we could go for a walk in the morning?”
“That is a very good idea,” Mrs. Annesley approved. “You have been looking a little wan lately, dear.” She looked regretful. “I am only sorry I cannot accompany you to ramble around the estate.”
“I shall be happy to, Miss Darcy,” Lizzy assured her employer. “After spending two days in a hack post-chaise, I shall be glad to stretch my legs properly.”
“Then it is settled.” Miss Darcy smiled. “First thing after breakfast, Miss Brown.”
***
LIZZY TOOK DINNER WITH the other servants, while Miss Darcy and Mrs. Annesley ate in the elegant dining room.
Mrs. Reynolds introduced her to the staff, but there were so many she could not remember all their names.
The butler, Mr. Beldon, was tall and thin with an air of efficiency that she was sure Mr. Darcy approved of.
The maids seemed pleasant enough, although the kitchen maids looked worn out and ready for bed. With so many staff to cook for, it was no wonder.
Lizzy realized how lucky she was to live at Longbourn. Her family had a cook, as well as Hill. Although they were not nearly as well off as the Bingleys or the Darcys, at least she and her sisters did not need to work for a living. Just being here for a day gave her a new appreciation of Hill and Cook at home.
Lizzy waited while the servants enjoyed their nicely cooked mutton with a well flavored gravy, glad that her first meal as a servant was so tasty. When a kitchen maid set down the dessert of damson pudding, she seized her chance.
“I heard that a housemaid has gone missing recently,” she said.
The room became silent.
“That’s right,” Mrs. Reynolds finally spoke. “Sally. She seemed to like it here, then one day just upped and left without a word.”
“Goodness,” Lizzy replied, attempting to look surprised.
“She wouldn’t do that,” a kitchen maid protested. Lizzy thought her name was Nora. “Sally was nice.”
“Nice, all right,” a footman smirked.
“Enough of that, Ned.” Mrs. Reynolds smacked him on the arm. “Sally was a good girl, even if she did leave us in the lurch.”
“Hardly, Mrs. Reynolds,” a pinch-faced maid remarked. “There’s not a lot of work to do here with just Miss Darcy and Mrs. Annesley. Even when the master is here, there are still plenty of rooms that aren’t lived in day to day.”
“Yet it’s your job to make sure they’re well cared for and ready for when the Darcys do want to use them,” Mrs. Reynolds spoke sharply. “You remember that.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the pinch-faced girl said sulkily before digging into her dessert.
“But don’t you think it strange that Sally just left like that?” Lizzy tried again after taking a bite of soft and juicy plum pudding. Heavenly. The servants were well fed here, and she was glad for them.
“Yes,” Nora said.
The butler frowned at her and the girl fell silent, her face flushed as she turned her attention to her dessert.
“Why are you asking so many questions?” Ned asked.
“I was interested, that is all,” Lizzy replied. “A friend told me about the position here, and she knew Sally.” It wasn’t a lie. She considered Hill to be a friend. “She was worried when she hadn’t heard from her.” Not really a fib.
“We went out looking for her, didn’t we, Mr. Beldon?” Mrs. Reynolds said.
“That’s right.” The butler nodded, his expression indicating the subject was now closed.
“Couldn’t find a trace of her,” Mrs. Reynolds continued.
“When did you discover her missing?” Lizzy persisted, ignoring the butler’s glower.
“She didn’t come home that night,” a plump rosy cheeked maid told her. “We share a room since we’re both housemaids, and at first I thought she’d stayed over with her parents and she’d be back for breakfast in the morning. But she didn’t turn up.”
“White slavers,” the pinch-faced maid muttered.
Lizzy looked at her thoughtfully. Hill had mentioned white slavers as well. Had the initial rumor come from this girl? Or were there genuine fears of a band of white slavers roaming Derbyshire? The notion seemed laughable, but Sally’s disappearance was definitely not humorous.
“That’s enough of that talk,” Mrs. Reynolds admonished the maid. “We have no idea what happened to Sally,” she told Lizzy. “Just upped and left for a better position, no doubt.”
“What about her belongings?” Lizzy pressed. “Surely she would have taken them with her if she left intentionally?”
The staff looked at each other.
“She didn’t take her things, miss,” Sally’s roommate said. “I’ve left them where they are, for I don’t know what to do with them apart from pack them up and take them to her mother.”
