Pride and Premeditation (Jane Austen Murder Mystery #1)(55)

Men and their honor were a mystery to Lizzie. It was not honorable to pay off pirates, but it was honorable to challenge others to a duel?

“Forgive me, Louisa,” Bingley continued, entreating his older sister. “I gave George a position in the company thinking he would assume responsibility. When it became clear that he wasn’t contributing, I limited his role, terrified he’d lose us money when we had none to spare. I’d paid off gambling debts in the past, but then I told him he’d get a salary and nothing more, hoping he’d realize the gravity of the situation. When it became evident that he was still spending and not even bothering to come home, I grew angry. I was pouring all my own money into keeping Netherfield going, and he kept racking up debt. Had I known someone would take such drastic measures . . .”

He turned to Lizzie. “Miss Bennet, I wasn’t forthcoming because I didn’t want my sisters to know of our business troubles, and I didn’t want word to get out.”

The anguish on Bingley’s face and the pain in his voice were convincing—but Lizzie wasn’t feeling generous. “A young woman is dead,” she whispered. “She had no part in this, but she died for it nonetheless. I need to know everything, no more secrets.”

Bingley nodded, and it took Lizzie a moment to collect her thoughts. What if she had simply approached Bingley days ago to press him for more information? Why had she been so determined to solve this without questioning Bingley more closely? She slid a glance toward Darcy. That’s why, said a voice in her head that sounded annoyingly like Jane’s. Because she wanted to find the truth and she wanted no man’s interference. Foolish.

“You said you limited Hurst’s work in the business?” she asked Bingley finally. “When?”

“Ages ago,” he said. “I didn’t want to tell the ladies, because I didn’t want them to know how bad things were. George agreed to keep quiet and was all too happy to leave work as long as I agreed to cover his household expenses, which I managed to do until earlier this year.”

Lizzie could feel Darcy’s gaze upon her. She glanced at him briefly, and yes, he was staring right back, curiosity written across his face. She turned back to Bingley. She had to get her mind around the timeline of events.

“You say your insurers dropped you last year?”

“Yes, last September.”

“And was Hurst involved in securing insurance?”

Confusion crossed Bingley’s face. “God, no. I wouldn’t have trusted him to receive my mail, much less insure my business.”

“But on his desk in his study,” Lizzie said, slowly reviewing the memory, “I saw a letter pertaining to an insurance policy on Netherfield Shipping. I can’t quite remember . . . it was dated this year, I’m sure of it.”

“Would this have been when you broke in?” Darcy asked.

“I was let in,” Lizzie insisted. “And I did not break anything. I’m telling you, there was something regarding an insurance policy on Netherfield. What if Hurst’s murder has something to do with the business?”

“So pirates killed Hurst?” Darcy asked, sounding doubtful.

“I don’t know!” Lizzie snapped. She still couldn’t figure out how Abigail fit in.

“It makes sense,” Georgiana said, cutting the tension between Lizzie and Darcy. “If Hurst took out a fraudulent insurance policy that directed premiums to the pirates, and they got rid of him, and implicated Bingley, and Caroline and Louisa knew nothing of it—”

“Then they would have kept on paying the fraudulent policy, allowing the pirates to profit,” Darcy finished. He jumped up and began running his hands through his hair in an agitated manner. It was the first time Lizzie witnessed him less than perfectly put together.

“From there it would not have been a stretch for them to insinuate someone into the business who knew of their plan, and to take control of the company,” Lizzie added.

“And they would have had regular payments, and full access to a trading route for smuggling purposes,” Darcy finished.

“Quite a coup,” Lizzie agreed.

Their eyes met, and for a heart-pounding moment she felt the thrum of shared victory. Then she reminded herself not to get too carried away. “We need to find that insurance policy.”

“We need both the fraudulent and the canceled genuine policies,” Darcy corrected her. “We can present them before the judge and build the case that this was a business matter turned sour.”

“Let’s go to Grosvenor Square to retrieve the one Hurst had, and then to Pemberley,” Bingley said, standing and calling for the butler.

Darcy shook his head. “It’ll be faster if you go to your brother-in-law’s, and meet me at Pemberley.”

Lizzie turned suspicious. Perhaps because Darcy would be left with a key piece of evidence, or because he’d been agreeing with her. She would not be left out. “I’ll come with you.”

“No need,” Darcy said. “Your help and perspective are appreciated, however—”

“Not a chance!” Lizzie cried out. “I’m the reason why you even know to look to the insurance policies in the first place.”

“Because you committed a crime—”

“For the last time, I was let in! I’m coming with you, and you shan’t get rid of me.”