“Her parents have a farm a few miles from here,” Nora said, glancing warily at the butler as if wondering if she would be silently reprimanded again.
“Her mother came to enquire about her the following day,” her roommate offered. “Said she hadn’t turned up to the farm the day before.”
“Which was her day off,” Nora added.
“That’s why we searched for her,” Mrs. Reynolds said. “To make sure she wasn’t lying dead in a ditch.” She shuddered. “But we couldn’t find hide nor hair of her – and neither could her parents. I think she left for a better position.”
“Since she hasn’t returned, we’ll have to do something about hiring another maid,” Mr. Beldon stated, as if that were the end of the matter.
Lizzy opened her mouth to ask another question, but noticed the closed set of the housekeeper’s face. Perhaps she had made enough enquiries for now.
***
AFTER DINNER, LIZZY went up to her room, prepared to answer Miss Darcy’s summons.
She had brought a book with her, in case she had any spare time to read before she snuffed out the candle at night, and now she opened her volume of Evelina.
A bell tinkled, breaking the welcome silence of the room.
Lizzy looked up, startled. She had been so engrossed in her novel that she had quite forgotten for the moment that she was at Miss Darcy’s beck and call.
She hurried out of the room toward her mistress’s bedchamber, surmising correctly that the summons had originated from there.
“Miss Brown.” Miss Darcy sat at her dressing table. “I am ready to go to bed now, if you would not mind helping me?” she asked a little shyly.
“Of course, Miss Darcy.” Lizzy unfastened the ties at the back of the girl’s dress. “Would you like me to brush your hair? My – the sisters – liked one hundred strokes each.”
“That would be wonderful.” Miss Darcy smiled at her in the mirror.
Lizzy gently brushed the girl’s hair with the silver-backed hairbrush, admiring the sheen of her long blonde locks.
“That feels lovely,” Miss Darcy said, with a little sigh.
Lizzy smiled, wishing Jane were here to offer her the same service. But she would have to brush her hair herself before she slid into her own bed.
Lizzy realized now was the perfect time to ask about Sally. Should she reveal that she knew Hill, Sally’s aunt? Why not? It was no secret in Longbourn that Hill worked for the Bennets, and since Lizzy had given Miss Darcy a reference written by herself, Elizabeth Bennet ...
“I heard that a housemaid has gone missing,” she said as she brushed Miss Darcy’s hair.
“Oh.” Miss Darcy’s eyes fluttered open. “Yes. Mrs. Reynolds told me. Sally was a housemaid here.”
“It is a pity,” Lizzy said, “for I know her aunt. In fact, her aunt was the one who told me about the position here.”
“What a coincidence!” Miss Darcy’s eyes widened and she looked more alert. “What a shame you could not meet Sally.”
“Yes.” Lizzy replied. “It is.” She paused. “But I am afraid I do not understand. Why would Sally just leave her employment here?”
Miss Darcy shook her head. “I am afraid I do not understand, either. Unless it was too boring for her here, with only myself and Mrs. Annesley living here. She seemed a nice, cheery girl when I came across her doing her duties – very polite as well. I was sorry to hear that she had gone.”
Lizzy nodded and continued to brush Miss Darcy’s hair, wondering that she was not more concerned about Sally’s welfare. But, Lizzy did not know exactly what Miss Darcy had been told about Sally. Perhaps Mrs. Reynolds had told the young lady that Sally had left for a better job, which was what she seemed to believe had happened.
Or did she?
Lizzy decided to ponder that notion later, when she had some time to herself. At the moment, she needed to concentrate on being a wonderful lady’s maid, so Miss Darcy did not suspect the truth.
After brushing Miss Darcy’s hair, Lizzy helped her undress and assisted her into a fine lawn nightgown with frills along the sleeves and hem.
“Thank you,” Miss Darcy said as she got into bed. “You will wake me tomorrow, won’t you? Emily used to bring me a cup of chocolate in the morning.”
“Of course,” Lizzy promised. “Just tell me what time you would like me to come.”
“Just after eight would be splendid,” Miss Darcy smiled sleepily at her. “Fitzwilliam is always up early, and when he is home I like to go riding with him before breakfast. I do not wish to get into the habit of rising at noon when he is not here.”
“Very wise, Miss Darcy,” Lizzy said approvingly, thinking of her own early rising at Longbourn. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” Miss Darcy snuggled down into her sumptuous bed, looking tired and a little lonely.